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