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Recently, Michael Kim (another one of our former interns) emailed me about an interesting article Emil Guillermo wrote on William Hung. I am not a fan of reality TV shows and did not see FOX's American Idol show that had William Hung on it. However, if you haven't heard about his less than stellar performance on the show and all the publicity that he's been getting of late, you probably had your head in the ground.

Emil Guillermo's article said just about all you needed to know about the controversy surrounding William's 20 minutes of fame, but I couldn't resist adding my two cents. Philip thought I'd better strike before the story disappeared and William Hung turned back into a pumpkin (or UC Berkeley civil engineering student :).

After my mom saw a news story about William Hung singing at a Warrior's basketball game, she couldn't help saying something unflattering about him and his singing. Her thoughts and mine were probably something in the neighborhood of "how embarrassing!"

After reading Guillermo's article, my thoughts have changed to - "hey if he could do it and make a buck, then Philip and I are announcing here and now that we're forming a rock group (Melissa likes Philip's rendition of Bowie's China Girl - good enough for me :)." Anybody care to sign us to a contract? Philip and I will also take your kind donations not to sing :).

But seriously, if you're interested in an Asian American that truly could sing, we still have some Larry Ching CDs. The Chinese Frank Sinatra beats the Chinese Ricky Martin any day.

Joanne was born in Bombay, India, 21 years ago. When she was six years old, she immigrated to Dubai, which is located in the United Arab Emirates. About 400f Dubai is composed of Asian Indians so she was further immersed in her culture. Dubai is a very urban area, like San Francisco, and it is also a "mixed" culture. Dubai is not as "mixed" as major cities in America, but it is composed of many cultures, namely Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, and Filipinos. To Joanne, growing up in this mixture, race didn't matter because individual personalities mattered more.

Joanne spent six years in India and eleven years in the heavily Indian-influenced Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. She had an easier time understanding the role of whites as being the "dominant" race in the United States since she spent most of her life belonging to the "dominant" race in India and Dubai. Since Joanne's ethnicity was generally considered "standard" or, at least, one of the main "standards" where she lived, she was unaware that she was carrying an invisible knapsack of privilege just as whites here are mostly unaware of their uniquely privileged positions in US society.

When Joanne came to the United States at the age of seventeen, it was the first time she was seen as "different." Even though she moved to a place as diverse as the San Francisco Bay Area (with blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans) that did not mean that Bay Area residents were completely tolerant of her racial differences. The dominance of a single race is the antithesis to the idea of multiculturalism, the diversity of America that makes this country so fascinating. In Making Face, Making Soul, Lorna Dee Cervantes sadly reminds herself that, "...This is not my land and this is my land. I do not believe in the war between races but, in this country, there is war." Joanne found herself relating to Cervantes' quote (but, in a subtler way) and the plight of non-white minorities.

For Joanne this was a different experience. Joanne for the first time was now a member of a racial minority and she often found that people would make wrong assumption about her. For example, people would assume that Joanne was Hindu when she was really Catholic. She would be asked about the gods in "her" Hindu religion, such as Ganesha, the god with the elephant head, and Shiva, the god(dess) with the many hands and arms. When Joanne would inform people that she was Catholic, people would be shocked. Having the "wrong" religion for her race frustrated Joanne. Another common assumption that Americans would make is that they assumed that Joanne would be having an arranged marriage. People also assumed that her first language would be Hindi. In actuality, English is her first language and Hindi is her second language.

Generalizations about Asian Indians, like generalizations of any individual, are often proven to be false. These stereotypes stem from ideas designed to set racial groups apart from one another, as well as from just plain ignorance. In order to dispel these stereotypes, people need to realize that not all Asian Indians display these generalizations and that it is unfair to create racial boundaries by generalizing anyone from any culture.

Joanne belongs to an all-white (except for her, of course) Catholic youth group in Millbrae, California. Being the only "colored" person and a minority automatically singled her out. There would be cliques within her youth group that did not want to know her because she was "different." However, Joanne enjoyed it when the other people in her youth group were inquisitive about her culture. By having a general understanding of the role of being in a "dominant" culture, Joanne did not chastise them for asking ignorant questions (unless they were asked in an unjust, obviously hostile manner). She answered their questions and clarified their stereotypes.

Being inquisitive is one of the first steps towards racial tolerance. Minimizing ignorance creates understanding. Understanding the different ethnicities of people helps to contribute to the validity of the nation's motto: "E. pluribus unum" - "Out of many, one." People asking questions about Joanne's culture would make them more open-minded and curious about her culture and where she came from.

As for Joanne's ethnicity and where she came from, she is proud to be an Asian Indian and of their many high-achievements. She noted the importance of knowing your own roots because you gain a greater understanding of yourself by knowing where you came from. Joanne enjoys how her culture is collective, very social, and family-oriented.

Being Indian in America has given Joanne new perspectives. She has felt the ignorance of people's generalizations and questioning. It has also made Joanne wonder how and why people would treat her differently based upon the color of her skin. The inequality of those kinds of prejudices saddens her. However, Joanne sees reason for optimism. She sees people that are trying to expose themselves to the ways of many ethnicities. Asking ignorant questions is part of the learning process for living in a multicultural community.

Why is multiculturalism important? Joanne answered in this way, "Multiculturalism is important, because it gives us a different sense of identity and one that we can represent and be proud of, while learning about others. Just like, I feel the world would not be as interesting if everything was blue in color, rather there are tons of colors, each different from the other and having an expression of their own."

As a result of the enthusiastic, mind-expanding experience of this interview, I was further inspired to understand and learn about different cultures and celebrating our differences in a rich, diverse, multicultural America.

Editor's Note: The city of Goa was a Portuguese colony in India for hundreds of years. It had a heavy religious and cultural influence on nearby Bombay. Joanne is part Portuguese from both sides of her family tree. Her mother is from Goa and her father from Bombay.