Yellow Power
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Transcript of Yellow Power
Yellow PowerTHE POLITICS OF IDENTITY
No Person Is Illegal• To racialize MX immigrants as illegal is dehumanizing. • It obscures & simplifies social, political, & economic conditions of
immigration
MAKING (IL)LEGAL ALIENS
• Explosion of Asian immigration due to preference categories• Family reunification community support &
increased probability of assimilation• Brain Drain legal Asian workers come in as
skilled/professional labor to develop industries
• Shutting down of Mexican immigration due to universal quotas Creates problem of “illegal” immigration
racializes Mexican immigrants as criminals Undocumented immigrants fuel agricultural
and service industries, continue legacy of marginalized, racialized, low-skill, cheap labor in developing US economy
• Model Minority versus Illegal Alien• “good” immigrants versus “criminals”
Current reform?• Continues militarization of the border
• Doubles amount of agents • Adds 700 miles of border fence
• Pathway to citizenship• Takes on average 13 years• Cannot go into effect until border security is
increased• Increased surveillance
• Electronically tracks international exits/entries• Employers must use e-verify to identify
undocumented• Increased # of taxpayers by 10 million
• Predicted to result in $900 billion in taxes in 10 years
• Won’t pass without mass movement of immigrants and allies
Question 3While Cold War liberals were reforming immigration policies in the 60s & 70s,
what political projects were Asian immigrant communities engaging in on
the grassroots level?
The Asian American Movement
Defined by 1968 SFSU/UC Berkeley strikes for ethnic studies
Key characteristics: Coalitional politics Broad criticism of multiple
vectors of oppression Recognition of domestic and
international connections▪ Cycle of center & periphery
Primarily college-aged, second generation movement
Education as Politics Why are you here? What
is the goal of education? 1960 California Master
Plan (Umemoto 29) Public Good vs Private
Profit Privatization of the public
university serve the corporation vs
“serve the people”
Key Terms Hegemony
maintenance of social dominance through force and consent
Subordinate groups can always become hegemonic cycles of dominance and resistance
Politics actions taken in response to social structures of power
Situational political mobilization depending on the specific historical situation, groups will unite with each other to mobilize for political action
Politics & Identity Identity Politics
Your social identity determines your politics Ex: because you’re black you would automatically
vote for Obama Politics of Identity
The recognition that race is a social construction. Not all people of color are naturally the same
politically. The choice to work together because of shared
social position and experience. Ex: supporting immigration reform because of
recognition of how illegality dehumanizes
Politics of Identity From Oriental to Yellow
Power to Third World Front SFSU strikes as moment
to (re)create Asian American identity as act of resistance and coalition in Cold War context
1st world – developed capitalist nations; US & Western Europe
2nd world – developed socialist nations; USSR & PRC
3rd world – newly decolonized, developing/underdeveloped countries of Asia, Africa, & Latin America
QUESTIONS Who was Vincent Chin? Why was his life and
death pivotal to Helen Zia’s decision to become a political activist in the Asian American community?
According to Glenn Omatsu, who are Asian American neoconservatives and what role did they play in diminishing the Asian American Movement?
“Are the ideas of the movement alive today, or have they atrophied into relics – the curiosities of a bygone era of youthful and excessive idealism?” (Omatsu 57)