系列报道五| 在亚太裔传统月，看亚裔族群的身份认同有多难？

编者案：本文是九篇系列报道的第五篇。这个系列报道旨在让读者有机会更多了解费城地区不同亚裔社群，关注他们的历史，影响力和面对的挑战。现在，我们比以往任何时候都更需要为亚洲发声。

这一系列报道与费城华埠发展会（the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation）合作，和Sojourner Consulting协同，并获得独立公共媒体基金会（the Independence Public Media Foundation）的大力支持。

This article is the fifth  of a series of nine stories which seeks to increase visibility and understanding of the diverse Asian American communities in the Philadelphia region and their strengths, challenges and histories. Now more than ever, we must ensure Asian voices have a platform to speak out against the issues impacting our communities.

This series is developed by New Mainstream Press in partnership with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation and in consultation with Sojourner Consulting, with support from the Independence Public Media Foundation.

The inside of Montgomery County Community College was loud on April 30th, as the The Korean-American Association of Greater Philadelphia (KAAGP) kicked off May’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with their Korea in Philly festival. Korean elders sporting traditional dress proceeded around the building in a drum line, showing their passion and talent for the music, and eventually ending in the lobby where they were greeted with endless applause. The festival was the organization’s first in-person celebration for AAPI Heritage Month and doubled as a commemoration of KAAGP’s 50th anniversary.

Events like this are common during the month of May, especially in geographic centers of Asian populations. While the Korean population in the City is mostly concentrated in Olney and Cheltenham, in the region, Montgomery County also has a large Korean population, largely due to settlement that dates back to the 50s and 60s as a result of World War II and the Korean War. By 1970, Koreans were one of the top 10 immigrant groups in Philadelphia based on population.

AAPI Heritage Month began with a resolution passed by U.S. Congress in 1977，introducing House Joint Resolution 540, which proposed proclaiming the first 10 days of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. Historically, the holiday has its roots in the Chinese and Japanese populations, as May was chosen in part to coincide with the anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants and the completion of the transcontinental Railroad.

In 1990, Congress expanded the observance from a week to a month. May was annually designated as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in 1992 under the George H. W. Bush administration with the passing of Public Law 102-540. 

The name of the month was changed to Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in 2009 by President Barack Obama in an effort to be more inclusive of all Asian and Pacific Islander cultures. Many advocates note that conversations about AAPI still tend to focus on East Asian groups, and neglect the issues of other Asian and Pacific Islander groups.

Throughout this series on Asian Americans in the Philadelphia region, we have featured a range of voices from across Asian America, and we aim to grow our source network and continue to expand coverage across AAPI communities. As this paper is halfway through our series , we pause to explore the question: what does it mean to be Asian American or AAPI? What is the history of these terms and identities and why do people use them or reject them?

In this article, we conducted interviews with three individuals who identify as being of East Asian descent about their work with the broader AAPI community. Throughout this series, we have featured a range of voices from across Asian America, and we aim to grow our source network and continue to expand coverage across AAPI communities.

The term Asian American was coined by activist Yuji Ichioka in the late 1960s as part of a social and racial justice movement. The movement brought together people of various Asian backgrounds who had migrated to the United States to fight for fairer housing, food, and healthcare, and other social justice issues for those of Asian descent. The movement also helped other groups in the United States who were targeted for their ethnicities such as Africans and Latinos.

Today, advocates debate the usefulness of the identity as a term that has the potential to paper over the diversity of AAPI groups or act as an effective unifying identity for political gain.

Rob Buscher is the Board Chair of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and President of Philadelphia’s Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). Buscher emphasizes that while he proudly identifies as Japanese and emphasizes the rich cultural differences of each ethnic group, a united Asian American community is needed for political advancement as there is a limited population of certain ethnic groups in the area. He says groups act together on common issues they share politically, such as anti-Asian racism, but their oppressions are largely where the similarities end. Compared to other places where there is a larger proportion of Asians, “In some ways, Philadelphia works better together,” he says.

Prior to World War II, only about 100 Japanese lived in Philadelphia, mostly students who came for the universities. Today there are only about 3,000 people of Japanese ethnicity in the Greater Philadelphia Area, one of the smallest Asian ethnic populations in the area.

In 1942, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which read that Americans of Japanese descent would be held in detainment camps. The order was perceived as an act of safety and prevention for the country after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The Executive Order caused pain and suffering for generations to come. Buscher, who is a third generation Japanese American, says he still experienced internalized racism and hatred due to the trauma instilled in his ancestors. Buscher watched his grandmother, a Japanese immigrant, and mother’s generation battle with wanting to become assimilated to American culture rather than proudly display their Japanese heritage. In his family, the Japanese language was quickly lost.

However, he emphasizes that “we can’t live in a space where we only think of bad things.” Buscher has noticed more celebration of Japanese culture in recent years and hopes it continues past AAPI Heritage Month. “Slowly, over decades, there has been this reclamation and intentional celebration of Japaneseness.”

Buscher was the first family member to relearn the Japanese language, and his son is the first since his grandmother to be learning the language at home while growing up. Today, Buscher celebrates the rich history of Japanese people in the United States and Philadelphia while acknowledging that the pride comes after a painful history. He believes that for Americans of Japanese descent, their advocacy for other social justice issues stems from this moral grounding through the experience of forced incarceration.”These are experiences that have unfortunately created intergenerational trauma.”

As Board Chair of the Asian American Film Festival, Rob Buscher brings to light that this creative outlet allows Asian Americans a space to heal and share their stories with others. “The most important aspect of the media movement is reclamation of the narrative and authenticity of the storytelling from [Asian American] individuals.”

Buscher also connects storytelling and filmmaking with the opportunity to improve gaps in American education around Asian American history. He recounts his own personal public school education and the meager, sanitized content related to Japanese Americans. “Unfortunately, our narrative has been absent from mainstream entertainment and from mainstream history books.”

Recently, Buscher has worked with WHYY to develop Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: A Philadelphia Story, a project which came out of a five part documentary series on Asian American history which was aired in 2022 on PBS (the series can be viewed for free here).

Last year’s AAPI heritage month took place after the Atlanta spa shootings in April 2021, in which eight people were killed, six of them Asian women. The shootings sent shock waves throughout the Asian community and led to calls for change.

Within the past year, violence and dangerous rhetoric has continued to plague the Philadelphia Asian American community, including violent attacks on SEPTA. Many gatherings have taken on a more solemn approach and as a result of current events, individuals have sought healing from racial-based traumas and fears.

One of the programs within the CIFWI initiative is the Asian American Racial Healing and Mindful Transformation, which began in the wake of the Atlanta shootings. This 12-week program was designed to help participants identify and accept racist beliefs and racial trauma they hold due to their Asian American origins. The program uses meditation and mindfulness to promote healing.

Dr. Esther Castillo, a program manager at Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) and in her free time, an activist. She manages the Chinese Immigrant Families Wellness Initiative, CIFWI, a wellness program that focuses on two main groups within the Asian American community–first generation immigrant parents and their children.“ The goal of this program is to heal from our racial trauma, to accept these traumas, and to equip ourselves with the muscle to talk about race and racism…I think people have a lot of feelings and they need to express them.”

Others point out the importance of creating bridges, within and also across specific groups. For example, even in the Chinese community, there is a lot of diversity resulting from differences in generations, immigrant statuses and socioeconomic backgrounds, says Dr. Esther Castillo.

CIFWI began with an initial survey of Chinese families which found that among the older generation, top issues of wellness and mental health were related to family communication and economic pressure while the younger group voiced problems with family dynamics as well as racism and gender equality.

The program spoke to parents about family pressure, communication with their kids, and self care. The program started out focusing on Chinese families, and a resulting youth leadership series has now opened up to all Asian families. Members now include persons of Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Filipino descent as well. With the youth, a program titled the Youth Leadership Program brought in mental health professionals to speak about race and gender, consent, and healthy relationships, common issues Asian American youth from all backgrounds voiced they were experiencing.

“Younger generations share a lot of commonality” says Castillo in regards to shared concern among youth of different ethnicities. Many of the issues shared by ethnic groups internally are also similar, especially for younger generations who are navigating family ties to Identity the culture and tradition as well as schooling as well as being more publicly exposed to issues like racism through school and social circles.

Castillo recognizes that as Asian Americans, people are not always ready to address the hurt and fear that has been instilled in them after events such as the Atlanta shootings. She explains that the purpose of her initiatives is to create space for a dialogue. However, from personal experiences, she realizes not everyone is quite ready to use that space. With this in mind, Castillo is hopeful that by having spaces in place, such as the CIFWI initiative, people will be able to speak about their experiences once they are ready.

Mayor Kenney and the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs plan to commemorate AAPI heritage month as well. “There is an element of joy and pride we want to lean into,” says Romana Lee-Akiyama, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement.

Ms. Lee-Akiyama notes that one of the ways the city has stepped up to acknowledge the unique challenges and histories of different AAPI ethnicities is by forming the Mayor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs. Founded in 2017, the MCAAA is composed of 25 volunteers who represent the diversity of the local AAPI community. The commission stemmed from the idea for “an opportunity to elevate the needs of our community,” says Lee-Akiyama. This system identifies the unique challenges different groups face and allows commissioners to align resources more appropriately between ethnic groups.

The Mayor’s Office and the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs will commemorate AAPI Heritage Month with an event entitled “Rise: A Love Letter to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders”on May 26 with authors Jeff Yang and Phil Yu.

Philadelphian organizations are continuing to host festivities across the city and suburbs for the month of May to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month.

The Korea in Philly festival hosted by KAAGP featured a traditional drumming show, vendors, cultural culinary favorites like mochi rings, and live displays of Korean history. Solomon Kim, co-chair of the organization, most looked forward to the fashion show featuring traditional Korean fashion and dress throughout the decades.

To the children who attended the festival, some serving as volunteers from the Bucks County Korean School, the celebration represented a sense of home and belonging. “ It’s like we’re coming to Korea…many of us were born in Korea and cannot go back to visit because of Covid.” The students shared crafts and images from traditional Korean architecture for guests to enjoy and take home with them. They also voiced their excitement for the K-pop display, which has risen in popularity for many young people in the United States across various demographics.

The Philadelphia School District is hoping to get people of all ages involved in the celebration by holding various events throughout the month including an Asian American Children’s Literature Speakers event where they will educate school teachers on how to incorporate AAPI authors into their classroom curriculums. Teachers will have the opportunity to request books to be sent to their classrooms for the Fall. On May 25, the school district will hold an event educating participants on how to bring AAPI dialogue into middle school and high school classrooms.

As the month of celebration continues, Asian American communities across the Greater Philadelphia Area and the United States will reflect on what it means to be an Asian American in today’s age and climate. Buscher says, “ This [month] should be an opportunity to celebrate the rich heritage of the United States and the many contributions that our communities have made here.”