This paragraph was written for The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California’s Beloved Community Resource Newsletter published by The Commission for Intercultural Ministries – February 18, 2024 Special Edition.
Inspired by Betty Kwan Chinn, Rev. Daniel has addressed the role of Christ Church in the Chinese expulsion in Eureka in the late 19th century and engaged in a partnership between Christ Church, Eureka and Humboldt Asian & Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI). Here is his story.
I have been inspired by the courage of Betty Kwan Chinn, a Chinese philanthropist and humanitarian in Humboldt County who suffered unimaginable persecution and torture in China during the Cultural Revolution when she was a seven-year-old girl. After escaping and emigrating to the United States, Betty responded to her own suffering by fearlessly providing food, showers, housing, and job training to thousands of people struggling in northern California, even though local community leaders initially ostracized her. Eventually, thanks to the advocacy and support of other local leaders like Pastor Dan Price, Betty and her work have been embraced and celebrated by the community and beyond, including President Barack Obama who awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2010. Pastor Dan Price’s wife, Dr. Karen Price, has recently published an outstanding book about Betty titled, The Gray Bird Sings: The Extraordinary Life of Betty Kwan Chinn (Arcata: The Press at Cal Poly Humboldt, 2023), in which she bravely tells the truth about the horrendous atrocities committed during the Cultural Revolution, a potentially dangerous undertaking since the regime responsible for the Cultural Revolution is still in power. The courage of Betty, Dan, and Karen have inspired me to tell the truth about the troubling history of the Chinese expulsion in Eureka and my own parish’s complicity in the expulsion in the late 19th century. Although some people have responded to this truth-telling with offense and with the frustrated sense that I am trying to make others feel guilty about the sins of past generations, I have felt motivated by Betty’s courage to remain steadfast in telling the truth about our history in order to also proclaim the dream of the beloved community, practice the way of love, and work towards repairing the breach. Ironically, the one person who has done the most to heal the social wounds of Humboldt County is a woman from China and it is her courageous work that has inspired a partnership between my parish (Christ Church Eureka) and the Humboldt Asian & Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI), a partnership that seeks to acknowledge the reality of the Chinese expulsion in Eureka and to start working together, courageously, towards healing and reconciliation.
DANIEL DeFOREST LONDON 