Even Progressives Don’t Understand Anti-Asian Racism. Here’s What You Need to Know.
I was so excited to be starting my first year in college. I remember walking into the university bookstore to buy what I needed for my classes. I walked up to the cashier, laid out my items, and saw the total on the register add up and up and up. I had never spent so much money on books before.
As I was getting rung up, the cashier and I started some casual small talk. I said that I was from one hour away in Massachusetts. I shared how nervous I was to be beginning classes in just a few days. Midway through our conversation, the cashier, a white woman, paused and cheerfully proclaimed, “You have no accent at all! How long have you been here?”
I said, “What do you mean?”
“How long have you been in the United States?”
I replied, “Oh, I was born here.”
“Really? That makes sense now. I was wondering why you speak English so clearly.”
With no hesitation, I enthusiastically responded, “Thanks!” The cashier finished packing my bags. I walked out the front door.
At the time, I didn’t exactly know what to make about her comment. Muddling my way through discomfort and surprise, I took her remarks as compliments. She probably meant them as compliments too, as…
