A01
18 November 2017
"Why Ferguson Matters to Asian Americans" stressed the importance of standing in solidarity with other racially marginalized groups as an Asian American myself. Although we are not directly impacted by the issue, we should still stand our ground. It offered a different perspective on the model minority concept, discrediting it as something that has been historically perpetuated to pit Asians against other ethnic groups; as well as to set the standard for POCs in America to "shame" other groups. What stood out for me was the idea of Asians not falling within a white or black category, and because of this, we tend to stay silent and avoid the conflicts between the two. However, Asians profiting from being non-black does harm to the black community as America is historically full of anti-black history and beliefs. Being silent only reinforces this anti-blackness. I know that in Asia, colorism is still taking place, and most Asian people living in Asia prefer white skin over dark skin. Asians who often buy into this idea that "white is beautiful" may not want to put in energy for a movement in which they feel like they are not a part of because they might be under the notion that since they strive to be pale, they are technically "white" themselves. However, it is important that Asians are not deceived into thinking that they're "as good as white," recognize their place in the racial hierarchy that exists in America, and use this knowledge to fight against this systemic oppression.
Question: Does POC count for everyone who is not white?
References:
Jung, Soya. (2014, August 20). “Why Ferguson Matters to Asian Americans.” Race Files Retrieved November 18, 2017.
Kor, Shing Yin. [Digital Image]. (n.d). Retrieved November 18, 2017. https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5890d9211b0000260004d8d0.jpeg?cache=e3fzhfg9es&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale
No comments:
Post a Comment