We had an educational, thought-provoking, and inspiring film screening and panel co-hosted with Chinatown Together tonight.

The film “Big Fight in Little Chinatown” is “a story of community resistance and resilience. Set against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic and an unprecedented rise in anti-Asian racism, the documentary takes us into the lives of residents, businesses, and community organizers whose neighborhoods are facing active erasure. Coast to Coast, the film follows Chinatown communities resisting the pressures around them. From the construction of the world’s largest vertical jail in New York, Montreal’s fight against developers swallowing up the most historic block of their Chinatown, big box chains and gentrification forces displacing Toronto’s community, to a Vancouver Chinatown business holding steadfast, the film reveals how Chinatown is both a stand-in for other communities who’ve been wiped off the city map and the blueprint for inclusive and resilient neighborhoods of the future.

Upon my arrival in Vancouver in 1990, I realized that Chinatown was a bustling hub where I could handle various activities such as banking, seeing a family doctor, buying groceries, and much more. However, I regretted not taking the time to understand and acknowledge its history, significance, and the challenges it faces. I was grateful to watch the film with especially many young people, engage in discussion, and collectively broaden our knowledge tonight.

This film and our discussion were about learning and building a more inclusive and understanding community.  During the panel, we talked about fighting gentrification, drug policy in and outside of Richmond, and how to make an inclusive community in Chinatown and the church, as with my battle to create queer inclusive spaces within the Chinese-Christian community in Richmond.

I first learned about Chinatown Together when I read a news post about the LGBTQ+ group being excluded from the Vancouver Lunar New Year parade. I’ve been in touch with Chinatown Together to support my LGBTQ+ friends in being true to themselves. I want my LGBTQ+ friends to know that there are Christians who are here to walk with them. I want my LGBTQ+ friends to understand that they are loved and accepted by God just the way they are. I also wish everyone, including my LGBTQ+ friends, to know that 360 Community is their spiritual home, a place of solace and acceptance. It’s where they can get baptized, receive holy communion, get married, learn to be a follower, serve the community, and engage in meaningful learning, reflection, and discussion.