‘A’ is for Atlanta. Asian. Americans.

‘A’ is for…

ATLANTA

ASIAN

AMERICANS

What happened in Atlanta shook me to my core. As my own American experience is deeply rooted in growing up Asian in Arkansas.

During a time when identity was literally labeled as black or white, my family and I had to live in the ‘in-between’. We confused the hell out of everyone. And when people feel confused, sometimes they lash out.

Like the relentless slanted eye jokes and being karate chopped by kids at school. Because they just assume you’re related to Bruce Lee. Or the time a brick was thrown into our bedroom window, followed by a “get out of here you chinks." Or when my father was running the only Chinese restaurant in Conway, AR and a pick up truck ran full speed into it.

Just for being Asian in Arkansas.The fear was always that the violence would escalate to something fatal. And today, we all shared that experience with what happened in Atlanta.

‘A’ is for…

ASSIMILATE

AT

ALL COSTS

Stay silent. Don’t say anything. Just blend in. When combined with the immigrant mentality to survive at all costs, these are the grave cultural norms that reinforce our silence.

As Asian Americans Advancing Justice have stated, “We must invest in long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence and hate in our communities.” One way we can do that is to be silent no more. Tell the stories that have not been told. We are not a “one-size-fits-all” monolith. We are MORE than just Bruce Lee. We are NOT a global scapegoat for COVID-19. In this moment, we need to change the narrative that is leading to Asian hate. Because when left unchanged, it perpetuates the violence we are experiencing today.

‘A’ is for…

AN

ASIAN

APPRENTICE

We need to represent Asian Americans in different ways and beyond the model minority myth. I have spent so much of my life as the token minority. So much so, I was cast as the token Asian on The Apprentice. What was reeling about that experience for me was two-fold: i) the power of media to influence the masses and ii) the way systemic racism is deeply embedded in the most unconscious of places.