The Asian Radical Tradition

Season 1 FinaleIn this episode, Dr. KC Choi and Yanan Rahim Melo make the theological case that Christians cannot, in good faith, support border regimes. Reading scripture alongside the lived realities of migrants, refugees, and displaced peoples, they argue that the gospel of Jesus Christ demands nothing less than open borders. This is not a fringe position. It is the extension of a faith that proclaims good news to the poor, liberty to the captive, and the year of the Lord's favor.

Anti-ICE protests have surged across the country, and Asian American Christians have shown up in growing numbers. But in this episode, Dr. KC Choi and Yanan Rahim Melo argue that resisting ICE—while necessary—is only a starting point. The deeper task is broader immigration reform, and ultimately, transforming what immigration itself is. Drawing on history, theology, and the long traditions of migrant-led struggle, KC and Yanan ask: what would it mean to imagine an immigration system not built on borders, surveillance, and disposability, but on belonging, dignity, and shared life?

In this episode, Dr. KC Choi and Yanan Rahim Melo confront an uncomfortable question: has Asian American identity in the United States become so tied to middle-class respectability, professional success, and proximity to whiteness that radical politics feel out of reach? Choi and Melo examine how class formation and assimilationist pressures have shaped Asian American Christian life—and what it would take to break free.This is not a comfortable conversation. But it's a necessary one for anyone wondering why Asian American communities so often sit out the struggles that should be ours.

In this opening episode, hosts Dr. KC Choi and Yanan Rahim Melo introduce the vision behind The Asian Radical Tradition—why this podcast exists, who it's for, and what they hope it will become. Together, they ask: can Asian American theology move in a more radical direction? Can there be such a thing as an Asian American radical tradition, or at least a radical trajectory within Asian American theology?Whether you're a longtime student of liberation theology, a skeptic, or someone just beginning to wrestle with what faith and justice demand of you, subscribe and start here to follow along.