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- [Voiceover] Civic Summit 
is made possible in part by,

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Texas Mutual Insurance.

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Providing workers' compensation

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for Texas employers.

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(instrumental music)

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(audience clapping)

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- Hello, and thanks 
for joining us.

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I'm Esther Chung Martin, 
Executive Director

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of the Asian American 
Resource Center Nonprofit.

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Civic Summit is focused 
on engaging citizens

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around issues and opportunities

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that arise from 
Austin's rapid growth.

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And tonight, we'll discuss 
this city's fastest

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growing ethnic group, 
Asian Americans.

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We come from many different 
countries and cultures,

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and are presented with unique 
challenges in our city.

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Tonight we'll discuss 
those challenges

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and also highlight the 
wonderful contributions

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this community is 
making to Central Texas.

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Joining me for 
tonight's discussion,

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Dr. Snehal Shingavi, 
Associate Professor

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of English at UT Austin.

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Linda Phan, Executive Director

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of the Asian Family 
Supports Services of Austin

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and Commissioner for the 
White House Commission

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on Asian American and 
Pacific Islanders.

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Richard Jung, Chair 
of the Asian American

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Quality of Life Commission.

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And Dr. Vagdevi Meunier, 
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

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and the founder of 
Center for Relationships

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at Austin, Texas.

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Thanks to all of 
you for being here.

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When people think of 
Asian Americans in Austin,

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they may not realize how 
many countries of origins

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fall under that category.

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To start out our discussion,

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can each of you tell 
us a fact about people

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may not know about Austin's 
Asian American population.

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- Not just the sheer 
variety of places

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that Asian Americans come from,

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but I think that most people

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don't think of Asian 
Americans both as

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aggregate groups and as 
disaggregated groups that,

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it's funny, we all come 
from different countries

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and different places, 
but in the United States

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we've become Asians, 
despite the fact that

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we'd be coming from 
other national or social

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or cultural context in which 
we would see each other

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as different, rather 
than together.

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So one of the really 
interesting things about

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the United States 
is it offers people

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opportunities to reinvent 
their own identities.

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Forge alliances, build 
communities in ways that

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they wouldn't otherwise do.

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- I don't know if 
it's a fun fact but

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you know, I think our 
communities are allotted

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for academic and 
economic achievements.

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However...

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a fact for our community is that

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we have very high 
rates of poverty.

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And our rates of poverty 
are actually higher

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than non-Hispanic whites.

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In certain populations, 
subpopulations,

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we have the highest 
rates of poverty.

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And this is something 
that a lot of members

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of our society may 
not be aware of.

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And later we'll talk about 
the model minority myth,

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but and that's a part of that.

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- [Esther] Great.

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- [Richard] Well, you 
know, I think Austinites,

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many Austinites often view 
the Asian community as

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recently arrived, you know, 
last 10 years, 20 years,

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we've seen this explosion 
but there are pockets

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of Asian communities 
that have been in Austin

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for much longer periods 
of time, and in areas

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that may be unexpected 
for a lot of Austinites.

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In Southeast Austin, 
in Del Valle areas,

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there's been a strong and 
vibrant Thai community

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for a very long time.

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There are houses of 
religious worship,

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there're pockets of Chinese 
residents in East Austin.

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They've been there for 
a really long time.

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So, you know, I think it 
all ties into the fact

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that there's just a 
lack of familiarity with

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who constitutes our communities 
and where they live,

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and what they do, and 
there're surprising things

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that hopefully we'll talk 
a lot more about tonight.

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- [Dr. Vagdevi] I would 
say, one fun fact is that

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the idea of the tiger 
parent, is a myth.

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That in general, Asian parents 
are actually more supportive

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and Asian teenagers 
tend to rebel less

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than teenagers from 
other ethnic minorities.

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- [Esther] Great.

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Well, thank you 
for those comments.

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We'll get to a lot of 
these in a deeper way,

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as we progress.

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So we've just talked 
about how diverse

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the Asian American population 
here, in Austin is.

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What are some misconceptions

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and how did they 
lead to prejudices

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against this population?

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And I'm gonna start 
this off with Richard.

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- Well, I think a lot of the 
misconceptions have to do

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with this view of a monolithic

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Asian community, 
personality, culture.

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And if you are Asian 
or Asian American,

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you know that's just 
absolutely not true.

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For instance, there are 
multiple houses of worship

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in Austin for 
different communities.

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There're recently, 
there've been large

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Hindu temples 
going up in Austin.

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There are mosques that are here.

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There are Christian churches.

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There're lots of 
different cultures

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that are just thriving 
but people tend to

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lump Asian Americans 
into one group,

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particularly when 
looking at us through

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an economic lens, or 
in terms of education,

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all high-achieving, you 
know, high-dollar earning,

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and that's a real detriment 
to the many members

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of our communities 
who may be refugees,

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who have a lower 
standard of income here,

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and who are 
struggling to make it,

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and compound that with language 
barriers they may have,

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and that prevents them 
from getting access,

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because this perception that 
everything is going so well

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for the Asian living in 
Austin, prevents us from

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really looking at the 
details and seeing

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that there are families 
that just don't have access

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to health care, or help with 
education for their children,

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on so many fronts, and I 
know we'll discuss that

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a lot more as we go forward.

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- [Esther] Right.

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- [Linda] And there's 
just multiple barriers

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to access, who, you 
know, I think for us,

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it's just a really an issue 
of access to services.

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Whether, in any 
sphere, you know,

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whether it's in within 
the economic world

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or social services, 
or in health care,

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we have just seen 
so many barriers,

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and a lot of times, when we live

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under this model minority 
myth that everything

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is okay, we forget, we forget.

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And to an extent, the community 
itself does internalize

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that myth, and we--

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- Tell me about that. 
What do you mean by that?

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- [Linda] Well, I would 
say that, you know,

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I think there's a 
lot of pressure.

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There's a lot of pressure, 
when you have been tagged

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as the model minority, 
as a community

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that's got it all together.

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But when we have 
issues of mental health

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that are not being 
addressed, when we have

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high rates of poverty, 
kids are not graduating

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from high school at the 
rates that we think they are.

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Those things get 
swept under the rug,

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and so, sometimes 
when we're tagged

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with a certain expectation, 
we try to live up to it.

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And we may not talk 
about those problems

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that we see in our communities,

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and that turns into 
a problem where,

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ya know, government entities 
or those powers to be,

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when it comes to resources, 
so those resources

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may not go to some of these 
underserved communities.

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- If I could just add 
to that, I think that

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the history of migration of 
different Asian populations

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to the United States is

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quite for different context.

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So, Indian Americans 
are allowed to come

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to the United States 
after laws are passed

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in 1965, which want 
there to be more

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high-tech in science, 
professionals working

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in the United States.

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It changes the way a 
certain population looks.

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We get a subsection of 
a nation, and that then

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speaks for the entire nation.

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But that was a specific 
immigration law

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that was done by 
the United States.

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Similarly, I think 
that people forget the,

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you know, military adventures 
that were conducted in Asia,

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effected the inflow 
of refugee populations

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into the United States.

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Not everybody came 
here as a high achiever

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and you can see that.

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I teach at UT, and it is 
definitely the case that

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while, you know, Asian Americans

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are very well represented 
in the stem fields.

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They are, they're not 
always high achievers,

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and I think that there's 
a kind of misconception

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that somehow, Asians are 
genetically predisposed

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to doing math and 
science really well.

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Or, somehow, I don't know...

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- [Linda] I'm a counter 
example of that.

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- Right, right, right. 
(laughter)

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- I think that there are 
issues that are related to that

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but also

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I think that some of the things

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that the other panelists 
have been saying

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about the economic 
disparities, there's also

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big educational backgrounds.

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You have a huge population

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of first generation American 
university students.

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So, parents who don't 
always know what to expect

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when their kids are 
going into school,

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they haven't come from 
backgrounds that have

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sort of, generations of 
academic achievement,

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and so I think that 
there's a lot of ways that

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this population 
is misunderstood.

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There's another problem that 
I think we should add to that,

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which is, not just 
internalization

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of the model minority myth

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but Asian Americans 
have also been pitted

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against other minority 
groups in the United States

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historically, and so, it is 
not the case that this is

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a community that is free 
from its own chauvinisms and

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issues ideologically, 
when it comes to thinking

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about other minority groups.

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But that's also been a 
conscious political strategy

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in the United States, to say,

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Asians are the right 
kind of minorities,

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Latinos are the wrong 
kinds of immigrants,

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Blacks are the wrong 
kinds of minorities,

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and so populations get 
pitted against each other.

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And those values 
get internalized

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just as much as the 
positive values.

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And I think that 
there's a real...

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that we have to do some 
really serious thinking

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through how to 
challenge them that.

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The last thing that 
I want to say is,

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I think that there's 
also a misconception

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that Asian Americans 
are kind of checked out

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of the political or 
activist culture in Austin.

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And that's just simply not true.

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There's actually quite 
a number of people

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who've been engaged 
for a really long time

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in doing some really 
valuable and positive things

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in this community, and 
I think that that's

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worth acknowledging.

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- [Esther] Great.

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- When we talk about prejudice 
and discrimination though,

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I think there's a 
kind of hidden level

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at which we don't talk about it?

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And that's microaggressions.

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Alright, we talk about 
how Asian Americans

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are misunderstood and 
they're lumped together,

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but on a day-to-day 
basis, this is the stuff

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that actually makes 
living in this country

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as an Asian American 
challenging.

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Because well-meaning 
people will come up to you,

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and I heard this comment 
today, when people

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found out I was gonna be 
on this panel, they said,

252
00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:54,966
well, can you answer 
me a question?

253
00:10:54,966 --> 00:10:58,033
How come those people 
assimilate so well?

254
00:10:58,033 --> 00:10:59,866
Well, first of 
all, I'm an Asian.

255
00:10:59,866 --> 00:11:03,433
And so, just, you 
know, not even knowing,

256
00:11:03,433 --> 00:11:05,800
who belongs to the 
Asian group, and then

257
00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:08,466
making comments, it was 
a well-meaning comment.

258
00:11:08,466 --> 00:11:11,800
So well-meaning 
people in schools,

259
00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:15,566
in work environments, 
in families

260
00:11:15,566 --> 00:11:18,200
and extended families, 
are making comments

261
00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,666
that remind Asian 
Americans that they're not

262
00:11:20,666 --> 00:11:25,300
as equal as other groups, 
or that they're foreigners.

263
00:11:25,300 --> 00:11:28,400
It doesn't matter if you've 
been born and raised here.

264
00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:30,400
You're reminded constantly that

265
00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,100
you're not really 
one of this country.

266
00:11:33,100 --> 00:11:36,000
And I think that kind 
of microaggression

267
00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,866
is what creates the 
stress in people's lives.

268
00:11:39,866 --> 00:11:41,500
- [Linda] You know, as a Texan,

269
00:11:41,500 --> 00:11:43,833
I considered myself as a Texan.

270
00:11:44,533 --> 00:11:45,966
And--

271
00:11:45,966 --> 00:11:47,066
- [Dr. Vagdevi] And people 
ask you where are you

272
00:11:47,066 --> 00:11:48,000
really from? 
- [Linda] Where am I

273
00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,233
really from? 
(laughter)

274
00:11:49,233 --> 00:11:50,433
And I'm like, I'm 
from Nederland, Texas.

275
00:11:50,433 --> 00:11:51,833
(laughter)

276
00:11:51,833 --> 00:11:53,300
- Before that, Linda.

277
00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:57,200
- I think that is the 
perpetual foreigner,

278
00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:00,566
or the other, and 
that is a cloud

279
00:12:00,566 --> 00:12:03,266
that we walk with, or 
at least I walk with.

280
00:12:03,266 --> 00:12:05,300
You know, it doesn't 
matter if, you know,

281
00:12:05,300 --> 00:12:07,466
I'm taxpaying and I've you know,

282
00:12:07,466 --> 00:12:10,633
I've done every 
Texan thing I can do.

283
00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:13,366
But there's always that cloud,

284
00:12:13,366 --> 00:12:17,733
that you're not really part 
of this consistent whole.

285
00:12:17,733 --> 00:12:20,466
- [Esther] Are there certain 
segments of this population

286
00:12:20,466 --> 00:12:23,033
or people from certain 
countries that are discriminated

287
00:12:23,033 --> 00:12:25,066
more than others?

288
00:12:25,066 --> 00:12:27,066
- Well in the news 
today is a story of

289
00:12:27,066 --> 00:12:29,166
Ahmed Mohamed, in Irving Texas.

290
00:12:29,166 --> 00:12:31,800
So, I don' t think that 
we can forget the fact

291
00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,366
that what is happening to 
Muslims in this country

292
00:12:34,366 --> 00:12:37,000
is pretty serious.

293
00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:38,766
And in fact, in Texas, we have

294
00:12:38,766 --> 00:12:40,533
two problems in Texas 
about this, right?

295
00:12:40,533 --> 00:12:43,766
One is the number of 
counties and municipalities

296
00:12:43,766 --> 00:12:47,100
that are passing so-called 
anti-Sharia bills

297
00:12:47,100 --> 00:12:49,366
which Irving, Texas is 
one of these, and so

298
00:12:49,366 --> 00:12:52,166
you can tell there's, why 
there's a direct relationship

299
00:12:52,166 --> 00:12:54,566
between the kinds 
of prejudices that

300
00:12:54,566 --> 00:12:56,966
a student who's doing 
something as innocuous

301
00:12:56,966 --> 00:12:59,566
as bringing a science 
project to school,

302
00:12:59,566 --> 00:13:02,900
gets seen in a particular way 
by law enforcement officials

303
00:13:02,900 --> 00:13:05,633
and the mayor of that 
town, who said some

304
00:13:05,633 --> 00:13:08,433
really unfortunate things today.

305
00:13:09,133 --> 00:13:12,433
But I also think that 
like, in the history of,

306
00:13:12,433 --> 00:13:17,233
sort of, of racisms against 
Asians in the United States,

307
00:13:17,233 --> 00:13:19,966
there's been a direct 
correlation between

308
00:13:19,966 --> 00:13:22,866
military projects that the 
United States has in Asia,

309
00:13:22,866 --> 00:13:26,166
and the kind of negative 
racism that Asians experience.

310
00:13:26,166 --> 00:13:29,000
So, anti-Japanese 
sentiment goes on the rise

311
00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,766
during World War II, 
anti-Vietnamese goes on the rise

312
00:13:31,766 --> 00:13:34,266
during the war in Vietnam, 
anti-Korean sentiment

313
00:13:34,266 --> 00:13:35,433
during the war in Korea.

314
00:13:35,433 --> 00:13:37,033
And now that we have 
the war on terror,

315
00:13:37,033 --> 00:13:39,633
whatever that is, 
we have the kind of

316
00:13:39,633 --> 00:13:42,733
explosion of anti-Muslim 
sentiment in this country.

317
00:13:42,733 --> 00:13:44,900
And there's been a direct 
correlation between

318
00:13:44,900 --> 00:13:46,600
the projects of this 
country, both in terms

319
00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,233
of bringing people 
here, so that we can be

320
00:13:49,233 --> 00:13:51,966
you know, laborers, or 
professionals working

321
00:13:51,966 --> 00:13:55,133
to help build this country, 
but also in terms of

322
00:13:55,133 --> 00:13:57,666
subject populations that 
are seen as internal threats

323
00:13:57,666 --> 00:14:00,500
that have to be 
policed in some way.

324
00:14:00,500 --> 00:14:02,766
And I think that it's 
impossible not to talk about

325
00:14:02,766 --> 00:14:04,966
what is happening to, 
and I don't always think

326
00:14:04,966 --> 00:14:06,533
that Muslims are 
thought of as Asians,

327
00:14:06,533 --> 00:14:07,700
in that context, right?

328
00:14:07,700 --> 00:14:09,466
And so there's a way 
that we can forget

329
00:14:09,466 --> 00:14:12,633
things like, you know, the 
largest Muslim populations

330
00:14:12,633 --> 00:14:14,900
are actually not in 
Arab speaking countries

331
00:14:14,900 --> 00:14:18,333
but actually in proper

332
00:14:18,333 --> 00:14:20,300
in Malaysia, in Indonesia,

333
00:14:20,300 --> 00:14:22,033
in the Philippines, 
in India, right?

334
00:14:22,033 --> 00:14:24,833
These are the more, much more 
populous Muslim countries

335
00:14:24,833 --> 00:14:27,066
and I think that that 
perception too as well,

336
00:14:27,066 --> 00:14:29,500
effects the way that...

337
00:14:29,500 --> 00:14:33,500
- In post-9/11, you know, 
we, in New York City,

338
00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:37,666
there was so many hate crimes 
against the Sikh community

339
00:14:37,666 --> 00:14:40,866
and, which they 
had nothing to do

340
00:14:40,866 --> 00:14:44,733
with any of the terrorist 
acts, and we are continuing

341
00:14:44,733 --> 00:14:47,266
to see that, 'til to the day.

342
00:14:47,266 --> 00:14:49,833
You know, there 
was a case, also in

343
00:14:50,300 --> 00:14:53,833
where a South Asian grandfather,

344
00:14:53,833 --> 00:14:56,466
was thrown to the 
ground by the police.

345
00:14:56,466 --> 00:15:00,666
And so, and also, we're 
seeing a lot of bullying

346
00:15:00,666 --> 00:15:05,000
happening in schools, 
post-9/11 against

347
00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:06,700
South Asian kids.

348
00:15:06,700 --> 00:15:10,233
So, I mean, it's alive 
and well, unfortunately.

349
00:15:10,233 --> 00:15:13,733
And it's not just a Texas 
thing. It's across the U.S.

350
00:15:13,733 --> 00:15:15,500
And it really does come down to

351
00:15:15,500 --> 00:15:18,333
what is that issue of the day

352
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,600
that's causing this hatred.

353
00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,600
- And to go back to the 
foreigner concept, you know,

354
00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,700
one thing that can unite a 
country is to have someone

355
00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:32,733
that's not one of us, to oppose.

356
00:15:32,733 --> 00:15:35,933
And in stressful situations, 
whether it's economic times

357
00:15:35,933 --> 00:15:40,400
or whether it's 
military conflicts,

358
00:15:40,833 --> 00:15:43,733
if you are always 
seen as the foreigner,

359
00:15:43,733 --> 00:15:45,500
you're always gonna 
to be the easy target

360
00:15:45,500 --> 00:15:48,133
in terms of, hey, 
you're not one of us

361
00:15:48,133 --> 00:15:50,400
and we don't like you 
because you're not one of us

362
00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:53,466
and you know, this is 
a little bit off-topic,

363
00:15:53,466 --> 00:15:56,733
but you know, those 
recent broadcasts

364
00:15:56,733 --> 00:16:00,966
on KUT about repatriation 
of Mexican Americans

365
00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,000
during the 30s, because 
economic times are hard

366
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:05,966
and you're Mexicans and 
so you're foreigners

367
00:16:05,966 --> 00:16:07,133
and we're gonna ship you out,

368
00:16:07,133 --> 00:16:08,533
similar to what's happening.

369
00:16:08,533 --> 00:16:12,033
But over time, you 
know, African Americans

370
00:16:12,033 --> 00:16:15,133
brought over as slaves 
for the most part,

371
00:16:15,133 --> 00:16:17,333
Hispanic and Latin Americans 
who have been in the U.S.

372
00:16:17,333 --> 00:16:20,666
for a long time, are seeing 
more or less as Americans

373
00:16:20,666 --> 00:16:23,733
in different grades, 
and Asian Americans

374
00:16:23,733 --> 00:16:25,266
are definitely on 
the tail end of that.

375
00:16:25,266 --> 00:16:27,966
And so, to the extent 
that there are conflicts

376
00:16:27,966 --> 00:16:30,566
we seem to be easily 
picked out as, you know,

377
00:16:30,566 --> 00:16:33,566
visible minorities 
with possible language

378
00:16:33,566 --> 00:16:37,200
and accents that 
can be looked at

379
00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:39,733
as the other person 
and as the threat,

380
00:16:39,733 --> 00:16:41,866
whether it's China, in terms of

381
00:16:41,866 --> 00:16:43,400
whether it's Muslims 
because of the war,

382
00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:45,166
or China because of 
you know, economic

383
00:16:45,166 --> 00:16:48,366
and geopolitical situations.

384
00:16:48,366 --> 00:16:50,600
And that's the threat, 
and that's why, you know,

385
00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,133
it's so important that we get

386
00:16:53,133 --> 00:16:55,433
over the hurdle of 
being foreigners.

387
00:16:55,433 --> 00:16:58,566
I mean, we have to 
be seen as Americans.

388
00:16:58,566 --> 00:17:00,933
You know, because 
if we were born here

389
00:17:00,933 --> 00:17:03,400
or were naturalized here, 
that's what it takes

390
00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:04,900
to be an American.

391
00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:07,600
And part of what, you know, 
internally in our communities

392
00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,633
we have to realize, 
particularly the newly arrived,

393
00:17:10,633 --> 00:17:12,933
is that when you're a citizen, 
you need to take ownership

394
00:17:12,933 --> 00:17:16,200
of that citizenship, and 
assert that citizenship.

395
00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,400
And not, you know, 
believe internally

396
00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:20,866
that you don't belong 
in this country.

397
00:17:20,866 --> 00:17:22,600
And I think, those 
are other issues

398
00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:24,533
that I'm sure, maybe 
we'll get around to,

399
00:17:24,533 --> 00:17:27,700
but I think, are 
really important for--

400
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,133
- Can you say it slightly 
differently because I'm not sure

401
00:17:30,133 --> 00:17:34,333
that any amount of ownership 
of citizenship gets you away

402
00:17:34,333 --> 00:17:36,500
from the discrimination.

403
00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:38,733
I don't know that, 
it doesn't matter how

404
00:17:38,733 --> 00:17:41,333
civicly engaged 
you are, how good

405
00:17:41,333 --> 00:17:44,033
an American you are, how many 
American flags you put up,

406
00:17:44,033 --> 00:17:45,533
how many football 
games you go to,

407
00:17:45,533 --> 00:17:47,533
how much apple pie you eat,

408
00:17:47,533 --> 00:17:50,033
at the end of the day, 
the issue is not about

409
00:17:50,033 --> 00:17:53,900
individuals being able 
to pull themselves up

410
00:17:53,900 --> 00:17:55,866
into the American dream, 
because the problems

411
00:17:55,866 --> 00:17:57,000
are really structural.

412
00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:58,366
They're institutional 
in many ways.

413
00:17:58,366 --> 00:18:00,533
There are laws that are being,

414
00:18:00,533 --> 00:18:03,500
we're cheap political 
football points to be scored

415
00:18:03,500 --> 00:18:05,633
when politicians want 
to win elections, right?

416
00:18:05,633 --> 00:18:08,266
So I'm not sure that I'm...

417
00:18:08,266 --> 00:18:10,633
This is a lesson that 
I learned after the...

418
00:18:10,633 --> 00:18:12,500
I think I'd known this 
all along, but it became

419
00:18:12,500 --> 00:18:14,700
really clear to me 
after the three students

420
00:18:14,700 --> 00:18:17,900
who were shot in North 
Carolina for being Muslim.

421
00:18:17,900 --> 00:18:19,666
I mean, you were 
talking about the best

422
00:18:19,666 --> 00:18:22,466
kinds of model American 
citizens that you could imagine,

423
00:18:22,466 --> 00:18:25,633
and there was no amount 
of civic engagement,

424
00:18:25,633 --> 00:18:28,200
volunteerism, good heartedness,

425
00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:29,333
that would get them out of

426
00:18:29,333 --> 00:18:31,566
being Muslim at 
the end of the day.

427
00:18:32,433 --> 00:18:36,033
I caution us from 
adopting a strategy,

428
00:18:36,166 --> 00:18:38,833
in which we think that 
it's our responsibility

429
00:18:38,833 --> 00:18:41,400
in some ways to become 
better citizens,

430
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:42,800
such that we can be 
seen as integrated

431
00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,033
into America. I think-- 
- [Dr. Vagdevi] Can I jump--

432
00:18:45,033 --> 00:18:46,333
- That was actually 
not my point.

433
00:18:46,333 --> 00:18:50,100
My point is not, that 
we try to act American.

434
00:18:50,100 --> 00:18:53,966
Owning citizenship, 
owning your American,

435
00:18:53,966 --> 00:18:57,033
your being an American, 
is to stand up and say,

436
00:18:57,033 --> 00:18:58,533
that's wrong.

437
00:18:58,533 --> 00:19:00,200
That discrimination is wrong.

438
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,166
I have a right to 
be in this country.

439
00:19:02,166 --> 00:19:03,900
And that's what doesn't 
happen in a lot of

440
00:19:03,900 --> 00:19:06,366
newly arrived communities.

441
00:19:06,366 --> 00:19:09,000
Is they don't assert 
that ownership because

442
00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,900
some people feel, okay, 
well, we just got here

443
00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:14,533
and we don't have 
the right to protest,

444
00:19:14,533 --> 00:19:17,633
or fight for our 
rights as Americans.

445
00:19:17,633 --> 00:19:20,266
And I think, sorry, 
that wasn't the point.

446
00:19:20,266 --> 00:19:23,000
I was making was not, your 
know, eat more apple pie.

447
00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:24,766
It's to go out in 
the streets and say,

448
00:19:24,766 --> 00:19:26,433
you know what, that's wrong.

449
00:19:26,433 --> 00:19:28,266
When you discriminate 
against our community,

450
00:19:28,266 --> 00:19:30,400
I have every right to be here.

451
00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:32,600
I have every right to 
protest the behaviors

452
00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:35,300
that are being, you know, 
acted out against me

453
00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:37,233
or others in my community.

454
00:19:37,233 --> 00:19:39,666
That's the aspect 
of becoming, really,

455
00:19:39,666 --> 00:19:42,266
a citizen and acting, and owning

456
00:19:42,266 --> 00:19:43,500
citizenship in this country.

457
00:19:43,500 --> 00:19:46,033
- [Esther] And perhaps 
your point is more about

458
00:19:46,033 --> 00:19:49,166
the person actually feeling 
like they have rights?

459
00:19:49,166 --> 00:19:50,966
And knowing their rights?

460
00:19:50,966 --> 00:19:53,466
Because a lot of our 
community may not realize

461
00:19:53,466 --> 00:19:55,966
what their rights are, and 
they're maybe not taught it,

462
00:19:55,966 --> 00:19:59,266
or that they feel 
like that something

463
00:19:59,266 --> 00:20:00,500
individually they own.

464
00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:02,333
- I think collectively, 
- [Esther] Is that--

465
00:20:02,333 --> 00:20:04,800
Yeah. 
- [Linda] We collectively,

466
00:20:04,866 --> 00:20:07,266
we need to be engaged 
with the system.

467
00:20:07,266 --> 00:20:10,200
These oppressive systems. 
Whatever they are, right?

468
00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:14,933
So, ya know, we do 
have a responsibility 
to be at the table,

469
00:20:14,933 --> 00:20:16,500
to get to that table.

470
00:20:16,500 --> 00:20:18,333
- [Dr. Vagdevi] I would say,

471
00:20:18,333 --> 00:20:20,900
that the responsibility's 
not just political.

472
00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:23,100
See one of the reasons why

473
00:20:23,633 --> 00:20:26,400
a lot of the discrimination 
that Asians face

474
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,600
happens is because of ignorance.

475
00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,433
Because people don't 
know who belongs

476
00:20:31,433 --> 00:20:35,200
to that group, Asian, and in 
fact, it's arbitrary right?

477
00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:36,900
It's a moving target.

478
00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:39,166
- Let's hear now, 
from our audience.

479
00:20:39,166 --> 00:20:40,900
And during our discussion 
we've been collecting

480
00:20:40,900 --> 00:20:43,433
questions from 
people in our studio.

481
00:20:43,533 --> 00:20:45,233
So the first question is,

482
00:20:45,233 --> 00:20:48,300
what kind of role do 
mixed raced Asians

483
00:20:48,300 --> 00:20:51,833
play in the Asian 
American identity?

484
00:20:51,833 --> 00:20:53,233
- [Dr. Vagdevi] I would 
say this is not a problem

485
00:20:53,233 --> 00:20:54,900
just for Asian Americans.

486
00:20:54,900 --> 00:20:57,300
I would say one of the 
largest growing groups

487
00:20:57,300 --> 00:21:01,133
that we're gonna see emerge 
in future census data

488
00:21:01,133 --> 00:21:04,166
is mixed race, multicultural,

489
00:21:04,166 --> 00:21:07,133
bicultural individuals, 
and households.

490
00:21:07,133 --> 00:21:11,200
And what the challenges 
that they face

491
00:21:11,733 --> 00:21:15,333
are is that they're, you 
know, squarely in two

492
00:21:15,333 --> 00:21:17,433
different communities, 
or they feel like

493
00:21:17,433 --> 00:21:19,366
they're in neither community.

494
00:21:19,366 --> 00:21:22,533
And so they really 
feel marginalized,

495
00:21:22,533 --> 00:21:26,566
even within their own 
ethnic communities,

496
00:21:26,566 --> 00:21:29,500
and therefore may 
not seek services,

497
00:21:29,500 --> 00:21:33,433
may not speak up, 
may really experience

498
00:21:33,433 --> 00:21:35,933
being isolated from 
their own communities.

499
00:21:35,933 --> 00:21:38,900
So I think, you know, 
even Asian Americans

500
00:21:38,900 --> 00:21:42,700
have to sort of think about 
who is outside the margins.

501
00:21:42,700 --> 00:21:45,233
Who is right outside 
our group that

502
00:21:45,233 --> 00:21:48,200
we're not including 
in our services.

503
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:51,166
- As a mother to 
mixed race kids,

504
00:21:51,166 --> 00:21:53,133
that's something 
I struggle with.

505
00:21:53,133 --> 00:21:55,800
How do we be inclusive 'cause

506
00:21:55,800 --> 00:22:00,200
their narrative, and their 
history is so different

507
00:22:00,300 --> 00:22:02,533
from mine, and so different 
from their father's.

508
00:22:02,533 --> 00:22:05,866
So that's something that 
needs to be considered

509
00:22:05,866 --> 00:22:08,266
in talking about, you know, 
marginalized communities.

510
00:22:08,266 --> 00:22:13,100
I think, in a lot of 
Hawaiian communities,

511
00:22:13,100 --> 00:22:16,366
Pacific Islander communities, 
especially in Hawaii,

512
00:22:16,366 --> 00:22:19,766
the Hapa population, 
has its own identity.

513
00:22:19,766 --> 00:22:21,733
But then within the 
Hapa population,

514
00:22:21,733 --> 00:22:23,500
it is segmented out, you know.

515
00:22:23,500 --> 00:22:28,300
Are you Hapa Korean? 
Are you Hapa Chinese?

516
00:22:28,300 --> 00:22:31,533
And so it makes things 
much more complicated

517
00:22:31,533 --> 00:22:33,466
but I do feel that they are part

518
00:22:33,466 --> 00:22:36,733
of this larger 
marginalized group.

519
00:22:36,733 --> 00:22:38,366
- [Dr. Vagdevi] And I think 
one of our challenges is

520
00:22:38,366 --> 00:22:42,600
how do we transmit the 
Asian cultural values?

521
00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:47,033
Because many of the, you 
know, mixed race children

522
00:22:47,033 --> 00:22:50,366
that are growing up 
of parents like you,

523
00:22:50,366 --> 00:22:52,900
may not necessarily 
really understand

524
00:22:52,900 --> 00:22:55,100
what it means to be 
an Asian American.

525
00:22:55,100 --> 00:22:56,500
You know, I know my children,

526
00:22:56,500 --> 00:22:59,333
I'll take credit, 
blame for this,

527
00:22:59,333 --> 00:23:02,733
grew up thinking that Indian 
meant eating Indian food.

528
00:23:02,733 --> 00:23:06,233
And having weird 
festivals, once in a while.

529
00:23:06,233 --> 00:23:07,700
But that was it, right?

530
00:23:07,700 --> 00:23:10,400
What do I teach them 
about what it means

531
00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:12,066
to be Indian American.

532
00:23:12,066 --> 00:23:14,366
And really make 
the Indian as equal

533
00:23:14,366 --> 00:23:17,166
to their identity 
as the American.

534
00:23:17,166 --> 00:23:21,066
- At the same time, 
I like to look at

535
00:23:22,900 --> 00:23:27,800
mixed race people as the 
future of this country.

536
00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,500
You know, when there's a census

537
00:23:30,500 --> 00:23:33,566
and more and more people 
check the other box,

538
00:23:33,566 --> 00:23:36,666
I think that's 
actually, in many ways

539
00:23:36,666 --> 00:23:39,900
a good thing for this country 
because it really breaks down

540
00:23:39,900 --> 00:23:43,166
a lot of these old racial 
barriers in many ways,

541
00:23:43,166 --> 00:23:45,633
and it forces people to 
break those barriers down

542
00:23:45,633 --> 00:23:49,166
because you can't easily just 
put people in a box anymore,

543
00:23:49,166 --> 00:23:53,833
and so, I really look 
at mixed race children

544
00:23:53,833 --> 00:23:57,433
as our future, and our hope 
in many ways, you know?

545
00:23:57,433 --> 00:23:59,333
- [Dr. Vagdevi] Could we 
ever put people in a box?

546
00:23:59,333 --> 00:24:00,600
I think we pretended 
- [Richard] They do (laughs)

547
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,400
- [Dr. Vagdevi] like we could. 
(laughter)

548
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,466
- [Esther] Alright. I'll 
go to our next question.

549
00:24:05,466 --> 00:24:08,400
Would Asian participation 
in public services

550
00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:13,400
as a politician, public agency 
board member, or soldier,

551
00:24:13,466 --> 00:24:15,900
change the misconception 
of Asian Americans

552
00:24:15,900 --> 00:24:18,433
being Asians but not Americans?

553
00:24:18,433 --> 00:24:20,133
I'm going to give 
that to you Snehal.

554
00:24:20,133 --> 00:24:23,300
- Oh (laughs)... 
(everybody laughs)

555
00:24:23,300 --> 00:24:26,766
Look, I'm hopeful but suspicious

556
00:24:26,766 --> 00:24:28,433
that it's not enough.

557
00:24:28,433 --> 00:24:30,600
I think that we 
definitely need much more

558
00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:32,700
sort of, public engagement

559
00:24:32,700 --> 00:24:35,333
and I'm not sure if 
the question here is,

560
00:24:35,333 --> 00:24:37,533
do we present ourselves 
as Asian American,

561
00:24:37,533 --> 00:24:39,633
as Asian, or as American, 
when we're, you know,

562
00:24:39,633 --> 00:24:41,700
stepping forward 
into public life.

563
00:24:41,700 --> 00:24:43,600
I think that the problem 
is that that choice

564
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,500
isn't always ours to 
make, and I think that

565
00:24:46,500 --> 00:24:49,366
that's some of the 
things that isn't

566
00:24:49,366 --> 00:24:50,266
recognized, right?

567
00:24:50,266 --> 00:24:51,866
So the, whatever the box is,

568
00:24:51,866 --> 00:24:54,300
there's always been 
a box to check.

569
00:24:55,533 --> 00:24:57,300
I make this example for 
my students all the time

570
00:24:57,300 --> 00:24:58,833
because I think it's 
really instructive about

571
00:24:58,833 --> 00:25:01,133
race laws in this country.

572
00:25:01,133 --> 00:25:04,166
When I was born in 1975,

573
00:25:04,466 --> 00:25:06,700
my birth certificate 
listed me as white,

574
00:25:06,700 --> 00:25:09,166
because according to the 
laws in the United States,

575
00:25:09,166 --> 00:25:11,533
Indians were Arians, 
and Arians were white,

576
00:25:11,533 --> 00:25:13,366
and so I was listed as white.

577
00:25:13,366 --> 00:25:17,933
In the 1980s, a new box 
appeared called Asian,

578
00:25:17,933 --> 00:25:19,633
and so then I was Asian.

579
00:25:19,633 --> 00:25:22,333
In the 1990's, then there 
was a Indian box to check.

580
00:25:22,333 --> 00:25:23,533
So then I was an Indian.

581
00:25:23,533 --> 00:25:24,700
Now there's a South 
Asian box to check,

582
00:25:24,700 --> 00:25:26,066
so I'm South Asian.

583
00:25:26,066 --> 00:25:28,066
The policies of this 
country in terms of

584
00:25:28,066 --> 00:25:30,666
how we get denominated, 
and how we are understood

585
00:25:30,666 --> 00:25:33,266
in terms of racial segments, 
isn't always a choice

586
00:25:33,266 --> 00:25:34,633
that we are capable of making.

587
00:25:34,633 --> 00:25:37,700
And I think this is 
what's so important about

588
00:25:37,700 --> 00:25:40,333
us talking about some 
of these issues, is that

589
00:25:40,333 --> 00:25:42,233
I'm not sure that 
it's always up to us

590
00:25:42,233 --> 00:25:44,433
to understand how we're 
going to be effected.

591
00:25:44,433 --> 00:25:47,033
I would hazard to guess 
that most Muslim Americans

592
00:25:47,033 --> 00:25:49,900
in this country didn't see 
themselves as all one population

593
00:25:49,900 --> 00:25:51,300
until 9/11 happened.

594
00:25:51,300 --> 00:25:53,633
- [Esther] Dr. Meunier, 
what are some of the issues

595
00:25:53,633 --> 00:25:57,833
you've seen some of your 
Asian American clients face?

596
00:25:57,833 --> 00:25:59,866
- [Dr. Meunier] I think stress,

597
00:25:59,866 --> 00:26:04,466
work stress, really 
experiencing discrimination

598
00:26:04,466 --> 00:26:07,100
or prejudice, or 
lack of, you know,

599
00:26:07,100 --> 00:26:09,600
like a glass ceiling, at work.

600
00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,933
I think family stress.

601
00:26:11,933 --> 00:26:14,900
A lot of Asian Americans, 
particularly when there's

602
00:26:14,900 --> 00:26:17,500
two generations, 
living in a family,

603
00:26:17,500 --> 00:26:19,700
there's generational conflict

604
00:26:19,700 --> 00:26:23,233
and generational differences 
in the way they grow up.

605
00:26:23,233 --> 00:26:24,566
First generation immigrants

606
00:26:24,566 --> 00:26:26,200
often think of 
themselves as foreigners,

607
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,533
no matter how long 
they've been here.

608
00:26:28,533 --> 00:26:31,033
And they tend to have 
certain attitudes

609
00:26:31,033 --> 00:26:33,466
and values that go 
along with that.

610
00:26:33,466 --> 00:26:35,366
And the younger 
generation, the generation

611
00:26:35,366 --> 00:26:37,666
that was born and 
brought up here,

612
00:26:37,666 --> 00:26:41,033
are more likely to think of 
themselves as ethnic minorities.

613
00:26:41,033 --> 00:26:45,400
And so there's a 
real big gap between

614
00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:48,466
the understanding in values 
and the ways in which

615
00:26:48,466 --> 00:26:51,100
the two groups move 
through society here,

616
00:26:51,100 --> 00:26:53,533
and that can lead to conflict.

617
00:26:53,533 --> 00:26:55,833
For example, around 
dating, or sex,

618
00:26:55,833 --> 00:26:58,000
or sexual identity.

619
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,966
These are all conflicts 
that Asian families

620
00:27:00,966 --> 00:27:02,500
have to deal with

621
00:27:02,500 --> 00:27:03,833
in this context. 
- [Esther] If I can ask about

622
00:27:03,833 --> 00:27:05,500
the first part you 
mentioned, glass ceiling.

623
00:27:05,500 --> 00:27:08,766
I mean, is that for females? 
Or I mean, all Asian Americans?

624
00:27:08,766 --> 00:27:11,333
- [Dr. Meunier] I would say 
all Asian Americans. Yeah.

625
00:27:11,333 --> 00:27:14,700
There are groups of 
Asian Americans who pass

626
00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:19,066
for white in their 
work environments

627
00:27:19,066 --> 00:27:20,933
and tend to do better.

628
00:27:20,933 --> 00:27:25,100
And depending on skin 
color, depending on accent,

629
00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:28,400
depending on their background 
if they got their first

630
00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,766
or second degree in 
an Asian country.

631
00:27:31,766 --> 00:27:34,033
They're likely to face 
discrimination at work

632
00:27:34,033 --> 00:27:37,433
for a long period of time, 
and it can be subtle, right?

633
00:27:37,433 --> 00:27:41,300
It's not necessarily a really 
obvious discrimination,

634
00:27:41,300 --> 00:27:44,400
but it can be a subtle 
stresser that never goes away.

635
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:46,733
- [Snehal] We can see this 
even at a place like UT.

636
00:27:46,733 --> 00:27:50,166
The lower you go 
down the pay scale,

637
00:27:50,166 --> 00:27:52,333
the more Asian Americans 
are represented, right?

638
00:27:52,333 --> 00:27:54,733
So, you look at the sort 
of top administrators

639
00:27:54,733 --> 00:27:58,066
at this university, not 
a single Asian American.

640
00:27:58,066 --> 00:27:59,833
You have to go down, 
I mean like in,

641
00:27:59,833 --> 00:28:02,766
full professors, fewer 
associate professors,

642
00:28:02,766 --> 00:28:04,600
fewer, I mean, like 
all the way down,

643
00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:08,233
there's a kind of 
pattern of, I think,

644
00:28:08,233 --> 00:28:11,000
a sense that even, there's 
certain institutions here

645
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,833
that still are, and still 
represent that kind of

646
00:28:14,833 --> 00:28:19,333
minority, majoritarian 
culture in which Asians

647
00:28:19,333 --> 00:28:21,866
are not seen as fitting 
in right, or not seen as

648
00:28:21,866 --> 00:28:24,600
having the skill set to 
appropriately fit in.

649
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:26,533
Language becomes an 
easy way to discriminate

650
00:28:26,533 --> 00:28:28,566
against people who are 
looking for promotions.

651
00:28:28,566 --> 00:28:30,100
So, absolutely.

652
00:28:30,100 --> 00:28:31,333
- [Esther] Yeah. 
- And to follow along

653
00:28:31,333 --> 00:28:34,366
with that, you know, 
the city of Austin is,

654
00:28:34,366 --> 00:28:36,566
when we look at 
the city of Austin,

655
00:28:36,566 --> 00:28:38,333
we see similar problems.

656
00:28:38,333 --> 00:28:43,100
Since 2010, I mean, 
since 2000 to 2015,

657
00:28:43,100 --> 00:28:45,666
the percentage of 
Asians that make up

658
00:28:45,666 --> 00:28:49,966
the city employees, has 
sat pretty much at 3%.

659
00:28:49,966 --> 00:28:53,900
Even while the Asian 
population has almost tripled,

660
00:28:53,900 --> 00:28:56,633
and if you look at 
the upper echelons,

661
00:28:56,633 --> 00:28:58,866
there's been actually 
a regression,

662
00:28:58,866 --> 00:29:02,500
in terms of Asians who 
are in upper management,

663
00:29:02,500 --> 00:29:03,933
executive positions.

664
00:29:03,933 --> 00:29:08,133
At the same time, and this 
reflects the model minority myth

665
00:29:08,133 --> 00:29:10,966
in a lot of ways, at the 
lower end of the pay scale,

666
00:29:10,966 --> 00:29:12,466
there's a dearth 
of Asian Americans.

667
00:29:12,466 --> 00:29:15,700
Which means, either that 
they're not applying

668
00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:17,933
because they don't feel 
like it's a possibility,

669
00:29:17,933 --> 00:29:20,533
or they're just not looked 
at as a candidate pool.

670
00:29:20,533 --> 00:29:24,833
So, again, you know, 
Austin is a tremendously

671
00:29:24,833 --> 00:29:27,866
progressive place, but when 
we look at hard numbers,

672
00:29:27,866 --> 00:29:30,500
maybe not so much, or maybe

673
00:29:30,500 --> 00:29:32,166
we haven't been asking 
the right questions,

674
00:29:32,166 --> 00:29:34,800
or we haven't focused 
on an entire community

675
00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:38,400
that's just not being considered

676
00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:40,933
because they're kind of out 
of sight and out of mind.

677
00:29:40,933 --> 00:29:44,500
- I wanna circle back 
to the health question.

678
00:29:44,833 --> 00:29:46,333
What we have been seeing a lot

679
00:29:46,333 --> 00:29:48,800
is a lot of unaddressed trauma.

680
00:29:49,700 --> 00:29:51,266
When it comes to mental health.

681
00:29:51,266 --> 00:29:54,100
And, you know, working 
in a domestic violence

682
00:29:54,100 --> 00:29:57,733
and sexual assault field, 
there's a lot of trauma there.

683
00:29:57,733 --> 00:30:00,500
And we are seeing new 
refugees coming in.

684
00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:04,233
Austin is a refugee 
resettlement community.

685
00:30:04,233 --> 00:30:06,800
We have high populations 
of the Nepali,

686
00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:11,000
the Burmese, the 
Bhutanese, coming in.

687
00:30:11,533 --> 00:30:14,866
Ya know, one, soon, depending on

688
00:30:15,500 --> 00:30:17,266
what's happening at Capitol Hill

689
00:30:17,266 --> 00:30:19,733
and at the White 
House, we may be seeing

690
00:30:19,733 --> 00:30:21,533
Syrians coming through as well.

691
00:30:21,533 --> 00:30:24,933
But right now, those 
numbers are quite low.

692
00:30:24,933 --> 00:30:29,533
And, there has not been

693
00:30:29,533 --> 00:30:33,200
a real concerted effort

694
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:35,933
with mental health providers,

695
00:30:35,933 --> 00:30:38,700
with certain 
institutions to address

696
00:30:38,700 --> 00:30:41,566
the need for culturally specific

697
00:30:41,566 --> 00:30:43,966
and trauma informed services.

698
00:30:43,966 --> 00:30:47,566
A lot of times we have seen

699
00:30:48,066 --> 00:30:51,633
clients who come in who 
have been assaulted,

700
00:30:51,633 --> 00:30:54,666
but then they also deal with 
the trauma of migration.

701
00:30:54,666 --> 00:30:58,333
They also deal with the trauma 
of these microaggressions

702
00:30:58,333 --> 00:31:01,233
and, or the trauma of

703
00:31:01,233 --> 00:31:04,300
being treated differently 
by the police.

704
00:31:04,300 --> 00:31:07,633
And we just have 
not seen any kind of

705
00:31:07,633 --> 00:31:11,133
culturally specific 
services made available.

706
00:31:12,233 --> 00:31:14,433
You know, we're pretty much it.

707
00:31:14,433 --> 00:31:16,600
We're the only group in Austin

708
00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:18,233
and in the Central Texas area

709
00:31:18,233 --> 00:31:21,466
that provides 
therapeutic counseling

710
00:31:21,466 --> 00:31:23,633
focused on the Asian 
American community.

711
00:31:23,633 --> 00:31:26,333
But we're a small group, 
and the need is large.

712
00:31:26,333 --> 00:31:27,800
And the need is large.

713
00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:28,933
- [Dr. Meunier] I would say 
that's a problem in general

714
00:31:28,933 --> 00:31:31,266
in Texas, is the lack of focus

715
00:31:31,266 --> 00:31:33,766
and the lack of resources 
for mental health treatment.

716
00:31:33,766 --> 00:31:36,266
A lot of refugee populations 
are funneled through

717
00:31:36,266 --> 00:31:40,466
state agencies, that may 
not have any Asian American

718
00:31:40,466 --> 00:31:41,766
staff members at all. 
- [Linda] They're calling us.

719
00:31:41,766 --> 00:31:45,266
They're calling, we're 
getting phone calls

720
00:31:45,266 --> 00:31:47,333
from Ash and they're 
calling us, and say,

721
00:31:47,333 --> 00:31:49,766
can you come and help, 
and we're telling them

722
00:31:49,766 --> 00:31:52,200
this is your responsibility.

723
00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:54,300
You need to bring 
in that interpreter.

724
00:31:54,300 --> 00:31:57,033
You need to be trained, 
on how to provide

725
00:31:57,033 --> 00:31:58,533
these services. 
- [Dr. Meunier] And an

726
00:31:58,533 --> 00:32:00,366
interpreter is not enough. 
- [Richard] Yeah, exactly.

727
00:32:00,366 --> 00:32:04,200
Exactly. They need employees 
in those departments,

728
00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:06,200
that understand that 
that need exists.

729
00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:10,333
You know, part of this 
push to hire diversity

730
00:32:10,333 --> 00:32:13,266
or to have diverse 
departments is,

731
00:32:13,266 --> 00:32:15,733
having that diversity 
allows you to understand

732
00:32:15,733 --> 00:32:18,866
that there are populations 
that are not served

733
00:32:18,866 --> 00:32:22,366
and be active advocates 
within your departments

734
00:32:22,366 --> 00:32:25,233
to go out and make sure that 
those translation services,

735
00:32:25,233 --> 00:32:27,066
or other services are provided.

736
00:32:27,066 --> 00:32:28,866
And, as anecdotally, you know,

737
00:32:28,866 --> 00:32:30,233
I'm sure we all get this.

738
00:32:30,233 --> 00:32:32,433
We all as different 
rep, you know,

739
00:32:32,433 --> 00:32:35,200
belong to different Asian 
language minority communities,

740
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:36,400
we get phone calls.

741
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:38,233
It's like, hey, I 
have this person.

742
00:32:38,233 --> 00:32:40,866
They're violent, they 
need mental help,

743
00:32:40,866 --> 00:32:44,333
and you know, where can I 
go, where there's a therapist

744
00:32:44,333 --> 00:32:46,000
who speaks this language?

745
00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,033
And sometimes there's 
none, you know.

746
00:32:48,033 --> 00:32:51,533
And these are the issues 
that, as Linda says,

747
00:32:51,533 --> 00:32:53,666
as we have refugee 
populations move here,

748
00:32:53,666 --> 00:32:55,433
there's an Iraqi 
population here.

749
00:32:55,433 --> 00:32:58,466
In North Austin, and, you know,

750
00:32:58,466 --> 00:33:01,666
are we prepared when we 
bring large populations

751
00:33:01,666 --> 00:33:04,700
of refugees over 
here, to provide them

752
00:33:04,700 --> 00:33:07,066
with the needed services 
so that they can

753
00:33:07,066 --> 00:33:08,233
adapt and it's-- 
- [Linda] But it's not even

754
00:33:08,233 --> 00:33:10,100
just the refugee population. 
- Right.

755
00:33:10,100 --> 00:33:13,233
- We have citizens who live here

756
00:33:13,233 --> 00:33:15,500
and may speak English well,

757
00:33:15,500 --> 00:33:17,500
but we just don't 
have the services

758
00:33:17,500 --> 00:33:21,400
that can really resonate 
with their cultural identity.

759
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,366
And so that's a larger issue.

760
00:33:23,366 --> 00:33:26,866
- And to anticipate some of 
the objections that I hear,

761
00:33:26,866 --> 00:33:29,700
you know, one way you 
can look at it is,

762
00:33:29,700 --> 00:33:32,066
the Asian and Asian American 
populations in Austin

763
00:33:32,066 --> 00:33:33,966
have been paying taxes,

764
00:33:33,966 --> 00:33:36,400
but they haven't been 
accessing services.

765
00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:38,400
You know, so it's not 
like, hey, you know,

766
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:40,766
let's make sure this 
population just gets

767
00:33:40,766 --> 00:33:42,833
a bunch of services.

768
00:33:42,833 --> 00:33:45,400
There are a lot of people who 
have been paying their taxes

769
00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,200
and just not being able 
to access these services.

770
00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:51,200
So it's not just, hey, 
let's just provide services

771
00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:53,133
and, 'cause I know 
lately, you know,

772
00:33:53,133 --> 00:33:56,333
taxes are a big issue, 
but you know, to be fair,

773
00:33:56,333 --> 00:33:58,533
these are populations that 
have been paying their taxes

774
00:33:58,533 --> 00:34:00,866
and they just don't 
receive the services

775
00:34:00,866 --> 00:34:02,066
that they're paying for.

776
00:34:02,066 --> 00:34:04,200
- [Esther] Let's talk 
about our seniors.

777
00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:07,066
That's a population 
that probably is getting

778
00:34:07,066 --> 00:34:10,333
very little culturally 
appropriate services,

779
00:34:10,333 --> 00:34:12,000
even though their 
needs are very high.

780
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,000
So what, I mean,

781
00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:18,200
tell us, like, what can we do 
to better serve their needs.

782
00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:20,166
Also, you know, there's talks of

783
00:34:20,166 --> 00:34:22,966
high rates of suicide 
or depression, anxiety.

784
00:34:22,966 --> 00:34:26,400
How do we address these 
issues for our seniors?

785
00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:28,200
- [Dr. Meunier] I 
think you have to

786
00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:29,933
work with it in 
two different ways.

787
00:34:29,933 --> 00:34:33,533
One is the stigma about 
getting mental health services.

788
00:34:33,533 --> 00:34:36,933
The stigma about 
acknowledging depression,

789
00:34:36,933 --> 00:34:39,266
or seeking the services 
of a professional,

790
00:34:39,266 --> 00:34:43,200
is going to be much greater 
in an elderly population.

791
00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:47,100
And very often I get 
calls from their children,

792
00:34:47,100 --> 00:34:50,166
saying, my mother will 
refuses to come see you.

793
00:34:50,166 --> 00:34:52,300
But I know she needs 
to see somebody.

794
00:34:52,300 --> 00:34:54,666
I know we need to 
get an assessment.

795
00:34:54,666 --> 00:34:57,000
And again I think, 
having staff members

796
00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,600
that speak the language, 
but also thinking

797
00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:03,366
outside the box, Asian 
Americans are not gonna

798
00:35:03,366 --> 00:35:06,266
come to clinics to get services.

799
00:35:06,266 --> 00:35:08,566
Having more community education,

800
00:35:08,566 --> 00:35:10,700
having more community outreach,

801
00:35:10,700 --> 00:35:14,800
really providing 
services where they are,

802
00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:16,800
is I think one thing we 
have to look at doing.

803
00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:18,200
- [Esther] Yes.

804
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:19,533
- [Linda] And that is 
something that I do feel,

805
00:35:19,533 --> 00:35:22,200
as part of a service agency,

806
00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:25,200
that we are missing in Austin.

807
00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,966
I have seen wonderful 
models in other communities

808
00:35:28,966 --> 00:35:31,033
where their services do go 
- [Dr. Meunier] That's right.

809
00:35:31,033 --> 00:35:33,166
- [Linda] to the 
specific populations.

810
00:35:33,166 --> 00:35:36,366
And the implementation 
and the administration

811
00:35:36,366 --> 00:35:39,900
of those services, it 
really, the idea behind it,

812
00:35:39,900 --> 00:35:41,833
is wonderful, but 
it really depends on

813
00:35:41,833 --> 00:35:45,833
what are the resources that 
comes in and support that.

814
00:35:45,833 --> 00:35:48,166
So, and that's 
something that I wish

815
00:35:48,166 --> 00:35:51,500
that the city of Austin, 
I wish that our state

816
00:35:51,500 --> 00:35:54,333
will take the lead on, 
knowing that we have

817
00:35:54,333 --> 00:35:58,033
a very fast growing 
population in Texas.

818
00:35:58,033 --> 00:36:00,833
- [Dr. Meunier] Would you 
agree that both city and state

819
00:36:00,833 --> 00:36:03,566
agencies are way 
behind the reality

820
00:36:03,566 --> 00:36:04,800
- Oh goodness yes. 
- [Dr. Meunier] of our

821
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:05,933
population? 
- [Linda] I've been doing this

822
00:36:05,933 --> 00:36:07,333
job for 10 years now.

823
00:36:07,333 --> 00:36:08,533
I could tell you that 
- [Dr. Meunier] Yeah.

824
00:36:08,533 --> 00:36:10,000
- [Linda] a decade 
ago, and it's still--

825
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:11,233
- [Dr. Meunier] And 
it hasn't changed!

826
00:36:11,233 --> 00:36:15,866
- It has not changed, 
and I think it's a push

827
00:36:15,866 --> 00:36:17,533
from not only city and state.

828
00:36:17,533 --> 00:36:21,366
It's federal, it's also 
private groups, and I think

829
00:36:21,366 --> 00:36:24,766
it's a community, it needs 
a community approach.

830
00:36:24,766 --> 00:36:27,233
A holistic community approach.

831
00:36:27,233 --> 00:36:30,666
- And when we talk about issues,

832
00:36:30,666 --> 00:36:34,533
a lot of it is, in 
common, those problems

833
00:36:34,533 --> 00:36:37,400
are held in common with the 
Hispanic community as well.

834
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:39,100
Immigrant communities in general

835
00:36:39,100 --> 00:36:40,833
that have language barriers.

836
00:36:40,833 --> 00:36:44,133
And I think those represent, 
those situations represent

837
00:36:44,133 --> 00:36:46,233
an opportunity to 
build alliances.

838
00:36:46,233 --> 00:36:48,700
You know, to reach out to 
other immigrant communities

839
00:36:48,700 --> 00:36:51,800
and make sure that 
we're working together

840
00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:54,166
to make sure that 
those service access,

841
00:36:54,166 --> 00:36:56,700
that kind of access 
to services exist.

842
00:36:56,700 --> 00:36:59,133
And honestly, just the 
senior population in general,

843
00:36:59,133 --> 00:37:01,033
whether they're 
immigrant or not,

844
00:37:01,033 --> 00:37:03,400
face a lot of issues 
about transportation,

845
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:06,433
isolation, access to 
different services.

846
00:37:06,433 --> 00:37:08,600
And I think again, 
you know, our ability

847
00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,266
to network and build 
coalitions that can push

848
00:37:12,266 --> 00:37:16,900
for those issues together 
would help us a lot as well.

849
00:37:16,900 --> 00:37:18,466
- [Esther] Let's switch 
gears and talk about

850
00:37:18,466 --> 00:37:21,300
the student population 
here in Austin.

851
00:37:21,300 --> 00:37:22,966
Particularly UT.

852
00:37:23,666 --> 00:37:25,800
Tell us, I think most 
people don't realize

853
00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:27,533
how high the population is here,

854
00:37:27,533 --> 00:37:31,466
is about 18% to 19% now, 
Asian Americans at UT.

855
00:37:32,033 --> 00:37:33,166
So-- 
- [Dr. Meunier] That's just

856
00:37:33,166 --> 00:37:34,600
the ones that 
identify themselves as

857
00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:35,800
Asian American. 
- Correct, correct!

858
00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:36,733
- [Snehal] You know, 
the ones we can tell

859
00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:38,000
by last name. 
- (laughs)

860
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:39,333
- [Snehal] We can't 
ask for racial identity

861
00:37:39,333 --> 00:37:40,900
on any of the, sort 
of forms right?

862
00:37:40,900 --> 00:37:44,300
Well, that's part of 
the changes after the

863
00:37:44,300 --> 00:37:46,833
changes to affirmative 
action, right?

864
00:37:46,833 --> 00:37:49,500
So, we have to guess by, 
on the basis of last names

865
00:37:49,500 --> 00:37:50,900
how people identify. 
- [Esther] Wow.

866
00:37:50,900 --> 00:37:55,633
Okay. So this number could 
be very undercounted.

867
00:37:56,200 --> 00:38:00,266
So, regardless, it's 
a big population

868
00:38:00,766 --> 00:38:02,700
that's here in Austin, 
whether temporarily,

869
00:38:02,700 --> 00:38:05,400
or they, you know, most of 
them really wanna stay here.

870
00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:07,700
Tell us how are they doing 
with their mental health

871
00:38:07,700 --> 00:38:10,233
and what can we do 
to, I guess, help them

872
00:38:10,233 --> 00:38:12,333
or serve them more effectively.

873
00:38:12,333 --> 00:38:14,166
- [Snehal] Oh, I wish...

874
00:38:14,166 --> 00:38:15,700
I wish that there were more 
specialists in this issue,

875
00:38:15,700 --> 00:38:17,433
but I can only tell you 
things sort of anecdotally,

876
00:38:17,433 --> 00:38:20,700
that I think that 
there is a stigma

877
00:38:20,700 --> 00:38:23,100
about being an underachiever 
if you're Asian American.

878
00:38:23,100 --> 00:38:26,133
I think people are less likely 
to seek out tutorial services

879
00:38:26,133 --> 00:38:29,466
or get mental health help, 
if they are Asian American.

880
00:38:29,466 --> 00:38:31,733
We do know for instance 
that Muslim Americans

881
00:38:31,733 --> 00:38:34,833
tend to spend as little 
time on campus as possible.

882
00:38:34,833 --> 00:38:38,566
So, especially immigrant 
Muslims who come here from Gulf,

883
00:38:38,566 --> 00:38:41,933
or other Middle Eastern 
countries, tend to leave

884
00:38:41,933 --> 00:38:44,433
as quickly as they can 
and go back to essentially

885
00:38:44,433 --> 00:38:48,466
segregated pools of Arab 
speaking, you know, friends.

886
00:38:48,466 --> 00:38:51,433
And so there is a 
kind of alienation,

887
00:38:51,433 --> 00:38:54,300
or sense anyway that 
you're going to be seen

888
00:38:54,300 --> 00:38:59,233
as not part of the UT 
community or campus.

889
00:38:59,233 --> 00:39:01,633
I think that's also true 
for it now because UT serves

890
00:39:01,633 --> 00:39:05,500
so many Chinese immigrants 
who are coming here.

891
00:39:05,500 --> 00:39:07,366
East Asian immigrants more 
generally here are coming here

892
00:39:07,366 --> 00:39:08,733
directly from those 
countries, right?

893
00:39:08,733 --> 00:39:11,833
So, this is no longer simply 
first generation being

894
00:39:11,833 --> 00:39:13,400
you know, people like 
my parent's generation.

895
00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:14,633
We're talking about 
kid who are coming here

896
00:39:14,633 --> 00:39:19,200
as UT tries to reach 
out to the rest of Asia,

897
00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:21,300
and build partnerships 
with Asian universities

898
00:39:21,300 --> 00:39:23,433
and bring over 
Asian students here.

899
00:39:23,433 --> 00:39:26,200
But there are really serious 
needs that don't always get met

900
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:28,166
because of the same issues.

901
00:39:28,166 --> 00:39:31,366
Just one anecdotal example.

902
00:39:31,900 --> 00:39:34,433
Vietnamese, if I'm not 
mistaken, is the third

903
00:39:34,433 --> 00:39:37,500
most commonly spoken 
language in Texas.

904
00:39:37,500 --> 00:39:39,100
But five years ago, 
UT did away with

905
00:39:39,100 --> 00:39:40,866
the Vietnamese language program

906
00:39:40,866 --> 00:39:43,433
because it was making 
a round of budget cuts,

907
00:39:43,433 --> 00:39:45,366
and that became 
the thing to cut.

908
00:39:45,366 --> 00:39:47,533
Those kinds of things 
effect a student population,

909
00:39:47,533 --> 00:39:50,700
which can tell when it's 
seen as irrelevant to,

910
00:39:50,700 --> 00:39:52,200
and their education 
is seen as relevant

911
00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:54,333
to what UT does, or not.

912
00:39:54,333 --> 00:39:56,700
And I think that the 
slow whittling away

913
00:39:56,700 --> 00:39:59,100
of things like the Asian 
American Studies Program at UT

914
00:39:59,100 --> 00:40:01,866
also are reflective 
of a lack of priority

915
00:40:01,866 --> 00:40:04,833
put on Asian Americans, 
unless they're in stem fields.

916
00:40:04,833 --> 00:40:06,733
In which case, there's a, 
you know, different way

917
00:40:06,733 --> 00:40:08,866
that they're treated 
and understood on--

918
00:40:08,866 --> 00:40:10,766
- [Dr. Meunier] Can I-- 
- [Richard] In addressing

919
00:40:10,766 --> 00:40:12,533
that issue at UT,

920
00:40:14,866 --> 00:40:16,600
mental health in a lot 
of cases for, I think,

921
00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:19,833
Asian American students, if 
there is a conflict internally

922
00:40:19,833 --> 00:40:23,933
about whether you're being 
seen as an American, you know,

923
00:40:24,766 --> 00:40:27,233
an Asian American studies 
department that teaches

924
00:40:27,233 --> 00:40:30,600
the history of Asian American, 
which is taught nowhere.

925
00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:32,500
You know, high school 
textbooks don't have them,

926
00:40:32,500 --> 00:40:33,933
elementary school textbook.

927
00:40:33,933 --> 00:40:37,266
You know, you are foreigners 
because you don't exist

928
00:40:37,266 --> 00:40:39,700
in the histories 
of this country.

929
00:40:39,700 --> 00:40:41,366
That needs to be taught because

930
00:40:41,366 --> 00:40:44,100
students going to those classes 
get exposure to the fact

931
00:40:44,100 --> 00:40:46,766
that yes, Asians have 
been in this country

932
00:40:46,766 --> 00:40:48,033
for a really long time.

933
00:40:48,033 --> 00:40:49,000
They helped build this country,

934
00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:50,433
they're a part of this country.

935
00:40:50,433 --> 00:40:54,366
When I go to the annual, 
you know, Martin Luther King

936
00:40:54,366 --> 00:40:58,366
march at UT, and I hear the 
president of the university

937
00:40:58,366 --> 00:41:01,766
talk about civil rights 
leaders, but doesn't mention one

938
00:41:01,766 --> 00:41:04,666
single Asian American 
civil rights leader.

939
00:41:04,666 --> 00:41:07,900
No Laureate Leungs, no 
civil rights leaders

940
00:41:07,900 --> 00:41:10,466
that have contributed 
to changing the 
laws in this country

941
00:41:10,466 --> 00:41:12,800
so that, you know, 
everyone has...

942
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:16,533
That is a huge impact, I 
think, that could be positive

943
00:41:16,533 --> 00:41:19,833
on the mental health of Asians 
and Asian American students

944
00:41:19,833 --> 00:41:22,433
at UT and other places, 
is to understand,

945
00:41:22,433 --> 00:41:25,100
yes, we are a part of the 
fabric of this country.

946
00:41:25,100 --> 00:41:27,533
- [Dr. Meunier] I did my 
dissertation at UT actually,

947
00:41:27,533 --> 00:41:30,800
on mental health among 
Asian populations.

948
00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:33,566
And one of the things, 
one of the problems,

949
00:41:33,566 --> 00:41:36,900
that I then identified was 
that there are these silos.

950
00:41:36,900 --> 00:41:40,733
You go for advising, academic 
advising to one place,

951
00:41:40,733 --> 00:41:44,900
and you go from mental health 
services someplace else.

952
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,166
Most Asian students

953
00:41:47,166 --> 00:41:49,666
come into the 
mental health system

954
00:41:49,666 --> 00:41:51,700
because they're 
having difficulties.

955
00:41:51,700 --> 00:41:54,366
Particularly at a university 
in their academics.

956
00:41:54,366 --> 00:41:58,000
That is where it's 
okay to seek help.

957
00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:01,300
But if they go to an 
academic advising center,

958
00:42:01,300 --> 00:42:03,033
and they're never referred

959
00:42:03,033 --> 00:42:06,133
or the person who's doing 
the academic advising

960
00:42:06,133 --> 00:42:08,800
really doesn't have the 
training, to diagnose

961
00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:12,166
or see that this person 
needs mental health services,

962
00:42:12,166 --> 00:42:14,533
what you're gonna 
have, is miss out

963
00:42:14,533 --> 00:42:18,200
on a whole bunch of 
students, who really should

964
00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:20,533
be getting both services, right.

965
00:42:20,533 --> 00:42:23,800
Who's academic 
difficulties are actually

966
00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:26,600
a result of mental 
health difficulties.

967
00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:29,000
And I think a big part 
of that is missed,

968
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:30,633
because, and it's not just UT.

969
00:42:30,633 --> 00:42:33,800
I think other universities 
in Austin do the same thing.

970
00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:36,466
There's this difference 
between academic advising

971
00:42:36,466 --> 00:42:38,166
and mental health services,

972
00:42:38,166 --> 00:42:41,133
and Asian students in particular

973
00:42:41,133 --> 00:42:44,500
need the two to be 
integrated and provided

974
00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:46,500
in a single stream.

975
00:42:46,500 --> 00:42:49,766
- [Linda] There has been a 
lot of awareness brought on,

976
00:42:49,766 --> 00:42:52,566
you know, mental 
health issues with

977
00:42:52,566 --> 00:42:54,300
university students.

978
00:42:54,300 --> 00:42:57,900
We have seen, I wouldn't 
say higher rates

979
00:42:57,900 --> 00:43:00,733
but we have seen more 
stories of suicide.

980
00:43:00,733 --> 00:43:04,266
And sometimes, you know, 
again it goes back to

981
00:43:04,266 --> 00:43:06,466
internalizing that 
model minority myth.

982
00:43:06,466 --> 00:43:09,100
That pressures, the 
external pressures,

983
00:43:09,100 --> 00:43:11,533
trying to keep up 
with expectations

984
00:43:11,533 --> 00:43:14,533
and it needs to 
be, I think that,

985
00:43:14,533 --> 00:43:16,400
there needs to be 
specific programming.

986
00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:18,400
There needs to be

987
00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:22,700
a very specific response 
to this problem.

988
00:43:23,566 --> 00:43:25,300
- For the last part 
of our discussion,

989
00:43:25,300 --> 00:43:29,300
let's turn to the topic 
of socioeconomics.

990
00:43:29,300 --> 00:43:31,333
Linda, let's start with you.

991
00:43:31,333 --> 00:43:33,433
Census numbers say Asian 
Americans in Austin

992
00:43:33,433 --> 00:43:35,500
come from middle class families,

993
00:43:35,500 --> 00:43:38,300
are high skilled 
and highly educated.

994
00:43:38,300 --> 00:43:41,700
Is the picture really that 
rosy and is that accurate?

995
00:43:42,933 --> 00:43:45,500
- No. It's not accurate.

996
00:43:45,500 --> 00:43:48,233
And, you know, I work

997
00:43:48,233 --> 00:43:50,933
with communities every day.

998
00:43:50,933 --> 00:43:53,533
My staff work with 
underserved communities

999
00:43:53,533 --> 00:43:57,400
and we, you know, 
we're talking about

1000
00:43:57,400 --> 00:44:00,766
accessing colleges, or 
accessing university,

1001
00:44:00,766 --> 00:44:02,366
or higher education.

1002
00:44:02,366 --> 00:44:06,433
And there are 
communities that are not

1003
00:44:06,433 --> 00:44:08,333
graduating high school.

1004
00:44:08,333 --> 00:44:09,733
There are communities, you know,

1005
00:44:09,733 --> 00:44:13,166
we've got the Mang community, 
the Vietnamese groups,

1006
00:44:13,166 --> 00:44:16,300
a lot of South 
Cambodian, Lao groups,

1007
00:44:16,300 --> 00:44:20,766
who live in the lower 
socioeconomic...

1008
00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:22,533
environments.

1009
00:44:22,533 --> 00:44:26,400
And sometimes, I 
feel that, you know,

1010
00:44:26,733 --> 00:44:30,533
the achievements of our 
community overshadows

1011
00:44:30,533 --> 00:44:32,833
the needs, and that 
in the reality,

1012
00:44:32,833 --> 00:44:37,066
that most of our fellow 
community members are living in.

1013
00:44:38,933 --> 00:44:41,766
And working within the 
social services field,

1014
00:44:41,766 --> 00:44:43,100
we see it every day.

1015
00:44:43,100 --> 00:44:47,233
We see folks who need 
to access benefits.

1016
00:44:47,233 --> 00:44:51,266
Federal benefits, whether 
it's SNAP or TANF.

1017
00:44:51,266 --> 00:44:54,333
And they're having a 
hard time doing that.

1018
00:44:54,333 --> 00:44:56,733
One, it's, it comes 
down to language access.

1019
00:44:56,733 --> 00:44:58,766
The second piece 
is knowing where

1020
00:44:58,766 --> 00:45:00,466
that support is coming from.

1021
00:45:00,466 --> 00:45:04,533
And overall, you know, when it 
comes to the social services

1022
00:45:05,100 --> 00:45:09,400
fabric of our country 
and also of our state,

1023
00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:11,000
the funding has been cut.

1024
00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:12,533
So it effects everyone.

1025
00:45:12,533 --> 00:45:15,100
But for those who 
are most isolated,

1026
00:45:15,100 --> 00:45:17,100
most vulnerable, 
they're the ones

1027
00:45:17,100 --> 00:45:20,566
who are being impacted the most.

1028
00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:23,700
- We talked about 
the refugee community

1029
00:45:23,700 --> 00:45:25,500
and how it's growing 
here in Austin,

1030
00:45:25,500 --> 00:45:27,466
but also in the nation.

1031
00:45:28,266 --> 00:45:29,800
What are some of the 
challenges they face

1032
00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:31,066
besides the ones 
you've mentioned

1033
00:45:31,066 --> 00:45:33,800
and what is our 
civic responsibility

1034
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:37,166
as Austinites, to 
this population?

1035
00:45:37,166 --> 00:45:39,433
- I think the biggest piece is,

1036
00:45:39,433 --> 00:45:43,666
as Asian, Asian Americans, 
or Pacific Islanders,

1037
00:45:43,666 --> 00:45:46,333
those of us who have actually 
walked through the door,

1038
00:45:46,333 --> 00:45:49,933
kind of keep the door open 
for others to walk through.

1039
00:45:50,933 --> 00:45:53,200
I think that it is 
something that is somewhat

1040
00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:54,933
missed within our communities.

1041
00:45:54,933 --> 00:45:58,466
We, again, we focus 
on the achievements

1042
00:45:58,466 --> 00:46:00,866
and we need to 
really think about

1043
00:46:00,866 --> 00:46:03,766
what those specific 
challenges are.

1044
00:46:03,766 --> 00:46:05,733
So there is a responsibility.

1045
00:46:05,733 --> 00:46:08,233
I do feel like there 
is a responsibility

1046
00:46:08,233 --> 00:46:09,933
in the community to make sure

1047
00:46:09,933 --> 00:46:12,866
that those issues are

1048
00:46:12,866 --> 00:46:15,333
not being forgotten.

1049
00:46:16,533 --> 00:46:18,766
Really, it comes 
down to, you know,

1050
00:46:18,766 --> 00:46:22,933
with the refugee 
population coming in.

1051
00:46:22,933 --> 00:46:27,733
A lot of refugees are settled. 
They are saddled with debt.

1052
00:46:27,733 --> 00:46:32,333
They have to pay back 
their plane tickets.

1053
00:46:32,333 --> 00:46:34,066
They have to-- 
- [Esther] Oh.

1054
00:46:34,066 --> 00:46:36,133
- Most of the 
refugees we work with,

1055
00:46:36,133 --> 00:46:38,600
come with high loads of debt.

1056
00:46:38,666 --> 00:46:40,833
And it's hard.

1057
00:46:40,833 --> 00:46:44,933
It's very hard for folks 
to find access to jobs.

1058
00:46:44,933 --> 00:46:46,966
It's very hard for 
them to find something

1059
00:46:46,966 --> 00:46:49,800
that will sustain their family, 
and then have to pay back

1060
00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:51,900
this debt to the government.

1061
00:46:51,900 --> 00:46:53,466
- [Dr. Meunier] One of the 
things that a lot of people

1062
00:46:53,466 --> 00:46:57,433
don't know is that a lot of 
refugees were highly skilled

1063
00:46:57,433 --> 00:47:00,533
professional workers 
in their countries.

1064
00:47:00,533 --> 00:47:03,566
So doctors, engineers, 
when they come here

1065
00:47:03,566 --> 00:47:06,600
as refugees, they're 
settled and often

1066
00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:09,133
given jobs that are way below

1067
00:47:09,133 --> 00:47:11,200
their educational 
technical levels.

1068
00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:13,933
And my wish would be 
that we would have

1069
00:47:13,933 --> 00:47:16,633
kind of a public, 
private partnership.

1070
00:47:16,633 --> 00:47:18,700
The State Department comes in

1071
00:47:18,700 --> 00:47:21,633
and works with certain 
agencies to place

1072
00:47:21,633 --> 00:47:24,766
refugees and provide 
basic necessities,

1073
00:47:24,766 --> 00:47:27,666
but really doesn't 
go beyond that,

1074
00:47:27,666 --> 00:47:30,966
in creating partnerships 
with businesses,

1075
00:47:30,966 --> 00:47:33,733
that would love to have 
a highly technical,

1076
00:47:33,733 --> 00:47:37,033
highly skilled person, 
providing services

1077
00:47:37,033 --> 00:47:39,800
but don't know how to access

1078
00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:41,933
the refugees where they are.

1079
00:47:41,933 --> 00:47:43,533
- [Esther] Let's 
turn one last time

1080
00:47:43,533 --> 00:47:46,400
to our audience members, 
to hear their questions.

1081
00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:48,266
The first question.

1082
00:47:48,266 --> 00:47:50,533
Recent refugees 
come from countries

1083
00:47:50,533 --> 00:47:52,533
where they were disenfranchised.

1084
00:47:52,533 --> 00:47:54,233
How can Austin 
government institutions

1085
00:47:54,233 --> 00:47:57,866
build trust with 
these communities?

1086
00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:00,700
- That's a great question. 
- Include them.

1087
00:48:00,700 --> 00:48:02,633
Include folks.

1088
00:48:02,700 --> 00:48:06,400
What I see a lot is, we 
have a tendency to tokenize.

1089
00:48:06,400 --> 00:48:08,133
You know, we'll bring 
people to the table,

1090
00:48:08,133 --> 00:48:09,900
but we put them at 
the children's seat.

1091
00:48:09,900 --> 00:48:13,033
And I think that

1092
00:48:14,600 --> 00:48:16,466
first of all, language.

1093
00:48:16,466 --> 00:48:18,700
You know, you have 
to communicate.

1094
00:48:18,700 --> 00:48:20,733
You have to be 
able to communicate

1095
00:48:20,733 --> 00:48:22,700
with new refugees coming in.

1096
00:48:22,700 --> 00:48:25,600
And I just don't 
see enough services

1097
00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:27,066
that can do that.

1098
00:48:27,066 --> 00:48:30,266
There's just not, has been 
enough language capacity.

1099
00:48:30,833 --> 00:48:34,200
And I just go back to the 
original piece, you know.

1100
00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:36,300
Actually being genuine,

1101
00:48:36,300 --> 00:48:38,433
when we're asking 
for information.

1102
00:48:38,433 --> 00:48:41,033
When we are asking

1103
00:48:41,033 --> 00:48:44,566
how to be inclusive of 
the refugee community.

1104
00:48:44,566 --> 00:48:47,433
That we're not just gonna 
ask one or two people,

1105
00:48:47,433 --> 00:48:48,966
and then say, you guys speak

1106
00:48:48,966 --> 00:48:50,933
for the entire 
refugee community.

1107
00:48:50,933 --> 00:48:53,733
You need to bring in 
multiple viewpoints.

1108
00:48:53,733 --> 00:48:56,066
And so that's how I feel that

1109
00:48:56,066 --> 00:48:59,566
the city of Austin could 
improve upon relationships.

1110
00:48:59,566 --> 00:49:00,766
- [Dr. Meunier] I also think

1111
00:49:00,766 --> 00:49:02,900
the disenfranchisement 
that they face

1112
00:49:02,900 --> 00:49:05,766
is much greater in the 
refugee experience,

1113
00:49:05,766 --> 00:49:08,366
sometimes than in the 
home country experience.

1114
00:49:08,366 --> 00:49:11,200
Because just being resettled,

1115
00:49:11,200 --> 00:49:14,666
the way it goes through 
the different processes

1116
00:49:14,666 --> 00:49:16,966
of coming to America, is just as

1117
00:49:16,966 --> 00:49:18,866
or more disenfranchising.

1118
00:49:18,866 --> 00:49:21,533
And if we can really 
be sensitive to that,

1119
00:49:21,533 --> 00:49:24,433
and we can really begin 
to be more welcoming

1120
00:49:24,433 --> 00:49:26,766
and you know, a lot of 
refugees are terrified

1121
00:49:26,766 --> 00:49:29,566
of losing their status if 
they do the wrong thing.

1122
00:49:29,566 --> 00:49:33,066
And if we can really provide 
more community education,

1123
00:49:33,066 --> 00:49:35,766
about what their rights 
are, what they can do,

1124
00:49:35,766 --> 00:49:37,833
I think we'll see 
a difference there.

1125
00:49:37,833 --> 00:49:38,900
- [Esther] Great.

1126
00:49:38,900 --> 00:49:40,466
The second question is,

1127
00:49:40,466 --> 00:49:42,833
which communities 
or areas of Austin

1128
00:49:42,833 --> 00:49:47,200
do a good job of engaging the 
Asian American population?

1129
00:49:51,533 --> 00:49:53,166
(laughter)

1130
00:49:53,166 --> 00:49:56,133
Silence. (laughs)

1131
00:49:59,066 --> 00:50:00,233
- [Dr. Meunier] Well 
you know, I was thinking

1132
00:50:00,233 --> 00:50:03,800
in terms of certain 
parts of Austin

1133
00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:07,900
have just welcomed Asian 
small business owners.

1134
00:50:08,466 --> 00:50:12,633
I'm thinking of, sort 
of the North Lamar area.

1135
00:50:12,633 --> 00:50:15,766
There's many more, 
like, when they see

1136
00:50:15,766 --> 00:50:18,333
Asian businesses on 
one side of the street,

1137
00:50:18,333 --> 00:50:21,133
you're likely to see 
more willing to open

1138
00:50:21,133 --> 00:50:23,266
businesses on the other 
side of the street.

1139
00:50:23,266 --> 00:50:26,833
So, one way that I think Austin

1140
00:50:26,833 --> 00:50:29,200
has welcomed Asian 
Americans is through

1141
00:50:29,200 --> 00:50:31,400
the small business 
administration.

1142
00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:35,000
Through providing that kind of

1143
00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:36,666
business community.

1144
00:50:36,666 --> 00:50:40,633
But it's localized. 
It's localized in 
certain neighborhoods.

1145
00:50:40,633 --> 00:50:44,366
It's not really integrated 
into all of Austin.

1146
00:50:45,233 --> 00:50:47,733
- [Linda] You know, 
I have noticed that,

1147
00:50:47,733 --> 00:50:51,166
you know, I'm just gonna 
speak of a geographical area.

1148
00:50:51,166 --> 00:50:56,000
A lot of the community 
advocates from

1149
00:50:56,000 --> 00:50:59,700
the East Rundberg 
area and East Austin,

1150
00:50:59,700 --> 00:51:03,366
have been extremely 
open to having

1151
00:51:03,366 --> 00:51:06,300
discussions with 
the Asian community.

1152
00:51:06,300 --> 00:51:09,200
Because I think there's 
a shared struggle there.

1153
00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:12,300
There's a shared 
struggle and so,

1154
00:51:12,300 --> 00:51:14,866
I have seen community members,

1155
00:51:14,866 --> 00:51:18,766
you know, politicians who 
are from certain parts

1156
00:51:18,766 --> 00:51:22,500
of East Austin, that 
have been a little bit,

1157
00:51:22,500 --> 00:51:24,233
have been engaging.

1158
00:51:24,233 --> 00:51:27,033
And so that's 
extremely positive.

1159
00:51:27,033 --> 00:51:29,800
- [Richard] You know, 
at the same time I mean,

1160
00:51:29,800 --> 00:51:30,933
it's a little bit off topic,

1161
00:51:30,933 --> 00:51:33,433
but based on the 
last two questions,

1162
00:51:33,433 --> 00:51:35,966
I think one thing we as

1163
00:51:35,966 --> 00:51:39,266
a community that's more 
or less been forgotten

1164
00:51:39,266 --> 00:51:42,633
until maybe recently with 
the population growth,

1165
00:51:42,633 --> 00:51:44,533
we have to make sure we don't 
forget other communities.

1166
00:51:44,533 --> 00:51:46,466
And you know, we already 
mentioned the Iraqi community.

1167
00:51:46,466 --> 00:51:49,666
But there are also African 
immigrant communities here.

1168
00:51:49,666 --> 00:51:52,566
There are refugees from Africa

1169
00:51:52,933 --> 00:51:54,200
that have been resettled here.

1170
00:51:54,200 --> 00:51:57,600
So, I think, you know, 
what Linda said earlier,

1171
00:51:57,600 --> 00:51:58,733
keeping that door open.

1172
00:51:58,733 --> 00:52:00,666
Part of that means is, you know,

1173
00:52:00,666 --> 00:52:01,833
what that means to me is,

1174
00:52:01,833 --> 00:52:04,200
is that we're 
constantly looking out

1175
00:52:04,200 --> 00:52:06,533
for other populations 
that are even smaller.

1176
00:52:06,533 --> 00:52:09,033
That are more 
isolated and that need

1177
00:52:09,033 --> 00:52:10,500
just as much help. 
- [Linda] Yeah.

1178
00:52:10,500 --> 00:52:13,400
At AFSA, we've, you know, I kid.

1179
00:52:13,400 --> 00:52:16,100
I go into the office, and 
it's not we're just serving

1180
00:52:16,100 --> 00:52:17,700
the Asian community.

1181
00:52:17,700 --> 00:52:20,700
We are seeing folks from 
Eastern European countries,

1182
00:52:20,700 --> 00:52:23,433
from deep South America,

1183
00:52:23,433 --> 00:52:28,066
African nations, 
and so we're taking

1184
00:52:28,066 --> 00:52:30,233
those folks and then 
providing services

1185
00:52:30,233 --> 00:52:32,633
because they're culturally 
specific services.

1186
00:52:32,633 --> 00:52:34,900
And, you know, we're 
not the experts

1187
00:52:34,900 --> 00:52:35,933
on the Asian community.

1188
00:52:35,933 --> 00:52:38,633
And I highly suspect anybody

1189
00:52:38,633 --> 00:52:40,866
who says that they are.

1190
00:52:40,866 --> 00:52:43,500
But what we can do 
is actually just

1191
00:52:43,500 --> 00:52:45,766
communicate on an 
individual level,

1192
00:52:45,766 --> 00:52:50,000
and understand what those 
common ground areas are.

1193
00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:52,766
Understand what the 
shared trauma is.

1194
00:52:52,766 --> 00:52:55,033
So, I agree with you.

1195
00:52:55,033 --> 00:52:58,900
It's really about connecting 
with other communities

1196
00:52:58,900 --> 00:53:01,366
and having that common ground.

1197
00:53:01,366 --> 00:53:02,866
- Can I put a different 
spin on this question?

1198
00:53:02,866 --> 00:53:04,566
Which is that... 
- [Esther] Yes.

1199
00:53:04,566 --> 00:53:05,500
- [Snehal] I think 
it's really important

1200
00:53:05,500 --> 00:53:06,933
to talk about refugees.

1201
00:53:06,933 --> 00:53:08,800
I also think it's really 
important to remember that

1202
00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:10,333
even if we disaggregate Asia

1203
00:53:10,333 --> 00:53:12,866
into its different 
national groups,

1204
00:53:12,866 --> 00:53:15,666
people come from different 
class backgrounds

1205
00:53:15,666 --> 00:53:18,133
and different ethnic 
groups within nations.

1206
00:53:18,133 --> 00:53:20,866
And so, it is not even 
the case that, you know,

1207
00:53:20,866 --> 00:53:23,300
you can say...

1208
00:53:23,300 --> 00:53:25,766
all Indians feel 
x about something.

1209
00:53:25,766 --> 00:53:27,300
And in fact, there are 
quite deep divisions

1210
00:53:27,300 --> 00:53:31,133
within both Indian and Pakistani 
communities here in Texas.

1211
00:53:31,133 --> 00:53:35,000
So if you think about having 
the Muslims from Pakistan

1212
00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:37,166
face very different 
conditions than to

1213
00:53:37,166 --> 00:53:39,466
Sunni Muslims from Pakistan.

1214
00:53:39,466 --> 00:53:42,133
I was just thinking about a 
very recent example which is,

1215
00:53:42,133 --> 00:53:45,600
the deep divisions that 
exist in Indian communities

1216
00:53:45,600 --> 00:53:47,600
about politics back in India.

1217
00:53:47,600 --> 00:53:50,466
So, Narendra Modi, the...

1218
00:53:51,833 --> 00:53:53,033
I don't know what to

1219
00:53:53,033 --> 00:53:54,766
what adjective to 
use to describe him

1220
00:53:54,766 --> 00:53:58,000
but genocidal,

1221
00:53:58,000 --> 00:53:59,500
former Chief 
Minister of Gujarat,

1222
00:53:59,500 --> 00:54:01,166
and current Prime Minister 
of India is about to visit

1223
00:54:01,166 --> 00:54:02,800
the United States, and 
there are deep debates

1224
00:54:02,800 --> 00:54:06,200
within Indian communities about 
whether this is appropriate.

1225
00:54:06,200 --> 00:54:08,366
Whether we should 
all support him.

1226
00:54:08,366 --> 00:54:09,800
Somebody mentioned 
textbooks earlier.

1227
00:54:09,800 --> 00:54:11,366
It's also the case 
that, you know,

1228
00:54:11,366 --> 00:54:14,733
certain conservative 
Hindu organizations want

1229
00:54:14,733 --> 00:54:16,400
college textbooks and 
high school textbooks

1230
00:54:16,400 --> 00:54:18,800
to read a certain way when 
they describe Hinduism.

1231
00:54:18,800 --> 00:54:20,033
Which is not always the way

1232
00:54:20,033 --> 00:54:21,533
that everybody sees 
these questions.

1233
00:54:21,533 --> 00:54:24,433
So I think that, it's not

1234
00:54:24,433 --> 00:54:27,300
even the case that, 
you know, we can

1235
00:54:27,300 --> 00:54:29,433
reduce the questions of 
government and politics

1236
00:54:29,433 --> 00:54:30,866
to questions of accents.

1237
00:54:30,866 --> 00:54:32,566
There's also deep 
political divisions

1238
00:54:32,566 --> 00:54:35,333
that exist within, so 
for instance, you know,

1239
00:54:35,333 --> 00:54:38,133
the Vietnam War is still a 
politically debated issue

1240
00:54:38,133 --> 00:54:39,700
in Vietnamese households.

1241
00:54:39,700 --> 00:54:43,366
We can't pretend though 
that's not actually the case.

1242
00:54:43,366 --> 00:54:46,966
And so, I think that there 
are issues of sensitivity

1243
00:54:46,966 --> 00:54:49,000
and issues of training that 
are definitely important,

1244
00:54:49,000 --> 00:54:50,000
but I don't think all of these

1245
00:54:50,000 --> 00:54:51,433
are reducible to understanding.

1246
00:54:51,433 --> 00:54:53,400
I actually think that 
some of these are

1247
00:54:53,400 --> 00:54:55,933
questions that are 
going to require

1248
00:54:55,933 --> 00:54:57,633
deep changes in a 
whole lot of things

1249
00:54:57,633 --> 00:55:01,666
before they're resolved 
effectively because

1250
00:55:02,233 --> 00:55:04,600
the number of dinner table 
arguments I've gotten into

1251
00:55:04,600 --> 00:55:07,100
about Narendra Modi, its...

1252
00:55:07,166 --> 00:55:08,666
Anyway, we all have 
these debates right?

1253
00:55:08,666 --> 00:55:12,033
So, there are I think, 
issues that we should

1254
00:55:12,033 --> 00:55:15,466
think through and it's 
important to bear in mind

1255
00:55:15,466 --> 00:55:17,866
that not everybody 
who comes from

1256
00:55:17,866 --> 00:55:20,066
national context 
brings with them

1257
00:55:20,066 --> 00:55:21,466
the same things 
- [Esther] Yes.

1258
00:55:21,466 --> 00:55:22,833
- from that national context. 
- [Esther] Absolutely.

1259
00:55:22,833 --> 00:55:24,600
- And, doesn't understand 
the national context

1260
00:55:24,600 --> 00:55:27,800
or conceive of the national 
context in the same way

1261
00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:30,566
in this country, and the 
ways that categories work,

1262
00:55:30,566 --> 00:55:32,200
and the way boxes work, 
no matter how much

1263
00:55:32,200 --> 00:55:34,433
we advocate for them, 
still tend to reduce

1264
00:55:34,433 --> 00:55:38,900
some of those differences 
out of our discussions.

1265
00:55:38,900 --> 00:55:41,733
- Well that's all the time we 
have for tonight's discussion.

1266
00:55:41,733 --> 00:55:43,266
You can find all of the

1267
00:55:43,266 --> 00:55:45,900
Austin Revealed: Pioneers 
of the East series

1268
00:55:45,900 --> 00:55:47,966
by visiting klru.org.

1269
00:55:47,966 --> 00:55:51,266
Thanks so much to all of our 
panelists for joining us.

1270
00:55:51,266 --> 00:55:52,333
Goodnight.

1271
00:55:52,333 --> 00:55:55,900
(crowd applause)

1272
00:55:56,966 --> 00:56:00,766
(instrumental music)

1273
00:56:32,000 --> 00:56:34,333
- [Voiceover] Civic Summit 
is made possible in part by,

1274
00:56:34,333 --> 00:56:35,966
Texas Mutual Insurance.

1275
00:56:35,966 --> 00:56:37,566
Providing workers' compensation

1276
00:56:37,566 --> 00:56:40,300
for Texas employers.