There is no doubt that in many Asian American families, education is of utmost importance. Kaozong Mouavangsou's article Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation Of Hmong Americans describes how in Hmong families, educations is what leads to success. Being educated, in their eyes, means financial stability and happiness. This idea was common in the Hmong families that she interviewed, however, this idea is almost the status quo when it comes to the Asian American population. In my experience my parents want the best for me. They believe that being educated will lead to a better life for me in the future, and they're right. I agree with the notion that Kaozong's interviewees and my parents believe. Even though it is rather harsh, and people from the outside looking in believe the same way. By this I mean, as Asian Americans we are stereotyped as the "model minority" or the myth that as a whole Asian Americans are wealthy and are highly educated. This is myth is actually not true. Data shows that there is a disparity in education between Asian American ethnicities. There is a significant difference in the amount of degree holders among the ethnicities, where southeast Asians are unfortunately are at the bottom end. This myth is a result of miseducation, an idea described in Kaozong's article.
My question is: What can our generation, especially those involved in student activism, due to change the narrow view our nation has of Asian Americans?
The video below describes the myth I mentioned, and gives insight on how the nation views the Asian American population.
References:
Mouavangsou, K. N. (2016). The Mis-Education of the Hmong in America (Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Davis).
Model Minority Myth: Asian Sterotypes in Media [Video file]. (2015, April 29). Retrieved April 9, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Li59yVhUNY
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