This Is Who We Are

We are the short smart-talking kids of the future
We are the laundry and grocery shop owners
of mom and pop shops
trying to do more than just make ends meet.
We are the ones who excel in school
trying to prove to our parents that we are more than just the ordinary
or rather the average
We are the sons and daughters of immigrants
Immigrants who were railroad workers and lived on Angel Island
to make sure their families could get a free pass to America.

We are quiet, reserved, and submissive
as the stereotypes state us as so.
We are the yellow-skin people you love to hate
because you have to work with us
whether it’s in the bank getting money or getting some food at a restaurant.
We are hard working
yet do we ever get over that glass ceiling?
Statistics show that we’re at the top of our classes
Yet at high-paying companies we’re always a step behind a top tier position.

We are the ones you make fun of on the bus
because we are different and we do not look like you.
We are the ones who have strict parents
Parents who do not understand the “American” life
so instead they instill traditions on us
to keep with us forever and pass it on to our kids.
We are the daughters of parents who idolize and worship their first sons.
The ones who always try hard to impress their parents
only to receive a pat on the back.

Out of all the stereotypes that we are made of
This is what we also are.

We are the ones who will stand up and speak out
No longer will we be quiet and submissive
and let you control our lives because we have worked too hard
to let it all go to waste.
And no we are not the famous athletes or actors
unless in kung-fu movies
We are your next-door neighbor
or the co-worker you say hi to every morning
or the classmate you make fun of or cheat off of on tests and exams
or the passenger on the bus that you can’t stand the look at
or the little girl you want to jump because she has Jordans and an iPod.
To you we all look the same.

This is who and what we are
and we do not care what you think of us
We still strive to do better and prove to the world
that we are here to stay
and that we will one day reach the top.