Since January of this year, I've had the amazing opportunity to share my viewpoints on issues relating to communities of color and immigration in the "My Turn" column published in The Asian Reporter.
Here are links to - and excerpts from - previously published columns:
Caring for our own - Access to quality health care is front and center in the everyday life of many Oregonians. A variety of factors contribute to skyrocketing healthcare costs in recent years.
Political consciousness - "Race still matters — and its manifestation is more apparent when you look at leaders of industry. Among the largest U.S. corporations, less than two percent are run by people of color. Given the same educational background, experience, and skill sets, professionals and managers of color hardly ever make it to the top."
Beyond the model minority myth - Lumped together as if we were a homogeneous group, Asian achievement in education, income levels, and business ownership perpetuate the "model minority" myth. Numbers rarely lie, but they hardly tell the full story about our diverse communities, and the challenges faced by immigrants, and their sons and daughters. In all honesty, the myth hurts more than it helps. It denies the fact that more than any other racial group, Asians come in all hues, shapes, and sizes.
Nurturing our communities - Attain individual glory, but never forget to give back. Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan, hindi makararating sa paroroonan is a Tagalog saying that loosely translates to: "One who does not know how to look back will not reach one’s destination."
An open letter to peoples from the non-Western, developing world - Despite a small segment of the U.S. political spectrum that advocates protectionism and prejudice, many Americans today are immigrants or descendants of immigrants who have lived in collectivist and pluralistic societies. Our elders remind us often of the benefits of harmony, understanding, and generosity in keeping communities and families intact. We know what it’s like to take care of family back home.
Citizenship rate hike may serve as roadblock - The rate hike is but a thinly veiled method of pacifying anti-immigrant sentiment that has gripped the nation in recent years. It is yet another way to exclude immigrants — legal or documented — from fully participating and becoming integrated in the country’s social systems.
Popular images - In mainstream films and television programs produced in the U.S., why do Asian-American actors primarily do stereotypically Asian roles?
Great expectations - As immigrants, we understand that the city faces unique challenges involved in serving each ethnic or cultural minority group. A variety of factors play a significant role, such as religious background and how individuals within a community feel about talking to persons perceived to be in authority. A group’s mode of entry into the United States also impacts the level of assimilation into North American culture.
Exploring a filtered voice: Introductions