Week 5 Art, ASA 115, Anthony Tran, Janine Nguyen, Paula Jung

Our inspiration for our flag was that we combined the national flowers of countries of our native origin. When self-identifying with our cultures, it can be difficult in navigating due to cultural barriers, language barriers, or even generational differences. We used digital media to form a wreath of the national flowers together. The usage of the flowers: the Vietnamese lotus, the Chinese plum blossom, and Korean hibiscus flower allows us to express the feeling of pride we have. The Korean hibiscus represents peace and unity. The Chinese plum blossom represents perseverance and hope. The Vietnamese lotus flower represents purity and optimism of the future as it is the flower which grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom. Even though aforementioned countries all have tensions and racial disparities, especially towards folks who are mixed race, the flowers represent how our roots are integral to who we are as individuals. To mixed race folks in Korea, China, and Vietnam, people are treated worse if they are phenotypically darker skinned rather than light skinned. While many mixed race people are treated like they do not belong, it is important to celebrate people’s backgrounds and inform those who are ignorant.