Who Are We? That Includes You as Well...

Who are we? -- An ultimate question facing Chinese immigrants in US

(People's Daily Online)

16:22, August 13, 2012

Qiao Bao, a U.S.-based Chinese-language newspaper, recently said in a signed article that after setting foot in the United States, Chinese immigrants immediately find themselves deeply puzzled by a simple question – “Who are we?”

An unavoidable question facing Chinese immigrants is how they can integrate into the mainstream culture in the United States while still maintaining their own cultural identity. Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? Chinese immigrants must find their own answers to these ultimate questions.

First, the United States has a long history of discrimination against Chinese immigrants. The two houses of U.S. Congress did not apologize for the infamous Chinese Exclusion Act until recently. Therefore, Chinese immigrants must make continued efforts to combat discrimination, and say loudly, “I am Chinese, but also American.”

The Danny Chen hazing case is the latest example of discrimination against Chinese. Instead of being killed by enemies, the Chinese-American soldier stationed in Afghanistan died after being abused and tortured by his own comrades. More shockingly, the sergeant who directly led to Chen’s death was sentenced to just 30 days in a military jail, fined nearly 1,200 U.S. dollars, demoted one rank, and was even allowed to remain in the service. The light punishment for the loss of a life is just like a pat on the shoulder saying, “Make sure it does not happen again,” which is terribly unfair.