T
he Asian community is very diverse. Making up Freshman Zhaine Raymundo remembers when in an estimated 60% of the population, It is home to Freshman World History a student asked a question that many different cultures all of which are housed made many students uncomfortable. under the identity of Asian. Each of them is unique and “She was asking, ‘Wait, is China part of Asia?’ which can’t be summarized as the same thing. Even in America, annoyed all of us so much because we have me as a the diversity and impacts of these cultures can be seen. Pacific Islander, [freshman] Calista [CwmCwlamare, a Asian culture and the monumental impact that it’s Chinese American girl], and then this other girl who’s had on our country often goes unalso Asian,” Raymundo said. “We A survey of 108 derappreciated, especially in ed- WAHS students found all kind of just looked at each oththat ucational settings. In spite of the er in this weird triangle of ‘What is egregious lack of acknowledgment she going on about?’ and this lasted in the classroom and elsewhere, the half of our class. … We were all unAsian community has made various comfortable. Even the students who contributions to the development of weren’t Asian or a person of color.” of students think our nation, including but not limited Years past have had little reprethat WAHS doesn’t sentation for Asian students with to building our first railways, particdo a sufficient job at ipating in the civil rights movement, teaching Asian culture much of the representation focusing and advocating for better working on World War II. This has provided and history. conditions for garment workers. fewer opportunities of education Despite the fundamental role Asian people have fulfilled about the cultures that make it up leading to optimism throughout our history, the absence of education on such among Asian students. contributions has resulted in many beautiful, diverse cul“... I think that it’s really nice to be able to expand the tures being misunderstood and misconstrued by many domains of World History, so that it’s not just about Eustudents today. ropean battles and things like that. And it’s about larger “Like for me, we learned about Indian culture, but it scale world and cultural things, especially because a lot was only about Gandhi,” senior Nishant Vishisht said. of the history that is taught that’s not Eurocentric is very “… It’s like if we talked about America, we only learned negative,” senior Sachi Wrigley said. “I think it’s going about Abraham Lincoln. That’s just like only one figure. to be really good for minority students to be able to see It doesn’t summarize America.” more positive historical views of themselves.” In the classroom, there have been recent discussions Both Wrigley and Vashisht discussed the importance to include more about Asia in the school curriculum such of education about other cultures as not only does it help as Freshman Honors English including a Chinese myth lift up minority students but also builds understanding in the mythology unit. As the transition is being made, for other cultures. students are learning, but to some it highlights a gap in what was being taught.
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HISTORY IN OREGON One of the oldest Asian populations in Oregon is the Cantonese-Chinese who immigrated to work in mines in the 1850s and became one of the largest groups of Asians in Oregon. In 1887, a massacre occurred at Deep Creek, where thieves and schoolboys jumped and killed 34 Chinese gold miners. After three of the six perpetrators were arrested, they were let go. The events were only formally recognized by the government in 2005, when the location was named the ‘Chinese Massacre Cove.’ Later, due The Page Act of 1875, which effectively banned the immigration of Asian women; Oregon’s ban of interracial marriage; and other policies, Oregon’s Cantonese-Chinese population went from 10,390 in 1900 to 2,075 in 1930. 1912 saw the birth of Hazel Ying Lee born in Portland, Oregon who would become the first Asian American woman to receive a pilot’s license, deviating from the stereotype that Asian women were passive. As World War II started, she quickly became a leader among Women Airforce Service Pilots and was one of the first women to fly for the US military. She died in 1944 due to a miscommunication in the control tower. Now, the Willamette Valley, and especially the Portland area, serve as a heart of Asian culture in Oregon.
