Many times, we fail to comprehend the problems other people face due to the presence of our own privilege. Recently, while reading They Called us Enemy, I have come to understand that more clearly.

One such instance in which this is prevalent is in the scene where a white woman scoffs at the mother of the author of the story for breaking something that she was going to buy. In response, the mother simply states, “You could never understand.”

Such a simple and short line was still one of the most memorable lines in the novel in my experience. Someone in a place of privilege such as the woman could never have understood what it felt like to experience the struggles of what the family, and what many others went through. The only thing people can do is try to listen and amplify the voices of the afflicted.

Such scenarios seen in this novel are nothing new, and still occur today. In the face of struggles that the Asian American community face, many people turn a blind eye to the situation. Their reasoning might be because facing racism makes them uncomfortable, or maybe they just don’t care. Regardless, this needs to change.

In a time such as now, it is imperative to listen and aid the AAPI community for the sake of preventing the atrocities of history ever being repeated again.