The Meaning of Asian America
We were immediately labeled as sub-human. Our countries dominated by colonialism, our rich culture subjugated to the demands of our foreign rulers. Our ancestors raped, brutalized, tortured, and humiliated as if they were worth no more than the dust under our feet. They took our lands and our wealth, thinking we were too weak to fight back.
Now, they try to take our lives. They smash our elders’ heads into concrete, kick their bodies out of pure hatred, spit on their faces seethingly, and hiss, “Go back to your country.” The people whom we most respect and honor are being burned to the ground and murdered in cold blood, leaving our hearts to crumble at the thought that our own family members could’ve been among these stolen lives.
Our women are diminished to objects that contribute nothing to the world besides pleasure. Their faces and bodies are seen as erotic and passive rather than what they truly are: strong and resilient. Our women are mothers, daughters, grandmothers, artists, healers, warriors, leaders — our women are people. All people are deserving of life.
As kids, we are stereotyped and teased for our looks and our culture. We learn to be ashamed of our Asian families — our mothers, fathers, grandparents, elders —who sacrificed their youth, comfort, wellbeing, and lives to bring us to a country where they hoped all our dreams could come true. We go along with these seemingly harmless jokes to fit in, not realizing that we are giving in to the same forces that try to strip us of our Asian heritage.
The same forces that tell our ancestors’ stories using a single line in a textbook chapter. The same forces reduce our home countries to merely their suffering at the hands of their white counterparts. The same forces that try to take away the lives of the people we love most.
Despite their words, their pointless rage, and the terror they try to inflict upon us, we will not give in. They will never take away our pride. Our innate drive to better the lives of ourselves and those around us. Our respect and gratitude to those who came before us. Our contagious laughter and joy. Our love. Our strength. Our unity. None of these things will ever be stolen from us.
We fight their hate with our resilience and character. We refuse to project on others the same hatred that has been placed on us. We use our voices not to denounce those around us but to uplift our community’s stories. Our talents and strengths across all sectors will be utilized to fulfill our ancestors’ greatest dreams of moving forward gracefully and powerfully within this country full of promise. Our momentum will not only continue but grows exponentially as we realize what it means to be Asian in America and what it means to honor this part of us that is engraved deeply within our identities.
