Ignite Equity
Julia Lee
Associate Professor and Memoirist
Fulbright scholar Julia Lee is an associate professor of English at LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, and author of the acclaimed new memoir, “Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America.”
The new book examines Asian American identities through the lens of her experience as a Korean American born and raised in Los Angeles. She grapples with the model minority myth, racial hierarchies, and the unique challenges of being Asian American in white-dominated spaces in elite academia.
“I believe teaching, reading, and writing are all acts of grace – they connect human beings to one another and help us feel less alone,” Lee explained. “There is so much injustice in our world, and it’s easy to fall into despair and rage. Connecting to others through my work gives me hope for collective liberation.”
Lee is also the author of “Our Gang: A Racial History of The Little Rascals” and “The American Slave Narrative and the Victorian Novel.”
“All the structures of power make those of us in marginalized positions feel like we can’t speak out, we can’t resist,” Lee shared. “And one of our obligations is to bite back, to bite the hand that feeds us to speak up for justice – for social justice.”
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