Week 3-Esther Perng A01

In "Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of Hmong Americans,” the author, Kaozong Mouavangsou, talks about academic importance in the Hmong community with interviews of 6 different Hmong families and their educational backgrounds. I found it really interesting to see the similarities between these families and the fact that despite the parents’ not having many opportunities for higher education, many of their children went on to pursue a college degree. As mentioned in the paper, “both the parents and the children share these powerful beliefs in education as a pathway to financial security” and I complete agree that many Asian families share that same belief. Growing up in an Asian family and speaking with other people who have similar backgrounds, I’ve noticed that taking Honors and Advanced Placement classes, getting into a “good” college, etc. were all things that were believed to signify intelligence and future success. I’ve seen so many Asian parents recall that their decision to have their children grow up in the US was to give them a better future in terms of education and job opportunities, and I think that’s such a ubiquitous sentiment among many people of color, as it also extends to African and Latinx parents.

 

Question: Why are Asians, out of all minorites, the ones that place the most emphasis on a connection between education and success? Where did it come from?

References: 

     Mouavangsou, K. N. (2016). Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of Hmong Americans. (Unpublished master's thesis). University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.

     Photo: Retrieved from https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1002817