2008 Woodie Awards
UMass Boston Asian-American Students Respond to VA Tech Aftermath
Peter Kiang
Issue date: 4/30/07 Section: Opinion
As media coverage of the April 16 killings at Virginia Tech has poured forth, students, staff, and faculty on campus have found various ways to express our personal and collective grief and outrage. Some of us have had additional concerns, questions, insights, and fears because of our experiences as Asian Americans and our involvement in the field of Asian American Studies.
Based on initial background facts concerning the shooter, Sueng-Hui Cho- his age of immigration and likely conflicts with Virginia peers in terms of race, language, and culture as well as his parents' struggles, financial hardship, and health risks as immigrant workers in the dry cleaning industry- it was easy to see and feel possible sources of rage and resentment. But given the absence of Asian American reporters and editors in mainstream media, especially those with Korean language skills, few stories pursued these themes.
I thought about how schools and families need more Asian Americans with bilingual/bicultural skills to serve as teachers, counselors, and advocates in both regular and special education. At UMB we have Graduate College of Education Professor Lusa Lo who is an expert on learning disabilities, special education, and Asian immigrant populations. Other faculty such as Prof. Rajini Srikanth, who directs the University Honors Program and is the elected president of the National Association for Asian American Studies, and Prof. Karen Suyemoto, who is the elected vice-president of the National Asian American Psychological Association, have worked so that their national associations make public statements about the VA Tech tragedy.
Others on campus, undergraduate and graduate students and faculty connected to Asian American Studies, have been sharing their own perspectives as well. Some are offered here anonymously in the spirit of sharing, learning, and community building, choosing not to be quiet or alone.
***
...Yesterday morning, I received a call from the mother of one of my Korean-American students in Acton High School. She learned from the news that a South Korean man was responsible for the killings at VA Tech and she was really scared. She was afraid to send her children (one in high school and another in elementary school) to school and she was saying that she was glad that it was spring break. She asked me for advice in terms of what to do to prevent/deal with possible negative outcomes against Korean Americans/South Koreans. She was also concerned about stereotypical imagery the media used in describing the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. Although she didn't describe the terms she was concerned about I assume that they must have been the same red flags raised for me such as 'He was very calm', 'loner', 'quiet normal Asian guy.'
Based on initial background facts concerning the shooter, Sueng-Hui Cho- his age of immigration and likely conflicts with Virginia peers in terms of race, language, and culture as well as his parents' struggles, financial hardship, and health risks as immigrant workers in the dry cleaning industry- it was easy to see and feel possible sources of rage and resentment. But given the absence of Asian American reporters and editors in mainstream media, especially those with Korean language skills, few stories pursued these themes.
I thought about how schools and families need more Asian Americans with bilingual/bicultural skills to serve as teachers, counselors, and advocates in both regular and special education. At UMB we have Graduate College of Education Professor Lusa Lo who is an expert on learning disabilities, special education, and Asian immigrant populations. Other faculty such as Prof. Rajini Srikanth, who directs the University Honors Program and is the elected president of the National Association for Asian American Studies, and Prof. Karen Suyemoto, who is the elected vice-president of the National Asian American Psychological Association, have worked so that their national associations make public statements about the VA Tech tragedy.
Others on campus, undergraduate and graduate students and faculty connected to Asian American Studies, have been sharing their own perspectives as well. Some are offered here anonymously in the spirit of sharing, learning, and community building, choosing not to be quiet or alone.
***
...Yesterday morning, I received a call from the mother of one of my Korean-American students in Acton High School. She learned from the news that a South Korean man was responsible for the killings at VA Tech and she was really scared. She was afraid to send her children (one in high school and another in elementary school) to school and she was saying that she was glad that it was spring break. She asked me for advice in terms of what to do to prevent/deal with possible negative outcomes against Korean Americans/South Koreans. She was also concerned about stereotypical imagery the media used in describing the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. Although she didn't describe the terms she was concerned about I assume that they must have been the same red flags raised for me such as 'He was very calm', 'loner', 'quiet normal Asian guy.'
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