An Asian Woman’s Guide to Advocacy
April 4, 2023
My intermediate-level classes are in the last stretch of deep learning about Japanese incarceration during WWII. Over the past six weeks, my students and I have gone through a quiet transformation from just being curious and inquisitive learners to passionate activists. Especially for me, a soft-spoken and laid-back Chinese American woman who often avoids direct confrontation, I have learned so much about how I can take my own advocacy work to the next level.
When we first launched into this topic, what students knew was very superficial. Since I’m a relatively new immigrant from China, even though I have educated myself quite a lot through literary research, I lack direct experience and firsthand knowledge on the topic of incarceration. Concerned that I might misinform or mislead my students, the first thing I did was to reach out to the experts in the community: Dr. Natasha Sugiyama from a local university, and Mr. Ron Kuramoto, the president of the Japanese American Citizenship League—Wisconsin Chapel.
Through them, I fact-checked all my resources, built up a wealth of materials, and created a robust unit based on the experiential learning model. Students are guided by their own inquiries and engaged in direct experience, reflection, analysis, and experimentation.
Over the course of our expedition, we read numerous online and printed materials. We watched several documentaries, listened to literary excerpts, conversed with guest experts and a state legislator, and engaged in an ongoing dialogue with families and friends. Now, as students are finishing up their “Suitcase Project”, a 3-D model of Japanese American life prior, during, and after the incarceration, and an advocacy video of “Why Learn Asian American History?” I’d love to share a few takeaways from the entire experience. I sincerely hope it can be informative for other Asian Americans to break through the “quiet Asians” myth and emerge collectively visible in this society.
- If a topic is important to you, dive in.
Knowledge propels actions, informs activism efforts, and prevents unintended harm. The deeper knowledge fuses our passion, and synchronizes our emotional response with heartfelt drive. The more you know, the more you want to do something about it.
- Utilize experts.
We are limited by our own experience. We don’t know what we don’t know. However, there are plenty of experts in related fields that both teachers and students can learn from. Identify your needs, reach out to them, and more importantly, invite them to your classes.
- Commit to baby steps.
Turning the tables of oppression and injustice won’t be achieved by any single, large-scale event. Just as a lake doesn’t freeze solid overnight, small steps chisel away at the big ugly black ice pillar that funds systemic racism. Don’t undermine the value of having a simple conversation with a neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance, or even a stranger at the checkout line in a grocery store.
- Join a group.
You can’t clap by using one hand. The power of numbers is the key to success in advocacy. A lone wolf won’t be able to take down a ferocious lion, but a pack will. Research what is available locally and nationally, and join a group!
- Get involved in the political process.
In 1989, the Wisconsin legislature passed ACT 31, which required school districts in Wisconsin to teach human relations, history, and culture of American Indians, Blacks, and Hispanics. Due to the anti-Asian American rhetoric, ACT 31 left Asian Americans out. Through my research, I learned about an aborted bipartisan effort last year to amend ACT 31 to include Hmong-American and Asian American history in the curriculum. A group of Wisconsin legislators introduced two new bills: Senate Bill 379 and Assembly Bill 381. However, neither of the bills was given a chance for a public hearing; they were killed in the very early stages.
That piece of information didn’t deter me; instead, I was truly fired up. “There must be something that I can do!” I invited a state representative, Ms. Francesca Hong, to come to speak to my class. Through her, we learned about the political process and the crucial parts that we can partake in.
Immediately, I began writing letters to state legislators, calling friends to join my effort, and energizing the networks I belong to. The most impressive initiative coming from my students, after learning the value of a public hearing, was a proposal to make an awareness video and a deep desire to travel to the Capitol when the public hearing for these new bills occurred.
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Reflecting on the early stages of this project, my students and I naively believed that we had no power to make a political difference. Today, we are convinced that we can make changes happen. It is possible that the desired outcome might not be instantly gratifying. If we keep kindling the flame, one day, a fire will erupt and burn down the status quo. The world that we live in will truly embrace justice, inclusion, and diversity. Our differences will be celebrated rather than ostracized. Americans at large will be willing to right the wrongs from both the distant and recent past.
Read other articles by Haiyun Lu on Intrepid Ed News.
