The Rev. Grace S. Pak is the director of cross-racial and cross-cultural (CR/CC) leadership at the UMC’s General Commission on Religion & Race. She has worked closely with the Eastern PA Conference’s Commission on Religion & Race and Cabinet to train church leaders in planning, resourcing and implementing effective CR/CC ministry, especially in churches with CR/CC appointments. To observe Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in May she writes about her experiences as a Korean American.

Reflecting on Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, Pak remembers her own story as an immigrant growing up in the U.S. but still not feeling welcome. “I came to the United States following my parents at the age of 12 — over 40 years ago,” she writes. “Growing up in New York City in the 1970s, there was always a nagging question: ‘Where do I fit in as a Korean? Do I belong here?’  In the wake of rising xenophobia in response to the coronavirus, Pak writes that this is a time to reflect on how “we are all in this together.” Learn more…