I know that the United States has come a long way since working towards civil rights and women’s rights. But obviously hundreds of years of oppression run deep.
I was with some of my friends out one night and we decided to go to Denny’s afterward for some gossiping and breakfast eating. There as a bunch of us so we went in several different calls. My car arrived first and got a table. I went outside to take a phone call and in roll the second car. We were at a party before so we had been dressed up, we looked nice. The second car parked by a white van where a bunch of men were hanging around packing themselves into the van to leave. I was on the phone and having paying attention to my friends. I was in full attention when one loud and obnoxious line shot out at me.
“Do you want to love me long time?” said the drunkard dressed in trucker-hat-beer-belly-tight-t-shirt-flannel wearing man directed towards my friends who were exiting their car.
Something in my mind clicked and I promptly hung up on my phone conversation and started towards those guys. ARE THEY SERIOUS? What kind of world do you EVER think a line like that would ever work, and WHAT kind of women would appreciate that kind of attention. We yelled at them and decided to call the police to report sexual harassment. They told us to go ahead and call.
My friend called the police and said that we were being sexually harassed and our location and who harassed us. That call stopped short when a police car that was in the area patrolling, patrolled through the Denny’s parking lot. We told the police that those guys that were in the white van (who was now leaving) made sexual advances towards us.
The cop said, “Did they touch you?”
We told him what those guys said to us again.
The cop said with emphasis, “Did they TOUCH you?”
“No,” we replied.
“Then their fine.”
From the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission):
Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following:
• The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
• The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non-employee.
• The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
• Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
• The harasser's conduct must be unwelcome.
Under the law, we WERE sexually harassed. We had been a victim of unwanted sexual advances. The police officer did nothing and let those guys go. Did he want something to happen to one of us before he would go ahead with action? It would have been fine of he had violent crime he had to go to, but he was patrolling around and we saw him a few more times passing the same parking lot.
Turning back and reflecting on the line, “Do you want to love me long time?” Not only is this statement sexist, it is also racist. This line is from the movie Full Metal Jacket, where a Vietnamese prostitute offers her services by saying “Me love you long time.” That portion of the film is already very offensive but this is a film. Translating these lines to reality is even more obscene.
It is a really sad world when people are so ignorant about sexist and racist issues. I hope that more and more people realize that it is never okay to objectify women or men. I hope it is also not okay to generalize and stereotype people into a group. I really hope that the cop we met at the parking lot was a rarity and that law enforcement actually care about the protection of women.
-Barbara
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Who is an Asian American?
This question has confused me a great deal in the past and to some extent it still does, especially as a South Asian.
Growing up in Detroit, I did not have much interaction with Asian Americans outside of those in the Indian community. It did not take much for me to realize that I was Asian American. India is in Asia and I am a resident of America so I concluded that I must be Asian American.
It wasn't until I was a little bit older that I realized that to others the concept was not so simple. This became apparent to me in three different situations.
The first account occured in high school while one of my friends was proofreading my English paper. He was confused about a line in which I discribed myself as an Asian American. He said "but you are an Indian. There is no way you are Asian!" Now does that make any sense?
The second account occured while I was taking a standardized test. I came to the race/ethinicity section and I had to fill in a bubble. The options present were Caucasian, African American, Asian, From the Indian Subcontinent, Hispanic, etc. It perplexed me that there was a different bubble for South Asians and the rest of the Asians. At first thought I figured it might be that South Asians have such a large population so it might make sense to divide it into different categories. However, I did not see a sign for those from China. It was starting to become more and more clear that people saw South Asians as being different from Asians.
This last account is one that disturbed me the most. I telling some of my Indian friends how I had this amazing oppurtunity to be a part of a cultural show called GenAPA. She responded "Why would you want to do that? You're not Asian, you are Indian." To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I found this sentiment to be common among most South Asians. They do not consider themselves to be Asian. At the same time a lot of other Asians don't consider South Asians to be Asian.
Overtime the word Asian has increasingly been used to describe those of East Asian origin. Thus the connotation of the word has been used to describe mostly those of East Asian origin. This disturbs me because where there should be solidarity there is a lack of unity. Personally I do not understand why there is a divide between South Asians and the rest of the Asian community. The only possible explanation is that they look different. Surely this cannot be a plausible explanation though. Most Asian Americans, South Asians included, face the same problems. Most people from Asia share the same fundamental family/cultural values. In America there are many South Asians who are very well off and there are many other Asians who are also well established. At the same time there are South Asians who are discriminated against and struggle to make a living. There are also other Asians who go through the same problems. We all go through the same basic struggles and triumphs. We all also hail, at one point or another, from Asia.
So why is there a divide, especially in America, when we should all be standing in solidarity?
Ravi
Growing up in Detroit, I did not have much interaction with Asian Americans outside of those in the Indian community. It did not take much for me to realize that I was Asian American. India is in Asia and I am a resident of America so I concluded that I must be Asian American.
It wasn't until I was a little bit older that I realized that to others the concept was not so simple. This became apparent to me in three different situations.
The first account occured in high school while one of my friends was proofreading my English paper. He was confused about a line in which I discribed myself as an Asian American. He said "but you are an Indian. There is no way you are Asian!" Now does that make any sense?
The second account occured while I was taking a standardized test. I came to the race/ethinicity section and I had to fill in a bubble. The options present were Caucasian, African American, Asian, From the Indian Subcontinent, Hispanic, etc. It perplexed me that there was a different bubble for South Asians and the rest of the Asians. At first thought I figured it might be that South Asians have such a large population so it might make sense to divide it into different categories. However, I did not see a sign for those from China. It was starting to become more and more clear that people saw South Asians as being different from Asians.
This last account is one that disturbed me the most. I telling some of my Indian friends how I had this amazing oppurtunity to be a part of a cultural show called GenAPA. She responded "Why would you want to do that? You're not Asian, you are Indian." To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I found this sentiment to be common among most South Asians. They do not consider themselves to be Asian. At the same time a lot of other Asians don't consider South Asians to be Asian.
Overtime the word Asian has increasingly been used to describe those of East Asian origin. Thus the connotation of the word has been used to describe mostly those of East Asian origin. This disturbs me because where there should be solidarity there is a lack of unity. Personally I do not understand why there is a divide between South Asians and the rest of the Asian community. The only possible explanation is that they look different. Surely this cannot be a plausible explanation though. Most Asian Americans, South Asians included, face the same problems. Most people from Asia share the same fundamental family/cultural values. In America there are many South Asians who are very well off and there are many other Asians who are also well established. At the same time there are South Asians who are discriminated against and struggle to make a living. There are also other Asians who go through the same problems. We all go through the same basic struggles and triumphs. We all also hail, at one point or another, from Asia.
So why is there a divide, especially in America, when we should all be standing in solidarity?
Ravi
Sunday, August 31, 2008
generational clashes
{Let me just preface this blog by saying that I am a first generation Chinese-American, my parents and immediate family immigrated to the United States in the 1980's, and finally, I am no expert in Chinese history and current events}
The 29th Summer Olympics in Beijing has the international spotlight on the People's Republic of China. From their response to the Sichuan earthquake victims to their diplomacy, or the lack thereof, toward the Tibetans; China has been under the world's scrutiny. Moreover, China has been criticized for their human rights abuse when things like the imprisonment of U.S. citizens, without trial, happen because they were protesting for Tibet. For much of it all, the PRC has been able to evade the eye of the media by withholding information and suppressing protests, which lets them avoid peaceable resolutions for their current political issues. Despite all this, the media also highlights China's performance in the international economy and in the Olympics, showing that they are in amidst of securing their role as future world power.
My parents, my aunts and uncles and probably most of the Chinese people I know have never been more proud or more nationalistic of their native country. My parents rave over how the Opening Ceremony is the best there ever was and how China will emerge from the Olympics as the world power; they even entertain the idea of growing old there. On the other hand, learning of how fettered Tibetans and the people in China's other four autonomous regions are has made me even more appreciative of having and freely exercising the rights I have as a U.S. citizen--though, let's be honest, the U.S. isn't perfect either.
To my belief, much of our differences in sentiment toward China root from the news source we rely on. My parents and relatives almost always read from a Chinese news source, which are, more likely than not, to be biased toward China. To elaborate, I recall a conversation that I had about Tibet and it's autonomy with my aunt, she described the situation as China acting like a mother, struggling to maintain unity. Tibet is like her child that needs to be disciplined to understand the importance of staying unified. When I asked her about the human rights abuse and the ongoing damage being done to Tibetan culture, my aunt even acknowledged that we are being informed from different sources and still stuck by her mother-child analogy as she tried to defend China's actions.
I've always had trouble understanding the views and sentiments of my parents and relatives toward China because I can't overlook the humans rights abuses while most of my family can't overlook China's continuous growth and prosperity.
In a conversation I had with my parents, we discussed their experience during Chairman Mao's regime. It started when I spoke of Communism in a positive light and said that if started off with the right leader and maybe on a smaller scale, the beautiful ideals of Communism could actually be realized. My parents were utterly appalled at what I said and it might have been one of the few times I've seen my dad truly angry. During the Cultural Revolution, my dad's side of the family was considered by the government lower middle class, one tier above the lower class. According to my dad, each family was given a certain number of points based on their class and received a document, which allowed them to run basic everyday errands, the extent to which was based on their class or pointage. My dad's family was basically shafted as was any other family not in the lower class.
These people, like my dad's family, were ostracized, ridiculed and some were even beaten by people who learned to hate people of higher social rank. They couldn't do everyday things without being reminded of how they weren't part of the lower class and being made to feel that it was their turn to suffer the way the poor had. This behavior was not at all discouraged by government authority, according to my dad. To that end, my great grandfather was beaten and ridiculed in public, and had been detained a couple times for unjust reason.
My great grandfather's hard-earned land and the land of others like him were stripped from them and redistributed by the government. As a result--not fully enforced--, everybody had to equally work on equal plots of land with equal effort for the community. My dad has no faith in this system because, to him, mankind will want more than what they're given. And if everybody doesn't work equally as hard, there is no motivation to keep it up when everyone is limited to fulfilling the same potential as everyone else.
At the time, people didn't see Mao as the bad guy. Every morning, in class, students would chant in reverance to China and Chairman Mao. My mom says that they were lulled into believing that China was a relatively prosperous nation when actually, millions of people died during this rule. When Mao died, my mom remembers crying in grief with her classmates. Upon learning that other developed countries had better opportunity and more successful lifestyles, much of China's people, including my parents, took disappointment in their country and grew hatred for Mao. My mom looks back in disbelief today that she actually cried for him.
China today is definitely a different country than it was then. And I suppose that much of the pride that my parents have for their country stems from the progress that China has made from the China they knew. I agree that China has come a long way, however, the oppressive characteristics of the government are still evident. For example, China goes through many unjust means to minimize the chance of revolt from the people: protesters are automatically detained whether they've been violent or not, if internet users search the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 there is no literature on it (in fact, there is a whole laundry list of words they can't search), there is extensive censorship in the media and in personal things like written mail or e-mail—just to name a few. These examples are blatant violations of basic rights we enjoy here.
With all this, it’s hard for me to understand my parents' and relatives' unwavering loyalty and sentiment toward China. When I was planning to go see the Dalai Lama, my parents didn't condone me supporting him. I do realize that we understand Tibet's situation differently but, there was no willing to understand my point of view on their part.
Perhaps this difference is a result of miscommunication or a result of this instilled nationalistic attitude they learned from growing up there. Either way, their loyalty has been something I've had trouble identifying with. It's not like I'm not proud to be Chinese because I do love and appreciate everything about Chinese culture, history, food, etc.; but, I find myself loving general humanity more. And to clarify, I'm not saying my relatives or parents are bad people; but, there is that firm loyalty to China, the miscommunication between me and them, that difference in past experiences, or [insert here whatever you think it may be] that prevents us from seeing eye-to-eye on things like Tibet's situation. Despite these differences, I still appreciate their perspectives and try my best to understand we're they're coming from.
I guess these experiences may be common amongst families with a generational crossover from an immigrant to a child of an immigrant. These attitudes of our relatives and others like them are what help us learn more about the culture we don't get to directly experience. And I suppose it is these unique experiences, these cultural fusions that give us perspective and a greater ability to understand and appreciate different people with different backgrounds.
-wendy
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Asian Americans and Workers' Rights
One issue that we as an organization have not yet really covered is that of workers' rights and how the struggle for those rights affects Asian Americans.
We all have seen and experienced the effects of the outsourcing of jobs from the United States. We've all been on the phone with a customer service representative based in India or the Philippines, and I would probably bet a lot that not one article of clothing you're wearing right now was made in the United States. (With few exceptions, like military uniforms...) Not only this, but skilled trades such as manufacturing and other industrial trades that have traditionally made up the largest membership in labor unions have also been outsourced. Since we've found that it's cheaper and more profitable these days to import manufactured goods (and food) from other countries than it is to produce them domestically.
While many skilled-labor industries have been outsourced, there are some jobs it just makes no sense to export. Namely, unskilled service-sector jobs such as servers, cooks, and dishwashers in restaurants, housekeepers, bellmen, in-room dining servers and banquet hall servers in hotels and hundreds of other job classifications that fall in the service sector.
How is this relevant to the goals and mission of UAAO? Well it is interesting that as skilled, organized labor industries are slowly dying out, or being rapidly dismantled and exported abroad (for example, industrial textiles and needlework trades) service sector employers are also feeling the crunch of economic recession. How do they keep up profits? By employing those who are the most economically vulnerable, and those that as of right now are unorganized. Namely, the rising immigrant population in this country is feeding big business' need to keep costs low in the areas that they can't outsource.
80% of United States jobs are in the service sector, historically a sector that has been incredibly difficult to organize.* Reasons behind this difficulty include the fact that often service sector jobs are seasonal (especially those in the hotel industry) and are affected by economic cycles of boom and bust.
Asian Americans have historically gravitated towards the service sector often towards the beginning of an immigration wave. We have all heard about Chinese laundries and of course restaurants, but the Japanese also took up jobs in restaurants and domestic service after the Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 (like my great-grandmother in Berkeley, CA). This may in part be credited to the lack of English fluency upon arrival in the United States, or perhaps a lack of transferable skills.
However, the A/PIA demographic in this country can be mapped on a bimodal curve, in that we have high percentages working in highly skilled professions; for example, according to the 2000 Census 25.8% of Asian Indians working between the ages of 25-64 worked in the category "Computer, Scientific, & Engineering."** But on the other hand, significant percentages, above 12% for working Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Chinese, Korean, Pacific Islander and Vietnamese between the ages of 25-64 worked in the "manual services, farming or military."** Altogether not an insiginifcant portion of our population.
This summer I worked with UNITE HERE, a labor union that represents most of the service sector industries, hotels and restaurants, casinos, food service, industrial laundries, airport services etc. While I know that many people have negative views towards labor unions and their practices, their end goal of increased wages and benefits for their members is still something worth fighting for in the proper ways. I was really impressed by UNITE HERE's organizing strategy and their methods of empowering the workers themselves to fight their own battles, instead of using the union as an agency to service their needs.
But what was even more impressive to me was how much pride UNITE HERE's members, and those they are trying to organize, take in their work and what they accomplish on a day to day basis. I had the privilege of being able to shadow a housekeeper for half a day as she cleaned rooms for a five star hotel in San Francisco (which has a strong union presence and a union standard of living wages lower room counts than in non-union cities) and she showed me how to make all the beds, (using three flat sheets, a comforter, pillow cases that are waay too long and have to be folded over and tucked in, with a stupid ugly useless duvet cover folded neatly over the end of the bed, with stupid cards lined up just so next to the pillows...)
...How to arrange all the amenities, (no less than four real sugar packets, two blue fake sugars, two splendas, four creamers stacked on top of each other, two stirrers, two decafs, two regulars all arranged on this stupid tray that you then can leave no fingerprints on)
...and how to clean the bathroom and vacuum and dust in less than 45 minutes per room. She does in total around 12 rooms a day, depending on how many guests are actually checking out of a room and those that are staying another night. The list goes on and on, she has to replace all the linens and the towels if a guest checks out, but doesn't necessarily have to for a guest that stays another night, but because she takes such pride in her job, as do all of her coworkers, if she sees a spot or a sheet looks dirty she replaces it anyway.
Perhaps it doesn't seem like a big deal, but try doing it over and over every single day for 20+ years as a career. Not to mention all those incredible hotel beds that hotel companies have been pushing lately, you know, like the "dream beds" that are thick and downy and super comfortable. They're sweet for you, but if you have to make that bed it sucks, the sheets have to be bigger, fitted sheets aren't long enough to cover the depth of the bed (perhaps why they now just use a flat sheet which takes even more time and effort to cover the bed with) and the bed itself is heavier.
If you don't take my word for it about workplace safety issues and workload issues that are affecting housekeepers these days, please take a look at the Hotel Workers Rising Campaign website (http://www.hotelworkersrising.com/Campaign/) or the article listed at the bottom about hotel houskeepers and workplace injuries report.***
Anyway. The point is, besides with being impressed with UNITE HERE's organizing tactics, I was even more impressed that the strength these workers, and especially the women in housekeeping were able to keep fighting and organizing, attending meetings and leafleting during their breaktimes and after work on top of a full workload. Their perseverance and strength is a reality check in the best of ways because it inspires me to keep going and to realize that all my problems, they're petty in comparison. So much so that I believe that we should take up the cause of those who suffer not only due to the nature of their work but because of the oppressive conditions under which they work, the lack of health care benefits, job security, compensation. Oftentimes those who work in the service sector do thankless jobs, and while we mostly could care less as long as the room looks clean, the tables are bussed quickly, it's a job that the workers take great pride in. I think it is time long overdue that we show our appreciation for this work and these workers by addressing the issues they face.
...And by tipping better wherever we can.
~Laura
* http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-26-2007/0004615783&EDATE=
**http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/asian/careers_workplace_employment/cnle_asianamerican_employment_0106.asp
***http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3122
We all have seen and experienced the effects of the outsourcing of jobs from the United States. We've all been on the phone with a customer service representative based in India or the Philippines, and I would probably bet a lot that not one article of clothing you're wearing right now was made in the United States. (With few exceptions, like military uniforms...) Not only this, but skilled trades such as manufacturing and other industrial trades that have traditionally made up the largest membership in labor unions have also been outsourced. Since we've found that it's cheaper and more profitable these days to import manufactured goods (and food) from other countries than it is to produce them domestically.
While many skilled-labor industries have been outsourced, there are some jobs it just makes no sense to export. Namely, unskilled service-sector jobs such as servers, cooks, and dishwashers in restaurants, housekeepers, bellmen, in-room dining servers and banquet hall servers in hotels and hundreds of other job classifications that fall in the service sector.
How is this relevant to the goals and mission of UAAO? Well it is interesting that as skilled, organized labor industries are slowly dying out, or being rapidly dismantled and exported abroad (for example, industrial textiles and needlework trades) service sector employers are also feeling the crunch of economic recession. How do they keep up profits? By employing those who are the most economically vulnerable, and those that as of right now are unorganized. Namely, the rising immigrant population in this country is feeding big business' need to keep costs low in the areas that they can't outsource.
80% of United States jobs are in the service sector, historically a sector that has been incredibly difficult to organize.* Reasons behind this difficulty include the fact that often service sector jobs are seasonal (especially those in the hotel industry) and are affected by economic cycles of boom and bust.
Asian Americans have historically gravitated towards the service sector often towards the beginning of an immigration wave. We have all heard about Chinese laundries and of course restaurants, but the Japanese also took up jobs in restaurants and domestic service after the Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 (like my great-grandmother in Berkeley, CA). This may in part be credited to the lack of English fluency upon arrival in the United States, or perhaps a lack of transferable skills.
However, the A/PIA demographic in this country can be mapped on a bimodal curve, in that we have high percentages working in highly skilled professions; for example, according to the 2000 Census 25.8% of Asian Indians working between the ages of 25-64 worked in the category "Computer, Scientific, & Engineering."** But on the other hand, significant percentages, above 12% for working Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Chinese, Korean, Pacific Islander and Vietnamese between the ages of 25-64 worked in the "manual services, farming or military."** Altogether not an insiginifcant portion of our population.
This summer I worked with UNITE HERE, a labor union that represents most of the service sector industries, hotels and restaurants, casinos, food service, industrial laundries, airport services etc. While I know that many people have negative views towards labor unions and their practices, their end goal of increased wages and benefits for their members is still something worth fighting for in the proper ways. I was really impressed by UNITE HERE's organizing strategy and their methods of empowering the workers themselves to fight their own battles, instead of using the union as an agency to service their needs.
But what was even more impressive to me was how much pride UNITE HERE's members, and those they are trying to organize, take in their work and what they accomplish on a day to day basis. I had the privilege of being able to shadow a housekeeper for half a day as she cleaned rooms for a five star hotel in San Francisco (which has a strong union presence and a union standard of living wages lower room counts than in non-union cities) and she showed me how to make all the beds, (using three flat sheets, a comforter, pillow cases that are waay too long and have to be folded over and tucked in, with a stupid ugly useless duvet cover folded neatly over the end of the bed, with stupid cards lined up just so next to the pillows...)
...How to arrange all the amenities, (no less than four real sugar packets, two blue fake sugars, two splendas, four creamers stacked on top of each other, two stirrers, two decafs, two regulars all arranged on this stupid tray that you then can leave no fingerprints on)
...and how to clean the bathroom and vacuum and dust in less than 45 minutes per room. She does in total around 12 rooms a day, depending on how many guests are actually checking out of a room and those that are staying another night. The list goes on and on, she has to replace all the linens and the towels if a guest checks out, but doesn't necessarily have to for a guest that stays another night, but because she takes such pride in her job, as do all of her coworkers, if she sees a spot or a sheet looks dirty she replaces it anyway.
Perhaps it doesn't seem like a big deal, but try doing it over and over every single day for 20+ years as a career. Not to mention all those incredible hotel beds that hotel companies have been pushing lately, you know, like the "dream beds" that are thick and downy and super comfortable. They're sweet for you, but if you have to make that bed it sucks, the sheets have to be bigger, fitted sheets aren't long enough to cover the depth of the bed (perhaps why they now just use a flat sheet which takes even more time and effort to cover the bed with) and the bed itself is heavier.
If you don't take my word for it about workplace safety issues and workload issues that are affecting housekeepers these days, please take a look at the Hotel Workers Rising Campaign website (http://www.hotelworkersrising.com/Campaign/) or the article listed at the bottom about hotel houskeepers and workplace injuries report.***
Anyway. The point is, besides with being impressed with UNITE HERE's organizing tactics, I was even more impressed that the strength these workers, and especially the women in housekeeping were able to keep fighting and organizing, attending meetings and leafleting during their breaktimes and after work on top of a full workload. Their perseverance and strength is a reality check in the best of ways because it inspires me to keep going and to realize that all my problems, they're petty in comparison. So much so that I believe that we should take up the cause of those who suffer not only due to the nature of their work but because of the oppressive conditions under which they work, the lack of health care benefits, job security, compensation. Oftentimes those who work in the service sector do thankless jobs, and while we mostly could care less as long as the room looks clean, the tables are bussed quickly, it's a job that the workers take great pride in. I think it is time long overdue that we show our appreciation for this work and these workers by addressing the issues they face.
...And by tipping better wherever we can.
~Laura
* http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-26-2007/0004615783&EDATE=
**http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/asian/careers_workplace_employment/cnle_asianamerican_employment_0106.asp
***http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3122
Monday, August 4, 2008
Welcome to the 19th century
Representative Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) posted an entry on his blog for July 30, 2008, titled, "Protecting Our Families From Asian Invaders". It was about a bill recently passed in the House regarding oversight of product safety, especially of those coming from China. The title was later changed to "Protecting Our Families From Harmful Products".
Side note: My initial reaction was to make a post right away, but I held off because Stephanie Chang (APIAVote-Michigan) was preparing a press release. It was just sent out.
I'm glad Knollenberg had the sense to change the title, but it never should've been posted with its original title. It's simply incorrect. Sure, the bill protects our families - there's nothing wrong with increased oversight, regardless of where products come from. But the title changes the issue from product safety to us-versus-them and promotes xenophobic attitudes in America, especially directed against Asians. Last I checked, allowing harmful products to enter the US - as shameful as it is - doesn't constitute an invasion. Yellow peril, anyone?
Even if your radar didn't go off, if you didn't gut a gut sense of unease as I did, it's not a stretch to see how this should concern Asian Americans, specifically. Beneath the explicit xenophobia lurks the idea that Chinese people and the Chinese government are one and the same - an idea that Knollenberg applies to all people of Asian descent, and one that, sadly, reaches Asian Americans as well (see perpetual foreigner, Vincent Chin).
We - all Americans - deserve better from our elected officials. In a country with a history of exclusion brought about by xenophobia, it's important that we don't make the same mistakes.
You can contact Rep. Knollenberg's offices at http://www.knollenberg.house.gov/Contact/
Google cache of Rep. Knollenberg's original blog post
- arthur
Side note: My initial reaction was to make a post right away, but I held off because Stephanie Chang (APIAVote-Michigan) was preparing a press release. It was just sent out.
I'm glad Knollenberg had the sense to change the title, but it never should've been posted with its original title. It's simply incorrect. Sure, the bill protects our families - there's nothing wrong with increased oversight, regardless of where products come from. But the title changes the issue from product safety to us-versus-them and promotes xenophobic attitudes in America, especially directed against Asians. Last I checked, allowing harmful products to enter the US - as shameful as it is - doesn't constitute an invasion. Yellow peril, anyone?
Even if your radar didn't go off, if you didn't gut a gut sense of unease as I did, it's not a stretch to see how this should concern Asian Americans, specifically. Beneath the explicit xenophobia lurks the idea that Chinese people and the Chinese government are one and the same - an idea that Knollenberg applies to all people of Asian descent, and one that, sadly, reaches Asian Americans as well (see perpetual foreigner, Vincent Chin).
We - all Americans - deserve better from our elected officials. In a country with a history of exclusion brought about by xenophobia, it's important that we don't make the same mistakes.
You can contact Rep. Knollenberg's offices at http://www.knollenberg.house.gov/Contact/
Google cache of Rep. Knollenberg's original blog post
- arthur
Saturday, July 26, 2008
“What does being Asian American mean to you?”
I’ve attended as many UAAO and APA101 meetings as possible this past year and it was only recently when I started to reflect upon those experiences. The constant drilling of Asian American issues ranging from identity to coalition building; including several demonstrations of the UAAO fan-favorite “privilege walk” or “Four Corners”. For the most part during the discussion, I sat quietly during those meetings. Rarely questioning what I heard, I always listened and gave the occasional nod (Not because I was dozing off). That was good and all, but did I really understand what was going on? I was satisfied with whatever was presented at each meeting as long as I got to see the usual faces around the Yuri Kochiyama Lounge. It was not until much later did I start to understand, even if just a little about the Asian American issues.
Before writing this blog entry, one reflection that still sticks out prominently is when running for UAAO board. The former co-chair, Ms. CC Song, threw me a curve ball question and asked “What does being Asian American mean to you?” I was like “Woah” but if I recall I must have said something cheesy along the lines of “ummmm tough question…..I would say it’s about having the best of both worlds; having the Asian culture and traditions and yet the opportunities of being of an American”. Slightly disappointed by this answer, I still wonder what the answer to this question should be. Obviously it’s however you may define “Asian American” but how do I define it? Where do I start? Who do I ask?
A few months back, I decided to visit my uncle in North Carolina with my grandma and aunt, they started to reminisce about the times before they came to America. This naturally sparked my interest because it was my immigration story, my heritage. Whenever I was asked about my immigration story, it was what I called a “basic story” about how my grandparents came from China, moved to Trinidad, then a few years later, they came to New York around the 1970’s. The end. I was very ignorant because I didn’t know about all the struggles and sacrifices in between the journey, but now I do.
I realize how privileged I am! We are all privileged to go to an institution of higher education (and a very good, yet expensive one at that!) but it’s engulfed in a bubble. Only when off the campus and participating in programs like Alternative Spring Break did it allow me to apply some of the stuff from UAAO, APA101, and IGR. That was only the surface though. Coming back to New York for the summer allowed me to question a lot of other things. When I ride the bus, most people are people of color. When on a train, people are trying to scour for whatever change they can get with their talents or by trying to sell you an overpriced piece of candy. You can’t help but sympathize for the people who degrade themselves just so that they can make ends meet and feed their family.
I still don’t have a perfect answer to CC’s question of “What does Asian American mean to you?” The answer probably spans across hundreds of years of Asian American history and it’d probably take pages upon pages to come up with a decent answer. But the answer that I gave back then about having the best of both worlds was only because I am privileged to reap the rewards given to me by my ancestors, my grandparents, and all the others who came before me.
~Ray
Before writing this blog entry, one reflection that still sticks out prominently is when running for UAAO board. The former co-chair, Ms. CC Song, threw me a curve ball question and asked “What does being Asian American mean to you?” I was like “Woah” but if I recall I must have said something cheesy along the lines of “ummmm tough question…..I would say it’s about having the best of both worlds; having the Asian culture and traditions and yet the opportunities of being of an American”. Slightly disappointed by this answer, I still wonder what the answer to this question should be. Obviously it’s however you may define “Asian American” but how do I define it? Where do I start? Who do I ask?
A few months back, I decided to visit my uncle in North Carolina with my grandma and aunt, they started to reminisce about the times before they came to America. This naturally sparked my interest because it was my immigration story, my heritage. Whenever I was asked about my immigration story, it was what I called a “basic story” about how my grandparents came from China, moved to Trinidad, then a few years later, they came to New York around the 1970’s. The end. I was very ignorant because I didn’t know about all the struggles and sacrifices in between the journey, but now I do.
I realize how privileged I am! We are all privileged to go to an institution of higher education (and a very good, yet expensive one at that!) but it’s engulfed in a bubble. Only when off the campus and participating in programs like Alternative Spring Break did it allow me to apply some of the stuff from UAAO, APA101, and IGR. That was only the surface though. Coming back to New York for the summer allowed me to question a lot of other things. When I ride the bus, most people are people of color. When on a train, people are trying to scour for whatever change they can get with their talents or by trying to sell you an overpriced piece of candy. You can’t help but sympathize for the people who degrade themselves just so that they can make ends meet and feed their family.
I still don’t have a perfect answer to CC’s question of “What does Asian American mean to you?” The answer probably spans across hundreds of years of Asian American history and it’d probably take pages upon pages to come up with a decent answer. But the answer that I gave back then about having the best of both worlds was only because I am privileged to reap the rewards given to me by my ancestors, my grandparents, and all the others who came before me.
~Ray
Sunday, July 6, 2008
How can you be a "model minority" if you don't speak English?
“You look like you’re from China!”
The little girl looks at me with her bright brown eyes, naturally inquisitive, almost pleased to have made such an observation. I can tell that she is waiting for a response, some affirmation that her speculation is correct. I had mentally prepared myself for my first day as a volunteer at a Head Start program in Detroit. Hitting, crying, screaming—these were my worst-case scenarios. I did not expect the most salient aspect of my identity to be questioned with such confidence and gusto by a girl barely over the age of five.
Cultural insensitivity is not uncommon in the U.S, or the world for that matter (see Laura’s post). And how can I find fault in genuine innocence? What bothered, and continues to bother me, about the little girl’s comment is how indicative it is of a larger societal issue. I was probably the first, or one of a small number of Asian people this little girl has ever encountered. She will probably never know the beauty of diversity because policy makers and America’s educational system will keep her in a classroom with those who share her skin color and class background. Not surprisingly, segregation in the classroom affects the quality of education a racial minority receives in comparison to his or her white counterparts.
In a country where racial discourse is too often framed from a black and white or black and Latino dichotomy, where do Asian Americans find voice in discussions on educational inequality? More specifically, in a country where Asian Americans have supposedly set and exceeded standards for educational success, should we even care?
Last month, the New York Times released an article entitled “Report Takes Aim at ‘Model Minority’ Stereotype of Asian American Students.” According to the report, the model minority perception “diverts attention from systemic failings of K-to-12 schools, shifting responsibility for education success to individual students.” While psychological distress and esteem issues are unsurprising outcomes of the dangers of the model minority myth, as the report suggests, the failings of the educational system are unfortunately overlooked.
Left in the Margins: Asian American Students and the No Child Left Behind Act, a report by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), states that the myth of the model minority often negates the fact that many Asian Americans, particularly those who do not speak English as their first language, have difficulties succeeding in school. Contrary to stereotypes that describe Asian Americans as model students of academic achievement, many Asian American students are struggling, failing, and dropping out of schools that ignore their needs.
Programs meant to close the achievement gap between minority and white students and improve the achievement of all students, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) lack the provisions necessary to ensure that such laudable goals are actually met.
NCLB requires that students are regularly assessed in reading and math, often in the form of standardized testing, and that their performance on these assessments be used as a measure of the school’s educational quality. If student scores do not meet these achievement targets, the school may face a number of sanctions, including the dismissal of staff and a complete overhaul of the school’s management. The law fails to acknowledge that schools must first be equipped with the proper resources in order to achieve academic success.
I began this post with the anecdote of the little girl in Detroit because, as hackneyed as this sounds, she made me examine my own shortcomings and privileges. I didn’t know how to respond to her question because I knew why she asked it, and that knowledge made me uncomfortable. I was probably one of the first, or the first Asian person she had ever encountered because Asian Americans who actualize the “American dream” and consequently fulfill the model minority stereotype don’t send their children to public school in Detroit.
But what about the Asian Americans who, due to the failings of the education system, find it difficult to fulfill the stereotype? According to the AALDEF report, most school districts do not provide sufficient services for English Language Learners (ELL), especially those who speak a language other than Spanish. In California, home to one of the largest concentrations of A/PIAs in the country, there were over 34,000 Vietnamese speaking ELLs. Yet despite Vietnamese being the second most common native language of California ELLs, there are no two-way bilingual programs in the entire state of California for any Southeast Asian languages.
I may be presumptuous in saying this, but in Garden Grove, home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam, the median household income is approximately $50,000, compared to neighboring cities whose residents claim average household incomes in the $100,000 range. The demographics in these cities are also significantly different. As of the most recent census, 30.9% of Garden Grove’s population claimed to be of Asian descent compared to the neighboring city of Orange (my hometown), with only 9.3%. In short, money matters.
NCLB expired in 2007 and is up for reauthorization. According to AALDEF, as Congress considers the reauthorization of NCLB and other education reforms, legislators, policy makers and policy advocates must take into account the needs of Asian American students, a group that is often neglected, due in part to the model minority myth.
It’s easy to discuss the myth and to ironically sit in out ivory towers and attempt to debunk it. Segregation, economic disparities, language barriers and the resulting challenges they cause—to me, these things matter more than how good the Asian kid next door is at calculus and whether his ability to understand the derivative of a graph affects his psychological well being. We know the model minority myth is false. It’s time to focus on fixing the causes of those falsehoods.
NY Times Article
College Board & NYU Report on the Model Minority Stereotype
AALDEF Report
California Census Data
-Veronica
The little girl looks at me with her bright brown eyes, naturally inquisitive, almost pleased to have made such an observation. I can tell that she is waiting for a response, some affirmation that her speculation is correct. I had mentally prepared myself for my first day as a volunteer at a Head Start program in Detroit. Hitting, crying, screaming—these were my worst-case scenarios. I did not expect the most salient aspect of my identity to be questioned with such confidence and gusto by a girl barely over the age of five.
Cultural insensitivity is not uncommon in the U.S, or the world for that matter (see Laura’s post). And how can I find fault in genuine innocence? What bothered, and continues to bother me, about the little girl’s comment is how indicative it is of a larger societal issue. I was probably the first, or one of a small number of Asian people this little girl has ever encountered. She will probably never know the beauty of diversity because policy makers and America’s educational system will keep her in a classroom with those who share her skin color and class background. Not surprisingly, segregation in the classroom affects the quality of education a racial minority receives in comparison to his or her white counterparts.
In a country where racial discourse is too often framed from a black and white or black and Latino dichotomy, where do Asian Americans find voice in discussions on educational inequality? More specifically, in a country where Asian Americans have supposedly set and exceeded standards for educational success, should we even care?
Last month, the New York Times released an article entitled “Report Takes Aim at ‘Model Minority’ Stereotype of Asian American Students.” According to the report, the model minority perception “diverts attention from systemic failings of K-to-12 schools, shifting responsibility for education success to individual students.” While psychological distress and esteem issues are unsurprising outcomes of the dangers of the model minority myth, as the report suggests, the failings of the educational system are unfortunately overlooked.
Left in the Margins: Asian American Students and the No Child Left Behind Act, a report by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), states that the myth of the model minority often negates the fact that many Asian Americans, particularly those who do not speak English as their first language, have difficulties succeeding in school. Contrary to stereotypes that describe Asian Americans as model students of academic achievement, many Asian American students are struggling, failing, and dropping out of schools that ignore their needs.
Programs meant to close the achievement gap between minority and white students and improve the achievement of all students, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) lack the provisions necessary to ensure that such laudable goals are actually met.
NCLB requires that students are regularly assessed in reading and math, often in the form of standardized testing, and that their performance on these assessments be used as a measure of the school’s educational quality. If student scores do not meet these achievement targets, the school may face a number of sanctions, including the dismissal of staff and a complete overhaul of the school’s management. The law fails to acknowledge that schools must first be equipped with the proper resources in order to achieve academic success.
I began this post with the anecdote of the little girl in Detroit because, as hackneyed as this sounds, she made me examine my own shortcomings and privileges. I didn’t know how to respond to her question because I knew why she asked it, and that knowledge made me uncomfortable. I was probably one of the first, or the first Asian person she had ever encountered because Asian Americans who actualize the “American dream” and consequently fulfill the model minority stereotype don’t send their children to public school in Detroit.
But what about the Asian Americans who, due to the failings of the education system, find it difficult to fulfill the stereotype? According to the AALDEF report, most school districts do not provide sufficient services for English Language Learners (ELL), especially those who speak a language other than Spanish. In California, home to one of the largest concentrations of A/PIAs in the country, there were over 34,000 Vietnamese speaking ELLs. Yet despite Vietnamese being the second most common native language of California ELLs, there are no two-way bilingual programs in the entire state of California for any Southeast Asian languages.
I may be presumptuous in saying this, but in Garden Grove, home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam, the median household income is approximately $50,000, compared to neighboring cities whose residents claim average household incomes in the $100,000 range. The demographics in these cities are also significantly different. As of the most recent census, 30.9% of Garden Grove’s population claimed to be of Asian descent compared to the neighboring city of Orange (my hometown), with only 9.3%. In short, money matters.
NCLB expired in 2007 and is up for reauthorization. According to AALDEF, as Congress considers the reauthorization of NCLB and other education reforms, legislators, policy makers and policy advocates must take into account the needs of Asian American students, a group that is often neglected, due in part to the model minority myth.
It’s easy to discuss the myth and to ironically sit in out ivory towers and attempt to debunk it. Segregation, economic disparities, language barriers and the resulting challenges they cause—to me, these things matter more than how good the Asian kid next door is at calculus and whether his ability to understand the derivative of a graph affects his psychological well being. We know the model minority myth is false. It’s time to focus on fixing the causes of those falsehoods.
NY Times Article
College Board & NYU Report on the Model Minority Stereotype
AALDEF Report
California Census Data
-Veronica
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