I questioned my sexuality for a long time because I never felt like my experience would fit the mold of the typical white queer American.
From a young age, we are wired to notice differences and similarities between ourselves and others. According to UNICEF, babies notice physical differences like skin color at around 6 months and children can show racial biases at as early as 5 years old. Imagine being that young and exploring the world around you. Why do…
step one: (un)learning It starts when you feel a deep uneasiness in your body. Like a secret code between you and the earth that thumps and prods and irks; the earth whispers to you to open your eyes. You begin searching for safety, for care, for liberation, only to find that it is never offered…
My Mother’s English Last spring, I read Mother Tongue, an essay novelist Amy Tan had written about her mother’s English. Tan’s mother, who had immigrated to the U.S., held an “expressive command” of English. But her mother’s English was also grammatically imperfect. Because of this, she was ignored, mistreated by workers in department stores, banks,…
The first time I saw Kitty Tsui—and really, anybody like her—was the fall of my sophomore year. Her photograph was printed in black and white in an essay anthology, which I had checked out discreetly from my university library using the self checkout station. Hiding under the hanging sheets of my lofted bed, I marveled…
Neither my grandmother nor my mother processed their pasts, one a child bride and the other an immigrant. Consequently, I inherited their pain, and I am forced to reconcile with a history and culture I did not choose.
My name is Sydnie (she/ her), and I lived in Raleigh growing up until I moved to the Philadelphia area to study sociology at Swarthmore College. As a biracial girl who presents as an ambiguous woman of color who grew up in the racial landscape of Raleigh, I thought about race often. When I first…
It was an honor for us to attend North Carolina’s first Asian Lobbying Day on May 5, 2021. We were invited by North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) to lobby for the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (SB439). It had previously been filed the last three years without success. As first-time lobbyists, we didn’t know what to expect and the NCAAT team provided many opportunities to educate us on the bill, the process of law-making, and the lobbying process. The NCAAT team paved the way for our meetings by making appointments on our behalf with Sen. Sarah Crawford and Rep. Amos Quick.
North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) is disappointed and frustrated that those of us and our allies speaking out in opposition of Jim Crow-esque anti-voting legislation were not given ample time to give our public statements during the Senate Redistricting Committee meeting Wednesday morning. NCAAT was not able to give our comments opposing Senate Bills 326, 724, and 725. The procedure in handling public comments during this meeting is reflective of the impact of these voter suppression bills in silencing communities of color. Please read our full statement here.
A few days ago, I was virtually shopping for a new skin sunscreen and typed “sunscreens for people of color” in the Google search bar. I realized that my white counterparts would not have to tailor their searches for their skin color because the cosmetic and skincare worlds are white-centered.
NCAAT’s blog is a chance for NCAAT staff and community members to write about topics relating to their passions, interests, and the Asian American community in North Carolina. The views expressed in NCAAT’s community blog posts are not endorsed nor condoned by NCAAT.
