- Have you ever had to stand up for something that was important to you? Tell us about it. (Be prepared to share your own experience. Answers will vary and may include: I stood up to someone who was bullying my friend; I participated in the March for Life with my family; my class wrote letters to help stop animal cruelty, etc.)
According to NBC News, in the past year, there have been nearly 3,800 recorded incidents of violence and hate against Asian Americans. These incidents include anything from verbal attacks to physically violent ones. In the March Atlanta shooting, the majority of the victims were Asian American women. In response to this racism, many people have begun speaking out and protesting against hatred for Asian Americans.
Share the following video [1:29]:
Rallies across the U.S. to honor victims of Atlanta shootings
- The protestors saw a problem they didn’t like and took a stand to try to change it. What were they risking by trying to unite people against hate? (Answers may include: They could’ve received backlash from people who didn’t like what they were doing; they could’ve lost friendships over his decision to try to close the racial divide; an already divided community could have become violent, etc.)
- What positive changes might happen because of people’s decision to stand up against cultural division? (Some possible answers: Increased awareness of racism; more people standing up and speaking out; decreased incidences of hate, etc.)
- Could just anyone take a stand in this situation that would create the same impact? Why or why not? (People who are involved firsthand can often have more impact than an outsider, but we’ve all been given voices by God to use when other people are being treated unjustly. We can choose to use the voices and influence we have for good.)
- When we come across situations we know aren’t right, how can we take a stand to make them better? (Answers may include: We can talk to people in charge; we can show God’s love to those hurting; we can make our feelings known and follow them up with positive actions, etc.)
Change begins when someone decides to take a stand to make others aware of an injustice. We can stand up for what’s right in one-on-one situations with someone we may disagree with, or we can take on larger issues like bullying, etc. that affect us or people we care about.
Today we’re going to learn about a woman named Esther who was in the position to take on a very large cause—one that meant life or death for millions, including her own. Let’s see whether she stood up for what was right.
