

Chinese students at New York’s Columbia University have turned an episode of ugly xenophobia into an opportunity for better understanding.

Earlier this month, a number of students with East Asian names reported having their name tags ripped off their doors in multiple residence halls on campus. In response, the students got together and produced a video talking about the stories behind their names, trying to stem the rising tide of racism, xenophobia and prejudice in the US.

That video, “Say My Name,” has since gone viral on Facebook with over 250,000 views. Watch it for yourself below and learn a little something:



“In the spirit of coming to harmonious terms with the incidents, I’d like to think that those who took our name tags only did so to learn our names by heart,” writes sophomore Yan Huhe from Hohot, Inner Mongolia in the Columbia Spectator.

“I apologize once more for not having put up a pinyin-spelled name tag on my door earlier. I now have prepared plenty. Feel free to take one.”

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