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Professor Frank Wu |
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3025 Race in America Beyond Black and White Part 1
Professor
Frank Wu 
Sponsored by Asian/Pacific
Islander Caucus of DRUUMM
The program was sponsored by A/PIC, the newly-formed Asian/Pacific
Islander Caucus of DRUUMM
(Diverse and Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries), whose draft
Mission Statement includes the goal to "help improve and enhance
existing anti-racism work of the UUA by sharing with others our
A/PI perspective and experiences."
Prof. Wu is a member of the All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington,
D.C., a law professor at Howard University School of Law, and the
author of Yellow:
Race in America Beyond Black and White .
His presentation at this General Assembly is partially funded by
the UUA’s Identity-based Ministries staff group.
Wu kept the audience of over 300 people riveted as he eloquently
and humorously recounted stories from his childhood, argued for
the broadening of existing anti-racism work, and explained why such
work is a continuous journey. Race is a complex issue, said Wu.
It's not black-and-white, figuratively as well as literally.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, race is one of the lenses through
which we see the world. Why should we care about race? Why talk
about race? Why write about race? By caring, talking, and writing
about issues of race, we open up and continue to engage in dialogue
to overcome institutionalized racism, some of which are subtle but
insidious.
Extremists who commit hate crimes against racial minorities create
sensational headlines. People think that if we can get rid of these
extremists, we can get rid of racism. But they are not the villains.
Stereotyping and generalizing are some of the innocent-looking villains
that propagate racism. By assuming that all Chinese American children
are wiz-kids and techno-geniuses, we limit their potential to be
something else. By assuming that the young black man walking towards
you at night is a dangerous thug so that you cross the street to
avoid him, you give him the subtle message that he is not to be
trusted and without your intending it or knowing it, he is driven
to join those who would accept him, most likely a neighborhood gang.
He becomes what he is expected to become.
Like democracy, said Wu, anti-racism work is a continuous journey
-- a march without a destination. The value of the march is in the
walking. It is not something that is done once and for all, and
never again. One doesn't vote once and forever never need to vote
again. The work continues as we continually raise the bar. Fifty
to a hundred years ago, racism was blatant. What was considered
innocent fun then is outrageous by today's standard. How would today's
innocent fun look like fifty years from now? What would our nation's
face look like fifty years from now? Wu's dream is for the U.S.
to cease to have a single identifiable racial majority, and for
everyone to be judged not by appearance, but by character.
A lively discussion period had to be shortened in the interest of
time, but participants were able to explore such complex issues
as affirmative action, how to handle thoughtless remarks, and right
relations between white American parents and adopted Asian children.
Note: A day prior to his presentation, a VIP dinner reception and
book-signing was given in his honor at Tufts University near Boston's
Chinatown. More than 30 people, including Asian American leaders
in local organizations, attended. Following the reception, another
170 people attended his lecture, entitled, "Beyond Black and
White: How Asian Americans are Revolutionizing Our Nation's Racial
Dialogue." The majority of those attending this lecture are
Asian Americans from local communities. This is an outreach project
organized and funded by the A/PIC. Click
here for a press-release of this off-site event
.
Reported for the Web by Kok Heong McNaughton, edited by Margy
Levine Young; Web Design by Julie Albanese
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