#dayofsolidarity #stopasianhate #aapi Hi, My Vietnamese name is Thương and my American name is Sara. I am a proud Asian-American, and this is my story. Growing up, I took a lot “jokes” and by jokes I meant racist comments. I managed to laughed at them or shrugged it off. These are just a few senarios through out my younger years! A question I got a lot when I was a kid was: “Are you good at Math?” And at some point, I’m sure my name Thương turned into Sisqo’s hottest hit— The Thong Song. (that’s why I stopped using it. I was tired of explaining to people that didn’t really care to listen.) I can also remember being a freshmen and every day I had the honor to walk into choir class as the played the Oriental Rift. Yupp, and as I roll into my adulthood, thing didn’t really get better. There was always some who would occasionally “compliment” me on how well I spoke English as if I looked like I couldn’t speak it at all. It was baffling at times, because these people really thought they were complimenting me. It was always so confusing, I was always praised for the things I could do so well, but never ever really felt like I belonged. It was always a false sense of security. I thought I was safe, but I was always treated like a joke at any give moment. If I did anything that wasn’t American enough, it was always too weird and people would instantly turn their back. But to be honest, the most hurtful story was growing up with my mom and watch her struggle with that. She would cry all the time. She didn’t speak English well enough to defend herself. I can remember being eight years old, interpreting for her at work because someone was a racist. She always wanted to keep the peace. She was always scared she wouldn’t have a job if we were too outspoken.. This was the hardship my mom had to deal with and I grew up watching it as if it was normal. My parents came to America— worked their asses off to give us opportunity so that we can have a better life. So it is my part to stand up for those who can not stand up for themselves.. It is the least I can do. 💛💛💛 #tinyhearts https://www.instagram.com/p/CM0_ZaLAbnb/?igshid=1hw5eh1aq9lj5
