Angela X Lin 林欣莉
What does it mean to be Asian American?
The "American" part means an uncomfortable intimacy with white supremacy. The "Asian" part means an uncomfortable distance from my ancestral homeland. Put it together and you get... a lot to unpack!!
Let's talk about the "American" part aka the closeness to white supremacy. As a lighter skinned "yellow" East Asian, a Chinese American specifically, I hold a lot of privilege and power in Asian American spaces due to the ways East Asians are seen as acceptable by white people.
This is a privilege which I think East Asians need to acknowledge if we are to unpack and really understand our identity in America. When an average everyday American thinks of "Asian", they probably think of someone who looks like me, even though Asians can be Black, Brown, white, etc. That kind of recognition is a power and privilege, but it is one that has roots in war, sexual imperialism, and other forms of oppression that white people have enacted upon our countries and continue to do so today. Even as there is rising hate against East Asians due to anti-Chinese sentiment, there is still so much privilege and power in that identity.
Ethnic background: Chinese American
Age: 26
Current city & state: Chicago, Illinois
The other side of being Asian American is being estranged from the culture, language, history, and land of our Asian ancestors. This is something I see among a lot of Asian Americans and second generation immigrants from all cultures. I personally really care about being fluent in my parents' culture, language, and history because it helps me to understand how I fit in the world and it also just makes me really happy. But it is definitely a struggle to reconnect to my Chinese heritage when I spent most of my life trying to assimilate and forget it. So for me, being Asian American means being someone who needs to struggle to love myself and to love others. It's a worthwhile struggle though.
What motivates you to do what you do every day? People I care about. Self-love. Something I can't explain.
What brings you joy? Dancing. Feeling connected to people and the earth. Most recently, The TV show Word of Honor (WKX x ZZS FOREVER!)
Anything else you wish to say about being Asian American? I think Asian Americans really need to tackle our own anti-blackness and our communities' anti-blackness in order to truly be free and to love ourselves as Asian Americans.
“The ‘American’ part means an uncomfortable intimacy with white supremacy.”
— Angela X Lin 林欣莉, 2021
Angela X Lin 林欣莉 with prayer necklace, 2021
This is a prayer necklace that my mom made for me. She and my cousin were really into this trend of making your own prayer necklaces a few years back. It is important to me because of its connection to my spirituality and my heritage.
“It is important to me because of its connection to my spirituality and my heritage.”
— Angela X Lin 林欣莉