Undocumented and Asian in America
Author and litigator Qian Julie Wang’s memoir, “Beautiful Country,” candidly chronicles her Chinese American family’s challenges in building a life in New York.
Issue #48
Hi all —
Popular narratives about undocumented people in the United States are often overgeneralized and politicized, focusing predominantly on the nation’s southern border.
The numbers might reveal why. According to data from the Center for Migration Studies, the top countries of origin for undocumented people in the U.S. are Mexico, followed by El Salvador and Guatemala.
But can you guess the next country on that list? India is fourth.
China is ranked #6, the Philippines #8, South Korea #12 and Pakistan #20.
Stories we don’t hear about often are those of undocumented Asian Americans.
That’s why I found author and litigator Qian Julie Wang’s memoir, “Beautiful Country,” so powerful. Wang shares candid and painful experiences of her family’s 1990s transition from China to New York, where her family was undocumented for many years.
Throughout Wang’s writing, you can almost feel both the physical and psychological trauma endured from being undocumented — all while trying to make ends meet economically, living in difficult housing conditions, facing hunger, and, oh, add the complexities of living between two cultures.
It’s a ton Wang unpacks in her thoughtful memoir. She shared more about her experiences this week on our Instagram Live interview. Check out our conversation on Instagram.
Thanks for joining the conversation,
Vignesh Ramachandran (@VigneshR on Twitter)
Co-founder of Red, White and Brown Media
Your Thoughts
Please send a WhatsApp message to 646–481–3221 or email us to share your feedback, story ideas or anything else you’re thinking about these days:
Red, White and Brown sparks conversations about South Asian American communities. Please tell your friends and family to subscribe to this newsletter and follow select posts on Medium.