It took me a few days to muster the courage to listen to myself. It then took me another few days to watch myself. I dread both. It requires a certain kind of confidence or not giving a f*#%! to not cringe while critiquing every aspect of yourself. I have plenty of confidence, but there’s something about seeing a reflection of yourself that is just so darn hard. Holding a mirror to yourself is scary and arguably the hardest task for most of us. It’s just easier to deflect, ignore, be in denial about aspects of yourself that you’re not too keen on or too traumatic to face. What-ever the many reasons, it will always surface one way or another regardless of your every effort to suppress it.
I’m only now facing my traumas head on, and it’s with the help of a therapist. To have a therapist is to be in a privileged position. I acknowledge my privilege. I acknowledge the countless people that cannot afford nor have access to mental health services. This inequity and continual decrease in funding for mental health is why I am an advocate for mental health services and resources for those most marginalized and under-represented, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities; whether it was through my advocacy work in Washington D.C. or as an educator at a middle school and high school or volunteering and serving on the board of an incredible holistic health nonprofit, Sol Sisters. My current goal is to help build mental health services and programs for BIPOC youth and families through the good work at Safer Together. I was their programs and operations consultant to now Director of Programs.
So when my dear friend Patty Alvarado (founder of Alvarado Therapy) asked me to be on her podcast, I was beholden to share my mental health journey to help de-stigmatize mental health needs. I hope my story can inspire you to begin talking about your mental health, to seek help, to share your vital journey with others too.
You can also listen to our conversation while preparing your favorite meal, driving, running your usual route, in the shower, or when ever you need a laugh at Alvarado Therapy’s podcast (I think we’re funny, no, I know we’re funny lol). While you’re there, subscribe to their enlightening podcast. Trust me, it’s worth it.
Asian American Federation (@AAFederation): In light of continuing attacks and violence against Asian Americans, download @AAFederation’s Stay Safe from Hate booklet in 5 Asian languages with strategies to stay safe. Share with your families and friends. Download FREE here.
Helen Zia’s Washington Post Op-ed (@HelenZiaReal): “Targeting Asians and Asian Americans will make it harder to stop covid-19”: Read @HelenZiaReal op-ed to understand how the recent attacks against Asians and Asian Americans is a recurring theme in America, but that we can do better than this, and we have.
Annie Anlin Cheng’s New York Times Op-Ed: “What This Wave of Anti-Asian Violence Reveals About America”: Read Anne A. Cheng’s @nytimes Op-Ed to learn about the uncomfortable truth about how attention to nonwhite groups is only as pressing as the injuries that they suffered.
NPR interview with Dale Minami: Educate yourself! @DaleMinami gives a lesson about the long history of anti-Asian discrimination and racism in the U.S. on @npratc @NPR. From Chinese Exclusion to Muslim and Sikh discrimination after 9/11.
Li Zhou’s Vox article on The long history of anti-Asian hate in America, explained: “Forever Foreigners” read @liszhou explanation of how this stereotype has been used for over a century to exclude, discriminate, and enact violence against Asian Americans.
#3 – Support AAPI Social Justice Organizations Taking Action:
#5 – Take a Harassment & Intervention Training HERE.
#6 – Diversify Your Sources – By interviewing and quoting Asian American experts. You can find many of them at The Asian American Journalists Association’s speakers bureau at AAJAStudio.org
Let’s do this! Thank you for caring and always in community,
As you will see in the short video, since the 1960s, Sylvia Rivera was a force for trans and LGBTIQ rights. Progress had been made because of her and countless activists. However, the alarming numbers of murders and discrimination of trans people remain an essential reminder that much more visibility and work still need to be done.
2020 HAD THE HIGHEST REPORTED MURDERS OF TRANSGENDER & GENDER NON-CONFORMING
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, 2020 has seen at least 37 transgender and gender non-conforming people violently killed, more than any other year since HRC began tracking this data in 2013. HRC has now tracked more than 200 deaths since 2013.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization. They released in late 2020 “An Epidemic Of Violence: Fatal Violence Against Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People in the United States in 2020,” a distressing report honoring the at least 37 transgender and gender non-conforming people killed in 2020 and shining a light on data that HRC has collected since 2013 on the epidemic of violence.
Many factors can lead to this violence, including anti-transgender stigma that can lead to the denial of opportunities in society, such as employment discrimination and exclusion from health care, as well as to increased risk factors such as poverty and homelessness. The combination of these factors, which are often exacerbated by racism and sexism, can lead to an increased risk of fatal violence.
The report lays out federal and state actions that would move us closer to ending violence against trans and gender non-conforming people. The report also lays out what people can do to help combat this violence. This includes working to eliminate stigma against trans and gender non-conforming people, using the correct names and pronouns, supporting laws and policies that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, uplifting transgender and gender non-conforming voices and building inclusive communities throughout society. HRC’s Transgender Justice Initiative was launched in 2019 to dismantle unjust systemic barriers to transgender empowerment and help end the epidemic of violence by addressing the root causes of the physical danger, hatred, and discrimination faced by transgender people in the U.S.
The below reference guide for transgender are courtesy of glaad.org.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS – TRANSGENDER
Sex – The classification of a person as male or female. At birth, infants are assigned a sex, usually based on the appearance of their external anatomy. (This is what is written on the birth certificate.) A person’s sex, however, is actually a combination of bodily characteristics including: chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics.
Gender Identity – A person’s internal, deeply held sense of their gender. For transgender people, their own internal gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Most people have a gender identity of man or woman (or boy or girl). For some people, their gender identity does not fit neatly into one of those two choices (see non-binary and/or genderqueer below.) Unlike gender expression (see below) gender identity is not visible to others.
Gender Expression – External manifestations of gender, expressed through a person’s name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, and/or body characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine and feminine, although what is considered masculine or feminine changes over time and varies by culture. Typically, transgender people seek to align their gender expression with their gender identity, rather than the sex they were assigned at birth.
Sexual Orientation – Describes a person’s enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to another person. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer. For example, a person who transitions from male to female and is attracted solely to men would typically identify as a straight woman.
Transgender (adj.) – An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms – including transgender. Some of those terms are defined below. Use the descriptive term preferred by the person. Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to bring their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. Some undergo surgery as well. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and a transgender identity is not dependent upon physical appearance or medical procedures.
Transsexual (adj.) – An older term that originated in the medical and psychological communities. Still preferred by some people who have permanently changed – or seek to change – their bodies through medical interventions, including but not limited to hormones and/or surgeries. Unlike transgender, transsexual is not an umbrella term. Many transgender people do not identify as transsexual and prefer the word transgender. It is best to ask which term a person prefers. If preferred, use as an adjective: transsexual woman or transsexual man.
Trans – Used as shorthand to mean transgender or transsexual – or sometimes to be inclusive of a wide variety of identities under the transgender umbrella. Because its meaning is not precise or widely understood, be careful when using it with audiences who may not understand what it means. Avoid unless used in a direct quote or in cases where you can clearly explain the term’s meaning in the context of your story.
Cross-dresser – While anyone may wear clothes associated with a different sex, the term cross-dresser is typically used to refer to men who occasionally wear clothes, makeup, and accessories culturally associated with women. Those men typically identify as heterosexual. This activity is a form of gender expression and not done for entertainment purposes. Cross-dressers do not wish to permanently change their sex or live full-time as women. Replaces the term “transvestite”.
Transition – Altering one’s birth sex is not a one-step procedure; it is a complex process that occurs over a long period of time. Transition can include some or all of the following personal, medical, and legal steps: telling one’s family, friends, and co-workers; using a different name and new pronouns; dressing differently; changing one’s name and/or sex on legal documents; hormone therapy; and possibly (though not always) one or more types of surgery. The exact steps involved in transition vary from person to person. Avoid the phrase “sex change”.
Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) – Also called Gender Confirmation Surgery (GCS). Refers to doctor-supervised surgical interventions, and is only one small part of transition (see transition above). Avoid the phrase “sex change operation.” Do not refer to someone as being “pre-op” or “post-op.” Not all transgender people choose to, or can afford to, undergo medical surgeries.
Gender Identity Disorder (GID) – outdated, see Gender DysphoriaGender DysphoriaIn 2013, the American Psychiatric Association released the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) which replaced the outdated entry “Gender Identity Disorder” with Gender Dysphoria, and changed the criteria for diagnosis. The necessity of a psychiatric diagnosis remains controversial, as both psychiatric and medical authorities recommend individualized medical treatment through hormones and/or surgeries to treat gender dysphoria. Some transgender advocates believe the inclusion of Gender Dysphoria in the DSM is necessary in order to advocate for health insurance that covers the medically necessary treatment recommended for transgender people.
Transgender women are not cross-dressers or drag queens. Drag queens are men, typically gay men, who dress like women for the purpose of entertainment. Be aware of the differences between transgender women, cross-dressers, and drag queens. Use the term preferred by the person. Do not use the word “transvestite” at all, unless someone specifically self-identifies that way.
OTHER TERMS YOU MAY HEAR
You may hear the following terms when doing research on transgender issues or speaking to an interview subject. As they are not commonly known outside the LGBTQ community, they will require context and definition if used in mainstream media.
Cisgender – A term used by some to describe people who are not transgender. “Cis-” is a Latin prefix meaning “on the same side as,” and is therefore an antonym of “trans-.” A more widely understood way to describe people who are not transgender is simply to say non-transgender people.
Gender Non-Conforming – A term used to describe some people whose gender expression is different from conventional expectations of masculinity and femininity. Please note that not all gender non-conforming people identify as transgender; nor are all transgender people gender non-conforming. Many people have gender expressions that are not entirely conventional – that fact alone does not make them transgender. Many transgender men and women have gender expressions that are conventionally masculine or feminine. Simply being transgender does not make someone gender non-conforming. The term is not a synonym for transgender or transsexual and should only be used if someone self-identifies as gender non-conforming.
Non-binary and/or genderqueer – Terms used by some people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the categories of man and woman. They may define their gender as falling somewhere in between man and woman, or they may define it as wholly different from these terms. The term is not a synonym for transgender or transsexual and should only be used if someone self-identifies as non-binary and/or genderqueer.
TRANSGENDER NAMES, PRONOUN USAGE, & DESCRIPTIONS
Always use a transgender person’s chosen name. Many transgender people are able to obtain a legal name change from a court. However, some transgender people cannot afford a legal name change or are not yet old enough to legally change their name. They should be afforded the same respect for their chosen name as anyone else who uses a name other than their birth name (e.g., celebrities).
Use the pronoun that matches the person’s authentic gender. A person who identifies as a certain gender, whether or not that person has taken hormones or undergone surgery, should be referred to using the pronouns appropriate for that gender. If you are not certain which pronoun to use, ask the person, “What pronouns do you use?”
If it is not possible to ask a transgender person which pronoun they use, use the pronoun that is consistent with the person’s appearance and gender expression or use the singular they. For example, if a person wears a dress and uses the name Susan, feminine pronouns are usually appropriate. Or it is also acceptable to use the singular they to describe someone when you don’t wish to assign a gender. For example: “Every individual should be able to express their gender in a way that is comfortable for them.”
Some people use the singular they to reflect their non-binary gender identity and/or gender expression. In 2015, The Washington Post updated its style guide to include the singular they to describe people who “identify as neither male nor female.” It is increasingly common for people who have a non-binary gender identity and/or gender expression to use they/them as their pronoun. For example: “Jacob writes eloquently about their non-binary identity. They have also appeared frequently in the media to talk about their family’s reaction to their gender expression.”
It is never appropriate to put quotation marks around either a transgender person’s chosen name or the pronoun that reflects that person’s gender identity.
TERMS TO AVOID
PROBLEMATIC
PREFERRED
“transgenders,” “a transgender”Transgender should be used as an adjective, not as a noun. Do not say, “Tony is a transgender,” or “The parade included many transgenders.”
“transgender people”,”a transgender person”For example, “Tony is a transgender man,” or “The parade included many transgender people.”
“transgendered”The adjective transgender should never have an extraneous “-ed” tacked onto the end. An “-ed” suffix adds unnecessary length to the word and can cause tense confusion and grammatical errors. It also brings transgender into alignment with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer. You would not say that Elton John is “gayed” or Ellen DeGeneres is “lesbianed,” therefore you would not say Chaz Bono is “transgendered.”
“transgender”
“transgenderism”This is not a term commonly used by transgender people. This is a term used by anti-transgender activists to dehumanize transgender people and reduce who they are to “a condition.”
“being transgender”Refer to being transgender instead, or refer to the transgender community. You can also refer to the movement for transgender equality and acceptance.
“sex change,” “pre-operative,” “post-operativeReferring to a “sex-change operation,” or using terms such as “pre-operative” or “post-operative,” inaccurately suggests that a person must have surgery in order to transition. Avoid overemphasizing surgery when discussing transgender people or the process of transition.
“transition”
“biologically male,” “biologically female,” “genetically male,” “genetically female,” “born a man,” “born a woman”Problematic phrases like those above are reductive and overly-simplify a very complex subject. As mentioned above, a person’s sex is determined by a number of factors – not simply genetics – and a person’s biology does not “trump” a person’s gender identity. Finally, people are born babies: they are not “born a man” or “born a woman.”
“assigned male at birth,” “assigned female at birth” or “designated male at birth,” “designated female at birth”
“passing” and “stealth”While some transgender people may use these terms among themselves, it is not appropriate to repeat them in mainstream media unless it’s in a direct quote. The terms refer to a transgender person’s ability to go through daily life without others making an assumption that they are transgender. However, the terms themselves are problematic because “passing” implies “passing as something you’re not,” while “stealth” connotes deceit. When transgender people are living as their authentic selves, and are not perceived as transgender by others, that does not make them deceptive or misleading.
For today’s Talk Less, Listen More Thursday Tip of the Day, I attest that this works. As a conflict mediator, this is a foundational tool I inform all parties involved before the mediation. It sets an important tone and is a critical a ground rule to achieving an effective mediation session.
Below are additional Talk Less, Listen More Thursday video tips to help us all cultivate compassion and empathy. It is through good communication skills that we—as a society—can get closer to peace and love. I truly believe there is nothing good communication can’t solve.
What are other tips and strategies to help us move closer to peace and love?
Friendly reminder, every day I will be providing tips and the data and expertise backing it up. The goal is to support you in designing your best professional and personal life, wherever you are in your journey. It is never too late. I hope you find the daily tips useful, as they have been for me.
_Marketing & Communications Mondays _Trust in Yourself & Your Journey Tuesdays _Work Smarter Wednesdays _Talk Less, Listen More Thursdays _For Your Best DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Life Fridays _Style Saturdays _Serve Positivity Sundays
Distrust and self-doubt are our most substantial limitations. Distrust in ourselves goes hand-in-hand with distrusting others. This is a life not fully realized but dictated by fear. Self-doubt often is frustrating, anxiety-inducing, scary as heck, and, for some, paralyzing.
My goal is to help you move through your fear—not to ignore your fear but acknowledge it as a life-long friend. It will always be a part of you. Thus, it’s essential to embrace it to live fully—a life with purpose and without regrets. The biggest risk in life is not taking one.
Through your fears, I’m also here to remind you that you already have everything necessary to re-love or fall in love with yourself. Consequentially, the flood gates will open to ownership of your desires, leading to courageous actions toward your dreams.
So trust your inner-voice and your abilities, no matter the outcome. As you likely have heard: It is not the destination but the journey that matters. Speaking from plenty of invaluable trials and errors, I couldn’t agree more. I am beyond grateful for every single one of them. Each one has been right on time.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your heartfelt love and support of my passion to boldly create positive change, especially through my baby, my artistic activism, Retrofit Republic. When I founded Retrofit Republic at 25 years old, I had no idea it would become the innovative social enterprise that so many of you championed. Thank you for believing in the good work that we were doing.
Going back down memory lane.
Award-winning singer, rapper, songwriter, musician, producer Anderson .Paak and rapper Dumbfoundead. Creative vision and wardrobe styling by yours truly.
I knew we were on to something unique. But the continual out-pour of our positive affect on you and so many illustrated that it was changing society to be better, to be more diverse, more inclusive, more equitable, to herald the beautiful diversity of individuals, races, cultures, backgrounds, gender presentations, body types, abilities and disabilities; and while changing culture to be more conscious of consumerism and its global ramifications such as the human and environmental costs of products and business practices.
Additionally, many studies have shown the greater benefits of diversity in the workforce such as increased revenue and fundraising, better and comprehensive ideas, improved efficiencies and productivity, significantly higher retention, and overall happier employees. So why not put concerted effort to institutionalize diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and policies in your company? It’s a no-brainer really.
These values continue to inform me in my continual nonprofit, social impact, and consulting work. As well as in the past four years, with the students I have been so fortunate to work with. With anything that I am passionate about, it becomes my life. I give it my all. Just like at Retrofit Republic, I gave my all to my students and families. I learned a ton. I am forever grateful for the transformations and relationships fostered. But I deeply miss the magical creative flow that I had running Retrofit Republic, where I had full creative license to collaborate and run my own vehicle of change.
Thus, here I am starting my next creative vision and consulting services site. Whatever your needs are such as how to:
_Start a nonprofit, social enterprise or business. _Lead a mission driven personal and career path. _Ensure your company and practices are rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion. _Hire and train diverse talent. _Coach and develop your team. _Mediate conflict resolutions between your team members. _Execute an effective and productive staff retreat. _Market, communicate, and increase your reach. _Envision and execute an unforgettable marketing campaign from A-Z. _Create a unique brand and identity. _Market research to understand what competitive advantage you and your company has. _Develop a memorable tagline and elevator pitch. _Set-up photo and video shoots. _Style it all. _Dress and present yourself as the boss that you are or strive to be. _Lead and inspire a team. _Plan and execute your organization’s anniversary event.
I got you! Or you simply want to share what creative endeavors you’re working on or content that inspires you.
Keep doing you and believe in yourself. If you don’t, then why should anyone else? Trust that your firm belief will manifest.
“Your journey has molded you for the greater good. It was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think you’ve lost time. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.” -Asha Tyson.
Let’s create your best self and live y/our dreams together.
“Art challenges passive culture” is a quote by renowned artist Nicolas Bourriaud. It is a quote that struck me many years ago and affirmed my love and study of the arts. It truly embodies an arts nonprofit dear to my heart, Kearny Street Workshop.
Kearny Street Workshop is the oldest multidisciplinary Asian Pacific American arts organization in the United States. KSW was founded on racial, social, and economic injustices dealt by the Asian Pacific American community in the 1970s. This monumental historical precedence carries through in our values for equity, representation, and visibility through the arts today.
Join us tonight at 7 p.m. for our annual end-of-the-year virtual celebration honoring our community artists, allies, and greater community. We honor you. We thank you.
And through our silent auction, bid on your own commissioned portraits like the ones below by gifted artist Nina Asay or the Diving Coloring Book by brilliant design artist Christine Joy Ferrer. The unique art and gifts for yourself or that special someone is plentiful.
It’s a win, win! Attain a masterpiece for your home that I guarantee your guests will gush over. Then subsequently share how you won it at a silent auction fundraiser, which helps to sustain an incomparable arts nonprofit.
Community, thank you for coming through! It is because of you we surpassed our fundraising goal for five deserving women warriors!
Your donations are in the works. We are assembling each women warrior’s care packages, and they will be delivered to them by no later than early January 2021. These care packages will contain monetary gift cards to help with essential needs and individualized items for their well-being and the well-being of their families. Additionally, your gift for your donation is also in the works and should arrive by early January 2021 too.
We are only as strong as our community and this campaign couldn’t be more indicative. Your encouraging words pierce deeply, especially in 2020.
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“You each are so deserving of this and so much more.” -Diana
“Thank you for sharing your stories and allowing us to give back a little. May our Lord watch over your families with love and protection!” -Jennie
“Sending love and blessings to all of you.” – Chayla
“Thank you for all that you do to make the world a kinder place.” -Laurie
“I love the work you are doing, keep shining.” -Erica
“Wonderful way to honor women!” -Anonymous
“By Queens, For Queens! Love what you’re continuing to do to uplift and inspire womxn.” -Stephanie
“Supporting our most inspiring, fearless, brilliant, and beautiful Queens! -Allyson
“Who run the world?!” – Abigail
“Women of the Resistance” mural by Lucia Gonzalez Ippolito at Balmy Alley in the Mission district of San Francisco. Photo by me.
In the nonprofit world, it is the time of year to appeal for your kind donation. The end of the year is historically the most successful time to fundraise and close the calendar year in black (net revenue positive or debt free). Lamentably, for many nonprofits it is the breaking point whether they will stay open or close indefinitely. Compounded with this reality, Covid-19 has disrupted the fiscal promise for too many.
2020 remains a devastating year of loss. Livelihoods are in disarray, inequities widening, and the former capacity and joy to contribute to an annual giving tradition stifled. After brainstorming what our nonprofit’s end-of-the-year campaign will focus on, it was without a question, to uplift and to pay it forward to those affected. For them, for humanity, we had to. Hence, these individuals and families are the catalyst for our fundraising campaign that just launched, Sol Sisters Solful Giving – Uplifting Women Warriors.
As part of the global movement to give known as Giving Tuesday, I set my heart into authoring and developing this campaign, which honors five deserving women warriors. I am deeply invested in each of them, and their incredible stories of loss and strength will impel you to act too.
Therefore, join us in #UpliftingWomenWarriors during this unprecedented challenging time and please share this campaign far and wide using the hashtag #UpliftingWomenWarriors.
The women warriors (from left to right, top to bottom); Jennifer, Nikki, Martha, Gloria, Angelica.
Thank you for caring,️ Jenny & your Sol Sisters Community
Photo by Abe Espiritu.
P.S. Did you know that your donation to us (to nonprofits in general) is a tax benefit to you? It is a deduction on your taxes and with the CARES Act it is easier to get a tax deduction for donations made in 2020. Learn more about this benefit via this recent New York Times article. It’s a win, win, win!
Charlotte, you go girl! This is a momentous holiday season for 11 year-old Charlotte Nebres and for Asian Americans and African Americans. Charlotte is the first Filipina American and African American ballerina lead (playing heroine Marie) in New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Finally.
Representation is consequential. It has conscious and subconscious, explicit and implicit effects, especially, for those that can identify with the lack of it.
“I saw her perform and she was just so inspiring and so beautiful,” Charlotte, 11, said. “When I saw someone who looked like me onstage, I thought, that’s amazing. She [Misty Copeland] was representing me and all the people like me.”
I too remember. I remember my vivid awestruck when I saw Asian American actor Dante Basco as Rufio in the movie Hook. He was the first person I saw on TV and in film that resembled me. For people of color to see individuals like them in positions of visibility, power, and success, it is incredibly validating for our identities, confidence, aspirations and affirming that we matter. We do matter. Charlotte you matter.
Dante Basco as Rufio in Hook
Not only was Rufio a main character but a fearless leader.
Actress Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, the first Asian American and woman of color lead role in Star Wars. Photo courtesy of Screen Rant.
Rose Tico later removed from the original Star Wars merchandise designs.
2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Photo: Jeff Neira, Walt Disney Television.
Additionally, in every article I have read about Charlotte Nebres, the titles and body text consistently say “first black” ballet lead and neglect to say she is also the first Asian American ballet lead. Too often Asian American Pacific Islanders are left out, forgotten, a footnote or an afterthought; yet Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the U.S. Asian Americans are more than the harmful stereotypes: other, outsider, quiet, invisible, passive, meek, subservient, the model minority, good at math, terrible drivers. The list is endless.
Despite it all, Charlotte, you are positively challenging the misconceptions and false narratives of Asian Americans and African Americans. Thank you for overcoming the odds. Thank you for being the first. Your success is everyone’s success.
Charlotte Nebres. Photo courtesy of Heather Sten, The New York Times.
