Expert answer:Reading and Response
Expert answer:You have to provide as much detail as possible and give thoughtful responses ( 9 or more sentences per question)Also provide where you find the answer (example: p.15 paragraph 2)“Mexican Americans |
American Mexicans”Demands of the Mexican Congress of 1931 for regulating foreign employmentStatistics on braceros from 1942-1947 Concerns and complaints of braceros “The Emergence of Yellow Power” How does Uyematsu say Asians have tried to transform themselves in the process of Americanization?Explain how she says Asians are stereotyped, and how they have responded to that categorization
mexican_americas_american_mexicans.pdf
yellowpower.pdf
Unformatted Attachment Preview
The Emergence of Yellow Power
Amy Uyematsu
Asian Americans can no longer afford to watch the black‐and‐white struggle from the
sidelines. They have their own cause to fight, since they are also victims–with less visible
scars–of the white institutionalized racism. A yellow movement has been set into motion by
the black power movement. Addressing itself to the unique problems of Asian Americans,
this “yellow power” movement is relevant to the black power movement in that both are
part of the Third World struggle to liberate all colored people.
The yellow power movement has been motivated largely by the problem of self‐identity in
Asian Americans. The psychological focus of this movement is vital, for Asian Americans
suffer the critical mental crises of having “integrated” into American society–
No person can be healthy, complete, and mature if he must deny a part of
himself; this is what “integration” has required so far.‐Stokely Carmichael &
Charles V. Hamilton
The Asian Americans’ current position in America is not viewed as a social problem.
Having achieved middle‐class incomes while presenting no real threat in numbers to
the white majority, the main body of Asian Americans (namely, the Japanese and the
Chinese) have received the token acceptance of white America.
Precisely because Asian Americans have become economically secure, do they face
serious identity problems. Fully committed to a system that subordinates them on
the basis of non‐whiteness, Asian Americans still try to gain complete acceptance by
denying their yellowness. They have become white in every respect but color.
However, the subtle but prevailing racial prejudice that “yellows” experience
restricts them to the margins of the white world. Asian Americans have assumed
white identities, that is, the values and attitudes of the majority of Americans. Now
they are beginning to realize that this nation is a “White democracy” and that yellow
people have a mistaken identity.
Within the past two years, the “yellow power” movement has developed as a direct
outgrowth of the “black power” movement. The “black power” movement caused
many Asian Americans to question themselves. “Yellow power” is just now at the
stage of “an articulated mood rather than a program‐disillusionment and alienation
from white America and independence, race pride, and self‐respect.” Yellow
consciousness is the immediate goal of concerned Asian Americans.
In the process of Americanization, Asians have tried to transform themselves into
white men‐both mentally and physically. Mentally, they have adjusted to the white
man’s culture by giving up their own languages, customs, histories, and cultural
values. They have adopted the “American way of life” only to discover that this is not
enough.
Next, they have rejected their physical heritages, resulting in extreme self‐hatred.
Yellow people share with the blacks the desire to look white. Just as blacks wish to be
light‐complected with thin lips and unkinky hair, “yellows” want to be tall with long
legs and large eyes. The self‐hatred is also evident in the yellow male’s obsession
with unobtainable white women, and in the yellow female’s attempt to gain male
approval by aping white beauty standards. Yellow females have their own “conking”
techniques‐they use “peroxide, foam rubber, and scotch tape to give them light hair,
large breasts, and double‐lidded eyes.”
The “Black is Beautiful” cry among black Americans has instilled a new awareness in
Asian Americans to be proud of their physical and cultural heritages. Yellow power
advocates self‐acceptance as the first step toward strengthening personalities of Asian
Americans ….
The problem of self‐identity in Asian Americans also requires the removal of
stereotypes. The yellow people in America seem to be silent citizens. They are
stereotyped as being passive, accommodating, and unemotional. Unfortunately, this
description is fairly accurate, for Asian Americans have accepted these stereotypes and
are becoming true to them.
The silent, passive image of Asian Americans is understood not in terms of their
cultural backgrounds, but by the fact that they are scared. The earliest Asians in
America were Chinese immigrants who began settling in large numbers on the West
Coast from 1850 through 1880. They were subjected to extreme white racism, ranging
from economic subordination, to the denial of rights of naturalization, to physical
violence. During the height of anti‐Chinese mob action of the 1880’s, whites were
“stoning the Chinese in the streets; cutting off their queues, wrecking their shops and
laundries.” The worst outbreak took place in Rock Springs, Wyoming, in 1885, when
twenty‐eight Chinese residents were murdered. Perhaps, surviving Asians learned to
live in silence, for even if “the victims of such attacks tried to go to court to win
protection, they could not hope to get a hearing. The phrase ‘not a Chinaman’s chance’
had a grim and bitter reality.”
Racist treatment of “yellows” still existed during World War II, with the unjustifiable
internment of 110,000 Japanese into detention camps. When Japanese Americans were
ordered to leave their homes and possessions behind within short notice, they
cooperated with resignation and did not even voice opposition ….
Today the Asian Americans are still scared. Their passive behavior serves to keep
national attention on the black people. By being as inconspicuous as possible, they
keep pressure off of themselves at the expense of the blacks. Asian Americans have
formed an uneasy alliance with white Americans to keep the blacks down. They close
their eyes to the latent white racism toward them which has never changed.
Frightened “yellows” allow the white public to use the “silent Oriental” stereotype
against the black protest: The presence of twenty million blacks in America poses an
actual physical threat to the white system. Fearful whites tell militant blacks that the
acceptable criterion for behavior is exemplified in the quiet, passive Asian American.
The yellow power movement envisages a new role for Asian Americans:
It is a rejection of the passive Oriental stereotype and symbolizes the birth of a
new Asian‐one who will recognize and deal with injustices. The shout of Yellow
power, symbolic of our new direction, is reverberating in the quiet corridors of
the Asian community.
…
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
How it works
- Paste your instructions in the instructions box. You can also attach an instructions file
- Select the writer category, deadline, education level and review the instructions
- Make a payment for the order to be assignment to a writer
- Download the paper after the writer uploads it
Will the writer plagiarize my essay?
You will get a plagiarism-free paper and you can get an originality report upon request.
Is this service safe?
All the personal information is confidential and we have 100% safe payment methods. We also guarantee good grades