In 1982, Vincent Chin, a 27-year-old Chinese-American, was beaten to death with a bat following a confrontation in a Detroit bar. His murderers (Ron Ebens and Michael Nitz) received a $3,000 fine and never spent a day in jail. How could such an atrocity have come and gone without drawing the notice of the masses? We've all heard of Rodney King. But have you ever heard of Vincent Chin?
If not, you're not alone. Far from it. Few students have ever heard of the litany of similar hate crimes that have victimized Asian-Americans. These stories and the accompanying history of oppression that Asian-Americans, along with other minorities of color, have faced are not taught to students in the established formal educational system -- whether they are in kindergarten, 12th grade, or, in most cases, college.
To ignore the suffering of an entire group of people is to erase them from our collective memory. By not teaching about racism, we in essence teach future generations that it did not exist. We also teach that racism today, stripped of its historical context, does also not actually exist. The ultimate message conveyed is that nothing needs to be done now to counteract the harmful effects of racism. Who suffers the brunt of this illusion, and who decides what is important enough to be taught?
The exclusion of Asian Americans from American history enforces the conception of Asian-Americans as "foreigners," as not "true Americans" (to use the terminology of a radio DJ last year who attacked an Asian American running for political office) despite the fact that they have been here since the mid-1800s. It also indirectly lends credence to the "model minority myth" which depicts all Asian-Americans as upper-middle-class, well-to-do, hardworking, quiet overachievers. They are a "model minority" that doesn't get under anyone's feet. There is no education to provide counterevidence of the Asian Americans that are struggling, lower-class, oppressed.
This gap-filled education misleads Asian-Americans and non-Asian-Americans alike. Asian-Americans grow up with this image, and learn to believe that this is the archetype to which they are or should aspire. Although the Asian-American population is diverse and many do not resemble the "model minority," many come to believe that they cannot claim the identity of being Asian American if their personalities do not fit the limited mold. It is the only model they have of an Asian who is mainstream and assimilated into American culture. Education is an important way of dispelling these misconceptions.
Take a look into the typical American curriculum. What do you see? Chinese laborers building the continental railroad? Exclusion acts that implied "justice for all" applied to us? That Chinatowns that weren't born out of choice, but out of exclusion? Anti-miscegenation laws that strived to keep white blood pure? Deportation and detention? Vincent Chin gasping his last breaths in the name of mistaken stereotypes? None of the above?
At Tufts, Asian Americans hardly see themselves in the curriculum. The current master narrative in our textbooks fails to include ethnic minorities. With rising Asian American enrollment in universities, the model minority myth becomes perpetuated. How do we break down barriers and shatter glass ceilings? With a diverse curriculum that includes the histories of all peoples, goes beyond the black-white paradigm, students can broaden their comfort zones. Hate crimes stem from miseducation and ignorance. With hate, comes fear. Race relations will never ease if we do not attempt to understand one another.
In an institution that prides itself on diversity and acceptance, we cannot afford to neglect entire groups of people. Unlike many leading universities of our country, Tufts has failed to recognize the need for an Asian American studies program. And no, it's not the same as Asian studies.
This struggle isn't just about getting another professor or another class. What we're asking for is the decency of a university to recognize a marginalized group as worthy of validated existence. We're not asking the student body to stand behind us. We're simply asking you all to stand beside us in this long, overdue battle of false hopes, an uncooperative administration, and blatant neglect.
Sandy Tang is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. Polina Zhong is a junior majoring in American Studies and Community Health. They are both members of Asian American Curriculum Transformation (AACT).
