Main Character Energy

Y. Chen
Queens, NY

To me, a very Asian feeling is of being a background or supporting actor on the grand stage of American life — but never the main character. While some people get to have a rich, nuanced backstory and their hopes and dreams taken seriously, we only get to slot into a pre-determined set of roles. It can be hard to square the idea of the “American dream” with the lived reality of limitations we face everyday. Is this really the life our parents sacrificed so much to give us?