Week 5, September 26th
Antiblackness and the Model Minority Myth
Michael J. Dumas examines the theory of anitblackness in education in his article, “Against the Dark: Antiblackness in Education Policy and Discourse." Dumas argues that although slavery has ended in terms of the law, the relations of power between Black and white still exist and can be seen through acts of “police brutality, mass incarceration, segregated and substandard schools and housing, astronomical rates of HIV infection, and the threat of being turned away en masse at the polls” (14). Dumas maintains that even though we’ve become a society that celebrates diversity and has created laws to maintain a multicultural society, the Black population is still positioned at the bottom of the hierarchy- still seen as slaves in the social imagination. As a society, we focus on the individual successes of people of color and “therefore, the failure of large swaths of the Black population is purported to be a result of cultural deficits within the Black” (15).
When discussing the role of antiblackness in educational policies, Dumas begins with desegregation in schools and how this policy denied Black students access to meaningful teacher-student relationships with their educators and access to studying their culture- in essence, they were and still are denied basic rights that should extend to all humans. “Ultimately, the slave has no place in the most privileged and highly-regarded school spaces; the Black becomes a kind of educational anachronism, not quite suited for our idealized multicultural learning community” (17).
In “Beyond Black and White: The Model Minority Myth and the Invisibility of Asian American Students,” Jean Yonemura Wing unpacks the Model Minority Myth, which is the belief that Asian Americans are the “model minority” who have made it in America. She gives many examples to show that the Asian American student population is vastly diverse in its own right- encompassing students from all different socioeconomic backgrounds, immigration statuses, and who have parents with varying levels of education and English language acquisition. Lumping together the variety of Asian backgrounds that make up our society has led to the Asian student population to become invisible. Asian students who have educational needs are ignored due to the common belief that they will be successful no matter what because they are Asian.
Wing then goes on to attempt to explain why we do see relatively high levels of Asian American academic performance. She describes how many Asian American families see education as their only hope for social mobility since all other avenues, such as sports, are closed to them. She highlights a few examples of Asian American students coming together to form “study gangs” in order to help each other succeed and meet the demands of the public school curricula even while still developing fluency in the English language. Ultimately, Wing calls for public schools to challenge the Model Minority Myth. “Asian students express feelings of invisibility and insignificance at Berkeley High, and by challenging assumptions and stereotypes, they may become visible and significant” (482). Wing’s article was written in 2007, and yet Asian Americans are still experiencing pressures to excel academically, as seen here.
Both articles touch on the theme of certain groups of students being denied access to a fair and quality education based on their ethnic backgrounds. The cultures and histories of both Asian and Black students are absent from the curricula of our public schools, and the ideas presented in both readings again allude to the social construct of white privilege. In the Ted Talk that I have included, Alice Li describes her experiences with stereotypes as an Asian American student. She presents evidence that combats the idea of Asians as the model minority and shows how the myth leads to prejudice against Asian Americans who do not meet the high standards set forth for their ethnicity.
Towards the end of her talk Li says a quote that I think summarizes the viewpoint of both authors this week. "What we cannot do is let our identities be defined by stereotypes. Because ultimately, we can only move forward as a multicultural society by acknowledging the validity of all of our different experiences."
In the video, Li's explanation of the expectations and stereotypes about the Model Minority Myth line up perfectly with the reading this week! Good find! She asks, "How do you object to stereotypes that sound like compliments?" ...when people assume she's really smart or really good at math. She explains the dark side of the myth, and how "the consequences affect all of us as Americans regardless of our racial background." That really stayed with me and made me think of earlier discussions and readings in class. It reminded me of how some people feel as though they are exempt from these kinds of discussions. It made me think about how some white people go about life with the idea, "well, I'm not Asian or Black or racist, so, it doesn't concern me." Well, it should. She points out that these types of stereotypes impact ALL of us and I couldn't agree more. She also provides us with several examples of how Asian Americans are excluded from being treated as Americans and frequently feel like outsiders who don't belong. She refers to a time a classmate asked her, "What are you?" and when media referred to an American beating Michele Kwan. People need to remember that everyone is unique and different, including Asian Americans who are people too!!! Labels are for food--not humans.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting when Alice Li discussed how the things she thought set her apart turned out to not really be unique at all. What's wrong with being good at the piano or STEM subjects? Nothing, but many Asian students feel the pressure of expectations that leave them with no opportunity but to excel in certain areas. The Model Minority Myth almost turns expectations into self-fulfilling prophecies. The part in the article that discusses the myth also reminded me of the 'presumption of competence', which leaves no room for students who need extra support. You're right to emphasize the importance of teacher recognition of differences among students, especially when it comes to our ability to assist them.
ReplyDeleteThat video certainly summarize a lot of the points made in Wing's article. Especially about the idea that for many Asian Americans, their families have been American for more generations that many "white" people - but they still are expected to hyphenate Asian-American. It really shows how deep what "American" looks like and for so many it is still "white" goes. And it saddens me because when I travel aboard (not that I have too often) I always love returning and see in the American citizen line all the people of different ethnicities and races. I get a sense of pride and hope that America we pledge too does really exist - but articles like this really show how much more work needs to be done. Each article we have read thus far in class has essentially said step one: acknowledgement! step two: teaching our students and our fellow man!
ReplyDelete"...the Black population is still positioned at the bottom of the hierarchy- still seen as slaves in the social imagination. As a society, we focus on the individual successes of people of color and “therefore, the failure of large swaths of the Black population is purported to be a result of cultural deficits within the Black” (15)" It is frustrating beyond belief to hear that there are still people who exist in our world that ignore evidence of structural racism, and continue to blame so-called 'cultural deficits' for socially structured obstacles impeding Black upward mobility. If a population has faced institutionalized hostility in all aspects of their existence, it totally makes sense that they felt perceived as less than human. Historically speaking, that is exactly how both Blacks and Asians have been treated by the white communities they live in. Only after the Black political movement became...aggressive...did white society reconstruct their perceptions of Asians. As we have discussed preciously, who gets to be considered "white" is a political tool aimed at a moving target.
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