The American Dream's Hour Glass
When I was a little girl, my traditional Asian parents told me to ignore political controversies and focus on academic success. They thought that this was the best way to achieve the American Dream as an immigrant family. As a little girl, I acted white, laughed along with borderline racist jokes, and fed into the model minority myth. My story is not rare among Asian Americans. Indeed, Asian Americans as a whole have allowed ourselves to be subjugated as America’s political underfoot. We ignore politics, causing politics to ignore Asian Americans- creating a catch-22 where no side will initiate outreach. But our silence did not protect us against internment camps or exclusion acts in the past, and it will not protect us against rising hate crimes or a tense political environment today. Indeed, COVID-19 caused not only a public health pandemic but also a race pandemic with a mass rise in cyberbullying, harassment, and assault against Asian Americans. Amidst this double pandemic, I realized that just “focusing on economic success” is not enough to achieve the American Dream. The dream not only stands for economic security but also for racial acceptance and harmony. But how can I achieve the American Dream when some do not even consider me to be American?
“But how can I achieve the American Dream when some do not even consider me to be American? ”
How can I achieve the American Dream when the city, neighborhood, and school that I attend is notorious for racism? Indeed, I watched in horror as my school was vandalized with white supremacist graffiti, as the Charlotte police attacked peaceful BLM protestors, as one of my neighbors mocked an African American teacher’s natural hair. These racist actions have tipped over an hourglass, counting down the seconds until the true American Dream disappears completely from our culture, until Abraham Lincoln’s united house succumbs to the fire of hate. The sand is pouring too fast but I refuse to stand aside and only “focus on economic success”. With the power of an unseen force, the falling sand is turning the American Dream into a desert, yet I refuse to let go of the American Dream, refuse to let go of the Statue of Liberty’s message. Maybe I'm already too late or too small to make a difference. Maybe I'm Gatsby, doomed to fail, chasing my green light with crippled legs and bloody knees. But I refuse to believe it, refuse to be silenced. As a self-declared American, I owe it to every other American fighting to secure their dream. I owe it to all my POC counterparts, to my Gen Z brothers and sisters, to the little girls that hide their pain by laughing with borderline racist jokes. It's time to heed the miner's canary, hear the cries of the suppressed, hearken to the true American Dream -- an American dream that promotes equality, openmindedness, and tolerance.