Why Our Stories Matter

Letter From the Editor

Why Our Stories Matter

I never shared with you the meal I made for Chinese New Year. I made drunken chicken and hand-pulled noodles and grilled a whole sea bass that was wrapped in banana leaves. Lychee and jackfruit sorbet was the dessert.

I never told you that in preparation for this meal, I called my mother to ask what she normally ate for Chinese New Year dinner while growing up in Jamaica. She always had duck. I also called my mother-in-law, who enjoys roast pork and oranges on that day.

Rochelle Oliver founded Island and Spice in 2018 as a way to bring attention to Caribbean people, food and culture. Photograph by Andre' Lafleur for Island and Spice

These moments, like so many others, remained private footnotes of my daily life because journalists are trained to keep the focus on the subjects and the story, not on themselves.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to pretend the adage of journalism, to not become the story, applies to me at all times and in all ways. As a Black, immigrant, woman whose Jamaican heritage includes family from China, Costa Rica and India, am I not part of the story?

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I had a lot of plans for this Renew. Reset. Refocus. issue. I was going to announce our office relocation, the plans to launch a cooking department and introduce our new team members.

But that’s not what I want to write about today.

I am taking this time to let you know that Island & Spice remains committed to sharing the experiences of Caribbean people whose lives encompass many cultures, races, religions and languages. We’re working on ways to make this year bigger and better because our stories matter.

I invite you to revisit the essay “Chopsticks, Forks and Knives. The Inequality at My Dinner Table,” by Paula Madison, a Black, Chinese and Jamaican American woman who writes about her struggles growing up as a mixed-race child in Harlem during the 1960s. We followed the essay’s publication in June of last year with a discussion where we touched on how Black and Asian communities can come together to combat racism.

I encourage you to learn more about this nation’s history by watching “Asian Americans,” a PBS documentary series that chronicles the challenges and contributions of a fast-growing minority group. I’d also like to direct you to Stop AAPI Hate for tips on what to do if you or someone you know experiences or witnesses a hate crime.

Sincerely,
Rochelle