They Call Us Bruce: They Call Us OiYan A. Poon

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome writer and race scholar OiYan A. Poon, author of Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action and Family. She talks about breaking out of her comfort zone to write a sincere and heartfelt exploration of race relations and affirmative action, the interviews she conducted with Asian Americans who have been actively engaged in policy debates over race-conscious admissions or affirmative action, and the not-so-simple question from her daughter that inspired the title of her book.

Asian Ethnicity Data Helps Students, Saves Lives

By OiYan Poon. Cross-Posted from AAPI Data.



There have been some recent, ill-informed protests by some vocal Chinese groups against the collection of Asian ethnicity data, and it has sparked a massive response by AAPI educators and community groups. The following is an account from an educator who has spent nearly two decades helping Asian American and Pacific Islander students, including Chinese American students.

Erica* was always academically successful in high school. Her Asian immigrant parents challenged and supported her scholastic development. But when she started college, she struggled to keep up with her classes, and realized she didn't want to study pre-med, the major her parents wanted. While other students seemed to be easily finding friends and getting involved in various campus activities, Erica didn't feel she could spend time outside of her books, for fear of failing her classes. Despite increasing her study time, Erica's growing social isolation and academic anxiety began eroding her sense of self-efficacy. Her sense of belonging in college quickly began to plummet, and she became depressed over disappointing her parents. At the end of her first term, the university notified Erica that she was being placed on academic probation. Instead of turning to campus resources and services to turn things around, Erica began to consider ending her life.

As a student affairs professional, I often worked with undergraduates like Erica. In fact, during my three years working on one campus, four Asian American undergraduates committed suicide. Around that same time period, fellow student affairs professional networks discussed what seemed to be a national outbreak of Asian American student suicides, with Elizabeth Shin, who set herself on fire in her dorm room at MIT being the most infamous case.

What are we fighting for? White Privilege or Racial Justice in the death of Akai Gurley

Guest Post by OiYan Poon



Second-degree manslaughter. Manslaughter is legally defined as an "unintentional homicide from criminally negligent or reckless conduct. It can also refer to an unintentional killing through commission of a crime other than a felony."

As I witness fellow Chinese Americans, including family, protest former NYPD officer Peter Liang's manslaughter conviction in the death of Akai Gurley, I struggle to make sense of it all.

Family elders tell me to have compassion for Liang. "It was an accident. He was a rookie cop. Don't lump him together with bad cops. The bullet bounced off the wall and into Gurley's body," they say. They question why white officers like Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo, who killed unarmed African Americans like Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York City, get to walk free. "Liang is being used by a racist system as a scapegoat for bad policing," they say.

On the specifics of the case, I disagree with my elders. Liang unintentionally shot Akai Gurley, the father of a 2 year-old girl, but then did not try to save his life, and called his supervisor instead of an ambulance. His reckless behavior fits the definition of manslaughter.

While my elders believe Liang should not have been convicted in the death of Akai Gurley, I disagree that Liang should be granted the same unjust immunity that white officers have received in the killings of unarmed Black men. Liang is not the only police officer who has taken an innocent life, and he should not be the only one held accountable for doing so. Those who are angered by the double standard between how the state holds white and Chinese American officers accountable must fight in solidarity with African Americans and other people of color to transform a broken justice system.

I am surprised by my elders' sudden political engagement, and have so many questions.

Hate, Fear and Lies: How Anti-Affirmative Action Haters Are Shoveling Bullsh*t about SCA5

Guest Post by OiYan Poon


Photo: AALDEF

For the last few weeks 80-20 and other conservative organizations have spread lies, fears, and hate about what California Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 (SCA 5) is. Their mobilization against SCA 5 is showing that Asian Americans can successfully fight for their interests. But in the process, they're pushing misconceptions that poison this important policy debate over affirmative action, racial equity and justice in public higher education.

There are two key ways the anti-affirmative action haters are shoveling a lot of bullsh*t about SCA 5. First, they claim SCA 5 is "anti-Asian." Second, they hold an assumption that tests and grades are race neutral, reliable, and the only valid considerations in selective admissions practices. In the meantime while they're too busy in a fear mongering campaign, they're missing a great opportunity to really fight to expand college opportunity for all of the highly qualified students in the state.