A prayer for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Gracious God,
we confess that we have failed our
Asian American and Pacific Islander siblings.
We have bought into the
“model minority” and “honorary white” myth
while treating our siblings as perpetual foreigners.
We fail to learn about the
many different peoples, cultures, and nations
you have created and you love.
We fail to seek out and tell
the stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
in our schools, colleges, seminaries, and churches.
Forgive us, God.
Forgive our neglect and indifference.
Forgive our stereotyping, prejudice, and racism.
Forgive us for making our
Asian American and Pacific Islander siblings
invisible.
Inspire us to turn around,
to build connections,
to stop “othering” our siblings,
to embrace one another in love,
and to make your beloved
Asian American and Pacific Islander children
visible.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

inspired by Invisible: Theology and the Experience of Asian American Women
by the Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim