#AsianDay
#AsianDay
Who would have thought that a hashtag would cause me to pause mid-step? So benign a phrase that followed a stream of silken-clad selfies and chopsticks poised over dumplings that made me wonder what it meant to be...well...me.
Am I a cup full of boba, shared with friends and tagged #AsianDay? How about a face mask - best used to cover a non-existent blemish before being tossed away? Or - best yet - am IĀ the drive-thru of a Panda Express?
#AsianDay
Truth is, Iāve been all of these; a culture represented only on the most basic of levels that Iāve often disregarded the depth of history thatās the root of it all. It took the miraculous aligning of an all-Asian cast topping the American box office for me to catch myself. It took Asians occupying the lead role on a NetflixĀ romcom and a thrilling movie that searches for the truth in social media and family to plant my feet firmly back on the media landscape of today.
Yes, I am Asian, and I am more than all of these put together. I am tradition - cut and polished into a family heirloom passed through countless generations. I am innovation that adapts to the new social dynamics of today. I am passion and joy for a culture once treated like a movie costume - exotic and foreign, but otherwise put away when the lights turn off.
I am Asian, and Iām everything I am proud to be.
#AsianDay
