Something in the Air…

Happy almost Election Day, folks!

I voted bright and early on Saturday morning, excited to support a vision of New York City I believe in – affordable, multiracial, welcoming and positive. I’m taking nothing for granted in this election, and I hope you aren’t either. Democracy is only as good as we make it, so let’s keep showing up, fighting and building.

All around the country, exciting elections are happening; among them are a handful of Muslim American candidates, like Ghazala Hashmi, a Virginia state senator running to be Lieutenant Governor and Omar Fateh, a Minnesota state senator running to be mayor of Minneapolis. Running for office is hard no matter who you are, but for Muslim Americans, the public harassment and threats to personal safety are exponentially higher.

What does this have to do with being a No. 1 Immigrant Daughter? When I started this Substack more than three years ago, my main focus was on the psychological and practical impact of being an eldest daughter in an immigrant family. Inspired by Luisa in Encanto, I began a home for us to explore our common challenges and find ways to heal and cope. Since then, our news feeds and social media have become more populated with articles and memes about the eldest immigrant daughter phenomenon. But I’ve always tried to make this Substack not just about No. 1s. It also focuses on all that we care about.

I want to welcome all of you who are new subscribers and share with you–and my day ones–that my Substack homepage is now organized to make it easier to find and share old posts. Common topics are belonging, democracy, and what I call revolutionary care. Interpret that how you wish – caring for yourself in a revolutionary way, caring for a revolutionary (you!), revolution as care. And you’ll also be able to find guest posts like the ones from Christie and Marzena (and more to come!).

Thanks for reading, sharing and commenting.

Onwards,

Sayu