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Fall Quarter '94
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Cultural Diversity Enriches Our World
A CULTURAL DIVERSITY FORUM
MANKATO STATE UNIVERSITY
8/14/2019 "Cross-Cutural Issues: It's Unity". East Wind, West Wind, MSU-Mankato, Fall 1994
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East Wind, West WindMSU Box 65
P. O. Box 8400Mankato, MN 56002-8400
(507) 389-2812
EditorVann Phan
Staff Writers
Victor PhilipsSamurai Phan
Nicole Henderson
Cover Art
Scott Allan Kingbird
Art & Design
Yee Xiong
PhotographyVictor PhilipsNicole Henderson
Khanti Thongvivong
TypesettersLoan Trinh
Vanna NguyenNicole Henderson
Khanti Thongvivong
Contributors
Ken BergDara Akiko
Ronald B. Bailey
Francisco J. GonzalesBeverly Ho-A-YunRemi Van HuyenMaria Baxter
East Wind, West WindAn MSU Cultural Diversity ForumFall Quarter '94
"Cultural Diversity Enriches Our World'"
TABLE OF CONTENTS
From the Editor i
Melodious Echoes from the Plains 1
Schindler's List: A Last Review 2
Negative Stereotypes of Minorities Persist. .4
Cross-cultural Issues: It's Unity 5
Kawanzaa ; 6
Jackie Eckert, the Linchpin of OMA 7
The Bus Drive 8
You Can Come in Now 12
The Hmong New Year Celebration in La Crosse 13
What You Can't Miss : 14
Picture News: Cultural Diversity Activities 16-17
Alienation Leads to Change ; 18
I Am a Vietnamese! 22
Distortion not New to Local Chapter ofIndian History 23
Profile: Mona Wallace 24
Connections Across Cultures 25
Vietnam Reconsidered 26
East Wind, West Wind News 30
Acknowledgments inside back cover
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5
CROSS-CULTURAL ISSUES
By Francisco J. Gonzales
Editor's Note: The bottom line of cultural diversity is tocreate a win-win situation in which harmony, not conflict,
among people of different cultural backgrounds could be
achieved, thus eliminating theprospect ofone racial group
gaining advantage over another or any privileged group
could prosper at the expense of others.
It is with this understanding that Francisco J. Gonzales, a
contributing writer of East Wind, West Wind, writes thefol/owing article which we're glad to introduce to our dearreaders this time.
In the last couple of years, one of the most evidentchanges in the American political and social landscapes is
the increasing conservatism among the majority (White/
European-American) population. Both main parties, re
publican and democratic, have shown a pronounced shift
to the right of the political spectrum. For minority groups,
this is a particularly troubling development. Historically,
conservative right-wing administrations have notonlyfailedto take out concerns into consideration but also have
actively worked to hamper progress in critical areas such
as civil rights, equal employment opportunity, affordable
housing and, most recently, universal health-care insurance.
Since we cannot trust either established political party to
deal with (or even show interest for) these issues, it is now
crucial that minority people pool our strength together.
However, a major barrier in this process is the continuing
lack of unity between the leadership of the African-Ameri
can, Chicano-Latino-Mexicano, Asian-American and Native American communities.
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The Black vs. Asian violence seen inthe 1992 Los Angles
riots, and the ongoing Black vs. Hispanic conflicts in south
Florida are but two of the most graphic examples of the
fights among people of color in many communities. The
consequences of this are also obvious. In Los Angeles, an
European-American right-wing businessman becamemayor in 1993 after defeating a Chinese-American oppo
nent who lacked the support of Blacks and Latinos in a city
where whites are a minority. In south Florida, due to thepolitical disagreement between Blacks and Latinos, plansfor a new minority congressional district were canceled.
Even within ethnic groups there are social, economic,
regional and class barriers standing on the way of achiev
ing greater solidarity. For Latinos, the problem is com
pounded by the fact that each major group has a particular
concern that isquite different from the others. To Mexican
Americans, the single largest Latino community, immigra
tion law reform is an important issue; however, for Puerto
Ricans (whoare all U.S. citizens by birth), it is not an issue
at all. On the other hand, Cubans are mostly interested inhow to influence developments in Cuba.
Despite these divisions, there ishope thatthrough inspired
and determined leadership our communities can pull to
gether and form a common front. The Reverend Jesse
Jackson and his !!Rainbow Coalition" had led the way for
many years, reaching out to all sectors interested in
ending injustice. The N.A.A.C.P., the most influentialAfrican-American organization, has recently stepped up
it's efforts to expand the membership and include Latinos
and their interests. Multi-ethnic and multi-cultural groups
and organizations are becoming increasingly active inmany parts of the country, influencing political and economic decisions in their communities.
But we must also look beyond race for unity and support.
Other groups in society, besides people of color, have felt
the same discrimination and injustices and are natural
allies in our struggle. The Jewish population in America
share many of the historical prejudices that racial minori
ties have endured for centuries. Jews also have a strong
sense of justice and a record of involvement in civil rights
movements. Their political and economic influence could
greatly boost any reform initiatives supported by people ofcolor. The feminist and gay communities are also groups
in society that, while mostly representing people of White/
European-American ancestry, are also faced with many
obstacles similar to those encountered by other minority
groups.
Itwould bea long and arduous process to build a coalition
among people of color, and even more difficult to include
other progressive elements such asJews, feminists, gays,
and environmentalists. There are many prominent lead-
6
ers among the African-American and Latino communitie
that are opposed to any connection with Jews and gay
while the feminist movement for many years exclude
women of color from leadership positions. Regardlessthese past and present conflicts, we should all realize th
we really have no choice. The forces opposed to equal
and justice for all Americans are formidable. Unity in th
face of this threat must be our overriding priority at th
time. Unity is our only hope for a better future.