IndiaNewEngland.com - 10/15/04

Retaining their diversity, Asian students stand united
Strict parents, cultural trends among topics at conference
By Poornima Apte

Members of the Asian American Dance Troupe perform a traditional fan dance at the Boston Asian Students Intercollegiate Conference, held Oct. 2 at MIT.CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Wenli Huang had a worried expression on her face as the workshop "The Dynamics between Asian American Children and Their Parents" wound down.

For an hour, she had listened as young Asian-Americans talked about their experiences growing up under the strict supervision of their immigrant Asian parents. A mother of girls aged 4 and 6, she sat in on the workshop to learn about the issues she would soon confront as a parent.

"You know, these kids don't realize it sometimes," she said sadly, "but the parents really want to help. Sometimes, the child does make the wrong choice. I used to think like this, too, about my parents, but now I know [the issues are] more complicated."

The workshop was one of 36 different offerings at the second annual Boston Asian Students Intercollegiate Conference held Oct. 2 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

More than 450 students attended workshops and panels that covered a wide range of topics from affirmative action to Asian American messages in mainstream pop culture. Students came from all over Massachusetts and the country; there was even a contingent from West Point Military Academy. Huang is a teacher at West Point and accompanied the students on their trip.

Lynn Wang, a sophomore at Wellesley College, and Benjamin Chang, a biochemistry major at Harvard University, moderated the workshop that Huang attended. They asked the nearly 30 participants to talk about their experiences growing up. "Did any of you guys feel pressure from your parents? Did they push you?" they asked. All hands went up.

"Maybe my parents did that because they didn't get a chance to do what I could do," one participant offered.

But the students also complained that their parents often used them as trophies. "My mom would boast to her friends, my daughter goes to Harvard - full scholarship," one girl said.

The students also complained about strict curfews and conservative parental attitudes toward sex. A quote from Amy Tan's "Joy Luck Club" drove the point home in the workshop: "I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character." Chang reminded the participants that the statement could be applied to just about any Asian-American situation.

Many Indian-American students participated in the conference. Shubha Shukla and Sravanthi Madala were with a group from Brandeis University. Shukla said that mainstream America often forgets to include Indian-Americans in the Asian-American bracket. She and her friend were delighted to be a part of a conference that promoted Asian-American awareness. Together, they were also looking forward to the bhangra workshop.

Krishanti Dharmaraj, a social activist of Sri Lankan origin, who is on the board of directors for Amnesty International USA, was one of the keynote speakers. Her opening speech followed two cultural dances staged by local students.

"The concept of this conference, 'Diverse and United,' is an important one right now," she told the participants. "We are Asian-Americans at a very important time. We are defined as a model minority but how come nobody is counting our vote? Because we have learned not to make waves."

Dharmaraj reminded the audience that it is important to get involved in the community. She quoted from Dante, "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."

A workshop about cultural appropriation also proved to be pretty popular. "How does Urban Outfitters selling Indian-inspired clothing, Britney Spears' wearing a traditional Korean costume, and Jay-Z infusing his hip-hop rhymes with South Asian bhangra beats change our lives, if at all? Has mainstream American culture finally accepted us?" the workshop asked.

A participant complained that an image of Lord Shiva on a T-shirt, accompanied by the word "goddess" underneath it, offended her sensibilities. Another participant thought that maybe too much was being made of the trend. "That is what happens in countries," she said. "The trends will probably go away in a couple of years."

Tak Toyoshima, creator of the weekly comic strip, "Secret Asian Man," engaged his workshop participants with thoughts about race and political correctness. "It is easy to be with people like you, who think like you," he said, "but you need to look outwards - that is more important."

Toyoshima gave away a couple of T-shirts at the end of his workshop. A student from West Point won one of the T-shirts, which proclaimed love for North Korea. The irony was not lost on participants. They chuckled as Toyoshima smiled and said, "Here you go. You get to tell everyone [at the academy] you like North Korea."