Race

It’s not easy talking about a social construct that has been used to put certain people groups in power and in turn, oppressing others. But in the past season of my life, due to various reasons, I have been challenged to dive in deeply, practically, and emotionally. The realities of systemic injustices can’t be ignored. Every move I make has an effect, whether good or bad.

I am a second-generation Asian American woman. My parents first immigrated to Memphis, Tennessee with hopes they share with a lot of immigrants. I was born in San Francisco and spent most of my life in a fairly diverse part of East Side San Jose. I went to college in Los Angeles and lived there a few years after graduation. I currently live in Madison, Wisconsin. These environments and experiences have forced me to be reminded of the body I’m in, and to think critically about it. I thank Ta-Nehisi Coates for such perspective.

More recently, I have been increasingly challenged by the #BlackLivesMatter movement to more fully engage in this crucial time in our history. I continue to learn what it means to stand in solidarity with the African-American community, and essentially, my community. In understanding the current power dynamics in our current world and country, it is not possible to not address the issues of race. I am realizing the more dissension I vocalize to the current state of things regarding this matter, the less favorable I may appear to many. And with all honesty and a lot less tact, I gotta say I am giving less of a fuck about that each day.