The Alpha Phi Gamma sorority hosted a crash course in Asian-American history in the Washington-Sankofa room of Witherspoon Student Center on Monday, teaching about successes as well as stereotypes of Asian-Americans.
Natasha Nguyen, the event’s organizer and a sophomore studying history, said the sorority hosted the event to benefit those who may have felt that their understanding of Asian-American history was lacking but did not know where to begin looking for information. Throughout the night, the presentation highlighted triumphs and hardships of Asian-Americans, from first generation immigrants to more modern expressions of prejudice.
Nguyen said that the event was important to Alpha Phi Gamma, and the initial preparation began at the start of the semester.
“We wanted to share some historical background that some people in Asian-American backgrounds may not even be aware of,” Nguyen said. “It’s encouraging to see college students show up to a more academic event and not just social events.”
The presentation lasted just over an hour, featuring the historical background of Asian groups in American society, an analysis of the racial climate spanning several decades in America and tackled stereotypes that Asian-Americans face in media and in society as a whole. It ran in the order of historical events, beginning with the immigration of people from countries across Asia.
Each group was given an equal portion of time and effort by the presenters, with special care given to point out America’s greatest achievements in treatment of Asian-Americans, along with its greatest failures. Among the policies was the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which aimed to make it easier for the families of Asian-Americans to immigrate and gain citizenship.
A short video in the presentation offered perspective of the trials that Japanese-Americans endured in internment camps during World War II by showing the descendants of those held at the camps touring a restored and preserved camp.
Another video featured a woman at a poetry slam expressing her frustration at the stereotypes of Asians in pop culture — a resentment that Asian characters are often portrayed as meek and studious, taking a backseat to predominantly white leads.
Students in attendance said they learned a lot about Asian-American history that they had never heard in a classroom. Jacob Democko, a sophomore studying engineering, said that he took a lot away from the evening’s lecture.
“It really was a great event,” Democko said. “It covered a lot of things that I hadn’t heard before about marginalized groups in America.”
Aaron Yun, a freshman majoring in exploratory studies, said that the presentation opened his eyes to some of the struggles that Asian-American communities faced in the past.
“[The presentation] definitely changed my perspective,” Yun said. “It taught me a lot culturally that I didn’t know before.”
