Author Archives: Mike Lee

by Anti-Racist Parent columnist Mike Lee

It is a privilege to be asked to be a guest blogger on Anti-Racist Parent. Until high school, I grew up in a predominantly non-Asian environment. I was one of those Asian-American kids who wished he was white with blond hair and blue eyes. A significant portion of my high school years was spent near or at the beach in Southern California, where most of my friends were either brown haired or blond. They always got the attention of the girls, and I was usually the nice “Asian” guy that the girls wanted as just a friend. The main Asian exposure I got back then was the Korean Church I attended, my best friend who was Korean, and my family. I look back at those days and think about how ignorant I was about the whole race identity issue. My friends back then never talked about race or racism. They were too busy trying to hook up with as many girls as they could. I just remember having low self esteem and trying so hard to fit in that I did not care so much for my Asian identity. If I ever got teased for being Asian, I would just shrug it off and smile, since I just wanted to be part of the “cool” group. Continue reading →