Quotes from Activists
- “That is too big a price, but I will forever be thankful to him because my grandkids are going to wake up in a world and maybe never hear the word ‘redskin’ in their life.” - activist Frances Danger
- “For the first time I feel like a lot of people who gave me pushback are saying, ‘Hey, you’re right, this is systemic. I can’t believe I haven’t noticed it.’” - activist Jessica Rodriguez
- “You came here and you’re discriminated against and Blacks are discriminated against too. There’s really no difference.’” - activist Daisy Tam
- “Solidarity is not just an altruistic activity, but one that says, ‘My life and the conditions of my folks rest upon the conditions of Black and Indigenous people in this country,’” - activist Nikita Mitchel
Good Minorities and Bad Minorities Stereotype
Contrary to popular belief, poverty, occupational discrimination, and residential segregation in Asians are not due to cultural “deficiencies” but instead the entrenched, racialized separations. There should be a shared understanding of how the lack of social justice has created a division between minorities, including class-based divisions.
George Floyd and his murder at the hands of the police has sparked renewed and rightful angry pushback from other long discriminated communities, including the Latinx, Indigenous Peoples, Pacific Islander, and the Asian American communities, to fight against the control of White supremacy that has negatively impacted the structure and opportunities of these communities for decades. All minorities deserve protection and safety, not just those deemed profitable or law-abiding, when the state can always determine what law-abiding means in different political climates.
Race relations, race-related affirmative actions that affect POC differently, the lack of knowledge about each community’s struggles and sociopolitical background, and assimilation into American culture all lead to distrust within communities— which displays the lack of knowledge about the history of discrimination.
Importance of Third World Studies/Ethnic Studies
Third World Studies, later renamed and repackaged as Ethnic Studies, were developed originally to examine the injustice in society and create a common channel where minorities are able to share their views and analyses of different cultures. It is important to keep the interest and passion in Ethnic Studies alive and to honor the BIPOC folks that came before who paved the way for our community to be able to speak out today.
Educating oneself through taking courses such as Ethnic Studies and utilizing media platforms are actions of cross-racial solidarity towards discriminated groups. The multiracial and multicultural alliance that is growing within the younger generation is also important to maintain and prioritize so that none of us will again be another product of racialized wars, systems, and biases. Race and class inequalities in our ancestors’ generation still resonate today, thus we must cultivate allyship within a broader cross-racial context for the betterment of the people.