Platform : Should Affirmative Action Include Asians?

VINCE TAKEUCHI

Senior urban planner at Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff Co., Irvine

I’m for the overall concept of affirmative action for Asians. My reason is not for established groups like Japanese-Americans, but for new immigrant groups, the disadvantaged and disenfranchised without an education: Vietnamese, Hmong, Cambodians, some ethnic Chinese, some Koreans. I still believe there is institutionalized racism in the United States, and something needs to be done about that. Programs offering certain rights to disadvantaged groups will serve that end.

RON WAKABAYASHI

Executive director, Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission

Within Asian and Pacific Islander populations, specific ethnic communities have widely differing educational attainment levels. For those specific ethnic communities that have not had a significant access to higher education or employment, the inclusion in affirmative action goals make sense. For other Asian and Pacific Islander communities that have significant success in accessing higher education, the inclusion in affirmative action goals is not as compelling.

In areas like education, one of the criteria that we might want to attach to affirmative action is to give preference to students who are first generation, in their families, to attend college, as well as need-based criteria.

STEVE JUN

Junior, Saddleback College,

Mission Viejo

I wouldn’t vote for or against it. I don’t feel strongly about the issue. But it seems like discrimination in an opposite way. (Affirmative action) hurts those who are smart and earned their way into college by their grades while some people come in without earning it. It’s discrimination because people freeload because of their racial background.

OAKSOOK KIM

Director, the Korean Program in International Studies and Overseas Program, UCLA

Hiring policies are still as they were decades ago. Asian Pacific Americans are still being excluded, being prejudiced against, eliminated from the work force at UCLA and everywhere in L.A. I’m for it (affirmative action), but with reconsideration to see if it only benefited those who advocated it and made themselves famous. Affirmative action has to be engaged with all aspects of our problem--economic and social.

LAURA JEON

Community advocate, Koreatown

We shouldn’t look at affirmative action as filling in quotas. Whoever has the qualifications and ability chosen for a job or school should be considered. However, there is another issue--how can you make sure a minority group gets access to the same kind of education?

That question is separate from the practice of affirmative action. The problem is that minorities perpetuate the ideology of inferiority by demanding jobs because we are a minority.

ALBERT LEE

Attorney and member of the Asian Business League

The underpinnings of affirmative action are the rectification of past discrimination. But race alone should be de-emphasized as Asians achieve more parity. But because affirmative action is overcoming disadvantaged (situations), there are certain instances where it should apply to disadvantaged Caucasians.

MAI CONG

President, Vietnamese Community of Orange County Inc.

It’s very difficult to find Asians not supportive of affirmative action. It helps them integrate into the mainstream. Asians are very quiet, not assertive. They usually try to accept whatever they are told in terms of services or whatever. And many are not aware of policies, rules and regulations. So, I think they should be included.

BUCK WONG

Math and social studies teacher, Lincoln High School, Los Angeles

Because of immigration in the last 30 years, there are many disadvantaged Asians in the United States. I don’t think people know Asians include so many different groups. So unfortunately, the stereotype that all Asians have made it still exists. To me this obscures the fact that discrimination exists. It makes other minorities resent Asians instead of seeing us as allies when they fight against prejudice.

HECTOR GONZALEZ

Janitor, Los Angeles

I believe in affirmative action because people from the Philippines want the same opportunity as other Americans. I’ve experienced the prejudices of white people. They don’t like Asians because now there are more Asians than whites in L.A. Asian people have more talent than Americans. Most people from Asia are professionals like me. I was a professional driver in the Philippines.

May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month, a time of reflection by many Asian groups on their experiences in the United States.