The Original Korean Empress Warrior

I want to take a moment to honor the original Korean Empress Warrior, my Mom. ❤ One thing I have been thinking a lot about this week is her bravery. A lot of the racial aggressions I have dealt with as a parent are of the annoying, clueless, or rude but not physically threatening variety. In contrast, my parents dealt with overt racial aggression on the regular, especially as shop owners. I always felt so protective of my Mom because she was a beautiful queen to me. I remember one time when our car broke down and we had to take public transit to my parents' store. I was little but I made my Mom sit on the inside seat so I could protect her. She laughed and probably thought I was just being cute, but it made me feel better.

Anyway, today is my Mom's day of worship so it feels like a particularly fitting day to share about her because her faith has carried her through so much hardship and so many challenges. I know relationships with parents are often complicated and difficult so I never take for granted the fact that we have such a strong, deeply connected relationship. I love you, Mom, and if we ever ride the T again together I will totally make you sit on the inside!

Also, I don't remember the exact date on this photo (maybe because my bowl cut phase lasted MANY YEARS) but I would guess that this is not super far off from the age I was when my Mom and I endured the soda can incident referenced in my CNN piece (link in bio). We were on a ferry so we could see the Statue of Liberty. May liberty and justice someday truly come to us all.