15.

When I told my parents that I was going to work at the Asian American Resource Center, they were worried. They thought that working here would encourage me to speak up “too much” and get me into trouble. They said, “we should be thankful that the Americans let us live in their country.” This made me so angry that I was speechless. This country that I call home is still “their country”? No. This is my country. This is my parents’ country. This is what we call home, the places we grew up and made memories. My voice is important, and it will be heard.

Advertisement