Editorial Illustration for Vox
“The many Asian Americas: R.O. Kwon, Nicole Chung, and other writers on where they grew up and how it shaped their identities.”
Edited Karen Turner and written by R.O. Kwon, Nicole Chung, Aisha Saeed, Eric Nguyen, Diksha Basu, and Akemi Johnson
pub. May 12, 2021
From writer Nicole Chung:
“We went to the Chinatown-International District, and I remember obsessively watching people there all day long. I looked at every Asian woman around my mother’s age and wondered, “Could she be my mother?” I felt deeply comforted by that trip and that day specifically; it made me start to think about what it would be like not to be the only Asian kid I knew. I thought, maybe someday I won’t live in this super white little town; maybe I’ll live somewhere that feels more comfortable to me.”
From writer R.O. Kwon:
“I remember I went to meet some friends of a friend, and I texted them, “I’ll be the Asian girl wearing black.” And they both just laughed and were like “Dude, that’s not going to fly here. There are so many Asian women wearing black.” I thought, “What on earth? That always worked in New York!” It was so wonderful. I was so tired of being the only Asian person in the room.”