Week 8 Jocelyn Centeno A02

Week 8 Jocelyn Centeno A02

“What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice” by Mark Tseng Putterman puts into perspective of Asian American student activist. He asks the question “What is the role Asian Americans have in the Black struggle?” In the article Putterman describes how Asian Americans statistically show overrepresentation in universities, but feel isolated as well within a large white population on campus. He also focuses on the solidarity between the Asian American movement and the Black movement. He asks the question “although it is important to lift up the most marginalized minority, when can Asian Americans voice their issues?“

I think it is important to recognize that it is not just an Asian problem or a black problem, but that collectively we are all trying have our voice heard. We each experience different forms of racism, but in the end we are fighting for the same right: racial equality. In the article Brandeis University’s black students had a sit in at Ford Hall the same day BAATF were going to list out their demands for Asian American studies. Instead of resenting the BBSO for overshadowing their cause BAATF and BAASA showed solidarity and joined the sit in. Although Asian Americans often feel like they have no voice and have no place on campus we can change that. Like the other said, “The reality is that an Asian American student movement is brewing, whether we bear witness or not.”

Question: We can see that lifting up the most marginalized group will benefit the rest of us, but when is it ok to voice Asian American issues?

Reference:

Putterman, M. T. (2016, February 1). What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice. Race files. Retrieved May 19, 2017.

Iroegbu, U. (November 24). Asian Americans Support Black Lives Matter [Photograph]. Minneapolis.