Week8_Colleen Cruz_ASA114

Bernard Scott Lucious’s chapter is a necessary read for all Asians as it sheds light on the Afro-Amerasian experience. The main takeaway of this reading is that anti-blackness and colorism is rampant in the Asian/Asian-American community. Lucious discusses how Afro-Amerasian bodies are often in contact zones which are social spaces where different cultures clash (p. 137). These contact zones are both highly racialized and gendered. Afro-Amerasian people face many injustices and inequalities as the communities that they are a part of wreak havoc on their bodies through verbal, emotional, and sexual/physical abuse. For example, darker Asians are often encouraged to lighten their skin. This teaches darker Asians such as Afro-Amerasian or South East Asians that there is something inherently wrong about their skin when there is not. Overall, this reading is important to better understand the dynamics that exist between Asians and black and brown Asians.

Question: How can we reduce anti-blackness and colorism in Asian society?

This is a picture of papaya whitening soap which is something that I used to see my Filipino mother use. 

Works Cited:

Luscious, Bernard Scott. “Into the Black Pacific: Testimonies of Vietnamese Afro-Amerasian Displacements.” Displacements and Diasporas: Asians in the Americas. Rutgers University Press, 2005.