Asian American Voices Symposium
"Who am I?": A mixed Asian American dilemma
"Who am I?": A mixed Asian American dilemma
Health Session
Panel: Shiva Bidar-Sielaff (director of Community Partnerships for UW Health Services) and Professor Joan Fujimura (professor of Sociology)
In this session, two experts in the field of race and health facilitated a discussion addressing how race, ethnicity and mixed race affect both scientific
research and medical treatment.
Bidar-Sielaff shared her work experiences, initially explaining that a patient’s racial and ethnic data is often not collected at private health facilities. She
discussed how the practice of collecting racial data from patients can be controversial, but can nevertheless reveal disparities in treatment based upon
perceived race or ethnicity. She also shared stories about families who had negative health care experiences because medical professionals had not taken
adequate measures to ensure they fully understood the patient’s cultural and ethnic background. Professor Joan Fujimura began with a discussion of the
debate of whether the concept of race should even be used in scientific medical research. Some in the field argue that because race is a purely social
construct, its use in scientific research is inappropriate, while others argue that the correlations between race and disease/health are significant enough to
continue its use and consideration in research. She mentioned the recent marketing of BiDil, the first prescription medication approved for treatment of a
specific racial group.
Student participants were invited to share health-related experiences and ask questions of the panelists. The group discussed such topics as differences
between treatment based on perceived race versus self-identified race, how ethnic phenotypic ambiguity may affect treatment, and how people of mixed
race might effectively communicate with their health care professionals.
“Slanty Eyed Mama”
The event concluded with a great performance by Kate Rigg and Lyrus Hung, titled “Slanty Eyed Mama,” a comedy/musical hip hop exploration of
contemporary Asian American identity. Rigg’s lyrics and fierce rapping wonderfully complemented the beats and musical genius of Lyris Hung. The duo’s
sound was described as “fresh, aggressive and urban,” representing “the funky urban Asian woman … in the language of hip hop and contemporary rap.” All in
all, the Asian American Graduate Students Association’s Second Annual Asian American Voices was a huge success. And probably without their knowing it,
AAAGS has started a huge movement among Asian Americans to start speaking up, loud and clear, so that their voices may be heard and their presence
may be felt.
(Lynet Uttal and UW-Madison law student Elizabeth “Peach” Momoko Soltis contributed to this article. The session on Activism will be discussed in a future
issue.)
Panel: Shiva Bidar-Sielaff (director of Community Partnerships for UW Health Services) and Professor Joan Fujimura (professor of Sociology)
In this session, two experts in the field of race and health facilitated a discussion addressing how race, ethnicity and mixed race affect both scientific
research and medical treatment.
Bidar-Sielaff shared her work experiences, initially explaining that a patient’s racial and ethnic data is often not collected at private health facilities. She
discussed how the practice of collecting racial data from patients can be controversial, but can nevertheless reveal disparities in treatment based upon
perceived race or ethnicity. She also shared stories about families who had negative health care experiences because medical professionals had not taken
adequate measures to ensure they fully understood the patient’s cultural and ethnic background. Professor Joan Fujimura began with a discussion of the
debate of whether the concept of race should even be used in scientific medical research. Some in the field argue that because race is a purely social
construct, its use in scientific research is inappropriate, while others argue that the correlations between race and disease/health are significant enough to
continue its use and consideration in research. She mentioned the recent marketing of BiDil, the first prescription medication approved for treatment of a
specific racial group.
Student participants were invited to share health-related experiences and ask questions of the panelists. The group discussed such topics as differences
between treatment based on perceived race versus self-identified race, how ethnic phenotypic ambiguity may affect treatment, and how people of mixed
race might effectively communicate with their health care professionals.
“Slanty Eyed Mama”
The event concluded with a great performance by Kate Rigg and Lyrus Hung, titled “Slanty Eyed Mama,” a comedy/musical hip hop exploration of
contemporary Asian American identity. Rigg’s lyrics and fierce rapping wonderfully complemented the beats and musical genius of Lyris Hung. The duo’s
sound was described as “fresh, aggressive and urban,” representing “the funky urban Asian woman … in the language of hip hop and contemporary rap.” All in
all, the Asian American Graduate Students Association’s Second Annual Asian American Voices was a huge success. And probably without their knowing it,
AAAGS has started a huge movement among Asian Americans to start speaking up, loud and clear, so that their voices may be heard and their presence
may be felt.
(Lynet Uttal and UW-Madison law student Elizabeth “Peach” Momoko Soltis contributed to this article. The session on Activism will be discussed in a future
issue.)
By Heidi M. Pascual
The question “Who am I?” never entered the mind of an Asian immigrant to the United
States who arrived in the 1700s or when anti-miscegenation laws (provisions that prohibited
Asians from marrying Whites) were strictly enforced (late 1800s-late 1960s). “I’m Asian” would
be the only answer if ever the question even came up. The succeeding generations of these
Asian immigrants, however, had to answer the question not only coming from mainstream
America, but especially from within the deepest recesses of their soul.
Several political and demographic developments after World War II contributed to the
proliferation of mixed Asian Americans, including: the 1947 War Brides Act (allowing
American soldiers to ‘bring home’ their brides from war-torn countries); the 1965 Immigration
Act (allowing family members of immigrants to ‘unify’ and professionals to fill labor gaps in
certain fields); the 1967 Supreme Court declaration that anti-miscegenation laws were
unconstitutional; and the 1988 Homecoming Act (allowing children of soldiers and
Vietnamese women in). In addition, the gains of the civil rights movement in the ‘60s set the
stage for increased interracial marriages within the diverse American population.
The question “Who am I?” never entered the mind of an Asian immigrant to the United
States who arrived in the 1700s or when anti-miscegenation laws (provisions that prohibited
Asians from marrying Whites) were strictly enforced (late 1800s-late 1960s). “I’m Asian” would
be the only answer if ever the question even came up. The succeeding generations of these
Asian immigrants, however, had to answer the question not only coming from mainstream
America, but especially from within the deepest recesses of their soul.
Several political and demographic developments after World War II contributed to the
proliferation of mixed Asian Americans, including: the 1947 War Brides Act (allowing
American soldiers to ‘bring home’ their brides from war-torn countries); the 1965 Immigration
Act (allowing family members of immigrants to ‘unify’ and professionals to fill labor gaps in
certain fields); the 1967 Supreme Court declaration that anti-miscegenation laws were
unconstitutional; and the 1988 Homecoming Act (allowing children of soldiers and
Vietnamese women in). In addition, the gains of the civil rights movement in the ‘60s set the
stage for increased interracial marriages within the diverse American population.
Lynet Uttal, director of
UW-Madison Asian American
Studies Dept., facilitated Identity
Sessions 1&2
UW-Madison Asian American
Studies Dept., facilitated Identity
Sessions 1&2
(Top to bottom) Gilbert Jose delivered the opening
remarks; community participants Carolyn and
Kylene at Identity Session 1; “Slanty Eyed Mama”
remarks; community participants Carolyn and
Kylene at Identity Session 1; “Slanty Eyed Mama”
| (From top) UW-Madison Prof. Michael Thornton was the keynote speaker; Aris Dutka facilitated Identity Session 2 with Lynet Uttal. |
At first glance, the racial-divide problem could have been easily solved through interracial unions; but being “mixed” posed
another issue, a question primarily of being neither here nor there. The classification of the American population according to
race or ethnicity has been in existence for so long that the question became inevitable. It has become increasingly inadequate
to be classified as “Asian American,” or worse, for those who were born or grew up here, to be considered simply “American.”
To explore this touchy and very personal identity issue, the Association of Asian American Graduate Students (AAAGS) at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison presented the Second Annual Asian American Voices Symposium titled, “Mixed Race Asians:
Why They Matter to Asian America” on April 5 at the UW-Madison School of Law. Together with the Asian Pacific American
Law Student Association/South Asian Law Student Association, and the Asian American Studies Program, AAAGS conducted
three concurrent sessions on identity, health and activism, and capped the day with a great musical comedy and hip-hop
performance by Kate Rigg and Lyris Hung from New York, titled “Slanty Eyed Mama.”
Keynote
Dr. Michael Thornton, director of the Morgridge Center and professor of Afro-American Studies and Sociology at UW-Madison
opened the day’s symposium by issuing a message to his African American friends: “Stop claiming Barack Obama as one of
yours; he’s not one of yours,” Thornton said, drawing smiles, laughter and applause from his audience. “He’s one of ours! In case
you haven’t checked, Obama is half-Black, he’s half-White, he’s half-Asian … Perhaps he’s not half-Asian but his step-father was
Indonesian. He was raised partly in Indonesia, and most of his clothes are from Asia.” He then cited other celebrities,
particularly in the entertainment world who, more often than not, “wear their mixed racial status on their sleeves.”
Thornton then reviewed the Asian experience in America, from the first Filipino and Chinese workers who came to the U.S.
another issue, a question primarily of being neither here nor there. The classification of the American population according to
race or ethnicity has been in existence for so long that the question became inevitable. It has become increasingly inadequate
to be classified as “Asian American,” or worse, for those who were born or grew up here, to be considered simply “American.”
To explore this touchy and very personal identity issue, the Association of Asian American Graduate Students (AAAGS) at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison presented the Second Annual Asian American Voices Symposium titled, “Mixed Race Asians:
Why They Matter to Asian America” on April 5 at the UW-Madison School of Law. Together with the Asian Pacific American
Law Student Association/South Asian Law Student Association, and the Asian American Studies Program, AAAGS conducted
three concurrent sessions on identity, health and activism, and capped the day with a great musical comedy and hip-hop
performance by Kate Rigg and Lyris Hung from New York, titled “Slanty Eyed Mama.”
Keynote
Dr. Michael Thornton, director of the Morgridge Center and professor of Afro-American Studies and Sociology at UW-Madison
opened the day’s symposium by issuing a message to his African American friends: “Stop claiming Barack Obama as one of
yours; he’s not one of yours,” Thornton said, drawing smiles, laughter and applause from his audience. “He’s one of ours! In case
you haven’t checked, Obama is half-Black, he’s half-White, he’s half-Asian … Perhaps he’s not half-Asian but his step-father was
Indonesian. He was raised partly in Indonesia, and most of his clothes are from Asia.” He then cited other celebrities,
particularly in the entertainment world who, more often than not, “wear their mixed racial status on their sleeves.”
Thornton then reviewed the Asian experience in America, from the first Filipino and Chinese workers who came to the U.S.
in the 1700s and 1800s, the anti-miscegenation laws enacted soon thereafter that barred free Black slaves from
marrying Whites (and later included Asians in the prohibition especially during the anti-Asian movement), and
the developments from the mid-1900s that changed all that. He pointed to the Supreme Court decision of 1967
declaring anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional, radically changing society’s makeup. At that time, only 41
years ago, 38 states still prohibited non-Whites to marry Whites.
“In the past 40 years, we’ve moved from a primarily biracial society — Black and White — to a multiracial
society including many different racial groups,” Thornton said. This multiracial group is having a hard time
having their voices heard; this is the main reason for the day’s discussion, he said.
Identity Sessions Session 1: “Identity: The Meaning of the Mixed Race Experience”
Facilitators: Michael Thornton (keynote speaker) and Lynet Uttal (UW-Madison associate professor and
director, Asian American Studies Program)
In this session, participants watched clips from Mikko Jokela‘s video, “Mixed Feelings.” Jokela is a University of
California-Berkeley student who interviewed mixed race students and a professor on how they feel about being
mixed race. Thornton and Uttal responded to the clips from their personal perspectives as African
American/Japanese and Japanese/Russian/Jewish, respectively. Both their mothers are Japanese immigrants.
They talked about how context shapes how people make sense of their identity, how that changes over their
lives, how sometimes self-definition is reactive to how others see them and sometimes it’s about how they define
themselves in a more proactive way. They also talked about how it is important for parents of mixed-race kids to
socialize their children to understand their identities.
“I didn’t add my mother’s maiden name (Nishimura) as my middle name and decided to live with the ambiguity
and let people figure out my race based on our interactions rather than my name,” Uttal said. “I was upset when
kids teased me and called me ‘Red China,’ not because of the racism but because they didn’t know I was
Japanese.”
In Thornton’s case, he and his sisters define themselves differently, even though they have the same mix.
Growing up he was seen as Black but resisted that. One day when he was in college, he woke up and realized he
had to embrace his Japanese side as well, even though others couldn’t see it. “My mother is Japanese,” he
exclaimed as if he realized it for the first time in his life.
Session 2: “Identity: Theorizing Mixed Race in the Context of the U.S. Race System” Facilitators: Aris Dutka
(an Eastern European/Chinese law student at UW) and Lynet Uttal
In this session, Dutka and Uttal explained that when two mixed race people find each other, there is this
excitement of feeling like you’re not the only one of your kind in the world, even if you’re not of the same mix.
The participants had animated personal discussions which theorized about race in the United States. They
posed some of the theoretical questions that started the dialogues. The group asked: “Are mixed-race Asian
Americans the same as Asian Americans?” Yes and no. Dutka and Uttal came up with reasons for different
answers. Other questions raised were: “Are mixed race Asian Americans seen in the same way as other mixed
race people?” and “Are mixed-race Asian Americans viewed as honorary Whites or a minority group?” The
participants agreed that understanding takes a long process, that there is no absolute, categorical answer of yes
or no to these questions. The audience actively participated in these discussions.
marrying Whites (and later included Asians in the prohibition especially during the anti-Asian movement), and
the developments from the mid-1900s that changed all that. He pointed to the Supreme Court decision of 1967
declaring anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional, radically changing society’s makeup. At that time, only 41
years ago, 38 states still prohibited non-Whites to marry Whites.
“In the past 40 years, we’ve moved from a primarily biracial society — Black and White — to a multiracial
society including many different racial groups,” Thornton said. This multiracial group is having a hard time
having their voices heard; this is the main reason for the day’s discussion, he said.
Identity Sessions Session 1: “Identity: The Meaning of the Mixed Race Experience”
Facilitators: Michael Thornton (keynote speaker) and Lynet Uttal (UW-Madison associate professor and
director, Asian American Studies Program)
In this session, participants watched clips from Mikko Jokela‘s video, “Mixed Feelings.” Jokela is a University of
California-Berkeley student who interviewed mixed race students and a professor on how they feel about being
mixed race. Thornton and Uttal responded to the clips from their personal perspectives as African
American/Japanese and Japanese/Russian/Jewish, respectively. Both their mothers are Japanese immigrants.
They talked about how context shapes how people make sense of their identity, how that changes over their
lives, how sometimes self-definition is reactive to how others see them and sometimes it’s about how they define
themselves in a more proactive way. They also talked about how it is important for parents of mixed-race kids to
socialize their children to understand their identities.
“I didn’t add my mother’s maiden name (Nishimura) as my middle name and decided to live with the ambiguity
and let people figure out my race based on our interactions rather than my name,” Uttal said. “I was upset when
kids teased me and called me ‘Red China,’ not because of the racism but because they didn’t know I was
Japanese.”
In Thornton’s case, he and his sisters define themselves differently, even though they have the same mix.
Growing up he was seen as Black but resisted that. One day when he was in college, he woke up and realized he
had to embrace his Japanese side as well, even though others couldn’t see it. “My mother is Japanese,” he
exclaimed as if he realized it for the first time in his life.
Session 2: “Identity: Theorizing Mixed Race in the Context of the U.S. Race System” Facilitators: Aris Dutka
(an Eastern European/Chinese law student at UW) and Lynet Uttal
In this session, Dutka and Uttal explained that when two mixed race people find each other, there is this
excitement of feeling like you’re not the only one of your kind in the world, even if you’re not of the same mix.
The participants had animated personal discussions which theorized about race in the United States. They
posed some of the theoretical questions that started the dialogues. The group asked: “Are mixed-race Asian
Americans the same as Asian Americans?” Yes and no. Dutka and Uttal came up with reasons for different
answers. Other questions raised were: “Are mixed race Asian Americans seen in the same way as other mixed
race people?” and “Are mixed-race Asian Americans viewed as honorary Whites or a minority group?” The
participants agreed that understanding takes a long process, that there is no absolute, categorical answer of yes
or no to these questions. The audience actively participated in these discussions.