Comments by Lily Bui

Comment for "As I Am: Asians In America"

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Review of As I Am: Asians in America (pilot)

Excellent segment. From 2010-2011, I worked very closely with the wider Asian American community in Montgomery County, MD as well as Washington, D.C. The debate about whether D.C.'s Chinatown was a veritable version of an Asian district was a heated one. Most of the Chinese-owned businesses have been ousted by big franchises that only include Chinese translations of their brand names (i.e. Urban Outfitters on 7th St. NW) as pure formality.

The Wah-Luck house (a residential building in Chinatown) is a paragon example of how Chinese tenants in D.C., despite linguistic barriers and limited access to legal resources, were able to organize against rent increases and gentrification. The tenants were able to request a hearing with the municipal government and speak on behalf of themselves.

I look forward to hearing more from this program. Being Asian American, I'm eager to hear different voices from around the U.S. that define the very nuanced and often overlooked Asian American experience.