Yellow Peril (n.): a metaphor representative of the danger and threat to Western civilization East Asian peoples hold from an expansion of power and influence Although “threat” and “danger” are common words associated with the term “Yellow Peril,” the above definition does not fully expand on the often racist connotations that accompany this term. In…
It was a cloudy day and there was a hint of rain in the air. But a ray of sunlight piercing the clouds made me hopeful that my first trip to Disneyland would not be ruined. And before you ask, no, I wasn’t five! I was seventeen, and it was my first time in the…
Every time I go to visit my hometown, I have to hear, “You have gotten darker.” When I laugh and ask, “Why does the fairness of my skin matter?” I am being “rude” by not agreeing with the elders. Every time I go to visit my relatives, I am asked, “What is your height?” When…
Internment (n.): the imprisonment of people, usually for political reasons and targeted towards a certain group of people. On February 19, 1942, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, an order that allowed for the evacuation of anyone considered a threat to national security, to desolate places…
Officially, the model minority myth is the belief that all Asians are naturally high achieving. Unofficially, it meant that my childhood was a constant barrage of jokes about having to go to Harvard and become a doctor or lawyer. It meant stepping into a room and knowing that people already made assumptions about me and…
Entrepreneurial niche (n.): a particular type of business APIDA ethnicities are known for specializing in. Usually associated with stereotypes, these small businesses have recently become targets for racism and vandalism. As we walk past small businesses and mom-and-pop stores in our neighborhoods, many of us in the APIDA community can’t help but wonder if the…