The Usefulness of the “POC” Identity and its Limits

Image by Jon Tyson.

Edison, part of the ever-expanding suburban sprawl in the heart of central New Jersey, is now predominantly non-white, with a plurality of South and East Asian Americans. Alongside the strip malls and gas stations that illuminate the night, one can find H-marts and Patel Cash & Carry supermarkets, next to karaoke bars and saree shops. I grew up a few towns over, in East Brunswick, among fellow Desis who also claim ownership over lush green lawns and homes with long driveways where you can park your car for everyone to take notice of, eventually.

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Sudip Bhattacharya serves as a co-chair of the Political Education Committee at Central Jersey DSA and is a writer based in New Jersey, having been published in Current Affairs, Cosmonaut, New Politics, Reappropriate, and The Aerogram, among other outlets. Prior to pursuing a PhD in Political Science at Rutgers University, he had worked full-time as a reporter across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

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