Asian Parents and Students Face Challenge of Diversity

by New America Media (reposted)

Sat, Jun 30, 2007 8:43AM

Saturday, June 30, 2007 :The U.S. Supreme Court struck down voluntary school desegregation plans in Seattle and Louisville, Ky., because they use race to assign some students to schools in an attempt to avoid racial isolation. For many Asian-American students, self-segregation is a part of their high school life. Meanwhile, Asian-American parents navigate between the choice of sending their children to the best school and ensuring that their children can adapt to a diverse society.

NEW YORK -- Population trends indicate that by 2050, no one ethnicity will comprise more than 50 percent of the overall population in the United States. But does diversity necessarily mean greater equality and improved integration among ethnicities?

“They Don’t Understand Us”

Lewis Chen is an 11th grader at New York’s Benjamin N. Cardozo High School where no one ethnic group is a majority. Nevertheless, Chen says he and his Asian friends are ignored by the African-American and Latino students. “Most of the time,” says Chen, “they act like we don’t exist.”

Chen says he thinks this is because there is little understanding between the groups.

“Nearly all of my close friends are Asian,” says Chen. “It’s been like this since I’ve been in school.” He says that while this sounds discriminatory, it reflects the reality of the situation.

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