can you reveal political stuff in your college applications?

It’s not about my political views, but my family background involves some political stuff. I was born in China and we emigrated because of political issues with the communist government. Can I incorporate that in my essays? Because it is part of me but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate.

Depends on the focus of your essay. It may not be necessary to deeply elaborate on the political reasons for emigrating, instead focusing on personal development and change (without sounding too cliche or trite) throughout the move.

Yes you can reveal political stuff in your essay. They’re important events to your life and just write it neutrally (like a textbook/research paper).
Don’t use too much of your essay to discuss about it though since officers want to know about you now and not before.

so a touch of it is ok?

Include as much as you want but make sure the essay is about you and shows who you are.

@Aliiiiiiceee‌ yep. whatever amount you need so your readers won’t be confused.

If you’re writing about living in American culture with traditional Chinese parents, you’ll need less than say how Chinese politics have directly influenced your views.