DEAR FELLOW ASIANS
Pork dumplings in a whole grain wrapper coloured with beet juice, served in a ginger miso broth.
Dear fellow Asians, have you eaten yet?
Everyone else, let me explain.
I don't really want to educate or look at more stats. And I definitely don't want to convince you of my daily reality. I'm angry at everyone who doesn't talk about the rise of anti-Asian racism, yet exhausted when my feed is filled with #StopAsianHate. I work with nonprofits in social change, so I spend most of my waking hours channeling outrage into tangible shifts. I’m tired. But today I want to speak to my fellow Asian Canadians, Asians, AAPI, whatever.
I know, I cringe too when I see that term, which is too wide and erases the distinct cultures and traditions of many communities, and the diaspora that have their own unique experiences. It allows for no nuance in what it's like to grow up first, second, or third generation, or to be mixed.
Once again, we are being defined by other people, awkwardly united because a potent mix of casual racism, white supremacy, and sexism has led to a rise in attacks against anyone who broadly looks East or South East Asian. After generations of decrying racism, from government policies to snide comments on the bus, it's terrible that only after senseless violence are we making a collective turning point in understanding.
But perhaps there is use for the term now, if we can use it FOR OURSELVES, to feel some kind of solidarity in this physically distanced, pandemic world.
So to my fellow Asians, let's ask each other, "have you eaten yet?" It's a phrase that many of our elders use, as a sign of care, as a stand-in for asking "how are you?" We might not have the words or energy to dive into the trauma, but I hope we do find energy to care for ourselves and each other, by listening, by checking in, by eating the foods that nourish our hearts.
Our identities are not only in the lazy, catchall term, Asian. But let's fucking co-opt it, and instead of allowing it to make us feel erased, use it to remind us of what it also means – that we are many, united if only by pain, and that we are not alone.
*I’ve so appreciated hearing back from everyone on this post. Add your comment over at the post on Instagram.
