Ziqi Yin: Week Three Readings for ASA 002

           The article “Precariously Positioned: Asian American Women Students’ Negotiating Power in Academia” on Asian American women students and their struggle for power negotiations indicates a sense of great determination among the learners to achieve equal representation in the educational leadership systems. The students acknowledged that they had a significant responsibility of airing their voices as opposed to allowing the members of the White community to dominate the leadership structure. Thus, power negotiations were justifiable since the persistent efforts would persuade the leaders to adopt equality in the decision-making systems. In addition to inclusion in policy development processes, the students felt that the introduction of cultural studies would enable them to develop a sense of self-confidence. Usually, with adequate support and fair treatment of leaders, people can pursue their life goals eff

ectively. Thus, the lack of equitable leadership systems in higher education curtails the performance as well as the welfare of students. Besides, learners from minority groups develop anxiety and low self-esteem once they realize that the leaders perceive them as members of an inferior community.

     

      The article “Opening the Box: An International Asian Woman Scholar’s Fight” by Akiko Takeyama discusses various stakeholders’ perceptions about the emergence of a conservative Asian American movement in the educational institutions. In this case, the key stakeholders include the students and educators, and the discussion confirms that student activism is a crucial tool for ending unjust systems. In addition to offering equal opportunities for learning, the elimination of racial stereotypes, and the acknowledgment of diverse cultural backgrounds promotes peaceful relations among students from diverse communities. Based on the discussion, the Asian American students felt that the policymakers were using diversity to conceal the incidences of discrimination of students from minority communities. Although the leaders claimed that they were enforcing policies that could end affirmative action, the minorities in institutions such as Harvard continued to face segregation mainly due to their ethnic backgrounds. More importantly, the existence of discrimination in educational settings affects students’ sense of identity and academic outcomes. A majority of Asian American students experienced difficulties in undertaking their learning activities. They also had limited access to all the critical facilities as the administrators prioritized their White counterparts. The call for fair and equitable leadership systems through activism helped the students to receive notable recognition in the decision-making policies. However, higher institutions are yet to attain equality across racial boundaries.