Asian American Social Movements

Week 1

Richard Nguyen

Section 001

March 30, 2015

            After reading Asian Pacific Americans' Social Movements and Interest Groups, I was able to get a better understanding of the struggles Asian Americans had to deal with living in the United States. Many people do not talk about the different social movements established by Asian Americans because historically Asians were minorities and did not have a major impact in the political movement. Growing up I did not learn any of the Asian organizations and interest groups discussed in this research article. The United States' school system were mainly focused on the movements established by Native Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans. This article talked about how the diverse Asian-Pacific American population had to fight against their own communities in order to keep their small businesses and affordable homes alive. It is shocking to me that the Asian population had to deal with so many hardships and discrimination here in the United States. The foreign affairs of the United States forced the Asian American community to build nationwide networks to better the lives of individuals held down by oppression.

Question 1: How do Asian Americans today feel able the oppression their family felt first arriving in the United States?