Finding “Azn Pryde”
Having “AzN PrYdE” is sometimes a unique Asian American experience. 

By Helen Tran

Helen Tran (right) and her mother wearing authetic Chinese dresses. Photo courtesy of Helen Tran

To My Dearest (insert name),

Wazzup?  I hope u like dis pic of me and I hope u’ll neva 4get me bcuz I kno I’ll neva 4get u!  Ish been gr8 knowing u.  Stay swt.  KIT.  LULAS [love you like a sis].

Luv,
Helen
Azn Pryde Nationwide
ADIDAS [Asians Dominating in Da American Society]
AZN PRYDE 4EVA!

I often look at members of USC’s Asian American fraternities – the cluster of guys in baggy jeans with hooded sweatshirts and spiked hair – and cannot help but reminisce to my early adolescent days when such appearances and social mingling were the styles of the playground’s coolest “AzNs.”  Of course, I can’t say this to be true for all Asian Americans across the nation.  I draw my experiences from growing up here in Southern California and from hanging out with family in the Bay Area.  

A significant part of fifth and sixth grade was spent immersed in academics, and just as my social life was just beginning to develop, much time was also spent thinking about creative ways to express my “Asian pride” or the more colloquial spelling, “AzN PrYdE” to be more exact.  Whether downloading “Got Rice?” and such songs from Napster or taking glossy wallet-sized photos at the studio, I was very proud to display my pride relentlessly, decorating my notebooks with Johnny Ngo graphics and Asian-styled letters. 

When instant messaging became our most prolific form of communication, screen names personifying “Asian pride” popped up everywhere – “xXcute_azn_girlXx,” and “lildragonboi617,” or “aznbabee626,” – the choices so long they could fill up your buddy list.  Sometimes the lengths to which these teens took to assert and defend their pride fell just short of racial supremacy, instigating fights on the basketball courts and blatantly denouncing other races in online blogs.  In retrospect, I was never on that extreme end but I can recount these years with a bit of embarrassment. 

I often question why I had such an intense devotion to my race.  I don’t think it was an interest in my culture or ethnic background because at that time I had no intention of preserving my family’s traditions or traveling abroad to learn about my family’s history.  “Asian Pride” is like a drug given to young teenagers, an addicting and potentially harmful substance that guarantees them acceptance into a community of fellow Asians. 

When I asked my roommate from Hawaii whether there was “Asian pride” at her school, she said no.  I highly doubt that there is such a phenomenon in Asia itself.  “AzN PrYdE” is uniquely Asian American.  Sometimes I wonder if kids like me subscribed to it so readily because it was a rebellion against mainstream American culture; our way of finally speaking out after years of being quiet Asian students. Or maybe it was our way of preserving our identity in a white world where we were starting to grasp the idea of being a minority.  Maybe it was a combination all of these reasons. 

Maybe we really had no legitimate reason at all; we could have been just a bunch of kids caught in an Asian hype.  Yet I find this hard to believe because this subculture that I have grown out of, is still very popular among Asian American youth, especially among those growing up in new Asian American enclaves. 

Just google “Azn Pryde” and see for yourself. 

Write to Helen Tran at helentra@usc.edu