We stand in solidarity with University students across India, including the ones who faced police brutality at Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University, as well as citizens who are exercising their democratic right of protesting the Islamophobic Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the internet bans that have curtailed freedom of speech in Kashmir and across the country.

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Born in New York City and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 23-year-old Peter Zheng is a first-generation Chinese American and the first in his family to attend University. He is the child of Yikeng Zheng, 53, and Xiu Zhen Ma, 51, who immigrated to the United States in the mid-1990s. His parents are the proud owners of two Chinese restaurants in Pittsburgh. Zheng has an additional brother, Shou Ming Zheng, 32, who was born in 1987 in China while Zheng was born in the United States when his mother immigrated to the country in 1994. His story shows the hard work and ambition that is often seen in the children of immigrant to the United States. The following is a condensed and edited version of our current two-hour conversation…

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I came to SIPA amid the growing tension between China and the US as well as the rising of populism worldwide. Growing up in a globalized world, I used to think that we already have enough conversations between nations and cultures. But, my experience in SIPA makes me understand that I should not take a stable and peaceful world for granted. Instead, much more work is needed to facilitate more dialogue. Understanding does not come easily; it should be nurtured with time, energy, and most importantly, long-lasting dedication. Here in SIPA, as future policy-makers worldwide, I cannot help but ask: “If not us, who? If not now, when?”

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