Panethnicity in the United States

Wing Man Lam

Section 1

Week 1

The article “Asian Pacific Americans’ Social Movements and Interest Groups” discusses about what hardships Asian immigrants and their offspring being minorities faced living in the United States. Many Asian ethnic groups have encountered inequality and injustices in the past and have bared unfairness without resisting. As time passes, groups often come together to protest for injustices. As I read this article, I doubted whether panethnicity truly exists. This word was new to me because I used to think that most minority groups pay little attention to issues related to other ethnic groups. Ethnic groups tend to classify among themselves and do not interact with others. Then, I remembered a recent news that was about a Chinese American police convicted of manslaughter. People from different ethnic groups were willing to help and petition to the white house. From this event, I am convinced that Asian American come together when they need to do so. Besides, I amazed by the strength created by solidarity. The history shows us that changes would be done when minority groups stand up and fight. I look forward to see more injustice to be changed in the future. At the end, I still have a few questions in mind: What people were thinking when they stood up for other minority groups? Were they just full of righteousness? Or were they expecting others to help them later?