Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It is a time for the celebration of our history and culture. Likewise, it is a time for reflection. We look back at what we have accomplished as a minority group. We take pride in our major and varied contributions to this country we now call home.
Of this we can say with a mixture of humility and pride: We are now major players in America. True, we have a long way to go. But at this momentous time, when history is being made everyday, we have a seat at the table, and a rightful claim to the American Dream. Indeed, we are Asians, as well as Americans. We have the best of both worlds.
From a personal experience, assimilation was not easy. When I first immigrated to the U.S. in the early 90s, my parents lived in Newport News, Virginia. The chances of seeing another Asian family was rare, and the last thing I wanted to do was to celebrate my Asian heritage.
In school, I did not fit in. I was stared at and made fun of. In gym class, when we were doing forward kicking jumping jacks, a white kid deliberately positioned herself behind me so she could kick me when the exercises started. I had a hard time adjusting. I just wanted to be normal and blend with the crowd.
Twenty years later, here I am, managing a publication that embraces and promotes the Asian American heritage, the very heritage I once rejected. Indeed, I consider myself fortunate. Asian Fortune, however, did not come about because of luck. Its existence is built on the accomplishments and legacies of many Asian Americans who, by their talents, determination and hard work had achieved, and continue to achieve, success in the mainstream.
There are the trailblazers who shattered the old myths and stereotypes about Asians. And then there are all those heroes, most of whom we will never know. The Chinese miners who died building the Transcontinental Railroad. The Japanese Americans who suffered from internment during World War II. Everyday Asian immigrant families, determined to secure a bright future for their children.
This issue of Asian Fortune is a tribute of all those Asian Americans who have come before us and will come after.
Sincerely,
Lily Chen Ma
