No, America is not obsessed with Black rights. If that were the case, we wouldn’t have many issues we currently do. But America as a whole isn’t able to take into account all of its people. In my experience, I have been marginalized by people who claim to be for equal rights, but by equal rights for all, they mean black and white communities. I have heard people, including my class specifically, say the c-word without hesitation whereas they wouldn’t dream of saying the n-word even in when reading someone else’s piece. As racial slurs, both words have the same merit in that they are used to offend or are used on the basis that they were created on offensive terms. Why is one more appropriate to say than the other? Why is it okay to demand black rights but marginalize other cultures? It’s this discrepancy I have trouble grappling with because it’s still rooted in the goal of equality.
I’ve been told I haven’t experienced racism because
I’m not Black…
Though being sent videos
of Asian women breaking the necks of kittens before
plunging stilettos into tiny round eyes is nothing compared
to blood and years and hands, no one said it was. [emphasis added]
The idea isn’t to weigh who needs rights more and give one group ultimate attention and worth; the idea is to fight for human rights for everyone at one time. We can’t treat rights as target practice, aiming for one thing at a time while everyone else waits their turn until they become the most marginalized. No one in favor of social equality is arguing that the black community is the most affected by racist thinking. No one in favor of social equality is arguing that black rights movements are necessary and encouraged. What I am saying is America needs to look at its peripherals as well. Asian-Americans should not need to scream their attendance at social justice rallies in order to be accounted for, as some have implied to me. Our presence in American society should be enough to include us in the conversation about American rights, as I said again in my writing:
People are asking why speak up now,
you’ve been so quiet all tihs time. But quiet and silenced are two
different things, and come to think of it, we’ve been here. We’ve been here marching for innocent Black men, communities that shutter in a storm,
minimum wage, while other Americans still think us a saffron myth
I received commentary asking if I personally rallied for these things, which is essentially saying “pics or it didn’t happen,” which isn’t a comment that is given toward other communities. My problem is when this is said to me or when I’m told Asian-Americans are not politically active but are only quiet mice holed up in a corner. Am I attributing this generalized thinking to all people? No, I don’t believe for a second that all non-black and non-white people share this ideology. I am merely throwing out there what I have experienced, proving that this line of thought exists among American society.
In the case of Peter Liang, I am not denying that an innocent man was killed. This never should have happened and in no way is Peter Liang innocent himself. He should have in the least called for help after he fired the gun that he shouldn’t have had in his hand to begin with. But given the existence of his case, I find it to be troubling that the NYPD decided to charge Peter Liang, which has been the first time in over a decade. The fact that he is a non-white man is far too much of a coincidence to be innocent of non-racial thinking, which is why Asian-Americans stood outside the courthouse. Do I understand where they’re coming from? Yes. Do I agree with the protest? This is where my poem comes in because it’s an awful social justice dilemma that will never be able to have a fair outcome because of how police brutality has been dealt with in recent years, which is upsetting in itself:
People say we’re a little fucked up for wanting freedom
for Peter Liang calling it justice when really we mean
equity
Needless to say, none of this should even be a discussion, as none of this should even be presented to us as an issue. However, it is and this is why we must deal with it as a nation. The goal is to not point fingers but to say okay how can this be solved so that everyone can have fair representation and opportunity, thus being subjected to the same legal/moral standard. We cannot simply think about things as black and white (metaphorically speaking), as Black vs Asian or Black vs White or White vs everyone else. Pro-Black does not mean Anti-Asian; Pro-Asian does not mean Anti-Black. In any case. Pro-rights includes everyone, not only certain amounts for certain people at designated times when it’s too late to “make up” for America’s difficult past.
