Ashley Luo, Period 2, 4/21/21, Day A

Socio-political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

Now more than ever there are advocates for equality everywhere, especially on social media and I think it is so important to bring awareness to the people around you. Whenever I'm on Instagram, I see posts on everyone's story and I know some people get called out for not posting on their story. I don't post on my story but I make sure to have conversations with my family which I feel is way more important than posting something on social media where so many people are only performative. Coming from an Asian household, we've been called the model minority and we've certainly haven't experienced the oppression and inequality to the extent that other POC has faced. My parents don't agree with what is going on around us with all of the protests and rallies due to their own stereotypes they have built around other minorities. Whenever I bring up that difficult conversation to my parents we almost always end up arguing since our views are so different and it is hard to change their mindset. A lot of people decide not to have that difficult conversation with their loved ones in fear that it will end up in arguments and although I understand that, I think it's better to have them hear your thoughts and your reasoning. The reason we live in so much oppression and inequity is because no one ever does anything to change the mindset of those who are in the wrong. People who are racist will pass that mindset onto their children and onto the people around them and no one is ever brave enough to go against them. I also feel like those in power and hold that privilege refuse to do anything about all the inequity around simply because they aren't the ones facing the inequity. White privilege exists and white people need to actively step out and have their voices be heard because in our society it is more likely that they will be heard compared to a voice that belongs to a minority. Those who sit back and enjoy their white privilege or even refuse to acknowledge that it exists are the whole reason why systematic oppression is rooted so deeply into our everyday lives. POC shouldn't have to be scared for their lives when they step out of the comfort of their homes. Children shouldn't have to be taught to abide by certain rules in case they bump into the police in the future. There is so much oppression rooted in our society and unless more people start to stand up against it, it will always be present and more people will die and be covered up by those who hold power in our world.

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

With the surge of Asian hate crimes in our everyday lives, I fear for the safety of my parents and my grandparents. It hurts my heart when I see Asian elders get attacked on the street for absolutely no reason but looking the way they do. Not only do our oppression get pushed to the side, but in our Asian culture, we were always taught from our childhood to mind our business so that way we don't get involved and hurt. I remember the instance of Zheng who was killed when he tried to help a bunch of Asians who were getting attacked and robbed by someone. When I told my parents what had happened, instead of being outraged they simply told me, "Ashley I know this stuff makes you upset but please when you're outside never ever try to help or interject when you see a conflict like that. This is how you get killed so just pretend you don't see and keep walking." While I know my parents just want me to be safe and they said to protect me, I also saw the problem within our own community. Even with the surge of hate crimes and violent attacks, our community doesn't want to speak out against it in fear of being shut down or even worse repercussions happening. That is also a part of the problem. In order to bring about change, we need to speak out and we need to stand up against all of the wrongdoings done against us. It's time for Asians to stop being the model minority and it's time we speak up. Even growing up, the racism I've faced was pushed to the side and I was made to feel stupid for trying to speak up. This time, however, we need to fight against that so people can hear our voices for the first time. We can't silent if we want things to change. I shouldn't have to be scared for myself, my parents, my grandparents, and other people that I care about. We shouldn't have to walk out and be scared about whether or not we'll be able to come home.