priya.p.dmd

Happy Daughter’s Day to these two monsters. Yup it’s belated because obviously after many attempts, this is the best we got 😂

I may have not said much on this platform recently, but trust me I’ve been here - reading, listening, discussing, consuming, reflecting, evolving. I, just like the rest of the world, have been experiencing a myriad of emotions and I was truly at a loss - trying to pinpoint what I wanted to say has been difficult so bear with me.

As a South Asian American that grew up in a pretty diverse town and went to colleges in urban settings - I can count on my hand the number of times I experienced racism - not even close to what the black community has endured. As for the cultural racism within the Indian community ( fair skin is favored over dark skin) - we still have ways to go to change that mentality. But what I do want to highlight is that as a first generation South Asian I never had discussions about racism with my parents or what we should be doing when we witness or experience it. My family, like many other immigrant families, were focused on working hard to provide for their children. We studied hard, were polite to all our neighbors, kept our lawns neat, paid our taxes, engaged mainly within our community - and never addressed these issues - “by the books” as me and my family jokingly call it.

But now, after absorbing and reflecting on everything going on the past few days and weeks - I’ve realized my shortcomings, as maybe many of you have. And because I am a mother now and am really seeing it through a different lens - I realize I do have to be active and even proactive in the change. Change always starts at home and the conversations are always the most difficult with those closest to you. But it is my job to teach my children the history, the issues, and the need for social change to make this world better.