What Did You Say!?!?
By Staff
“Asian Americans don’t count as marginalized
peoples because they are the model minority.”
This week’s “What did you say? ” column is purposefully
directed toward Oberlin’s entire Community of Color. Hopefully,
after reading this column we will understand the importance of inclusion
in forming coalitions across different communities on campus.
Given the recent events concerning Afrikan Heritage House, and the growing
concern with minority recruitment—not to mention the dismal retention
rate of students of color at Oberlin College—I am glad to see
that students on campus are mobilizing around these issues, which are
all central to the current state and future of Students of Color at
Oberlin.
However, what worries me is that we sometimes prioritize certain groups
over others, for reasons that are out of the control of those being
ignored, in this case: Asian and Asian Americans. It is particularly
troubling because it precludes the possibility of ever forming alliances
among communities of color because of the preference for a select few.
Recently, a conversation with a Black American friend revealed that
the exclusion of Asian and Asian Americans in coalitions on campus has
something to do with their status in the United States as “the
model minority,” a rhetoric which is often the weapon of choice
for politicians, journalists (and even academics) to explain Asian American
“economic and educational success.” And it is often used
against their African American and Latino/a counterparts.
Model minority rhetoric emerged in the mid-1960s as a response to the
Civil Rights movement and Black and Brown Power movements. It is an
ideological construction employed by the dominant group to subordinate
the group it praises while also chastising those who do not fit the
model minority profile.
Now while it may seem on the surface that Asians and Asian Americans
do not confront the same forms of racism and discrimination, we forget
that Asian and Asian Americans were also subject to racist social policies
in the early half of the twentieth century and during World War II.
Also, Asians and Asian Americans have never been free from discrimination
on American soil. The recent incident at the University of Michigan,
involving two Asian American students, should serve as reminder that
this designation as the model minority does not make Asian Americans
immune to similar forms of racism and discrimination that afflict other
racial/ethnic groups in this country. The fact of the matter is that
these groups continue to suffer from similar, if not the same, racialized
constructions of race, gender and sexuality.
We have to be keen to the fact that now our South Asian brothers and
sisters confront similar forms of exclusion, racism and discrimination
on both the international and national level in the post-9/11 era.
Furthermore, it benefits no one to use this “model minority”
myth, that was used against Blacks and Latino/as, against Asians and
Asian Americans. They should not be made to pay the price for a title
to which they never consented, a title that has been more of a burden
than anything else. By using this myth against them, we are only continuing
the old trick of “divide and conquer.”
We, as students at a place like Oberlin College, should therefore not
buy into these social constructions intended not only to maintain the
status quo but also prevent coalition building among communities of
color. While I understand that there are strong commonalities among
Latino/as and Black Americans, I have to argue that this by no means
implies that we should ignore other potential allies who face similar
struggles. Especially, since we are only a few on this campus, I see
no reason why we should not invite our other brothers and sisters to
join the struggle, whatever it may be. Remember that in this big world
of ours, we are not the minority—the dominant group is; and that
exclusions based on either race, gender or sexual orientation are not
only wrong, but counter-productive to the struggle for social justice.
Just think about all the things we can accomplish together on this little
campus.
“What Did You Say!?!?” is an informational column
where the editors take an uneducated/offensive/insensitive comment and
deconstruct the stereotypes around the comment. It serves to further
educate the wider Oberlin community on these issues. If you would like
to submit comments/questions that you feel need to be addressed, please
email ocinsolidarity@yahoo.com. All entries will be anonymous.
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