Hmongspeak by May Lee Hmongspeak is a way of describing the cultural aspects of the Hmong language. If a person uses it, that person gets labeled as a Hmong society member, and there’s some people who want to put a stop to these cultural aspects of the Hmong language. Because these people are affected by this language in an unpleasant way. One such author, May Lee wrote, “Hmongspeak” to educate the Hmong society. Lee defines it and says: “Hmongspeak is universal”.
Ideally schools would provide equal education and opportunities for all children, but in reality racism, sexism, classism, and other forms of discrimination still exist, albeit more hidden, in our schools today. Rather than stressing academic enrichment, the elementary schools that Chicanas/os attend to focus on academic remediation and a deceleration of the curriculum. The primary curriculum itself generally excludes or minimizes Chicana/o experiences, while also reinforcing
In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman uses careful comparisons and contrasts to appeal to the emotions of readers. Throughout the novel, Fadiman explores different scenarios that are encountered by the Hmong that would make anyone feel frightened. Through these scenarios, we discover what the Hmong have had to endure in order to make a small amount of progress. Some of the individuals in the novel we encounter, including Dr. Robert Small, see the Hmong as “ignorant” and “almost a Stone Age people”. However, some individuals such as the social worker to Lia Lee, Jeanine Hilt, and the author of the novel understand why the Hmong reacted the way they did to the doctors.
At school Deming is viewed as a white student: “Being surrounded by other Chinese people had become so strange. In high school, kids said they never thought of him as Asian or Roland as Mexican, like it was a compliment” (20). His peers see him as a model minority, someone who fits Asian-American stereotypes of always doing well academically. However, Deming doesn’t fit the cultural expectations and instead struggles with motivation in school. There is an internal conflict between Deming’s racial difference and his identity.
Groves High School has a set of rules that set a certain standard for its students. In the book Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl Story by Pegi Deitz Shea and If you come softly by Jacqueline Woodson both sets of characters go through similar situations. In Tangled Threads, main character, Mai Yang is deported to the U.S from a refugee camp in Thailand, after the devastating war in her hometown Laoz. Once she finally gets to America after a agonizing 10 years she learns to deal with the newly found American customs but still keep in touch with her Hmong roots. In If you come softly, main characters Elie and Miah, juggle the obstacles and society’s opinion on being an interracial couple in the 1990’s.
Even though the Hmong had harsh time obtaining the American culture they never told people how they felt legitimately and absolutely no one cared for them and how they literally felt. The Hmong needed jobs to survive, back in their country they used animals as trade and buying, their revenue was for uppermost profit and buying items from animals, cars to houses. The Hmong came to America knowing nothing about the culture and currency and were given money from the U.S. They were basically given money and ditched by the government. The Hmong was left to learn how to survive on their own and make their own money. Soon they began to understand the conditions of work in the U.S.A, the Hmong began to amelioration and start a life.
The third section describes the implications of being a model minority. This project was made to show what a model minority is and the significance of being labelled as a model minority by analyzing historical events and the current day. The historical portion of the project provides the context of the model minority status. Similarly to other minority groups, Asian Americans were seen as inferior.
In the year 2016, most people in the United States are accepting, and even appreciative of other cultures. In today’s school systems, though some schools are more diverse than others are, there is always a mix of students from different races and cultures. There are no “white schools”, “black schools”, “Chinese schools”, or schools that completely and openly segregate and are racist toward students of different cultures. However, it has not always been that way. On California’s west coast, in and around the year 1906, there was much bigotry toward the Chinese immigrants that lived in Chinatown.
Tan noted that in general, Asian Americans perform better on math and science achievement exams than on English ones. The low representation could be the result of Asian American students who use broken or limited English being steered away from writing into math and science. Similarly, in “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named María”, stereotypes and popular portrayals of Latina women as domestics or waitresses have partially led to the denial of opportunities for upward mobility among Latinas in the professions. Whether misrepresentations are brought on by the analysis of someone’s appearance or their linguistic abilities, those stereotypes and misjudgments can hinder the potential for growth and success of an individual within their
Examining the Major Barriers of Diversity Among Asian-Americans B. Thesis Statement The Asian-American journey is a combination of determination, struggles, and assimilation. Racial discrimination is a product of three major barriers which include cultural aspiration to assimilate, representation in media, and model minority stereotype. It is important to recognize these barriers and understand the way that they are being experienced by Asian-Americans. C. Outline I. Introduction II.
Hmong Culture The Hmong primarily originated from the “mountainous areas of China, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos” (Purnell, 2014, pg. 236) and immigrated to the United States in 1975 after the Vietnam War. Primarily refugees from Laos, the Hmong people began immigrating to the United States in large numbers “after communist forces came to power in their native country.” (Bankston, 2014, pg. 332) Mainly settling in California, the Hmong began to be dispersed by American refugee settlement agencies across the country in the 1980s, also settling in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Many Hmong college students are first generation college student (Xiong 2). Since majority of first generation Hmong college students’ parents do not speak English, the students are to help themselves through their college route. Therefore, first generation Hmong college students mostly are not educated concerning the following components: applying for college financial aid, completing basic admissions procedures, and making connections between career goals and educational requirements (Vargas, 2004). Like many students who have English as a second language, first generation Hmong college students also face hardships in comprehending lessons.
It is important to ensure that all students feel comfortable among each other and understand each other so they can learn from each other. Therefore, if there are any stigmas associated with American Indians and their education that can be projected by their peers, it is due to the negative images and thoughts provoked by the inaccurate history taught in the classrooms. It is important that students are getting a precise and truthful education so that the lack of understanding towards and about Native Americans can be avoided and how that can be reflected in the education
Precious Knowledge presents the controversial issue of the integration of ethnic studies courses in schooling. Ethnic studies is the study of cultural, racial, ethnic, and gender differences in America. In this essay, I will argue Ethnic studies courses should belong in P-12 schooling, because the classes endorse ideals of America. In addition, people rely on the courses to learn critical thinking of the empowerment of identity. Although advocates for the abolishment of ethnic studies courses argue that the courses create a sense of contempt towards America through racism and are not remarkably significant, they do not fully comprehend the success from ethnic studies and that by taking away the classes, they only promote their fear of students disliking America.
By doing so the author brings out the complexity on the issues that faces of life.
