…aware of the turmoil that was roiling around me–and in a few cases, not too far from where I lived. Riveting and tragic events seemed to take place at a fast clip. I think of Martin Luther King, Jr. giving his famous “I have a Dream” speech only a month or so after I was born. John F. Kennedy shot when I was four months old. The Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, guaranteeing people of color — like me — my rights. The Immigration Act of 1965 allowing Asians — like my parents — to become citizens. Malcolm X shot in Harlem when I was not yet two. Noam Chomsky criticizing the Vietnam War in the pages of the New York Review of Books, not to mention Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Allen Ginsberg attempting to exorcise and levitate the Pentagon the year I turned four. MLK and Robert F. Kennedy assassinated before my fifth birthday. T…
Frances A. Chiu, Ph.D. | writing coach | editor
