Asian Identity

A move at age ten from a Detroit suburb to Chattanooga in 1984 thrusts Anjali Enjeti into what feels like a new world replete with Confederate flags, Bible verses, and whiteness. It is here that she learns how to get her bearings as a mixed-race brown girl in the Deep South and begins to understand how identity can inspire, inform, and shape a commitment to activism. Her own evolution is a bumpy one, and along the way Enjeti, racially targeted as a child, must wrestle with her own complicity in white supremacy and bigotry as an adult.

Why are identity cards important, even for gods? How can you tell a Deva from a Manava? How would you find a particular god in a crowd of gods? One day, when Krishna wanted to board an aeroplane, he was not allowed to! All because he did not have an identity card. Then his friends Garuda and Sesha took him to meet Lata-kumari in Guwahati, who told him the story of Anasuya and the Ashwini twins, and why Rishi Chavan made a rule that all gods should carry a dhvaja a flag with each god's very own symbol. Did Krishna get his identity card so he could ride the aeroplane finally?

Mei is a young Chinese American girl filled with curiosity about her family’s history in Washington, D.C. Delving into their tales of courage, hope, and resilience, Mei explores the strength and spirit that unites her Chinese heritage with her American identity. Then Mei finds herself at a rally against Asian hate and she realizes that it is her time to make a difference. Armed with the inspiring stories of her ancestors and backed by the unconditional support of her family, Mei takes center stage to start an empowering chant, “We are American, too!”