Innovation
- Paul Herczeg, Holocaust survivor
Stereotypes and biases are deeply intertwined with social hierarchies.
The film ORIGIN emphasizes the importance of understanding the social and historical contexts that shape our lives, and the role that individual stories can play in contributing to a larger historical narrative. Caste is a hidden and powerful force in American society, shaping the ways in which people think and act. It’s a system of social control that assigns people to fixed and hierarchical roles based on their social identity and recognizing the role of caste in society is crucial to overcoming systemic inequality.
In her book Caste, author Isabel Wilkerson argues that the caste system, which is a social hierarchy based on birth, is the underlying cause of many of the problems in society, including racism, classism, and discrimination. She notes that caste creates artificial barriers that limit the potential of individuals and communities, perpetuating cycles of poverty, othering, and oppression.
In this module, learners will examine two examples of othering and violence influenced and supported by race and caste.
ACTIVITY
INTERSECTION OF RACE, CASTE AND OTHER FORMS OF OPPRESSION
detained on Angel Island. Courtesy of Kendra Cass
Chinese Immigration Act
In 1870, Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco, California to Chinese immigrant parents. Upon returning from a trip to China, he was denied reentry into the U.S. and detained. With powerful legal representation and support from the Chinese community, Wong Kim Ark was defended in the 1898 Supreme Court case The United States v. Wong in hopes of answering the question: Can an American-born Chinese person be a citizen, granted all the privileges and immunities it offers? Wong won his case, setting a precedent and establishing birthright citizenship for not only American-born Chinese but for future immigrants and their descendants. The codification of birthright citizenship, however, did not deter the rampant anti-Chinese racism or guarantee Asian immigrants the ability to move freely regardless of citizenship. Many Asians who were legally granted the right to be U.S. citizens often found themselves detained at Angel Island Immigration Station for weeks, months or years.
Because white authorities feared an overflow of Chinese immigrants and faced challenges in controlling the population of non-whites, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in California in 1882 to halt the influx of Chinese individuals who entered the country willingly. The Act prevented Chinese workers from legally entering the country and hindered Chinese immigrants residing in the United States from obtaining U.S. citizenship. Historian Mae Ngai claims that the justification for this exclusion was the idea that "the Chinese were an "unassimilable" race and therefore could never become Americans. … Its rationale — that Asians pose a racial danger to American society — has endured in our politics and culture to this day."
After the implementation of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the flow of travel to and from mainland China was greatly restricted. Required to carry identification, Chinese were relegated to a peculiar state of non-citizenship regardless of whether they were born in China or the United States.
Even with the eventual dissolution of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943, xenophobic attitudes and anti-Asian acts of violence continued to reverberate throughout the U.S., fueled again by World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- In what ways did the Chinese Exclusion Act shape the perception of Chinese immigrants as “outsiders” and “foreigners”? How does this relate to the broader theme of othering and belonging?
- How might modern day discrimination towards Asian communities have roots in the Chinese Exclusion Act?
- How did the Chinese Exclusion Act contribute to the construction of racial hierarchies and the reinforcement of white supremacy in America?
- What were the long-term consequences of the Chinese Exclusion Act on Chinese American communities and their sense of belonging in American society?
Chinese Immigration Act
In 1870, Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco, California to Chinese immigrant parents. Upon returning from a trip to China, he was denied reentry into the U.S. and detained. With powerful legal representation and support from the Chinese community, Wong Kim Ark was defended in the 1898 Supreme Court case The United States v. Wong in hopes of answering the question: Can an American-born Chinese person be a citizen, granted all the privileges and immunities it offers? Wong won his case, setting a precedent and establishing birthright citizenship for not only American-born Chinese but for future immigrants and their descendants. The codification of birthright citizenship, however, did not deter the rampant anti-Chinese racism or guarantee Asian immigrants the ability to move freely regardless of citizenship. Many Asians who were legally granted the right to be U.S. citizens often found themselves detained at Angel Island Immigration Station for weeks, months or years.
Because white authorities feared an overflow of Chinese immigrants and faced challenges in controlling the population of non-whites, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in California in 1882 to halt the influx of Chinese individuals who entered the country willingly. The Act prevented Chinese workers from legally entering the country and hindered Chinese immigrants residing in the United States from obtaining U.S. citizenship. Historian Mae Ngai claims that the justification for this exclusion was the idea that “the Chinese were an “unassimilable” race and therefore could never become Americans. … Its rationale — that Asians pose a racial danger to American society — has endured in our politics and culture to this day.”
After the implementation of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the flow of travel to and from mainland China was greatly restricted. Required to carry identification, Chinese were relegated to a peculiar state of non-citizenship regardless of whether they were born in China or the United States.
Even with the eventual dissolution of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943, xenophobic attitudes and anti-Asian acts of violence continued to reverberate throughout the U.S., fueled again by World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- In what ways did the Chinese Exclusion Act shape the perception of Chinese immigrants as “outsiders” and “foreigners”? How does this relate to the broader theme of othering and belonging?
- How might modern day discrimination towards Asian communities have roots in the Chinese Exclusion Act?
- How did the Chinese Exclusion Act contribute to the construction of racial hierarchies and the reinforcement of white supremacy in America?
- What were the long-term consequences of the Chinese Exclusion Act on Chinese American communities and their sense of belonging in American society?
TULSA RACE MASSACRE
The Tulsa Race Massacre was a violent and racially motivated incident that occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. The event, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history, took place in the Greenwood District, a prosperous Black economic and cultural hub known as "Black Wall Street."
On May 31, 1921, a young Black man, Dick Rowland, was accused of assaulting Sarah Page, a white elevator operator. Rumors of the incident spread, and a mob of white residents gathered outside the courthouse, demanding that Rowland be handed over to them for lynching. The situation quickly escalated into widespread violence. During the night of May 31 and into the following day, white mobs, some of whom were deputized by local authorities, attacked and destroyed homes, businesses and churches in the Greenwood District. The area was looted, set on fire and subjected to aerial bombardment. The Black residents of Greenwood, who outnumbered their white attackers, organized themselves in self-defense, but they were ultimately overwhelmed by the better-armed white mob. Martial law was declared, and the National Guard was called in to restore order.
The exact number of fatalities is still uncertain, but estimates range from 100 to 300 people, primarily Black people. Many were injured, and thousands were left homeless as their properties were destroyed. The incident resulted in the displacement and impoverishment of the Greenwood community. The immediate aftermath of the massacre involved a systematic cover-up. Reports and documentation of the event were deliberately destroyed or suppressed. Eyewitness accounts were often disregarded or dismissed. The local government and law enforcement authorities downplayed and minimized the violence, aiming to protect the city's reputation and avoid accountability.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How do you think acts of racial violence, such as the Tulsa Race Massacre, impact the sense of safety, security and belonging within Black communities?
- Were any efforts made to rebuild Black Wall Street? Research and find out.
- How do you think the destruction of the prosperous Black neighborhood of Greenwood during the Tulsa Race Massacre impacted the sense of belonging and economic progress for Black people?
- Before this lesson, how much did you know about the Tulsa Race Massacre? When and how should this information be taught in schools?
TULSA RACE MASSACRE
The Tulsa Race Massacre was a violent and racially motivated incident that occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. The event, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history, took place in the Greenwood District, a prosperous Black economic and cultural hub known as“Black Wall Street.“
On May 31, 1921, a young Black man, Dick Rowland, was accused of assaulting Sarah Page, a white elevator operator. Rumors of the incident spread, and a mob of white residents gathered outside the courthouse, demanding that Rowland be handed over to them for lynching. The situation quickly escalated into widespread violence. During the night of May 31 and into the following day, white mobs, some of whom were deputized by local authorities, attacked and destroyed homes, businesses and churches in the Greenwood District. The area was looted, set on fire and subjected to aerial bombardment. The Black residents of Greenwood, who outnumbered their white attackers, organized themselves in self-defense, but they were ultimately overwhelmed by the better-armed white mob. Martial law was declared, and the National Guard was called in to restore order.
The exact number of fatalities is still uncertain, but estimates range from 100 to 300 people, primarily Black people. Many were injured, and thousands were left homeless as their properties were destroyed. The incident resulted in the displacement and impoverishment of the Greenwood community. The immediate aftermath of the massacre involved a systematic cover-up. Reports and documentation of the event were deliberately destroyed or suppressed. Eyewitness accounts were often disregarded or dismissed. The local government and law enforcement authorities downplayed and minimized the violence, aiming to protect the city’s reputation and avoid accountability.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How do you think acts of racial violence, such as the Tulsa Race Massacre, impact the sense of safety, security and belonging within Black communities?
- Were any efforts made to rebuild Black Wall Street? Research and find out.
- How do you think the destruction of the prosperous Black neighborhood of Greenwood during the Tulsa Race Massacre impacted the sense of belonging and economic progress for Black people?
- Before this lesson, how much did you know about the Tulsa Race Massacre? When and how should this information be taught in schools?
LESSON 2: MODULE 2
Suing to be White
LESSON 3: OVERVIEW
WHAT
BELONGS?
