Racism and COVID-19

Hello, friends!

In 2019, in the city Wuhan, China, the first case of the novel coronavirus that is now a global pandemic was reported. Since then, not only has the virus spread all over the world, but the CDC and the WHO have also officially named it COVID-19 and have asked that everyone refer to it as such.

Why does the name matter? The name matters because since the spread of COVID-19 started in the US, violence against Asian Americans has gone up across the country and a big reason for that is because Asian Americans are being (unfairly and inaccurately) blamed for the spread of the virus. When people refer to it as the "Wuhan virus," the "China virus," or the "Chinese virus," instead of COVID-19, it creates space for blame to be spread to Asian Americans.

The logic, conscious or subconscious, goes like this:
- When something has your name on it, that means it's yours (like how if someone said they were going to the Leong house, it would be reasonable to assume that the things in the house belong to me and I am responsible for them).
- The thing is called the Wuhan (or China, or Chinese) virus
- Therefore, the Chinese must own it
- Therefore, the Chinese are the reason that everyone is getting sick and I can't go outside
- Therefore, the Chinese are my enemies
- Therefore, when I see someone who looks Chinese (read: Asian), I must treat them as my enemy

Many news outlets have documented violence against Asian Americans. We have a Burmese friend whose cousin was beaten in the Bay Area a few days back. The threat of violence is real.

I've heard a number of arguments defending the use of Wuhan/China/Chinese virus. They include:
- Well, it DID start there, so we're just being accurate.
- The Chinese ARE responsible, so calling it something else lets them off the hook.
- We call other diseases by where they come from, so there shouldn't be anything wrong with doing this again.

These arguments are bogus on their face (message me if you'd like to hear why) but the time spent to refute them would take up too much space. I'm trying a different approach:

- Using the term Wuhan/China/Chinese virus increases the risk of violence against Asian Americans
- My children are Asian American
- By continuing to use that term, you are increasing the risk of violence against my children
- If you choose to do something that increases the risk of violence against my children, you are no friend of mine

One more thought. If you're calling it Wuhan/China/Chinese virus to stick it to the Chinese government, guess what. THEY DON'T CARE! Facebook isn't allowed in China, so they aren't seeing your snarky and self-satisfying posts. Your protest isn't even falling on deaf ears, it's completely useless. All you're doing is increasing the chance of my kids getting hurt and that cannot stand.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Social Isolation...

Hello, friends!

On Tuesday, I went to the mailbox.

Wednesday, I went to the gas station.

Today, I'll bring in the trash cans from the curb. 

Social isolation is a thing...

Megan and I have had to make a number of adjustments since the country got put on lock down. Ezra's preschool was cancelled and we're not taking the kids into daycare, so everyone is spending a lot more time at home. Megan has done a great job of making a schedule so the kids are still learning and such. We both still have work to do so we're switching off watching the kids and working right now. Thankfully, InterVarsity has given all its employees extra paid "distress" days, which unfortunately, is not a luxury many workers have.

I've been mostly fine watching the kids. I've been mostly fine not working as much, especially since a number of my projects have been moved from physical to virtual. The hardest thing for me has been not being able to go outside.

Normally, while I'm working, I'm also traveling some. Especially on Wednesdays and Friday when I have meetings in various locations that are actually close to each other. I'll usually drive my car down to an open parking structure, then either bike or walk to all my meetings. It's good to get out into the fresh air and just be. Well, that's not an option right now. I'm hanging out in the office and later I'll go upstairs. It's a weird place to be right now.

After a few weeks, I'm sure that either things will be back to "normal" (or close to it), or I'll have gotten used to things as they are now. As an asthmatic, I really can't risk being in social places, and with Jonah recovering from RSV, even if I'm OK, I can't risk getting him sick. So, we'll stay isolated and make it work.

Have an excellent day!

COVID-19!!!

Hello, friends!

Did you know that the first verse of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine is roughly 20 seconds? Why do I know this? Because, for the past few weeks, as I've actually taken a full 20 seconds to lather with soap when I was my hands (don't judge!), instead of singing Happy Birthday twice, for some reason, Yellow Submarine popped into my head. My theory is that the first verse of most pop songs is about 20 seconds but I haven't tested it out yet.

All silliness aside, dealing with the global pandemic known as COVID-19, has been a thing. In just the past 48 hours, a lot of changes have been made that directly alter our lives in significant ways. Here's a rundown:

- Omaha Public Schools have been cancelled. Since Ezra's preschool follows the lead of OPS, that means Ezra doesn't have any preschool for a bit.

- A number of campuses in the Central Region have suspended in person classes for the semester, meaning our staff are scrambling to figure out how to still do ministry when there's no place to meet. Virtual small groups will now be a thing. 

- InterVarsity National had cancelled all camps and end of the year gatherings through May 31, which means International Getaway, the conference Megan was directing at the end of May, has been cancelled and she's trying to figure out an alternative.

- That cancellation also means that the New Staff Training I would be running in Omaha in April and our Regional training at the end of May need to be re-imagined and probably done virtually.

- Ezra, Thaliea, and I are supposed to fly to California for my sister's wedding reception next Friday. We are currently monitoring the situation.

- All major sports leagues have been postponed, which affects me in the sense that I have a lot more free time since I'm not reading or watching my teams. =0). 

The phrase that Megan keeps saying over and over again is, "We live in crazy times." As I've been trying to process everything, I'm even a little stuck on what the right thing to pray is. Is it a lack of faith for me to not pray for complete and miraculous eradication? Is it selfish to pray for protection for my family because that's my number one concern? How does one pray regularly for the President (as I have tried to do since graduating high school) whole at the same time being so frustrated with the inadequate response from this administration? Ultimately, prayer has been a little scattered but we're making it work.

I don't know exactly what to pray for but I know that we should be praying. Pray for our students. Pray for our country. Pray for our world. Join me, best you can, and we'll see if we can't figure some of this out together.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Preaching!!!

Hello, friends!

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of preaching at my church, Bridge Church, here in Omaha. This is my first time preaching at a church in a while and it was a lot of fun. Here's the video (I think you need to click the link to watch on Vimeo

NOTE: If you're wondering what that thing hanging off my shoulder is, I originally had a wireless microphone but it kept scraping up against my goatee, so they switched me to a handheld. I tried to take off the wireless but forgot that it went down the back of my shirt, so I just left it on my shoulder. Oops! =0).

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam