Week 8 - Leigh Bagood

Leigh Bagood
Section 2
Week 8

In “What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice,” Putterman discusses Asian American student involvement in racial justice movements. He first addresses the uncertainties among Asian Americans about their place in the Black-White binary that is most prevalent in racial justice discourse. There exists a notion that Asian Americans internalize an “Asian privilege” and either detach themselves from these types of movements or are on the wrong side due to the ambiguity of their status. This is due to things such as the model minority myth that leads to Asian Americans not being considered people of color because of the lessened severity of their struggles in society. Other reasons students may detach themselves is due to parental expectations. And some Asian Americans think that these racial justice issues are things that do not affect them. However, this article notes how important it is to point out the anti-Black sentiment within the Asian American community. This is not something I began to learn more about until I came to college. Anti-Black sentiment is definitely prevalent within the Filipino-American community, especially among older generations and it is clearly shown in beauty standards. However, if we look back in history, we can see how all of our histories as people of color have intertwined and recognize why multi-ethnic solidarity is crucial to the resistance against oppression. While some things may not directly involve us, it is important to at least be aware because ultimately, once the most marginalized groups receive justice, everybody does, and that is why it is “Black Lives Matter.” It is also important for Asian Americans, who are often viewed as passive and silent, not to fall into the cycle of the self-fulfilling prophecy where being told an Asian American movement doesn’t exist causes them to act as so.

Question: One of the issues with mobilizing Asian Americans for student activist movements is the diversity within the Asian American community itself, with people coming from different cultural, historical, and financial backgrounds. What are ways to address these divides to create more political solidarity?

References:

1. Putterman, M. T. (2016). What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice . Race Files . Retrieved November 12, 2017.
2. [Digital image]. (2014, December). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from http://www.seeding-change.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/tumblr_nal60xtjNX1rw3xb4o1_500.jpg