Week 9: Samantha Nguyen

Samantha Nguyen

ASA 2 A03

Week 9

I found the reading, “Why Ferguson Matters to Asian Americans,” written by Soya Jung, to be eye-opening and inspiring. She discusses black rage and how rage is a part of her identity. She examines a tragic story that did not go viral of Sandeep Singh. He was a 29-year-old Sikh man who was run over and dragged 30 feet by a white man driving a pickup truck. This happened less than a week before the two-year anniversary of a white supremacist shooting rampage that killed six people in 2012. It is angering to read how these events do not “prop up ideas of American exceptionalism and meritocracy,” which means that it will not be acknowledged by society. Jung also brings up an interesting quote, “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white – separate but unequal.” This is a concept of Asian Americans having to take a position between whiteness and blackness. It is hard for those of non-white or non-black descent to find a place especially since our country seems to be based primarily on those two different groups. In the end, Jung firmly answers the question of whether Ferguson matters to Asian Americans or not. I find myself agreeing with her as well because I would much rather see a world with people armed with love and rage in the face of tanks and guns. Regardless of which ethnic group we identify with, we should stand in global solidarity with one another to end racial bias and white supremacy in all its forms.

Question: How can we bring about more awareness to the invisibility among Asian Americans? 

References:

1.     Jung, S. (n.d.). Why Ferguson Matters to Asian Americans . Retrieved from http://www.racefiles.com/2014/08/20/why-ferguson-matters-to-asian-americans/

2.     [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://baysolidarity.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/statement-from-asians4blacklives/