REDEMPTION
We carry the torch of our Asian ancestors in search for safety, sanctuary, and a balanced future. This is our redemption, and victorious, we will be.
// written in collaboration with Sam Park //
My father once told me that we are descendants of smugglers, abandoned since young, smeared with sinful stamps on the table of underground opium syndicates. Gambling to poverty in a quest to find a sanctuary, only to be met by death on a refugee train. He was a son orphan feeding himself, she was the daughter of a warrior with a tarp and few garments to gather gold from. They were forced to reduce 3 names to native 2, only to be indigenous scapegoats, who were chased and consumed with fear by the evil ember of ’98 concealed flame.
my mother once told me that we are descendants of royalty. she said i was born with authority in my figure, pearls betwixt my name, and dragons inside me that did not hold towers hostage, but instead, reflected the spirit of a king. my ancestors, who wore robes stitched in gold, were stripped of their power and condemned to generations of searching for salvation. we may have lost our riches but we did not lose our pride- the same pride that embraces me when i enter my mother’s simple home and am embraced by the warmth of family tradition and the inherited spark from my forefathers.
From the far east to the distant west, from the etchings of past tombstones to the birth screams of future posterity, we unfold our uphill quest for justice. My yellow blood carries the guilt of past ancestors, searching for the same salvation.
They escaped the lethal pistols of power-hungry dictatorship, fleeing to the states in search of freedom, refuge and redemption for the glory in our bloodline, only to be met with the institutional cross-fire that left us blindsided,
consumed and depleted of purity. Future equity dreamt for equality, so off I went to the promised land of the free. I carry with me the forgotten hopes and pride of my kin, and the whispered words of wisdom from my roots. Yet, the break of dawn is shadowed from the grasp of my wishful and naive fingers.
Though we live in the shadows of societal neglect, we do not live in fear from the society that neglects us. We expose, we speak, and we shed light that cannot be dampened with their darkness, as this light contains a strength that knows no bounds.
This strength comes from adversity passed down through many generations of perseverance, betrayal, and wars. And multiply amidst impermanence of race, religion, identity, and wealth. A dream redefined is a dream of a balanced future.
we act upon this inheritance to work for lost legacies and restore the vision of prosperity that was stolen. Our spot on the pedestal remains vacant and impatient to be reclaimed again, and until then, we will not rest.
We are in the spotlight. We have stories to tell and valid reasons to justify our cause. We show compassion and suppress the hatred that suppresses us.
Being heard is a privilege, but using our voice is a right. The only thing louder than our voices is the justice that overthrows those that silence us. We may be muted, but we will not be stopped.
Now the time is up. We won’t give up against bigotry and we won’t give in to the status quo. We’re done bowing our heads in apology, and we rise.
My mother once told me that we descended from royalty, and royalty we will become again.
My father once told me that we descended from thieves, and now we steal our glory back.
Our history is diverse, but our integrated voices demand reform.
We will carry the torch and set previously silent voices ablaze.
This is our redemption, and victorious, we will be.
© Joshua Theodorus Kurnia 2021
