Migration Cup
Image: Ayumi Horie
Cup Design: Ayumi Horie
Porcelain 11 fl oz
For the longevity of your decal, please avoid the dishwasher.
Please note that cups are made to order. Your cup will ship within 3-4 weeks. 
Pictured is the front and back of one cup.

Ayumi Horie
Migrating Bird 1 "Where are you from?"
Migrating Bird 2 "I'm from ____"
Migrating Bird 1 "No, but, where are you really from? 

This is a familiar example of a conversation for anyone who is read to be "not from here", i.e. a person of color or anyone with an accent. It has probably happened to them many, many times. Sometimes this is meant sincerely and with genuine curiosity. Other times, it is a clumsy attempt to get at the root of ethnic identity. And it always holds within it the subtext- “you don't belong here”.

I grew up in a state that was 99.3% white and we were one of only a handful of Asian families in town. While I'm largely inured to this kind of racism, whether it's intentional or not, I want this cup to get people to think more deeply about their own family histories and for people to be aware that this line of questioning sends a message to anyone on the receiving end.

Human beings have been migrating globally since we had "fins" and legs. Caucasian immigrants and migrants fled and sought opportunities, just as today's immigrants and refugees have. Many people of color in the States were brought here by force and enslaved- they do not have the privilege of knowing their family histories. Those of us who are privileged enough to know our own family trees know that at one point or another we were all vulnerable, just as immigrants and refugees are today. In the end, our family histories are not so different.