I believe that writing can simultaneously be timeless while being a snapshot, kept still in the time it was written. Pieces exist where anyone can read them and the material still feels fresh, inspiring. Yet, they also exist within a specific place and time in the world and, as I believe, cannot be separated from what was occurring to both the writer and the society in which they wrote. In my writing, I hope to expound upon the idea of the multiplicity of events and narratives - one in which the congruency of these multiple sides is usually ambiguous. In this ambiguity, readers may be able to make various connections to their own experiences and begin to process some of this unsureness.
Journey of the Self
Travelogue
This work features multiple vignettes, all loosely related in one way or another, and based around my experience with race. In writing this, I found myself looking at each event as a diary entry, a collection of events that, on their own, perform similarly to a singular storyline. However, together, they become a trial in making narrative connection through prose textured experiences.
The content of these vignettes range from the earliest mass migration of Asian immigrants to the United States to my immediate experiences with race in the modern day. As I jump back and forth within time, I hope to expound upon the interconnectedness between large scale events and the personal experience, as well as showcase the complexity of time - a complexity where one side can be healing while the other exposes more cracks and failures.
JOURNEY In SOCIETY
The Model Minority Myth: A Barrier to Understanding Systemic Racism in America
It may be helpful to understand that certain narratives about a specific group of people can be misleading. Sometimes these narratives ignore the history and nuances of the group's experiences and are used for political purposes rather than to accurately represent the lived experiences of the people they claim to describe. In this historical analysis of the Model Minority Myth, I guide readers through both the internal and societal harm that is caused through the myth's perpetuation.
Literacy and the "Perfect American"
Literacy has historically been used as a tool to create and maintain social hierarchies. In the U.S., access to education and language skills has historically been used to widen disparities. The legacy of these disparities continues to influence how we view literacy, language, and belonging in society today.