98. When Church Meets State ft. Keith Koo

In this episode we mix two controversial topics together: religion and racism. Friend of the pod Keith Koo (previous guest on EP#21 Adulting 2.0) joins the show to share a whirlwind situation he's been in for the past year and a half involving freedom of speech within the church. He was wrongfully terminated from his role as a volunteer teacher by his church for "bringing race into the church" by using last year's Atlanta spa shootings (that claimed 8 victims, 6 of which were Asian women) in one of his lessons as a relatable real-life example to his class of predominantly young women of color. Countless accusations have been hurled his way, from being "more loyal to China than the U.S.," to "not knowing what racism is," Keith has truly heard it all. Despite this, Keith continues to push forward in hopes to encourage more people who have experienced racism within places of worship to know their rights and speak up for themselves.  Though neither of your podcast hosts is Christian, we felt this topic was important to cover as it affects a part of the community that may not know how to speak up for themselves otherwise. Religious institutions and those in power are often guilty of brushing crimes and other misgivings under the rug in hopes of preserving their image and maintaining power. We hope people of all spiritual leanings can find hope and inspiration from this episode.  You can reach Keith at [email protected] and learn more about his radio show ("Silicon Valley Insider") at https://www.svin.biz

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