What are your intersections?
I am a Korean born, cisgender, female. I identify as Korean American, Asian American, Jewish, female, and a woman of color.
What is your background?
I am a transracial adoptee (meaning I am one race, and that family that raised me is of another race.) I was born in South Korea, and grew up in a white, Jewish family in Washington DC. My parents were raised with beliefs about “color blindness,” and as a kid, I never felt othered by my parents. I can’t say I felt that way when it came to interacting with folx outside of my immediate family. There were things said to me at synagogue, at school, at camp, many of which I never told my parents. Even as a child, I think I realized it was somehow easier to navigate this on my own because I didn’t think adults in my life would understand. This is a huge reason why I believe in the importance of discussing how multifaceted our identities are with my students, so they have the language and tools to communicate when/if they encounter bias or discrimination. As an adult engaged in equity and anti-racism work, discussing race is something I actively bring to conversations with my parents, family members, and friends. I grew up with a great deal of financial and educational privilege. I attended private school from PK-12th grade at the same institution, and then attended a private university for undergrad. After teaching for 2 years through AmeriCorps, I attended a public university for my M.Ed, and have worked and taught in public education since 2009.
How do your intersections affect you?
I recognize that being an EAST Asian woman involved in equity and inclusion work has granted me enormous privileges. I have absolutely been discriminated against due to my race, gender, religion, and culture, but I know that I also benefit from all of those things depending on the space I occupy. I am privileged in being able to navigate spaces occupied by white people, and people of color. My intersections make me aware that I will rarely be labeled as, “Loud,” “Angry,” or “Aggressive,” and I am most likely viewed as a “safe activist” due to my identities. The “model minority myth” when it comes to East Asian groups and individuals is wrong and problematic, but I can’t deny that I sometimes benefit from the beliefs that East Asian people are quiet, hardworking, and intelligent. (However I still have to deal with the beliefs that East Asians are monolithic, obedient, conservative, and women are hyper sexualized.) Due to the assumptions folx make of me, I believe I have a responsibility to speak up about anti-racism, especially anti-Blackness. I am also aware that my identities do limit impact and limit the lens through which I see the world and interact with others, so I try to be mindful of “staying in my lane,” and determining when it’s appropriate and necessary for me to either step up, or step back. There are things I will never understand about others’ experiences, and I can’t pretend to understand. Rather, it’s my role and responsibility to listen and learn.
My identity as a Jewish woman of color has also impacted my role and responsibility to educate folx about what it’s like to be Jewish when most people associate “Jewish” with someone who looks and sounds like Larry David. There’s a term I learned from being with Jews of color, which is “Ashkanormative,” and it means that the dominant culture in American Jewish spaces is assumed to be white, and Ashkenazi (Jews descended from the Holy Roman Empire, now associated with European Jews.) I’ve appreciated talking to my Jewish friends and family about my experiences in synagogues and Jewish communities when people make me feel “othered” because of my race, even though I grew up in these spaces. I want people to understand that “Jewish” is a religion, parts of it are ingrained in culture, but it is NOT an ethnicity or race. I also want to help folx recognize that anyone can be critical of the Israeli government and apartheid against the Palestinian people without being considered anti-semitic. (Also, anti-semitism is something I’ve worked with students, schools, and teachers to address.)
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#TWintersectionalfridays: Space to explore intersections of identity and systems of oppression. Space to tell your story. Space to listen. Every Friday of 2019. // Week 13/52. 'Liz' / 8x8 in. / mixed media on paper