This speech oughta really hit home for any Asian who’s received hate just because of their identity.
Sophia Chang, a Korean-Canadian and music industry veteran, concluded a lecture about her career at Boston’s Berklee College of Music by shutting down people who have shown bigotry towards her.
While her words, which were captured in a recently released clip, might be based on Chang’s personal experiences, they also illustrate everything we Asians have wanted to say to those who’ve discriminated against us.
““With every ‘chink’ spat my way, I was prompted to crush the box. With every ‘jap,’ I was prompted to pursue my passion. And with every ‘gook’ I was pushed to tell my story.””
“With every ‘chink’ spat my way, I was prompted to crush the box. With every ‘jap,’ I was prompted to pursue my passion. And with every ‘gook’ I was pushed to tell my story,” Chang powerfully proclaims in the clip titled “Shoutout to All My Racists.” “Know this ― your small-mindedness fuels my prodigiousness.”
In her speech, Chang lays out the many ignorant remarks she’s received, addressing anyone from those who’ve made fun of her parents’ names to people who’ve ridiculed her culture’s food.
“To anyone ever asked me, ‘is your pussy sideways?’ ‘Can you see when you smile?’ ‘Are you a tiger mom?’” she recalled. “To every man who greeted me with a ‘konichiwa’ or a ‘nihao ma,’ or told me your girlfriend was Asian like I give a f**k”
But in the face of adversity, she says, she only became more resilient.
“You see, we have to understand that with each of those micro-aggressions, it just added a plate to my suit of armor,” she said. “And you created this warrior who is impervious to your bullshit bigotry.”
Seriously ― can we get a “hell yeah?”
Chang has been outspoken about the discrimination she’s received in the past. She mentioned in an interview with NPR that she’s no stranger to being labeled the stereotypes often pinned on Asians ― especially women who have been fetishized in the hip-hop industry and beyond.
However, she mentioned, her life’s been about destroying these stereotypes.
“You think I’m just going to be your submissive little girl that goes and runs your errands for you and I keep my mouth shut when daddy is talking at the table or at a party,” she said. “F**k you, man. I’m not the one for you. You go find somebody else then.”
Keep slaying, girl.
H/T Angry Asian Man