Opinion
Why I Became a Therapist: To Heal the Silent Pain Every One of Us Carries Within Our Hearts
When people ask me why I became a therapist, I never quite know what to say. Not because the question makes me uncomfortable, but because it’s something that’s unique to Asian Americans.
I grew up the child of two immigrant parents, who came to the United States with nothing. My mother lived in a two-bedroom trailer with six other people. My father left behind all but his twin brother in Vietnam to pursue the American dream. When they had me, they worked endlessly with my mom toiling through nursing school and my father working double shifts, often with no days off. I learned to entertain myself. I remember playing on the swings with no one to push me, having a kite but having no one to teach me and daydreaming about the kids who played catch in their front yards.
How I Came to Terms With Being Asian
I wasn’t going to write this article.
Normally, I publish about virtual and augmented reality and how technology can enhance our lives, so going deep within my personal experience and being vulnerable is something I truly have avoided, and have rarely spoken out about in the past. Frankly, I’ve never looked at myself as a voice for Asian people as I’ve always felt detached and disconnected from that identity.
Jemi Co-Founders Call on Asian Creators and Allies to Fight Hate
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the authors.
The recent rise in anti-Asian violence has made us reflect on our own experiences as Asian entrepreneurs and how we can all fight to #StopAsianHate.
Why the Oscars Has a Chance Where the Golden Globes Failed
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the authors.
We have a problem of Asian hate.
Sery Kim is a Lesson for Those Who Think Pandering to Whiteness Will Save Them from Anti-Asian Hate
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the authors.
During a Republican forum last Wednesday, Texas congressional candidate and former Trump official Sery Kim made racist remarks about Chinese immigrants. “I don’t want them here at all,” she said. “They steal our intellectual property, they give us coronavirus, they don’t hold themselves accountable.”
Your ‘Model Minority’ is Speaking Now, America Needs to Listen
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author.
“I hope you’re not from China,” one patient tells me. “You look like you could be.”
Asian Women are Not Your ‘Sex Addiction’
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author.
Last Tuesday, Robert Aaron Long shot and killed eight people at Asian-owned massage spas. Six of his victims were Asian women. Long blamed his killing spree on a “sex addiction,” rather than racial motivation. But the shooter’s targeting of Asian-owned massage spas, where predominantly Asian women work, makes it unlikely that race had nothing to do with the tragic attacks.
The Plight Asian Women Face for a Man’s ‘Really Bad Day’
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author.
I wrote before that violent hate crimes against Asians in the United States were not receiving the mainstream media attention or responsive calls to action that they deserved. Killings and beatings of elderly Asian American citizens were not enough; nor were countless other hate crimes.
How ‘Wokism’ Got Asian Americans So Wrong, and Why We Can’t Ignore That
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author.
It began with the tedious contrivances of blaming “kung flu” or “Chinese virus.” Surely, “woke” critics thought, this was what accelerated the spike in COVID-19 anti-Asian hate incidents. Then soon came the invectives against “white supremacy” and “white nationalism.”
Anti-Asian Racism in America is Not News, and That is Exactly the Problem
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author.
“GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY! CHINESE TRASH!”
Asian American Women Aren’t ‘Imposters’ But Society Makes Us Feel That Way
Vivian Chan is the co-founder of East Meets Dress, a contemporary fashion startup that serves thousands of brides each year and allows Asian Americans to celebrate their heritage without compromising style. Despite revolutionizing the wedding world and having the revenue to show for it, Chan didn’t feel like a success at the time.
Like many women in the workforce, Chan felt that she was suffering from “imposter syndrome.” The original term “imposter phenomenon” was first explored in a study about high-achieving women by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978.
How a Past Filled With Racist Experiences Made Me an Accidental Activist
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author.
I begin writing this with a heavy heart, a feeling that’s become all too familiar in the past year. But today, that heaviness was compounded after I read about 46-year old Yong Zheng. He, along with a group of family and friends had just finished a Lunar New Year dinner. As they walked together, they stumbled upon an attempted robbery at a Brooklyn gambling den that had spilled onto the sidewalk. Because the alleged victims were Asian and anti-Asian assaults have been skyrocketing, Zheng and his friend jumped in to help, but he paid the ultimate price for his heroism. He was fatally stabbed. This Good Samaritan was KILLED for trying to stop another Asian assault. And now, there’s a woman who is suddenly a widow, a 14-year old girl who is fatherless and a 5-year old boy who barely had enough time to get to know his baba.