Here , Amrita Krishnan , MD , Nina Shah , MD , and Saad Usmani , MD , reflect on the significance of the swearing in of Kamala Harris , the daughter of immigrants , as Vice President of the United States . Dr . Krishnan is Director of the Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research at City of Hope ; Dr . Shah is associate professor of UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center ; and Dr . Usmani is chief of the Plasma Cell Disorders division at Levine Cancer Institute .
Rise and Rise Again …
Amrita Krishnan , MD
Nina Shah , MD
Saad Usmani , MD
● AS WE ALL WITNESSED the inauguration of the first South Asian , African American vice president , the daughter of a cancer researcher , we were struck by the similarity of our origin stories . It reminded us of an American Society of Hematology annual meeting a few years ago .
Nikhil C . Munshi , MD , a leader in our field , accepted a prestigious award . In his acceptance speech he spoke not of his research , but of his journey from India to the United States . His story of being one of the few Indians in town was familiar to all of us – our parents had experienced that same isolation . As a result , we were taught that the road to success was through assimilation . We were told to keep our heads down , avoid conflict , endure ridicule if necessary , and focus on academics , awards , and excellence . We grew up in different houses , but we could all tell the same story : Assimilation was the only road to acceptance .
In truth , we did succeed in becoming physicians , but we worked within a delicate shell of humble gratitude , rather than an armor of victory . We spent many hours listening to lectures in auditoriums lined with portraits of patrician white men , feeling lucky to be there . We never questioned why we had to work harder than our white colleagues to achieve comparable visibility . It never crossed our minds to wonder , Were there really no people of color equally qualified to be on those walls ?
We had learned the lessons of our parents too well . We never spoke up when patients asked , “ Where are you from ?” followed by , “ I mean , where are you really from ?” We kept quiet when colleagues mispronounced our names despite being corrected many times . Even though we thought we were American , white America still saw us as “ other .” Ever the good students , we strove harder to fit in . We gave our children easily pronounceable , Americanized names . Didn ’ t you wonder about the preponderance of Asian-American kids named Maya or Kevin ? We lived in white neighborhoods and followed their cultural norms . We taught our children the same mantra we learned early on : Work hard and don ’ t make waves .
We look back on this reliable playbook of assimilation and realize that perhaps we contributed to racism while simultaneously being victims of it . For many of us Asian Americans , it paid to be silent . Others were not so lucky . Our suburban success granted us a more comfortable life for our immediate loved ones . We previously took this to mean that America actually did see us as Americans ; we were right to just play along with our cultural dilution .
Unfortunately , the past four years delivered a harsh reality check . In 2017 , a man in a Kansas bar opened fire on two Indian patrons and allegedly shouted , “ Get out of my country .” When an Asian- American woman confronted for-mer White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer in an Apple store he told her , “ It ’ s such a great country that allows you to be here .” Even the Harvard University admissions committee was accused of scoring Asian-American applicants lower on traits like “ positive personality .” These past months , we witnessed attacks on Kamala Harris , questioning her right to hold the office of vice president because her parents were immigrants .
These episodes of microaggressions and outward violence indicate that our nation is not ready to view us as equals . Although more than half of medical researchers are not white , a significant percentage of citizens still think this is the only race that matters in America . But this time , we cannot go back to our original coping strategy . Assimilation and silence are not congruent with equality . For all the uncomfortable and unfair moments we have experienced as immigrants or their children , this is nothing in comparison to what Black America has experienced for centuries .
So , when our children tell us that the teacher mixed up the Indian kids
We cannot allow our kids to look down or look away . They are American , and the future of our country rests not on assimilation , but on education , action , and justice for all . at school , we should not laugh it off with , “ They think all brown people look alike .” Likewise , when we witness unspeakable injustices against Black lives , we should channel that childhood discomfort and our anger today to fight this bully of racism .
We cannot allow our kids to look down or look away . They are American , and the future of our country rests not on assimilation , but on education , action , and justice for all . We can now look to Vice President Harris as a leader who will help us deliver this promise . ●
8 ASH Clinical News March 2021