After a Chinese-American editor at the New York Times shared the story of a racist encounter Sunday, the Asian-American community has refused to stay silent.
The Twittersphere is standing in solidarity with Michael Luo, who was out with family and friends on New York City’s Upper East Side when a woman shouted at him, “go back to China ... go back to your f―-ing country.”
Luo, who is the deputy Metro editor at the Times, recounted the experience in a poignant open letter to the woman. He emphasized that although he has grown up in the U.S., he and so many other Asian-Americans feel they’ll always be seen as foreigners.
“"It’s this persistent sense of otherness that a lot of us struggle with every day. That no matter what we do, how successful we are, what friends we make, we don’t belong."”
“Maybe you don’t know this, but the insults you hurled at my family get to the heart of the Asian-American experience,” he wrote in the piece. “It’s this persistent sense of otherness that a lot of us struggle with every day. That no matter what we do, how successful we are, what friends we make, we don’t belong.”
Luo prompted other Asian-Americans to share their own experiences with racism using the hashtag #ThisIs2016. See some of the responses below.
@michaelluo Interviewed a sitting Senator for 1/2 hour about Obamacare. Got up to shake his hand--he bowed instead. #thisis2016
— Suzy Khimm (@SuzyKhimm) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo I've been told to"go back to china" although I was born here.I've also been cat called with "nihao" & others #thisis2016
— #StarringConstanceWu (@starconstancewu) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo When guys tell you they like "Asian girls" and look at you expectantly #thisis2016
— Daphne Chen (@DaphneChen_) October 10, 2016
Brought kimbab to jr high Cultural Day. Classmates held their noses. Now kimchi + Korean-style pork belly is in every gastropub. #thisis2016 https://t.co/g3Pznwf4DF
— Maria Erdmann (@MCEedits) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo My history teacher asked in class "Is your Chinese name Ching Chang Wang? I heard all Chinese names sound like that" #thisis2016
— Tim Lau (@TimCLau) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo too many for 1 tweet. In sum, living in NYC, I still regularly get: go back to China, hello China doll, konichiwa #thisis2016
— Dorothy Jean Chang (@dj) October 10, 2016
Dude accosts me to sell a tourist package. I ignore him. He yells, "this is why no one likes Asians! You don't speak English!" #thisis2016 https://t.co/G5oUo8fRol
— Bloody Mary (@AstralColt) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo I can't tell you how many times I've been told over the years that I speak 'really good English.' #thisis2016
— Tomoko Hosaka (@TomokoHosaka) October 10, 2016
"Where are you from?"
— e.ahn (@ahnfire) October 10, 2016
Chicago.
"No really, where were you born?"
M'F'er, my mother gave birth to me IN CHICAGO.#PerpetualOther #thisis2016 https://t.co/FXBqiKNTNu
@michaelluo "We should've killed all you f***ers in Nam". I was born in Washington DC & uncle is a US Nam vet. I'm Fil-Am. #thisis2016
— robert casumbal (@robertcasumbal) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo I was in a public bathroom and some guys walked in and went "eh it's f---ing Jackie Chan" #thisis2016
— Chee-Hang See (@cheekane) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo I received these texts from my younger sister AS I was reading your article. We're 1st generation Americans #thisis2016 pic.twitter.com/9TQmQTQaDZ
— KP (@KP_erez) October 10, 2016
.@michaelluo #thisis2016 Uncle's car vandalized "Go back to China" while parked in his own driveway in Dallas. I was 8. I cried a lot.
— Larry Luk (@larryluk) October 10, 2016
Thank you for telling your story @michaelluo. It is our story as Chinese-Americans who live here in the U.S. https://t.co/6j7AU4WBgD
— Micaela Choo (@msmicaela) October 10, 2016
Thank you, @michaelluo. I really relate to this.
— Hannah Stanke (@hannah_stanke) October 10, 2016
"Where are you from?
"NYC."
"No, where are you really from? China? Korea?"
"Still NYC..."
@michaelluo They put me in ESL classes because I didn't have an American name. I was top of the class in reading #thisis2016
— Tien Dang (@maybeitstien) October 10, 2016
Glorifying thick European/Russian accents, whilst shaming Asian American accents (namely east, south, & southeast Asian).#thisis2016 https://t.co/H1vPPUUZXR
— A.J. Chaudhry (@SassyRaptor) October 10, 2016
Being Asian means putting up with 'acceptable' racism in America. I experience an incident a week. #thisis2016 https://t.co/WexUq1Tjyp
— Syl Tang, Hip Guide (@hipguide) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo "Do you taste like Sweet and Sour Sauce?"
— Susie Lee (@jademulan) October 10, 2016
"Can i be your lucky cricket?"
all "charming" pickup lines i've heard. #thisis2016
.@michaelluo While applying for my passport I got asked if I wanted my naturalization papers back #thisis2016
— Ben Bacolores (@BenBacolores) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo At an Asian American leadership conference and man yells at my @aaamizzou friends and I, "Welcome to America!" #thisis2016
— ashley yong (@XSayAshley) October 10, 2016
Approvingly telling someone “you don’t look Asian” ain’t a compliment. We’re beautiful b/c of our “Asianness” not in spite of it #thisis2016
— Kim Bellware (@bellwak) October 10, 2016
@michaelluo my white student editor told me at the time to "stop pulling the race card." He didn't understand. #thisis2016
— Hannah Yang (@HannahMYang) October 10, 2016