Last month marked the 50th anniversary of my family immigrating from Korea to Canada. I was only five years old, but I still carry vivid memories of my childhood in Korea—playing with cousins, visiting grandparents and living in a vibrant, bustling community. Yet, like many Korean families in the 1970s, we left it all behind in search of a better future in North America.
Korea, still recovering from Japanese colonialism and the devastation of the Korean War, faced economic and political instability. My parents, like countless others, sought hope and opportunity abroad. What they, and we, weren’t prepared for were the harsh realities of immigrant life: the racism, xenophobia and systemic exclusion that greeted us the moment we landed at Pearson Airport.
I write about some of my childhood experiences growing up in London, Ontario, in my blogs and two of my most recent books, “Invisible” and “When God Became White.”
I remember walking to the neighborhood grocery store with my mother every week to get groceries for the week. There were always white people glaring at us as we walked down the aisle to get the food we needed, making us feel out of place.
In the schoolyards, kids didn’t know any better. The daily racial slurs, eye pulls and name-calling toward the immigrants were routine for many of the white kids.
My childhood memories are flooded with memories of when I tried to do my best to work and study. These memories are not just personal; they are emblematic of the systemic racism immigrants and people of color endure daily.
Fifty years have passed, and you would think with globalization pervading international media, influencing cultural shifts and stirring the rise of burgeoning new world powers, racism would have softened its edges. Yet, it persists, insidious and systemic, in our workplaces, churches and society. The fight against racism is far from over, and the recent political climate in the United States underscores this reality.
The Trump administration’s executive order to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives is a stark reminder of how fragile progress can be. By targeting federal grants and programs, Trump seeks to erase decades of anti-discrimination efforts, including President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” initiatives.
In his inaugural address, Trump stated, “We will forge a society that is color-blind and merit-based.”
Trump does not seem to understand colorblindness, as he wants to eliminate race within any work, school or community environment. Colorblindness is an ideology that ignores the lived experiences of people of color. It operates under the assumption that racism does not exist, dismissing any conversations about it.
In being blind to race, one becomes blind to the history of genocide, enslavement, indentured servitude, xenophobia and trauma that people of color have experienced and continue to experience. Colorblindness seeks to make racism into an individual, not a systemic societal problem. Thus, it allows white people to be unaffected by it.
Colorblindness does not help us, and it destroys all the efforts made by civil rights leaders and religious leaders working toward more diverse, equitable and inclusive systems.
DEI programs are not just bureaucratic checkboxes. They are essential tools for building a more just and equitable society.
They foster awareness of our past, encourage innovation through diversity, and promote fairness and belonging. DEI efforts remind us that difference is not a hindrance but an asset—one that enriches workplaces, schools and communities.
It is through the values of DEI that we can begin to dismantle the systemic barriers that perpetuate inequality.
Diversity is what makes communities vibrant and dynamic. It is the foundation of the kin-dom of God that Jesus preached—a world where all are valued, where equity and inclusion are not just ideals but lived realities.
This is the world I want for my children and their children. It is a world where the lessons of our past inform the possibilities of our future, where the stories of immigrants and people of color are not just heard but celebrated.
As we reflect on the struggles and triumphs of immigrant life, let us build a society that genuinely embodies the kin-dom of God—one where diversity is cherished, equity is pursued, and inclusion is the norm.
This is not just a dream; it is a calling. And it is a calling we must answer together.
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