If I have learned anything from the events of the last few weeks, it’s that our culture and heritage are at risk of being completely forgotten within a few generations if we don’t start doing something about it.
As the child of immigrants, I tried extremely hard not to draw attention to myself; I desperately wanted to be like everyone else around me. I learned at a very early age that although I couldn’t change the color of my skin, the image I put forward to the world was entirely up to me.
With this in mind, I did everything I could not to stand out or be different. As an adult, I have realized that I have done such a good job at hiding who I am that I myself have started to forget.
As a parent, this thought is terrifying. If we don’t pass on our rich history to our children, we are doing them a massive disservice, one for which they will resent us for when they are adults.
Maya Angelou once said,
“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”
If we don’t pass on the knowledge of where we come from to our kids, we are robbing them of the ability to absorb the beauty of their culture, as well as the ability to draw not only strength from knowing who they are, but also inspiration when they need it most.
We all need to do our part to keep our history from fading away, therefore it is time we became fiercely unapologetic for being who we are.
It was an absolute honor to participate in the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Annual Run today with my good friend Bob and our sons. It was with great pride that we were able to tell our boys who Bhagat Singh was and what he stood for, and why they should consider it a privilege to belong to the same community he does. I look forward to more events like this one, in which my family and I can not only have fun, but also embrace our amazing culture and share its magnificence with the world.
