Yellow Peril Supports Black Power: A Reflection on Asian-Black Solidarity
There is a long and complex history between Asian American and Black communities in the United States. This Exploration Guide for students in high school touches on examples of Asian-Black solidarity, sources of conflict, and how we are all intertwined in the same struggle for liberation, as well as ideas for how to talk about race with your family and friends. We hope this gives you some tools to engage with race on a deeper level.
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Yellow Peril Supports Black Power*: A Reflection on Asian-Black Solidarity
This interactive slideshow includes all of the links and reflections for this Exploration Guide. Please start here. The links below are pulled from the presentation in case you are not able to access the slideshow.
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The Real Reasons the U.S. Became Less Racist Toward Asian Americans | Washington Post
What do you make of the “model minority” myth mentioned in this article? How do you see it show up in your own life and consumption of American media? How does the myth position Asian Americans and Black Americans against one another?
View The Real Reasons the U.S. Became Less Racist Toward Asian Americans | Washington Post -
How Asian Immigrants Learn Anti-Blackness From White Culture, And How To Stop It | Huffington Post
Asian immigrants are often faced with the concept of race for the first time when they arrive in America. In response, white culture is often idealized, including the specific racial prejudice toward Black people called anti-Blackness. What are some ways that white culture has influenced anti-Blackness in Asian Immigrants? The article ends with some ideas on how to fight against this attitude. Are there steps that can you personally take?
View How Asian Immigrants Learn Anti-Blackness From White Culture, And How To Stop It | Huffington Post -
Performing Blackness Won't Fill Our Asian-American Culture Deficit | Colorlines
Some Asian American actors and musicians have been criticized for relying on stereotypes of Black people in their performances. The author concludes that this is in large part because Asian Americans have had to fit into the “model minority” myth we talked about before. Is it enough to be simply seen on screen? What does "representation" mean to you? Can you find examples of both cultural appropriation and cultural collaboration in the media that you consume? How do you distinguish it?
View Performing Blackness Won't Fill Our Asian-American Culture Deficit | Colorlines -
Nail Salon Brawls and Boycotts: Unpacking the Black-Asian Conflict In America | Refinery29
There is a complicated history of Black-Asian conflict, including riots that happened in New York and Los Angeles. Had you ever heard about the 1992 LA riots before this article? Were you surprised (or not) to learn about previous incidents of Anti-Black racial violence by Asian Americans? Does this connect to anything happening today for you?
View Nail Salon Brawls and Boycotts: Unpacking the Black-Asian Conflict In America | Refinery29 -
Strategies for South Asians to Bring #BlackLivesMatter Home | The Aerogram
BONUS: the previous article ends with a call to action—For Asian Americans to talk to each other about anti-Blackness in our families and community. Imagine how you might participate in such a conversation. For tips, look at this guide.
View Strategies for South Asians to Bring #BlackLivesMatter Home | The Aerogram -
Intersections Of Black And Japanese American History | Public Radio International
This article outlines how, in the 1940s-1960s, anti-Asian racism was often direct and violent--for example, the internment of Japanese Americans. It also highlights how Black Americans were facing violence and discrimination at the same time period. In general, how does anti-Asian racism show up now? Think of specific examples. What about anti-Black racism? Compare the change over time.
View Intersections Of Black And Japanese American History | Public Radio International -
Asian Americans Need to Talk About Anti-Blackness | Vox
The murder of George Floyd has again raised the issue of anti-Blackness in Asian American communities, as one of the officers involved was a Hmong man. This has both raised tensions between the two communities and led to cries for solidarity. Please take a few minutes to honor the names and lives of Black people who have been killed in our country. Do you feel safe around the police? Why or why not? If you feel safe around police, do you think that everyone can say that they feel the same way? If you are Asian American, how does it make you feel when you think about Asian police officers who have killed, hurt, or ignored Black people? For all of these questions, please try to name what you are feeling and ask yourself why you might feel that way.
View Asian Americans Need to Talk About Anti-Blackness | Vox -
Song for an Asian American Radical: Yuri Kochiyama By David Mura | Hyphen Magazine
What does this poem say to you? Do some research into Yuri Kochiyama, and then ask yourself: what does she want from the narrator? What would she want from you? Do you feel rooted in and connected to solidarity movements of the past? Would you like to be?
View Song for an Asian American Radical: Yuri Kochiyama By David Mura | Hyphen Magazine -
A Letter From Young Asian-Americans To Their Families About Black Lives Matter | Code Switch Podcast
Language limits the conversations we can have and news sources we read, which can make it difficult to have discussions with family members who speak a different primary language. How do we translate terms like #Blacklivesmatter when they are rooted in specifically American historical moments? What do we miss when we don’t have intergenerational conversations?
View A Letter From Young Asian-Americans To Their Families About Black Lives Matter | Code Switch Podcast