Precarity as a Migrant Family Tradition

Growing up mixed race, it is hard to ignore the stark differences between the maternal and paternal sides of the family. The migrants of my dad's side of the family, journeying from places such as Norway and Ireland, settled down in New York and remained close to each other. As a child, most of my paternal family members lived less than 30 minutes away, with my paternal grandparents living on the ground floor of my childhood home. In contrast, my maternal side of the family scattered once migrated from China-with our closest family members on the West Coast of the United States, and others located in the settler-occupied territories known as Canada and Australia. Their locations were constantly shifting and moving-to the extent that it took nearly three decades for me to finally meet all of my maternal family members. It did not take long for me to understand that putting down "permanent roots" was not a Lee family trait.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10454/19015

Version

Published version

Citation

Fitzpatrick AL (2021) Precarity as a Migrant Family Tradition. In: Rose E and Mason-Deese L (Eds) A Day is a Struggle. Online : Self-Published.

Link to published version

https://a-day-is-a-struggle.decasia.org/

Type

Book chapter