GUEST COLUMN: "Toward Asian-American Unity"

Asian American is in a way a state of mind and a political statement more than it is something that can be measured by blood or a paper bag test." --Jeff Yang, editor-in-chief, A. Magazine Can you walk down the street and identify an Asian American? Is the Asian immigrant who just arrived in this country an Asian American? Is the Asian child who is adopted from birth by white, American parents an Asian American? Is the child of an Asian father and white, American mother an Asian American? Are you sure you know who is an Asian American? Asian American is not all encompassing, nor is it concrete. In many ways, being Asian American is a personal and individual choice about characterizing and identifying oneself. It is this lack of tangibility that makes the discussion of Asian-American student issues so elaborate and contentious. But behind the mystery and enigma of the term Asian American, lies the concrete reality of the individual Asian ethnicities. Asian American encompasses people whose heritage spans India, China, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Nepal and so on. Any meaningful discussion about Asian Americans must involve the individual Asian ethnicities. There simply is no Asian America without the individual ethnic components. This concept of bringing unity from multiplicity is the central tenant of the Asian-American consciousness. The problem is we take this idea for granted. We automatically assume that unity is a good thing -- that being Asian American is a good thing. We hardly ever question, let alone examine, the value of Asian-American unity. To understand our past and prepare for the future we, the Asian American students, must ask "Why is Asian-American unity so important?" At its heart, Asian-American unity is about forging a common identity for the purpose of exercising leverage in relationships of power. The idea is that one identifying term will mobilize several small groups into one large, vocal movement. And through such collective strength each individual Asian-American ethnicity, whether it be the Chinese Americans, the Korean Americans or the Asian Indian Americans, will be in a better position to seek cultural, political, social and economic change. But why is such change necessary? Basically because of the inherent exercise of power against the Asian-American community. Whether it be admissions quotas (Trustees of Harvard University v. U.S. Department of Justice), denial of justice against racist violence (Vincent Chin), U.S. senators making racist impersonations (Alfons D'Amato) or the portrayal of ethnic stereotypes in television (The Simpsons), inequities exist against individual Asian-American ethnicities. The fragmentation of the Asian-American identity aids in marginalization and in the denial of legitimacy. Only by coming together under the umbrella of a united community under the name of a united identity, called Asian American, can the dynamics of power be changed. Asian-American unity is not really about having different Asian-American ethnicities take turns at dancing on the same stage. Though these events have entertainment value, their greatest value derives from the fact that they are the means towards an end. They provide foundations of comraderie and similarity between the individual Asian-American ethnicities. They are the medium through which unity can be achieved. Behind the performances, speakers and dances, lies the goal of creating a common identity for many, towards the end of creating leverage in power relationships. Even though the ultimate goal of being Asian American may be of a power nature, that doesn't mean that advocacy should be promoted to the detriment of social and cultural programming. Social and cultural activities are of paramount importance to Asian-American unity. They are an exciting and powerful medium that appeals to large numbers of students and might be an innovative solution towards reaching out and increasing unity. Asian-American social and cultural events are just as much political statements as they are entertaining. So we come back to the original question -- Why is Asian American unity so important? In the end, being Asian Americans is not just about shows and celebrations, despite their value and fun. But it is about the potential for action and change that exists, once the curtain is closed and the lights are turned on.

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