Bringing Intergenerational Trauma Healing to the classroom

Through the years, I’ve guest lectured to students of medicine, ethnic studies, therapy, urban studies, divinity, and more. In each case, I’ve presented how a narrative of shame-reversal can serve each of their respective disciplines.

In the Fall of 2024, Dr. Aizaiah Yong invited me to facilitate a session for three early career faculty members of Asian descent, himself along with Drs. Rosanna Lu and Haruka Cho. Respectively, they teach at Claremont School of Theology, Loyola Marymount University and Santa Clara University. Together, they share a joint desire to confront intergenerational trauma, widen pathways to healing, and to bring these experiences to the classroom. If you click their names above, you’d see what I mean; my involvement with them afforded me a front-row seat to witness young scholars bringing these joint desires to their research and students. Where were these professors when I was in seminary?

Our coming together was enabled by a Wabash grant that serves full-time BIPOC university faculty who teach religion and theology. The grant recognizes that minoritized faculty face particular challenges and pressures and seeks to strengthen those committed to mutually advancing the professional and personal effectiveness of teaching in higher education and theological education. 

In particular, this cohort is asking these questions: How can we teach trauma and religion? If part of the human experience is the reality of imperfection, limitation, and wounding—if loss and grief are inevitable in our lives, how can we better address them in our classroom?

I spent an afternoon with these three and their combined nine children after they visited the Chinese Immigration Station on Angel Island. Then I read their thoughtful reflection papers before facilitating the session. Dr. Yong concluded “Steve is a compassionate, thoughtful, and Justice-focused facilitator. He skillfully weaves in his own personal stories alongside historical knowledge and spiritual principles which empower and encourage all those who are lucky to walk with him!”