Overview interview: In the 1970’s it was rare that a man would have sole custody of a child. But having sole custody of a Taiwanese baby with a white father was even more rare. Just being Asian-American in Staunton, Virginia was almost unheard of at the time. The KKK was very prominent in this area at this time, showing their power by parading in the streets. This was also meant to intimidate the few minorities that lived there. Needless to say, at this time racism occurred everyday. While segregation may have ended, some White children were still being taught unkind words, phrases, and actions towards minorities. These actions slowly began to decline as years progressed into the 1990’s-2000’s. But in the year 2020, there was a virus called COVID-19. It spiked an upcoming showing of racism especially towards the Asian-American Community. There was a Virus called COVID-19 In this interview, Nannette Bryant talks about being raised by White parents as an Asian-American. She also talks about how racism as a child showed/taught her how she was “different” from the other young children her age. And how racism she felt as a child was brought back during COVID-19, after she felt America was making great progress in accepting all races.   Interview with Nannette Bryant, History 150 Spring 2023, Conducted by Hannah Bryant, March 19, 2023. Brief Description: Nannette Bryant (mother of Hannah Bryant) was born on May 19, in Kokomo, Indiana. But unlike many children at this time Nannette as an Asian American (her mother was Taiwanese and her father was White) raised by two White parents. When Nannette was only 1 year old, her parents divorced and her father was granted full custody of her.  The two of them stayed in the United States, while her biological mother moved back to Taiwan. Years passed and her father remarried a woman who worked at the Airforce base diner where they met. These two raised Nannette in Harrisonburg, Virginia which did not have significant Asian community. Nannette describes feeling singled out and not understood during her childhood. She then went on to graduate highschool and graduate from James Madison University. She eventually married a man named Jonathan Bryant and had 2 children. Flash forward to 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic. Nannette starts to experience the backlash of racism that she used to feel back when she was a child. People acted out against Asians, as part of their assocation of Covid-19 with China, where the virus originated from. We discuss race a lot in this interview.  Nannette’s pronouns are she/her. Interview Transcription: Part 1: Hannah Bryant 0:01 Can you say your name and occupation or relationship to me? Nannette Bryant 0:05 So my name is Nannette Bryant, I am your mother and don’t really have an occupation. Hannah Bryant 0:14 So previously, we’ve had conversations about your childhood and how you grew up. So you grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, right? Nannette Bryant 0:23 I was born in Kokomo, Indiana. Yes. But I moved when I was about a year and a half old. I moved to Virginia. Hannah Bryant 0:33 So can you describe to me the bond between you and your father kind of growing up at a young age because your father was the one who got sole custody of you? Correct? Nannette Bryant 0:45 Right. So my dad was in the Air Force, and he was stationed over in Taiwan, which is where he met my biological mother. So when they came back to the states, your grandfather was stationed at Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana. And that’s where I was born. Then they divorced when I was a year old. And then my dad retained full custody of me. And my biological mother went back to Taiwan. So my dad and I, it’s kind of from the very beginning, it was just he and I, he later remarried my stepmom who I call my mother, your grandma, because she’s the only mother than I’ve ever really known since she raised me, but I would say my dad and I for sure have a very close bond. Hannah Bryant 1:45 So growing up in Harrisonburg, Virginia, correct or somewhere around there. Nannette Bryant 1:50 I grew up in Staunton. It’s kind of a minute out, yes. Okay. St. Mary. Hannah Bryant 1:54 So, can you kind of describe your childhood experiences with school and stuff like that? Like, how was it growing up just at a really young age? Nannette Bryant 2:04 I think you don’t honestly realize when you’re a child, you don’t realize that you are different from everyone else, until someone tells you you’re different, right? I mean, I didn’t know. So growing up, people would ask my parents all the time. Back in that day, it was that thing called the fresh air kid. So basically, like a foreign exchange student or something like that. Or they would ask my parents Oh, when did you adopt the little Asian baby? Or when did you adopt the Asian kid? And I thought, well wonder why they’re saying that, like, I just didn’t understand why that would be such a why look why the appearance was so different to them. And it wasn’t until I probably got into kindergarten, that I really remember feeling that I was incredibly different. So I went to a school that actually had a lot of African American and white people in it, but not very many Asian people. And I distinctly remember my kindergarten year. I was so excited, because everyone had to get a  turn, to be able to hand out snacks to everybody. And then to pour water into the little juice cup type things. And, you know, it was finally my turn, my name got moved to that part of the chore duty. And so I was super excited. And I put everybody’s, you know, snacks out, and then they wouldn’t eat them. Or they wouldn’t drink the water that I poured because the chink had touched it. I actually did not know what that meant. I went home and didn’t understand what had changed? I don’t I don’t understand. So mom and dad had to explain to me what that meant. So in kindergarten, I would be called the cheap girl or the yellow bitch. And they wouldn’t touch any food. They wouldn’t touch anything that I had touched. Because I think at that age, that’s what they were being taught. Hannah Bryant 4:02 Yeah. So kind of going along with that, like everyday challenges. How did you kind of relay that message to your parents? Because obviously now like, growing up, your father, biological father was white. And now your stepmother technically is white as well. How did you kind of relay that message? Could they comfort you? Or was it kind of just like you had to kind of grow up? Nannette Bryant 4:31 Honestly, to be honest with him, it’s really hard. Because I came home and realized, well, I am so different. And I didn’t feel like I could talk to mom or Gaga or papa about it because they both were white. And whenever I’d come home crying, first of all, there were bad words and I didn’t want to even say the words once I realized that they were bad. And so and then I would say to them, you don’t understand because you’re white. You don’t understand because if you were my age in the class right now No one would say anything to you. So you could never understand how it feels to always be so different from everybody else that I see. It was actually after they I was only in that school for my kindergarten year, they did pull me out of the school after that, and put me into a private Christian school, where they felt like the environment would be a safer environment for me. But growing up and feeling that pop I used to say, so Papa had really, really bad bhakti. And he was very, very poor. And he would say, I know what it feels like to be picked on. I know what it feels like for kids to always make fun of you. And I remember saying to him, You don’t understand it’s different, you can change your teeth. His teeth did look different at that, clearly you didn’t change them. So you can change your situation. But I can never change mine. I will always look like this. I will always be different. You had your teeth fixed. That makes sense. Hannah Bryant 6:00 Yeah, it does. So kind of just growing up in a stay in the Harrisonburg area, did you? Like do you think things could have been different if you would have grown up more in a densely Asian population where you had mentioned previously that, you know, in your private school, there weren’t really any Chinese or Asian kids there with you. So you kind of felt like you were in the battle alone. Nannette Bryant 6:28 So in the public school, definitely. That’s when I, for the first time experience, I should say what it was like to have people make fun of you or not want to play with you. Or if you touch something, then you automatically have soiled it and made it dirty. I had never really experienced that, even though I knew I was different growing up. When I went to private Christian school, things were very different for me, their kids were much more understanding. It was almost as if to some degree, my race had disappeared. And it was more about loving others and doing unto you know, doing unto others as you would want done unto you. So it was definitely more of those, I would say biblical principles of loving all being kind all. So I didn’t really experience it as much in school, but still outside of the school. It was there. So I think like I’ve told you the first time that I ever saw the KKK [Ku Klux Klan]. So the situation was, I was supposed to go downtown, to get something new, like a new leotard for a gymnastic show. And then I had heard on the news that the KKK was coming and they were marching through downtown, I immediately did not want to go, I was terrified. And Gaga was like, You will not, you will not allow them to dictate what you’re going to do today, you are not going to allow the fear and these people to to change your behavior or what we were going to do, you’re not going to allow them to control you. And I remember saying to my mom, of course, you can say that. You’re white, I’m not a united mean. And so we went. I was absolutely terrified. And the only thing my mom pointed out to me is she said, look at these people that are walking by, they’re covered. You couldn’t see anything right there in these big white outfits. You could see the cuts in their eyes. There’s so they could see as they’re walking by. And she was very much like, there’s no integrity in that. They’re, you know, they have to hide behind their sheets. They’re hiding behind their own hatred. They truly are not even allowing themselves to be seen. So, you know, take a look at the integrity of what’s going on. And don’t ever allow that to change who you are, and to stop what you want to do. They can’t control you. So I mean, that kind of stuff happened growing up even though it wasn’t necessarily in my school. Part 2: Hannah Bryant 0:01 So, what year was it when the KKK came? Nannette Bryant 0:04 I honestly don’t remember. Exactly. I think it would probably be the early 80s. Okay, so you were around like maybe 10, nine, probably somewhere in there. I was born in 75. And it was probably somewhere in the early to mid 80s. Okay, marching through. Hannah Bryant 0:23 Okay. So growing up, again, just say in Harrisonburg, kind of, you went to private school, but then I remember that you’ve mentioned something about you went to a public high school, when did you make that switch? Nannette Bryant 0:39 Yeah, so I had kindergarten in public school, which is when I had really, really lots of negative experiences. My parents pulled me out of that and put me in a private Christian school in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I was there until my sophomore year, and then I transferred back to public school. At that time, it was called Robert E. Lee High School, and Staunton, Virginia. I think it’s called state in high school now they changed the name [it is now Staunton High School]. Hannah Bryant 1:06 So how was your experience there? Did you, like, have a more densely Asian population? Because before there were no Asian Americans in your class. Nannette Bryant 1:17 That I can remember,throughout my whole high school career, I believe there were three of us, two other Asian girls. One of them had an older brother who was Asian, but he was gone. So three in the entire school that I can remember, yes. Now there might have been others that I just didn’t know. But that I can that I physically can’t remember right now there were three. Hannah Bryant 1:42 And how big were your graduating costs? Nannette Bryant 1:46 I think it was like 103 101, something like that. At that time, it was a double A school. I’m not sure what it is now, but it was a double A. Hannah Bryant 1:55 Okay. So after high school, you went to James Madison University, which is where I am now. Can you kind of describe like, was there any difference in experiences, like more of maybe an Asian community, or just maybe about your experiences in general, just throughout college, like during that time frame. Nannette Bryant 2:16 I actually don’t remember anything specific happening while I was at James Madison University while I was on the campus, there was nothing like that. There’s nothing really that jogs my memory during that time.I do think for many people, attitudes were starting to shift a little bit. But there’s still just a lot of ignorant ignorance around race. So I happened to work at Cracker Barrel, all four years when I was at college. And so that was sort of an interesting dynamic, right? Because good, bad or indifferent, like that’s a country folk coming through Cracker Barrel. And so having me there was a stark contrast for some people who were not used to dealing with, with people of a different ethnicity. So a lot of times, I would have people talk very loudly, and very slowly to me, because they would assume by just looking at me, that I would not be able to speak English. I would have people all the time asking me about things that are going on, like during the Olympics, that your people would come up to me and say, very loudly, very slowly. I hear that Chinese are doing very well this year. Just like them. Oh, okay. That’s great. You know, and I know you’ve heard the one story about these two. Well, first, it was a gentleman I was working at, but the cashiers stand. And we used to sell these pieces of candy called Finn sticks, and they’re 10 cents each. And so this man comes up and he buys them for 10 cents, I say that’ll be 10 cents. And then he left and he did this several times over and over again. Until finally it was just so weird, because he kept coming back back and he goes, very thick accent. If I could set the stage for you, he had on very tight jeans. He had a plaid shirt on a big belt buckle. And he must have been, I would say, in his early 20s. And he said, Ma’am, I’m sure you know that there’s something going on? And I said yes. Because I backed up at the door. He had gone and got a second friend. So now there’s two guys, and I could see them talking and they both are coming up now and buying these 10 cent sticks. And I said yes. And he said we just have to know how did you lose? I said loose what? He said, How did you lose it? Lose what? He said, Your accent? How did you lose it? And they said, Well, your accent really? You know, you pick up from the area that you live. It’s just you know, like, I was trying to explain the whole situation. He goes, No, ma’am. He goes, I know that stuff is inbred, no joke. I knew that stuff is inbred. He goes, so how to lose it. So I thought, oh my gosh, what am I going to do? How am I gonna explain this? So I said, all right. I’ll tell you the truth. Don’t tell anybody, but I will tell you the absolute truth. He said, Okay. I said, the truth is, I said, I was born in southern China. And in southern China, we have a little bit of a southern accent. I swear to God. And he goes, I knew it. I knew it. He was like, thank you so much, ma’am. Thank you so much for telling us. I just knew it. Thank you. And he’s, uh, you have a great day. Fine, but I remember thinking, I cannot believe that these two guys in their 20s Honest to goodness had no idea how I could possibly not have a Chinese accent. I mean, they had no idea. No idea. They left Cracker Barrel that day, thinking that was because I was born in southern China. I don’t know when they ever found out that wasn’t the truth. But just stuff. You’re just stuff like that. I cannot even tell you how many times but hundreds, not exaggerating, that people would come up to me and just by my looks would assume that I could not speak English. And I don’t know how to scream or yell. I wasn’t deaf, even if I speak English, but they would yell and talk very slowly. I would like an order of biscuits. Hannah Bryant 7:05 So going along with it is like ignorance. Yes, that’s obviously going on during this, like just in time in general, kind of now, Flash forwarding to 2020 still kind of being ignorant when it comes to COVID-19. And having people call it like the one virus and blaming everything on China and everything’s China’s fault. How did that affect you? Personally? Nannette Bryant 7:32 I honestly say it was. It’s tough, you know that you lived in the house with me? Right? Yeah, you know, you know, times that I would go to the grocery store and I came home, just you could tell that I had been crying. You dad, Eli. And you’re like, what’s going on? What’s going on? So I think when that all happened for many people, I mean, you know, I just got people yelling at me, or telling me to go back where I came from, or telling me that, like in that situation that I was trying to kill people, like, Why are you killing people? Why are you trying to kill people to go back to where you came from? Or when the elderly couple that, you know, dropped a loaf of bread, and I just instinctively went to go pick it up. And he would not touch it after I did. And told me to go back to China. You know, so I had not really experienced a lot of that, that so, so outwardly hateful, you know, since I was a kid, so it really, it really jarred me to be honest with you, because I didn’t, I think what happens to a lot as a kid, you almost put a guard up, and it doesn’t surprise you anymore. It doesn’t shock you anymore. You know what I mean? And then you get lulled into this sense of not having experienced that in such an outward manner, that it just took me off guard. I didn’t know when the First Lady and I came home just bawling my eyes out. My guard was down. I didn’t, I just didn’t expect it to happen. And then of course, I used to joke with all of our friends. And if you want the quickest checkout line, come near me because no one would check out the groceries behind me. If I got in line, like in a line, people would leave the line and go to a different line so that I can clear out. I’ve cleared out a line and No, no time, right. And I’m the same person that I was before COVID. And that didn’t happen. Nothing had changed on my part. Right? But people’s attitudes towards me had changed. So that was tough to deal with. Yeah, so it was like safe to say that, like didn’t bring back like, just kind of memories of you growing up be like well, like this is like a remembrance of like this is how I used to feel like and now my guards down because it’s been so long. Yes and I think to some degree it felt like we had come so far. You don’t mean, in terms of how we view other people, it just immediately took things back to the way things maybe for many people used to be, and just how outwardly hateful people can be. When truly the only thing I can come up with is fear, truly fear for their own safety, I guess how else do you explain it? Part 3: Hannah Bryant 0:01 Yeah, I definitely think maybe like with the public like enforcing just, you know, being so stern on vaccines and masks and how dangerous COVID-19 was, maybe that installed like just some inflicted awful type of fear into people to thinking but to understand kind of a going off what you’re saying that you felt like you had come so far like, growing up, you felt so basically discriminated against and not understood and didn’t feel included, then fast forward, you felt the growth and kind of solid growth almost in front of your eyes that people were now treating you like you were just anybody else, essentially. And then for COVID-19, to hit to kind of feel like you’ve done a 180. And you’ve gone right back to right. Like the issues that you have faced so long ago. Nannette Bryant 0:49 And think about how even for the family, how difficult it was for you, even during that time. So if you remember, you weren’t in school, because everything was being shut down, right? And I would go and I got to the point where I didn’t even want to go to the store like I didn’t, I was here I go again, you know what I mean? I didn’t want to have to do that. But for the first time for you, you, you were seeing the way. How do I say this, even though you are part Asian, you sort of can fly under the radar, because you do not look as clearly as Asian as I do, right? So people don’t outwardly see it in you. And do you remember how you were like, Mom, just let me go to the store? Let me do it. Because no one will say anything to me. Mom, give me your list. Let me go, you know, to me, I was like, No, you’re not good. I’ve got this, you know what I mean? Or you would say, let me go with you. Because maybe, maybe people won’t talk to you that way, if they see somebody with you. You know, that’s not Asian. And that was a really hard time for you too, you know, yeah, it was hard to kind of see you like, struggling like that, because I don’t think I’ve ever liked you to hear about stuff like that. And you hear about people being discriminated against. But you never really like it doesn’t hit you until you see it in front of your face. And especially when it happens to a family member. It hits even differently, right. So remember what we talked about? It brought up discussions in the house? Like what is there something called white privilege? If there is or not remember, we had the whole discussion about it. And we were like, I don’t know, we talked about it. And you thought we were saying well, maybe it’s the underlying things that you don’t even realize, it’s the fact that during COVID, I can go to the grocery store. And no one has ever said anything to me. I can go if the elderly couple drops a loaf of bread, and I pick it up and I give it to the elderly couple. They say thank you. I did it. And they told me to go back to China where it came from. Right. So it’s that, that sometimes it’s the undercurrent. The other thing that I think is, I don’t know if it’s an issue or not, sometimes it’s probably because I’m doggone cute, but as a little kid, it’s like everything that I was ever involved in. You wind up on a brochure. So it is actually like a brochure, and all you see are white people. But it’s like you get to be the token Asian person who is forgotten. It’s just the weirdest thing. You go back and you look and you look at stuff like that. And you’re like, Wow, can we have the Asian girl on there? Can we have an Asian girl there? We need some diversity. Can we take your picture? It’s so different, probably like me, like there’s essentially like 1000 white girls but then to include some type of diversity they would always pick you . Yeah. Going up I could if I would have kept them all you know what I mean? Like there’s a gazillion people would always ask, Can we put your picture on here?” Can we have your picture on there? It’s like dang. So that could be your I can be your diversity. You can be your moneymaker especially. I could be that one Asian person that you can find to put on something. Hannah Bryant 4:31 Thank you so much for coming and doing this interview with me today. Love you Nannette Bryant 4:37 Love you too. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Reflection: I did talk to my mom a couple days after I interviewed her. I did her interview when I was home for spring break and called her once I had returned to school. We mainly talked about the story of her working at cracker barrel. I knew about the incidents at the grocery store and maybe had a good idea of what her younger childhood life looked like. But I had no clue that someone at cracker barrel approached her confused on why she could speak english and in a somewhat southern accent. I think this whole thing shocked me and it took a couple days for it to sink in. It showed me how ignorant people were, so ignorant that the man believed that my moms accent was because she was from southern china. I mean in 2023 that is completely unheard of, and I’m hoping people are more educated now. This just sparked a conversation with my mom about ignorance and education. In today’s climate everything seems to be about being educated even if it includes canceling culture. My mom described to me that she feels that it was time that people were awakened to the problems and issues minorities face on a current basis. But that canceled culture has also taken it way too far. Canceling things that the minorities had no problem with or even took pride in and essentially the “white” people were taking that away too.  Follow up commentary: The interviewee, Nannette Bryant, approved the transcript on April 14, 2023. No changes were requested.