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The Power of Reclaiming My Asian Name

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The Power of Reclaiming My Asian Name

Like many Asian Americans, I have long spurned my full name. A wave of racism made me say: No more.

The Washington Post,

5 min read
3 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

A Chinese-American writer covering racial tension realizes not using her full name belittles her culture.

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Hot Topic
  • Insider's Take
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Asian-Americans have long adopted names that are easier for Westerners to pronounce, but a younger generation is ending that practice. Instead of seeking to avoid being different, now Asian-Americans are asserting their pride in their ethnicity. Washington Post Operating Editor and reporter, Marian Chia-Ming Liu, shares her story of covering the increased violence against ethnic Asians and the vitriol she faced in the process. Previously, she used an Anglicized byline, omitting her “individual” and “generational” name altogether. Now, she shares the emotional and cultural meaning behind her full name, explaining how and why she has changed her byline. 

Summary

In an Asian restaurant full of people, only one person confronted a man loudly mocking the staffs’ accents.

Last spring, when Chinese-American journalism Marian Chia-Ming Liu was eating dinner with her husband in an Asian restaurant, she heard a man imitating and mocking the accents of the restaurant staff.

As a reporter who had covered the increased violence against Asians and Asian-Americans during the pandemic, and who had been the target of racist tweets and emails for her work, she kept a low profile. On the street, she often hid her ethnicity behind sunglasses. Her husband was the only person in the packed restaurant who reacted. He got to his feet and stared the man down until the mocking stopped. 

Liu made a beeline for the car, trying to avoid a confrontation. Since her husband had immigrated from Hong Kong as a teenager, he’d dealt with many ...

About the Author

Washington Post Operations Editor Marian Chia-Ming Liu overseas digital operations for the Metro section. She also writes for the About Us newsletter on race and identity. 

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