In 2026, respecting different cultures still matters because our schools, workplaces, and communities are diverse and interconnected. People from different ethnic backgrounds may have unique food preferences, languages, traditions, and religious beliefs. Understanding and respecting these differences help build trust, inclusion, and stronger relationships. Cultural respect also encourages open-mindedness, reduces misunderstandings, and creates a more harmonious society where everyone can contribute and thrive. Diversity should be appreciated as a strength that brings people together and enriches our communities.

"ABC – American Black Chinese" is a poetic exploration of identity, ancestry, and resilience. This poem seeks to honor the overlooked stories of Black Chinese families, acknowledging both the pain of historical erasure and the pride in a unique lineage. By tracing the footprints of ancestors and celebrating the perseverance of descendants, the poem transforms personal and collective memory into a source of inspiration. This is a testament to the unbreakable spirit and enduring hope of those who forge new identities, drawing power from all facets of their heritage to shape their own place in the world.

A poem I wrote one year after spending the night of Winter Solsitce eve 2009 alone in the Detention Barracks at Angel Island Immigration Station National Landmark. In 2009 I was in my first year serving as a volunteer docent for California State Parks, my motivation being to share the story about my maternal grandmother-in-law Wong Foon Yen (aka paper daughter Chiu Yook Lon), her journey from Guangzhou to San Francisco in 1926, and her five week incarceration and interrogation at Angel Island.

My poem addresses racial profiling and the unjust targeting of Asian Americans by law enforcement, a civil rights violation echoing historical systemic discrimination like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin. These events established a dangerous precedent of treating people of color as perpetual foreigners and threats. This is fundamentally a civil rights issue because it violates the constitutional right to equal protection under the law, stripping individuals of life, liberty, and safety based on race. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary in 2026, confronting this ongoing trauma is critical. Our nation was built by immigrants, and its true greatness lies in ensuring that the land of opportunity is a place where anyone can walk home safely, free from fear and discrimination.

In the 1970's, Philadelphia Chinatown was threatened by the expansion of Vine Street into a 10-lane Expressway that would destroy many homes, businesses, and a mainstay of the community, the Holy Redeemer Church and School.

In my research a few years ago, I discovered that my cousin, Jon Wing Lum, an award winning Asian American filmmaker, made a 1973 documentary, ""Save Chinatown"", about the historic neighborhood activism and grassroots fight against the Vine Street expansion.

Today, the fight to “stitch the ditch” with a 2½-block park is an act of repair — a green bridge over decades of harm. This is not just urban design; it is civil rights. In 2026, as cities reckon with past planning injustices, this park would be a living monument to resilience, healing, and belonging. This would be not just capping a highway — it would be mending history!

This poem examines how anti-Asian racism can erase difference and then exploit it. During World War II, some Chinese Americans wore “I am Chinese” badges to avoid being mistaken for Japanese Americans, while Japanese Americans—many of them U.S. citizens—were forcibly removed and incarcerated under Executive Order 9066. Decades later, the model-minority stereotype recast Asian American “success” as proof that racism could be overcome through hard work, masking discrimination and pitting communities against one another. This is a civil-rights issue because equal protection, citizenship, and freedom from racial profiling should never depend on ancestry or stereotypes. In 2026, that history matters whenever people are reduced to a category before they are heard as individuals.