Ren

I was one of the few tan-skinned Asian American women at my workplace, which had a diverse staff of mostly minorities. From day one, I faced endless microaggressions and outright racism from my manager.

She constantly made jokes or used offensive slurs about my race. I was lumped in with other Asian employees and given demeaning nicknames related to my ethnicity. Because of my complexion as a mixed Asian woman, she called me hurtful nicknames like Pocahontas, Sacagawea, and Jasmine. My manager knowingly gave me the heaviest workloads and least desirable tasks compared to my coworkers.

I tried to speak up, but was discouraged by my other minority colleagues. They warned that causing divisions between minorities would only make things worse. So I kept silent even as the abuse escalated.

My manager banned me from eating in the lunchroom, suggesting that I eat in the hallway. She mocked the foods I brought, like bubble tea and calamari, one time even telling me to “get that shit out of here.”

After an especially hurtful incident, I finally filed a complaint with HR. But the verbal result was that my manager had just been spoken to, with no meaningful accountability. My union, of which most members were also minorities, also declined to escalate the case. 

So I was left isolated as an Asian American, with no recourse as the racism persisted. Increasingly heavy workloads led to a few injuries after HR got involved, one of which was damaging enough to make me quit the position. It was clear I was being punished. Between the overt racism and pattern of discrimination in assignments, it became impossible to succeed. I decided to resign rather than to withstand the toxic work culture. After years of hard work, the injustice left me defeated.

By sharing my story, I hope to make space for other Asian Americans facing racism. We must stand together against prejudice in all forms. Only then can we build truly inclusive and equitable workplaces.