I’m glad Michael confronted the woman. As a second-generation Korean-American, racist remarks or comments like that are not new; I’ve heard it my entire life. All of us have. It resonated with us because for the first time, a major established media publication chose to broadcast it to mainstream America. For the first time, we were being heard and validated.

I think Asian-Americans collectively are slowly but surely undergoing what I call a “racial awakening.” I think the first generation’s overt desire for their 1.5 or second-generation (children born in the motherland and immigrated young or were the first in their families to be born in the States) to assimilate made them unconscious of their own status as a minority in this country. When incidents like this happen, or any others (i.e. Peter Liang sentencing, affirmative action, etc.) it’s a reminder of who we are - a racial non-white minority with our own set of barriers and challenges, one of which is racism and “otherization.” I think we need to acknowledge that and speak up more vocally and be more organized about how we respond. People are only treated the way they allow others to treat them - so that’s why I’m glad Michael didn’t let it go.