The Strain of “Model Minority”: Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders July 30, 2019 by Julie Feng 1 Comment Just last year, when a person very close to me admitted she was struggling with depression, my initial internal reaction was disbelief. This can’t be true, I thought. My next thought was mortification for feeling this way. Why was it that I, a socially conscious person who believes strongly in mental health advocacy, immediately felt incredulity? I had to be honest with … [Read more...]
My Biracial Identity: Figuring Out Where Is Home July 16, 2018 by Maya Gittelman Leave a Comment My ancestry manifests in me as the aftermath of an ongoing battle. My body is the convergence of bloodlines that span continents. My heritage is layered, textured with palimpsest and patina. I am dual, simultaneous. I encompass the oppressor and oppressed, the privileged and the disenfranchised. I am mixed. Specifically, I am mixed Filipinx and white. This identity is a … [Read more...]
Stop Using Mixed-Race People as Symbols of Interracial Unity To Ease Your White Guilt June 17, 2018 by Sophie Buzak-Achiam, Guest Author Leave a Comment Editor's Note: This piece was first published in Danish magazine Friktion and is republished with permission. Dutch beer company Heineken has recently faced backlash for its “lighter is better” ad, where a light-skinned Brown bartender slides a beer past three dark-skinned Black people towards a Eurasian woman. The bartender shares a wink with her before the slogan “Sometimes … [Read more...]
Immigration Olympics?: Why Immigrants Don’t Have to Be Superheroes to Deserve Respect or Access August 21, 2016 by Dawy Rkasnuam Leave a Comment In mainstream liberal media, there’s no shortage of stories about heroic immigrants who rescue people from burning buildings or save their classmates during a school shooting. We applaud these people for their acts of bravery and compassion, and more often than not, we share their stories as examples of why immigrants are great for our community. Coming from an immigrant … [Read more...]
