1/27/2024 0 Comments Charles melton photoshootAnd now I can’t help but wonder what I did to contribute to the violence against Asian Americans. I failed to defend my heritage in fear of retribution. I’ve willfully ignored the racism and microaggressions directed towards me and my people. Through it, I’ve realized that I never stood up for my Korean heritage. He explained, “All the while, my mother held our collective pain – the feelings of displacement and shame – and carried the burden on her shoulders, blaming herself.” The hate crimes against the AAPI community has provoked Melton to dig deeper within himself, deeply reflect, and finally speak out. Melton laments that, while he was suppressing his identity, his mother was continually suffering from prejudice. Charles Melton Charles Melton with his mother on recruiting day at Kansas State University | Good Morning America I remember even beating everyone to the punch by making Asian jokes before anyone else would. If you never learn about your own history, how can you really exist? Trying to fit in at school, I chased the American dream by being a star athlete, all the while suppressing my Asian identity. At school, I never learned about my Korean American history – or Asian American history at all. When he was in school, Melton suppressed his identity so much so that he would participate in making fun of other Asians while ignoring all the microaggressions that he himself suffered.Ĭomments from friends about my house smelling funny because of my mother’s home-cooked Korean meals and kimchi caused me to carry shame. Peers ostracize you and there’s no representation even in textbooks. Charles Melton Charles Melton with his mother | to school as a minority is difficult because every kid wants to fit in. A truth that at my young age, I didn’t know how to protect her, and it broke my heart. Elizabeth Debicki takes on one of Princess Diana’s iconic photo-shoots in partnership with photographer Charlotte Hadden, in images released by Netflix today. It demeaned her and in turn triggered something in me that I’ve long buried deep inside. Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, inspired by her infamous photoshoot with Mario Testino in 1997 for VANITY FAIR magazine. I remember people talking down to my mother as if she didn’t belong. But there was always pain in these interactions. My earliest memories are with her, out in the world among friends and strangers. He reflects on his memories and recalls times when he witnessed his mother being mistreated and demeaned. Recently, the increase of violence against Asians has provoked Melton to reconcile with his past and reexamine his roots. However, he didn’t share the same sentiments towards his Korean heritage. With an Army soldier for a father, he always felt proud to be an American citizen.
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