Trickster Mobility
ICE, Chinese Exclusion Act, and Paper Sons + Daughters
\ To watch this substack via video recording - scroll to the bottom! \
Paper Daughter Tiffany Wong 1882 Chinese exclusion act The first explicit immigration law To ban people solely based on race or nationality To entering the “land of opportunity” 1906 San Francisco rose up in flames Burning it all down and birthing whispers of “this is our chance” “this is our ticket” Rising from the ashes came paper Proof. Proof that: I am the son of (fill in the blank Wong - who is an American citizen) I am the daughter of (fill in the blank Chan - who is an American citizen) Proof that: If I wave this piece of paper Fabricated or not…who knows I might be able to stay Might be able to stay Might be able to let out a breath To feel the weight of my agency Ground me to the land that grieves Ground me to what could be Might be able to stay with my loved ones Might be able to stay Might be able Might be 2025: burning The mirage of stability has evaporated the dazzle of stuff is gone We are born to burn We are born to birth What could be into reality We were born to burn We were born to resist For true peace For true rest We were born to burn Fuck ICE Fuck the police Free all prisoners Free all detained Fuck this empire Free Palestine Free Sudan Free Congo
My story begins long before my existence, before my first birthday, before coming into soulful consciousness.
It wasn’t too long ago that my mom told me that we immigrated here through clever means. The term “trickster mobility” by Akwaeke Emezi keeps on coming to mind. The way “trickster” sits in my body feels steady and strategic. It doesn’t feel devilish or deceptive. Well, I guess it is deceptive to the empire. The empire that defines what is legal and who is legal. The same empire who steals lands and commits genocides.
My mom casually mentioned that my great grandfather was in San Francisco as a laborer during the 1906 SF earthquake that resulted in days long fires across the city. The fires burned down everything including papers and documentation. Trickster mobility! The Chinese laborers including my great grandfather saw their opportunity to forge paperwork. They claimed to be sons and daughters of Chinese American citizens. And then, subsequently, their sons and daughters and their sons and daughters were also citizens. Thus the term paper sons and daughters. (Here is an excellent articled titled “My Father was a paper son” by Steve Kwok.)
But let’s back up even more.
The Chinese Exclusion Act (“the Act”) was passed on May 6, 1882 and was the first U.S. federal legislation that explicitly prevented the immigration of a particular nationality by prohibiting Chinese laborers from entering the United States. Originally lasting for 10 years, it was extended by the 1892 Geary Act for another 10 years, then for an additional 10 years, and finally indefinitely in 1904. The Act mandated that people of Chinese origin carry identification certificates or face deportation.
Eventually, the Act was repealed by the 1943 Magnuson Act, but it only permitted an annual quota of 105 Chinese immigrants. This quota system was finally lifted by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
83 years. It birthed the Model Minority Myth, which was designed to pit Asians against Black folks. Those 105 Chinese immigrants (highly educated and rich) were hand picked every year to prove that pulling yourself up from your bootstrap works! You just need to study and work hard.
Be a good minority. And stay a minority.
So as I’m witnessing daily the kidnapping of folks both documented and undocumented by ICE, the rage is burns hot. Every day, ICE is trying to kidnap folks going to their court hearing. Just a few days ago, Chao Zhou, a Hong Kong student was kidnapped and detained here in Chicago. ICE was spotted a few blocks away from where I live in uptown yesterday. It’s enraging to see how humans are treated sub humanly everywhere I look. No one is safe.
No matter how much you try to assimilate and appease the empire, no one is safe. If you are Black or brown or even white, you are not safe from the hunger of empire. The poorer you are, the more disabled, the more you dissent, the more you see through the empire, the more unsafe you are. As I’ve written a million times, things just get clearer. There are so few things that actually matter, and it’s crystal clear.
In October of 1989, my mom drove through the Bay Bridge after my 2 month old appointment. A few hours later, the bridge collapsed during a huge earthquake. I find it poetic my birth coincided with the biggest earthquake to hit SF since 1906. Being a Leo, I have always felt like my purpose is to burn, shine, and clear space for truth.
Not to romanticize natural disasters, but I’m sitting with:
What do we need to clear out and make way for? Because this is not it.
Calls to action:
What does Liberatory Imagination spark in me today?
I was listening to
’s podcast How to Survive the End of the World’s latest episode titled “A Palestinian Love Story with Devin Atallah and Sarah Ihmoud.” It brought me to tears multiple times when they talked about deep love during genocides. It is a powerful thing to say yes to and a magical way that fuels us. To fall in love and to be in love is such a fuck you to the empire…if the alignment and north star is shared.Devin Atallah says on the podcast:
“Our love story is not something I can celebrate without being real that we are weapons. And we need to be weapons right now. We’re not trying to be coming together and enacting care for each other that doesn’t help us fight and get free. We have to be weapons for a collective freedom and it’s our responsibility to do so.”
Yes yes yes. What an honor.
How to support me (thank you in advance):
Currently, I’m in between jobs and would appreciate any support you can afford.
Subscribe for free (all my posts will be available to the public), but set up a monthly or annual recurring payment with me directly on venmo - @tiffanywongart. Attach the note “Recurring substack subscription.”
Buy me a cup of coffee. Every bit counts! You can venmo me at @tiffanywongart with note “coffee from substack!”