A Long-Standing Foundation

AHPID activism at OSU seems to have increased along with the increase of anti-AHPID sentiment and physical violence since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. But this activism is building on a long-standing foundation of AHPID activism and support at OSU. Many students, faculty, and staff have spoken out over the years, from the 1980s until the present, on various issues—from sexual violence against Asian women to the backlash following 9/11 to the inclusivity of terminology.

Women-oriented groups at OSU have attempted to create spaces that support AHPID women. The Asian Women Support Group, founded in Spring 1989 according to a Lantern article (“Group assists Asian students”), came out of a support group at the Counseling and Consultation Service at OSU. Dr. Chikako Inoue Cox, the first AHPID teaching assistant in the Women’s Studies Center, was also the first AHPID psychologist at OSU with a specialization in cross-cultural counseling training. She provided a place for AHPID women to “discuss their common experiences here in the United States,” which—although related—presumably still varied widely. The group only included women who have at least one AHPID parent, which brings up another issue—that of identity and “Asianness.” Determining who is “Asian” enough is a tricky business, and multi-racial persons often feel as if they exist between worlds. The future of true AHPID inclusivity is one that does not police blood quotas. The article noted that the university refused to fund the group, which also speaks to an institutional support issue at that time. It is unclear when this support group was disbanded or if it evolved, but we can see how sexual violence against Asian women was a real and present concern at OSU. When we look at the Atlanta shooting in this context, we can see how the sexualization of AHPID women, the perpetual “foreignness” of AHPID, and white supremacy affect women of color.

In May of 2002, following an “increase in racial profiling especially within the Asian-American community,” OSU students met to discuss political parties, activism, and race relations in a student-led panel (“Asian group fosters activism”). These self-identified Asian-Pacific Islander (API) students believed they needed to “emphasize activism across boundaries…with other ethnic groups.” They believed the term “Asian-American” privileged East Asians and was not inclusive enough to South Asians and Pacific Islanders. This problem of inclusivity continues to today, where the “model minority” myth often only applies to certain Asians and not others. The way data about “Asian Americans” is aggregated in this country also paints an inaccurate picture of the real struggles that Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders face. Terminology can certainly help awareness of the great diversity—and sometimes disparities—across AHPID communities but should not stop there.