— A Collective Footnote to the Question: “Who Are We?” Every Thanksgiving, scenes inside Chinese American households take on a layered quality. At the dinner table, parents try to translate “grateful” into the right shade of Chinese;children explain the meaning of Friendsgiving in fluent English;relatives struggle with the turkey but still insist on adding aContinue reading “Thanksgiving and Chinese Americans: Family, Identity, and Belonging in a Cross‑Cultural Life”
Tag Archives: identity
Thanksgiving: A Lesson in Belonging for Chinese Immigrants in America
From a Dinner Table to a Cultural Insight In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, supermarkets across the United States begin to feel different. People who rarely cook are pushing carts full of spices, college students are animatedly debating who will bring dessert, delivery drivers are shuttling turkeys in and out of loading zones, andContinue reading “Thanksgiving: A Lesson in Belonging for Chinese Immigrants in America”
When Economic Structures Shape Emotions:The Social Logic Behind “Filial Respect” and “Independence”
— How culture reflects the economy beneath it It is often said that one of the biggest differences between Eastern and Western cultures lies in how they view the elderly. In Chinese culture, respecting and caring for elders is considered a moral foundation. In the United States, independence is seen as a virtue and aContinue reading “When Economic Structures Shape Emotions:The Social Logic Behind “Filial Respect” and “Independence””
Will Your Child “Age Out”? — Understanding the New CSPA Rule for Family-Based Immigration
By | Voice in Between In the U.S. family-based immigration system, “waiting” is a shared reality for almost all families. Some parents file their petitions and then wait years — sometimes more than a decade — before they can finally reunite with their loved ones. For applicants with minor children, this wait carries an additionalContinue reading “Will Your Child “Age Out”? — Understanding the New CSPA Rule for Family-Based Immigration”
Mixed and Multidimensional: Breaking the Binary, Creating New Forms
Identity & Ethnicity Series · Essay 5By Voice in Between Introduction “My dad is a Chinese immigrant, my mom is white American. We celebrated both Lunar New Year and Christmas growing up, and our kitchen always had both chopsticks and forks.”“I never felt like I had to choose a side.” In today’s America, more andContinue reading “Mixed and Multidimensional: Breaking the Binary, Creating New Forms”
The Politically Awakened: When Identity Becomes Action
Identity & Ethnicity Series · Essay 4By Voice in Between Introduction “I used to think that if I just lived quietly, everything would be fine.”“It wasn’t until that moment that I realized—if you don’t engage in politics, politics will still find you.” For many Chinese immigrants, “politics” once felt distant and abstract. The real pathContinue reading “The Politically Awakened: When Identity Becomes Action”
Cultural Reconnection: Nostalgia, Heritage — or Isolation?
Identity & Ethnicity Series · Essay 3By Voice in Between Introduction I want my kids to learn Chinese, to know where they come from.Every year we celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival and make dumplings. I don’t want our culture to end with my generation. In an America that increasingly emphasizes “identity diversity,” some Chinese families are choosingContinue reading “Cultural Reconnection: Nostalgia, Heritage — or Isolation?”
Label-Free: When “I Don’t Want to Be Just Chinese”
Identity & Ethnicity Series · Extended Essay II By Voice in Between Introduction “I don’t want to always be seen as ‘that Chinese person.’”“I’m just me — I don’t want to represent any group.” In the United States, an increasing number of Chinese Americans are choosing a “label-free” path of identity. They downplay their ethnicContinue reading “Label-Free: When “I Don’t Want to Be Just Chinese””
The Model Minority Trap: The Cost of Conformity
Identity & Ethnicity Series – In-Depth Essay IBy Voice in Between Introduction In our previous installment, we introduced the idea of “conforming to the label” as one of the five identity paths commonly taken by Chinese Americans. It’s a path that appears safe and rational, but often comes at the cost of emotional repression andContinue reading “The Model Minority Trap: The Cost of Conformity”
When Hate Knocks at the Door, Are We Ready?
— Five Lessons from the Amadeo Quindara Case for the Chinese American Community By One Voice “Speak English!” — A Command That Led to a Bloody Assault On May 30, 2023, 75-year-old Filipino American Amadeo Quindara was sitting in a chair in his own garage, enjoying a quiet afternoon in the Mountain’s Edge neighborhood ofContinue reading “When Hate Knocks at the Door, Are We Ready?”
