One Woman Revival

Waymos burn in Los Angeles while I ride in one past Golden Gate Park. I receive nervous texts from my parents with news about people being detained by ICE in San Francisco. Out here, the city is quiet. Immigrant rights groups on social media post about a Filipino green card holder being detained for days on his way back to Seattle. His family cannot reach him. How quickly the distinction between legal and undocumented immigrants starts to crumble. 

I get out of the Waymo at Yo También! Cantina, a true hidden gem in the Sunset. They have an all-vegetarian menu all with tamales as a base then layered with beans in broth or hard-boiled eggs and avocado. Pickled onions and chili crisp are added as garnish. I always get the lavender cold brew coffee and am almost tempted to get a fresh baked cookie as well. Sitting out on their parklet lined with perky banana trees, I marvel at how the world is swirling in crisis around us but today is just like any other. And this portion of the Inner Sunset is especially idyllic. Residents and tourists push strollers or walk their pampered dogs on their way to the park. Each block is crammed with restaurants. Art’s Café, a narrow diner serving hash browns and fried eggs with a side of bulgogi, and Lale, a cheery café with hearty omelets and savory kebabs, are two delectable options right next to each other. Neighborhoods like these seem like evidence of America as an immigrant nation.

I moved to the US when I was four years old from India and as a child, I encountered ignorance about culture or jokes in poor taste that made me wonder if I belonged here. Then in my late teens, I learned about how US law was structured to protect the rights of everyone and I truly embraced my identity as an American. But this was followed by a harder education in my twenties when I realized how laws are applied unevenly based race and wealth. And now in my thirties I am watching that underlying system be commandeered and corrupted. I know that the unrest that has reared its head is based on economic inequalities and lack of opportunities. But it seems that while many people hate the robots or the corporations that build them, we somehow elected a government that fails us both in respecting human rights and preventing consolidation of wealth. I want to take action but feel paralyzed staring into the fiery wreckage we have created and can only mourn the ideals I used to hold close.