Am I woke now?  I think I’m woke now!

by Thom Yee

Images courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Something I hear a lot around this time of year is “Happy New Year!”  And not usually from Chinese people either, from people who, I think, feel a measure of personal progress when they say it to people who look like me.  “Happy New Year!” they say to us.  In the middle of February.  Weeks later than January 1^st.  I’m not saying that I really mind when I hear it, I’m not trying to judge people when I hear them say it to me, almost any recognition and celebration of other cultures is a good thing, I’m just saying that when I hear Happy [Chinese] New Year, I can’t help but think to myself, “It’s not my New Year.”  Sometimes with several exclamation points at the end. Continue reading →