this is us

this is us

this is our family

this is our legacy

the violence that has been coming to light against all Asian Americans is violence against us

we were all taught that this country is safe

it has never been

maybe it was a trauma response anyway-- a way for the marginalized to convince ourselves that if we assimilate enough we will be enough

nothing protects us when our grandmothers and grandfathers are being beaten and killed in the streets with no recourse

these are our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunties, uncles, cousins

this is our blood

this is their sacrifice

our Por Por was the only child to survive a Japanese bombing of her school when she was living in Guangzhou

she was buried in the rubble overnight before being rescued

she was encouraged to come here for safety-- that meant leaving her home, her mother, her roots

we all thought here was better

here is not good enough

and raising the next generation of our family firmly planted in this understanding is our new legacy

our children are not safe until everyone of us is safe