Session 6 readings, 9/30 afternoon

[Eric Hoh]

I appreciate that you recognize that "one of my roles is to teach my students how to... challenge and deconstruct myths and stereotypes through thought, empathy, and exposure to other viewpoints." If there is one thing to be gained from Professor Kurashige's lecture, that would be it. Keeping this in mind, a suggestion that I have for even beginning this type of learning for students (in this example, secondary students) would be utilizing supplementary resources (blog posts and articles) that outline the history of the de-sexualization/imasculation of Asian men in the United States. I would begin by asking the class "Would you ever date an Asian person?" This would provide an engaging and fun segue for students to see a side of US history (and also history in general) that is a little more elusive and malicious. 

[Eric Hoh]

I love teaching these extremely important events in US history to my students. However, I have noticed that many students are relatively apathetic when learning about the xenophobia and exclusion of East Asians in American history. In order to make this more relevant to my students in South Central Los Angeles, I often add the 1992 LA Riots to the mix. Many of my students are more familiar with this moment in history because they have heard stories from their older family members. By linking these more distant anti-Asian events with something more near and dear to the experiences and narratives of my students and their communities, I hope that there can be more engaging discussion about these poorly represented histories. In addition to this, I also hope that there can be some healing and reconciliation in communal attitudes and views towards Asian Americans when my African American and Latino/Hispanic students bitterly think about the conflicts surrounding Los Angeles in 1992. 

[Beverly Nettles]

The Japanese exclusion of the 1920's were obvious acts of racism on behave of the U.S.  Ozala could not become an immgrant citizen because he was Japanes and not white.  However, the U.S. allowed an indian with simiar moral characterist traits to join its army and to becomes a citizen, because he was considered white, that's injustic.  Thus, the supreme court in 1923 rules that Indian are considered caucian, but the common man does not see him as white, and Fin's citizenship reversed.   

The wiseman, is able to muneuver around most obstacles.   In an effort to get around the immigrant laws, the Japanse used Allien land law rights - birth right citizenship to purchased land, so they purchased land under their children's name.  Knowledge is powerful, but wisdom is more powerful.  As a teachers, we provide our students with knowledge, and hopefully an opporunity to display thier wisdom.  By providing them an opporunity to display and share what they  know and think they will retain and remember what they are learning.  I plan to allow my students lead discussions in small groups and before the whole group.  My fondest and most memorable lessons learned were when I was part of a debate in a history class; when I became an active participate verses a passive learner is when I began to engage in my learning.  

[Evelyn Mendoza]

Professor Kurashige's "Two Faces of Exclusion" asked a very important question: " How did a nation that once singled out Asian Americans for discrimination and scorn end up becoming the world's magnet for today's migrations from Asia?" 

This is a great question to ask becuase it applies to the experience of so many peoples, most will be able to empathize with the people who have lived, or live, this. I would like to pose this question to my students. I would like to know why they think people who are discriminated against, are accused of being rapists, of being terrorists, continue to be drawn to this nation. Many of my students are first generation U.S. Citizens, so I belive they will have plenty to say about this. I would also like to know if they think that the sacrifices their family made was worth it, despite the ongoing discrimination. This would be a great discussion using Socratic Seminar. 

How to Bring Socratic Seminar to Your Classroom - Teaching Channel 

[Beverly Nettles]

American has a habit of selective citizenship, which is faulty.  During the Holocuast American denied hundreds of fleeting Jews access, and in more recent years they have sent ships with African/blacks back to their homeland i which many died at sea; not to say that all is injust, but rather cruel, when lives are at steak.  Why were the Japanese granted citizenship, but not China - as mentioned the U.S. needed them, or used them against China... Which brings me to my point of how other's view the U.S.; are we a Christian Nation, or like many other Nations build on supremcy and greed (?).  

[Beverly Nettles]

Unfortunately, slavery still exists today, and the U.S. was built on slavery, thus, Professor Kurashinge's lecture on racism against Asians I trust is accurate.  In the 1940's established Japanese business owners were forced into concentration camps.  It's also true that mankind can have a change of heart; however, to change racism it's going to take the majority of mankind to have a change of heart.  Obviously, most don't like hearing the truth, thus, advert attention onto other issues..., rather than deal with their own prejudice.  

[Valerie Doby]

Racism is a difficult subject to approach.  I enjoyed this lesson because it broaden my thinking about racism in our society.  How some people’s hearts and can change and how sometimes politics can change your mind and maybe not your heart.  Since I work with students of color and we talk about racism a lot I realize with this lesson that I have forgotten about the Asian community.  I need to broaden my outlook so I can boraden my students outlook.  Since I don’t really teach Asia in America I can use this in my English class in some books that I select that help students see that racism as an affect on many different people in America and we need to be aware of our own bias and if need be do like the people the professor spoke of and change.

[Valerie Doby]

I think it is important that Black and Brown students understand that they are not the only people that endure racism.  When they can see outside of their own experience they can be better citizens and it can bring a better dialog into the classroom.  I don't think I would like to compare the racism experience, I think I would like to compare the response to racism: fighting back, being strong, changing hearts and minds.  I am not sure how exactly but I think the negatives are always in the media so I want to see ways people overcame racism.

[Jazmin Luna]

It's interesting to see that many of us do not know much of East Asian History.  Even in college, for whatever reason it was, I was never interested in the topic since I focused on the history of the U.S. and Latin American up to WWI.  After reading "Two Faces of Exclusion," I realized that I too have stereotyped Asians.  Even my mom today said it and it made me think that they way we grow up does affect our views of others.  I too believed that Asian Americans were "uniformly smart and successful." That that was the reason why they were amongst the top students in all my classes and why they had better jobs. But that is just a stereotype, not a bad one though.  I never really thought that they faced discrimination since they seemed to have a better education and careers.  However, that is not due to the fact that they are Asian, it's due to their hard work and commitment to a better life.  After listening to Professor Kurashige and reading about Vincent Chin and Wen Ho, then it became real clear that they too have faced a lot of racism just like African Americans and Hispanics.  It makes you think, why is this country like this.  No matter what period of time we are talking about, any one certain race is always being discriminated more. 

[Aja Koester]

On the Go For Broke National Education Center there is a great resource called the Hanashi Oral History Archives. It is video clips of Japanese Americans telling about their experience in America during WWII. I watched a few of the clips, but one that resonated with me was Choichi Shimabukuro talking about war trauma. He says, "You know, seeing people go through all that hardship, and yet, things like people that come back and they are, they call it what, "shell shocked," something like that.  Don't take them cheaply.  That person took as much as he can.  So, don't look down on them.  Some people can take more, some people less.  They call it battle fatigue." I thought this was such a great example of empathy. He himself was able to move on after war, but he understands the soldiers who were never the same. I would like to use these stories alongside war poetry such as Stephen Crane's "War is Kind". I feel these videos would pair well and bring a perspective from a different group of Americans.

http://www.goforbroke.org/learn/archives/oral_histories_video_public.php?publicclip=02805

[Ann Huynh]

This lecture was captivating.  Professor Kurashige knowledge about Asian Americans is extensive.  For a long time, according to the Africans the Asians were considered “honorary White” and that they were treated like White is misleading.  Just like any other minority groups in America, they encountered discrimination after discrimination.  There were numerous immigration acts that prevented and excluded the Asians from serving and becoming United States citizens.  It was not until 1952 that Asians can start to attain citizenship, but they have been immigrating to America since the late 17^th century.  Also, many Chinese helped built the railroad and settled into communities, such as Chinatown.  The students have heard about Chinatown and a few of them have visited it, but a lot of them that do not know why Chinatown came about.  I would start with Chinatown and then have the students talk about their own family journey to America so that they can understand and know why their family immigrated to America.           

[Catalina Silvestre]

The book, “Two Faces of Exclusion” by Lon Kurashige, discusses anti-Asian racism in the United States and denies racism and complicates it by showing the other impulses that offset the racism by allowing others to come into the U.S. known ass egalitarian.  Treating the Asian immigrants the same as European immigrants putting the same restrictions on immigrants that are excluded.  The argument led to two issues in regards to racial discrimination being the exclusion and naturalization allowing the ones that came before to become citizens.  Asians were not allowed until 1952 to become citizens.  They were allowed to come but not treated the same because they were considered aliens not eligible to citizenship, which gets around the fourteenth amendment.  By wording it in this way the fourteenth amendment could not be stricken down.  Interestingly enough the Africans, Native Americans, and others were able to receive nationalism or rights to nationalism.    

[Catalina Silvestre]

I agree with you that racism is a difficult subject to approach.  After listening to the lecture I was able to gain a little bit more insight on how other races outside of the African-American community deal with racism.  In undergrad I took a lot of cross-cultural classes such as Native American studies, Chicano studies as well as black studies courses.  The unfortunate thing is that they don't always teach you about the downside are they don't focus on it and/or going to great deaths are details about the racism that other cultures outside of the African American community, Chicano community, Mexican American community have faced.  I did however gain understanding as to how great political leaders had changes of heart in regards to racism and what racism meant to them.  On the flip side it also made me wonder did these individuals have a change of heart because of Financial and economical gain and reasons.  Sadly, in the various situations, where you do have to look at both sides to determine what one’s intentions truly are?  I like to make my students think more and depth about scenarios like this and ask the why question as well as play devils advocate.

[Tanish Fortson]

During the 19^th century the Chinese helped build the United States railroads the connected coasts. This railroad contributed to the enormous growth of the nation, our history, and the creation of infrastructure.  The United States recruited works straight from China, which shows the kind of relationship that the US has with China at one point. I think that understanding how this first wave of migrant works helped shaped both the United States and China.

 

We don’t know how the workers were treated and how they responded to the working conditions. It was a lot of racism especially from “white” America because they were angry about cheap Chinese labor. This anger lead to the1882 passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act prevented immigration and naturalization on the basis of race. This prevented new immigration, which directly affected the Chinese worker already here in the United States that came over without their wives and children. There was another law that prevented Chinese men from marrying white women. It was also law prohibiting Asian’s from owning land. I remember when I took my students on a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance the had a few exhibits on racism that included photos from the early 1900s which showed how whites had vandalized the shops of Asians. 

[Ann Huynh]

The additional list of suggested readings was very useful.  To understand what the Japanese was experiencing in America during World War II, primary sources of their personal experiences need to be taken into consideration.  The website: dehsho.org has a lot of photographs and stories that showed the racism they faced.  It is not a nice story, but it will help my students understand that all minorities in America at some point in history had to deal with racism.  As diverse as a country as we are, racism is a topic that will probably never go away because people fear those who are different from them.  Hearing and seeing what happened is an extremely powerful tool for students.         

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