The AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) Community Essay Example

What do I see when looking at the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) community? This, in fact, is hard to answer since you can’t “describe” AAPI with a couple of sentences. To help with that, picture a glass cube filled with lots of colors. You must remember that when you're looking at something from different angles of the cube, you will see different things. Consider AAPI being inside of that cube, and everyone else on the outside. Picture the past being on the left side of the cube. This side can be seen clearly by anyone standing outside. To show that, this side is a mix of light blue. By looking on this side, anyone is able to see/know what AAPI has done for this country in the past. For example, almost two centuries ago, over twenty-thousand Chinese immigrants built the Transcontinental Railroad, which took lots of long hours filled with hard work. Without this side, the cube would be missing something, just like AAPI wouldn’t be the same without its past. 

Now that most of you guys would be wondering, what’s on the opposite side of that? The right side represents the future of the AAPI community. Everyone really wants to get a peek at what is on this side because they want to know what we'll bring to the future of this country. They may wonder if we will bring new inventions to life like Steve Chen and Jawed Karim once had done when they co-founded Youtube, or in general what we will do to make this country a better place for everyone. Unlike the past, you can’t tell what this side looks like since you can’t predict the future, so therefore, this side remains unclear in a twist of different colors.

So now the real question is, what is in the center of the cube? Now, remember, anyone can see the sides of the cube, or the past and the future. Anyone can see all of that. But the center of the cube is somewhere that not everyone can see. Only people who are in the cube, members of the AAPI community can see what it looks like, so what I’m saying is that many may assume things about AAPI but never really know what it really is like. But as an AAPI, I can see what is in the center. This is why with this essay, I find myself with the opportunity to tell anyone who was wondering, what is really inside of this cube. 

There really isn’t a color that represents the center of this cube. It is a mix of the obvious that people can see on the sides, a mix of the past and the future, which builds what AAPI is now, or in the present. 

Right now, the AAPI are strong. So strong to the point where when others beat us, they are proud of themselves. We are very competitive and work extra hard to get the desired outcome. Think about those Chinese immigrants that worked on the Transcontinental Railroad back in the 1850s. They were part of the reason why we work so hard because, without them, we would never know the true definition of hard work and why it’s so important. 

The AAPI are grateful. Grateful enough that we would never take our ancestors' blood and sweat for granted. Our ancestors had generously given us a boost in our life. How we take that boost is something nobody will ever know. Everyone can take it in different ways, but nobody knows if you took it the right or wrong way. The most important part of it is that in the end, we know deep down that we would be nowhere without this boost. I am forever grateful for this.

And Lastly, The AAPI are ready. Ready for the future. We are ready now, more than we ever had or ever will have, for whatever the future throws at us. We are supported by not only each other but by others all over the world. We have lots of organizations and clubs that help our community that tries to improve our lives every day. We’re learning to stand up for ourselves when people take what was ours. Our lives are getting better every minute. There isn’t a more perfect time to be a part of the AAPI community. Right now, I feel very fortunate to be born in this very accepting and unique community and couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the AAPI.