Growing up in a predominantly Caucasian community, I was often fed Eurocentric literature in school and consumed media mainly centered around white narratives. Works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway dominated my English classes. I was always hearing about what the white man…

Thirteen years ago, a picture of Miley Cyrus racistly emulating Asian traits by slanting her eyes and making buck teeth was released to the public, joining her long list of scandals. Unfortunately, this racist mocking of typical Asian traits is no new experience to the APIDA community. “Yellowface”…

In the 2000s, UCLA’s Hong Kong Student Society (HKSS) hosted night markets in Bruin Plaza, inviting a variety of vendors to sell traditional Hong Kong street food and merchandise. Among the products sold were curry fish balls, dim sum, boba, zodiac jades and jewelry. Although this no longer…

Microaggressions are commonplace verbal or behavioral slights that express derogatory attitudes regarding an individual’s race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality; they may be made consciously or unconsciously. When unintentional, microaggressions can be considered a manifestation of implicit biases, as their internalized prejudicial thought processes are expressed outwardly in the…

Implicit biases are instinctive stereotypes about individuals or groups that engender negative attitudes and contribute to cycles of prejudice and discrimination. A key aspect of implicit bias is that it functions subconsciously. Thoughts associated with implicit bias occur spontaneously and are based on drawing inferences that one believes…

Eurocentrism is a worldview that favors European and Western values over all other beliefs and traditions. This perspective first became normalized in the Age of Discovery in the 15th century when European countries began venturing into the Americas. During this time, countries such as Britain, France, and Spain…