To the Editor:
My recent trip to Vinalhaven was filled with good times over lobster rolls, creemies, and tide pools, but I also attended the island’s 4th of July celebrations. I was appalled at the racist float of “Chinamen” protesting the ferry service. I have no issue with the political point the float was trying to make, but why did they feel the need to dredge up these outmoded stereotypes? How is it still okay to reduce Asians to an army of slant-eyed, bucktoothed Fu Manchus? They could have made their displeasure with the ferry service known without insulting and diminishing an entire culture of people. My memories of the island are unfortunately clouded by this experience, and I’m not eager to return to a place where I felt so distinctly conspicuous and unwelcome as an Asian American.
Sincerely,
Erica Tsai
Baton Rouge, Louisiana