Monday, Aug. 16, 2021 | 2 a.m.
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On the first day of school, Aug. 9, excitement rushed through my veins as I anticipated seeing my wonderful teachers and friends after being separated from them for an entire year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I could see hope on the horizon after such a difficult and dispiriting year.
That sense of positivity was overshadowed by a local news report I saw on TV when I came home from school. A three-term Nye County Commissioner went on an anti-Asian rant during a commission meeting that left me shaking my head in disbelief.
Commissioner Donna Cox accused Nevada’s first lady, Kathy Sisolak, a U.S. citizen born in Ely, of profiting from the COVID-19 pandemic because she is Chinese. Without any evidence, Cox accused the first lady’s Chinese family of making money from this virus.
Cox’s accusations are not only inaccurate but xenophobic. Why do her words matter? Because in the past year, hate crimes against Asian American Pacific Islanders have skyrocketed, according to Stop AAPI Hate, a group that tracks hate incidents.
I now carry a personal alarm that hangs from my backpack in the event someone tries to harm me.
This is why words matter. I feel compelled to speak up against this rhetoric and call it out for the harm it creates. I am proud to be an Asian American born in Las Vegas. I’m proud that my ancestors have worked tirelessly to overcome the stigma and obstacles created by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, anti-miscegenation laws, and alien land laws.
I’m proud that first lady Kathy Ong Sisolak is the first Asian American first lady of Nevada. Her career as a Clark County budget manager overseeing billion-dollar budgets, as a partner at a respected financial consulting firm, and the stellar way with which she carries out her role as first lady are reasons why I look up to her as a role model.
However, my ethnicity does not define me, nor does it define our state’s first lady. My actions, my integrity and my words define me. The statements made by Commissioner Cox reflect upon her.
Every day, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to be an American and to have liberties that many others around the world don’t have. I believe that with these privileges comes responsibility, especially for elected officials.
As a proud Nevadan and American, I will not stay silent in the face of bigotry. Although I am only 16 years old, I have grown stronger and more resilient living through this pandemic, and I will continue to do what I can to contribute to a society that reflects truth, kindness and respect for all.
Lauren Wong is a student at West Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas.
