Statements

Celebrating Labor Day and AAPI Labor History

Written September 2, 2024

On this day, Labor Day celebrates the dignity and power of American workers, labor unions, and labor movements. For decades, workers have fought for their livelihoods; their strikes, negotiations, and sacrifice ensured many of the rights we take for granted today, such as the 40 hour week, national minimum wage, and the banning of child labor.

As college-enabled Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, we often forget how deeply tied our shared histories are with the labor histories of yesterday. From the early Chinese and Indian indentured servants forcibly brought to America as laborers to the later farm workers and high-skilled immigration surges, our stories have formed from and contributed to worker movements. On one hand, AAPI peoples were often seen as cheap labor and scabs, leading to scapegoating, vigilante killings, and large-scale exclusion such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. (1) Yet, on the other hand, we’ve always fought back. Filipino farm workers led with Cesar Chavez mass labor movements in the 1960s. Chinatown locals fought to protect their homes and their sister garment workers in hazardous working conditions. Our heroes have waged wars of inspiration alongside our Black and Brown brothers and sisters to promote labor futures during the Civil Rights Movement. (2)

Labor Day is a day of memory and celebration, but it’s also a clear reminder that the labor conditions we see as natural were created by us for us. Today, AAPI workers are still the least likely to be promoted to management positions, often due to cultural barriers and stereotypes. AAPI workers impacted by tech layoffs or economic crises face longer unemployment periods than any other demographic in the US. We’re often portrayed as “Model Minorities” with largely successful economic outcomes, but that lie betrays the deep inequality within the AAPI community, with Burmese and Hmong Americans seeing nearly double the rate of poverty compared to the average Asian American.

Moreover, Labor Day is a day of reminder that we should fight for all of our futures, not just those that are specific to our communities. Union membership, especially among AAPI people, is still at a historic low. The US is still the only OECD country without a national paid family leave, and our national minimum wage has stayed stagnant for decades. And now, as the future of work becomes increasingly uncertain with AI, there’s a growing risk that companies will use these technologies to undercut, not strengthen, worker’s rights. None of these issues are inevitable, yet the only way to change our present – as Labor Day reminds us – is to fight.

What to Watch and Read

The Vulnerable Workers Project, an Obama Administration Project to improve AANHPI participation in federal programs and benefits.

Asian American Workers Rising. APALA'S Struggle to Transform the Labor Movement, a celebration of the first thirty years of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO, the first national Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) worker organization within the US labor movement.

Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity, By Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson. A book that challenges the idea that technological progress inevitably hurts workers with guidance on labor advocacy during technological change.

American Factory (2019), a documentary on the clash of cultural and work identities when a Chinese auto factory opens in Dayton, Ohio.

American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (2013), a documentary reflecting on the life, work, and impact of Chinese-American activist Grace Lee Boggs. Boggs remained a critical part of the Civil Rights Movement, especially in housing and labor advocacy in Detroit.

AlphaGo Documentary (2020), a documentary detailing the creation of AlphaGo, a monumental AI model that beat the world’s Go champion and set off the current AI innovation revolution.

Who Killed Vincent Chin (2022 Rebroadcast), a documentary about the racial killings of Vincent Chin as a part of widespread anti-Asian racism during the 1980s Japanese auto boom.

Further Research Ideas

The labor and economic conditions of AAPI individuals is still deeply unexplored. If these topics interest you, there are many areas of untapped research that should be further explored!

1. Turnover rates for AAPI workers in STEM fields

2. AAPI experiences within the broader decline of the American middle class

3. Oral History of AAPI workers in rural hubs

4. Digital Sweatshops in Southeast and South Asia to support growing tech industries

5. AAPI ethnic entrepreneurship and their labor impacts (i.e. Chinese school, SAT Prep)

6. Differences in Small Business Outcomes for AAPI individuals

7. Quantitative studies on all types of AAPI economic outcomes

Footnotes

(1)  In reference to the murder of Vincent Chin, Bellingham Riots, Chinese Exclusion Act, anti-Asian racism within AFL and Knights of Labor unions, Yellow and Dusky Peril, and much much more.

(2)  Grace Lee Boggs and Yuri Kochiyama are two prominent examples of Asian labor and rights organizers that worked in hand with Malcom X and other civil rights organizers.

Letter of Support: Name New Buildings After Asian American Figures at William & Mary

Written October 30th, 2023

Dear William & Mary’s Board of Visitors, 

In this letter, we ask that you name some of the ongoing construction of buildings at William & Mary after historic and impactful Asian American figures who contributed to the flourishing community of this college, figures that undergraduate researchers and faculty excavated from the APM Research Project at William & Mary. 

Currently, the only structure named after an Asian American figure at the college is the Art Matsu Arcade in Zable Stadium. We believe that the Asian American community at this college and future students deserve to have frequented independent buildings named after William & Mary’s Asian American figures. To have symbolic figures named after future homes and community facilities for students is to embrace the growing Asian American presence and lived experiences of this college. 

While we recommend every individual for any building, we have also provided building suggestions for each figure when applicable based on the themes of their contributions to William & Mary. Our suggestions are P.K. Chen, the first Asian man; Hatusye Yamasaki, the first Asian woman; Asghar Ali, the first South Asian man; Veena Kapur, the first South Asian woman; and Satoshi Ito, the first US-born Asian American professor at William & Mary. 

We provided brief biographies of these suggested figures below. 

PK Chen – Pu Kao Chen (PKC) Hall

Pu Kao Chen was the first Asian student at William & Mary. During his time at the college, his most notable piece, “A Chinese Student’s First Impression of America” from 1923, describes his experience as a Chinese person entering the United States during the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which he came as an exception due to his student position and a US-sponsored Boxer Indemnity scholarship. While he describes being called a “Chinaman” and other racially discriminatory themes in the US media, Chen implores his reader to have empathy for his countrymen and that “China certainly regards America as her best friend…[and] wishes to be rightly understood, particularly to Americans at home.” 

Hatsuye Yamasaki – Hatsuye Yamasaki (Hatsuye) Hall

Hatsuye Yamasaki was the first Asian female student at William & Mary from Washington, DC. She was on the Judicial Council, secretary for the Spanish Club, and the president of Brown Hall. Flat Hat reported her sharing her cultural heritage with fellow students in 1934. Yamasaki was a leader when Asian American leadership representation, much less women’s leadership, was sparse and thrived during her time at the college. 

Suggested building: Jamestown East Residence  

Asghar Ali – Asghar Ali (Ali) Arena/Hall 

Asghar Ali was the first South Asian male student at William & Mary, graduating in 1953. Flat Hat featured him multiple times in the sports section, being known in the school community as a “ping pong ace” and a “tennis champion.” Despite being the only South Asian and Muslim student, to current knowledge, at the college, he found a sense of belonging and community through sports, winning William & Mary some sports games during his time and creating connections with his fellow players. 

Suggested building: Kaplan Arena Addition

Veena Kapur – Veena Kapur (VK) Hall 

Veena Kapur was the first South Asian female student at William & Mary, graduating with her Master’s degree in 1968. In an oral history she did with the APM Research Project, she details how she embraced her cultural heritage by regularly wearing saris and her experience as a student at the college. While Kapur had negative experiences due to racial and gender discrimination, she notes how her roommates and friends stood up for her and how she persevered regardless of the criticism. She worked at the Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg as her practicum, working closely with children, where she developed an interest in clinical work. After obtaining her Ph.D. from Catholic University, Kapur opened her practice in Maryland, settling down with her husband and children. 

Suggested building: West 1 Housing and Dining; ISC Phase 4

Satoshi Ito – Satoshi Ito (Ito) Hall 

Satoshi Ito was the first US-born Asian American professor at William & Mary. Sharing his experiences in the Japanese Incarceration camps when he was young, Ito was a beloved Sociology professor, starting at William & Mary in 1965. Ito fiercely advocated for the founding of Black Studies (now Africana Studies) and taught a course for the program. After his retirement, he stayed active in the community, working with the Human Rights Committee of Eastern State Hospital, the New Kent County Democratic Committee, the New Kent County Social Services Advisory Board, The Village Initaitive’s Learning Support Committee, Habitat for Humanity, Grove Christian outreach, and the anti-racism commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. As a lifelong educator and advocate, Ito cared for his students and dedicated his life to bettering the community around him. 

This effort in naming buildings on our campus is a familiar one. Contextualization of Campus Landmarks and Iconography (CCL&I) has tirelessly conducted research in identifying the campus’ iconography and history, putting forth name recommendations for the reimagination of what our campus could look like if we had buildings named after model contributors to William & Mary and their communities. In supporting this letter, we encourage you to support this committee of undergraduate students, as their goals are ones that we believe embody the values of AASI and our student body in excavating the truth of our history and sharing meaningful stories. We strongly encourage the board to consider their recommendations for naming buildings. You can view their most recent landscape report here. 

We hope that you consider and implement our recommendations. 

Thank you for your time and consideration, 

Asian American Student Initiative 

See Student Testimonies and Student and RSO Signatures here. 

On the Occupation and Genocide of Palestine

October 25th, 2023

AASI continues its support of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), because above all else, AASI stands on the side of all those subjugated. Even to the exec members on our board who are continuously growing in their education of the situation, since day 1 the path forward from this crisis has been very clear. 5,000 lives have been taken in Gaza, 62% women and children. Only a minimal level of aid has been provided, with Israel’s total siege on Gaza leaving the region with no fuel, meaning no clean water, no bakeries, no hospitals, no internet. Regardless of your understanding of the situation – we understand not everyone can grasp the full context – the only path forward should be damningly clear. The Israeli government, which continues to lock the region in siege with American support, bomb residential buildings and villages with US bombs, and slaughter evacuating Palestinians and UN workers with impunity, must end its violence with at minimum a ceasefire. Collective punishment is inhumane; these are war crimes.

These issues do not lie far away. William & Mary faculty have been threatened and documented by extremist groups for teaching decolonization and discussing the loss of life in Palestine. We understand that not everyone can or feels like they can engage in advocacy: organizing and educating is difficult when you have your own life to worry about. It does not require deep research to empathize for a genocide of an oppressed and colonized people. Again and again, AASI asks, let us help you grow your support and become educated. Watch the videos on the @sjpatwm instagram. If you want support or someone to help you go to a protest or participate in a walk-out, we’re here for you. Let us help you support your community members and the people who are hurt by the suffering.

AASI supports SJP’s goals  to:

1. Push the school to acknowledge the situation in Gaza, with a minimum of recognizing the deep suffering exponentially growing in Gaza and the US’s complicity in such action

2. Push the school to end partnerships with programs that enable such violence.

SJP is part of the W&M community. Your Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, Brown and Black brothers and sisters are part of our community. Your professors are part of our community. If President Rowe wants us to ground our community in mutual care, we cannot follow her example in ignoring Islamophobia on campus, ignoring the ongoing slaughter.

We take care of each other. That is the power of community at William & Mary.

AASI

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Educational Resources: 

Price of Oslo (Film)

On Palestine by Ian Pappe and Noam Chomsky

The Question of Palestine by Edward Said

The Wretched of The Earth by Franz Fanon

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

Palestinian Identity: The Construction of a Modern National Consciousness by Rashid Khalidi

Zionist Colonialism of Palestine by Fayez A. Sayegh

Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis

Videos to watch:

Simple Explanation: Michael Brooks takes a question on Israel

Jewish Knesset Member: Hamas Killed His Friend, But Knesset Member Ofer Cassif Says "End the Occupation Now"Hamas Killed His Friend, But Knesset Member Ofer Cassif Says "End the Occupation Now"What does “Decolonize” Actually Mean? What Does "Decolonize" Actually Mean?

Where to Donate:

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund

Medical Aid in Palestine

Save the Children

iF Charity 

United Palestinian Appeal

Accounts to stay up to date with:

@eye.on.palestine

@sjpatwm

@letstalkpalestine

@motaz_azaiza

AASI Statement on Affirmative Action 

July 7th, 2023

In light of the recent Supreme Court case and societal discourse, the Asian American Student Initiative at William & Mary publicly supports affirmative action programs and structural changes to support underserved communities, such as education reform, so that we may live in a society that does not demand affirmative action. We will always support policies and actions that support all marginalized communities and the Asian American community,  not ones that leave others behind. 

Affirmative action is not perfect. Higher education in the US -- especially at elite colleges such as William & Mary that accept less than 50% of applicants – is still woefully poor in providing equitable access to underrepresented populations. Last year, the share of Black and Hispanic students enrolled at William & Mary were considerably lower than national averages, which are already unrepresentative of existing demographics in the US.

The recent ban on race-conscious admissions and affirmative action not only halts the ongoing progress to improve college access to disadvantaged groups but also considerably threatens the future of racial minorities across the US. Researchers at Georgetown University recently released a report that analyzed the effect of a possible nationwide affirmative action ban. In a series of simulated admissions models testing alternatives to affirmative action, the report proves one thing very clearly: the only way to improve racial diversity in admissions is to expand, not prohibit, race-conscious admissions.

This fact holds up to empirics. After affirmative action bans in California during the 1990s, large-scale studies have shown that Black and Hispanic students that would have ended up in elite colleges such as UCLA and Berkeley get pushed out into less selective universities, creating a cascading effect that substantially lowers the educational quality and attainment for disadvantaged populations. Importantly, results show that this has historically led to decreased wages, STEM participation, and graduate degree attainment for Black and Hispanic students in California. Students with the lowest GPA and test scores were less likely to graduate college.

The recent SCOTUS decision is profoundly important. AASI wants to reiterate a few things within the recent affirmative action discourse.

First, consider how Asian Americans exist in your discourse. Affirmative action -- which did not limit the increased 29.9% admitted Asian American Harvard students – should not be framed as Asian-American and White students seeing a tradeoff with Black and Hispanic students. Such a discussion perpetuates a false “model minority” myth that whitewashes the extensive discrimination and education gaps that Asian Americans still face in education and the job market. It also brushes over many Asian American ethnic subgroups facing higher college access barriers. For example, Filipino Americans only see a 44% college enrollment rate comparable to Black and Hispanic populations. 

Most importantly, existing discourse ignores that the fight for racial diversity in education is just as important to APIA communities as it is for all underrepresented minorities. Affirmative action is only a small piece in a broader fight for better ethnic diversity and inclusion in higher education. While the ban on race-conscious admissions is a terrible loss for progress in college access, the fight for equity has not changed. 

Students care about these issues – we can see the lack of progress in the racial enrollment gap at W&M. We can feel the extreme diversity issues in faculty, especially tenured faculty. We are aware of the lack of care often afforded to student-athletes who face greater academic and extracurricular burdens. Now more than ever, the onus is on William & Mary’s admissions office, on Katherine Rowe, Fanchon Glover, and the entire D&I Leadership Council and Committees, on all of us to improve racial gaps in diversity.

The end of affirmative action means that, more than ever, the William & Mary administration must take on the responsibility to push for greater educational access for underrepresented populations. Many actions can be taken:

• Hire/Tenure more diverse faculty members from underrepresented groups

• Do not accept race-neutral alternatives to affirmative actions, especially those that have been proven to decrease enrollment of African-Americans and American Indians by more than 70%

• Work to provide additional grant aid for underrepresented and disadvantaged populations, to improve college enrollment and graduation.

• Continue to provide resources for student groups with higher minority populations, such as student-athletes or MCOs, to encourage broader support for diversity and inclusion.

• Listen to students about their needs by talking to them.

AASI is confident that the W&M administration will adopt these changes, but we urge that student feedback is continuously considered in ongoing efforts to improve diversity and inclusion on campus. The fight for improved diversity is a fight for all of us.

AASI Statement on Reproductive Rights 

June 25th, 2022

Everyone deserves the option of safe abortions and comprehensive reproductive care. AASI compiled a list of resources for reproductive rights. If we missed any important resources that ought to be on this list, please feel free to reach out. Click here to access the resource document. 

Short statement first released on Instagram.

A Statement from AAPI Alumni of the College of William & Mary

April 13th, 2021

As an alliance of William & Mary Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) alumni, we represent over two generations of experiences at the College and have quietly carried the burden of a history of discrimination and violence that goes unnoticed. We have had enough. In the past few weeks, we have mobilized quickly and connected with current students, faculty, and staff to lend our support and share our outrage in the aftermath of the tragic, racist murders that took place in Georgia on March 16th. Across multiple vigils and in-depth conversations within our W&M community, a disturbing reality is repeatedly raised: the College’s support of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) members has not improved over the past two decades, and what has been done is tragically insufficient.

We recognize that the College’s shortcomings towards the AAPI faculty, staff, and student community reflect the broader complex history and relationship that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have in the United States. Asian Americans have been tokenized as the “model minority,” a term rooted in anti-black racism that obscures systemic oppression, while simultaneously depicted through a slew of dehumanizing stereotypes as the “perpetual foreigner.” The biases and lack of understanding towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the unique obstacles they both face, can be directly correlated with the dearth of critical, race conscious curricula in the US. When this miseducation is overlaid atop the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the great power rivalry between the US and China, Asian Americans are increasingly navigating a hostile and alienating world.

William & Mary prides itself on enrolling brilliant, dedicated students and nurturing them under its core value of diversity, encouraging and celebrating a global community and touting its far reaching international service. However, we have seen how the College has fallen short in supporting its students of color.  As alumni, we recognize the pain of feeling invisible and unsupported by the W&M Administration. Furthermore--while we acknowledge the efforts of a small group of committed AAPI faculty, staff, and students working to support the community, educate their peers, and lobby the administration while simultaneously managing their own grief--we reject the emotional labor and trauma placed upon this select few. This small collective within the College needs additional resources and support from the greater W&M administration and community.

Many of us remember W&M fondly as a place that cultivated us to be “active and educated citizens and promote positive, community-driven social change.” W&M taught us to pursue social justice and speak up when witnessing something wrong--we are now doing so with the sincere hope that the W&M Administration will meet us in this effort.

With what we have witnessed as alumni, we want to make sure W&M holds true to their promise to diversify the community while providing equitable support to their students. 

On March 18th, President Katherine A. Rowe issued a statement calling for the community to reject anti-Asian hate and discrimination. But let it be clear: insufficient mental health services, refusal of a Pass/Fail option for students, and furloughing dining workers and firing of NTE faculty while the college president receives a $75,000 bonus are all acts of violence against Asian and Pacific Islander communities and other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

We have three demands for the W&M administration that we want to uplift based on current student needs: 

1. Prioritize the mental health needs of students

   • Support, organize and facilitate events and workshops such as “W&M Community Uniting Against Asian Hate” that was led by students and faculty. In the future, these types of events should be led by administrators and trained professionals

   • Reinstate the Pass/Fail option for the Spring 2021 semester. The College failed to continue to provide the Pass/Fail option for current students despite almost 60% of the student body supporting it in a survey designed by the College itself.

     • Studies show pass/fail grading may reduce stress, increase group cohesion, improve psychological well-being without reduction in overall academic performance. Though these studies were from 2006 and 2009, we find that they are even more relevant and can prove even more effective during the extenuating stress and physical, mental, and financial burdens of this current pandemic.

   • Design, implement, and publish a Community Needs Assessment led by an advisory board consisting of university leadership, staff, current students, and alumni. This assessment should be used as a catalyst to develop a robust program addressing students’ mental health needs.

2. Implement the demands of students to disaggregate admissions data and publish data of BIPOC populations on campus, starting with the demographics incoming class of 2021. “The biggest issue with solely maintaining these categories is that it oversimplifies the diverse nature of these communities, and overlooks underserved subgroups within these broader minority groups, who do not have the same resources as their larger counterparts."

3. Strengthen and commit to more funding for diversity and equity initiatives such as: 

   • the hiring and retention of BIPOC faculty,

     • Dr. Scott Challener’s “A Note to My Students on My Future with William & Mary” 

     • W&M Workers Union June 2020 Statement 

   • the expansion of the Center for Student Diversity,

   • the allocation of resources for multicultural organizations on campus, and 

   • the establishment of mandatory training on implicit bias, microaggressions and culturally responsive practices for administration, faculty, staff, and students. 

These demands are not all encompassing of what needs to be rectified in this institution, but these are steps we believe the college must make to alleviate the burden students are experiencing at this time and take their actions beyond performative allyship.

As William and Mary alumni, we cannot help but note how these horrific attacks on the Asian American community juxtapose with the celebration of the college’s Asian Centennial. We are proud of the progress that W&M has made over the past decades concerning the enrollment of AAPI students, the welcoming of student organizations that celebrate our heritage and create positive change in our communities, and the diversification of the institution’s curricula so that it includes Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies. However, we are not ignorant to the fact that it was AAPI students, faculty, and staff ourselves who pushed for these efforts, nor that much work is left unfinished and, more alarmingly, left untouched. Progress is desperately needed in terms of supporting the 9% of the student population who are traumatized from these recent events, both inside and outside the college community. We can no longer be silent as our descendants at the college suffer from the same trials and tribulations we did when we were students on the campus. This is not what we wish for them to inherit.

Exclusion, discrimination, and apathy is not the legacy that the College of William & Mary has promised its past, present and future students. Although W&M created a safe environment for us through the Center for Student Diversity, the Asian American Student Initiative, and various other intentional cultural, social, and racial justice student organizations, this is only one branch of the college itself. We cannot say that this spirit of inclusion and advocacy was present throughout the campus during our time as students. Our colleagues currently enrolled deserve a W&M in which they feel support and belonging in every aspect of this institution. Intertwined in the college’s vision, mission, and values is the drive to change the world by meeting the most pressing needs of our time through the creation of a welcoming and caring community. We are hopeful that W&M will fulfill its obligation to every stakeholder, including its AAPI alumni, faculty and students. We have faith that the College will continue to blaze the path for others, as it did in the past. As you have asked of us, we ask the same of you: to be courageous enough to look inwards, to correct past wrongs, and in doing so, to make a meaningful difference in our communities, the state, the nation, and the world.    

In our role as alumni, we wish to come together with the College administration to find solutions to better support the AAPI community. We are a collective of AAPI alumni spanning two generations who are ready to be engaged with the College in its effort to find pathways for improving AAPI student experiences and outcomes. The AAPI alumni network has a vast reach and we have quickly mobilized individuals from across the globe spanning many professions. We believe it is critical to help facilitate change that will allow current AAPI students and faculty to have a safe and enriching experience during their tenure. We do this for the sake of the current students and to ensure that the College is a place we unreservedly consider for our children’s own academic endeavors.

We are an untapped resource ready to help the College develop and operationalize plans to enhance the academic experience for AAPI and all BIPOC students.

Sincerely,

Click here to see the folks who signed.