Chinese + American = American
On this 4th of July, a reflection on losing the hyphen in my Asian American identity
It was the most underreported controversy that rocked the world of grammar in generations. In 2019, the Associated Press announced that hyphens will be dropped from identities of dual heritage.
The other punctuation symbols in the audience gave a collective sigh of relief for surviving yet another annual edition. Meanwhile, the hyphens that existed between “Asian” and “American” in the term Asian American were immediately airlifted out of the room.
Derived from ancient Greek, meaning “in one” or literally “under one,” hyphens were originally meant to connect words. However, hyphens were historically used to connote that people of color have a split identity, and thereby not fully American.
Being a “hyphenated American” was an epithet that originated in the late 19th century. Although initially directed at German Americans or Irish Americans, it became part of nativist political rhetoric that sowed distrust for immigrants and their children, especially during World War II.
Although stunned, but unsurprised, by the sudden elimination, the spectators in the audience recognized the wisdom in removing these once-respected hyphens in the context of identity…
