Veer Mahajan (from the Smoke Signal): Hi, I won’t ask you your name, because I believe you’ve chosen to remain anonymous. Yes. Could you tell me about where you were born and of which country you’re a resident and citizen?
Anonymous: Okay, so I was born in the US, in San Jose, but during the pandemic, I first moved to Saudi Arabia for a year and spent—I still went to school here, technically, though, because, oh, because I still went to school here, because I took it online, which meant that I had to go to school at night, which was fun. And then the year after, I moved to Dubai to a private school, and then went there for three years, and then I moved back here last year.
Veer Mahajan: So you describe yourself as someone who moved here recently from an Arab country, right? And are you familiar with the immigration policies that have come about as a result of the recent, you know, changes that Donald Trump, President Donald Trump, has implemented at a national scale?
Anonymous: Not too much, but I will see on the news sometimes, stories about ICE and the mass deportation, yeah.
Veer Mahajan: So, I mean, that is one of the biggest changes that’s come about, and it’s very concerning for a lot of people, especially, you know, immigrants from areas such as, you know, Latin American countries and the Arab world. As someone who’s come here themselves from the Arab world, have you faced any persecution?
Anonymous: No, not at all.
Veer Mahajan: Would you say you’ve faced any of the ramifications or repercussions of the new policies that have been implemented in your own daily life, or perhaps other members of your family? I believe you have a brother, and again, I don’t want to give too much identifiable information, but your brother is also from an Arab country, from Saudi Arabia, from the United Arab Emirates. So do you think you or him or anyone in your family have faced discrimination in America for not being white?
Anonymous: No, no, not really. I feel I’ve never really felt that I didn’t belong. And even after moving back here from an Arab country, it’s always just kind of been welcoming, I guess.
Veer Mahajan: Yeah. And what about at school? Have you ever been subjected to racist jokes either? You know, I don’t—you’re not fully Arab. You’re ethnically—where are you from originally?
Anonymous: I’m Filipino, Vietnamese. Filipino Vietnamese.
Veer Mahajan: So you’ve got a lot of diversity. And today, in today’s world, diversity is something that’s quickly becoming a target. It’s—it’s there’s a big, giant target on your forehead, and people are laughing at you for that. Is that something you’ve experienced, at school, to some extent—has anyone ever called you a bad word, for example, just because of your culture? What implications—?
Anonymous: Oh, last year, yes, I have been called a derogatory term because of my race.
Veer Mahajan: That’s something that’s very sensitive, so only if you feel comfortable, would you share what that slur was?
Anonymous: It wasn’t a slur, it was just “Chinese boy.”
Veer Mahajan: And how did that make you feel? How do you think—yeah, how did it make you feel?
Anonymous: I thought it was kind of ironic considering—oh yeah, it kind of it kind of hurt, but it was kind of ironic because, that, yeah.
Veer Mahajan: I’m so sorry to hear that. If it means anything, I’ve also been subjected to many a racist remark, and it does leave an impression. But I think as members of a diverse community here in America, we do tend to grow a more tough exterior. I know your brother, for example, has a very, very tough exterior. He’s such a strong man, and he does face a lot of discrimination as well. I can attest to that from sitting next to him and AP Computer Science A with—again, I don’t want to give out too much information here. We’ll probably not put this in the transcript, but there’s a lot of discrimination here. And how do you think—so you’ve had still, I mean no shame or blame to you. I know you’ve experienced a lot, and it’s not been great, but that still pales in comparison—no pun intended—to a lot of people of darker races. For example, Latinos are being taken by ICE, stripped from their families, stripped of their, you know, whatever status they have in the country, and deported. And is that something that—I mean, I guess the question I’m coming to, which is, again, a very personal one, so feel free not to respond at all. Do you think that you should be worried of ICE deporting you despite—I mean, I know you’re a citizen, but do you think people you who’ve come from Arab countries recently are at threat? I know you feel silenced. I know you feel you don’t have a voice in this country, but here at the Smoke Signals we strive to empower Arab, Filipino, others you.
Anonymous: Yes, thank you. That helps, yes, definitely. Because I think it’s a little suspicious, especially because of people my dad, who travel to the Middle East and to the US and to other Asian countries very frequently. I think while—not definitely highest priority, I think I’m definitely at risk of getting deported.
Veer Mahajan: I really hope that doesn’t happen, because it’ll be such a loss if we were to lose you or or your brother, who, again, I’ll refrain from naming—both of you have a really strong passion, not only for your education and everything that that entails, but also your—you know, in a way, your loyalty to this country. And I think that’s something that should not be undermined solely on the basis of your race. And I think those are some good parting thoughts to leave off with here. Thanks so much for sharing your time. I know you couldn’t share your name, but please know that we do share in your passion for equality and equity in the United States. Okay? Thank you.
Anonymous: Thank you, Veer.