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Fall Quarter '94

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Cultural Diversity Enriches Our World

A CULTURAL DIVERSITY FORUM

MANKATO STATE UNIVERSITY

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East Wind, West WindMSU Box 65

P. O. Box 8400Mankato, MN 56002-8400

(507) 389-2812

EditorVann Phan

Staff Writers

Victor PhilipsSamurai Phan

Nicole Henderson

Cover Art

Scott Allan Kingbird

Art & Design

Yee Xiong

PhotographyVictor PhilipsNicole Henderson

Khanti Thongvivong

TypesettersLoan Trinh

Vanna NguyenNicole Henderson

Khanti Thongvivong

Contributors

Ken BergDara Akiko

Ronald B. Bailey

Francisco J. GonzalesBeverly Ho-A-YunRemi Van HuyenMaria Baxter

East Wind, West WindAn MSU Cultural Diversity ForumFall Quarter '94

"Cultural Diversity Enriches Our World'"

TABLE OF CONTENTS

From the Editor i

Melodious Echoes from the Plains 1

Schindler's List: A Last Review 2

Negative Stereotypes of Minorities Persist. .4

Cross-cultural Issues: It's Unity 5

Kawanzaa ; 6

Jackie Eckert, the Linchpin of OMA 7

The Bus Drive 8

You Can Come in Now 12

The Hmong New Year Celebration in La Crosse 13

What You Can't Miss : 14

Picture News: Cultural Diversity Activities 16-17

Alienation Leads to Change ; 18

I Am a Vietnamese! 22

Distortion not New to Local Chapter ofIndian History 23

Profile: Mona Wallace 24

Connections Across Cultures 25

Vietnam Reconsidered 26

East Wind, West Wind News 30

Acknowledgments inside back cover

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5

CROSS-CULTURAL ISSUES

By Francisco J. Gonzales

Editor's Note: The bottom line of cultural diversity is tocreate a win-win situation in which harmony, not conflict,

among people of different cultural backgrounds could be

achieved, thus eliminating theprospect ofone racial group

gaining advantage over another or any privileged group

could prosper at the expense of others.

It is with this understanding that Francisco J. Gonzales, a

contributing writer of East Wind, West Wind, writes thefol/owing article which we're glad to introduce to our dearreaders this time.

In the last couple of years, one of the most evidentchanges in the American political and social landscapes is

the increasing conservatism among the majority (White/

European-American) population. Both main parties, re

publican and democratic, have shown a pronounced shift

to the right of the political spectrum. For minority groups,

this is a particularly troubling development. Historically,

conservative right-wing administrations have notonlyfailedto take out concerns into consideration but also have

actively worked to hamper progress in critical areas such

as civil rights, equal employment opportunity, affordable

housing and, most recently, universal health-care insurance.

Since we cannot trust either established political party to

deal with (or even show interest for) these issues, it is now

crucial that minority people pool our strength together.

However, a major barrier in this process is the continuing

lack of unity between the leadership of the African-Ameri

can, Chicano-Latino-Mexicano, Asian-American and Native American communities.

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The Black vs. Asian violence seen inthe 1992 Los Angles

riots, and the ongoing Black vs. Hispanic conflicts in south

Florida are but two of the most graphic examples of the

fights among people of color in many communities. The

consequences of this are also obvious. In Los Angeles, an

European-American right-wing businessman becamemayor in 1993 after defeating a Chinese-American oppo

nent who lacked the support of Blacks and Latinos in a city

where whites are a minority. In south Florida, due to thepolitical disagreement between Blacks and Latinos, plansfor a new minority congressional district were canceled.

Even within ethnic groups there are social, economic,

regional and class barriers standing on the way of achiev

ing greater solidarity. For Latinos, the problem is com

pounded by the fact that each major group has a particular

concern that isquite different from the others. To Mexican

Americans, the single largest Latino community, immigra

tion law reform is an important issue; however, for Puerto

Ricans (whoare all U.S. citizens by birth), it is not an issue

at all. On the other hand, Cubans are mostly interested inhow to influence developments in Cuba.

Despite these divisions, there ishope thatthrough inspired

and determined leadership our communities can pull to

gether and form a common front. The Reverend Jesse

Jackson and his !!Rainbow Coalition" had led the way for

many years, reaching out to all sectors interested in

ending injustice. The N.A.A.C.P., the most influentialAfrican-American organization, has recently stepped up

it's efforts to expand the membership and include Latinos

and their interests. Multi-ethnic and multi-cultural groups

and organizations are becoming increasingly active inmany parts of the country, influencing political and economic decisions in their communities.

But we must also look beyond race for unity and support.

Other groups in society, besides people of color, have felt

the same discrimination and injustices and are natural

allies in our struggle. The Jewish population in America

share many of the historical prejudices that racial minori

ties have endured for centuries. Jews also have a strong

sense of justice and a record of involvement in civil rights

movements. Their political and economic influence could

greatly boost any reform initiatives supported by people ofcolor. The feminist and gay communities are also groups

in society that, while mostly representing people of White/

European-American ancestry, are also faced with many

obstacles similar to those encountered by other minority

groups.

Itwould bea long and arduous process to build a coalition

among people of color, and even more difficult to include

other progressive elements such asJews, feminists, gays,

and environmentalists. There are many prominent lead-

6

ers among the African-American and Latino communitie

that are opposed to any connection with Jews and gay

while the feminist movement for many years exclude

women of color from leadership positions. Regardlessthese past and present conflicts, we should all realize th

we really have no choice. The forces opposed to equal

and justice for all Americans are formidable. Unity in th

face of this threat must be our overriding priority at th

time. Unity is our only hope for a better future.