Week 3 - Emily Luc

Emily Luc
Section A03
Week 3

"Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of Hmong Americans" by Kaozong N. Mouavangsou sheds light on the neglect of Asian American minority groups in the American education system. Before reading this paper, I was not even aware that the Hmong population existed, let alone suffered from such injustices and discrimination. There are subsets of the Asian American population which have virtually zero representation within the American education system. According to the paper, the Hmong population highly values education and believes that higher education correlates to better financial stability. However, the American education system often discriminates against people of color and alienates them from their ethnic roots. The American education system has time and time again proved to be very discriminatory and ethnocentric. The Hmong population, as well as other Asian-American minority groups, have been constantly miseducated about their own history, language, and culture. Meanwhile, the Caucasian population is constantly portrayed as the "winners" throughout history, whether accurate or not.

The more I learned about the Hmong population, the more I found their struggles relatable. These cultural and gender inequalities are also present within the Vietnamese communities, because we are also a smaller Asian population that is often neglected or lumped in with larger Asian populations. Within the Vietnamese population, there is also a lot of pressure to perform well academically due to the common misconception that higher education guarantees financial stability. The reading brought up memories of my own experiences facing cultural and gender disparities in the past, and left me wanting to fight for justice.

Question: What actions can be taken within the American education system to establish equality for ethnic and cultural minority groups?




References:

Mouavangsou, K. N. 2016. Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of Hmong Americans. Retrieved October 8, 2017.

2000 Census of the Hmong Population in the US [Census]. (2000). Retrieved October 8, 2017, from https://keepinitrealevanston.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/554/#jp-carousel-562.