Author: Melissa McKinney

Mapping Asian Americans in the South

Melissa McKinney

For my last blog post, I’m sharing my semester project in which I used Neatline, a plugin in Omeka, to create a digital map. This project made me think about discussions of the Asian American experience in the South. Having grown up in Georgia and then attending college in North Carolina, I’ve spent a lot of my time wondering what happened to Asians 嘉盛外汇 during racial segregation. Did we count as white, black, colored, or were we simply ignored? This map only touches on the beginnings of the myriad of…

Tiger Woods is also Asian?

Melissa McKinney

I love ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, and every week I eagerly wait to see what the writers have in store for us. In last week’s episode “The Masters” (3×20), Emery, the middle brother struggled to share the excitement of Tiger Woods’ win in the golf tournament, the Masters, as a triumph of a Asian and African American athlete with his peers. Everyone he spoke to only saw Woods as a African American athlete, 搬瓦工 citing Woods’ African American father as evidence of his racial heritage. Much to the frustration of…

Crazy Rich Asians

Melissa McKinney

The other day I saw an article about to a  on Facebook. The person who shared the link was enraged to say the least about Chung’s reaction. Chung later clarified her comments about the casting of a half-Asian star in the film when they refused to cast anyone not ethnically Chinese, but her reaction points to an interesting issue about Asian media representation. Of course, being half Asian doesn’t make someone less Asian. In fact, if anything, it’s better to have the multiple examples of Asian identity in media. Having read…

Lawyered!

Melissa McKinney

There’s a quote I heard once that I particularly like, “if you’re not scared, then you’re not sticking your neck out far enough.” Well as a millennial, POC woman about to graduate and embark into the “real world,” I suppose there’s a plethora for reasons to be scared. What I like about this quote though is that is suggests that being scared and uncomfortable is okay. That’s how you grow and learn. I can’t say that I’m not terrified of what the future brings. Most people usually are. As I…

I Woke Up Like This: Unpacking White, Male Privilege

Melissa McKinney
http://www.newsbusters.org/s3/files/styles/blog_body-40/s3/images/the-mindy-project.jpeg?itok=JeQfEqiK

Over my winter break, as I perused Hulu for something to watch, I came across The Mindy Project. I had heard good things bout the show yet previously hesitated because I wasn’t a big fan of The Office or other show like it. I quickly binged every available episode until sadly I reached the final one with the promise of new episodes beginning on Valentine’s Day. For those who don’t watch the show (though you should really give it a try) it centers on Mindy Kaling’s character, Mindy Lahiri, a…

Adopting Identity

Melissa McKinney

I attended a conference this past weekend for Asian American students attending schools in the East Coast. I had no idea what to expect since this was the first conference I’ve ever attended. While there, I attended a workshop on reclaiming adoptee narratives. As we gathered in a circle to share our experiences as Asian American adoptees I realized it was the first time in my life I had been in such a gathering. As we opened up and listened to each other’s experiences, I was startled how similar some…

Passing Privilege

Melissa McKinney

Hi, my name is Melissa McKinney.  Based on that single sentence no one would ever guess I’m Asian American. I can see the surprise in their eyes when I catch them off guard as they try to comprehend my Anglo-Sazon name belonging to my Asian appearance. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve been told that my last name doesn’t sound very Asian as if I didn’t know that already. It is my name. Someone once suggested to me that I go by my middle name (my Chinese name) in order…

Overview of Chinese Immigration

Melissa McKinney

Chinese Immigration to the US in the 1800s “Asians resisted their exclusion and marginalization and thereby enlarged the range and deepened the meaning of American democracy.” Gary Okihiro, Margins in the Mainstream This lesson series will analyze and link Chinese immigration policies in the US in the 19th century and the attitudes that produced such discriminatory policies as origins to modern perceptions of Asians as the “perpetual foreigners”. Objectives include:Watch Full Movie Streaming Online and Download Establish a baseline history of Chinese immigration and the steps taken by Congress to limit the Chinese…

Part 1: Historical Context for Immigration

Melissa McKinney

When the Chinese came to America, they sought out to earn fortunes from the California Gold Rush. After the Gold Rush though, they continued to stay in the US as laborers for projects like building railroads. They came from regions of China that were suffering from extreme poverty, so the prospect of a new life appealed to them and returning to China was not an option. They kept to themselves but increasing competition for work further marginalized the community. Due to pressures from the white community, Congress passed several acts of…