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Thursday June 7, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com MICHIGAN IN COLOR
Voices of Hong Kong, Rise Up
When I was younger, the
modern history of China,
or the People’s Republic of
China, including the 1989
democracy movement and
Tiananmen Square mas-
sacre, was briefly taught
in schools in Hong Kong.
My curiosity about this
taboo history of China
was sparked, so I casu-
ally brought it up in front
of my parents. When I
asked them about it, little
did I know it was a sensi-
tive topic for my parents,
as they experienced the
‘89 democracy movement
in Hong Kong when they
were teenagers.
They looked at me flus-
tered, paused for a second
and said, “Son, personal
liberty,
and
democracy
in China were basically
nonexistent after June 4,
1989. Even though we are
privileged enough to have
limited personal freedom
and liberty in Hong Kong,
it is still dangerous to get
involved in Chinese or
Hong Kong politics. The
less you know, the better.”
Since
talking
about
these experiences could
be difficult for my par-
ents, I tried to avoid asking
them about it any further.
However,
my
curiosity
about their experiences of
the movement had only
grown since then. Espe-
cially on anniversaries of
the Tiananmen massacre,
I sometimes could not
help but make comments
like, “I wonder what the
‘89 democracy movement
experience was like.” My
dad would respond by put-
ting on his straight face
and telling me, “Son, go
study for your classes or do
something more produc-
tive. What are you gonna
gain from learning about
the movement? No one can
change China.”
Fast forward to high
school, when I became
more
knowledgeable.
I
cared even more about
China and Hong Kong poli-
tics. Seeing how passion-
ate I was, my mom finally
opened up to me about her
experiences as a teenager.
“I still vividly remember
seeing a million Hong Kong
people filling up the streets
protesting that night. It
was pouring rain because
a massive hurricane was
striking Hong Kong, but
that did not stop us from
speaking up for what we
believed in. It was probably
the most powerful thing I
have seen in my life.”
In 1989, thousands of
Chinese college students
and educators stood in
front of the Beijing Capi-
tol building in Tianan-
men Square, demanding
democracy
and
politi-
cal reform in China. The
’89 democracy movement
lasted for two months and
soon spread throughout
China to major cities such
as
Nanjing,
Guangzhou
and British Hong Kong
with a turnout of millions
of people. It even sparked
protests in Taiwan eventu-
ally. Everyone, including
my parents, was so hope-
ful for political reform and
ultimately democracy in
China. However, June 4,
1989 marked the downfall
of social progression and
democracy in China. The
Chinese government used
military forces such as
automatic rifles and tanks
to kill hundreds of students
in Tiananmen Square to
stop the movement from
advancing. The shunning
of social progression then
led to Chinese diaspora
and ultimately the silenc-
ing of anti-China voices,
which is why it was a diffi-
cult experience for my par-
ents and why they always
remind me to be careful of
my words and actions in
regards to China.
As a Hong Kong citi-
zen, this piece of history
is extremely valuable and
prevalent
to
me.
Since
Hong Kong and Macau
are
the
most
socially
advanced places in China
due to democratic influ-
ences under Western col-
onization, our freedom
allows us to preserve and
discuss the truth of taboo
events in China like the
Tiananmen massacre and
the May Fourth Move-
ment. Even though I never
personally
experienced
the movement, the politi-
cal impact of the tragedy
of Tiananmen massacre
is, however, readily visible
in the democracy of Hong
Kong and Macau today.
It enrages me to see my
people’s culture, person-
al liberties and freedom
of speech slowly being
limited by China as the
Communist
government
attempts to Sinicize Hong
Kong and Macau politi-
cally and culturally so that
China can silence the truth
and assert its dominance.
Likewise, it is outrageous
to see the way Taiwan is
being suppressed interna-
tionally and Sinicized by
China, despite the fact that
Taiwan is a state that func-
tions independently from
China. With the privilege
of having personal liberty
and freedom living in the
United States, I almost see
it as an obligation for me to
speak out against China’s
oppression for myself, my
people back in Hong Kong
and other oppressed indi-
viduals. That said, I hope
my fellow Chinese Ameri-
cans, Hong Kong Ameri-
cans, Macau Americans
and Taiwanese Americans
will be eager to learn more
about the effects of the
events in China’s modern
history like the ’89 democ-
racy movement and can
become advocates of our
parents’ narratives as well.
Rest in Peace to all
the
courageous
col-
lege students, educators,
and activists who were
silenced and killed during
the ’89 democracy move-
ment. Your social impact
shall never be forgotten.
A TV show all about
trying to survive as a Black
student at a predominant-
ly white university? The
narrative is pretty familiar
to me, and unfortunately,
some of the storylines
are not that exaggerated.
Proving statistics against
the
Black
community
wrong by getting a degree
at a prestigious university
while keeping mentally
stable is something that
many of us have to deal
with, and this is the first
time I’ve seen this perspec-
tive
largely
publicized.
With a hooking name that
received massive backlash
from audiences, a provoca-
tive storyline and relevant
issues; let’s talk about the
importance of this Netflix
Original.
From the jump, I was
surprised by the sheer
unapologetic premise of
the show. With some-
thing as touchy as racial
tensions,
I
think
that
both seasons did a great
job incorporating satire
and important issues into
every episode. With a play
on many of the different
perspectives that are never
shown for black charac-
ters on shows, such as the
nerdy journalist (Lionel
Higgins), the activist (Sam
White), and the ambitious
girl on campus (Coco Con-
ners) this is one of the first
shows I had seen in a long
time with such depth and
diversity for black charac-
ters. Not to mention, that
Dear White People also
did a great job tieing in
other identities such as the
LGBTQ community and
African identity within
their storylines. Dedicat-
ing plot sequences and
episodes to the growth of
Lionel’s sexuality, from
being shy about telling his
roommate Troy that he’s
gay, to publicly making
out with his head writer
in the season one finale.
Also giving time to Coco’s
roommate, Nia, a lesbian
from Trinidad to explain
the rich pride of her heri-
tage and attending college
far away from her home.
Often times, TV can gloss
over Black characters and
make us into the submis-
sive secretaries, butlers
or the underrepresented
friend in a group of people.
This show threw all of
those tropes into the trash
and I loved every second
of it.
Now let’s talk about the
issues that arise while the
characters are on campus.
From season one’s “Black-
Face Party” to Sam’s white
boyfriend calling the cops,
and the scene escalating to
Reggie getting a gun from
a cop pulled out on him, I
was shook. Besides having
experienced the blatant
racism that many Black
Students face on campus,
the way in which Reggie
handles his emotions after
the event also deeply reso-
nated with me. Season two
begins with him having to
attend therapy by request
of Troy’s father, the head
dean. For many in the
Black community, mental
health is a touchy subject,
and I think the show did an
excellent job reaching into
this piece of Reggie’s char-
acter. Infusing the taboo
nature of therapy with a
police officer pulling a gun
on Reggie is what creates
hurdles for his character
but also reminds the audi-
ence that for many, these
situations are not just new
headlines and rallies, they
are issues that many char-
acters face trying to prog-
ress in a world that holds
deep-rooted prejudice.
Dear
White
People
addressed the issues that
I, being a Black college stu-
dent have faced as well as
have seen within my own
community.
There
are
plenty of topics that Dear
White People discussed
that I did not touch on in
this article as well as issues
that are yet to appear in an
episode. Despite this, I still
immensely enjoyed being
able to see the Black com-
munity on screen and with
the pressure put on this
show to accomplish such
tasks, it did a good job.
By LORNA BROWN
MiC SUMMER EDITOR
By SAM SO
MiC Photographer/Creative
PHOTO COURTESY OF AUTHOR
On the importance of Dear White People