Week 8 - Madison Yn

Madison Yn

ASA02 A02

Week 8

As much as Asian Americans resent the model minority stereotype, it is undeniable that it rings true in certain situations. While riding the bus in San Francisco with my Chinese American friend and I witnessed the transportation police racially profile a few black students and write them a ticket for purchasing a youth bus ticket instead of an adult one. They had just been quietly sitting on the bus, same as us, when the police interrogated them with questions about their age, birthday, ID, and residency. After they had finished writing up their tickets, the police kindly inquired about where my friend and I were going and told us it would be a little longer until Union Square. We both felt sick, wishing we could have done or said something to the police to stop them from harassing these students and from being treated so warmly seconds after they had racially targeted these students. I immediately thought of Mark Putterman’s article, “What Asian Americans are Bringing to Campus Movements” when he discussed how ameliorating the most marginalized community will benefit and improve the circumstances of everyone else. Whilst it’s important to advocate for Asian American rights or the incorporation of Asian American study programs, it is equally as necessary for Asian Americans to support other minority groups and students of color who are systematically less privileged than Asian Americans. Being in solidarity with other students of color will also negate the pejorative media portrayal of Asian Americans in student activism and serve to unite marginalized communities, rather than promote competition between which group is more disparaged. Many people feel that Asian Americans deserve more attention in their pursuit of justice and equality and being in solidarity with other students of color will make their concerns subservient, however some issues are more pressing and urgent than others such as the lack of Asian American media representation in comparison to African American profiling and police brutality. When more dire issues are addressed, it allows for activism for other social injustices with reciprocal support from other marginalized communities.

Why does the media depict Asian American interests as separate from or in conflict with other communities of color?

References:

Fists of Different Color Raised Together. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from https://www.autostraddle.com/be-the-change-5-tips-for-queer-activists-charging-into-2017-364040/

Putterman, M. T. (2016). What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice . Race Files . Retrieved November 12, 2017.