One Friday evening in early March, after a protracted work week throughout the lege, I obtained a textual content message from a white buddy. The noting of my buddy’s “whiteness” is an important a part of understanding the lens by means of which I see issues. It’s a important a part of with the ability to have a purposeful dialog about race. She despatched me a textual content with a TikTok hyperlink of a comic telling a joke titled “how to tell Asians apart only by their accents.” This buddy adopted up her textual content hyperlink with texts for me to “look forward to it” and “so humorous.” On the finish of this comic’s skit was a reference to how a Vietnamese individual speaks “as if they’d been doing cocaine, or as if they’re rushing automobile, driving previous you as they spoke.” By the way in which, I’m Vietnamese. I’m additionally American. After I obtained the textual content, I used to be nonetheless busy working. I didn’t watch the video and simply responded with a “laughing emoji” in response to her “so humorous” remark. I mentioned nothing.
After I lastly had a second, I watched the video. Somewhat than discovering it amusing, I used to be profoundly offended, and in my Asian-ness, I mentioned nothing. At that second, I used to be like water, formless. I did what has typically been anticipated of me all my life. I put another person’s opinion, ideas above my very own. This conduct is considerably a reflex for me. To by no means offend, confront, or make anybody really feel uncomfortable at the price of my discomfort. It’s simply what Asians do. We assimilate.
In a 1971 interview on the Pierre Berton show, Bruce Lee, a Hong Kong American martial artist, described his life’s philosophy by saying:
“Be like water making its method by means of cracks. Don’t be assertive, however modify to the thing, and also you shall discover a method round or by means of it. If nothing inside you stays inflexible, outward issues will disclose themselves. Empty your thoughts, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you happen to put water right into a cup, it turns into the cup. You set water right into a bottle, and it turns into the bottle. You set it in a teapot; it turns into the teapot. Now, water can stream, or it will probably crash. Be water, my buddy.”
–Bruce Lee
Lee’s instructing highlights a typical mindset of many Asian People. A mindset fashioned in response to ideologies that perpetuate photos of the model minority, improve the sexualizing of Asian ladies by means of the pejoratively-termed yellow fever, and selectively pass over elements of American historical past that deny anything aside from a European White American historical past.
Now my buddy who despatched this message had no unwell intent, no racist ideas. She simply discovered the joke to be humorous. It’s simply so simple as that. Nevertheless, in gentle of what’s occurring on this nation – a global pandemic, a really contentious presidential election, The Black Lives Matter motion, an immigration crisis, the Capitol insurrection, and the rise of Asian hate crimes, to listing just a few of the numerous points we face – I discovered this to be comparatively insensitive. It took me just a few weeks to course of it and grapple with my response to it within the context of all that has occurred. I discovered myself deeply saddened, extraordinarily emotional, and fearful.
However as an Asian American immigrating right here after I was six years outdated, wanting to slot in whereas not becoming in, I lived a life that existed between two worlds, oceans aside. At residence, I used to be Vietnamese in each conventional sense. My mother and father would chastise me if I spoke in English in our residence or “acted” American in any method. In school, I simply wished to assimilate into the “American” tradition. I wished to be white. I wished to have blonde hair. I wished blue eyes. On this need to slot in, I saved my head down, did my work, and excelled as a mannequin minority. Even when my household and I confronted discrimination, I mentioned nothing. By means of the teasing and bullying in my childhood, I mentioned nothing.
This yr, I’ll flip 50 years outdated. I’m educated. I’ve two levels and am engaged on my third. I’ve had three completely different careers, a ravishing marriage, and delightful youngsters. I like my life, and I lastly really feel secure and safe. I might say that I’ve succeeded within the American dream. So after I watched as senior Asian Americans have been being attacked and Asian American women have been focused and killed, it shook me. All the protection of what I assumed assimilating would supply was misplaced. I used to be as soon as once more a foreigner.
As I course of all of these items, I mentioned nothing, or as an alternative, this time, I mentioned little. I bear in mind mentioning one thing in regards to the improve in Asian hate crimes to my fellow legislative interns, and somebody mentioned, “I didn’t know.” Early this yr, these crimes went unreported by main information shops. Because the incidences of Asian hate crimes rose, the information media started to offer these tales protection. I don’t know for a truth, however I might hasten to guess that almost all People nonetheless wouldn’t know in regards to the racial assaults towards Asians if requested.
5 days after the Atlanta Spa Shooting, our University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work legislative intern group met for a digital Advocacy class with Dr. Pritzker. In checking in, she requested us to share how all of us have been doing. I couldn’t maintain again the ache of my historical past and talked about my emotions over the capturing and different Asian hate crimes. My professor and my fellow social employees opened their hearts and thoughts to my emotions, making a secure house for dialogue. With out phrases, they allowed me to precise my fears, and in doing so, I acknowledged my historical past and moved in direction of discovering my place and my voice on this space of political social work. In a personal dialog later, Dr. Pritzker inspired me to get entangled with advocacy teams across the Texas Capitol participating in advocacy on behalf of Asian American communities. She recommended that seeing how others have been performing to assist advocate for change might assist me course of my very own emotions.
When working throughout the Texas Legislative session, there’s a particular steadiness and parallel consideration you need to give to what occurs on the nationwide stage and what’s going on in Texas. It’s an fascinating dynamic to concentrate to in performing your job right here as an intern. Right here in Austin, minimal speak about Asian hate crimes is heard, as so many are distracted by the current energy crisis. Nevertheless, as I started work that subsequent week, Representative Gene Wu of District 137, in Harris County, filed HCR 66, a Texas Home decision condemning racism towards Asian People and Pacific Islanders.
Throughout a Texas Home Public Training Committee assembly, the place Consultant Wu was current, this time, I took the chance to say one thing. I hesitated at first, resorting to my outdated patterns of claiming nothing however then I spotted if I didn’t converse up, I might endlessly remorse that second. I approached Rep. Wu and thanked him for submitting the invoice and instructed him what it meant to me. He invited me to take a seat down, and we spoke with such a figuring out connection to our collective historical past. There was a nod, a glance, and an utterance of full understanding in our brief dialog. He ended by saying, “we will not afford to be silent.”
In absolute settlement, I spotted that it isn’t simply sufficient to be not racist, however that to work in direction of equality really, we have now to be anti-racist, which suggests for me, if I see one thing, I need to say one thing. I’ve been silent all my life. If you happen to ask me about my emotions, I’ll converse of affection and equality and oneness to my being’s depths. Nevertheless, it’s not sufficient to really feel it; it’s not sufficient to stay with out hate. It isn’t sufficient if we would like an equal tomorrow. If you happen to see one thing, say one thing.
I ought to have mentioned one thing to my buddy. I ought to have instructed her that I used to be offended. I ought to have instructed her it was not humorous. I ought to have instructed her these sorts of jokes harm those that do not need the privilege to talk and defend themselves. Maybe this dialog is one to come back in my future. For now, right here’s what I’m doing to stay my fact. I’ll report hate incidents, donate to help victims and their households, and volunteer in organizations that search to maintain individuals secure and educate the general public. Help fight against hate; for those who see one thing, say one thing.
By: Phuong Nguyen, intern within the Texas Legislative Study Group
Initially posted from College of Houston Graduate College of Social Work’s Austin Legislative Internship Program. The School selects graduate MSW college students to intern on the Texas Legislature throughout its legislative session each two years. This put up was syndicated with permission from its authors.
