asian american studies midterm

Indochina Refugee act

Allowed refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos to enter the U.S. after the Vietnam War.

1980 refugee act

reated a formal refugee system and increased admissions; treated refugees more consistently.

first wave of refugees

Educated, urban, more resources → easier adjustment

second wave of refugees

Poorer, rural, traumatized → more difficulty adapting

Khmer Rouge

Violent regime that took over Cambodia.

Pol Pot

Leader responsible for genocide.

Secret War

U.S. secretly bombed Laos during the Vietnam War.

Killing fields

Mass graves where millions of Cambodians were executed.

Lost generation

Refugee youth with disrupted childhoods and education.

American Citizens for Justice (ACJ)

Organized protests and legal action after Vincent Chin's killing.

Rodney King

Beaten by police; acquittal sparked 1992 LA riots.

Latasha Harlins

Black teenager shot by a store owner.

Soon Ja Du

Received a light sentence → increased outrage.

Black-Korean tensions

Caused by racism, economic conflict, and lack of understanding between communities.

Case: Korematsu v. United States

Government said internment was for military necessity, not racism.

Shows how racism can be hidden behind "security" arguments and still be accepted by courts.

Vincent Chin

Killed in 1982 by men blaming him for Japan's economic success. Anti-Asian (especially anti-Japanese) anger in U.S. Killers got no jail time

Federal case overturned → no justice

Ronald Ebens → Never jailed → symbol of injustice Shows how Asians are treated as perpetual foreigners and scapegoated.

covid spikes of asian hate

Asians blamed during crises

Seen as outsiders/enemies

Violence often minimized or justified

sokly ny

Cambodian refugee (post-Khmer Rouge)

Similar to many Southeast Asian refugees: → trauma, poverty, cultural adjustment. Family → strict expectations, cultural gap

School → language struggles, feels unsupported

Friends → pressure, identity conflict. Conflict with older brother (pressure/judgment)

Responsibility toward younger brother. Blames school/system for failures

Reality: both system barriers + personal choices. Refugees came with little support

Struggles are systemic, not just individual.

Sa-I-Gu (1992 LA Uprising)

Many Koreans were educated, middle-class in Korea. Before: opportunity, success

After riots: disillusionment, felt abandoned. Rodney King verdict

Police failure

Racism

Economic inequality

Media bias

Tensions between Korean and Black communities. War → migration → trauma

Racism can be systemic and justified by institutions

Asians often seen as foreign or scapegoats

Different minority groups can be put into conflict by larger systems