Rising Phoenix
No Responses | Leave a Comment »
Sisters! They call you geisha, Susie Wong, Dragon Lady, the me-so-horny ignorant play-toy prostitute; they give you opportunities for only superficial advancement; they call you submissive, docile, domestic, unwilling to stand up for yourselves: you are sex-crazed and exotic, you use your Asian charms to lure white men into your tight Asian grasps.
Do they know the real Asian-American woman? Do they know about the politicians, the activists, the soldiers, the athletes, the artists? Do they know about Iris Chang, the journalist who revealed the atrocious crimes of the Japanese Imperialists against China in WWII? Do they know of the great Yuri Kochiyama, the social activist who worked alongside Malcolm X to improve the lot of minorities in America? Do they know about those of you who joined the WAC in WWII, about women like Hazel Ying Lee, who offered the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty? Do they know about Josefina V. Gurrero, who helped American grunts and POWs in the fight to liberate the Philippines? Why don’t we hear about more of this? Why don’t we see more of this?
YOU ARE STRONG! On the home front, you walked to the concentration camps with your men, you endured vicious racial taunts and attacks during three wars. You felt great anger but transcended bitterness: you designed the Vietnam War Memorial, in spite of protests from some bitter veterans who didn’t want their comrades’ memorial designed by a gook. You were there at the forefront with Lily Chin as she fought for justice for her late son, Vincent. You were the originally-intended students of Bruce Lee. Suzy Wong my ass.
You are more than a sex symbol! You are our pride, our sisters, our mothers, our lovers! I love you Asian woman for what you are, not for what they want to make us think you are. They don’t see the fire in your eyes when you lead a campaign to prevent a Vincent Chin or a Chink’s Steaks. They don’t feel your burning passion when you create a work of Art in music or dance or literature. You are your own strong, smart, sexy, self-assured Asian-American female.
The Dragon Lady is a caricature, a perversion of the pride and strength the Dragon represents in our cultures. You are the all-powerful Dragoness our ancestors dreamed of before they ever knew of the Western lands. You are the Tigress, tearing through the dark jungles of alienation, ignorance, and fear. You are the fiery, searing Phoenix, rising, always rising at the dawn of each day, smart, sexy, strong, and dangerous. You are not Suzy Wong. You are Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hmong, Laotian, Filipina, Thai, Cambodian, Vietnamese, all of you: you know who you are.
We know who you are, and we will stand at your side forever on Earth and in Heaven.
Leave a Comment »
Share
Entries (RSS)
