So something happened to me this weekend that I felt compelled to share.

It was just so deeply disappointing and deeply disturbing.

So I was almost hit by a car, that is not the headline.

It's just situational contexts.

So I was walking up Locust Street and I was crossing through 20F on a green light.

I was walking.

A driver come (came) in the opposite direction on Locust, flew around the corner

to make a left turn, clearly did not see me.

Screech to a halt, and missed hitting me by about half a foot.

Her window was down, so I said to her,

"Did you not see me? "

and she replied, " I had the right of way. "

And I said, "No, you didn't. I had the green light,

and I was going straight through the intersection and walking.

And she said, "The traffic lights are for vehicles, not for pedestrians."

To which, I said, "Really? Really?"

Then she proceeded to drive off but as she drove away,

she yelled out her window, " This is America."

And it is those three words to which I would now like to respond,

since this woman, this driver did not give me the courtesy,

or have the courage to allow me to respond to her at the scene

and to her face.

So yes, this is America. I am American.

Born and raised, and I know America.

I know America in ways you probably don't, and never will.

Lady, I have been an American Journalist for twenty plus years.

I have seen Americans suffer, and grieve.

I have seen Americans rejoice and show resilience and recover.

I have seen America at its best and at its worst.

So I know, this is America.

You do not have to tell me that.

This is America, and today, for me, this is Philadelphia.

But at other points in my life, I might be saying this is Ventura California.

I've said this is Evanston Illinois, this is Chicago, this is San Fransisco.

This is Pocatello Idaho. This is Oklahoma city. This is Huston, Texas.

I have lived in all different parts of America.

This is America.

And by the way, I probably know America

better than you do in other ways as well.

I know my U.S. history, I can name every cabinet member.

I can name every state capital, can you?

Yet, you have the audacity and the ignorance to yell at me

that this is America?

Are you kidding me? You see this face, and you think

this face belongs to an outsider or foreigner?

Let me tell you something. I have two kids. They have this same face.

Especially my daughter. She's a carbon copy of me,

and if you see her on the street,

and if you say anything to her to suggest that

she is an interloper or an outsider or a trespasser

or someone who does not belong in this country.

I challenge you to think again.

My face. Do you think that this face would not stands up against you,

against racism, and against ignorance?

Well, you were wrong.

I am Asian American, and I am strong, and I am proud.

And I am speaking out against to you today.

Do not ever, ever see a face like this and make a mistake

that it does not belong to an American.

So this is America!

And it is my diversity, my color, my culture,

all of the things that come with it,

that it help me contribute to my country.

I am an American Journalist.

I have built my career on trying to help people,

and try to give people a voice.

My father, an American as a U.S. citizen, developed a hybrid of the beef steak tomato,

you probably had the pleasure of eating it in the salad or buying it from your grocery store.

It is people like us, it is Americans like us, who make this country strong,

and who made this country exceptional.

So, yes, this is America.

And Americans like us make this country strong,

and make this country what it is.

So I am taking ownership of those words you hurled out of your window to me on Friday.

This is America. This is America!

I am American. I am proud of it.

And I am American, and this is 2017.

And you need to get with the program.

This is America! Please pass it along.