Dear Liz Lin

Dear Liz Lin,

 The issues you address in your article about being an Asian American truly resonated within me as I was able to relate to much of your writing as an Indian American myself. While I typically choose to be extremely vocal about the atrocities of society, from police brutality towards African Americans to the educational inequities that plague our country, my family often remains silent during times of turmoil. It's not that my parents don't care, but rather they encompass the immigrant mentality that you mentioned- "keep your head down and your mouth shut". They have worked so hard to raise their children as first-generation citizens that for them to speak out now would be to sacrifice the sense of belonging that we have been able to achieve here in the United States. As I was born and raised all my life in the U.S., it's sometimes hard not to confuse my parents' political silence with disregard for issues that matter. However, your article reassures me that indeed it is just a cultural value that has conditioned them to only discuss controversy in the privacy of our home. As time progresses, I hope  to influence them to realize that their silence is not passive- it is destructive. As Desmond Tutu so powerfully said, " If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor".

 Sincerely,
Sarah Guller

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