Nicole's Letter

Dear Representative Meng,

How are you doing? My name is Nicole, and I am a 12 year old ABC girl living in Texas. I am writing this letter to you as part of eGirl Power’s AAPI initiative to educate, empower, and elevate girls across the U.S. We are an IRS-approved 501(c)3 nonprofit organization hoping to raise awareness on the discrimination Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders face everyday, specifically AAPI females, who are more likely to face discrimination than other genders.

When I first heard about you, I immediately thought Spider-man because, Queens (curse my Marvel wired brain). Of course, there is no actual superhero protecting the citizens of Queens in real life, so instead of a superpowered hero, we have normal people trying to make a difference. And they have made a difference.

One of the first things I heard about you was your COVID-19 hate act. I know you probably hear this a lot, but thank you. For taking action, for spending three years trying to make America that much safer for AAPIs. But this is just the beginning- you probably hear or even say that a lot too. It may be easier now to report hate crimes, but what about the actual hate crimes themselves? How do we stop them from occurring, or at least decrease the amount? We educate.

It’s the first “e” in eGirl. Discrimination occurs, first and foremost because of misinformation. People have long believed AAPIs don’t belong in the U.S. In fact, it’s one of the most popular insults towards AAPIs- “Go back to your country.” But according to historical records, Asian Americans have been in the U.S. for as early as the late 1700s, and Pacific Islanders have always been in what is now U.S. territory. You can’t very well go back to where you are. So why do people continue to say we aren’t real Americans? Because they’ve never been told otherwise. Humans are skeptical creatures, we always question something before we actually believe it (except for propaganda, that stuff is okay). We barely teach AAPI history in schools, except for the occasional skim over the Japanese internment camps and The Gold Rush. Thus, it becomes very easy for people to believe AAPIs haven’t contributed anything to the U.S. except for a couple railroads. Obviously, this is not true, but to prove it, we need to teach it. That’s why I’m asking you to pass a law requiring AAPI history to be taught in schools.

I know you already have something in the works that is along the same line as what I’m asking (H.R. 2283), but if it’s not too much, I ask you to enact it as soon as possible. Right now is a very critical time for AAPIs- hate crimes have risen, but protests as well. Many states are revising their school curriculums, so passing it right now would make it way easier to include all this history. If you can pass this act right now, it could change the way many people view AAPIs and ultimately combat discrimination.

I wish you the best in passing this act, and I know this sounds weird from a 12 year old, but I’m available to help if you need it. Not sure how I would help, but hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and have a nice day!

Sincerely,

Nicole

P.S- If you haven’t already, drink some water. It’s good to stay hydrated. Keeps you alive you know? :)