Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth? (#14)
10 Minute Read
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is quite poignant to me as I reflect on how Dr. King’s legacy impacts me as an Asian-American. In full transparency, my experience is not representative of all Asian-Americans, nor am I trying to take away the spotlight from the Black community. @MLKDay showcases communities that serve in memory of Dr. King, especially those that work to continuously address the systemic injustices within our communities, and this piece by Jenn M. Jackson reminds us of the white commentary filters that have erased King’s original message. Personally, I am privileged to not only benefit from Dr. King’s strides through the Civil Rights movement, but also engage with friends from different ethnic backgrounds.
So much of my background has been influenced by leaders and activists who stood up for Civil Rights, and in turn brought me more freedom as a minority in the United States. Growing up, I definitely felt a stronger connection to TV shows and movies that featured Black leads and Black families, such as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Cosby Show, BarberShop, Coach Carter, and Boyz in the Hood just to name a few. Upon watching BET, I would resonate with the importance placed on family bonds, while also longing for the physical affection demonstrated by Black aunts and mothers. The spanking was also very familiar. The food always looked so good on screen, and given that connections in the Asian community are built around important holidays and their corresponding foods, those dinner table scenes became a significant memory in my upbringing.
As I got older and started getting more involved with sports, particularly basketball, I couldn’t help but notice that most of the top athletes were Black. Instead of aspiring to be the next Yao Ming (who was Chinese like myself), I wanted to be like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant (Chinese people LOVE Kobe lol). Just in case Derrick Rose ever reads this post, I LOVE YOU MAN. Anyways…If you’ve watched the pilot episode of Wong Fu Productions’ Yappie, there’s a punchline about Asian Americans being from the San Gabriel Valley who like basketball, Boyz II Men, and BMWs. For some reason, R&B and old school Black music in general were my primary influences. To this day, even though I don’t drive a BMW, I still play Bill Withers, Brian McKnight, Luther Vandross, and Babyface in my Nissan. My friends in graduate school who taught me to clap on 2-4 joked that I had the music taste of a middle-aged Black woman, which was a pretty high compliment.
Unfortunately, all of this camaraderie means nothing if do not acknowledge the persistent injustice that Black folks face in the United States today. As an Asian man, my first concern about getting pulled over is the ticket fine or being perceived as a bad driver, not whether or not I might lose my life. Society’s first impression of me rolling up in a hoodie listening to hip-hop or joining a dance crew is that I’m a “well-rounded” hype-beast instead of blowing off my education. Dr. King’s message is completely lost if I choose to live in my privilege without educating myself on my own racial ignorance, or worse, asking others living under their active oppression to do the work for me. While I might wrestle with my own difficulties against the Bamboo Ceiling and model minority myth, that does not excuse me from fighting for a better future against “injustice anywhere.” (Dr. King’s full quote is “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”)
In 2001, James Carter (played by Chris Tucker) gave his iconic speech inside of the Red Dragon Casino, stating “I have a dream! That white people, and black people...and even Chinese people, can gamble together without getting different chips!” The Rush Hour films starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker helped to bridge the gap between the Asian and Black communities, while also being a commercial success for the wider audience in general. It was great to see myself represented in the Asian male lead, while also affirming my own interracial friendships. As the media works to create more films featuring casts of color, I look forward to learning more about how I can be a better ally for the Black community, while also supporting access to mental health services for all.
Some resources for finding a therapist of color:
Asian Mental Health Collective
United Nations Annual Sleepover Crew