Week 2: Kelin Tham-Graul A03

In “Asian Americans and Affirmative Action: From Yellow Peril to Model Minority and Back Again,” Nancy Chung Allred discusses the complex ways in which Asian Americans fit into the affirmative action conversation and the complex ways in which others perceive us. I found the history of Lowell High School to be personally relevant because of stories from my Chinese American mom, who attended Lowell and also expected me to attend before my family moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Although she truthfully reported that she was Chinese, outsiders suggested that she lie about her ethnicity to improve her chances of admittance, causing her to view my Chinese heritage as a potential disadvantage in school. I remember that in the midst of college applications, I would frequently hear a variety of rumors, including that Asian American applicants should make extra effort to prove their interest in liberal arts and extracurriculars. These efforts were supposedly meant to humanize us in the eyes of admissions officers, who might otherwise stereotype us as being robotic, overly focused on academics, and not good “holistic” applicants.

I have also noticed some of the “resentment and balkanization between Asian Americans and other minority groups” (Allred, 2007, p. 74) that Allred addresses. I sometimes witness Asian Americans discrediting other people of color and claiming that groups who benefit from affirmative action are at fault for the higher standards placed upon Asian Americans, a viewpoint which I disagree with because other marginalized racial groups are not to blame for this. Finally, I thought that the parallels between historical concerns over an influx of Chinese immigrants into the United States and modern concerns over Asian Americans in higher education were very interesting, as I had not previously noticed this similarity. Allred’s reasoning proves that the “model minority” stereotype does not protect Asian Americans from the white majority, as perceptions of Asian Americans are subject to change and can easily shift from favorable to unfavorable.

Question: Allred suggests that views of Asian Americans are becoming more hostile. How will these changing perceptions impact us in the future, and what should we do about this?

References:

Allred, N. C. (2007). Asian Americans and Affirmative Action: From Yellow Peril to Model Minority and Back Again. Asian American Law Journal, 14, 57-84. Retrieved October 1, 2017.

Curran, D. (2016, April 27). The Bay Area's top 30 public high schools of 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2017, from http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/The-top-30-public-high-schools-in-the-Bay-Area-7266738.php