Reflection On Asian Americans

Hi Mrs Wong: I'm emailing you to talk about certain attitudes at PVCICS. It has come to my attention over the past few months that there have been some derogatory or mean things said at PVCICS over the past few months. When I was a bit younger, I had experiences with Asian people in high positions. I saw them with lots of money, no accent, and educated demeanors. I saw black or Hispanic people suffering from active racism, and from lower opportunities. Do you know what I thought? Maybe we're like white people - maybe we're privileged. Maybe if I buy in, I can make it. I gradually became familiarized with the notion of "bananas" - yellow on the outside, white on the inside. I held the belief that because I wasn't actively discriminated against, because I didn't have the same experiences with racism that some of my black friends

Now, I know that every day, I live with the cultural impact of racism, and of microaggressions. Now I know about The Chinese Exclusion Act, The Asiactic Barred Zone Act, the Page Act, H1B1 visa discrimination, to an extent the Vietnam War, and possibly most harmful of all, the model minority myth. Today, as an Asian student studying at a culturally diverse school, in a predominantly progressive state, I would expect to not come across too much stereotyping. Until recently, there have been no issues, and I think you and Mr. Alcorn have been doing a wonderful job running the school. While attending school as of late, I have encountered some potentially offensive things said at school; things usually not directed at me, or at anyone in particular. The comments made were typically of a "positive" nature. As I am sure you know, positive stereotypes can be just as damaging as negative ones, for reasons of setting the bar unnecessarily high or possibly depressing individuals who are "supposed" to possess them, but do not. Passive aggressiveness is racism, no matter how it is