This project is an ode to my Chinese-American identity. An invitation to explore all that accompanies it: love, family, tradition, stereotypes, and history. Through the creative process, Kathleen and I have shared our family history, what we believe represents our identity as second-generation Chinese-Americans, and our experiences with microaggressions and tropes that almost every Asian American person has grown up with. 

This piece does not encompass my whole and entire identity. It does not even cover what it means to me to be Chinese/American. It is merely an appreciation, a piece filled with memories/musings/past-present-future happenings. 

1875: The Page Act targeted Chinese women and laborers from entering the U.S. 

1882-1943: Chinese-Exclusion Act barred naturalization for Chinese migrants and immigration for most Chinese people, aside from some diplomats, missionaries, and merchants.

1943-1965: Quota of around 105 Chinese migrants allowed into the U.S. per year.

1965: Hart-Cellar Act liberalized immigration from Asia, allowing Asian immigrants to join relatives in the U.S.

1990: Immigration Act established flexible worldwide cap on international immigration.

2019-now: Coronavirus arrives in 2019, with a rise in anti-Chinese/Asian hate in early 2020 targeting young women and elders.

What does it mean for me– and many like me who are born and raised here– to identify as both Chinese and American when our ancestors were excluded from entering this country for 80 years? How can we identify as Chinese-American when the rest of the world sees us as foreigners?