We're All Family Here

Xanh Tran

ASA 002 - A01

Response #3: SCA 5 Race Still Matters

We're All Family Here

                This infographic highlights socioeconomic disparities within the Asian/Pacific Islander community here in America by debunking common myths and assumptions, and educating about the present day effects of historical forces and institutionalized oppression. Opponents of SCA 5 have adopted the oppressive mindset of their oppressors instead of recognizing the bonds of struggle between ethnic communities in order to help each other gain equity.

The issue of SCA 5 deals with the heterogeneity within the Asian American community. Those who would benefit from it still face the most oppression today, present in financial inequality, unequal access to education, drugs, gang wars, and more. These groups are politically and socially targeted because of their stigma, which increases their hardships, and cycle continues. Most of these groups are Southeast Asian or Pacific Islander, including Hmong, Iu Mien, Cambodian, Laotian, Tongan, and Samoan. These groups are also the least represented across all boards: political, socioeconomic, and academic. The Vietnamese and Filipinos are caught somewhere in the middle. Statistics show that Vietnamese and Filipino sociopolitical representation is high in some fields and their academic achievements are rising, both higher than other Southeast Asian ethnic groups, but both also lower than more established East Asian ethnic groups like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Americans. As a result, there are Vietnamese and Filipino groups of both supporters and opponents of SCA 5.

The question now is: can we liberate not only our oppressed brothers and sisters, but also our oppressive brothers and sisters? Is it too late to educate and change minds, to fight for equity instead of this so-called equality?