Articles

The Need To Radically Reimagine Our Identities Outside of the Gender Binary

Written by / 作者：Mavis Tang and Julia

The Problem of Housing: Home and Profit

The lack of affordable housing is a crisis around the world, from the United States to Canada to China to the United Arab Emirates. Data from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation shows that average rents in Toronto have increased roughly 72% from 2001 to 2021 while median family income has gone up by only 33%. This discrepancy between income growth and rent prices is reflected in many cities in North America such as New York City, as well as beyond: Beijing and Abu Dhabi were named the two most expensive global cities for renting in 2016 by Global Cities Business Alliance. The UN has assigned Special Rapporteurs to address this worldwide problem, who have concluded that a large contributing factor to this crisis is the financialization of housing. This aspect of the affordable housing crisis is often missed in policies and strategies aimed at alleviating the problem. Popular understanding of the housing crisis argues that the problem can be addressed by providing more supply: by building more houses and apartments. In reality, the financialization of housing, one of the key drivers of unaffordable housing, is a problem inherently caused by the market. As such, it cannot be solved by market solutions.

Agent Orange and H.R.3518: A Need for Reckoning and Justice Beyond Reparations

On November 8th, 2022, US House Representative Barbara Lee was reelected in California’s 13th district, which covers Oakland and parts of the East Bay area. In 2021, Representative Lee introduced H.R.3518, a bill that calls for the federal government to provide aid and assistance to people affected by exposure to Agent Orange during the period of US war in Vietnam.

Conversations with My Mother

Our mothers, our mothers. I told my friend once that no one breaks our hearts like our mothers. I’m sure my mother would say no one breaks her heart like me. Is there any other relationship so full of expectations and dreams and disappointments? If there is, I do not think I want to know. I write this article thinking of my mother, trying to respect her in my own way. I give her first look and veto powers for this essay, and I hope that is enough for her to not look at me with that frown of disapproval. Why reveal so much of yourself, I can already hear her saying. Why reveal so much of Us? Why do I want to expose my pain and hurt and anger to the world?

The Tragedy in Uvalde Should Make Us All Abolitionists

Written by： Shengxiao “Sole” Yu

We Need to Talk About the Fetishization of Asian Women

CW: misogyny, racism, sexual violence

Honoring Shaoxiong “Dennis” Zheng’s Life Means Centering Healing and Transformative Justice

Written by: Shengxiao "Sole" Yu

Moving Forward: How Asian-owned Small Businesses Have Been Responding to the Pandemic

Written by Kelly Ko

Why Ethnic Studies is Vital for Our Children

This article was translated into Chinese and published on WeChat through a collaboration with Chinese for Affirmative Action

When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Like Michelle Wu

Written by Jess Fong

Math Education Can Never Be Apolitical

Written by 辰曦 (Chen Xi)

Fact-Check: Debunking Misunderstandings about Homelessness with Data

Authors: Henry Hsieh with Dihua

What are the Texas affirmative action cases really about?

Author: Wan Ting

Mom, why can't you love my body too?

Growing up in an Asian American household, I was always judged by my family. My parents always noticed flaws with things I did, especially with my body and clothing. I was either perceived as oversexualizing myself and my body or I was seen as being too tomboyish and “dressing like a man”, there was never an in-between.

The Perpetrators of Anti-Asian Violence Wear Suits

We at the Xīn Shēng Project are each tied to a Chinatown in some way. Some of us grew up and/or worked in a Chinatown in New York City, Boston, the Bay Area, Chicago, Houston, or Los Angeles. Others drove from the suburbs to the nearest Chinatown for dim sum, Chinese school, dance class or kung fu. Many of us have grandparents who live, or once lived, in a Chinatown.

Is It CRT Or WeChat Articles About CRT That Is Dividing Us?

As an increasing number of states banned “critical race theory (CRT)” from public school classrooms, it has been so upsetting to see how Asian Americans connected our community trauma (Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants, for example, who have left or even fled communist regimes) to CRT influenced by partial and mischaracterization of CRT. When I wrote the article Five Myths of Ethnic Studies half a year ago, I didn’t anticipate the misinformation and mischaracterization of CRT to be a recurring theme in the education field. Could I find more nuanced, balanced information about CRT on WeChat? I decided to find out.

Why I Wish Critical Race Theory Had Been Taught in My Elementary School

I loved going to school when I was younger. Even though I moved around numerous times during my childhood, there were certain things I could always rely on in a classroom. I knew I would be able to hear the sound of pages turning during reading time, experience the satisfaction of writing on a whiteboard, and be taught by somebody that I looked up to. Each of my teachers helped me learn more about the joy of reading and nurtured my desire to learn.

Chinese Parents Are Obsessed with Harvard and Yale, But What Do Elite Universities Really Represent?

Written by Dihua

Can We Be Asian and Queer?

Written by Mavis Tang

Why I Support Reforming New York City’s Elite High School Admissions

Written by Serena Deng

Mari Matsuda: Critical Race Theory is not Anti-Asian

Dear Sisters:

The Asian American Community Deserves Better Than Andrew Yang

The other day, my apolitical grandma, who voted for the first time in her life back in 2020’s presidential election, told me she was thinking about who she was going to vote for in New York City’s mayoral race. The Democratic primary is June 22, and, with barely a month to go, her apartment has been flooded with campaign ads, political endorsements, and promises. Her current choice? Andrew Yang. “Why?” I asked her. Unsurprisingly, she says, “Because he’s Chinese!” My grandpa chimed in, “We have to vote for the Chinese guy because we’re Chinese.”

Dear Chinatown Chicago

Dear‌ ‌爸‌爸‌妈‌妈,‌ ‌

How to Stand in Solidarity: Resources & Action Items

Palestinians’ Protests

The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act Will Not Stop AAPI Hate

CW: racial violence 

Dear Vaccine Hesitant Parents

by Christine Pan

Mental Health Resources

Share on WeChat / 在微信上分享这篇文章 (Resources at the bottom)

Mama & Baba, We Need to Talk: Mental Health Stigma Across Generations

Content Warning: suicide, depression

Anti-Asian Violence: Who Do We Blame?

CW: hate incidents, murder

Justice for Angelo Quinto Abolitionist Toolkit

Angelo Quinto was a 30-year-old Filipino American who was killed by police during a mental health crisis.

From Overseas, the Same Moon: An International Student’s Reflection on Lunar New Year

When I recited ancient Chinese poetry as a child, I always found these types of expressions difficult to understand. Now I know: no matter how the centuries have changed, the emotions that people feel are—more or less—the same.

Stopping AAPI Hate: Resources

As the spread of COVID-19 and tense China-America relations amp up xenophobia and Sinophobia, we have compiled the following list of resources that respond to recent hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) covered in the media, as well as community organizations for AAPI that you can support. A great actionable is choosing at least three of these phenomenal organizations to donate to, and maybe even volunteer at one! Even a small donation helps.

Finding Home in History: A Chinese Adoptee’s Perspective on Ethnic Studies

As an international Chinese adoptee, I grew up with a single white mother who didn’t have all the resources to help me learn about my culture, heritage, or history. Although my mom did her best to help me understand the adoption process and the separation between me and my birth culture, growing up in a multi-racial household meant I had to confront the realities of being Chinese American without having a mentor who had experienced this before. It was hard for me to look myself in the mirror and accept that I truly belonged anywhere.

I Took My First Ethnic Studies Class by Accident, and It Changed My Life.

I’ve been grappling with my ethnicity—my Chinese-ness—before I even fully knew what “ethnicity” was. When I reflect on the importance of ethnic studies in my life, I’m reminded of childhood memories tinged with shame, of trying to figure out parts of myself that never quite felt whole. Most of all, I’m reminded of how my Chinese-ness colored my experiences in ways that I could never fully explain to my parents.In elementary school, I turned in a personal narrative about how desperately ashamed I was of my smelly noodle lunch after my friends made fun of how strange it looked. Luckily for the narrator, her friends eventually came around and one day asked to try her strange noodles. Turns out, they loved how strange Chinese noodles tasted, and profusely thanked her for introducing them to the wonders of Chinese food. Multiculturalism at its finest—that essay should have been plastered all over the school district website. I also completely made it up. What could have possibly motivated nine-year-old 婉婷 to fabricate an entire personal narrative that hinged on how she solved her racial inferiority complex?

Translational Distortions of the Term "Critical Race Theory"

Chinese is an ancient language family full of rich meaning, where even everyday terminology is more poetic than its English counterpart. For example, in Standard Mandarin—which is only one Chinese dialect of many—a common term for “careless” is “粗心," which literally means “thick heart.” A common term for "sad” is “難過,” which literally means “hard to pass.” And a common term for “metaphor” is “暗喻,” which literally means “dark comparison.”

An Attempted Coup at the United States Capitol? Everything You Need to Know

Armed rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol during Congress’s scheduled certification of the 2020 presidential election results required by state and federal law [source, p.7] on Wednesday afternoon. As of Wednesday, January 13, at least 85 arrests have been made. At least five people, including a Capitol Police officer, have died, and dozens more were injured. [source]

Going Home for the Holidays

With the holidays coming up and families reuniting (virtually and in-person), The WeChat Project is publishing some reflections from young Chinese Americans and Asian Americans. Together, we reflected on navigating intergenerational conversations and relationships this season. Here is what we have to say:

Chinese Americans Do Not Cheat, Do Not Steal... Do Not Protest?

By now, most Chinese Americans have seen Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn’s anti-Chinese tweet and reckoned with the 24,400 retweets endorsing the idea that “China has a 5,000 year history of cheating and stealing.”https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4eab7a_6cfd9db7cf9740d28f3c71d6fd78713d~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_987,h_526,al_c,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/4eab7a_6cfd9db7cf9740d28f3c71d6fd78713d~mv2.pngI want to commend the Chinese Americans who have organized against Senator Blackburn’s blatant racism. On Wednesday, December 9th, Chinese Americans held a protest in Washington D.C. and a second protest was planned for Saturday, December 12th, in Nashville, Tennessee.

It’s Up to Us to Stop Our Nation’s Ruin

My grandfather immigrated to the United States when he was a teenager to reunite with his father and start a new life. At the time, post-war Hong Kong promised no stable life, and my great-grandmother struggled to make ends meet. In America, though they remained low-income immigrants their entire lives, and their lives were definitely unstable due to the nature of the jobs — seamstress and waiter — they had, this country gave them the opportunity to build an even better life for successive generations — my parents and me — than staying in Hong Kong would have.

Why This Election May Kill Us

“Can you help us file for unemployment? Your dad and I can’t figure out all this complicated English paperwork,” my mom implored me in Mandarin.

I’m About to Graduate From College. Why Does Affirmative Action Still Impact My Future?

This is the second article in The WeChat Project’s series on affirmative action. To learn more, read the first article in our series.

Trump's WeChat Ban Will Not Silence Us

Dear readers,

I Talked With My Family About Affirmative Action

The following is a letter that a second-generation Chinese American student from California sent to her family. 

Why Police Make America Less Safe

TW: violence, sexual assault, r***

The Racist History of Policing & Prisons in America

Department of Justice Says Yale Discriminates Against White and Asian Students

On Thursday, August 13th, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that Yale University’s undergraduate admissions process “illegally discriminates” against White and Asian students in violation of federal civil rights law.

Why Hard Work Is Not Enough to Succeed in America

Growing up in a New Jersey suburb with a large Chinese American population, I was always taught that there is one key to success in America: hard work. The Chinese immigrants in my community were proof positive that the American Dream was real and that with hard work you could get anywhere. Many of them, including my parents, had come to the US with almost nothing. They struggled through graduate programs on scholarships or TA-ships or odd jobs, started from the bottom rungs of corporate ladders, furnished their own clinics and advertised their own private practices. With hard work, they graduated, received promotions, and amassed clients and patients. They told me these stories so I would remember how lucky I was to be growing up in a beautiful town with everything I could possibly want, and so I would remember that I, too, had a duty to work hard and carry their success forward.

A Daughter's Duty: Experiencing Homophobia as a Chinese American Woman

Despite being born in North America, I am still incredibly connected to my Chinese culture. I am both Chinese and American and I do not minimize either identity. I do not go to China often, but whenever I do, I feel like a foreigner wearing the wrong skin. One time, on a trip to China to visit relatives, my mother decided to meet up with one of her old university friends. At the time, the One Child Policy was in effect, but this family friend had two children. Her eldest was a girl, like me. Her youngest was a boy. She paid a fee to be allowed to have another child. As my mother had her hands full with just raising me, teasingly, she commented that having two children must be impossibly tiring. The response made me regret the cosmic accident of my sex. I wished to only have one child. But my firstborn was a girl, so I had no choice. She turned to her daughter and said, “I hope this one does not have to go through all that pain, and has lots of sons.” The message rings clear: girls are deadweight to families, to society.