TO ALL ASIAN-AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS IN/FROM THE D.C. METRO PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0RG13E20150916

I KNOW THAT TERRIFYING FEELING OF BEING FIVE YEARS OLD, LOST IN A JULY FOURTH MOB, AT THE MONUMENT, WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND ENGLISH. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, I GOT LOCKED IN A DARK, SEWAGE-FILLED, DANK, PORT-O-POTTY THAT DAY.

ONLY A FEW WORDS WERE TAUGHT TO ME BY MY SIBLINGS, AND THEY WERE ONLY CURSE WORDS. I WASN'T SURE I WOULD BE REUNITED WITH MY FATHER, BUT I FINALLY DID, BECAUSE ONE FEMALE, UNIFORMED POLICE OFFICER, SEPARATED ME FROM THE CROWD, TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHY I WAS LOST.

IF YOU SEE LOST, SMALL, REFUGEE CHILDREN CURSING, IN A MOB, THOSE MAY BE THE ONLY ENGLISH WORDS THAT THEY KNOW. LATER ON, I REALIZED I, AND ALL ESL STUDENTS WERE CONSIDERED ONLY WORTHLESS "SAVAGES" IN ENGLISH-AS-A-SECOND LANGUAGE CLASS. THE REASON WHY WAS BECAUSE WE USED CHOPSTICKS AND WONTON SPOONS AT HOME, AND I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO SET A WESTERN DINNER TABLE, OR USE FORKS.