“You’re Chinese, aren’t you supposed to be smarter than me?” “Why are you always so quiet? Speak up!” “Pft, your idea of a bad grade is probably a 97.” Every phrase feels like a punch in the back of my throat. Yes, I may be Asian. Yes, I may be Chinese. But, just because of …
When I was young, I thought being “Chinese” meant we were all nerds, mannerless, loud, and were the ones to bargain at retail stores. My family was never like this, so I was a bit confused. However, this is what society taught me to believe. The traditional oriental lifestyle was strangely depicted in my picture …
“Ah, America! Land of opportunity, where anything and everything is possible!” Except, we hear the president is tearing such an ambitious dream apart… Us, Muslims, are seen as terrorists? We provide America with oil and natural resources, and in return our people get called terrorists? That’s insane. Maybe they should consider the hundreds of school …
“All you savages eat are snakes and bats!” “Go back to f**king China!” These are phrases that I and thousands of other Asian Americans have heard time and time again in the past few of months. Trump’s “Chinese Virus” label triggered an eruption in sinophobic attacks, and as the country opens up, the Asian American …
“What are you?” This question has never, and will never be a new line. When you are a person of color, especially one of multiple cultural backgrounds, you spend much of life at least subconsciously working to be accepted in order to be successful, but also trying to avoid being easily categorized. When you are …
As the holiday season approaches and the warm, memorable days of summer leave, I can’t help but think about what it means to be an Asian-American during the holidays. My parents never celebrated American holidays back in India as they do here in the US. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Halloween were non-existent to them. To …
The Holiday Season: An Opportunity to Honor Two Cultures Read More »
Since the United States and the Philippines are on opposite sides of the world, it may seem as though they have nothing in common. However, the United States held the Philippines as a foreign colony for 48 years between 1898 and 1946. Because of this, many aspects of Filipino culture have strong American influences. For …
Festivals, celebrations, traditions…in other words, how people express their culture. In the Indian community, one of the most notable of these events and easily the most widely-known is Diwali, a religious festival lasting five days, commonly referred to as the festival of lights. It falls on slightly different dates every year, as it follows the …
Diwali: More Than A Thirty Minute Conversation in School Read More »
In 1984, the movie Sixteen Candles featured Chinese-American actor Gedde Watanabe played a character whose name was “Long Duk Dong.” At the time, Asian Americans got excited just seeing a person who looked like them on screen, and did not bother to consider Watanabe’s performance or his comical name. On screen, he was portraying a …
How Far We’ve Come: Asian-Americans in Hollywood Read More »
Growing up in a foreign country with two cultures by my side has resulted in an ever-present confusion regarding my identity. I never truly felt like I belonged anywhere, as no one has the same story as me. Sharing my story with other people is not easy; in fact, it has always been the thing …
