Religious Communities and Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2026-05-21

Abstract This chapter considers anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate the crucial role that religion played both in producing the problem of anti-Asian racism and violence and shaping how communities responded to it. While religion is typically overlooked in our analyses of hate violence, especially when a racial minority group is targeted, this case reveals how religion intersects with racialization to bolster white supremacy at the same time that it can serve as a vital resource for individuals and communities resisting racism. This chapter considers the importance of bringing religion into our analysis and the stakes of doing so, including how data—when ethically gathered and responsibly used—can empower communities and advance public understandings and policies.

Severing ties: ritual objects and the category of religion in Hmong American families

Religion · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

Follow the New Way

2023 · 7 citations

• Computer Science
• Computer Science
• History

3 Ministering Resettlement REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT AS CHRISTIAN MINISTRY AND MISS ION

Harvard University Press eBooks · 2022

• Political Science
• Political Science
• Law

“Please Love Our Asian American Neighbors”: Christian Responses to Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Theology Today · 2022-12-26

How have American religious groups engaged in the issue of contemporary anti-Asian racism? This article examines statements issued by Christian denominations in the United States to understand how American Christians have responded to the recent rise in racist and violent attacks on Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that while all of the statements condemned anti-Asian racism, Christian responses varied in significant ways: in how they understood the problem of racism, in what they prescribed as solutions, and in the degree to which they engaged in the particular experiences of Asian Americans.

2 Administering Resettlement REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT AS CHURCH-STATE GOVERNANCE

Harvard University Press eBooks · 2022-11-11

7 Remaking the Hmong Way THE CREATION OF A HMONG AMERICAN RELIGION

Harvard University Press eBooks · 2022-11-11

5 Disrupting the Old Way THE IMPACT OF REFUGEE POLICY ON HMONG RITUAL LIFE

Harvard University Press eBooks · 2022-11-11

6 Following the New Way REFUGEE POLICY AND HMONG ADOPTION OF CHRISTIANITY

Harvard University Press eBooks · 2022-11-11

Follow the New Way

Harvard University Press eBooks · 2022-11-07

An incisive look at Hmong religion in the United States, where resettled refugees found creative ways to maintain their traditions, even as Christian organizations deputized by the government were granted an outsized influence on the refugees' new lives.Every year, members of the Hmong Christian Church of God in Minneapolis gather for a cherished Thanksgiving celebration. But this Thanksgiving takes place in the spring, in remembrance of the turbulent days in May 1975 when thousands of Laotians were evacuated for resettlement in the United States. For many Hmong, passage to America was also a spiritual crossing. As they found novel approaches to living, they also embraced Christianity-called kev cai tshiab, "the new way"-as a means of navigating their complex spiritual landscapes.Melissa May Borja explores how this religious change happened and what it has meant for Hmong culture. American resettlement policies unintentionally deprived Hmong of the resources necessary for their time-honored rituals, in part because these practices, blending animism, ancestor worship, and shamanism, challenged many Christian-centric definitions of religion. At the same time, because the government delegated much of the resettlement work to Christian organizations, refugees developed close and dependent relationships with Christian groups. Ultimately the Hmong embraced Christianity on their own terms, adjusting to American spiritual life while finding opportunities to preserve their customs.Follow the New Way illustrates America's wavering commitments to pluralism and secularism, offering a much-needed investigation into the public work done by religious institutions with the blessing of the state. But in the creation of a Christian-inflected Hmong American animism we see the resilience of tradition-how it deepens under transformative conditions