SB 147 Reflection by Selina Lam

By: Selina Lam

Disclaimer: This reflection was written immediately after I participated in the protest. Since this protest in February 2023, Chinese-Americans have continued to fight to make their voices heard against these acts of discrimination. Unfortunately, SB 147 was still passed by the Texas legislature to be sent to the House, yet its terminology was significantly watered-down compared to the earlier versions. The current version “restricts purchases of agricultural land, timberland and oil and gas rights by entities associated with any country that poses a risk to the national security of the United State”, which removed the calling out of specific countries. Although some may consider this a win, the fight is not over. And we will continue this fight, until we achieve full equality.

BLEET! BLEET! BLEET!

The sounds of whistles blared in my ears, raising goosebumps on my skin. The blinding sun shined on my skin, warming my blood past the many layers my mother forced me to wear before leaving the house. It was perfect Texan weather, blue skies and lots of sunshine, yet gusts of wind still blew through the air.

It was also the perfect weather for marching.

Not the kind of marching you do for your high school band, but the marching you participate in when your unalienable rights are threatened. This time, the Texas government was threatening the rights of all citizens from foreign countries, including China in particular.

Senate Bill 147 aimed to prohibit immigrants from China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea from buying any piece of real estate in Texas. Senate Bill 552 prevents immigrants from those countries from buying agricultural land in Texas. By attempting to pass these bills into law, Texas legislature and Texas governor Greg Abbott was discriminating against Chinese-Americans, and all other foreign immigrants from living in America. This is not only detrimental to the communities of Chinese-Americans who immigrated twenty to forty years ago, but also to the overall economy of Texas. China is Texas’s third largest trading partner, accounting for over 5.7% of all imports and exports. If Texas suddenly severs these ties, they stand to lose trade with one of the globe’s largest manufacturers

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And Texas loses one of its biggest advantages, diversity. Houston, the city I grew up in, is one of the most diverse cities in Texas, and one of the most diverse cities in the US. Growing up in this environment, with an Asiatown to go to on the weekends, packed with restaurants selling all kinds of Asian cuisine, allowed me to be proud of my Chinese-American, and Asian-American identity. It allowed me to connect with people of the same ethnicity, and share my culture with people of other ethnicities as well. It is the presence of diverse cultures that elevates a city’s culture.

On the bright morning of February 11th, 2023, I took part in my first march for justice. Not even a month after Lunar New Year, which is China’s, and many other east Asian countries' biggest holiday, the government wanted to pass a bill into law that would further impede Chinese-American immigration and survival in Texas. We drove to the heart of Chinatown, in the International District of Houston, and stood in the parking lot of Sterling Plaza. Many protesters congregated in the designated area, wearing shirts made by the organization in charge of this march and rally: The Asian-American Leadership Committee (AALC). Many held signs, with messages such as “NO DISCRIMINATION”, “NO SB 147”, “NO SB 552”, and “STOP ASIAN HATE”. After inspiring messages given by the Mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, U.S Representative, Sheila Jackson Lee, State Representative, Gene Wu, and the founder of the AALC, Luo Ling, 3 dancing lions led the way to our march. It was only around forty minutes of marching, as we crossed the road from Sterling Plaza to walk on the streets of Bellaire, usually packed with cars zooming past, but it was cut off by police to allow for the peaceful rally. The route went in a circle, and we walked past the Jusgo supermarket on our way back, past the East West Bank branch, to end back where we started.

But the march felt much longer than forty minutes, partially because I was sweating so much under my mask and thick puffer my mother forced me into before leaving, but also I was in awe of my community uniting to rise against injustice. We would no longer be forced into the shadows, forced to feel small and inferior to our white counterparts. No, we would stand and we would use our voice, to speak out and stand against these acts of discrimination, especially when they were in our own home, a home that we had worked endlessly day and night to fight for. As I marched, joining in with the chants, I turned to see my mother with tears streaming down her cheeks. She whispered in a choked voice, “This is my home too.'' I knew from the stories she and my father told me at our dinner table over warm tea, that her and my fathers journey to America was not an easy one. They came here, both working day and night shifts to pay their taxes like any other American, and worked harder to buy their own house, their own car, contributing to this community just to call somewhere home. It made me emotional as well, infuriated at being treated as if we did something wrong, just because the shade of our skin was different. It’s wrong, and it’s discriminatory to deny Chinese immigrants the right to live and begin a life in America, when America relied on our labor and our taxes to build this country on the backs of my ancestors. And what of the Chinese-Americans already living here? Every small business relies on their community to survive, and if you cut off their way of life, how can you call America the land of dreams and prosperity?

I cannot imagine a future where Chinatown no longer exists, or imagine growing up without the traces of my culture in the city I was born in. Having these hubs of culture makes immigrants like my parents feel a little closer to their Gu Xiang (hometown), and makes it easier for them to call this new, foreign place, their new home.