Servitors of the Empire

Reading Hamamoto's chapter from "Servitors of Empire" reveals how pessimistic the professor is about the future of Asian Americans. However, his fault lies in placing the burden of an entire movement on the shoulders of "Lenono". He concludes that "the dream is over" just because Ono was subdued by Lenin's death. Not only does this ignore the accomplishments of other Asian activists, it basically excuses young Asian Americans from activism. If the dream is dead, is there really any point in trying to improve society? This idea that Hamamoto presents goes against the commitment to "peace, social justice, and beloved community. If social justice stopped when it got too difficult, societal change would never occur. Even if Lenin was assassinated by the government for his subversive ideas, there are still others out there to take up the cause. Students still protest racial discrimination and the cutting of ethnic studies programs. People still protest the unjust killings of people of color. Although political activism may be weaker than it was in the 60's, it is not dead just because one man says it is. Movements by nature require more than one person. As long as there is more than one person supporting a cause, the dream is not dead.

Did the U.S. government actually assasinate John Lenin?

Laura Roser

Week 10 

11/21/15

Asian American protesters show solidarity with Syrian refugees. The dream is not dead