Blog Entry #1 & #2

Kimberly Hwang

Section A01

The Start of Asian Pacific Immigration and it’s Effect
The article “Making and Remaking Asian Pacific America” by Bill Ong Hing, explains the immigration of Asian Pacific immigrants to America, the different ways in which they can be granted citizenship, for example through occupational reasons or through familial connections, and the effects Asian Pacific immigration have on both their homeland and in America. The 1965 amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act began the influx of Asian immigration and determined the qualifications of obtaining U.S. citizenship and the 1990 immigration reform act increased the number of people who can become qualified. Because of these monumental acts passed, half of the legal immigrants here in America are Asian Pacific. 
This article was very interesting because my parents were immigrants, and this allowed me to see first-hand how difficult it is to obtain citizenship. This article lists all the “preferences” that gives immigrants citizenship, but these “preferences” are not the case for everybody. There are many immigrants, who come to America in hope of a better life, that do not fulfill any of these preferences. Although the limitations have increased from the 1960s, these limitations are still too low. The number of Asian people that seek to come to America for a better life are much higher than the actual number of immigrants that are granted visas or citizenships. For example the number of refugees allowed into our country has decreased significantly due to the Refugee Act of 1980. The number of Asians trying to come to the US will always be increasing, yet the limitations are still too low, will the US take further acton to comply with the influx of immigrants?

The Movement that Started it all

The article “Berkley Free Speech Movement: Paving the way for campus activism” by Robby Cohen, was an inspiring movement that proved that non-violence and persistence can let our voices be heard. This movement is so historic because it allowed college students to speak up against injustice, which was not allowed before. Although people had the rights to free speech they were denied this right and so the students spoke up. What moved me the most about this protest was that even after the administrators did not comply after the first attempt, the students persisted until they got what they were fighting for. Through all the hard work of the students who were denied their rights, the Free Speech Movement became an example to all other schools showing that non-violent protests do work and that students do have a voice. A group of brave protesters became a model for all students in schools all over the nation to take action upon injustice. 
Results of the Free Speech Movement can be seen through our own protests here in UC Davis, such as Occupy, which was meant to be a peaceful protest, to voice the students’ concerns that ended badly due to the poor judgment of the administrators and law enforcement. Similarly to the Free Speech Movement, the students persistently protested in peaceful ways but were faced with aggressive law enforcements. Although the protest resulted in many students being hurt, this incident was made known all over the nation, showing the brutal treatment of university students and why the students were protesting. The Free Speech Movement was a monumental movement which inspired many students to not be idle and take action, and to let their voices be heard. Will future protests at universities, continued to be faced by aggressive action by the administrators? Who is protecting the students?