ROYAL HUANG When I came back from Taiwan, I was on a mission. Somehow everything was coming clear, like juices dripping from a turkey timer. I saw that my interests in hip-hop, basketball, food, comedy, and writing were symptoms of a larger interest: finding a place for myself in the world or making one. School helped me give that larger interest more precise names—racial identity, social justice—and I was determined to figure it all out. I finally felt free. For years, I knew what I wanted to do but felt guilty because I knew my parents wouldn’t approve. They wanted me to be a business major, but I knew it wasn’t for me. I fought them, I argued, and hated them because so much of my life was stunted due to their wants and desires. Once I understood why, I stopped reacting with anger. They were so cute and delusional trying to come up in the world using the master’s tools. Luckily, I got my Audre Lorde on and realized you can’t tear down the master’s house with the master’s tools.
