Growing up, there was this weird thing that would happen when people called the house. My mom would pick up, and they’d be confused about who they were talking to. It took me a few years to learn that the way my mom answered the phone had a heavier accent than when people spoke to her in public. The way they experienced her English changed based on the mode of communication, not her ability to speak it. There was an expectation that she wouldn’t sound the way she did.

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