#5SmartReads - May 17, 2022

Hitha on the Asian-American experience, Shireen Abu Akleh, and stretching

May 17, 2022

The Asian-American experience is as diverse as the continent we and our families came from. Our languages (written and spoken), foods, culture, media, and music are vastly different within our countries, and between our countries. My very Telugu & Hyderabadi (two very different cultures within a single state) upbringing is different from my husband’s Tamil upbringing, which is so different from those that come from our neighboring countries and beyond.

So why are we painted as a monolithic “model minority”? And why must we fight to have the crimes and violence our community experiences designated as a hate crime?

This is one of the few pieces I’ve seen published in mainstream American media that attempts to unpack our diversity and the different issues we face, based on our experiences. It’s very worthy of your time.

“Seeing myself on television wearing pearls has given me so much confidence. I’m able to feel good about how I look and present myself in a way that I never did before—in a way I honestly wasn’t sure I would ever would be able to.”

Can something as simple as a pearl necklace remind you of who you are, and show the world the you want to see?

They certainly helped Amy Schneider in her incredible Jeopardy! run.

So many of us take for granted what we dress ourselves in, and this particular piece in Elle’s “Clothes of our Lives” series made me appreciate this privilege, and take a little more pride in putting something on that makes me feel great every day (as seen in my recent ‘fit check Reels).

And it had me digging in my jewelry box for my own pearl necklace, to wear with pride.

Basic rights are not pie. Granting the rights that White, heterosexual, cisgender, Christian men have enjoyed since colonizing this country to those who don’t have them IS NOT REPLACING YOU.

But if Tucker Carlson is your regular source for news. you would believe this. And it has led to an unprecedented rise in hate crimes. And if you think I’m being hyperbolic, consider his own words from over a year ago:

“I know that the left and all the little gatekeepers on Twitter become literally hysterical if you use the term ‘replacement,’ if you suggest for the Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate, the voters now casting ballots, with new people, more obedient voters from the Third World,” he said in April 2021. “But they become hysterical because that’s what’s happening, actually.”

This piece is a carefully researched analysis of this hateful, untrue conspiracy that is poisoning the minds of so many Americans and is resulting in the senseless murders of so many.

Be honest - how many of you are stretching in the mornings?

I should be, and I have every intention of doing it the night before. My yoga mat is unrolled on the floor in front of my bed, Neeti’s morning yoga flow pulled up on my phone, and I tell myself “tomorrow morning, I will stretch and flow” as I’m falling asleep.

And then my alarm goes off. I hit snooze twice, click away from the yoga video to solve Wordle instead, and dash out of bed to the bathroom to get myself together so I can drop Rho off on time.

This is the story I’ve told myself for months. I’m telling myself a new one - “I am limber and strong and prioritize my health” - with morning stretching being a big part of this.

Stretching in the morning increases blood flow (which can help energize you in the morning), improves your posture, and reduces the risk of injuries and improves mobility.

Sign me up for all of those. Because I am strong, I do stretch in the mornings.

Anytime I share anything about Palestine or Israel, I get a lot of DMs telling me I’m wrong or I’m only sharing one side. I want to state again that I support both Israel and Palestine, and both need to exist. I will be the first to admit that there is so much in the history of these two countries that I do not know, but I am trying to learn and I will make mistakes, but I will keep trying. I share these articles with humility in knowing there’s so much I have to learn, and with the privilege to do so with all of you.

Veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh (who had reported on Palestine for Al Jazeera for decades) was killed last week, and multiple investigations are happening in parallel to uncover who is responsible.

It’s not just Israel and Palestine who are investigating this, but international human rights groups conducting open-source investigations based on video and audio evidence gathered on social media (which has me feeling a whole lot of feelings on their own).

I’ll leave you to read the article on your own, and if you have any thoughts to share, please include them in the comments of this post.

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