Jenniger Nguyen Bernal A02 ASA2 Week 6

Jennifer Nguyen Bernal

Professor Valverde

ASA 02

In the reading "Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of and by Hmong Americans" by Kaozong N. Mouavangsou explains how Hmong Americans and their community are affected by the U.S school system. The value of education in American society has divided opinion within the Hmong community. When I was reading, I thought of the other factor that affected them like the model minority myth caused Asian American students not to receive the support and the resources they need. Asian American is currently dealing with privileged oppression. Privilege oppression affects Asian Americans like Southeast Asain Americans need the help and resources that are not available due to the model minority myth. Kaozong discusses the gender dynamics within the Hmong culture where she was not treated equally to her brother, and at school, she felt she could be equal when she works hard towards her education. The different values placed on gender play the same role despite cultural differences. I understand that gender plays a role within Hmong families, but she explains further on how there were positive stereotypes of the daughters and negative stereotypes of sons. With the study she did, she realized the research shows how she and Hmong students play into the idea of the U.S education system, saying that their educational struggle is due to Hmong cultural ideas that they consider a failure. I understand the miseducation about Hmong American since there are people who are not writing from a Hmong perspective. I feel like it is harder to understand when people in your community misunderstand and are miseducation within your community like Kaozong said the miseducation members within her community. It's hard to perceive the dominant narrative that education will help people to have a better future. Still, they blame the cultural traits that prevent people from succeeding when it is the U.S educational system that fails them. The U.S educational system did not see the flaws in their system, but believe that communities of color cause their flaws.

Do the U.S educational systems view different communities' cultural traits as a failure due to the stereotypes surrounding these communities and do not understand the perspective of these communities?

Hmong students at Lao Family Community Center, St. Paul, 1981-1982. Photographer: Michael Kieger. Minnesota Historical Society.

http://education.mnhs.org/immigration/narrators/hmong/kim-yang/my-father-thought-that-if-he-took-us-to-this-country-then-we-would-have-the