Fusion or confusion: Part 2
Asian Americans in multiracial families

These themes: isolation and "otherness" in America and alienation and "otherness" in Asia, seem to point to two things. First, that being Asian American means being a distinct animal - not Asian, not mainstream American, but a hybrid experience of a minority in the U.S. And second, that racism and oppression is much of what defines and unites that distinct Asian American experience. While there are certainly some common elements in Asian culture that come from the history of the region (e.g. Asian language characters; imperialism by Europe, Japan and the U.S.) that linked Asian countries, I would argue that the experience I share with Filipino American rappers and Japanese American congressmen has more to do with our experiences facing American racism than a common culture as Asian Americans. The diversity and complexity of Asian American culture grows as our immigrant populations increase and the number and diversity of Asians in America also increases. But our disenfranchisement from the mainstream culture and society remains. Racism remains, and in a sometimes perverse way (e.g. white America's tendency to confuse different Asian nationalities) has united us together in this country. Not to say that I am belittling the importance of culture. I do believe that there has been and is now a sector of Asian American artists and people in other fields that are helping to define an emerging conglomerate culture that is distinctly Asian American. And, to the extent that they are able, they will help define the direction as well as the texture and flavor of Asian American life. I would argue that today, its' that inequality and institutionalized racism, and the struggle for us to define ourselves and live our lives despite that racism, that is one of the strong defining themes among us. Otherwise, different would not have to be so painful and the cause of alienation. Our continuing experiences, and that of our African American and Latino and Native American brothers and sisters, belie the myth that Dr. King's dream has been achieved. We will not all be "free at last" until the equality that underpins that dream is achieved ... and we are still a long ways off.