Month: February 2017

Adopting Identity

Melissa McKinney

I attended a conference this past weekend for Asian American students attending schools in the East Coast. I had no idea what to expect since this was the first conference I’ve ever attended. While there, I attended a workshop on reclaiming adoptee narratives. As we gathered in a circle to share our experiences as Asian American adoptees I realized it was the first time in my life I had been in such a gathering. As we opened up and listened to each other’s experiences, I was startled how similar some…

Feeling Comfortable Yet?

Adrianne Cheung

Last weekend, our class journeyed to Raleigh for a conference hosted by the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) focusing on Asian American identity. One thing that stood out to me was simply how happy most people were to be surrounded almost solely by Asian Americans. It is an observation that doesn’t seem to leave much discussion. But if you are a ___ American and if you have ever walked into a room full of ___ nationals, what do you recall feeling? Was it as comfortable as with people…

ECAASU 2017: A Conference in Review

Tommy Chaisuesomboon

The 2017 East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) conference took place at NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina. Being only 2 hours away from Davidson made it an easy choice for our group to attend. I especially wanted to try to network with people and organizations from different campuses to learn how various groups spread news and information among various social channels. It’s always a great chance to get to meet more people. There were different panels at each slot of time, each of them offering their own experience.…

Discovery

Melech Maglasang

This past weekend members of ACAA and I attended ECAASU 2017 in Raleigh, North Carolina.  To say the least, it was a wonderful experience to be surrounded by Asians, Asian-Americans, and scholarly figures that shared my experiences concerning culture, race, and growing up as an immigrant in the United States. What I want to focus on, however, is the phenomena of self-discovery.  I discovered that I am what is known as the “1.5 Generation.”  It is the demographic of children that immigrated to a new country between the ages of…

The Duty of Remembrance

Evan Yi

My most vivid memories as a child are the summers I spent in my grandmother’s house in Xinzhou, China. She spent those days making sure her grandsons – all of my paternal cousins are male – were happy, and more importantly, full. Every immigrant child thinks their grandmother makes the best food in the world, and every immigrant child is right. I only ever remember my grandmother being joyous. Her tears and her anger are wholly unfamiliar to me. However, at a certain age, I began to hear stories of…

Delving Deeper

Adrianne Cheung

When I say Lunar New Year, what comes to mind? Do you know why we celebrate it? Why it is important? To me, Lunar New Year celebrations bring to mind performances, firecrackers, the culture of my parents’ birthplaces, tradition, and most of all, family. At home, I always partook in the festivities as a dragon dancer, performer and volunteer. I have fond memories of friends and family and the day brought me closer to my heritage. Hundreds of people would come to the festival; kids would play carnival games, parents…

An Identity

Melech Maglasang

The idea of identity is, to me, a very personal one.  Our experiences, characteristics, and biographies go hand in hand to make us unique.  We live our lives, crafting “who we are” consciously and unconsciously.  Within my life as a Filipino living within the United States, I have always considered myself Filipino at heart.  I was born, bred, and baptized in the Philippines and no amount of cultural assimilation was going to take that away.  Some older Filipinos may disagree however, since I am more “Americanized.”  For instance, I respond…

Mitski and the Melancholic Adulthood of Puberty 2

Tommy Chaisuesomboon

Many Asian Americans can find it difficult to talk about their mental states (see Washington Post’s article For many Asian Americans, depression is an unfamiliar word). Mitski Miyawaki, self-described “half Japanese, half American but not fully either”, sings about depression, loneliness, love, and other forms of melancholy in her fourth studio album Puberty 2. At 26 years old, her work reflects that of a young woman still in the throes of uncertainty. Her voice captures the pain, however subdued it may seem, that adulthood depression can bring. Her singing can…

Questions for Jim Crow from the Curious Asian

Evan Yi

Where do I sit on the bus? If there is a white man in my seat, do I wait for the next bus? Am I colored if I am darker than the brown paper bag? If I have a half-black child, will you hold your tongue before them because you know not which slur to use? If I am in love with a white man, will I be the only hell-bound one? If you baptize my son in your church today, will he be welcome in your school tomorrow? If…

Passing Privilege

Melissa McKinney

Hi, my name is Melissa McKinney.  Based on that single sentence no one would ever guess I’m Asian American. I can see the surprise in their eyes when I catch them off guard as they try to comprehend my Anglo-Sazon name belonging to my Asian appearance. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve been told that my last name doesn’t sound very Asian as if I didn’t know that already. It is my name. Someone once suggested to me that I go by my middle name (my Chinese name) in order…