Blogging the News

As a Baruch student, I can easily hop on the 6 train straight to Canal Street whenever I crave a cheap bite to eat in Chinatown. However, the station itself can use some work. The low ceilings, long walkways, and odorously cramped platforms, packed with pushy passengers could surely use some improvement but it’s the destination that counts, right?

If you’re not near the 6 train, Chinatown is also accessible at Canal Street on the N, R, Q, and Grand Street on the D and B train.

The second picture is normally the first view I get of Chinatown, getting off the 6 train. Nothing much has changed profoundly over time except nowadays, there are more cars and better signage. The “Welcome to Chinatown” sign is actually something that has been added recently.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that the corner of Canal Street is where the most “business” is done, as you can see in the third picture. As a (somewhat) native of Chinatown, I’ve come to know of several underground businesses in Chinatown, counterfeiting being one of them. Many of the bags are hidden in the back walls of the shop fronts but ever since police crackdowns, much of their inventory have been shifted to vans. It never ceases to amuse me how oblivious this is to police officers and tourists but I guess that’s something you develop with ample time spent in Chinatown.

The fourth slide shows one of Chinatown’s many street vendors. Chinatown is also known for their numerous street vendors where you can purchase anything from tropical fruits to yams to my personal favorite, coconuts. Although these vendors have legitimate licenses, I’ve come to learn about some troubles these New York City street vendors face: police harassment, unfair fines, and unjustified bans. In response to this, the Street Vendor Project was born to help these small businesses make ends meet.

The faint sweet smell you come across every so often emanates from the mini cake carts that have been around for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I was always fascinated with the process as they pour the batter and tilt the pan back and forth. These cakes are made right in front of you with this unique griddle in only a matter of minutes. Even now, you can get 15 pieces for only $1. One of the crowd favorites is the sweet mini cakes from Ling’s Sweet Mini Cakes, as portrayed in the fifth picture.

Slide six is an example of the commercial side of Chinatown. What many stores have been increasingly starting to sell are little trinkets of Asian culture ranging from puppet dragons to lucky red tassels, I presume as a response to the increased tourism rate. During holidays such as Lunar New Year as explained in previous blog post, Millennial Perspectives: Some Asian Traditions Explained, I usually see an increase in the sale of red envelopes, paper lanterns, bamboo, and lucky candy, in preparation for the celebration.

When I was younger and still too short to reach the windows, I would see glimmering ornaments in the reflection of the jewelry shop on my way to school. Within the last two decades, there’s been an explosion of jewelry shops in Chinatown as you can see in slide seven. Today, there’s at least one jewelry store that sells these tiny gold figurines on the corner of almost every block. Having a figurine in the form of your zodiac is considered to be lucky, as well as a sign of wealth. I’ve also seen them given as gifts during weddings. This year happens to be the year of the horse, as you can see reflected in this picture.

My favorite restaurant happens to be on Elizabeth Street but earlier this year, the street was also renamed Private Danny Chen Way, in memory of Private Danny Chen, as you can see here in picture eight. The unveiling of this street was made possible by the OCA Asian American Advocates, which you can read more about in my previous article. Danny Chen was a soldier for the US Army who committed suicide after being harassment while serving in the military. New York Magazine did a feature on Pvt. Danny Chen who passed away in 2011. According to Ivy Teng Lei, a member of OCA, “the whole community came together on that day [the unveiling of Private Danny Chen Way] to memorialize Danny Chen and show their support. It was great to see that.”

On a different note, this is the Chinatown Arcade in slide nine. As deceiving as the name may be, the Chinatown Arcade is simply a tunnel of restaurants which provides a shortcut from one street to another. Many of the restaurants have been there for a long time but they’re slowly being shut down due to lack of business. It’s a bittersweet moment when the places you used to eat at as a kid close down—it almost feels as if a part of your childhood disappears.

In comparison to the Chinatown Arcade, this is one of the newer streets in Chinatown. Slide ten is what I tend to call it the “Bubble Tea Alley,” because four bubble tea shops popped up on the same street, around the same time. In essence, this is a reflection of a younger, trending, and more urbanized Chinatown.

Before I head back to the train station, there’s one last picture of a place worth mentioning. This is the notorious Chinatown Ice Cream Factory beside Xi’an’s Famous Foods, both partnered with the Museum of Chinese in America in their MOCAEats partnership which you can read more about in my article about the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory has been around for over 28 years, and has grown into a popular tourist destination of exotic ice cream flavors.

As of right now, there’s still a good mix of old Chinatown with the newer, trendier Chinatown, but at some point, I anticipate that half of these small businesses will eventually close because of the sheer competition.

What do you think of when you walk through Chinatown?

As a Baruch student, I can easily hop on the 6 train straight to Canal Street whenever I crave a cheap bite to eat in Chinatown. However, the station itself can use some work. The low ceilings, long walkways, and odorously cramped platforms, packed with pushy passengers could surely use some improvement but it’s the destination that counts, right?

If you’re not near the 6 train, Chinatown is also accessible at Canal Street on the N, R, Q, and Grand Street on the D and B train.

The second picture is normally the first view I get of Chinatown, getting off the 6 train. Nothing much has changed profoundly over time except nowadays, there are more cars and better signage. The “Welcome to Chinatown” sign is actually something that has been added recently.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that the corner of Canal Street is where the most “business” is done, as you can see in the third picture. As a (somewhat) native of Chinatown, I’ve come to know of several underground businesses in Chinatown, counterfeiting being one of them. Many of the bags are hidden in the back walls of the shop fronts but ever since police crackdowns, much of their inventory have been shifted to vans. It never ceases to amuse me how oblivious this is to police officers and tourists but I guess that’s something you develop with ample time spent in Chinatown.

The fourth slide shows one of Chinatown’s many street vendors. Chinatown is also known for their numerous street vendors where you can purchase anything from tropical fruits to yams to my personal favorite, coconuts. Although these vendors have legitimate licenses, I’ve come to learn about some troubles these New York City street vendors face: police harassment, unfair fines, and unjustified bans. In response to this, the Street Vendor Project was born to help these small businesses make ends meet.

The faint sweet smell you come across every so often emanates from the mini cake carts that have been around for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I was always fascinated with the process as they pour the batter and tilt the pan back and forth. These cakes are made right in front of you with this unique griddle in only a matter of minutes. Even now, you can get 15 pieces for only $1. One of the crowd favorites is the sweet mini cakes from Ling’s Sweet Mini Cakes, as portrayed in the fifth picture.

Slide six is an example of the commercial side of Chinatown. What many stores have been increasingly starting to sell are little trinkets of Asian culture ranging from puppet dragons to lucky red tassels, I presume as a response to the increased tourism rate. During holidays such as Lunar New Year as explained in previous blog post, Millennial Perspectives: Some Asian Traditions Explained, I usually see an increase in the sale of red envelopes, paper lanterns, bamboo, and lucky candy, in preparation for the celebration.

When I was younger and still too short to reach the windows, I would see glimmering ornaments in the reflection of the jewelry shop on my way to school. Within the last two decades, there’s been an explosion of jewelry shops in Chinatown as you can see in slide seven. Today, there’s at least one jewelry store that sells these tiny gold figurines on the corner of almost every block. Having a figurine in the form of your zodiac is considered to be lucky, as well as a sign of wealth. I’ve also seen them given as gifts during weddings. This year happens to be the year of the horse, as you can see reflected in this picture.

My favorite restaurant happens to be on Elizabeth Street but earlier this year, the street was also renamed Private Danny Chen Way, in memory of Private Danny Chen, as you can see here in picture eight. The unveiling of this street was made possible by the OCA Asian American Advocates, which you can read more about in my previous article. Danny Chen was a soldier for the US Army who committed suicide after being harassment while serving in the military. New York Magazine did a feature on Pvt. Danny Chen who passed away in 2011. According to Ivy Teng Lei, a member of OCA, “the whole community came together on that day [the unveiling of Private Danny Chen Way] to memorialize Danny Chen and show their support. It was great to see that.”

On a different note, this is the Chinatown Arcade in slide nine. As deceiving as the name may be, the Chinatown Arcade is simply a tunnel of restaurants which provides a shortcut from one street to another. Many of the restaurants have been there for a long time but they’re slowly being shut down due to lack of business. It’s a bittersweet moment when the places you used to eat at as a kid close down—it almost feels as if a part of your childhood disappears.

In comparison to the Chinatown Arcade, this is one of the newer streets in Chinatown. Slide ten is what I tend to call it the “Bubble Tea Alley,” because four bubble tea shops popped up on the same street, around the same time. In essence, this is a reflection of a younger, trending, and more urbanized Chinatown.

Before I head back to the train station, there’s one last picture of a place worth mentioning. This is the notorious Chinatown Ice Cream Factory beside Xi’an’s Famous Foods, both partnered with the Museum of Chinese in America in their MOCAEats partnership which you can read more about in my article about the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory has been around for over 28 years, and has grown into a popular tourist destination of exotic ice cream flavors.

As of right now, there’s still a good mix of old Chinatown with the newer, trendier Chinatown, but at some point, I anticipate that half of these small businesses will eventually close because of the sheer competition.

What do you think of when you walk through Chinatown?

There are several prevalent organizations active in the Chinatown community: EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care, located at 87 Bowery Street, the Chinese-American Planning Council, headquartered at 150 Elizabeth Street, and OCA Asian American Advocates, stationed at 50 Madison Street. These organizations all serve their community in various ways, from fighting social injustices, to providing simple translation services, or simply offering recreational classes. Nonetheless, what all these organizations are face with, is some sort of challenge that each representative from these groups speak about.

Peter Chang, Community Liaison of EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care

Peter Chang, is the Community Liaison at EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care. In his role as Community Liaison, he sees one of the biggest problem is over dependence on the Chinese/Asian community that limits their experiences. In his own words,

The biggest problem that I see as a challenge is really the over dependence on the Chinese/Asian Community. I understand preserving and embracing culture, but far too many people do not have an understanding of the areas outside of these neighborhoods. Not only do they hinder their own experiences, but I know that it affects their children as well. It’s hard enough to get past people asking you where are you really from and how come you don’t know where the best Chinese Restaurant is, but people will continue to treat Asian Americans as exotic and places like Chinatown as a tourist destination. I would really want to see Asian Americans become just AMERICAN.

Ivy-Teng Lei, Board Member of OCA- New York Chapter, second from the left

Ivy-Teng Lei is a board member for OCA and one of the greatest struggles in her opinion is the segmentation within the Asian Community.

One of the greatest struggles in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community it’s segmentation of different dialect and culture. Although it’s diversity brings richness in our culture, it also creates language barriers for information to be passed from main stream media to another. Aside from ethnic media, changes in our political landscapes and important issues affecting our community, such as immigration reform, are often spread via word-of-mouth.
OCA New York, formerly known as Organization of Chinese Americans, now rebranded as “OCA Asian American Advocates” addresses this issue by working with organizations across different ethnicities. From Southeast Asian organizations to our Latino sister and brothers, we unite basic upon issues rather than culture and ethnics. It is strength of community building and organization that truly speaks the need of immigration reform, healthcare issues and minimum wage.

Emily Gorbach, Summer Youth Employment Program Coordinator from CPC attributes the fault to the fact that Asian American students are overlooked in terms of their social and communication skills.

In some instances, Asian American students who are high achievers academically are viewed as not requiring services or assistance. Even though these students perform well in school, they may be in need of developing their social and communication skills and confidence. At CPC, we work to create an environment to foster these skills for our young adults. In our programs, we encourage team building and social interaction. We also provide high levels of mentorship. In regards to promoting and celebrating Asian culture, we incorporate identify exploration and culture in our after school program. Through workshops and cultural field trips, we hope that our participants can gain a better understanding of their heritage.

There are several prevalent organizations active in the Chinatown community aimed at serving Asian Americans: EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care, located at 87 Bowery Street, the Chinese-American Planning Council, headquartered at 150 Elizabeth Street, and OCA Asian American Advocates, stationed at 50 Madison Street. These organizations serve their respective community in various ways, from fighting social injustices, to providing simple translation services, or simply offering recreational classes. Nonetheless, all these organizations are faced with challenges that they must overcome to serve their constituents more effectively.

Peter Chang, Community Liaison of EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care

Peter Chang, is the Community Liaison at EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care. In his role as Community Liaison, Peter educates Asian Americans about the benefits of various health insurance plans, and provides assistance with applications. In his experiences, Peter believes that one of the biggest problems in Chinatown is people’s over dependence on the Chinese/Asian community which in turn, limits their experiences. According to Peter, it is one thing to embrace your culture, but it is another to use those experiences as a barrier. In his own words,

“The biggest problem that I see as a challenge is really the over dependence on the Chinese/Asian Community. I understand preserving and embracing culture, but far too many people do not have an understanding of the areas outside of these neighborhoods. Not only do they hinder their own experiences, but I know that it affects their children as well. It’s hard enough to get past people asking you where are you really from and how come you don’t know where the best Chinese Restaurant is, but people will continue to treat Asian Americans as exotic and places like Chinatown as a tourist destination. I would really want to see Asian Americans become just AMERICAN.”

Ivy-Teng Lei, Board Member of OCA- New York Chapter, second from the left

Ivy-Teng Lei is a board member for OCA, an organization dedicated to the advancement of Asian Pacific Americans. She is heavily involved in events that promote the social, political, and economic well-being of the Asian Community in New York, but she sees one of the greatest struggles in her opinion as the segmentation within the Asian Community. As it turns out, there is friction within the overall Asian community. In order to truly speak the needs of the community, we must first embrace the diversity within the Asian culture and overcome the segmentation barriers, caused as a result of different dialects.

One of the greatest struggles in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community it’s segmentation of different dialect and culture. Although it’s diversity brings richness in our culture, it also creates language barriers for information to be passed from main stream media to another. Aside from ethnic media, changes in our political landscapes and important issues affecting our community, such as immigration reform, are often spread via word-of-mouth.
OCA New York, formerly known as Organization of Chinese Americans, now rebranded as “OCA Asian American Advocates” addresses this issue by working with organizations across different ethnicities. From Southeast Asian organizations to our Latino sister and brothers, we unite basic upon issues rather than culture and ethnics. It is strength of community building and organization that truly speaks the need of immigration reform, healthcare issues and minimum wage.

Emily Gorbach, Summer Youth Employment Program Coordinator from CPC attributes the fault to the fact that Asian American students are overlooked in terms of their social and communication skills. In her years as coordinator for the summer program, she sees many Asian American students excel academically in school, but fall short when it comes to communicating with others and marketing themselves confidently. In an attempt to develop their social communication skills, CPC provides high levels of mentorship and workshops to improve speaking techniques.

In some instances, Asian American students who are high achievers academically are viewed as not requiring services or assistance. Even though these students perform well in school, they may be in need of developing their social and communication skills and confidence. At CPC, we work to create an environment to foster these skills for our young adults. In our programs, we encourage team building and social interaction. We also provide high levels of mentorship. In regards to promoting and celebrating Asian culture, we incorporate identify exploration and culture in our after school program. Through workshops and cultural field trips, we hope that our participants can gain a better understanding of their heritage.

Overcoming these challenges will not be easy, but it is reassuring to know that these organizations are well on their way to improving the state of things for the Asian American community as a whole.

There are several prevalent organizations active in the Chinatown community aimed at serving Asian Americans: EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care, located at 87 Bowery Street, the Chinese-American Planning Council, headquartered at 150 Elizabeth Street, and OCA Asian American Advocates, stationed at 50 Madison Street. These organizations serve their respective community in various ways, from fighting social injustices, to providing simple translation services, or simply offering recreational classes. Nonetheless, all these organizations are faced with challenges that they must overcome to serve their constituents more effectively.

Peter Chang, Community Liaison of EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care

Peter Chang, is the Community Liaison at EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care. In his role as Community Liaison, Peter educates Asian Americans about the benefits of various health insurance plans, and provides assistance with applications. In his experiences, Peter believes that one of the biggest problems in Chinatown is people’s over dependence on the Chinese/Asian community which in turn, limits their experiences. According to Peter, it is one thing to embrace your culture, but it is another to use those experiences as a barrier. In his own words,

“The biggest problem that I see as a challenge is really the over dependence on the Chinese/Asian Community. I understand preserving and embracing culture, but far too many people do not have an understanding of the areas outside of these neighborhoods. Not only do they hinder their own experiences, but I know that it affects their children as well. It’s hard enough to get past people asking you where are you really from and how come you don’t know where the best Chinese Restaurant is, but people will continue to treat Asian Americans as exotic and places like Chinatown as a tourist destination. I would really want to see Asian Americans become just AMERICAN.”

Ivy-Teng Lei, Board Member of OCA- New York Chapter, second from the left

Ivy-Teng Lei is a board member for OCA, an organization dedicated to the advancement of Asian Pacific Americans. She is heavily involved in events that promote the social, political, and economic well-being of the Asian Community in New York, but she sees one of the greatest struggles in her opinion as the segmentation within the Asian Community. As it turns out, there is friction within the overall Asian community. In order to truly speak the needs of the community, we must first embrace the diversity within the Asian culture and overcome the segmentation barriers, caused as a result of different dialects.

One of the greatest struggles in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community it’s segmentation of different dialect and culture. Although it’s diversity brings richness in our culture, it also creates language barriers for information to be passed from main stream media to another. Aside from ethnic media, changes in our political landscapes and important issues affecting our community, such as immigration reform, are often spread via word-of-mouth.
OCA New York, formerly known as Organization of Chinese Americans, now rebranded as “OCA Asian American Advocates” addresses this issue by working with organizations across different ethnicities. From Southeast Asian organizations to our Latino sister and brothers, we unite basic upon issues rather than culture and ethnics. It is strength of community building and organization that truly speaks the need of immigration reform, healthcare issues and minimum wage.

Emily Gorbach, Summer Youth Employment Program Coordinator from CPC attributes the fault to the fact that Asian American students are overlooked in terms of their social and communication skills. In her years as coordinator for the summer program, she sees many Asian American students excel academically in school, but fall short when it comes to communicating with others and marketing themselves confidently. In an attempt to develop their social communication skills, CPC provides high levels of mentorship and workshops to improve speaking techniques.

In some instances, Asian American students who are high achievers academically are viewed as not requiring services or assistance. Even though these students perform well in school, they may be in need of developing their social and communication skills and confidence. At CPC, we work to create an environment to foster these skills for our young adults. In our programs, we encourage team building and social interaction. We also provide high levels of mentorship. In regards to promoting and celebrating Asian culture, we incorporate identify exploration and culture in our after school program. Through workshops and cultural field trips, we hope that our participants can gain a better understanding of their heritage.

Overcoming these challenges will not be easy, but it is reassuring to know that these organizations are well on their way to improving the state of things for the Asian American community as a whole.

• Sephora’s been recently slapped with a lawsuit after deactivating thousands of Asian customers’ accounts following their 20% off sale, charged for racial e-profiling. [The Daily News] 
• The man responsible for the fatal death of an Asian man pushed onto the tracks in New York City, was arrested earlier this week. [The Guardian]
• Chinatown buses are under investigation for ‘gun ring’ trafficking. [The New York Post]
• A nonprofit advocacy group is suing Harvard and the University of North Carolina over allegations that the schools illegally limited admissions for qualified Asian American applicants. [Bloomberg Businessweek]

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world…

• Hong Kong protestors are getting restless and violent. [CNN]
• Five Thai students get detained for the “Hunger Games” salute. [BBC News]

“The location is interesting to say the least. We cater to many different types of people. On some days, we get a lot of international tourists, on others, we get a lot of second, third, even fourth generation Chinese Americans.” –Lauren Nechamkin, MOCA Education Manager

Located in the cross of Chinatown, Little Italy, and Soho, the Museum of Chinese in America began as a Chinatown History Project to promote a better understanding if the Chinese American experience. As an institution designed to preserve Chinese American culture, I visited the MOCA to find out more about what they were doing to attract millennial Asian New Yorkers.

According to Ms. Nechamkin, the museum is doing a great deal to reach out to the millennial population. From discounted memberships for students to special educational programs to movie screenings at Columbus Park, MOCA has increased their efforts to inform the millennial generation about the Asian American Experience. Some of these special education programs include a walking tour around Chinatown, one of New York City’s oldest neighborhoods, and workshops that address where stereotypes come from. When asked what some of the most common misconceptions were, I was told there is this false impression that there are certain stereotypes of Chinese Americans which MOCA intends to remedy.

If you are interested about in learning more about your heritage, here are some things you’ll find at MOCA:

• Memory Prints by Mid-west artist Phillip Chen: is an exhibit where individuals can learn the basics of relief printing, an old printmaking process which consists of etching a printing surface, as well as experience the emotional landscape of an Chinese American family. These haunting prints explore the relationships between objects and images, history and memories.

• MOCAEATS: is one of MOCA’s new program series on food and culture. MOCAEATS in particular is a conversation about food culture and family businesses where individuals can learn more about how Jason Wang of Xi’an Famous Foods and Lou Di Palo of Di Palo Selects succeeded in making their businesses thrive in New York City’s oldest and most famous neighborhood, Chinatown. This discussion will be followed by a sampling of their delicious dishes and treats.This event is free and open to the public.

Has the Asian culture been uprooted when the first generation of Asians immigrated to the US? As Asian Americans, we brand ourselves with Asian roots blended with American culture but the average millennial New York Asian American is slowly losing touch with their cultural roots than earlier generations, a trend that writers have recently identified. Bloggers like Phil Yu, also known as the Angry Asian Man, rants about the blatant discrimination towards Asian American in everyday scenarios but what exactly does being Asian American entail? Marq Hwang shares his perspective of “What Does It Mean To Be Asian American?” in the Huffington Post, where he makes an interesting remark, about the Asian in Asian American.

To be Asian American, you start to realize that you put more and more of yourself in the American category, and you view the Asian as a slight spin, like Irish, Newyorican, German. … Your blood might have come from overseas, but your heart started beating here.

I dug a little deeper and I found an article in New York Magazine, “Paper Tigers” where Wesley Yang publicizes his scorn for the timid Asian culture. He sees a reflection that he can neither disclaim nor accept.

How do we celebrate our heritage with such limited knowledge of our culture? I interviewed several millennial Asian Americans around New York who seemed to lack knowledge of the culture but openly told me what it meant for them to be Asian.

Eva Law, Age 20, Brooklyn, Student at Baruch, Accounting Major

“Being Asian to me means believing that hard work will lead to results. It means celebrating Chinese New Year and being superstitious.”

Kelvin Kwong, Age 21, Queens, Student at Baruch, Accounting Major

“I don’t know what it means to be Asian American. For me, I guess it means excelling at math and majoring in Accounting.”

 Stephanie Chen, Age 20, Brooklyn, Student at Baruch, Accounting Major

“Being Asian means having high expectations from my parents, my grandparents, especially as a first generation American.”

 Sean Chee, Age 19, Queens, Student at Baruch, Psychology Major

“I’m proud to be Chinese American. As humans, it is natural to want to fit in and when I was a child. I used to be bullied because I was fat. It was easier for me to talk to other Chinese kids because we have similar lifestyles. As I got older, I learned to be more open. From my identity, I was able to be the person I am today, someone of sociability and open-mindedness.”

 Tin Lee, Age 20, Brooklyn, Student at Hunter, English Major

“What makes me Asian is my ability to speak Chinese, however limited, still opens a lot of doors for me.”

Has the Asian culture been uprooted when the first generation of Asians immigrated to the US? As Asian Americans, we brand ourselves with Asian roots blended with American culture but the average millennial New York Asian American is slowly losing touch with their cultural roots than earlier generations, a trend that writers have recently identified. Bloggers like Phil Yu, also known as the Angry Asian Man, rants about the blatant discrimination towards Asian American in everyday scenarios but what exactly does being Asian American entail? Marq Hwang shares his perspective of “What Does It Mean To Be Asian American?” in the Huffington Post, where he makes an interesting remark, about the Asian in Asian American.

To be Asian American, you start to realize that you put more and more of yourself in the American category, and you view the Asian as a slight spin, like Irish, Newyorican, German. … Your blood might have come from overseas, but your heart started beating here.

I dug a little deeper and I found an article in New York Magazine, “Paper Tigers” where Wesley Yang publicizes his scorn for the timid Asian culture. He sees a reflection that he can neither disclaim nor accept.

How do we celebrate our heritage with such limited knowledge of our culture? I interviewed several millennial Asian Americans around New York who seemed to lack knowledge of the culture but openly told me what it meant for them to be Asian.

Eva Law, Age 20, Brooklyn, Student at Baruch, Accounting Major

“Being Asian to me means believing that hard work will lead to results. It means celebrating Chinese New Year and being superstitious.”

Kelvin Kwong, Age 21, Queens, Student at Baruch, Accounting Major

“I don’t know what it means to be Asian American. For me, I guess it means excelling at math and majoring in Accounting.”

 Stephanie Chen, Age 20, Brooklyn, Student at Baruch, Accounting Major

“Being Asian means having high expectations from my parents, my grandparents, especially as a first generation American.”

 Sean Chee, Age 19, Queens, Student at Baruch, Psychology Major

“I’m proud to be Chinese American. As humans, it is natural to want to fit in and when I was a child. I used to be bullied because I was fat. It was easier for me to talk to other Chinese kids because we have similar lifestyles. As I got older, I learned to be more open. From my identity, I was able to be the person I am today, someone of sociability and open-mindedness.”

 Tin Lee, Age 20, Brooklyn, Student at Hunter, English Major

“What makes me Asian is my ability to speak Chinese, however limited, still opens a lot of doors for me.”