Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Alyssa Mitchell Students gathered to celebrate Asian Heritage Month with guest speaker Vincent Eng, deputy director for the Asian American Justice Center.

"What do prostitutes, morons, and the Chinese have in common?" was the question asked by Vincent Eng, the guest speaker at Suffolk University's opening ceremony for Asian Heritage Month. His answer-that they were the list of people that were not allowed to immigrate to America in 1882.
"They were considered undesirables," said Eng.
Eng, the deputy director for the Asian American Justice Center and a Columbia University professor, was asked by the Office of Diversity Services to speak at Suffolk. Jacinta Felix, the director of Diversity Services, said Eng was invited to Suffolk because of their mission to host events that promote diversity on campus.
"No one is an expert on diversity so it can always help to invite someone who can further educate our students," said Felix.
While enjoying Asian-inspired cuisine in the Munce Conference room of the Archer building, guests of the event listened as Eng discussed the origins of Asian Heritage Month and its importance in today's society.
"In 1990, George Bush senior designated the month of May to Asian Pacific Heritage Month," said Eng. "May was chosen for two reasons. The first being the anniversary of the Japanese to America, and the second was the completion of the transcontinental railroad, which was mainly worked on by the Chinese."
Eng warned young Asian Americans to not be na've when it comes to discrimination. He discussed his own experience, being an educated man in a respectable field, and the prejudice he encountered.
"I had lived in denial," he said. "You're not white. They do see you as a minority and there is discrimination."
Eng advised the audience to be aware of how minority groups are being treated in all aspects of their life, ranging from schools to communities and even in the workplace.
"Help us hold your school responsible. Ask how diverse your faculty is," he said. "Ask offices, firms, and agencies about their diversity. What is their commitment to diversity? If they cannot answer the question, then you might not want to work there. When they ignore one of our communities-African, Hispanic, Asian-they ignore all of us."
Eng also emphasized the importance of Asian Americans following politics and being involved in the upcoming presidential election.
"During the 2004 Presidential election, neither of the candidates met with the Asian community," he said. "Even in this election we have yet to see anything. We will see what happens in May. It is because the Asian American community has yet to be seen as a force to be reckoned with."
Despite the disregard for the Asian American community in the last presidential election, Eng states that Asian Americans are becoming more interested in politics and that statistics are showing they can have a real political power.
"We are seeing a great increase in the voter registration among Asian Americans," said Eng. "We want to be a stronger and much more united voice."

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