Personal

Oh, Small Peanuts

The first time I saw Americans, I was fifteen years old in China.  My brother…

A Filipinx woman (me) squats on the floor in front of an airport window, arms outstretched, hands resting on her luggage in front of her. She is holding her passport and boarding pass. Outside, and ANA jet is being prepped for flight.
We Can Never Be White Here: A Filipinx Immigrant Reflects on the Atlanta Shooting

The morning of March 18, 2021 found me awake and unable to sleep. I wanted…

Social Media: The Messenger for the Diet Culture Industry that Targets Teen Girls

I used to think of my brain as a courtroom. It existed in the center…

I Am a Brown Asian with Smooth Skin

SPRING 1984 Yellow fever. I learned about yellow fever from my first white boyfriend. When…

Asian Women Have Bad Days, Too

The Atlanta shootings on March 16, 2021 make us wonder, how does a person get…

Fufu Sundays

My love for cultures was spun by my love of asking lots of questions and…

A Note on Anti-Asian Hate

I am a Southeast Asian Vietnamese American woman. I show up in every space that…

Hoop Dreams and Human Dignity

My grandparents were warriors. They fought against apartheid in South Africa in the 1950s and…

Lock Up The World

Enough.  Slam. Click. Lock.    What to do with the key? Guess I’ll give it a…

Homecooked: Persian Food Traditions For Health

American-born Iranians from my generation understand a few things as fact: We are expected to…

THE SILVER IN OUR LININGS

Long ago in a distant world, life used to be so normal that an abnormal…

Mooning Myself

I was born! And when I was born, I was a cute little baby. Fresh,…

Origins

Before I was born the erasure of my origins was imprinted in my genes the…

Remembering Ruben Ramos Herrera

The glimmer of the setting sun brushes the tips of grassy plains. The scene is…

A Parent & Adjunct Assistant Professor’s Guide to the Pandemic

The COVID-19 Pandemic has been an informing moment in time for me.  When life changed…