Week 6: Kyrene Giezl Gutierrez - A01

Are Asians apolitical or are they just perceived to be this way?

Week 6’s readings revolve around the theme of student activism. In the article, “What Asian Americans Are Bringing to Campus Movement for Racial Justice,” Mark Tseng Putterman examines why Asian American student activism is seen to be invisible in regards to issues affecting people of color. Being apathetic and apolitical is commonly seen within the Asian American community. Unfortunately, there are Asian American students in Universities who are strictly there to learn, get the degree, and leave. So, why do people believe that Asian Americans are apolitical or apathetic? THE MODEL MINORITY MYTH. Due to the model minority myth, Asian Americans were taught to be silent, to put our head down, and not cause any chaos. However, a particular quote struck out to me from a student activist named, Kevin Park, who stated, “I think it becomes more imperative for Asian American student organizers to work with Black and Latino student groups to change the narrative around these issues so that the administration and the media cannot use Asian students as a wedge to push out other students of color” (Putterman, 2016). Immediately after I finished reading this section on the article, I thought about the Asian American student activists back in 1968 who fought alongside African American and Latinx American students during the Third World Liberation Front strike at San Francisco State University. As a unit, they successfully fought for the College of Ethnic Studies. Because of their fight, people of color are able to learn about their history and culture instead of the dominant Eurocentric education some of us have been exposed to since kindergarten. I believe that the Third World Liberation Front created a blueprint for other campuses to, hopefully, implement more ethnic studies into the curriculum to simultaneously reduce the invisibility of Asian American student activists and combat the model minority myth.

Question: How can we implement Ethnic Studies in K-8 schools, nationwide? If implemented, what would be the possible effects for young Asian American students, who would be exposed to Ethnic Studies at such a young age? Would they be more inclined to be apart of campus movements, social justice, etc., when they’re older or would nothing change?

References

Putterman, M. (2016, February). What Asian Americans are Bringing to Campus Movements for Racial Justice. Race Files.

Bartlebaugh, R. (2007, June 22). SF State Third World Student Strike [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ar2i-G5O-0