We live in a world that does not wish to hear that racism exists. Some would have us believe that we live in a "color-blind" society: that race which is, at its most fundamental, is an acknowledgment of difference that it does not exist, and that instead of celebrating our racial diversity, we should strive to disclaim it. Clearly, this mindset is one that only a white person, or those minorities who "pass" as white, could possibly have the luxury of ascribing to. It simply is not a workable reality for those of us who are people of color.
Asian-Americans have not had the privilege of being supported by a cultural community. "Fitting in" to our predominately white, black and other society is particularly difficult for Asian-Americans when we aren't assigned a socially "legitimate" minority status. In other words, our Asian-American racial issues cannot be categorized, legitimated, or addressed by current "white" or "black" dogmas, and are therefore something that most (white or black) people cannot immediately understand or even acknowledge. -- Case in point: how many of us have tried to explain our experiences of racism with our black friends, and been met with bewilderment, if not denial, or worse yet, condescension and derision?
