Tag: racism

“Alligator Alcatraz” Echoes Angel Island

On By Feminist Asian Dad

“Alligator Alcatraz,” as a grotesquely flippant nickname for a Florida incarceration camp, makes light of what will happen to the people there. It’s really an inaccurate comparison as well, since Alcatraz was a max-security prison for America’s most violent, already-convicted criminals. The more accurate comparison would be with Alcatraz’s neighbor in San Francisco Bay, Angel Island, just two miles away. Like Alcatraz, Angel Island is surrounded by cold, shark-infested waters. Unlike Alcatraz, it was, from 1910-1940, a federal immigration station that processed 550,000 travelers to the U.S.

Continue reading ““Alligator Alcatraz” Echoes Angel Island” →

What My Asian Sisters Say

On By Feminist Asian Dad2 Comments

Some of the language in this post is gut-level honest and may not be appropriate for younger children.

It has been a terrible day in Asian America, as so many of us feel the enormous weight of the news out of the Atlanta area. You’ve likely already heard about it, too – the mass murder of eight precious human beings, six of them Asian women.

I’ve especially felt moved by the outpouring of grief and anger from Asian American women. Because while these killings impact every Asian American, it’s Asian American women who feel the horror most viscerally. It’s almost so obvious that we might miss it – these weren’t just acts of racialized hate, but they were particularly directed at Asian women.

Continue reading “What My Asian Sisters Say” →

#RacismIsAVirus

On By Feminist Asian Dad

Left: My life-sized poster of Houston Rockets legend Yao Ming, whose home country of China is the land of my ancestors, whose names are known going back to the 11th century.

Right: The American flag to which I lead my 2nd period Geometry-Honors class in a pledge of allegiance, every day, Monday through Friday, when school is in session.

And BTW, calling it the “Pledge to the Flag” is a misnomer. I remind my students that it’s much less a pledge to a symbol and much more a pledge of loyalty to the Republic for which it stands. That means it’s my solemn promise to the people of our one nation, from those standing next to me to those orbiting Earth in the ISS, that I will fight for unity against division, and for freedom from injustice, for everyone.

Please join me and my friend, the amazing New York-based actress Diane Phelan, in the #RacismIsAVirus campaign!