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AAPI Issues On Campus: A Dialogue

04.13.2021

Recent events have heightened awareness of regular injustices toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community that have otherwise been ignored. To reflect on AAPI students’ experiences on our campus, we interviewed two officers of cultural clubs: Ephraim Palmero (graduate, community and international development), the 2019-20 AFIA Cultural Vice President, and Steven Injety (junior, data science), the 2020-21 SASA President. In response to their accounts of friction between University policies and the cultural clubs, Masy Domecillo (senior, biology) and I (senior, psychology) reflect on these issues, as a part of the AAPI community on campus.

"I was in charge of submitting co-curricular events for Filipino American History Month back in 2019. One of the events was to teach a native Filipino dance called Tinikling. This led to a conversation with the Director of Co-Curricular Education, who told me that in order to approve my co-curricular event, I couldn't call it a 'dance' and he had to rename it as a 'cultural movement or immersion' something of that nature. While it was eventually approved, I didn't give it much thought until I had conversations with officers from other cultural clubs and associations regarding similar experiences with how dances are treated and viewed by student life.”
-Palmero

Jessica Rim (JR): Sometimes our goals to be both a culturally diverse campus and religious institution seem to conflict, especially when it comes to dance. I think traditional dance does not have to be repackaged and excused as a cultural experience when that is what it already is, and these name changes convey the message that cultural dances may somehow be offensive even when they are being taught in a fun, engaging way as a co-curricular event.

Masy Domecillo (MD): I really think that the naming distinction is arbitrary. I understand that the Adventist church has traditionally held a stance against dance, in general, but I think that particularly applies to secular dances. Even within our own religion, different churches worship differently. I’ve definitely been to churches with dancing, and I don’t think that dancing, or “religious movements,” has any indication of detracting from the inner spiritual life.

“For the Ice Cream Social, we normally apply henna to those who sign up. We have been doing that for years. We were then informed we would not be allowed to do it, because it looks similar to tattoos and the previous Student Life Director had said she received complaints. Henna is not a religious tradition, it is a cultural tradition. We campaigned for it via our IG and took the issue to AUSA and then to the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, who graciously assisted us in allowing us to continue our tradition.”
-Injety

MD: Henna is ingrained in South Asian culture, and I particularly admire SASA for offering it to all their members during the Ice Cream Social. It’s such an intricate art! Even if the complaints were about how henna can resemble tattoos, familiarity with the tradition shows that this is a cultural practice that is at most, semi permanent, and does not depict any offensive imagery. I think henna is a great way to introduce people to South Asian culture, and I’m glad that they were able to bring it back.

JR: I think the misunderstanding that henna is equivalent to tattoos shows how we tend to misperceive unfamiliar customs in the terms that make the most sense to us. Especially since people enjoy getting henna art during club sign ups and there are no conflicting religious meanings to this, I am glad that this tradition will continue.

“One can't help but think of the colonial, xenophobic, and imperialist behavior with which Western institutions historically viewed foreign practices and customs. It is also hypocritical that cultural dances are permitted for specific cultural nights; however for co-curricular events throughout the year, they must be rebranded. Language, food, and dances are essential to promoting authentic cultural experiences. Restricting one of them not only restricts the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in sharing our stories, but also limits other minority communities from sharing theirs as well."
-Palmero

JR: I agree that cultural dances can bring discomfort to those who are used to a Western aesthetic, which has often designated anything foreign into the same dark, dusty corner. Rather than stick to more familiar aspects of sharing food and language, I think we should be able to more fully, and consistently, portray the vibrant uniqueness of each culture by including dance, which will show that not every group of cultures is one uniform mass.

MD: That is such a good point! The entire reason we have such a myriad of cultural clubs in AU is that we want to share and experience our own and other students’ cultures. Experiences such as co-curriculars are meant to inform us, and such as in this case, rebranding cultural dances only adds to unfamiliarity. I agree that foreign traditions can be uncomfortable, but events such as these help people expand their own worldviews.

“I believe the issue with the henna, it made us feel like there was a bias against us. It was something we have been doing for years, and all of a sudden it got cut after one or two complaints. However, we also felt supported by the Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion, and the office of Diversity and Inclusion, as they quickly resolved the issue. That strengthened our faith in AU, and enabled us to express ourselves in a better manner.”
-Injety

MD: I definitely agree that although this incident may seem “minor”, this was an opportunity to open a dialogue about cultural differences. Perhaps a proactive approach that our campus could take with these issues is to have a dialogue about them, because I think these issues stem from a clash between cultural and religious practices. I’m glad that we had the AAPI forum, but there’s still a lot that we can discuss and reconcile.

JR: I also think this should be more regularly discussed, especially since we may have always ignored the issues in representing the AAPI community. And if these activities are so easily cut due to complaints, it feels as if they are avoiding the underlying issues, once again, about unfamiliarity. However, it is encouraging that we are surrounded by people sincerely attempting to make cultural diversity an aspect of our campus life.

Although these instances appear to be simple, isolated misconceptions - that certain cultural practices do not align with university guidelines - they in fact occur because non-Western cultures are perceived as foreign and strange. This is not intentional; however, this inaccurately frames traditions such as “Tinikling” and henna in religious connotations. As a community that values cultural diversity, it is crucial to expose our members to various aspects of different cultures so that we do not think of them as alien, nor make our cultural diversity merely nominal. Continuing this discussion with clear, timely attempts to address the ambiguity towards the AAPI community remains incredibly vital in educating others about cultural traditions and facilitating open-mindedness.