WHAT IS BIUSA?

It's a movement - the new voice of America

BIUSA (bè-yu-sá) is an acronym for BORN IN THE USA. BIUSA refers to American born, second generation children of immigrants who arrived in the US to seek a better life for themselves. Many BIUSA youth are seeking their own identity.  Often assimilating into mainstream culture, they are open to inter-racial dating and marriage, and in some instances do not have a strong connection to their root culture. On the contrary, some BIUSA tend to hold onto their traditions, and have strong ties to their family and community. They speak their parents' language and are happy to live within the confines of their communities throughout their lives. However, a large percentage of BIUSA are stuck in the middle like our lead character, Ravi, in Suburban Turban. He's an example of a BUISA generation that straddles two cultures. Struggling to live by his parents' rules, Ravi is trapped between duty and independence. BIUSA touches many diverse communities and cultures. Pakistani-American, Armenian-American, Greek-American, Polish-American, Chinese-American, Korean American, Latin-American, Japanese-American, and so forth. The BIUSA movement has the potential to touch huge numbers of people all across the United States.

ARE YOU BIUSA?

Jeremy Lin, Mohini Bardwaj, Eboo Patel, Rajiv Shah, Eric Koston, Michelle Kwan are just a few of the celebrated BIUSA figures we know who come from diverse backgrounds.

In 2010, 14.5 million Asian-Americans living in the US were reporting themselves as having either full or partial Asian heritage. Of that figure, 3.5 million are of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi heritage. South Asians living in the US are mostly college educated, and middle class, earning an annual average salary around $72,000, while the national average sits at $50,000. South Asians are the fastest growing consumer population here in the US. Over 66% of them spend their money on entertainment products... a favorite pastime. 

Whatever your family's immigrant background, Ravi's story resonates with a diverse youth, and my hope is that it gives rise to a deeper conversation about race, tolerance, relationships, dual identity, culture, faith, religion, sexuality, diversity, marriage, inter-racial dating, family, and traditions.

That's why we wanna to hear from you!  Regardless of your cultural background, if you consider yourself as someone who's living the BIUSA experience and can relate to the challenges of being second generation, please get in touch with us. 

No doubt Suburban Turban's base audience is predominantly South Asian, but we want this story to resonate with a broader audience.  Suburban Turban is an American story with a universal message;  one of tolerance and acceptance no matter what the shade of your skin or where your parents came from. With your help we can promote this message across cultures through sharing stories, experiences, music, arts, social media, education, info sharing, youth forums etc.

If you're interested in making the journey, please go to our STREET TEAM page and read up on some of the ways you can get involved. 

You can also jump to our JOIN THE MOVEMENT page and tell us your story.