Conference to Take Stock of Growing Asian America

As recently as two decades ago, mainstream America’s perceptions of Asian-Americans were more likely than not a mixed bag of images forged out of “Kung Fu,” Don Ho tunes and forays to the local Chinese restaurant.

But sparked by the economic rise of the Far East and the influx of Asian immigrants over the last decade, a surprising transformation has occurred that has refocused attention on Asian America--from within and without.

Although old perceptions linger, they are quickly being overshadowed by a flood of new images--the Korean liquor store, the high-stakes pai gow table, the Asian valedictorian and the ubiquitous teriyaki burger.

The growing influence of Asian-Americans and the complex issues that have surrounded their rise to prominence have drawn educators, businessmen and political leaders from around the country to Los Angeles to begin a three-day exploration today of the evolving Asian-American experience.

An estimated 600 participants will attend, including scheduled guests Gov. Pete Wilson, author Amy Tan, Rep. Stephen Solarz (D-N.Y.) and Tony award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang.

The conference at the Biltmore Hotel, sponsored by the New York-based Asia Society, will address not only problems facing the so-called, “model minority,” such as continuing discrimination, crime and poverty, but also the Asian community’s influential role in the United States and in Asia.

“Everything is changing,” conference organizer John Tateishi said. “It’s becoming apparent that to deal with Asia, you really can’t ignore Asian America.”

The gathering comes at a time of significant change, not only in mainstream perceptions, but also in the Asian-American community.

Once a virtually invisible minority, it has received unprecedented media exposure through best-selling novels on Asian-American life, political activism concerning world events such as the Tian An Men Square demonstrations, and high-profile Japanese purchases of Hollywood studios and urban skyscrapers.

The most dramatic transformation has been in the sheer size of the Asian community.

Although still only 3% of the U.S. population, their numbers have doubled since 1980 to 7.2 million.

In California, Asians make up close to 10% of the population and have surpassed blacks as the state’s second-largest minority. Whole cities, such as Monterey Park and Westminster, have become centers of Asian commerce and immigration.

The influx has changed the makeup of the Asian community as well, which through the immigration of Koreans, Southeast Asians, East Indians and others has become more diverse and fragmented.

Unlike the early migration of Asian laborers in the 1800s, the new influx has brought a strikingly diverse group, from Taiwanese computer magnates and Japanese auto executives riding the wave of the Far Eastern economic boom to Sri Lankan refugees and mainland Chinese students displaced by turmoil in their homelands.

Don Nakanishi, director of the Asian-American Studies Center at UCLA, said the participants will be probing the issues of Asian America at a crossroads.

The community has become large, affluent and influential, but also fragmented by the often disconnected aims of new immigrants from China, Japan, Korea, India and the Philippines.

“How do we begin to redefine ourselves, our mission, our priorities?” he asked. “This is a very new and different Asian-American community.”

Tateishi added that progress in advancing Asian-American issues has been hobbled by the “model minority” myth, which has obscured the continuing poverty, crime and lingering discrimination facing Asians.

Tateishi also cited the “glass ceiling,” which has stopped the advance of many Asian professionals from reaching the managerial ranks.

“Look at the aerospace industry,” he said. “There are lots of engineers, but you don’t find them at the executive level.”

As Asian America has changed, the perceptions of mainstream society have also begun to evolve.

Suburban sushi bars, the rise of celebrities such as actress Joan Chen and tennis star Michael Chang, and the success of Tan’s best-selling “The Joy Luck Club,” have all helped bring facets of Asian-American life into the mainstream as never before.

At the same time, the economic hard times in the United States and the success of Asian countries have reawakened a violent backlash.

Tateishi noted the death of Vincent Chin, a Chinese-American, beaten to death in 1982 by a Detroit auto worker who witnesses said blamed him for the loss of auto jobs.

“Any time the country is in tough economic times, the anger is redirected to scapegoats,” Tateishi said. “Asians are recognizable scapegoats.”

Nakanishi said the flow of immigrants and the increasing economic ties with the Far East guarantee a more visible role for Asian-Americans in the future.

Even the conference is a sign of growing recognition by corporate executives, academics and politicians of the potential significance of Asian America. But Nakanishi added that it is still uncertain to what degree the potential will be realized.

“Things are suddenly possible,” he said. “We’ve reached a critical mass, but we’ve still got to translate those numbers into some meaningful influence.”

BACKGROUND

“The Asian-American Experience: Looking Ahead,” sponsored by the Asia Society, begins today at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles and continues through Saturday. The conference is expected to draw up to 600 participants, including Gov. Pete Wilson, best-selling author Amy Tan, Rep. Stephen Solarz (D-N.Y.), and performance artist Jude Narita. Gov. John Waihee of Hawaii will deliver the keynote address Thursday night. The symposium ends Saturday with an address by Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and a discussion on Asian-Americans and U.S.-Asia relations.