Week 3_Toan Tran_A04

Before my first year here a UC Davis, I had never heard about the ethnic group of Hmong people, but I am grateful to have been educated throughout my Asian American Studies classes and my peers from my Asian Pacific Islander floor about the culture and its people. Reading Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of Hmong Americans brings to light some of the struggles my very peers had to go through while growing up that very much still stands true till today. I found it interesting how the education system led some Hmong males to feel separated from their Hmong community. I can definitely see this occurring in other cultures as well, since the basis of this misconception is present still in some cultures, that academic success will result in emasculation. As a result, some of the Hmong males interviewed spoke about how they felt alone in higher education, apart from their community. Frankly, it is saddening to hear that a wall of fragile masculinity prevented some Hmong men to achieve higher education alongside their female peers, because it most likely prevented them from reaching their fullest potential.

On another note, the reading talks about how Hmong people are hardly ever mentioned in history books, especially in relation to the Vietnam war, and it is very true. Much of the history of Hmong people are looked over. But it should not be like this. The history of other ethnic groups and ethnic studies as a whole should be well incorporated into the curriculum of high schools across the nation—all in the effort of unifying our world. As I was cleaning out my email inbox earlier today, I came across an email from Professor Rodriguez spreading a petition for ethnic studies classes to be taught in all California high schools starting the school year of 2023-2024 and I hope that it will work.

I came across a grueling picture of an ethnic Hmong refugee who was being deported to Laos during the Vietnam war to remind ourselves how important knowledge of holistic ethnic history and people's backgrounds are—something that has been lacking in the education system for high schoolers especially.

Question: What can we do other than petition to contribute in this movement to include ethnic studies across high schools and educate others on ethnic history such as that of the Hmong people?

References: 

Mouavangsou, K. N. 2016. Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of Hmong Americans. Retrieved January 20, 2019

Hmong History Being Lost - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=hmong+history+being+lost&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS789US789&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjA7s6X4_3fAhWOHTQIHRfeDs8Q_AUIDigB&biw=1440&bih=722#imgrc=w4fLx9qs7lk9tM: Accessed 21 Jan. 2019.

“Petition AB 2772 Ethnic Studies.” Ethnic Studies Now, http://www.ethnicstudiesnow.com/ab2772. Accessed 21 Jan. 2019.