Too Privileged to Connect: An Open Letter to the Chinese Diaspora in the United States

Abstract

On March 16, 2021, an atrocious incident occurred in Atlanta, US, ruthlessly taking the lives of eight people, six of whom were Asian women. Trembling in anguish and resentment, I wrote this open letter to our community of Chinese diaspora students in the United States. Writing bilingually in both Chinese and English, I discuss how we diaspora Chinese students in American universities should view and combat racism in the US. This article first debunks the myth of “model minority privilege” attached to Chinese Americans and then channels traditional Confucian thinking to illuminate anti-racist actions and endeavors. Finally, I urge the community to reconnect with our Chinese values and language to approach oppression and equity: to utter the inspiring voices of resistance, to see the powerful act of justice, and to use empathy to connect. This creative opinion piece does not shy away from multilingual writing or non-Western philosophy but rather harnesses the power of two languages and cultures to provoke novel ways in which diasporic communities can tackle racial inequality.