Tell me we are the same
Racism and discrimination can occur in various ways. Often through erasure and assumptions.
Don't want something?
Give it no representation.
Take my story out of history books.
Teach me my place is to be quiet.
Make me a part of the model minority myth.
Spend my childhood telling me that white is beautiful but brown is exotic- different.
That to be American is to eat PB&J.
Tell me my food is weird when we’re young, but ask me to cook for you when we grow up.
Tell me my parents will beat me if I don't get an A. Ask me if you can cheat off my homework.
Don't ask me if I want to go to medical school but when and where I plan on going.
Take away the illusion of choice.
Compliment my family on their English.
Be surprised when they don't have an accent.
Ask me if I worship cows.
Ask me how to say something in Indian.
Be ignorant.
Don't ask me if I even am Indian or anything about my cultural or religious background.
Say it doesn't matter because we all look the same.
Say my name wrong.
Refuse to say it right because it sounds too hard.
Try to teach me about my roots.
About how my family’s country is backward.
Ask me why I wish to visit my family’s origin.
Ask me if I am afraid of dying when abroad.
Ask me if I am glad I am here because my country lacks women’s rights.
Then ask me where I’m from.
Correct me.
Not in the US where I was born.
Be surprised when I consider myself an American.
Fast forward.
Call me a terrorist.
Consider us all the same based on my skin tone.
Confuse the names of my language and my religion.
Correct me.
Tell me I pronounce my own ethnicity wrong— that my last name is not correctly spelled.
Tell me not to be so upset or angry enough to correct you.
Tell me I’m too opinionated for my men.
Tell me you think someone is cute, but for me not you because he is brown.
Ask me if I will be able to love. Ask me when my arranged marriage will be.
Ask me if I will worship my husband.
Ask me if I will wear white when he dies, if i will shave my head.
Send me stories written by white men about my people.
Don’t look me in the eye when I call you out on your racism.
Or worse roll your eyes.
Tell me I am ruining our friendship by noticing these things.
Tell me if I am so upset about the lack of resources here I can go to the the Asian Studies section to learn
more.
Tell me that your history is a major while mine is a concentration.
An elective.
Tell me you understand.
Tell me you know my history.
Tell me we are the same.
Tell me all our lives matter.
