Assimilation Is Colonization

[Music]

[Applause]

the thundering sounds of heavy artillery

echoed in our neighborhood

bullets ricocheted in our streets

the screams of women and children

pierced through our ears and it played

like a soundtrack

from a never-ending horror movie

only this was real life our lives

at a moment’s notice my parents gathered

our most precious

possessions into a single bag

they lifted us and are very few

belongings

into our family vehicle

my father was determined

to carry us to safety

we urgently maneuver through the hectic

streets of saigon

that were bursting with masses of people

shadowy clouds blanket at the sky

with dark smoke

from from firearms

and bombs that had descended nearby

the air was weighty

but it wasn’t from the weapons of

destruction

it was from human fear and despair

we all felt the terror circling all

around us

and it manifested on our faces

all of our faces

grandfathers grandmothers parents and

children

were moving entangled chaos

we ran we all ran

hoping to end up anywhere but here

it was surreal

finally we arrived at the congested dock

where

very few ships remained and we hastily

ran

and boarded a rickety old cargo ship

that was not intended for human

passengers

and as our ship leisurely drifted away

from the land

we gazed in horror

at that moment we

became refugees

we didn’t know if we would ever return

to our homeland

we didn’t know our fate or our

destination

and we stayed and arrived at two

different

refugee camps where we lived

we were known as the boat people

and i’m a refugee from vietnam

when refugees flee our homeland we take

with us

our most valuable possessions

some of which are tangible such as

photographs heirlooms and jewelry

and then they’re the more important

items the intangible items

that are more difficult to quantify

it’s our culture our heritage and our

language

which are not felt or heard or seen

and oftentimes not appreciated by those

who’ve never

lost them

when we initially arrived in the united

states

non-profit and faith-based organizations

assisted us with our initial

resettlement

in order for us to adjust to a new

country with new customs and a new

language

and i interpret their actions as well

intended

and compassionate

but in looking back as an adult i

see how these well-meaning acts can

erode over time

and cause us to question ourselves

and who we are

and you’re thinking that these are only

part of my childhood experiences or part

of my growing pains

but i’m here to tell you that these

situations

continue to persist to this day

for example i had a former colleague

co-worker who struggled with and

notoriously

mispronounced my name

to the point that they asked me to

change my name

to something easier for them to

pronounce

keep in mind my name is just one

syllable

in another instance i had attended a

wedding where both the bride and the

groom were vietnamese

as with most of the guests and in the

middle of the bride and the groom

addressing their guests at the reception

a shout came from the back of the room

say it in english

this may have been done innocently

or perhaps it wasn’t

still

it causes an unconscious it has an

unconscious impact for those of us

who hear it and i know my situation is

not unique

to my ethnicity my country of origin or

when i arrived in to the united states

because i know refugees and immigrants

from all around the world who have

shared very similar experiences

and in our initial introduction

they would tell me to call them by their

nickname or their american

abbreviated name and i would immediately

say

no i want to call you by your birth name

i want to honor who they are and where

they came from

and i tell them they don’t need to

dilute themselves

refugees like us

have fled oppressive governments and

situations

who would have either suppressed us or

eradicated us

had we stayed in these situations we

would have experienced starvation

torture been placed in re-education

camps

or faced the real possibility of death

from governments and situations

who want to expunge us and who we are

so why would we allow for that to happen

now

assimilation is an apparatus that

manifests itself

through the dominant society through

gestures

actions and words

assisting newcomers with integrating

into a new country

is one thing however the persistent and

continual messaging

to abandon who we are by asking us to

change our name or discouraging us

from speaking our native tongue well

that’s no longer assisting

when we’re asked to do that just to make

you more comfortable

around us and it happens on a broad

scale

where school districts have banned the

teaching of ethnic studies

in their curriculum

and biasy has been hardwired into our

hiring system

because we see partiality overshadowing

the initial screening process of very

qualified applicants

in a joint study by stanford university

and the harvard business school

the results demonstrated that applicants

who included racial or ethnic

identifiers

in their applications and resume were

less likely

to receive a call back if they had

an indicator of a foreign name or a name

that was difficult to pronounce

versus those with an anglicized name

most recent the u.s department of

justice has eliminated diversity

training

for all immigration judges

and just two months ago the u.s agency

for international development

one of the largest international relief

organizations

in the world has suspended diversity

training

diversity and inclusion training for

their employees

specifically training that included

concepts such as systemic racism

and unconscious bias by being taught in

the workplace

these actions tell me that those

intangible items that are so significant

to us

are irrelevant or

unimportant

this is colonization

colonization just isn’t about dominating

another country and exuding your

authority

over another colonization

prevents someone like me from speaking

my native tongue

it encourages us to change our names or

abbreviate it

to something completely different

it causes us to feel ashamed of who we

are and where we originated from

and our homeland and it prevents us from

showcasing

our culture but most important

colonization eradicates us for who we

truly are

as a whole

it corrodes the very root of our core

being

and it distorts how we view ourselves

and how we’re viewed by others

so we need a paradigm shift on how we

view assimilation

i have five suggestions

one reject the idea that the dominant

culture

is the only one and the right one

two combat discriminatory hiring

practices

for organizations and individuals who

value diversity

implement these beliefs into action

by weighing every applicant equally

based upon their merit

three be humble

experience a new perspective experience

a new culture

go to places and events where you are

part of the underrepresented group

four if you can’t pronounce our name

ask when we pronounce it for you

listen correctly pronouncing a person’s

name

is a sign of respect

five appreciate the harmonious

sound and the intellect

that it requires for someone to be

multilingual

and speak another language

for refugees and immigrants i have two

suggestions

the first is celebrate your ethnicity

your culture

your language and second

appreciation of your new home

should not come at the cost of

abandoning

ourselves

we can have it all

let’s reject assimilation

let’s embrace multiculturalism

and let’s dismantle colonization

thank you

you