Fresh Ink: An Anthology

Through a series of vignettes, this story provides a view into the life of Filipino American college student Jasmine. As an immigrant, she has always felt a sense of unbelonging, aware of the fact that she could be deported or her status could change. However, she felt safer at Stanford until a series of racist incidents stir fear in her and make her feel like an outsider on her own college campus. However, through a rally and a gathering of protest with other minority students, Jasmine discovers the power of collective support, emphasizing the theme of Pushing Back Against Hate and Exclusion. Although she may feel like an outsider, many other students feel the same way; “by all of [them] coming together to support each other, [Jasmine] discover[s] [her] own voice among the voices of others” (145). She feels as though her school, her fellow students, and her boyfriend don’t understand what it’s like to be a minority and provide dismissive and inadequate responses to the hate around her: Royce dismisses her concerns; the university power-washes the graffiti off the building, erasing the incident as if it never happened, without taking a stand about the behavior of those who created it; Julia’s car appears in students’ Snapchat photos, becoming a “sick” form of entertainment; and the white university president condemns the incidents a day later via email. After men at the gym make sexually harassing comments toward her, Jasmine finally finds power and belonging through the rally as she surrounds herself with support from people who feel like she does.

An additional conflict in the story, between Jasmine and her boyfriend, Royce, explores The Complications of Young Love as a theme. Although Royce is half Mexican, his lack of understanding of or interest in Jasmine’s position as a Filipino American immigrant, minority, and woman creates a rift between the two characters. Throughout the story, he regularly dismisses her feelings and her concerns about the racist acts. Although Royce clearly cares for Jasmine, their differences in culture complicate their relationship. Instead of attempting to understand each of the racist incidents from her point of view, he dismisses them in an offhand way or says it was just people making jokes, not realizing how it makes Jasmine feel. Nevertheless, Jasmine regrets lashing out at him, noting that “he knew [she] needed [her] space,” and he attempts to give it to her (144). Because of Royce’s patience and efforts to try to understand, despite Jasmine’s frustrations and the complications that cultural complications can cause, their relationship survives.

Although the time period of the story is never made clear, the setting of Stanford University and the lack of a specific date allows for the events to be examined in light of the current political and cultural climate in the US. Jasmine explains,

It reminded me I’m only living in the United States legally for now. It could quickly change. Something as sudden as a minor shift in government policy can tear families like mine from the dreams they’ve clung to their entire lives. It’s happening all over the country now (137).

Although the date is ambiguous, these comments from Jasmine allow for the events of the story to be applied to current times. Over the past decade, support for a southern US border wall has grown; undocumented immigrants have been portrayed as “criminals”; Trump administration policies such as the attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program were enacted; and executive actions affected asylum, cross-border immigration, and protected status for immigrants. This politicization, in turn, has dehumanized immigrants themselves and created a culture of distrust and anger toward them, which Jasmine personally experiences throughout the story. By setting Jasmine’s story on a modern US campus without giving a specific year, the story gives a voice to immigrants and humanizes their struggle. This humanization promotes a deeper understanding of the ways in which these people struggle to belong and feel safe in their own country.