All Shades of Asian are Gold
To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, I designed a satin scarf. I was trying to think of a phrase to letter and “All Shades of Asian are Gold” seemed so right. It’s an inclusive phrase that celebrates Asians from all backgrounds and skin tones beyond the popular American scope.
“Yellow” is a racial slur used to describe Asian folks, more specifically, East Asians. The derogatory term “Yellow Peril” made its debut in American pop culture in early 1900s to portray Chinese men as maniacal and diseased, like the not-so-fabulous jaundice. Not until the Black Liberation Movement did the meaning of “yellow” shift. In 1969, Larry Kubota published a radical manifesto called “Yellow Power!” as a call to Asian Americans to relinquish the oppression against them and their fellow POC. In the 60’s and 70’s different radical groups like the Yellow Brotherhood and Yellow Seeds banded to resolve problems that the Asian American community faced. We reclaimed the racist identifier and transformed it into a label of strength and solidarity. And although I’ve called myself a yellow person all my life, I cannot help but think that the label is more for East Asian identities than for the rest of Asia. Kat Chow asked in her Code Switch interview with NPR, “is yellow more nuancing?...or more flattening?”
It all depends on who you are, I guess. Asians are brown, pink, yellow, tan, white, and all the colors in between. So for now, I’m happy with calling myself “gold.” To me, “gold” is a proud, intersectional term, uniting marginalized Asian bodies of all regions and skin colors while expanding what it means to be Asian and Asian American beyond what is depicted in the media. It’s just so empowering and heartwarming.
On top on being a piece of wall art, this scarf can be worn in a variety of styles.
Sketched in Procreate on my iPad.
Finalized with the Pen Tool on Adobe Illustrator.
On a final note, stay woke. Oppression of the Asian American community is still very real, do let the oppressors manipulate you, and fight for your fellow folks of color. Much love, Wednesday ❤️
