Redefining Asian Americans

Rheana Ostrea

Blog 1

ASA 02 A03

September 30, 2015

In “Four Prisons,” Omatsu brought up redefining the image of different ethnic groups through social movements, the different prisons people get trapped in, and how break free. Ethnic groups have redefined themselves throughout the years by using their history bringing community consciousness through social movements. The redefinition of these groups are important because it helps to better understand their history and allow them to find new ways to change current issues. Asian Americans still struggle to define who they are because they are seen as the “model minority” even though different Asian groups have low paying wages and others struggle in school. The stereotyping of model minority is important to understand because it does not clearly represent the whole Asian American community but is the phrase that elites and public see for the whole community. An important thing to note is that Asian Americans as well as other ethnic groups need to see the importance of coming together and using their history to tell the story of who they really are and what they stand for.

Question: Why did the Asian American’s who went into politics in the 1980’s denounce early social movements as destructive but still stand proud?