I identify as Asian American now, but saw myself as Chinese, then Chinese American, and for a while friends that were Asian Born Chinese (ABC) labeled me as Fresh off the Boat (FOB). The term Asian American, I trace it back in time to senior year of College. I was sitting across from the professor, and she asked me “it's interesting you call yourself Asian American because in China or other parts they don’t use that term. I felt “shame” that this white lady was educating me on something I did not know and maybe should know. Asian American is a term coined in 1968 from Berkeley students inspired by the Black Power Movement. I remember the time when growing up Chinese in New York was not cool, I had internalized shame from hiding my school lunch, my accent, my fobby clothes from China and speaking Chinese.
It's cool that we have representation now, representation is so important. As I look around in professional settings, there’s only one or two of me in a sea of whiteness. Thanks for representing, people will say. Representation is pressure, when I speak, I feel like I am representing the whole continent, “don’t fuck up”.
Here are some resources I made for you: