As a class, we will be planning events for APAH (Asian Pacific American Heritage) Month, which we will be celebrating next April even though May is the designated month for this celebration. In class on Wednesday, Francis started asking people about where they were before William and Mary and if it was more or less diverse than the current community at William and Mary. I would have spoken up during class about my less diverse experiences in Lynchburg, VA, had I not been fighting so hard to stay awake and alert during class (I really need to work on getting more sleep). Anyway, I went to Jefferson Forest High School in Forest, Virginia (outside of Lynchburg, Virginia). The demographics of Forest mostly consisted of middle to upper middle class whites. My experience of diversity in high school was what denomination of Christianity one followed, where on the political scale one stood, and whether or not one was a native to Lynchburg. Looking back, there were very few minorities. It was basically a black and white high school with Whites greatly outnumbering the Blacks. This is part of what I mean when I say I grew up white. The only Asian American I can recall is a friend with whom I'm not very close and who I think is half Korean. I don't even know for sure, because it never came up in conversation and I just never saw her in that context. It was only in the last 2 months that I even knew that there were Filipinos and Filipino-Americans living in Lynchburg.
Going back to the context of APAH Month, audience and location are very important considerations when thinking about planning for an event. I could not even imagine having such a celebration in Lynchburg, as sad as that may sound. I just don't think very many people would attend or even be interested in such an event. I'm at such a loss when it comes to motivating people who are not already aware of diversity issues to come to an event like this, whether it is in NYC, Va Beach, Williamsburg, or Lynchburg. We've talked a lot about Edutainment and it is the only way I can think of to inform people and create more awareness. Still, you cannot hide that our events will be for APAH month. My current impression is that many people will think it doesn't apply to them if they are not of Asian/Pacific American Heritage and therefore not attend. I really can't believe I said hide that it is for APAH month, in other words my current suggestion is to trick people in attending. I don't really want to do that, but I also don't know what other options we have. I would like to target those who aren't really aware of diversity, or only know it on the surface level. What reasons can we give to someone who is not of Asian/Pacific heritage or already aware to get them to attend our event? I do hope to also include some events for those who are of or who appreciate Asian Pacific American Heritage. It is a celebration, so we should celebrate in ways that are best for us. We just cannot ignore that this month give us an opportunity to increase awareness.
Both to know for myself and because I wanted to include this information to help frame the community I live in, I looked up and have included the following census information for Lynchburg and Forest, Virginia.
Surprising ancestry information of Lynchburg, Virginia:
· Black or African American - 30%
· English - 13%
· German - 10%
· Irish - 9%
· Scotch-Irish - 3%
· Scottish - 3%
· Italian - 2%
· French (except Basque) - 2%
· Dutch - 1%
· Polish - 1%
· Subsaharan African - 1%
· Welsh - 1%
· African - 1%
· Swedish - 1%
· European - 1%
· Norwegian - 1%
(http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genealogyInfo.php?locIndex=25543)
This doesn't even include any sort of Asian, Pacific Islander, or non-American/European/African ancestry!
The most current census information on race and ethnicity in Lynchburg I could find:
White - 66.9%
Black - 29.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native - 0.2%
Asian - 1.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander - 0.0%
Two or more races - 1.4%
Hispanic or Latino origin - 1.5%
White (not Hispanic) - 65.7%
(http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51/51680.html)
Race and ethnicity of Forest, Virginia (pop. 8,006):
White - 91.79%
African American - 5.65%
Native American - 0.10%
Asian - 1.36%
Pacific Islander - 0.01%
Other - 0.27%
Two or more - 0.81%
Hispanic or Latino of any race - 0.95%
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest,_Virginia)
I also found information to compare the above information to Williamsburg, Virginia.
Census information on race and ethnicity in Williamsburg (pop. 11,998):
White - 81.6%
Black - 12.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native - 0.3%
Asian - 4.7%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander - 0.0%
Two or more races - 0.9%
Hispanic or Latino origin - 3.0%
White (not Hispanic) - 78.8%
(http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51/51830.html)
***I'm working on getting current statistics for W&M***
Although these statistics can say a lot, the data comes from a survey that forces people to "box" their identity. I myself have done the "race bubble dance," in other words, I have not always filled in the same bubble for things like standardized tests. Even on something like Myspace, I first chose White/Caucasian; then Pacific Islander; I am currently listed as being Other. I know others who have done this as well. I still find it interesting to get a general sense of diversity from these statistics.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
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