A Take on Education, Migration, and Immigration...What Connects America to the World and Why |
|
|
When I launched the newsletter in early March, I had planned on focusing this second issue on women because it is still Women’s History Month. But as an Asian American immigrant the growing negativity toward Asian Americans this past year and the escalating violence which came to a head this month in the shooting in Atlanta has felt visceral and personal. I know it’s a cliché, but it is true that history repeats itself. Did you know that the U.S. Immigration Act of 1917 created the Asiatic Barred Zone, effectively stopping the flow of 500 million people from all of Asia—the “yellow peril” (a reference to those of East Asian origin) and “tide of turbans” (a reference to Sikhs laborers) who, along with “idiots,” “epileptics,” and others, were seen as a growing threat to America? I stand in solidarity with all Asians in America and with Asian Americans even though our journeys and specific paths to the U.S. have been different, and even though South Asians in the U.S. have often been left out of the American public’s collective consciousness of who is an “Asian American,” with the definition of Asian often limited to those with roots in East Asia, or at most in Southeast Asia and with “Asian food” by default being Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese. Yet the U.S. Census accurately describes an Asian as belonging to any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. So I am glad that Vice President Kamala Harris is using her platform to embrace her Asian heritage and adding her powerful voice to the groundswell of other voices coming out in support of all Asian Americans. |
|
|
- For an in-depth understanding of the history of racial issues surrounding Asian Americans in the U.S., listen to this recent Washington Post interview with activist and author, Helen Zia, professor, Erika Lee, and reporter, Michelle Ye Hee Lee.
- If you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend the PBS five-part documentary, Asian Americans, which captures the history, contributions, and challenges facing Asian Americans. A must watch.
- I had the pleasure of speaking at the Global EdConnect Summit 2021 on the importance of values education and preparing future leaders. I spoke alongside Barry Craig, president of Huron University in Canada; Toby Travis, Founder of TrustEd; Raghav Podar, Chairman of Podar Education in India; and Natalie Bitton, President-Elect of International ACAC. I can’t think of a more important topic during these times: helping students develop values and a moral compass is as important as academic accolades, especially in today’s fractured world.
- You know I love research and statistics! So I have to mention here the great work of the Pew Research Center (with a special shout-out to Neil Ruiz) on helping the public get a handle on the demographics of America, especially their statistics on Asian Americans. My Stunning Statistic in this issue is dedicated to them.
|
|
|
Featured book: This month, as a dedication to Asian Americans and the importance of mutual understanding and exchange, I am highlighting the book of friend and fellow author, Dori Jones Yang. When the Red Gates Opened: A Memoir of China’s Reawakening is a compelling memoir of Dori’s time in China as a foreign correspondent for BusinessWeek, and as one of the first American journalists to cover China under Deng Xiaoping. I don’t want to give away too much, but the book is also about cross-cultural relationships and includes a gripping account of the Tiananmen Square incident. |
|
|
Stunning Statistic Asians are the fastest-growing major racial and ethnic group in the U.S., numbering over 20 million (Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data). International students from Asian countries make up 70 percent of all international students on U.S. campuses. Additionally, almost 60 percent of the over 123,000 international scholars on U.S. campuses are from Asia. (Source: Open Doors, 2019/2020)
|
|
|
Thrilled to receive this advance praise for the book from a former international student! "Through this intimate account of her own journey, Rajika Bhandari tells the story of the millions of young people who pursue the dream of an American education, the price they pay, the irreversible transformation they undergo, and the often misunderstood, under-appreciated, yet immense social and economic value they bring about. While she grew up in Delhi and I in Madrid, her story is, in many ways, mine too." -- Angel Cabrera, President, Georgia Institute of Technology ("Georgia Tech") and Carnegie Corporate "Great Immigrant" | | |
|
|
|
|
