Katelyn Wang (Editor's note: Katelyn Wang is an undergraduate student in the Class of 2027 at Yale University. She is a recipient of the UCA Convention Travel Grant from ACA. Below is the memo she wrote after attending the convention in Washington, D.C. ) “IF YOU DON'T RESPECT US, YOU BETTER EXPECT US!" These words from Texas state representative Gene Wu have stuck with me as a Chinese American. Last weekend, with sponsorship from the San Diego Alliance of Chinese Americans, I attended the 2024 United Chinese Americans (UCA) Convention in Washington D.C. This conference unified generations of Chinese Americans, and I felt a fiery hope that as the younger generation, we could and should use our voices to abolish barriers barring us from truly belonging in this country. This conference displayed the value of engaging in political action as a Chinese American—for our right now, the future, and our past. We fight for our positions in power, because there had once been laws excluding us from this country. We fight back with our fluent, strident voices to substantiate our citizenship because our parents were dismissed under guises of linguistic racism. We advocate our citizenship because we have seen what it means for the people before us to vote for the first time. We defend ourselves when wrongly accused of being “national security threats” because we know our parents did not leave their homes for this nation if they did not desire to build a safer, more loving future. Right now, Chinese Americans face the threats of Alien Land Laws, accusations of being a “national security threat,” dismissal of academic work in professional fields, and having our loyalty constantly questioned. Why are we so excluded, once again? United Chinese Americans have united because we will not accept a future where people see us, or our last names, our faces, and deem us as the enemy. This country is our home as well. We have united to show our pride for our Chinese ethnicity. And our pride for this country. And our loyalty. Without compromise on any front. Getting to connect with inspiring figures such as Texas State Representative Gene Wu, city council members, Chinese businesswomen, national security officials, CEOs, artists, and storytellers like New York Times reporter Amy Qin, has been absolutely affirming. This conference reminded me once again of the strong Chinese American network I am apart of, and that on a national scale, we are both present and persistent. As I travel across the nation, between two coasts, conventions such as this one in Washington D.C. truly remind me of who I am and what I stand for.
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