Connections

A reaction to "Asian Pacific Americans' Social Movements and Interest Groups"

Jackson Williamson

First of all, this article reminded me of some local incidents. In particular, when I was in high school (at Davis High) my locker was close to a memorial to Thong Hyunh, a student stabbed to death on campus because of his race. This occurred in the 80's, and of course everyone at the time came together for the common cause of educating future students about diversity and the many different South East Asian groups, which lead to more diversity events being held on campus.

The mention of the redress campaign for internment reminded me of the recent debates over the naming of the new elementary school, which ended up as the "Fred T. Korematsu Elementary School at Mace Ranch".

Korematsu was involved in a case that went to the Supreme Court regarding Japanese internment.

Finally, I found the example of South Asian religious buildings in white communities quite interesting, paralleling what the "Four Prisons" article said about culture and politics being indistinct. People who were just expressing their culture immediately found themselves in the midst of a political struggle, so they had pre-formed organizations based on cultural and religious bonds that brought them strength in politically promoting themselves.