Journey of American Life

    I had never heard what “Ching Chong”, a racist word for Chinese people, meant until I moved to the United States. The United States is an immigrant country, where many people from all over the world come to live, such as Chinese, Mexicans, or Americans. Even though people who are living in this country today aren’t Native Americans, some people think this country only belongs to them. Therefore, some people who live here are proud of themselves, and some people don’t want other cultures or people coming to their country. Even though I have experienced racism many times since I moved to this country, I know that there are still many friendly people living in the United States.

    Before I moved to the United States, I didn’t realize that there were many racist people in this country. As a result, I had never thought about racism until I moved to the United States. Because I never saw immigrants from other countries in China. Since I moved to this country, I have seen many people discriminating against others. In fact, I experienced racism during my primary school, high school, and now college. In addition, there are also people discriminating against others on internet. For instance, I had a racist experience in high school, but one of my teachers heard someone say “Ching Chong”, a racist word for Chinese, to me. Therefore, he told the student who was being racist that if he doesn’t apologize, he should leave the classroom. I felt angry at first. Even though I didn’t hear what he said, I still felt warm when somebody else helped me.

    Nevertheless, I have been in Chicago for many years, I still face a lot of racial discrimination around me nowadays.  However, I have changed a lot since I moved here. Now, I realize that people racist seem like those who are poorly educated or childish. I stop arguing with them or just stay away from them. However, I sometimes still feel angry, but I also know that it is useless. The reason is that there are all kinds of people in the world. That means they have many differences of characters. Many of them are friendly, but some people are not. Moreover, I think it is stupid idea to argue with them. But, I don’t have patience with them. However, sometimes, I have to say something back to them, because I must fight back, because in order to protect myself.

    In conclusion, racism is still a common problem in the United States. I felt extremely angry at first. However, I have changed my mind after living here. The people who say stupid things don’t deserve me arguing with them. I know what “Ching Chong” means because I have heard it many times. Sometimes, when people say “Ching Chong”, I have to fight them back, instead of staying silent. Life is short. There are many more important things and people, such as my education and my parents. Those are the real things I should focus on.

 


Comments

  1. SantiagoMarch 12, 2026 at 8:01 AM

    Hi,
    Your essay is very good and meaningful. I like how you shared your personal experience and explained how you became stronger.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Naila BencellaMarch 14, 2026 at 8:58 PM

    Hi Felipe,
    Thank you for sharing about such a serious topic! Your examples and descriptions about the situation made me feel a lot of empathy. I feel like many people normalize racism and discrimination. I as an Arab get a lot of " when are you gonna bomb us?" racist "jokes", and I absolutely hate it and feel disrespected every time!

    ReplyDelete
  3. QitingMarch 15, 2026 at 5:06 PM

    Hi,
    Your essay is related about a deeply question that happened usually in our daily lives. I feel sad because you encountered these people. In addition, I agree with we should fight back when we encountered racism, and you are doing well. Telling them, we are not cowardly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. TerryMarch 15, 2026 at 6:11 PM

    Hey Felipe!

    I was particularly moved by the story about your high school teacher. The part where he told the student to apologize or leave the classroom was a great example of an ally in action. It shows that while racism is a "common problem," there are also people in positions of power who will stand up for what is right. It made me feel "warm" just reading it, as you described.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wei LiMarch 15, 2026 at 8:56 PM

    Hello, Felipe. The example with your teacher supporting you shows that there are also kind and fair people around you. I like how you explain that living in the United States changed the way you react to racism.

    ReplyDelete

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