Dear Parish Family,
This last weekend marked the 140th anniversary of the Chinese expulsion from Eureka; and I want to thank all of you who participated with me in the shared moment of silence on Sunday morning and the community gathering at the Chinatown Mural on Sunday afternoon. I also want to thank all of you who have been part of our Sacred Ground gatherings, diversity forums, and vestry meetings in which we have been telling the truth about our church’s history, including our parish’s apparent lack of involvement with the Chinese community when our church building was located adjacent to Chinatown (on 4th and E) as well as our founder’s involvement in their expulsion.* Although the complexities and nuances of history and humanity resist and ultimately reject attempts to create a narrative in which one group of people is wholly evil and another is wholly innocent, it is important for us to acknowledge this history for the sake of healing since, as Desmond Tutu said, “there can be no healing without truth”; and it is important for us to clearly denounce the racial prejudice of those responsible for the Chinese expulsion as well as the subsequent celebrations of that expulsion.
Thanks to the courageous compassion of Betty Chinn, a Chinese immigrant, who has done more to heal the social wounds of this county than anyone else, we partnered last year with HAPI (Humboldt Asian and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity) to celebrate Betty and the Chinese New Year here as well as Dr. Karen Price’s book The Gray Bird Sings: The Extraordinary Life of Betty Kwan Chinn. I have remained in conversation with leaders of HAPI, who invited us to observe the moment of silence on Sunday in memory of the victims of the Chinese expulsion.
As we did, I invited us to ask ourselves if there are grave injustices happening right outside are walls today about which we remain silent lest we sound “too political”? How might future historians look back at Christ Church Eureka during our time? Will they be disappointed by our silence and complicity or inspired by our courageous compassion?
The purpose of these conversations is not to arouse guilt, but rather to learn from past sins and mistakes lest we repeat them again, and to practice truth-telling. Over the last decade or so, the Episcopal Church has been working towards racial reconciliation, healing, and justice, guided by a long-term commitment to what we call “Becoming Beloved Community,” which is a four-part commitment that consists of 1) telling the truth about our churches and race 2) proclaiming the dream of beloved community 3) practicing Jesus’ Way of Healing Love and 4) repairing the breach in society and institutions. These commitments are vital to lasting change within ourselves, our churches, our communities and society at large.
Along with reflecting on the relevance of the Chinese expulsion for us Christ Church Eurekans today, I invite us to also consider supporting HAPI in the creation of a monument to commemorate this dark and sobering chapter of our local history. The monument will be located on the corner of First and E Streets; and you can read more about this monument here: https://www.northcoastjournal.com/news/eureka-chinatown-project-to-create-chinese-expulsion-monument-32041945. The monument will highlight themes of hope and healing, which are central to our Christian faith, and which have permeated my preaching since day one. HAPI has already raised over $200,000, but they still need more donations to help support their part-time program coordinator who will manage the Eureka Chinatown Project.
While Christ Church Eureka was complicit in the expulsion of the Chinese from Eureka, we now have an opportunity to support the Chinese and Asian community in a tangible way by helping them to honor the history and culture of the first Chinese people in Humboldt County. You can support the Eureka Chinatown Monument by visiting this site: https://www.hapihumboldt.org/eureka-chinatown-project
Thank you for taking the time to read this and may God bless you immensely!
Gratefully,
Fr. Daniel
* Thomas Walsh, our church founder and long-time senior warden, served as the Mayor and Chair of the City Council meeting that led to the expulsion of the Chinese. When a case [Wing Hing v. Eureka] was brought against Eureka for the city’s actions, the papers were served to Tom Walsh, but the case was dismissed, much to the relief of Eureka and many other cities who emulated the “Eureka Plan.” Also, Thomas Vance, a landlord of Chinatown who previously owned the property upon which our church now stands, said after the expulsion that the absence of the Chinese “more than compensated for [his] losses [in rent money from the Chinese].”
Support the Eureka Chinatown Monument
Help the Humboldt Asians & Pacific Islanders raise funds to build a Chinatown Monument at the corner of 1st and E Street at the waterfront in Eureka. The Monument will share the Journey of Chinese people in Humboldt County and memorialize the former Chinatown that existed in Eureka, the expulsion, the banishment for 70 years, and the eventual growth of a vibrant and diverse Asian American community.
Click here to donate
DANIEL DeFOREST LONDON 