A Quick Introduction

Hello,

As a Chinese-Canadian who has lived in Vancouver since I was six years-old, I did not realize the extent to which I’ve been trying to ‘white-out’ my ‘Asianess’ (yes, please appreciate my pun…it took hours and buckets of brainpower…) until very recently. I had a happy, pretty uneventful childhood, but lately I find myself analyzing it for sources where I’ve internalized racism and how that internalized racism has influenced my life. I’ve come to realize that racism is not always blatant and clear-cut, but can manifest in the societal norms that we’ve come to accept and in turn, perpetuate.

Through my blog, I wish to explore the ways racism becomes internalized, and how that internalized racism can influence a person’s decisions, beliefs, actions etc. I wish to reach others in situations like my own because I think internalized racism, at least amongst Asians, is not a topic that is commonly discussed. Perhaps that avoidance or reluctance to discuss the topic, whether consciously or unconsciously, is due to the belief that ignoring the issue will make it go away and talking about it will somehow substantiate it. Regardless of the reason for the lack of discussion on internalized racism, I think opening up a conversation is important because it can help people gain greater self-awareness when they analyze the reasons behind their thoughts and actions. I also hope to reach people who are not of Asian descent so that they can understand how they intentionally and unintentionally reinforce racial stereotypes and the damaging effects those stereotypes can have on other people.

I believe recognizing internalized racism is the first step towards lessening the power it holds over us.

Happy reading!

P.S. For a friend who really really wanted the title of this blog to be “Bananas and Coconuts”…here’s a picture of a banana and a coconut…(they look like they’re pals!)