Thread by @jialynnyang

Think this is my first byline in The New York Times, based on my book coming out next month.

@andrewyang recently said Asian-Americans should respond to racism by showing "our American-ness." He reminded me of another Asian-American who argued this. 1/

nyti.ms/2XtvuE3

Meet Mike Masaoka. After Japanese Americans families were forced into internment camps 80 years ago, Masaoka convinced the Pentagon to allow a unit of second generation Japanese Americans to fight in WWII. 2/

Not everyone in the community was on board. Why fight for a country that had just stripped your family of its rights? But when the soldiers came back heroes, Masaoka went to Capitol Hill and used the story of their sacrifice to lobby for equality in U.S. immigration laws. 3/

It’s hard to imagine now with Asian Americans the fastest growing racial group, but deep into the 20th century there were extremely strict bans on Asian immigration. Asians were not even allowed to naturalize and become American citizens. 4/

Masaoka convinced Congress to allow very modest increases in how many Asians were allowed to enter the country. More importantly, he got them to lift the ban on naturalization. This was a watershed moment that countless Asian American families have benefited from. 5/

But when he did this, he abandoned a broader fight for equality in U.S. immigration laws, and a chance to ally with Jews and black Caribbean immigrants.

It was a missed chance to build alliances across racial groups — a pattern that persists to this day. 6/

The recent rise in racist attacks has exposed the political isolation of Asian Americans. And how despite Masaoka's efforts, we are still often regarded as foreign.

Anyways, for more, check out the piece. And for way more, you can pre-order the book! 7/7 indiebound.org/book/978039363…