BROADWAY star Lea Salonga can now sigh in relief after the victory of US President-elect Joe Biden, as she opened up Sunday about her past anxiety of frequenting the country under the leadership of current President Donald Trump.
In a Facebook post, Salonga recalled feeling an “unfamiliar sense of dread and fear” when Trump won the presidency in 2016.
“I’m a woman of color that spends plenty of time in the United States. My daughter is growing up to be a woman of color, an actual Asian-American. And the both of us could, in our own unique ways, feel that something wasn’t quite right with the force,” she said.
Salonga has one daughter, Nicole, with her husband Robert Chien.
Salonga, who was once based in the US and regularly stages concert tours there, recounted that it was “the first time I actually felt apprehension walking in the streets of one of the biggest melting pots in the world, New York City.”
“I felt I had to constantly look over my shoulder to make sure I was far enough away from people so as not to get attacked.
“Every time I went on stage during my US and Canadian tours, Nicole would always… always ask the question, ‘Are you going to be OK? No one’s going to hurt you while you’re on stage?’ I had to reassure her that I would be safe. She was doubly worried when on tour in 2019 I went out on stage with crutches, hobbling until I reached my spot, sat down, got settled, and sang.”
Referring to her shared concern with Nicole at the time, Salonga said: “I never felt that before, that sort of anxiety. The act of singing was helpful in getting rid of that, thankfully, and thankfully I wasn’t ever traveling alone.”
“No one should ever have to feel this kind of fear in a democracy. Please repeat that sentence as often as necessary.”
With Biden set to become US president in January 2021, Salonga said she now feels “like I can go back to the USA” – once the pandemic is controlled – “and not have to feel like I’m being watched by nefarious forces wanting to do me harm.”
“Today, I feel something familiar and far more welcome: HOPE.”(ABS-CBN)
