Dear Mr. White Man
Deric C.
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This piece was written to partner with my digital arts piece. I write this letter to the apartment building landlords who invade my home. "Why are you here?" I ask. "Dear Mr. White Man" is the piece I write to the displacement that has been caused by developments invading the community of Oakland Chinatown. I describe the places I remember as a child, the people I saw, beautiful art that I used to know in Chinatown. I include pieces from my native tongues, Vietnamese and Cantonese, to connect with the languages I do know, but it is as limited as my ability to fluently speak those languages.
My message to the people that have pained the people of Oakland Chinatown and myself is "stop taking me away from home."
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For years of my childhood, I was observant and attentive of the micro-aggressions by my caucasian classmates of my elementary school. I write to them now, I write to my suffering to use the voice I did not have. I feel now that I can rhyme the pains I never knew I had.
