Response to Racial Injustice
Reflection from Redeemer Counseling
While prejudice, violence and discrimination against people of color have long plagued our country, these acts of racism targeting Asian-Americans have been on the rise since the pandemic began. The tragic events in Atlanta have left us all feeling outraged and heartbroken once again. These egregious acts of racism are horrific expressions of evil that grieve our Father’s heart.
At Redeemer Counseling Services, we are uniting in prayer for those who have lost their lives and for their families, that God would give courage to the suffering and weak to raise their voices, and that He would ignite a renewed desire for His vision of justice to unite people in solidarity for human dignity and equality across this country. As we continue to grieve that systemic racism has destructive effects on all people of color, we are also convinced that we, as believers and as a counseling ministry, have a responsibility to be rigorous about learning, inquiring, and growing in our knowledge about matters associated with racism, and its effects on mental health.
Although we are deeply grieved, we are not without hope. We believe our God is actively working in our midst to once again use this moment to transform beliefs and convict hearts to collectively create a more just world. So, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful! (Hebrews 10:23).
By Judy Cha, Ph.D, LMFT, Director
A Call to Healing Asian Racialized Trauma, by Jessica Cho Kim
Asian American Faith Leaders: A Call for Solidarity
Identifying and Addressing Racial Trauma in Counseling
Counseling Toolkit Newsletter
Resource references
Carter, R. T. (2007). Racism and psychological and emotional injury: Recognizing and assessing race-based traumatic stress. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(1), 13-105. doi:10.1177/0011000006292033
Cho, A. (2016). Why race matters to God and what that means for us [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/155530918
Hemmings, C., & Evans, A. M. (2018). Identifying and treating race-based trauma in counseling. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 46(1), 20-39. doi:10.1002/jmcd.12090
Row, S. W. (2019). Healing racial trauma: The road to resilience. InterVarsity Press.
Smith, W. H. (2010). The impact of racial trauma on African Americans. www.heinz.org/userfiles/impactofracialtraumaonafricanamericans.pdf
Williams, J. (2016, June 2). Galatians 3:28 does not encourage color-blind Christianity. The Witness. https://thewitnessbcc.com/galatians-328-not-encourage-color-blind-christianity/
Williams, M. T. (2019, January 19). Uncovering the trauma of racism: New tools for clinicians. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culturally-speaking/201901/uncovering-the-trauma-racism-new-tools-clinicians
Redeemer Churches & Ministries
Grace & Race Statement
Resources from our network of partners
Hope for New York
Pray & Lament, Listen & Learn, Read & Reflect, Serve & Respond
