I was the keynote speaker for two Madison events celebrating the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month recently: at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison Asian American Graduate Students Association's First Annual celebration; and at the Wisconsin
Department of Workforce Development. In both events, aside from promoting the story of Asian Wisconzine through a colorful
PowerPoint presentation, I chose to start with a speech that reflected my thoughts and feelings on several issues closest to my
heart: the "model minority myth"; political leadership; and Affirmative Action. I also highlighted my pride for the actions taken by the
Hmong community in response to two UW-Madison professors who were involved in separate incidents in which the Hmong felt
slighted; and the Virginia Tech tragedy that involved a mentally-ill Asian American shooter.
Please bear with me for reiterating my points on some of these issues in print.
On the "model minority myth"
In general, we Asian Americans are quiet, non-confrontational, and focused on minding our own business. Many of us have
high educational attainment and good-paying jobs, and own homes. Many of us have attained the so-called American Dream,
which is largely based on socioeconomic indicators. How many times have we heard that we have overcome prejudices and
discrimination without resorting to violent confrontations with others, that other minorities should follow us in their own quest for
hurdling barriers to achieving the American Dream?
The painful truth is, not all Asian Americans are successful, and not all Asian Americans are the same. Many of us need public
services such as bilingual education, documents in our own languages, as well as welfare. It is nice to be labelled a "model," but
in reality, we, like other minorities, are targets of racial inequality and institutional discrimination here in the U.S.
For every successful Asian American there is a high number of Southeast Asians, especially refugees during and after the
Vietnam War, still struggling to adapt to this society. Many who came as highly educated professionals end up not getting decent
jobs and are forced to go into business (like ethnic restaurants or retail stores) to survive. For those who graduated here in the
U.S., many can attest to the fact that a typical Asian American has to get more years of education just to make the same amount of
money that a typical White male makes with less education.
The expectation that all Asian Americans are smart doesn't do justice to our youth, particularly Southeast Asian refugees. Do you
know that this unrealistic expectation is not being met because they are among the highest high-school dropouts in the U.S.?
On political leadership
Asian Americans are visibly absent in positions of political leadership in Madison, in Dane County, and in Wisconsin. We are
not even close assistants to decision makers! Thuy Pham-Remmele, a Vietnamese American, was recently elected as Madison
alder representing District 20, but that's about it. If you know of any other Asian American elected or appointed with some degree
of political power, please let me know, and I'll add the name to my very short list.
We should be more politically engaged in order for our voices to be heard. We can start by attending community events or public
hearings discussing important issues; writing letters to the editor in reaction to decisions/legislations/ordinances affecting our
lives; attending/joining/ volunteering at, political party gatherings or city committees; and speaking at gatherings whenever there
are opportunities to do so.
On Affirmative Action
As a member of the city of Madison's Affirmative Action Commissiont, I truly believe in Affirmative Action and in what it can do to
help minorities. I agree that there should indeed be minimum standards for university admissions, public/private agencies'
hiring/promotions; contracts; etc., but once minimum qualifications have been met, it is perfectly OK to consider race/ethnic
background in the final decision. We should remember that for centuries, minorities have been denied educational, economic
and other opportunities. In Wisconsin, I ask decision-makers, "How many Asian Americans do you have in your staff?" If you don't
have any, you're missing a lot of highly skilled and hardworking employees. "Are you really helping minority businesses
succeed?" "How?" "How many teachers/professors are of Asian descent? "Are we doing enough for our Southeast Asian
students?"
Editor's Corner/Over a cup of tea
Asian American woes
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Heidi M. Pascual*
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the Year for
the State of Wisconsin
(U.S.-SBA)