![]() We enjoy curries and soup dumplings but fail to offer Asian-Americans any real political power. Underneath our New York pride is a sick political purity test - New York nativism - that excludes not only Asian-Americans but many immigrants. Many of them, like my family, moved around a ton in search of economic opportunities and a better life. But many immigrants and children of immigrants did not grow up in this country, let alone this city. Perhaps the often-asked question, “no, but where are you really from?” is the best example of this desire to equate Asian-Americans with some unknown, exotic origins.įor a long time, I’ve heard that if you didn’t grow up in NYC, you’ll never be considered a real New Yorker. Our centuries-old fear of the “Yellow Peril” sees Asian-Americans as “perpetual foreigners” who take away our jobs (including elected jobs), even if they’ve long lived here. From The Page Act of 1875 (this ban on Chinese woman immigrants was our first-ever restrictive federal immigration law) to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, from Japanese internment to Vincent Chin’s murder, too many among us have questioned whether Asian-Americans are really American. The hyperfocus on Yang’s New York-ness, however, is a part of our history of xenophobia against Asian-Americans. I have serious questions about his government experience and progressive values. He was born there.” A spokesperson for Scott Stringer said: “ Welcome to New York City.” Other candidates are also non-NYC natives (Maya Wiley is from Washington, D.C., Raymond McGuire from Ohio, Carlos Menchaca from Texas, our last two mayors from Boston), yet we uniquely single out how much Yang knows about or deserves to live here. ![]() In response to Yang, Eric Adams’s campaign said, “ Eric doesn’t need a tour of Brownsville. Rival candidates have also tried to make Yang appear alien to voters. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |