"I am Hope" - Patrick Yoshida

From Jackson, Michigan, Patrick Yoshida is a graduating Senior at Jackson Preparatory & Early College. Until recently, Patrick Yoshida was a follower of Andrew Yang. In this post, he shares what his passion is, and he wants for the direction of this country. Thank you for your submission, Patrick!

"My Name is Patrick Yoshida"

By: Patrick Yoshida

Before I was part of the Yang Gang, I saw Joe Biden's video announcing his candidacy. I liked the video, and therefore assumed that Biden was good. When it came to 2019, I started looking at the race and I didn't know anything I wasn't good at. I had a lot of ideas but didn't know what was what. What I did know that the country wasn't trying hard enough. I knew we were in a tough spot financially, and I knew that China was terrifying. I did not know much else though. For me, Yang was a leader and a politician. Even further, he did not make it a race or identity politics thing at all. A couple of weeks after Yang dropped out of the Presidential race, I made a post on the Yang sub (Reddit) where I explained that I could never support Bernie Sanders. In my eyes, although many came to support Yang from Bernie Sanders and went back to Bernie, I couldn't. After all, Andrew Yang is the one who showed me a vision for the America that I wanted, and frankly, Bernie Sanders wasn't Yang.

As of this submission, I think I'm done following Yang. Not because I stop supporting him, but because I'm done following anybody. I'm ready to lead both myself and others. Yang showed me that an Asian man can try to lead this country, and I want to show that an Asian man can succeed. I think it's difficult for a lot of people to understand, but it's more than identity politics. It's a son to a father or a father to a son.

For a second, I felt like I belonged here. For a second, I was proud. For a second, my Fathers of American told me there is hope and in the end, I wanted to tell the Fathers that I am hope. I no longer feel that the last generation can save this country. I no longer feel the solution is from my parents or their parents. I now feel that I have been drafted to carry an American burden. For the first time, I felt American, and in failure, I only feel more American for I know an American must protect and serve their country. For this goal, and for the future of the United States, it's more than you proving yourself as American. Now, it is doing the work as an American for the idea of this nation and its flag. I am not an Asian American even if that is the title others choose to put on me. I stopped being an Asian American when I chose that this country is worth saving and wherein the campaign, I decided that was: I'm not certain.

One last thing: I feel that people misinterpreted my post (on Reddit). At some points, people thought that I wanted to run for identity politics alone. However, again, it is so much greater than that. Besides the obvious goals of ending poverty and serving your country fighting for what I believe is right, it is so I can look at the sons of American and saw with certainty: there is not just hope before me, but there is hope before Yang.

I will end with more a message for Yang supporters and people who are perhaps obsessed with the current time, a quote "There's an expression called old world blues: it refers to those so obsessed with the past they can see the present much less. The future they stare into what was eyes like pilot lights flickering and spent the realities to their world continues around them" - Fallout New Vegas Old World Blues.

It is our duty to the present and I don't have all the answers. I'm not a perfect person but I am nonetheless dedicated and you should be too.