What Does #AsianJoy Mean to You?

With my family on a tiny plane headed for Maui. 1990-something.

The first time I saw the hashtag #AsianJoy, a flood of images flashed across my mind and made me smile. I've never loved a hashtag, but I love this one.

The main visuals that come to mind for me when I think of #AsianJoy is family and food.

It makes me think of my Nai Nai picking us up from school and sleepovers at her house.

And summers when my Ama would visit, and we’d walk to the Japanese market where she’d buy me a cookie with pink icing and sprinkles.

It makes me think of my mom buying me way too much food, especially when I've just bought groceries or it's something she knows I like.

And the LOUD family gatherings with everyone's dogs, and of course, too much food.

It makes me think of my cousins and all the fun and adventures we've had around the world and in our own yards.

And of cartoons my brother and I used to watch, like Totoro and Sailor Moon, or trips to Sanrio. (Why are Asians so good at being cute?)

It also makes me feel the pride I have for my families' histories and everything they've been through to get to where we are now.

#AsianJoy is the pride I feel when I think of the resilience of the AAPI community. The resilience that we never learned about in school.

​What does #AsianJoy mean to you? What do you think of when you see this phrase or hashtag?