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A few years ago former [AA]2
intern and SBU AA E-Zine Editor Nusrat Alam wrote a very moving
story about her father and how his activism inspired her. Since now
is that time of year when those running for office need volunteers
to help get petitions signed and register new voters... the Zine is
rerunning that story to inspire readers to get involved too - in any
campaign - to help make more Asian Americans part of the political
decision making in America.
Asian Americans Breaking Barriers
The Story of One Who Did - Morshed Alam
by Nusrat Alam
This is about the
Asian American political process, a subject I have been deeply exposed to
while growing up with my father, Morshed Alam, who has been very active in
politics. I was simply left with no choice other than to realize the
potential of my father's struggle.
As Helen Zia
describes perfectly in From Nothing a Consciousness,
"Our campus experiences made it
abundantly clear that if Asian Americans were to take our rightful place in
American society, we would have to scratch and dig and blast our way in, much
as the railroad workers had through the Rockies one hundred years earlier. Few
in America, or even in our own communities paid much attention to these young
Asian Americans."
"I'm sure
they desired nothing more than an opportunity to add to the great traditions
of this country and become part of it. However, among the separate- and
expanding- Asian immigrant groups, the vision of pan-Asian unity was not
compelling; survival was their main concern."
There is an explanation for this. They came to this country with little or no
money. There is also a culture clash once they first come. They may not always
know where to start, and because of the clash discriminated against.
Nevertheless, the longer these groups are here and the more they get settled
in these conflicts should dissipate, because they are more assimilated.
Historically, Asian
Americans have always valued placing a focus on preserving cultural identity,
a culture that places strong emphasis on personal and familial success.
However, on a pragmatic level, day-to-day worries overwhelmingly centered on
the families ability to survive in a new and very unfamiliar world.
Though not obvious by any stretch, this is true even today. For instance,
although for a number of reasons it is less difficult to pursue a career in
politics today, few Asian Americans realize the need to do so. For uncertain
reasons they fail to recognize the need to express a voice or exercise their
potential political strength (or power) in order to have their needs and views
receive more consideration. This may be the reason why little attention is
given to Asian Americans and their causes during campaign seasons and when
laws or policies are being placed into effect.
Perhaps we can learn from the lessons of Filipino Americans who defended this
country by fighting in World War II. They teach us the true value of
citizenship, a value that many American immigrants sought to protect with the
ultimate sacrifice, their lives. Needless to say that this right is not always
freely granted. In many instances, the right must be earned and, in very rare
occasions, given away in lotteries. Notwithstanding citizenship status, we
come to the United States to learn how to achieve the very best of human
potential.
Manuel Buaker, a soldier in the 1st Infantry during WWII wrote, "We came to
the United States to learn the best; But we were barred from the best in your
society, we were barred from economic advancement, held to the most menial of
jobs; condemned for our dark skins, the light of our high ideals ignored and
shunned; We have held to the hope; that some day you would know us for what we
are."
Filipinos enlisted in
the Army despite not being considered, or certainly not treated, as citizens.
Moreover, they were under no obligation to help America defend itself, yet
they did so courageously because they believed and understood it to be their
home. Whether or not they were appreciated was irrelevant; they felt a
visceral (means gut feeling) obligation to protect their country.
In the end their sacrifices were not without reward. When the First
Filipino Infantry were granted citizenship they rejoiced at what this meant.
They would now be able to exercise their rights to the fullest. They were now
capable of fully participating in the political and economic life in America.
Unfortunately, today most of us take this privilege for granted. Most
Americans do not always know, or even care, where our taxes are going. Unless
personally affected, we pay little attention to what laws and amendments are
being passed, even those that could possibly harm us such as the U.S. Patriot
Act. Possibly with the exception with the last election, a vast majority of
people do not register to vote even if we are eligible.
Thus, the question must be raised: why struggle for such rights
if we are not to take advantage of them? Perhaps being secure in knowing that
these rights exist and are available should we need them, suffices. It is
only when they are in jeopardy or at risk, do we- as a people- take action.
Although one could argue that a good percentage of the American population
does not care for such things, it is vital for every minority to care.
Hypothetically speaking, if there were any Asians in public positions during
World War II, there is a good likelihood the whole Japanese Internment might
not have even occurred. The government would have the possibility of thinking
twice before taking such harsh and unfair actions.
It's the concept of hegemony that Antonio Gramsci presented: a government can
only rule with a combination of coercion and consent. If the people are not
satisfied they have the power to rise up. No government, especially a
democratic one, would like to risk that; they would feel obligated to appease
us in some way to keep us down.
One of the biggest issues non-Asian Americans have with Asian Americans is our
loyalty to America. Unlike African Americans, we do not have many
predecessors, if any, before us. As new immigrants we still usually hold very
close ties to our native lands and culture. To non-Asian Americans, this can
be a possibility of bias. They are in a fear of us devoting ourselves more to
our homeland than to America.
That is why the Japanese Internment in the 1940s occurred. They believed that
the Japanese here might be acting as spies for Japan. It was not until the
Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans volunteered to help with the War that
they realized that Asian Americans indeed could be loyal to the country in
which they live. The Chinese Americans were no longer considered the "Yellow
Peril" and the Filipino Americans were no longer looked at as "little brown
brothers."
Whether one would like to admit it or not, racism is a big factor in any
politics and especially in America where there is such a vast range of
ethnicities. As Omi and Winant wrote, "For most of its existence both as
European colony and as an independent nation, the U.S. was a racial
dictatorship. From 1607 to 1865 - 258 years "most non-whites were firmly
eliminated from the sphere of politics." Importance must, therefore, be drawn
to the fact that this racial dictatorship came to symbolize the U.S. and its
political arena.
Even if we are to look at the political make-up today, you can see that the
ratio of the minority population we have and the elected public officials in
offices today drastically differ. Why is this? A big factor is the lack of
support from our own communities. If communities were able to stand together
with common ideals they could accomplish a lot. As the Reverend Al Sharpton
says, "The minorities of this city are together the majority of this city."
If minorities voted as a block we would have an abundance of power, with a
real voice to achieve what we want. Think about it, if all minorities voted as
one we could get a minority elected as President or other high up positions.
We would no longer be the subordinates but the power and base of America. No
longer would we be the minority but the majority.
I have not always been very understanding of what my father was doing. As
a young girl I was more concerned with what I wanted, which usually consisted
of going to the playground or other such childish places. My father was not
always available to take me on such outings; he was away from home trying to
"conquer" something that I had no comprehension of until very recently. I know
now, and appreciate, the importance of what he was doing even if it meant me
missing out on a few extra days at Disney.
He was in fact helping me in the long run by bringing down barriers so
when my turn comes, there will be less hurdles for me to face.
My father Morshed Alam started his activism in the third grade. People here
would think this is a young age to start, but in their reality it was
something necessary. At that time, Bangladesh was in a midst of a war with
Pakistan. There was a great deal of instability. The Pakistan militia was
trying to overrule the government and exercise authority over the people
through fear.
He started off as being captain of his class in the third grade and going on
to becoming the President of the Student Union. In College he was even more
active by being part of a rebellion, which was trying to eliminate Pakistan's
power in the country. Unlike in America, being involved in politics is much
more dangerous. You do not have the right to vote in secrecy and your party
affiliation means everything about who you are as a person and what ideals you
hold. There is no such difference in being a moderate or liberal or
conservative within the groups. My father was part of the Awami League, which
successfully rid Pakistan of power.
Although Morshed would have got a great job in Bangladesh (he was very highly
connected and educated) he knew that having a life in America would be more
stable. There was always the threat of being killed or jailed by the opposing
party. He first emigrated to the U.S. in 1984. He applied for his citizenship
and upon receiving it in 1989 he became active in politics.
When Morshed felt as though he had enough of a background in politics, he
decided to prove himself and ran for the School Board. Being a father of
three, he knew it was important that we received a good education. He
campaigned very hard, registered a lot of South Asian voters, and with the
support of his family and few friends he was able to win the election with the
highest percentage of votes.
This was just one battle of many. Although he won in a primarily minority
community, the majority of the board members were black. They were not very
appreciative of giving up some of their power even though it was to another
struggling minority. As I know personally one of my fathers close friends and
fellow politician John Liu had a similar struggle being elected as the first
Asian American to the City Council. What was formerly known as the Black and
Latino Caucus was changed to the Minority Caucus to include him.
My father had to work even harder than the rest of them to prove himself. He
was able to install new heating systems in the school district. He proposed
the plan to put state of the art computers instead of the old ones the schools
already had. He even got Bengali to be taught as a second language in some
schools with a high percentage of South Asian students. As for the Muslim
community, he was able to add halal entrees to the menu.
None the less, as accomplished as he was, when he wanted to run for State
Senate in 1998, the Democratic Club did not want to support him. Without any
real help from them, he took on Frank Padavan (Republican) an incumbent of 28
years. Through his own fundraising and advertising he was able to receive a
surprising 42% of the votes. As he put it himself, "We went through hell in
this campaign but reached the finish line with honor."
The main objective was not to win (although that definitely would have been
great) but to prove a point. Frank Padavan was not very pro-immigrants and did
not have any respect for them, yet somehow he kept continuing to win. What
message did this send? That it is O.K. After Padavan realized what my father
had done he even supported him when my father decided to run for City Council
(he later declined to run for family reasons). Frank Padavan, after 28 years,
was forced to realize the immigrant population and their needs.
While Morshed Alam has not ran for any public seat in the past four years, he
has still continued to take a very active role in the political community.
Other elected officials realized his potential of getting people to register
to vote (especially immigrants) and he was appointed by a unanimous vote on
November 20, 2002. He also founded a New-American Democratic Club with other
members of different ethnicities. Together they try to reach out to the
immigrant communities so they can be involved as well. This has been his main
goal all his life.
My father is Asian American History. He is a groundbreaker and has
accomplished so much being the first South Asian American to win any elected
position in New York City. He has over a hundred plaques and many more
certificates. Newspapers love him, and he has hundreds of articles he has
appeared in, and a countless number of interviews.
But all his achievements mean nothing if the younger generation does not
follow in his lead. As he states in one interview "they understand the system
better than the first generation like me. We have a language and cultural
barrier. But the young don't have that barrier. So it is important for us to
encourage them to be active everywhere in the school and in the mainstream."
He also believes education is the way to achieve such goals.
To conclude, I am glad to have Morshed Alam as a father. I appreciate that I
have not grown to be like countless others, many of my friends who do not
realize the importance of such things. Myself being a second generation Asian
American I try to get as involved as I can, knowing that I won't face all of
the same barriers as my father.
In previous elections I have motivated many of my friends to come out with me
to help advertise for candidates who have had the interest of us in mind.
Currently, I am working for (AA)2 AURA and the E-Zine, Asian American based
groups to get a message out there. And I am a member of SBU's only sorority,
Epsilon Sigma Phi, whose foundation is multiculturalism.
There are changes being made, people are realizing what they have to do. Just
in the recent elections, APIA (Asian Pacific Islander Americans) have been
responsible for getting many registered to vote to show their power through
voting. There are other groups such as 80-20 that tries to get Asian Americans
to vote together as a block. Hopefully if we continue to do what we are doing
and becoming more active, in the future we can be proud of a future governor
or mayor of Asian descent.
And who knows, possibly an Asian American President.
ADDENDUM: January 2004 article with a humorous bit on Alam in
The Washington Post
http://media.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A57572-2004Jan5?
language=palm&vendor=avantgo
"The college had an annual sports event at the stadium every fall. Even though
I am not a sportsman, I put my name as a competitor on all the events: soccer,
running, long jump, gymnastics. At the start of each event, they called the
names of participants to come to the field while 2,000 students sat watching
in the stands. When they called Morshed Alam on the loudspeaker, I didn't
come. They announced my name again, Morshed Alam. I still didn't come. By the
time they announced my name six times . . . everybody was wondering and
looking, who is this guy Morshed Alam? That's when I ran onto the field. I did
this for 10 different events. I wasn't good at any of the games, but by the
end of the weekend everybody knew my name."
Newsday - New York Hero
http://www.nynewsday.com/features/custom/heroes/newyork/
ny-ehalam051902.htmlstory
Original story:
http://www.aa2sbu.org/aaezine/articles/vol9/no5nw.shtml |
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