ASA 115 week 6, Ben Alto

In week 6 of ASA 115 "race traitors," we were asked to look into the new frontiers in mixed-race studies. This topic is brought about as mixed-race studies are a relatively new and underrepresented study and current mixed-race studies professors are becoming known. To approach this topic I read Molly Littlewood Mckibbin's article "The current state of multi-racial discourse". In this article she describes how mixed-race is currently studied in academia as well as how it is addressed in civil discourse.

One main topic that she brings up in the article is how mixed-race people must not fall into the fallacy of a colorblind world and support social movements that ignore racial problems. She instead argues that mixed-race people involve themselves in civil rights movements made up of any of their ingrained races and fight for their rights first. From this, she theorizes that mixed race people will gain their own social standing with support from typically monoracial groups. Another topic that is brought up in the article is that the fallacy of the “tragic mulatto” as well as other negative stereotypes about mixed-race people are still present in mixed-race discourse. She argues that modern scholars must fight against these stereotypes and try to show how any individual mixed-race person must be different and not conform to any pre-conceived notion of a negative standing coming from a confusion of identity.

Attached below I have attached a movie poster for the film “I passed for white”, where the typical stereotype of a tragic mulatto was portrayed in the form of a film. This film shows how mixed-race people were portrayed in media as well as the supposed societal problems that came along with a mixed-race heritage. In addition this film portrays a historical view as it was made in the united states in 1960.

Week 5 Art Project, Ziqi Yin

Week 5 Art Project, Qian Zhang

Week 6 reading, ASA 115, ZIQI YIN

"Only the News They Want to Print": Mainstream Media and Critical Mixed-Race Studies is an article written by Rainer Spencer. The main discussion revolves around the role of mainstream media in the presentation and delivery of news content that relates to mixed-race. Journalists have an ethical responsibility towards being objective in the process of delivering news and information. Due to the reliance of the public on mainstream media, the different broadcasting channels and houses should always provide accurate and factual information. The main problem emerges from the role of mainstream media in the provision of damaging and inaccurate reports on mixed-race related matters.

One of the main questions that the article presents is the measures that mainstream media and journalists can undertake to solve the historical record of damaging and inaccurate reporting on mixed-race issues. First, journalists need to remember their sole responsibility when it comes to sharing information and news. It is imperative to remain objective and share factual and accurate content. Journalists should always verify their sources of information and validate them to avoid sharing false information. In this age of social media, it is difficult to differentiate between true and fake information and news. Journalists and media houses have also gotten caught up in the sharing of fake content due to the failure to validate their sources.

Journalists and mainstream media should take an active duty towards improving their sources of information. The reliance on scholarly input can provide an opportunity to deliver the right content. Another approach that the media should apply is eliminating the elements and factors that result in the provision of damaging and inaccurate reporting on mixed-race. For example, journalists and writers should avoid using any social bias in the provision of information and content on mixed-race matters. Overall, journalists and mainstream media should work on improving their approach towards mixed-race and related content.

Week 6 reading, ASA 115, Qian Zhang

McKibbin Current State of Multiracial Discourse

The article “The Current State of Multiracial Discourse” examines the concepts of multiracialism and Black Nationalism. It ascertains that the two terms differ significantly as all the people who support multiracialism may not embrace black pride. Besides, it raises the question of whether the multiracialism discourse will promote equality in American society. Based on the author’s discussion, people’s perceptions of multiracialism will determine the outcomes. Notably, the critical race theory can help individuals to understand how the multiracialism discourse would promote unity and equality in American society. Nevertheless, Americans can achieve equality through the multiracialism discourse if they perceive it as a collective identity while respecting their origins.

Cultural representations, as well as political discussions on multiracialism, shape the society’s perception of the concept. Additionally, the media is likely to influence people’s attitudes towards the role of the multiracialism discourse in promoting equality. According to the critical race theory, racism is a socially-constructed concept - the proponents of the theory affirm that people can live in unity despite the possession of diverse cultural backgrounds. However, they may not have to disregard their cultural values and beliefs - despite the existence of the discourse, residents need to embrace their origin. The media can also influence how people categorize multiracialism and Black Nationalism, by offering fair and honest coverage of social events. For example, they need to avoid the issues of segregation when conducting criminal investigations. In social settings, they will need to possess universal principles that govern their relations across racial boundaries. They may include equal representation of all races in governance processes and fair media coverage. The practice should begin in political environments such that leaders can serve as role models to their subjects. As a result, even mixed-race individuals will develop a sense of belonging to American society.

Multiculturalism discourse may have significant impacts on equality if the leaders play their roles in promoting a single form of identity in social settings. Political discussions and people’s perceptions across social contexts determine whether people will use an individual or a common culture to identify themselves in public spheres. Notably, the introduction of inclusive legislation programs and equal access to social faculties for all communities would be a meaningful way of categorizing multiracialism as a collective identity for all residents regardless of their cultural origins.

Analí Cine, ASA 115, Week 5 art project

The reason why I wanted to do this piece was because I wanted to very simply describe my identity. I had never used water colors before, so I was very eager to try them out. The idea of spring and blossoming also inspired my piece.  For this project, I decided to do a simple self-portrait. I wanted to project my identity as Mexican and Asian. Although I don't really identify as Asian, as I am only 1/8 and have no connections to the Chinese culture, I wanted to include flowers to portray the idea of spring and with that, learning about my culture. When I think of spring I think of growing and learning, and I believe that's a big part If who I am. Although I am an empty cup, I try to learn and understand not only about myself, but about other individuals as well.
 This piece was created by using simple water colors, paper, paint brushes, pencil, and a hair dryer. I began by tracing myself with a pencil, and after I was done, I began coloring in. After my portrait was done, I began to do the flowers and leaves with watercolors only.
 As an artist, I am a person that is always striving to learn something new. Through my art, I like to express what I feel or what I believe I can achieve. My core belief in creating art is that all art has a story, and we should create stories that move us towards a positive direction.

Week 6 Reading Blog- Julian Demegillo

Among the readings for Week 6, “Emerging Paradigms in Critical Mixed Race Studies” by G. Reginald Daniel, Laura Kina, Wei Ming Dariotis, and Camilla Fojas, struck the most interest for me as it discussed the academic biography of Critical Mixed Race Studies as well as its significance, issues and future prospects. It's very interesting and noble to know that the field of study not only focuses on multi-racial issues exclusively but it also branches out to other groups and address other issues such as multiraciality and LGBTQ relations, multigenerational multiraciality, interethnic relations and more. The interlocking nature of racial phenomena with gender, sex, sexuality, class, and other categories of difference ensures that Critical Mixed Race Studies stays inclusive and relatable to the general public. I found it very imperative to learn the humble scholastic beginnings of Critical Mixed-Race Studies, finding the critical foundation from several crucial unpublished doctoral dissertations that have helped pave the way. Seeing how the field has grown and developed through collective effort and the desire to be recognized officially, shows the true value and importance of establishing Critical Mixed Race Studies to the masses. It is also indispensable to recognize how CMRS has demystified Hypodescent, Monoracial Norms, and other Mixed-Race concerns through careful analysis and examination. The continued growth, development and innovation of CMRS can be also connected with the various vital supporting communities of mixed-race individuals and supporters. Tackling such an important agenda requires not only a group of devoted scholars, researchers and educators but also a community that supports and shared the same ideals and beliefs. As discussed in the essay, the future of Critical Mixed Race Studies depends on its scholars and advocators. It's also imperative to continue the gathering of important related data and its proper archiving. Better relations among the different fields of studies in the social sciences, humanities, arts and more can bring forth fruitful collaborations. Imagine what the country would be like if CMRS never developed as it did. What would it be like living in the United States now as a mixed-race or a minority?

Victoria Manalo Draves, a Filipino-American diver who overcame ethnic prejudice early in her career to become the first woman to win springboard and platform gold medals in the same Olympics. Banners depicting her diving are now scattered around San Francisco's Filipino Cultural Heritage District.

Kaining Huang ASA 115 Week 5 Art project

For week 5's " Race Traitor", we are asked to do a self portrait. My portrait is a sketch of myself, drawing with pencils. I was motivated to draw by sketch rather than using media because of one of my friend's advice. She told me that I studied how to do sketch in my childhood, so drawing sketch can better represent myself and my identity. I adopt her opinion by doing a sketch.

First, I picked a recent selfie of myself, which was photoed last month, when I joined a game of Chinese custom. I picked this photo because it fully represents my race. As a mono-racial person, I am very proud of my own identity and country. Then, I used pencil to sketch my face. In the last version, I did color for myself, but it seemed really bad, because I had forgotten the technique to color. Therefore, I reworked and gave up coloring. The sketch looked simple and clean for me. Also, being simple is also a virtue of China. I would like to include as many element as I can to represent my proudness of my own identity and respect to my own culture.

Because I am not a mixed race person, I consider that Chinese flag is the best symbol of representing my identity as well. Therefore, I used photoshop app: Picsart to combine the two pictures together in the North Eastern corner of my portrait. East is also where China locates on the Earth. By showing how I respect my own identity and culture, I would like to remind myself and anyone who may see my portrait that every identity and race deserves to be respecting. By admitting our own identities, we would also understand and respect others' races and culture, embracing differences and diversity of the society.

Analí Cine, ASA 115, Week 6 Reading Blog Post

This week, I found the article The Current State of Multiracial Discourse by McKibbin to be quite interesting. The paper basically talks about some of the problems with multiracial studies and discourses and the things we can do to solve them. She tries to point the reader towards a new direction of understanding mixed race individuals. She argues that although mixed race studies are not new, the study of experiences and identities of mixed race subjects is. What I found very interesting about the paper was that she mentioned how multiracial people cannot fit into categories. Neither their history, nor their skin, can be placed in a single group, and as a result, they form their own community. I agree with this reading, as we often dehumanize individuals when we engage in multiracial discourses. Moving towards a study of experiences and identities of individuals keeps people as people and not as things, and this is very important when studying individuals, especially mixed race individuals. Not only would we study their history, but we would study their feelings and experiences. After reading this piece, my question would be: how can we keep ourselves from dehumanizing mixed race individuals when studying mixed race?

https://stayingaliveisnotenough.blogspot.com/2015/04/we-were-all-humans.html?m=1

Week 6 Readings ASA 115 Julia McCann

For this week, I looked at Rainier Spencer's "Only the News They Want to Print" in which Spencer claims that non-scholars are too involved in spreading information and misconceptions of mixed race peoples. Non-scholar activists are publishing their pieces on mixed race and overly simplify the experiences of mixed race people. Spencer claims that this must stop and more scholars on mixed race should have more voice on the matter.
I agree with Spencer on this matter since many people tend to act first, think second. It takes someone with a touch of professionalism to be able to think first, act second. Many pieces from non-scholars are filled with stereotypes and emotion rather than facts and numbers. This is dangerous because it portrays an image of mixed race people as people who are incapable of being emotionally stable or comfortable with their identity, and makes them out to be a bunch of sad sacks roaming without purpose. With emotion, they can be marked as insecure and unapproachable. With facts, they can do something about whatever problems they may be going through.
The danger in having non-scholarly people having a larger voice in media than those with proper education on the subject is that this misconception about mixed race peoples can turn into yet another stereotype. There are many articles titled something along the line of "The Struggles of Being Mixed Race," but not so many on the benefits of being mixed race. There is a depressing image painted of mixed race people, but none of these articles or videos show any facts on mixed race experience or statistics.

Where is the line between being rational and being obsessed with race?

An example of non-scholars using emotion to show their feelings

Jasmeet Dhillon Week 6 blog

Jasmeet Dhillon 

ASA 15

Week 6 

For week 6, I will be blogging about “The Current State of Multiracial Discourse” by Molly Littlewood McKibbin. This article mainly focused on the issues of multiracial identity/culturalism today in respects to politics and scholarship. This paper brought up a term called, ‘mixed race racial theory” as a way to describe the problems happening today within multiracial groups. There are many different levels/ages trying to navigate this theory because it starts from the history of the nineteenth century. It goes in depth about how congress and scholars are trying to make multiracial groups as a secluded form and how they believe that social support or legal protection for multiracial individuals will result in a “color-blind” society.

The author also states, “Some monoracialists accuse multiracial “race traitors” of being anti-black and abandoning blackness for the benefits of whiteness.” We talked a lot about this statement/idea in class. One aspect that I found the most interesting was how it mentioned that racial identity is linked to phenotype and history but multiraciality does not have either qualities. This makes it confusing for individuals because multiraciality possesses such ambiguity. This makes it difficult to form groups they believe they belong in.

By the end of the article, I just think that being mixed should not be examined in this type of way. Being mixed should not be looked down upon as if it is a disease or a bad thing. It should be something that is celebrated.

My question for this week, Is society angered by this? or is this how society also views it and wants congress to step in? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of6PD2-f_XA

Week 6 reading, ASA 115, Anthony Tran

In this week’s reading, the topic of discussion is “New Frontiers in Mixed Race Studies.” From the second reading, “The Current State of Multiracial Discourse" by Molly Littlewood McKibbin, we have this discussion of multiracial where being special and community differences really caught my attention. It seems like an interesting debate-like topic whether or not just continuing to live and show that you are just like everybody else is better or worse than understand and express how special one’s genetic difference makes them. The way she compares the two mixed-race people in their specific areas like the Mexican-Jewish person in San Diego with the black-Jewish kid in the Upper West Side of New York. I could definitely see both sides of this argument. What does make a biracial community? And what holds us together with other than a perceived sense of our own difference from the ethnic mainstream? These are two very interesting questions quoted by the author of the article, which makes one think about it just making mixed-race people, just people. There isn’t some other bond that instantly connects people that are biracial, just as not any two white people off the streets can connect. I guess they can connect based on their experience of white privilege, but what else? It emphasizes, to me, being multiracial is only outstanding because the norm in society is monoracial. 

Is there an argument that something else binds this community together, other than the fact that they are all multiracial?

Kaining Huang ASA 115 Week 6 reading blog

This week's reading covers: "Emerging Paradigms in Critical Mixed Race Studies", " The Current State of Multiracial Discourse", "'Only the News They Wanted to Print:' " Mainstream Media and  Critical Mixed-Race Studies", " Radical Love:  A Transatlantic Dialogue about Race and Mixed Race", " Lebanon in Two Hemisphere: Posts from a Post-Colonial World". This week's reading connects to the theme of "New Frontiers in Mixed Race Studies". One of the reading "The Current State of Multiracial Discourse" remind me that classification in the society, which often arouse sensitiveness of multiple racial people, correlates closely to the political classification of group and identity. When I took ASA 001, and CHI 10 at UC Davis, the first discussion sessions are all about the importance of identification.  The attention paid to identification reflects that politically, to classifying identities of races has great meaning in our society. As a mono-racial person, I may never understand how mixed race people feel when they are asked to identify themselves. Nevertheless, according to the reading, compared with other communities, mixed race communities are more difficult to defend their social status and thus hard to proceed movement. The result of such difficulties is that mixed race people are classified into a part of hierarchy system and the system is structured toughly.

Here is a video presenting the feeling of students who are of mixed race in American campus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21H9lA6MLHM, we can see that being around of their own identities is the best method of overcoming people's discrimination.

Week 5 Art Project, ASA 115, Anthony Tran

For this week's art, our assignment was to make a self-portrait of any medium. I could have whipped out a sketchpad or my watercolors, but my inability to properly paint eyes deterred me. I went back to digital art, where I could create a piece that tells more of a story, and not be so distracted by bad drawing or painting skills. This was made with Goodnotes 5, an iPad application that allowed me to easily crop and cute photos together into this collage of sorts. It shows an image of myself put together with many other pictures I took of myself in various lighting, angles, and emotions which is only well-aligned at the nose/ center of the face. This portion of the piece was inspired by images like these: (https://www.behance.net/gallery/Laltro-Uomo-Book-Volume-01/8449219?utm_content=buffer575fd&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffer) and (http://redbarntheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/FACE-COLLAGE.jpg), except I showed how even the colors of one's skin or different features placed together make a human, but can look like they are from people of different ethnic backgrounds, adding to the feeling of confusion, frustration and this notion of race traitorism. The cropped hammock in the middle of a tree from ground-level adds to this sense of disorientation and doubt, especially when realizing what a beautiful and tranquil environment hammocking under the trees is. Purchasing and using my hammock on campus has been life-changing, giving myself the time to reflect on my life and really connect with myself and question my identity.

week 5 art project, Ben Alto

For week

For week 5 of ASA 115 "race traitors," we were asked to create a self-portrait that shows how we ourselves have internalized the knowledge provided in the class. The themes of this week revolved around the transition of race traitors to becoming race saviors, beneficial mixed race traits, and other modern responses to a mixed race heritage. These changes can either be actuated by outside influences like cultural changes or internal feelings, such as self-worth and actualization founded from accepting one’s mixed race heritage.
 
 To accomplish this I decided to create an anatomical recreation of my own head. I wrote the words “My Identity Is Not Skin Deep” to symbolize how I believe that my identity has very little tied to my mixed race heritage. This can be attributed to the phenomenon referred to as “transcending”, where a mixed race person refuses to be identified by their mixed race. This is usually referred to in a negative way, however I find myself to actively choose to not classify myself due to my personal tendency to avoid being part of any group of people.
 
To create the anatomical drawing of a head I first found an anatomical musculature diagram on the internet. Following the guidelines I created a pencil sketch of fixed around the general shape of my head. To help distinguish between muscle and tendons I drew lines following the contours of the muscles. Finally I colored in the various areas using a red and black colored pencil, with the black being partially erased to create a lighter gray color as well as the image of smoothness. I created the words at the bottom of the image using wordart in the Microsoft word application.

Week 5 Art Project Self Portrait ~ Diane Lee ~ ASA 115

Hello everyone! 

My self portrait is a depiction of me just enjoying myself with my hair all crazy and natural. I was motivated by the pure joy of being proud of my mixed heritage. Surprisingly, there was a time when I just wanted to be completely one race. I believed that if I was one race, then I could just call it a day instead of always feeling like I was too Black and not Hmong enough or not Black enough and too Hmong. But, in time, I came to love that I am both because I started to embrace being 100% me. The first step in creating my self portrait was to choose a picture of me smiling. Once I chose that picture, I started to outline my features with my pencil in the center of the blank piece of white paper. When I was done with looking at the picture and sketching myself, I outlined my hair and placed questions and comments that made me doubt myself as an individual. To me, my hair has always been the one thing that I hated about myself, but now it is one of the many things that I love about myself. Therefore, I like to think of this art as a representation that nothing can get into my hair because my instinct is to always smile! I wanted to color it but I was too scared that I would ruin it, so I just left it in pencil. I have not drawn in so long but being an artist for me is all about real expression that is true to me. As an artist, I hope to be empowering and encouraging. Plus, when creating art, there needs to be some sort of passion behind it so that the finished piece makes you genuinely cry, shout, laugh, or smile!

Ziyang Huang. week6 blog

For this week, the reading I have the most feeling is the article “The Current State of Multiracial Discourse” by Molly Littlewood Mckibbin, To be more specific, the author claims that “the human population has become more and more a  global one rather than isolated groups, defining and discerning race based on inherited traits has become all the more difficult”. Thus, it is possible to say that no matter what race they are, people are all living in the same society, so they share a lot of similarities and traits, so people should not see people from other races with different visions. In other words, people should realize that everybody should be seen and treated equally in society because race is not the factor that makes people different; instead, the race is the factor which could make people share more similarities because different races make people get to know the difference between others and thus accept and learn those differences. Eventually, all the differences people that have observed and received are the keys which help people to know how to get along with others and thus find a balance in these differences, and that is when the similarities of people appear.

Ziyang Huang week 5 art project

As you can see, I have mostly used the pencil and pen in drawing this self-portrait picture, so the picture is simply in a black and white background. However, my purpose of just using black and white is to let people not easily recognize my race since my skin color is hidden in the picture. To be more specific, the stereotype and discrimination towards race from others are happening pretty frequently in people everyday life, and some of them could really be disrespectful and hurtful. For example, I always confront a situation in which people ask me if I am taller than all of friends, and that is totally a stereotype. In details, a lot of people think that most of the Asian people are short, so when they see some tall guys, they will think you are a special one. However, that is pretty offensive because every country and every race incorporates some tall people and short people. Thus, just by looking at my skin color, they will think this guy is special, but when they see some tall guys in other skin colors, they would think that is normal.

Accordingly, in this self-portrait art project, I have decided to draw the picture in black and white, in order to let people not be able to tell what race I am, and thus won’t cause offensive stereotypes and implicit bias.

Week 5 Art: Self Portrait Julia McCann ASA 115

For this self portrait, I decided to feature parts of me that are not physical. My face is not what defines me, but the things I do and enjoy are. I was raised in a family that enjoys to eat deliciously, and it shows. I particularly enjoy a dish consisting of boiled chicken with a ginger and scallion dipping sauce (in Cantonese, Bak Chit Gai) as well as beef noodle roll (Cheung Fun). Every time my family went out for dim sum I would ask for two plates of cheung fun and proceed to eat most of it myself. In recent years my mom was able to find more time to cook recipes from her childhood and made bak chit gai for the first time in my memory. It has since become one of my favorite dishes and reminds me of home and of the family I almost am never able to see (they all either live in Hong Kong, Illinois, or Kansas). I used the Tillamook logo because I have a weakness for ice cream, and would like to visit the Tillamook factory in Oregon someday. Moving on, I do consider myself a particularly clean person, not just in the "well-organized" sense. I enjoy my environment being sanitary and free of dirt and possible germs. I have two 12-year old cats at home, Ming Ming and Ling Ling. Pictured in the top right is Ming Ming. Pictured in the left middle is Luciano Pavarotti. I often find myself listening to his music most days and he also represents my joy for singing. Pictured underneath the Tillamook logo is a South Korean toner that I use in my skincare routine. I had insanely terrible skin from 7th grade to recent years and became interested in Korean skincare as a means of taking care of it without the use of prescription acne medication. Pictured underneath Ming Ming is a Unitrans single-deck bus, as I am currently a Unitrans bus driver and it has very quickly become the only job I have ever genuinely enjoyed. I applied because I love driving regular cars, and soon began to love driving the buses.

Jasmeet Dhillon Week 5 art project

This is my self-portrait. I am one hundred percent Punjabi. I am not mixed race but I can still relate to how mixed race individuals feel. It is hard for any race to feel fully accepted. Being mixed or any race other than “white” can be challenging. Even though I am not mixed, I can still relate to the feeling of having an identity crisis or having to verbally explain to others what race I am. I am full Punjabi, Indian, but from my looks, I tend to get many other races other than Indian. People usually think that I am Mexican, Persian, or Egyptian. I have had Spanish-speaking individuals come up to me and start talking to me in their language. I think it is funny, because they simply assume I am Spanish or Mexican from my looks. Ever since I was little, I always had to correct and explain to others about my race. Growing up in Wisconsin, and being the only Indian student at my school was hard. I always felt different. But now, as I grow older, I am proud to be the race that I am.

I wanted to represent my self-portrait in a cartoon-like fashion because I think it speaks for my personality. Many people describe my personality as a cartoon because I am very animated, extra, super bubbly, and a jokester. I think the fun aspect of changing the picture to look more cartoon-like fits perfectly for me. I wanted all aspects of myself to be portrayed in my picture.

What would your self-portrait look like?  

ASA 115 Week 5 Art Project- Self-Portrait -Julian Demegillo

The inspiration for my self-portrait is the concept of the phrase “The eyes are the windows to the soul” and the ocular condition of Heterochromia (having different colored irises). The phrase concludes that no matter what face we put on for others to see, the eyes will always share the truth. I connect this concept to instances of passive passing for example. Mixed-Race individuals’ facial features may not evidently express their corresponding ethnicity, but their eyes might. Heterochromia may also display different colors that a mixed-race individual may inherit from their parents. Cases such as these are normally received by the public in a positive manner due to its rarity and “exotic” features. 

I used Autodesk Sketchbook to free-hand draw my self-portrait thru my mobile phone. I Chose contrasting colors such as the purple and orange along with the black and white to give it a  modern and dynamic feel of two different elements fusing together and creating something new. I went for a more sketchy art style as it is influenced by my background in Landscape Architecture.

Week 5 Art Project, Self Portrait: Nik Nurhafieza Nik Mohd Rosidi

My name is Nik Nurhafieza Nik Mohd Rosidi. Yeah, it's a long name for American to pronounce but hey, it's what mixed race does. I am 1/8th blood of Chinese and the rest are Malay. I am born and raised as Malay since my great-grandmother was Chinese, it was long overdue to learn about Chinese culture. I learned to accept that I am not 100% Malay but that's okay. Since Mixed race is glamorized by the media, I am proud to say that I am 1/8th of Chinese from my maternal great-grandmother. People would always say that I am not a mixed race but more like a trace of what's left. In my view, I am Mixed race and I am damn proud of it!
why am i choosing the concept of panda and a hibiscus plant? it was to symbolize that my great grandmother was migrating from China to Malaysia and was unified with my great grandfather who was Malay, hence the hibiscus flower. it was a national symbol for our country that symbolize the 5 petals of each race; Malay, Chinese, Indians, indigenous and others that have called Malaysia as home.

Week 6, ASA 115, Neil Castro

In week 6, New Frontiers in Mixed Race Studies, I read  “The Current State of Multiracial Discourse”  by Molly Littlewood McKibbin. The peer reviewed article was about the language of multiculturalism and how multicultural discourse is being developed in the present day.  Mckibbin emphatically describes the confusion within multicultural people as politicians and scholars try to find a way to actually describe becoming multiracial. This confusion lead to many theories like how race in genetic and ethnicity is a choice or the argument of becoming multiethinc is not a special condition. This made this discourse confusing as it would disingenuous for people like Barack Obama and Tiger Woods. They are associated on becoming African American but they are at the core multiethinc. In fact it was so confusing that it was made for debate on the census. Mckibbin cites that  "During the census debates of the 1990s, Republicans (most notably Newt Gingrich) supported multiracial category because it would mean that social support as well as legal protection for non-white groups could be suspended in a “color-blind” society." Congress and scholars are trying to make becoming multiethinc as a special condition. The truth is that we are all multiethnic. It really doesn't matter what ethnicity you are because that is your story. In the realm of politics and academia, race and ethnicity can be confusing at first but unifying once we know that we have different stories to tell. It sould be about whiteness or even blackness but it should help tell a person their story of themselves. Ethnicity is just an origin story and becoming multiethnic just makes that story even better.

For this reading, I was wondering about the multiethnic box. Did congress modify this style? Was it ever put on the census in 1990?

ASA 115, Week 5 Art Project: Neil Castro

My self portrait is a reflection of with my Filipino American background but with my interests in between. I am majority Filipino but I am 1/4 Chinese. However, I am only focusing being Filipino American because that is where I have issues. Even though I am Filipino, others see that I do act or stay within the culture bounds of being Filipino. For example, I chose Chemistry just because I want to create things or find new materials. I did not choose chemistry to become a doctor or even a nurse, the expectation for a Filipino in the STEM field. Sometimes even my parents and others thinking I am "passing" on being Filipino and embracing American culture even more. The truth is that I am both of them and love both cultures. It is how I Love science and I love video games hence the unification of the two within this piece. I am American and Filipino (and also Chinese as well) but I learned to love my ethnicity. If people of mixed ethnicities understand to love them both then it would be awesome because we are on human species.

XU Zhao, Art Project Week 5, Self-Portrait

The inspiration of my self-portrait came from my culture and race identity. I am one hundred percents Chinese with no race mixture, but when I first came to USA during my junior year in high school, I had similar feelings as my Asian American friends did. Our world has become two cultures co-existed. At age of 16, I made my own decision to come US, all of my family members were not in favor of it and worried that I was not mature and capable enough. But I still preserved my own decision. When I came to USA, I noticed that even if I overcome the language barrier, I still can't integrate into the white kid's group. We can hang out and play together, but I understood it's not real friendship. I felt isolated and lonely at that time, and even doubted my decision. 

After that, I decided to make friends with Asian Americans, although they are mentally similar as those white kid, but I didn't feel much different when I integrate into their world. Moreover, I found out they had same problem as I did-. They also find difficulties to blend into white people's group, even they speak fluent English and understand their jokes. I felt the senses of belonging and presences with them. I even found my first girl friend in US during that time!

 Designing this self-portrait reminds me the times that I first came to United State as a Chinese student, it was memorable and beatific. The experience of overcome the difficulties make me believe that the culture differences matters, but our common humanity matters more. 

I made the self-portrait by using PhotoShop with cartoon layers in term of my true photos. The color of my skin, hair and eyes indicate my belongings to China, and my dressing and hair style ( American  Style) represent I am ready to face the opportunities and challenge in the new environment. The original photo is the group photo between my first girl friend and myself, she is an Asian American girl that helped me to overcome the language difficulties and culture difference during my junior year in high school. Even It has been 6 years passed, but I still appreciate her help in my most difficult time. 

Original picture

Janine Nguyen ASA 115 Week 6 Readings

Janine Nguyen
ASA 115 001
Week 6 Reading Blog

This week, our theme is "New Frontiers in Mixed Race Studies", which I predict will mainly center on how mixed race as a concept but also in teaching has expanded widely to be more inclusive of others' experiences and backgrounds. In “The Current State of Multiracial Discourse” by Molly Littlewood McKibbin, I found that the reading's ultimate goal is to showcase that mixed race challenges the notions and racial constructions set forth by societal forces in power. I think that this is important to note especially when taking into consideration the distinct identities that multiracial folks hold and the varying perceptions of aforementioned identities. These issues are crucial to analyze and critically evaluate in order to properly understand the experience as well as the impact it has in changing our perspectives onto what "race" means and whether the concept of race should have as much of a role that it does.

Multiraciality is important to preserve and needs to be properly recognized on a local but also political level. In validating these people and assessing the problems associated with established racial hierarchies, we further develop our perceptions of these individuals. In diversifying our livelihoods, it is critical to realize that colorism largely and negatively impacts groups on basis of racial categorization (by phenotype). When reflecting upon segregation laws and the infamous "separate but equal" ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson, we should not feign ignorance and mistakenly believe that racism is no longer pervasive in society. These issues are still relevant as of today, especially with how divided our nations continue to become. 

Tying together the overarching themes of the reading and my own personal inferences, I wonder: how can we challenge our own perceptions that can be fueled by internalized racism? How can we be more culturally sensitive and aware? Does our language play a role in how we can approach these topics and how should we adjust our diction to ensure that we avoid uncomfortable situations on the topic of race? 

In “Things Not To Say To Someone of Mixed Race” by BBC Three, the mixed race individuals in the video explain just how damaging preconceptions can be; tackling these types of issues are not something that can be done alone. It is important to hold these types of interviews and record these stories so that people are able to gain a better grasp of what is appropriate. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8sY29iN0-c

Week 6 reading Nik Nurhafieza Nik Mohd Rosidi

Only the News they want to print talks about the publication for the ethnic studies as well as daily information for the mixed race. it has limitations that the publication media has to follow or they make their own about which content to put on the newspapers, social media and online publications that related to the mixed race studies and about other ethnic studies as well. from the reading, i also identified the main problem from the reading, the media publications has a tendency to write and publicize the wrong ideas and stereotype on mixed-race people. With an era where the articles, news and journals were at our own fingertips, we really need to ask questions for the problem that was revolving around the mixed-race.
first, the journalists that were responsible to put on the information and content on mixed-race must have an integrity to put the truth and only truth for the public to read. if they were not a part of mixed-race, they need to dig deeper into the information obtained from many resources. this can be resolved if they went to scholars or experts in the mixed-race studies. the journalist and the media publication should validate their contents from a good source as we don't want to spread fake news over truth to the public. journalists and media publication should be an active media to provide to the public because it would be a good step to make sure that the content was true and there were no fake news that will be circulating in their publication on many platforms such as social media, news online , newspaper etc.

Nik nurhafieza Week 6 reading

Only the News they want to print talks about the publication for the ethnic studies as well as daily information for the mixed race. it has limitations that the publication media has to follow or they make their own about which content to put on the newspapers, social media and online publications that related to the mixed race studies and about other ethnic studies as well. from the reading, i also identified the main problem from the reading, the media publications has a tendency to write and publicize the wrong ideas and stereotype on mixed-race people. With an era where the articles, news and journals were at our own fingertips, we really need to ask questions for the problem that was revolving around the mixed-race.
first, the journalists that were responsible to put on the information and content on mixed-race must have an integrity to put the truth and only truth for the public to read. if they were not a part of mixed-race, they need to dig deeper into the information obtained from many resources. this can be resolved if they went to scholars or experts in the mixed-race studies. the journalist and the media publication should validate their contents from a good source as we don't want to spread fake news over truth to the public. journalists and media publication should be an active media to provide to the public because it would be a good step to make sure that the content was true and there were no fake news that will be circulating in their publication on many platforms such as social media, news online , newspaper etc.

Kaishan Wang: Week 5 | Self-Portrait Project

The inspiration of designing my self-portrait came from my race-mixture identity, and it, to be honest, was not easy to be created not because of the problem or skill of designing, but because of the fact that I am half Chinese and half Uyghur (Turkish descendent). Having a background with two completely discrepant cultures and appearances really renders me a hard time correctly defining my true identity, let alone my self-portrait. Should I create my portrait to be closer like a real Asian? Or should I create my portrait to be closer like a real Turkish descendent? The answer might be provided based on the social acceptance or recognition of certain races or colors of individuals, since some people believe, for instance, that white people is considered to be superior than black people, Asian is considered to be smarter than other races, and even people with religion of Christian or Buddhism is considered to be more lofty and respected than those with religion of Islam. Nevertheless, the answer is much simpler, which is that I should be me. Therefore, that is the reason why I tended to create my self-portrait with my real appearance, not deliberately to be apt to either Asian or Turkish descendent.

The self-portrait was originally designed through PhotoShop with cartoon layer in terms of my true selfie. I deliberately used cartoon of me in that I don’t want myself, based on so-called social acceptance norms, to be easily categorized into either Asian or Turkish group, so I can truly be myself, and cartoon is merely a way of expressing myself. 

Cartoon Selfie:

             True Selfie:

Julian Leus Week 5 Blog ASA Summer Session 1

Jennifer Patrice Sims’ article “Beautiful Stereotypes: The Relationship Between Physical Attractiveness and Mixed Race Identity” presents empirical evidence of mixed race individuals standing atop of the contemporary beauty hierarchy. This sociological study, conducted from 1994-2002, uses public data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (ADD Health) to assess beauty ratings of various biracial groups: white/black, white/Native American, white/Asian, Black/Native American, Black/Asian, and Native American/Asian. The sociologist concludes that different physical characteristics for different biracial groups correlate with perceived societal beauty. For mixed race black individuals, beauty is more dependent on skin color; whereas, for mixed Asian individuals, beauty is more dependent on the shape of eyes and physical stature (height, body build). 

One point that I found particularly insightful was that many mixed race individuals found “race” as a non-applicable social identifier. In other words, many mixed race individuals, primarily white mixed race individuals, believed that they “transcended” race and that race was not a central marker of their identity. Sims’ emphasis on the fact that mostly white mixed race individuals experience this “racial transcendence” demonstrates how white privilege affords one more agency in code-switching, or claiming different parts of their racial identity in different social environments. Overall, I found this article to be very insightful but the research method to be rather extraneous. I do not necessarily believe that statistical methods needed to be used to prove that there is, indeed, a Biracial Beauty Stereotype. The scientific method, in my opinion, is tedious and can sometimes be self-explanatory in certain case studies. For this specific study, I think participant testimony and persuasive writing about their testimony would have been sufficient to prove that a Biracial Beauty Stereotype exists.

Week 5 Self Portrait created by Seira Narita

This piece was inspired by the experiences of those who identify as mixed race and the struggle against racial categorization and classification. Although I can not personally understand what it is like to be mixed race, everyone in contemporary society is involved and influenced by the racial hierarchy built upon stereotypes and racial ideologies. The encounters I had in Los Angeles after moving from Japan caused me to struggle in my identity as a Japanese American. A majority of my negative social interactions stemmed not from malicious intent, but from what people had absorbed into their subconscious that changed the way they process the world around them, even when they may not initially endorse these stereotypes. In my illustration, I hope to highlight the pride I've developed overtime in the culture, language, and traditions of my family that have emboldened me to learn to embrace my identity as an Asian American. This is represented by the traditional clothing inspired by the design of a yukata I often wear to Japanese festivals.

This piece was sketched out and filled in with color pencils.

Week 5 - Self Portrait - Hilton Kam

Wilderness backpacking is an activity I enjoy doing. It’s one of the many activities I like to do that could be categorized as “shit White people do.” I am also obsessed about my dog which can also be considered “shit White people do.” My self portrait reflects these two things. I chose to draw myself in this setting because it is rare to see a Chinese-American - let alone a person of color - in the literal wild (yes, I really am Chinese). 

My skin is colored a blend of yellow, brown, and tan to emphasize my racial ambiguity but it makes one thing clear: I am definitely not white. My brown skin is invading a space predominantly White and I am smiling because I am enjoying my existence there. My self portrait is to show that people of color are allowed to be in wilderness because it’s our land too.

This self portrait is a sketch on white printer paper from a photograph reference. A graphite pencil was used for the initial sketch and then colored with color pencils. The sketch was then scanned using a camera scanner app and cropped to remove excess white space. The camera scanner removes some coloring details, creating a grainy look

Seira Narita: Week Six Readings for ASA 115

The readings required for week six included “The Current State of Multiracial Discourse” by Molly Littlewood McKibbin, “‘Only the News They Want to Print’: Mainstream Media and Critical Mixed-RaceStudies” by Rainier Spencer, “Radical Love: A Transatlantic Dialogue about Race and Mixed Race” by Daniel McNeil and Leanne Taylor, and “Lebanon in Two Hemisphere: Posts from a Post-Colonial World” by Shannon O’Neill and Amira Pierce. The readings provided apply to the theme of "New Frontiers in Mixed Race Studies" as these authors review the progression of mixed race studies in academics, while highlighting the importance of deconstructing the notion of race itself. The authors for this week challenge preconceptions and stereotypes of the term “mixed race” and ensure the readers’ understanding that it is not about racial categorization or classification, but rather about becoming aware of mixed race peoples’ experiences and the existence of a racial hierarchy in contemporary society.

In “The Current State of Multiracial Discourse” by Molly Littlewood McKibbin, the author discusses the concept of a “mixed race identity” and whether “mixed race” is a different racial category or a separate racial concept. She also covers the different opinions on how to socialize mixed race children in helping them find this so called “mixed race identity.” This section of the reading reminded me of a discussion from the week 5 presentation where after a viewing of Logic’s “Black Spiderman” music video, we considered that some who identify as mixed race want to be seen as “just human” and not the color of their skin or their racial background. However, the author points out that the “color-blind” abolitionists are seeking the removal of official racial classifications rather than social equality, thus only taking down the social racial structures but not the ideologies that root it (193). So with that being said, how are ways in which we can eliminate the ideologies that uphold the racial hierarchy?

Diane Lee ~ ASA 115 ~ Week 6 Readings Blog

https://roybeaird.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/melting-pot.jpg

The readings for week 6 informs us about mixed race studies and how people are reevaluating what is understood about race and being mixed race. This week’s readings connect to the theme: New Frontiers in Mixed Race Studies because in the field of mixed race studies, there are new ways to think about mixed race in our society. Personally, being recognized as mixed race is important to me, but knowing that a mixed race identity challenges the whole concept of race is conflicting to me. I was not aware that multiracial discourse is something that people evaluate and examine. Therefore, reading McKibbin’s article, “The Current State of Multiracial Discourse” made me acknowledge that multiraciality is beyond identity. With the issues of multiracial identity, there is a need for recognition and political engagement. Also, I do not think that a color-blind attempt to the multiracial discourse is practical. Color has been used to separate Whites and Blacks for many years and I believe the idea of colorism is real. I would think that a group of individuals who are mixed race could help bring value to everyone because there is diversity within mixed race, however, colorism affects mixed race individuals as well. With my parents, who are monoracial and not white, I see how society treats them based on the color of their skin and their appearance. I have always wondered if the United States is truly a melting pot?

Week 5 Art, Self-Portrait, ASA 115, Janine Nguyen

In all my years of creating art, I find that one of the most difficult tasks to do is to make an accurate self-portrait. As we create art, it is easy to beautify oneself accordingly to anglicized standards of beauty; many art mediums that are classic and iconic are based upon Caucasian features, so I found it very difficult to accurately portray myself while conveying my message. In this traditional piece, the mediums I used were colored pencils and markers. The soft shading from the colored pencils were complemented by the jarring elements of the markers.

In this art, I left my skin white and unshaded. Throughout my childhood, I have been raised with the notion that lighter skin equated with higher status whereas darker skin implied that an individual was a laborer in the fields. Raised in a Vietnamese-American household, my knowledge of Vietnam, my native country of origin, was limited to what I scarcely learned in my high school education and the refugee stories that my family members rarely told. The "Áo dài" dress I am wearing is adorned by images of a laborer in a rice paddy field and the decimation of the environment from the war. The images are purposefully childish; these images represent the perceptions I had of the Vietnam War - it is a two-dimensional, flat depiction in which innocent people had lost their livelihoods due to the cruelties and traumas associated with war.

From the naive misconceptions I had of the shift in Vietnam's history, to the South Vietnamese flag in the background, my background as a Vietnamese-American has led me to believe that I am a "race traitor", for being ignorant of my history and lack of connection to my supposed homeland. While I am Vietnamese, my fluency is not nearly as proficient as my English and German level of fluency. While I identify as Vietnamese-American, I am stereotypically seen as a "Chinese doll", which I have frequently heard due to my stature and skin color. I believe that my attributes that separate me from the masses helps me gain a broader perspective of what it truly means to be an individual in two worlds.