Asian American Studies 197A
Winter Quarter 2002

Reflection Journal 1

My Responsibilities as a UCLA Student in a Time of Changing Class Dynamics
By Raymond Ramirez

In today’s world, class dynamics have arguably come to define Asian American communities. Indeed, these days seeing an Asian American professional or an Asian American living in the suburbs is not uncommon. Actually, some misguided theories (such as that of the "Model Minority") suggest that a significant portion of society has come to expect this type of class status for Asian Americans. It is important, however, to remember that there are still large numbers of Asian Americans who do not live in the suburbs. Also, many Asian American groups are still struggling to get to the top, and are being kept down by societal challenges to equality such as the ending of affirmative action. In my opinion, the present period is one of huge opportunities for Asian Americans, but it is also a period of great danger, as I will explain. Furthermore, I believe that today’s class dynamics have shaped my consciousness in that I have noticed a division between these established Asian Americans and the newly immigrated Asian Americans. Finally, here at UCLA I feel that I have access to power and the ability to change things because of the organizations on campus that strive to remedy societal inequalities.

First, I believe that today’s class dynamics are both great and dangerous for the Asian American community for several reasons. For one, I believe that it is a great opportunity because I believe that in this country, one who has money has better access to power than do those without it. With Asian Americans having access toprofessional jobs, we have put ourselves in a position wherein we can influence politics and policy in a much easier way because in theory, we are now less constrained in terms of finances. Also, the branching out of Asian Americans into the non-ethnic job arena, I think, is a great opportunity for our communities to go mainstream. I believe that this is leading towards a greater presence of Asian Americans in places such as the media, which has such a great influence on everyday Americans.

However, at elite institutions such as UCLA, I believe that the influx of Asian Americans that are from suburb areas can be quite dangerous. This is so because I believe that there lies the danger of this "new" type of Asian American student not being able to relate to the problems of his/her fellow Asian American immigrant that does not live in the suburbs. Indeed, this problem can only be exacerbated in the post-affirmative action era, because there lies the danger of these students proclaiming that "I made it into UCLA without affirmative action, so why can’t they?" This attitude is obviously dangerous, because if there is any area in which the inequalities of society can be studied and protested against, it is in the university setting. The same may be the case in the workplace. Many individuals who do not have much contact with their ethnic communities may take the stance of "if I can make it, why can’t they" attitude without actually knowing the factors that help to keep low-income communities down in the first place. As a minority group, we have to strive to avoid this type of arrogance in order to better serve our communities.

I think that some of my viewpoints would be somewhat similar to those in low-income Asian American communities. I believe that they know the value that an education can bring them and/or their children. I think this because I myself have experienced living in a low-income community and a suburb area. When I lived in the low-income community, it was almost widely accepted — among Asian American families in particular — that the road to success in America is through education. I remember being proud of seeing Asian Americans in media, and of seeing relatives or friends go to college. However, I do not know if individuals living in low-income communities will agree with me on the dangers of having today’s class dynamics because they may not be fully exposed to these issues. I have known families that do not have the time to try to understand and fight for issues such as affirmative action because everyone is so busy trying to make a living. Also, it has been my observation that it is very difficult for some immigrants to get involved in fighting for issues because they have just gotten to America, and the adjustment that they have to make from their home countries is overwhelming in itself. It is in these situations that I feel my viewpoint might be different from those of low-income immigrant workers.

Furthermore, I think that today’s community class dynamics have shaped my consciousness in that I have begun to notice a division between established Asian Americans and newly immigrated ones. For example, sometimes there are many Asian Americans of later generations that discriminate against new immigrants, calling them "FOBs" and thinking of them as not being up to "American" standards. I think that this is obviously hurtful, for it is through these established Asian Americans (who have the money and thus can access power easier) that we are hoping to get help so that we may improve the lot of the new immigrants. But if these groups do not see eye to eye, then how can any cooperation between the groups exist?

I believe that my status as an Asian American in UCLA gives me the responsibility to break down these types of barriers. I believe that Asian Americans are a community of many ethnic communities, and the last thing we need is a division within these communities. Also, I believe that it has become my responsibility to fight for those who are being discriminated against (such as with the end of affirmative action), and help improve the lot of those who are less fortunate. There are several reasons for this. For one, I believe that at UCLA, there is a plethora of resources that we can utilize in order to further whatever cause we might be fighting for. There are many forms of these resources. For example, there are classes such as this one in which many can learn how to get involved in the community. Also, there are student organizations on campus that do good outreach work into many low-income communities. Yes, I do believe that as an Asian American student here in UCLA, I do have certain responsibilities and obligations to my ethnic community.

Finally, here at UCLA, I feel that I have been able to use my skills and talents through involvement in student run organizations that do work in low-income communities. For example, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with the Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment (SPACE) program in which we are able to offer high school students in underprivileged, immigrant neighborhoods after school tutoring and peer advising. Of course, this is a more indirect way of helping low-income immigrant workers because we strive to get immigrant workers’ children into places of higher education through tutoring. In this way, hopefully there will be a larger presence of low-income Asian American students in places such as UCLA who can possibly better understand the problems associated with their neighborhoods. There are other ways, of course, and that includes taking courses such as this and learning about various labor issues, and getting involved in the community through participation in rallies, marches, or labor organizations.