Week 8 - Section 2 - Vy Nguyen

In this week's reading on What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice”, Mark Tseng Putterman discusses a lack of Asian American students activism on campuses not because Asian American students are apolitical, rather, they do not feel a sense of belonging, supported and/or safe. Thus, making them feel as visitors on their campuses instead of agents of change.

Putterman mentions the story of Tim Tai, an Asian American student reporter who wanted to record the event but the protesters did not want any reporters, and instead of respecting their wishes, Tai used the law and order to assert his right to carry out his job. This incident struck out to me because rather than supporting his Black peers, Tim Tai prioritized his job over racial injustice. As Kevin Cheng from the Atlantic asks, could Asian Americans be “contributing to the problems facing Black students" without knowing? (Putterman, 2016, 2). “Asian American students are either unsure of their space or is [mistakenly]  standing on the wrong side of the color line” (Putterman, 2016, 2). A good example to represent this statement is the debate over affirmative action. Asian Americans are often stereotyped as ‘model minorities', therefore, they are often in oppositions to race-neutral policies like affirmative action. Despite the polls which state otherwise, this rhetoric portrays them as aiding to the struggles facing Black students. Thus, they get removed from racial justice movements. This reminds me of a social media campaign that took place two years ago by Paradox, an Asian American sociopolitical rights organization at the University of Illinois. The hashtag #MyBananaStory brought awareness and empowered Asian Americans who felt alienated from the American culture and society. The meaning behind the banana was that Asian Americans might be yellow on the outside, but they are white on the inside. Thus, they should be able to exercise the same respect and rights as white folks. Given the pervasive number in Asian American political disenfranchisement on campuses, this movement was also great way for Asian American students to discuss more about student and/or political activism as they share their identity.  

#MyBananaStory - by Charmaine Balisalisa
(USA TODAY College)

Nevertheless, it is also important to acknowledge existing efforts and organizations so that more Asian American students can feel supported, encouraged, and participate. As the scope of this article revolves around Asian American students lacking the sense of belonging, by informing them about existing efforts will empower them and make them want to strive for change - for something better as these campuses are also their space - their house - so they can do something about racial injustice here.

Question: What do you think about Asian American student activism at UC Davis?

Reference:

1. Putterman, M. T. (2016, February 1). What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice. Retrieved from https://www.racefiles.com/2016/02/01/what-asian-americans-are-bringing-to-campus-movements-for-racial-justice/
2. Castillo, W. (2015, February 27). Asian-American students share their struggles in #MyBananaStory. Retrieved from http://college.usatoday.com/2015/02/27/asian-american-students-share-their-struggles-in-mybananastory/