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Shelby Johnson
Professor Maenhardt
English 1050
November 30, 2016
Race in America
America is a diverse nation. What has long held to the melting pot theory is now showing
signs of salad bowl ideals. A nation built on immigrants, America has struggled with matters of
self-identity and unity. Like Min-Zhan Lu so eloquently put it, We had been brought up in the
midst of two conflicting worldsmy understanding of my education was dominated by
memories of confusion and frustration. (Lu) As America tries to secure its identity as a diverse
nation and a people, minorities within struggle to find their own place in the world. Gender, age
and economic status all play their part in the diversity ladder that America seems willing, but
unable to jump off of. While there is a broad selection of topics to choose from on matters of
national diversity, the topic of this paper will deal with matters of race: Asian American
specifically.
Racial discrimination has been an issue in America since the nations beginning. While
African American rights have gotten more respect over the years, there is still a lot of ground to
cover in matters of all races being treated with equality. Minorities in America such as those of
Islamic origin and Asian descent may not vocally demand equality in protests and rallies as seen
in past historical movements orchestrated by African Americans, but the lack of equality on their
part is just as necessary. In the book, Reading Cultures Context for Reading and Writing, authors
Diana George and John Trimbur have collected various essays and visual works depicting that of
different cultures, ethnicities and race. While the textbook tries to cover a wide range of issues, I

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was painfully aware of the lack of reference made to those of Asian or Asian American origin.
People of Asia migrated to America just like European immigrants did with Ellis Island.
Operating between the same years of operation as Ellis Island, 1910 through 1940, Angel Island
located off the coast of San Francisco was a detainment facility for those of Asian descent. The
place was more prison than home as individuals were kept for weeks or even years as US
officials tried their best to deport individuals who had hardworking jobs and honest lives in the
name of upholding immigration laws. (Lum) This same facility would later be used during WWII
for Japanese prisoners of war. Speaking of WWII and the treatment her family received during
that time, Yuriko Hohri recalled, He (her father) was taken to a camp in Tujunga Canyon. My
grandmother and I went to visit him. There was a tall barbed-wire fence. the only thing we
could do was see each other. My father was weeping. (Terkel) Despite the enormous social and
historical impact Asian people have had on America, the textbook, Reading Culture, did little in
ways of addressing the issues they currently face.
Of all the diverse people in America, Hollywood seems the most intent on ignoring those
of Asian heritage. In a term known as whitewashing Hollywood films often cast white actors to
play the parts of historically Asian roles. This pick and choose mentality of who is seen on film is
similar to what Christopher Phillips said in regards to historical photographs portraying only
certain aspects of American events: Once the very embodiment of the qualities of objectivity,
precision and fidelity, the photographic image occupies an increasingly unstable place in the
systems which today generate cultural memory. (Phillips) Ignoring Asian Americans and their
pleas to be represented fairly is just one of the many issues in an ever-deepening pool of
inequality. Of the many course objectives for this class, one in particular was to examine how
social structures and discourses may legitimate one group over another. It is my opinion that we

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are so concerned with dominant ethnic groups such as African Americans or Latinos that we are
forgetting the equally as influential Asian population. The insights I have developed from the
textbook readings have been eye opening and concerning. Diversity is a topic that should not be
an argumentative issue but one that is universally celebrated. It is not a topic to discuss in school
or around the dinner table and then forget. If no action is taken from the insights gained in this
class, then we are no better than the tourists who visit third world countries and attend slum
tours. Aside from the occasional comment, there is no dialogue established, no conversation
begun. they get photos; we lose a piece of our dignity. (Odede)
The textbook does a good job of including various writing techniques to prove its point.
From the essay intermixed with Spanish and English vocabulary, (Anzaldua) to the protesting
images of Banksy, (Collins) the book is full of carefully chosen rhetorical tools to convey its
message of diversity. Had Banksy written poems instead of graffiti, it is doubtful his fame or
message would be getting the attention it is today. Aristotles Appeals, the pleas of ethos, logos
and pathos are used repeatedly throughout the book to sway its audience to recognize the need
for equal representation and acceptance of diversity in the world we live in. While words are
powerful, images convey messages that prose cannot. To quote Jason Berry in his essay about the
photographs by Richard Misrach, Misrachs work reveals the primary emblems and moods of
these frightening landscapes; The. images are thus as mysterious as they are horrific. (Berry)
Another objective for this class was to think critically and analytically about
representations of diversity. Through the various readings assigned, my perspective was
broadened and I learned much about the role diversity plays in society. As Heidi Evans pointed
out in Week 10, We are all trained in ways to see things and it can sometimes be very hard and
uncomfortable to see it from a perspective that doesnt reflect our ideals or understanding of a

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situation. Through the readings assigned and topics discussed, I have learned about situations
that are difficult to reconcile with sides of humanity. Diversity is a topic to be celebrated and
enjoyed, not closeted and looked down upon.
While Asian Americans were not a topic readily discussed in the book, the overall text
was to speak up for the minorities and to remind others that there are more people in this world
than just ourselves. Oftentimes history is skewed in favor of one side or another and it is difficult
to know where it all belongs. As seen in Jamaica Kincaids work Columbus in Chains, Of
course, sometimes, what with our teachers and our books, it was hard for us to tell on which side
we really now belonged. For it was all history, it was all in the past and everybody behaved
differently now. (Kincaid)
America has had a diverse past and will continue to have a diverse future. While our
differences are many, our similarities are more than some may think. Asian Americans have been
a part of that past and are promising to be involved in the times ahead. Through understanding,
acceptance and curiosity, we can embrace the various ethnicities, races, cultures and classes and
realize that it is the diversity of ourselves as a nation that makes us who are today. Despite the
many arguments that our nation has and the conflict we will yet face, it is important to realize
that our nation is not full of mass majorities, but individuals and families who all have a
contribution to share. It is through our differences that we are strong. This nation was founded by
immigrants all with diverse pasts and it is no mistake that when they wrote the Declaration of
Independence, it did not start with the words, We the select few, or, This the majority, but
began with the all-inclusive words of, We the people. (US Const) It is time for us to set aside
the categories and the stereotypes and realize that we are all human beings. Asian Americans
have helped shape the culture we have today. If we are ignoring their contribution to society, we

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are no better than those who have shunned others in the past. Acceptance is a leading trait in the
world today and who better than to set the example than we Americans as we acknowledge all
ethnicities, large or small within our borders?

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Works Cited

Anzaldua, Gloria. "How To Tame A Wild Tongue." Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical
Reading and Writing. By Diana George and John Trimbur. 8th ed. New York: Longman,
2001. 521-27. Print.
Berry, Jason. "Cancer Alley: The Poisoning of the American South." Reading Culture: Contexts
for Critical Reading and Writing. By Diana George and John Trimbur. 8th ed. New York:
Longman, 2001. 316. Print.
Collins, Laura. "Banksy: "The Most Honest Art Form Available"" Reading Culture: Contexts for
Critical Reading and Writing. By Diana George and John Trimbur. 8th ed. New York:
Longman, 2001. 310-13. Print.
Kincaid, Jamaica. "Columbus in Chains." Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and
Writing. By Diana George and John Trimbur. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2001. 500.
Print.
Lum, Lydia. "Angel Island: Immigrant Journeys of Chinese-Americans." Angel Island:
Immigrant Journeys of Chinese-Americans. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
Lu, Min-Zhan. "From Silence to Words: Writing as Struggle." Reading Culture: Contexts for
Critical Reading and Writing. By Diana George and John Trimbur. 8th ed. New York:
Longman, 2001. 148. Print.
Odede, Kennedy. "Slumdog Tourism." Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and
Writing. By Diana George and John Trimbur. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2001. 519.
Print.

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Phillips, Christopher. "Necessary Fictions: Warren Neidrich's Early American CoverUps." Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing. By Diana George and
John Trimbur. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2001. 455. Print.
Terkel, Studs. "The Good War." Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing. By
Diana George and John Trimbur. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2001. 485. Print.
US Const., art. 1, sec. 1. Print.