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Fearless Crickets: Southeast Asian Youth Activism
by Nguyen Thi Tuyet Trinh
7/29/01
The population of Massachusetts Southeast Asians, comprised mainly of
Cambodians, Vietnamese, and Lao, are increasing significantly in the
Greater Boston and Lowell, Worcester, Springfield, and Lawrence urban
areas. Most Southeast Asians arrived in the US during the 1980s as refugees,
escaping unlivable conditions of war and poverty in their homelands.
To their surprise and dismay, they continue to have to struggle with
endless forces of exclusion and assimilation in the US.
Cultural Mediators
Immigrant and refugee youth develop extremely comprehensively through their
bicultural and bilingual strengths and their ability to be cultural mediators
between the mainstream and ethnic communities. This is especially true of Southeast
Asian youth due to their unique "boat" journey. Most traveled through
harsh conditions by foot, then by boat to a refugee camp, awaiting their immigration
status to arrive to the U.S. The development of Southeast Asian youth can be
better understood in a family-school-community context where youth serve as
cultural mediators and are responsible for bridging resources to their parents
and acting as linguistic and cultural interpreter.
They also develop multiple cultural identities. In school Southeast Asian youth are expected to subscribe to the dominant white "American" culture, while at home and in their ethnic communities, they are expected to fulfill their cultural roles.
