I Am Who I Say I Am
I Am Who I Say I Am
Full Circle
I’ve realized recently that my views on dating have absolutely come full circle. In previous pieces I’ve written I touched on the stifling environment I grew up in upheld by traditional Asian values, even though my parents tried really hard not to embody that.
Exploring Intersectionality as a Transracial Adoptee
There are two things you need to know about me: I’m a Transracial Chinese Adoptee and I’ve been misusing the term “intersectionality.”
My name is Rhianna Hopkins and I identify as an Asian American woman.
Unlearning Silence
As a young teen, the creative media I was consuming was fairly standard: teen drama shows (mostly white main casts), sitcoms in New York (mostly white main casts). But I started with Chinese influences. Hóu Gē, the Chinese cartoon about the Monkey King, was this stack of DVDs in white plastic sheaths that towered over me on top of our DVD bookcase.
An Act of Rebellion
When a white woman talks about her experiences, she is applauded by her vulnerability and living her truth; When Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) start speaking about their experiences, they’re constantly overlooked.
The Price of Their Satisfaction
I asked my Amma, every year, around the time of my birthday, about what it was like when I was born. She would roll her eyes in annoyance, scolding me for constantly asking her, but nonetheless she would repeat once again, in Tamil, “On June 16th, you were born and my life had changed forever.”
Persona
Stepping into the building I call school, I face an internal conflict every single day. “Be me or be me?”