The following reflections are from Asian Americans in Boston.
"I was standing outside my school’s main entrance at 10PM my freshman year; I was waiting for my dad to pick me up from our Phantom of the Opera dress rehearsal. A car of 4 white seniors from a neighboring town rolled up to the curb and got out. They approached me, called me Muhammed, asked if I had bombs on me, flicked my ears, and tried to scare me. When I didn’t react, they asked if I 'wanted a beer…. Or if it was against my religion.' At that point, I went back inside the building, but I was so shaken up. It was one of the first moments I felt truly unsafe because of my race. The sad part is that all people with 'brown skin' can be placed in one category."
-Arjun, Indian-American, 17, high school senior
If you want to read more of Arjun's reflections, check out @asiansofboston on Instagram and @aob617 on Facebook
"My Asian identity has become increasingly important to me not only as I reflected on what it means to me but also as I realized just how many communities I could become a part of through it. I have started to work with BOSFilipinos, an organization that brings together generations of Filipinos in the Boston area, and I am excited to have one of the founders, Trish Fontanilla, come in to speak at my school’s affinity club. I think there are a ton of Asian communities available to young Asian Americans in Boston, and I think they are there for whatever one wants to take out of it for oneself."
-Sophie, Filipina-American, 17, high school senior
If you want to read more of Sophie's reflections, check out @asiansofboston on Instagram and @aob617 on Facebook
"I think there is a common misconception that Asian Americans identify the same as Asians that grow up in Asian countries. Society has created a barrier between 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Asian Americans to the point that it is difficult to sometimes identify with Asian culture. American culture is completely different and it is hard to feel connected to both contrasting cultures. I also feel as if stereotypes, while bad, will always exist. With media using their platforms to promote stereotypes through film, there will never be any relief from stereotypes in general."
-Ashley, Korean-American, 18, college freshman
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"...When I tell people that I identify myself racially as Asian, I often hear comments such as, 'What? But you’re not like... really Asian.' What this remark actually means to say is, 'You’re not East Asian.' In these kinds of situations, I try to respond with humor, usually by pulling up a world map, pointing to India, and asking in which continent it’s located. It is, nonetheless, difficult to feel so displaced from two words so simple yet so central to who I am: 'Asian American.' "
-Avik, Indian-American, 18, high school senior
If you want to read more of Avik's reflections, check out @asiansofboston on Instagram and @aob617 on Facebook
"I first became conscious of my race in preschool. I was around 2 years old at the time and had returned from staying 10 months in China with my grandparents. While I understood English, I had not yet begun to speak it fluently. During school, I almost exclusively spoke Mandarin with some other Chinese kids. I thought speaking Chinese with my Chinese friends was completely normal. However, my teacher thought differently, and she pulled me aside during recess one day and asked 'Why do you always speak Chinese?' I understood her question, but didn’t know how to respond, so I just ran to rejoin my friends."
-Adam, Chinese-American, 17, high school senior
If you want to read more of Adam's reflections, check out @asiansofboston on Instagram and @aob617 on Facebook
"I'm definitely thrilled that there's been more Asian representation in mainstream media, but I think it's also been somewhat of a double-edged sword in that the only Asians appearing have been those that are 'conventionally Asian'; they all seem to be what the general public thinks of when they think of 'Asian.' Which is all fine and wonderful, but I think it could be dangerous in that it perpetuates a sameness/uniformity in Asian representation."
-Crystal, Chinese-American, 17, high school junior