What are the historical roots of Asian American racialization and stereotyping? How have Asian Americans negotiated their position in the U.S. racial hierarchy? Ayo Magwood's talk begins with a description of the rise of “yellow peril” xenophobia against late 19th-century Chinese immigrants, and Anti-Chinese American xenophobia which was led by the Irish, who became “white” by using the anti-Chinese movement to prove their whiteness. She explores differences in racialization among different Asian American communities based on skin color and socioeconomic class, and how Asian Americans were granted “model minority” status so that they could be used (“racial mascotting”) to delegitimize claims of systemic racism. Finally, she demonstrates how this precarious “honorary white” position of Asian Americans often collapses in times of crisis.
A Brief History of Asian American Racialization with Ayo Magwood
Sponsored by Evanston ASPA
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
7-8:45pm
Virtual Event - Link will be Provided the Week of the Event
Event is free but registration is required
Ayo Magwood, M.Sc. specializes in evidence-based, apolitical, and solutionary training on understanding and remediating structural racism. She is passionate about fostering cross-difference cooperation towards realizing equal opportunity for all. Her superpower is her ability to synthesize a wide range of research, data, primary sources, and abstract concepts and weave them into engaging narratives and diagrams.
The series of events offered through the Visible Voices Project are free but we welcome donations. Your contribution allows us to continue supporting the Asian American community and offering learning opportunities that are free and accessible.
Donations can be made via Paypal Here
