Harvard HAPA

Comic on Mixed-Race Marriage

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:44:52 -0400

SWAYA Recap

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:22:54 -0400

Our “So…What Are You, Anyway?” (SWAYA) conference had a great turnout! We had a wonderful time listening to all of our speakers and discussion leaders and we loved getting to hear about everyone’s experiences as well as getting to know everyone. If you attended the conference please feel free to follow this blog or follow us on twitter (@harvardhapa) to know more about next year’s SWAYA as well as other events that we organize throughout the year. If you want to learn more about the conference or see how it was received, read the Crimson’s article on our keynote, actress and author Diane Farr, and on the conference.

So...What Are You, Anyway? Conference 2012

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:02:30 -0400

So...What Are You, Anyway? Conference 2012:

It’s that time of year again! The Harvard Half-Asian People’s Association is hosting the So…What Are You, Anyways (SWAYA) Conference, and registration is now open!

Intermarriage rates soar as stereotypes fall

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:54:50 -0500

Intermarriage rates soar as stereotypes fall

AP article mentioning Harvard Hapa!

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:44:39 -0500

AP article mentioning Harvard Hapa!:

This Associated Press article discusses ethnic identity in the context of college admissions, especially considering affirmative action policies negatively impacting Asians applying to elite schools.

Harvard Hapa is mentioned, and three members are interviewed - Lanya Olmstead, Jodi Jisu Balfe, and Heather Pickerell!

Comparing Mixed-Race and Same-Sex Families

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:14:29 -0500

Comparing Mixed-Race and Same-Sex Families:

This is an interesting NY Times blog post that highlights some of the similarities between the problems faced by mixed race families and same sex families. What do you think of the comparison?

Diversitas 2.0

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:31:06 -0500

Come to Diversitas this Wednesday on the Science Center lawn! Cross your fingers for nice weather :)

Also - don’t forget to RSVP for our date auction this Saturday!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dHNVUWtvaWhqVWV4ZFZKMlBlZWRGMWc6MQ

Come see Harvard HAPA at Diversitas this Saturday! Stop by our...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:05:13 -0400

Come see Harvard HAPA at Diversitas this Saturday! Stop by our booth to meet Harvard hapas and learn more about the mixed race community at Harvard…plus we have smoothies :)

It’s been 375 years since Harvard began,

30 years since the inception of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations,
30 years since the founding of the Undergraduate Council.

It is now 2011, a lot has changed at Harvard…
Let’s celebrate diversity.

The Harvard Foundation and the Undergraduate Council present
Diversitas
A Celebration of Cultures @ Harvard

Saturday, October 29th
Tercentenary Theatre, 7-10 PM

The event is completely free and all members of the Harvard community are welcomed. Join the Foundation, the UC, and 40+ student groups for a memorable evening of cultural celebration through performances, arts and food. Come experience Diversitas!

Donate to Harvard HAPA

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:43:36 -0400

Donate to Harvard HAPA:

The Harvard Half-Asian People’s Association was founded in 1995 to foster a multiracial community on campus and to increase awareness of mixed race identity and issues.

We are still very much alive and active today and would appreciate any donations of any amount - $1, $5, $20…$1 million? (kidding!) But really, any little bit will help our organization grow and throw even more cool even ts about multiracial identity!

Photo

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:04:28 -0400

Harvard Half-Asian People’s Association presents our third...

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:03:53 -0400

Harvard Half-Asian People’s Association presents our third annual intercollegiate conference on multiracial identity, “So…What Are You, Anyway?”

Entrance is free, dinner tickets are $8 for students, $15 for non-students. See more details on our website!

We are so excited to have students from all across the U.S. joining us for this amazing event!

3rd Annual Intercollegiate Conference on Multiracial Identity

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:45:29 -0500

Haven’t you heard?! The Harvard Half-Asian People’s Association is proud to announce our 3rd annual intercollegiate conference on multiracial identity, aptly titled, “So…What Are You, Anyway?”

This year’s conference is bound to be a blast, jam packed with insightful discussions, exciting guest speakers, and a fun time overall with the college multiracial community coming together from all corners of the United States.

The event is March 25th-26th. Our keynote speaker will be Jeff Chiba Stearns, the award-winning filmmaker of the movie, One Big Hapa Family.

To register for the event (it is FREE to attend, but costs very little money to come to our formal dinner!) please go to our official conference website here: http://tinyurl.com/swaya2011.

Please help spread the word! Tweet about this, blog about this, tell all your racially ambiguous friends about this!

Pick One, please.

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:07:38 -0500

Pick One, please.:

Alisha Ramos:
Interesting debate on the NY Times about whether or not mixed race categories are discriminatory. As a half-Asian who is also half-Hispanic, I’ve had to fill out countless applications for recruiting and I’ve face the dilemma of either choose “Two or more races (NOT Hispanic)” or just “Hispanic.” I never understood why they make you choose either or and I do think it’s a step back.

What do you think?

Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above (NYTimes)

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 16:14:00 -0500

Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above (NYTimes):

A wonderful full-length feature today in the New York Times on mixed race. It includes a video, slideshows, and a “create your own mixed family tree” feature. Overall a well done survey of the reasons why mixed race is an important issue (or non-issue?) in today’s society.

Cute But Confused: Myths & Realities of Mixed Race Identity

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:28:25 -0500

Cute But Confused: Myths & Realities of Mixed Race Identity

How Multi-Ethnic People Identify Themselves (NPR)

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:31:31 -0500

How Multi-Ethnic People Identify Themselves (NPR):

Featuring Kip Fulbeck.

"I can remember a bit of racism growing up. I was a minority because I was mixed. I was even asked..."

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:11:14 -0500

““I can remember a bit of racism growing up. I was a minority because I was mixed. I was even asked which race I’d rather be, even in public. When I go overseas it’s more and more accepted, because it is more popular.””

- Mýa (Singer)

"Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior"...Or Are They?

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:15:00 -0500

There has been quite a bit of chatter over the Harvard HAPA mailing list* about a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal titled “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior.”

You’re probably familiar with the article since it has stirred up quite a bit of discussion on the website itself with over 1000 comments - but to summarize, the article is written by Amy Chua, a Yale law professor, who writes about her strict “Eastern” parenting method that is the epitome of “tough-love”…times maybe a couple thousand.

Because half-Asians have experienced the ultimate combination of “Eastern” and “Western” methods of parenting, the discussion over the mailing list has brought forth some great insights. Here are some excerpts from what fellow hapas had to say on the article (names have been redacted).

“I liked the article. It was both candid and accurate, and provided a good defense of a parenting technique that’s often looked down upon in the US. Although she was too militant at times, I think the author did a great job of presenting the merits of the “Chinese” way. The ideal is probably to mix the “Chinese” and “Western” way - which is why HAPAs generally turn out so great.”

——

“The writer adopts a self-congratulatory attitude throughout the entire article that diminishes her point (For God’s sake, she attaches a picture of her daughter playing in Carnegie Hall. Sounds like boasting). Ms. Chua may look at her daughter’s sudden ability to play a technically challenging piece at age seven as proof of her parenting skills. All I read is that she’s forcing her daughter to be a musical prodigy at age seven. In short, my main issue with her philosophy on parenting is that it restricts the child by assuming that the parent automatically knows best. No drama? No sports? Who is Ms. Chua to suggest that drama or sport is less worthwile than playing the violin? Why are her daughters not allowed to socialize with their friends? Are social skills not necessary to become successful? Why should a parent, maybe twenty or thirty years older than their child, removed by an entire generation, automatically assume that they know best? How do we know that her definition of success is accurate?”

——

“I think Chua thinks that success equals happiness, but she is defining success and happiness on her own terms. It seems that she is trying to vindicate herself of any wrongdoing by pointing at the “success” of her daughters…it’s the “end not the means.” But I wonder what her children think, and if they are truly happy.”

——

“While I am not a fan of the generally lax methods of Western parenting, the extreme Chinese method of parenting is hardly a good alternative. Furthermore, what annoys me the most is not the points made by Ms. Chua (she makes a lot of good points and highlights where Chinese parenting is indeed good), but the tone she takes in the article. What Chinese mothers need to realize is that academic success is not the most important thing in life. Yes, it is helpful in allowing your child to get into a good College which then opens up certain doors, but in the end the ability to route memorize and sit at a table hours on end studying is not all that is conducive to both a happy or a successful life. As a side point, the beliefs of Asian mothers (particularly in Hong Kong) that their kids are only deemed successful if they are a doctor or a lawyer really gets on my nerves.”

—-

“My own mother being stereotypically Asian, I can say that there are many downfalls to the “Asian parenting”. Yes, it creates success. It gives security and builds discipline and I agree these are all great things to have. But it definitely doesn’t inspire, nor does it build passions. And now being at Harvard, I realize that if someone isn’t truly passionate about something, it’s hard to be motivated to keep doing what they’re doing. My mom wasn’t as sickening as the mother in the article by yelling fat and stupid at me and by starving me, but there were sometimes where she was pretty close. For a long time I grew up simply in fear of her disapproval and she would value me only on my successes. In the end, you’re left with rage. Luckily, my American dad balanced her out, and helped me form a different perspective of what it means to be successful. I guess what I can say is that, discipline should be done by the parents, but the parents also have a responsibility to nurture their child’s passions as well.”

—-

“This article describes a terrible way to raise children. I don’t disagree with all of the methods described (forcing children to practice instruments, limiting play time, expecting high marks, etc.), but the lady’s philosophy is outrageous. Creating success through force repetition removes all the intrinsic value of any activity. If students do well in school just for the sake of getting As, the subject material will never be meaningful for them and they’ll never be able to creatively build upon what they learn. As a musician, I’ve seen loads of young instrumentalists (of several different races), who were clearly trained to play well in an automatic way. Most of the time, people find them incredibly impressive, but it’s rare that anyone find their playing moving or particularly expressive. What amazing me most is Amy Chua’s attitude towards sports and acting - things that kids are often passionate about. Her approach to parenting not only lacks inspiration, it seems to actively discourage enjoyment of anything other than ‘success’. Amy Chua’s kids - or generally, kids raised in this mechanical way (to avoid specifically targeting her girls) - might make competent lawyers or doctors. They might know how to work hard, and rise the ranks in whatever company they work for. They’ll probably end up going to Yale (as if that’s an accomplishment…). But they won’t do better than that. They aren’t going to be innovative, or original. They won’t be the people making breakthrough discoveries or the people fighting to make change in the world. They won’t be great musicians.”

*Psst…if you aren’t on the Harvard HAPA mailing list and you’re a Harvard student, what are you waiting for? Click here to subscribe to the list and join the discussion!

Mixed Race, Pretty Face?

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:05:07 -0500

Actor Keanu Reeves and supermodel Devon Aoki have more in common than fame, fortune and good looks—both are also part Asian. Known in popular culture by the Hawaiian term hapa (meaning “half”), people with mixed Asian and European origins have become synonymous with exotic glamour. In Hong Kong and Singapore, half-Asian models now crowd runways once dominated by leggy blondes. In the elite world of Asian fashion, half-Asian is the new white.

From Psychology Today. Read the article here: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200512/mixed-race-pretty-face

Mixed Race Parenting Expands in US (Bloomberg article)

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:57:09 -0500

The ethnic makeup of the world’s largest economy will be increasingly diverse, with more mixed- race Americans, according to the head of the U.S. Census Bureau.
“This is the decade of Tiger Woods and Barack Obama, where we talked about race combinations,” Robert Groves, director of the federal agency, said about forthcoming 2010 Census data in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. “I can’t wait to see the pattern of responses on multiple races. That’ll be a neat indicator to watch.

Read the article here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-23/ethnic-makeup-of-u-s-increasingly-diverse-as-mixed-race-parentage-expands.html

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!