A Wong's Life: Black Lives

When I was about 9 years old my parents sent my older brother and I into inner city Boston to live with Yunyun, my paternal grandmother and spend a few summer weeks there. We played with other Chinese kids in the streets. It was a blast, we would say. Fun!

We would go to the local convenience store and buy comic books. Marvel comics, DC comics. Spiderman, Ironman, Fantastic Four, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, and the Silver Surfer. Batman, Superman, Aqua Man, the Flash, and Wonder Woman. 

One day, a few of us headed to the comics store. Suddenly our hosts stopped. "Look, there is a Black kid there!" I peered ahead down the street and spotted the boy, standing at the intersection, right by the store. The Chinese neighborhood kids said, "Watch out for those Black devils. They are dangerous!" It was all new to me, because in suburbia, where i lived, there were no Blacks at all. I had no experience. But, since they were the local hosts and I was the visitor, I listened and gathered they may be right. Maybe that Black kid near the corner was dangerous. Maybe it was true. 

What I heard from those kids and their families was a deep-seated fear and prejudice that Chinese had towards Blacks. Not only that but they also had an attitude towards White people. I recall some of my uncles talking about Whites being the white devils and Blacks being the black Devils. Non Asians were devils. As they talked, I just listened. I tried to be neutral. But, racism seemed kind of strange to me.

Why were/are Chinese racist?

I think that there may be at least two reasons. 

One is historical and cultural. China is called the Middle Kingdom, as in being the center of the world and of the universe. In fact the Chinese characters still say that. 

Traditional characters: 中國

Simplified characters: 中国 

China referred to herself as the civilized middle kingdom and all the other countries were barbarians. Culturally self-centered. 

Reason number Two is societal. In the 1800s, Chinese began to immigrate to North America to work on the railroads, and later settle into major cities, into Chinatowns for self preservation. They were discriminated against by Whites and they ended up being in the middle between Whites and Blacks in terms of American society. This was particularly true in the deep South where Blacks and Whites didn't mix socially. 

My Yeh-yeh, paternal grandfather and his family immigrated to the US in 1914 and lived in Boston Chinatown when it was an isolated insulated ghetto. You didn't need to learn English. My dad and my uncles told me about street brawls with Whites during the 1940s and 1950s. Being Chinese in America then meant defending your turf in Chinatown. They defended themselves against White hoodlums and other racists. On the other hand, there was a definite fear of Blacks. I think Chinese were unused to seeing very dark people and that fear coupled with a racist attitude towards darker skinned ethnic groups led to the "Black devil" terminology. So, my uncles were racist. And a lot of Chinese were racist.

In college, as a leader of the Asian American Student Association, I participated in student government and I came in contact with the other minority representatives, Latino and Black students. Back then, it was called the Third World Caucus. It was enlightening and educational. Before college, I didn't mix with other minority groups. 

One Chinese American friend in the Asian American association had a Black boyfriend. I got to know him and his friends. They even invited me to a Black student dance. Now, that was an interesting cultural experience! Funk music, very different from what the Asian Americans listened to. We were into disco. They danced differently. And they turned off the lights, so it was very dark inside on the dance floor.  I felt like I was in another world. But, people were friendly and that was cool. I learned from that. 

One summer job I had during college was in Fort Worth, Texas. I sold educational books door to door. I walked most of the time, entering every ethnic neighborhood there was. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian. The most friendly and hospitable people that I met were Black. I got served really good meals from some families. Wow, that was something!

What did I learn? 

As a kid, I was unaware of racist attitudes towards Blacks. It was not my personal attitude. I tried to remain neutral and removed because I didn't see them everyday. Then, as a college student, I grew in awareness of Blacks and other fellow minorities. It opened my eyes. 

I have long since repented and renounced prejudice and racists beliefs and attitudes. 

As an adult, I see the racist blind spots of both Chinese and Whites. It is harsh reality. As a American born Chinese, I feel like I am in the middle. I feel like I must continually adopt a learner's attitude. This year has been tense with George Floyd's death sparking riots and protests. I recognize the systemic racism that works against Blacks. I hear the hurt. Black lives do matter. Things must change. 

Asian attitudes must change, too. Instead of standing back and not getting involved, I see we must step up. Instead of seeing Blacks as devils, I see some as angels in disguise. 

On Martha's Vineyard island, there is a Ocean club called the Polar Bears. It is composed mostly of middle-aged elite Black women, although over the years it has diversified in gender, age category and ethnicity. You find judges, film directors like Spike Lee, lawyers, doctors, college professors, businessmen and businesswomen there. Every morning from June into October at 7.30am, they meet to exercise and swim at the Ink Well beach in Oak Bluffs. At the end of the water season, they have a farewell breakfast or dinner and sing Diana Ross and other classic songs. 

My mother joined them in the Summer of 1974. It occurred as she biked past Ink Well. Some lady saw her and said, "Hey, come join us in the water." 46 years ago. Back then, it was all Black. She was the only person of light skin. 

But, they welcomed her. And over the years, she became an honorary Black Polar Bear member. She is one of them.

Because of Mom, our family started swinging by the Ink Well beach and meeting the Polar Bears members. I go down there on Mondays in the summer because that is when they have a potluck breakfast after the swim and water exercise. The food is delicious, of course! And the people are engaging, interesting, and smart. I am so thankful for the Polar Bear club and the Black community in Oak Bluffs. I am a better person because of them.