>>AS I SIT HERE IN FRONT OF
YOU, I MIGHT LOOK LIKE A
PROFESSOR OR EVEN A
PHILOSOPHER WITH MY SILVER
MANE.
BUT I WAS BORN AND I GREW UP
IN HAWAII.
WHEN I WAS A TEEN-AGER, I WAS
NOT THAT ACADEMICALLY
INCLINED ACTUALLY.
IN FACT, I USED TO BE A
SURFER, YES!
(LAUGHING) SERIOUS, AND I HAD
A NICKNAME.
MY NICK NAME WAS TEN TOES
TAKAKI.
WHEN MY BERKELEY STUDENTS
FOUND OUT ABOUT TAKAKI'S
HIDDEN PAST, THEY GET VERY
CURIOUS, HOW DID A SURFER
TURNOUT TO BE A SCHOLAR!
WELL, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THIS,
DURING MY SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH
SCHOOL AND THAT WAS 1957.
THINK ABOUT IT!
50 YEARS AGO!
I HAD A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
WHO CHANGED MY LIFE.
I CAN REMEMBER ALL OF US
GOING INTO HIS CLASS AND
ALMOST ALL OF US WERE ASIAN
AMERICAN STUDENTS.
THIS IS HAWAII, OKAY.
AND THIS TEACHER WALKED INTO
THE CLASSROOM, AND HE
INTRODUCED HIMSELF. HE SAID
MY NAME IS DR. SHUNJI NISHI
PH.D.
AND WE ARE ALL AWED BECAUSE
THERE WERE OTHER ASIAN
AMERICANS DOCTORS IN HAWAII
BUT THEY WERE ALL MD'S.
THIS ONE WAS A PH.D.
I CAN REMEMBER GOING HOME AND
ASKING MY MOTHER A QUESTION.
MY MOTHER WHO HAD BEEN BORN
ON A SUGAR CANE PLANTATION
AND ONLY HAD 8TH GRADE
EDUCATION.
SHE SAID, MY TEACHER'S NAME
IS DR. SHUNJI NISHI PH.D.
MOM, WHAT IS A PH.D.?
>>SHE SAID I DON'T KNOW.
BUT HE MUST BE VERY SMART!
I THINK A LIGHT WENT ON IN MY
HEAD, MAYBE SOMEDAY, I COULD
BECOME RONALD TAKAKI, PH.D.
SO I BEGAN STUDYING HARD FOR
DR. NISHI, AND DR. NISHI MADE
HIS STUDENTS WRITE ESSAYS,
SHORT ESSAYS, ONE TWO-PAGE
ESSAYS ABOUT THE HUMAN
CONDITION AND PROBLEMS OF THE
WORLD.
EVERY TWO WEEKS WE HAD TO
WRITE AN ESSAY FOR DR. NISHI,
AND HE WOULD RETURN MY ESSAYS
WITH EXTENSIVE MARGINAL
COMMENTS.
HE WAS A GOOD TEACHER.
AND MANY OF HIS MARGINAL
COMMENTS ASKED ME
EPISTEMOLOGICAL QUESTIONS.
EPISTEMOLOGY
WHAT IS EPISTEMOLOGY?
EPISTEMOLOGY, IS A THEORY OF
KNOWLEDGE, IT IS A CRITICAL
THINKING SKILL.
EPISTEMOLOGY ASKS THE
QUESTION, HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU
KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW.
HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU KNOW OF
WHAT YOU KNOW.
IN OTHER WORDS, THE HOW OF
KNOWING SOMETHING.
IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE
WHAT OF KNOWING SOMETHING.
SO A RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPED,
BLOSSOMED BETWEEN DR. NISHI
AND ME, THROUGH MY ESSAYS AND
HIS MARGINAL COMMENTS.
AND DURING THE SECOND
SEMESTER, AND IT WAS APRIL, I
HAD ALREADY BEEN ADMITTED TO
THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.
SO MY PLAN WAS TO ATTEND THE
UNIVERSITY.
AS I WAS WALKING ACROSS
CAMPUS, DR. NISHI FLAGGED ME
AND SAID "RONALD, RONALD,
WAIT A MINUTE.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU.
RONALD, I THINK IT WOULD BE
GOOD FOR YOU, FOR YOUR
PERSONAL GROWTH AND
INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT TO
GO AWAY FOR COLLEGE.
THERE IS THIS FINE LIBERAL
ARTS COLLEGE IN OHIO CALLED
THE COLLEGE OF WOOSTER.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO TO THE
COLLEGE WOOSTER?"
W-O-O-S-T-E-R, AND I SAID,
NO, NO, OHIO!
SO FAR AWAY. I HAD NEVER BEEN
OFF THE ISLAND BEFORE. SO I
SAID NO.
WELL, DR. NISHI SAYS SAID,
"WOULD IT BE OKAY, RONALD, IF
I WROTE TO THE COLLEGE TO
TELL THEM ABOUT YOU?"
AND I SAID FINE, AND I WALKED
AWAY AND I FORGOT
COMPLETELY ABOUT THIS
CONVERSATION.
WELL, A MONTH LATER IN MAY, I
RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE
DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF
WOOSTER, AND THE LETTER READ,
"DEAR MR. TAKAKI, YOU HAVE
BEEN ACCEPTED TO THE COLLEGE
OF WOOSTER."
SO, THAT ONE TEACHER, THAT
ONE LETTER GAVE ME THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE STEPS
THAT WOULD LEAD TO HERE THIS
MORNING.
>>LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR
CULTURAL IDENTITY.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME
CONSCIOUS OF BEING ETHNICALLY
OR RACIALLY DIFFERENT?
>> WELL, I WAS BORN IN
HAWAII.
I GREW UP IN A VALLEY CALLED
PALOLO VALLEY ON THE ISLAND
OF .
OAHU. MY NEIGHBORS WERE
PORTUGUESE, CHINESE,
JAPANESE, HAWAIIAN.
SO WE WERE A MULTIRACIAL,
MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY.
WE WENT TO SCHOOL, BUT OUR
TEACHERS NEVER TAUGHT US WHY
PEOPLES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
WERE LIVING AND WORKING
TOGETHER IN PALOLO VALLEY.
I CAN REMEMBER GOING IN MY
NEIGHBOR'S HOME HEARING
PORTUGUESE, HAWAIIAN, AND
CHINESE.
AND I THOUGHT, OH, THIS IS
AMERICA!
AS KIDS WE SPOKE PIGEON
ENGLISH TO EACH OTHER. WE
THOUGHT THAT WAS AN AMERICAN
LANGUAGE.
SO I THINK THAT FORGED A KIND
OF ASIAN AMERICAN, BUT ALSO A
MULTICULTURAL IDENTITY THAT
TRANSCENDED BEING JAPANESE
AMERICAN OR ASIAN AMERICAN
BECAUSE I WAS AT MY NEIGHBORS
WERE PORTUGUESE, AND THEN
ACROSS THE STREET WERE
CHINESE HAWAIIAN.
BUT THEN, AS I TOLD YOU, I
WENT ALL THE WAY TO WOOSTER,
OHIO.
HEY, THAT'S SMALL TOWN,
MIDDLE AMERICA.
I HAD A CULTURE SHOCK
THAT FALL OF 1957.
IT WAS A VERY HOMOGENEOUS
CAMPUS, AND I CAN REMEMBER
THAT FIRST FALL.
MY FELLOW STUDENTS AT WOOSTER
ASKING ME QUESTIONS LIKE HOW
LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THIS
COUNTRY?
WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO SPEAK
ENGLISH?
THEY DID NOT SEE ME AS A
FELLOW AMERICAN.
TO THEM, I DID NOT LOOK LIKE
AN AMERICAN, AND I DID NOT
HAVE AN AMERICAN SOUNDING
NAME.
AT THAT TIME, I DIDN'T THINK
TOO MUCH ABOUT THEIR
QUESTIONS.
BUT WHEN I LOOK BACK AT MY
WOOSTER EXPERIENCE, I
REALIZED THAT IT WAS NOT THE
FAULT OF MY FELLOW STUDENTS
THAT THEY COULD NOT AND DID
NOT DEEM ME AS AN AMERICAN.
THINK ABOUT IT.
WHAT HAD THEY LEARNED OR WHAT
HAD YOU LEARNED IN COURSES
CALLED UNITED STATES HISTORY
ABOUT ASIAN AMERICANS?
ZERO!
BUT THINK ABOUT IT, WHAT HAD
THEY LEARNED ABOUT AFRICAN
AMERICANS OR THE NATIVE
PEOPLES OF THIS COUNTRY OR
MEXICAN AMERICANS OR PUERTO
RICANS.
WHAT I CALL THE MASTER
NARRATIVE OF AMERICAN
HISTORY.
THIS IS THE PERVASIVE
POPULAR, BUT MISTAKEN STORY,
THAT THIS COUNTRY, OUR
COUNTRY, WAS SETTLED BY THE
EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS, AND THAT
AMERICANS ARE WHITE OR
EUROPEAN IN ANCESTRY.
NOW, WHEN MY FELLOW STUDENTS
ASKED ME THESE QUESTIONS,
THEY ASKED THEM INNOCENTLY.
BUT THIS MASTER NARRATIVE CAN
ALSO BE INJURIOUS. IT CAN
LEAD TO THE INTERNMENT OF
JAPANESE AMERICANS DURING
WORLD WAR II, AND TODAY IT
CAN LEAD TO THE DETENTION AND
DEPORTATION OF MUSLIMS IN
THIS COUNTRY.
SO AS TEACHERS, WE HAVE TO
BECOME CONSCIOUS OF THIS
MASTER NARRATIVE BECAUSE IT
IS NOT ONLY IN THE CURRICULUM
AND THE THINKING OF OUR
POLICY MAKERS, BUT YOU CAN
FIND IT IN ENTERTAINMENT
MEDIA.
YOU CAN FIND IT IN THE NEWS
MEDIA.
AND SO WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION,
BUT ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY AS
TEACHERS TO CONSTRUCT A NEW
NARRATIVE OF WHO WE, THE
PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES,
REALLY ARE.
>> IT SEEMS THAT THE SOCIAL
CONSTRUCTION OF A LOT OF THIS
KIND OF LANGUAGE HAS CHANGED
A LOT FROM YOUR DAYS IN
WOOSTER TO NOW, THIS NEW
ELECTION THAT WE ARE HAVING.
>>HERE WE ARE IN CALIFORNIA,
EVERY CALIFORNIAN BELONGS TO
A MINORITY GROUP. YOU ARE A
MINORITY. I AM A MINORITY.
BUT WHITES ARE MINORITY, TOO.
BUT WE ARE ALL MINORITIES IN
CALIFORNIA.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN
CALIFORNIA WILL HAPPEN ACROSS
THIS COUNTRY BY THE YEAR
2050.
JUST IN YESTERDAY'S
NEWSPAPERS, IT WAS REPORTED
THAT BY THE YEAR 2050, WHITES
WILL CONSTITUTE ONLY 47% OF
THE TOTAL POPULATION OF THE
PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA.
IMAGINE.
JUST THINK ABOUT THIS AMAZING
FUTURE THAT IS ROARING TOWARD
US, NOT IN OUR LIFETIME, BUT
IN LIFE TIME OF OUR
STUDENTS.
THEY WILL BE ENTERING A WHOLE
NEW AMERICA WHERE WE WILL ALL
BE MINORITIES.
THIS DEMOGRAPHY IS
CHALLENGING THE MASTER
NARRATIVE.
THIS DEMOGRAPHY IS DECLARING
NOT ALL OF US CAME ORIGINALLY
FROM EUROPE.
AND THE 2008 ELECTION WITH
BARACK OBAMA'S CANDIDACY IS
ALSO ANNOUNCING NOT ALL OF US
ORIGINALLY CAME FROM EUROPE.
I THINK AMERICA IS COMING TO
TERMS WITH THIS DIVERSITY.
AMERICA IS RECOGNIZING THAT
DIVERSITY HAS BECOME
AMERICA'S MANIFEST DESTINY.
THIS DESTINY IS BECOMING
MANIFESTED IN OUR POLITICS,
BUT ALSO JUST IN THE CHANGING
FACES OF OUR STUDENTS.
>>YEAH, SO TRUE.
YEAH!
I MUST BELIEVE THAT FOR A
SMALL SEGMENT OF THE WHITE
POPULATION, THAT MUST JUST
SCARE THEM TO DEATH.
>>WELL, I WOULDN'T SAY SO.
FOR A SMALL SEGMENT OF THAT
WHITE POPULATION WHERE, YOU
KNOW, THIS DIVERSITY IS
ROARING TOWARD US.
YES, THINK ABOUT THE PATRICK
BUCHANAN'S AND SAMUEL P.
HUNTINGTON'S AND ARTHUR
SCHLESINGER'S OF AMERICA,
THEY FEAR THIS DIVERSITY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>>THEY THINK IT WILL LEAD TO
THE END OF CIVILIZATION,
WESTERN CIVILIZATION IN THE
UNITED STATES.
I DON'T THINK WE HAVE WE HAVE
A CHOICE IN THIS MATTER.
THIS DIVERSITY IS HAPPENING.
SO THIS IS WHERE I BELIEVE
EDUCATORS HAVE TO PREPARE OUR
STUDENTS AND AMERICA FOR THIS
BRAVE NEW WORLD OF THE 21ST
CENTURY.
MIRANDA, OF COURSE, WAS THE
ONE IN SHAKESPEARE'S "THE
TEMPEST"S, WHEN SHE SAW
CALIBAN SAID, "OH, BRAVE NEW
WORLD THAT HAS SUCH PEOPLE IN
IT."
THAT WAS AN EXPRESSION OF
AMAZEMENT WITH THIS DIVERSITY
IN FRONT OF HER ON THIS
ISLAND IN THE NEW WORLD.
SHAKESPEARE IS TURNING OUT TO
BE PROPHETIC.
(LAUGHING)
>>WHAT KIND OF NEW LANGUAGE
ARE WE GOING TO NEED TO BE
ABLE TO DESCRIBE THIS
PHENOMENA?
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR HOW
WE WILL TALK ABOUT "MINORITY
GROUPS" THAT SOME MINORITY
GROUPS BECOME MAJORITY GROUPS
AND SO FORTH.
>>I HAD WRITTEN A BOOK
ENTITLED "A DIFFERENT ERA, A
HISTORY OF MULTICULTURAL
AMERICA."
I THINK THAT IS A TERM
DESCRIPTIVE OF THIS NEW
DIVERSITY WHICH HAS EMERGED,
BUT WHICH IS ALSO BEEN AT THE
CENTER OF AMERICAN HISTORY
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
SO WHY DO I SAY MULTICULTURAL
RATHER THAN RACIAL DIVERSITY?
BECAUSE HOW DO WE DEFINE
CULTURE?
WE COULD DEFINE CULTURE IN
TERMS OF OUR RELIGION, OUR
DISTINCTIVE CULTURES, BUT
ALSO HISTORY IS AN IMPORTANT
INGREDIENT IN CULTURE.
HISTORY IS HOW WE REMEMBER
WHAT HAPPENED TO US AS
MEMBERS OF A GROUP.
SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT
CULTURE, WE HAVE TO INCLUDE
HISTORY.
SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT OUR
CULTURES AND HOW OUR CULTURES
HAVE BEEN SHAPED BY DIFFERENT
RACIAL EXPERIENCES, THEY
BECOME PART OF OUR CULTURAL
IDENTITY.
NOW, SO THIS IS WHY I SAY IT
IS MULTICULTURAL AMERICA.
AND WE THINK MULTICULTURAL
AMERICA IS LIKE THE UMBRELLA
FOR DISTINCT ETHNIC
IDENTITIES.
THIS IS WHERE I'D LIKE TO
IDENTIFY MYSELF AS AN ASIAN
AMERICAN WITH WITHOUT A
HYPHEN BECAUSE A HYPHEN WOULD
MEAN THERE ARE TWO NOUNS
THERE, ASIAN AND AMERICAN.
BUT WITHOUT A HYPHEN--
SO MY ETHNIC IDENTITY, ASIAN
IS AN ADJECTIVE TO MY
IDENTITY AS AN AMERICAN.
AMERICAN IS THE NOUN.
SO YOU THINK OF ASIAN
AMERICAN, AFRICAN AMERICAN,
MEXICAN AMERICAN, JEWISH
AMERICAN, IRISH AMERICAN.
AND SO THIS IS E-PLURIBUS. WE
ARE PLURIBUS.
BUT WE ARE ALSO AMERICANS.
WE ARE A DIVERSE PEOPLE
BELONGING TO ONE NATION.
>> I THINK WE ARE PROBABLY
GET SOME PEOPLE WHO FEEL THAT
ASSIMILATION IS THE BEST WAY
TO GO, BECAUSE IF WE DO THE
OTHER, WE ARE LIKELY TO GET
BALKANIZATION.
>>THIS IS WHAT I WOULD SAY.
LET'S REMEMBER THE
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
THIS FABULOUS FOUNDING
DOCUMENT DECLARED THE
SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH THAT ALL
MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, AND
THEY ARE ALL ENDOWED WITH
UNALIENABLE RIGHTS OF LIFE,
LIBERTY AND PURSUIT OF
HAPPINESS.
SO EQUALITY MEANS OUR RIGHT
TO HAVE DIGNITY FOR OUR
DIFFERENCE.
OKAY, QUALITY IN OUR
DIFFERENCES.
AN ACCEPTANCE OF OUR PHYSICAL
DIFFERENCES, LIKE THE SHAPE
OF OUR EYES, THAT'S PART OF
EQUALITY.
LET'S FACE IT, NOT ALL OF US
WILL BE ABLE TO MELT INTO THE
MELTING POT BECAUSE WE HAVE
DISTINGUISHING PHYSICAL
CHARACTERISTICS.
A MELTING POT WAS DESIGNED
ACTUALLY FOR EUROPEAN
IMMIGRANTS.
EVEN FOR EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS,
MANY OF THEM HAD TO GIVE
THEIR CULTURES AND THEIR
RELIGIONS IN ORDER TO MELT
INTO THE PROTESTANT MELTING
POT.
BUT PEOPLE OF COLOR COULDN'T
MELT IN THE MELTING POT.
IN FACT, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE
MELTING POT, 1920'S THE
COUNTRY PASSED THE
IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1924 WHICH
TOTALLY EXCLUDED IMMIGRANTS
FROM ASIA.
SO, BUT THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE ALSO SAID WE
HAVE THE UNALIENABLE RIGHTS
OF THE PURSUIT OF LIFE,
LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF
HAPPINESS.
WE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO BE
DIFFERENT AND TO ACCEPT OUR
DIFFERENCES, BUT ALSO TO HAVE
OUR DIFFERENCES ACCEPTED.
SO THAT WOULD BE WHAT I WOULD
RESPOND TO THE -- TO THOSE
WHO SAY "OH, WE NEED TO
ASSIMILATE."
ASSIMILATE MEANS WE MELT DOWN
OUR DIFFERENCES. WE DENY OUR
DIFFERENCES.
I'D LIKE TO THINK OF AMERICA
AS A TAPESTRY WHERE YOU HAVE
ALL THESE DIFFERENT STRANDS
WOVEN TOGETHER, BUT TOGETHER
WE CREATE THIS BEAUTIFUL
PATTERN CALLED UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA.
>>WHAT KIND OF SKILLS WILL A
CULTURALLY COMPETENT TEACHER
NEED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN
TODAY'S CLASSROOM?
>> I THINK A CULTURALLY
COMPETENT TEACHER WOULD TEACH
STUDENTS EPISTEMOLOGY, HOW DO
WE KNOW WHAT WE KNOW WHAT WE
KNOW BECAUSE THAT IS A WAY
FOR US TO COMPREHEND THE
WORLD, YOU SEE.
AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO
COMPREHEND THE WORLD. AND IN
ORDER FOR US TO DO THAT, WE
NEED THESE THINKING SKILLS OF
EPISTEMOLOGY.
THAT'S WHAT DR. NISHI DID
WITH HIS STUDENTS.
DR. NISHI HIMSELF DIDN'T USE
THE TERM EPISTEMOLOGY. THAT'S
THE TERM I HAVE BEEN
PRACTICING, BUT STILL HE WAS
ASKING US TO ASK THESE
QUESTIONS.
SO THAT WOULD BE PART OF
CULTURAL COMPETENCY BECAUSE
THAT IS AN INVITATION TO
STUDENTS TO BECOME CULTURALLY
COMPETENT BECAUSE THEN THEY
ARE ASKING THEMSELVES, HOW DO
I KNOW WHAT I KNOW ABOUT
DIVERSITY?
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT I KNOW
ABOUT MY FELLOW STUDENTS IN
MY VERY CLASSROOM, YOU SEE.
CULTURAL COMPETENCY WOULD BE
ALSO AN AWARENESS OF
AMERICA'S DIVERSE PEOPLE AND
THEIR HISTORY.
HISTORY MATTERS.
AND THIS IS WHERE IT IS
IMPORTANT FOR OUR CULTURALLY
COMPETENT TEACHERS TO HAVE AN
INFORMED UNDERSTANDING OF THE
HISTORY OF WE THE PEOPLE OF
THE UNITED STATES, WE THE
DIVERSE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED
STATES.
>>THAT'S A NICE SEGWAY INTO
YOUR WORK.
I AM INTERESTED THIS HOW YOU
CONSTRUCT THE WAY YOU TELL
THE HISTORY.
>>WELL, I THINK IT WAS ROOTED
IN PALOLO VALLEY.
THINK ABOUT MY NEIGHBORS,
PORTUGUESE, HAWAIIAN, CHINESE
JAPANESE, HAWAIIANS, AND
THERE WERE FILIPINOS NEARBY
AND KOREANS.
SO AS A KID I WAS THINKING IN
TERMS, THIS MULTICULTURAL
REALITY.
BUT, ALSO, I GRADUATED FROM
WOOSTER IN 1961.
AND THEN I ENTERED THE PH.D.
PROGRAM IN AMERICAN HISTORY
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA BERKELEY.
I WANTED TO BE LIKE
DR. NISHI, PH.D.
SO, HERE, I CAME TO BERKELEY
IN 1961, AND BERKELEY IN THE
60'S CHANGED MY LIFE!
(LAUGHING) CHANGE YOUR'S, TOO
(LAUGHING)
>>YOU BET.
>>I WAS INSPIRED BY THE MORAL
VISION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING.
AND IN 1964, I HAD AN
EXPERIENCE. 1964 WAS THE
SUMMER OF MISSISSIPPI FREEDOM
SUMMER WHEN STUDENTS WERE
GOING INTO THE SCHOOLS TO
REGISTER VOTERS.
AND THE NEWS THAT THREE YOUNG
CIVIL RIGHTS WORKERS HAD BEEN
MURDERED AND BURIED IN
MISSISSIPPI HORRIFIED ME.
AND I DECIDED THAT I WOULD
FOCUS MY DISSERTATION ON
SLAVERY.
I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE
ROOTS OF THIS KIND OF RACIAL
HATRED AND VIOLENCE.
IN 1964, BEGAN MY STUDY OF
SLAVERY AS A GRADUATE
STUDENT.
THEN IN '65, WATTS EXPLODED.
MANY OF US CAN STILL REMEMBER
WATCHING THE TELEVISED
REPORTS OF THE WATTS
REBELLION AND SEEING THE DARK
SMOKE RISING TO THE SKIES
ABOVE LOS ANGELES, AND THEN
LOOKING DOWN AT THE WATTS
SECTION OF LOS ANGELES, AND
IT LOOKED LIKE LITERALLY A
BOMBED OUT CITY.
THAT WAS WATTS REBELLION WAS
A WAKE UP CALL TO
UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE THIS
COUNTRY.
U.C.L.A. IN 1966 DECIDED TO
CREATE A NEW POSITION IN THE
HISTORY DEPARTMENT TO OFFER
U.C.L.A.'S FIRST BLACK
HISTORY COURSE.
IT ANNOUNCED THE POSITION IN
1966.
I WAS FINISHING MY
DISSERTATION, AND I APPLIED
FOR THAT POSITION, AND GUESS,
WHAT HAPPENED? U.C.L.A.
OFFERED IT TO ME! AND YOU
ARE PROBABLY WONDERING, WHAT
WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU,
PROFESSOR, DR. TAKAKI, TO BE
TEACHING UCLA'S FIRST BLACK
HISTORY COURSE IN 1967.
WELL, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN ME
AT THAT TIME.
I HAD BLACK HAIR, PITCH-BLACK
HAIR, I HAD A CREW CUT.
I WAS ONLY 28 YEARS OLD, AND
I WENT DOWN TO U.C.L.A. TO
TEACH ITS FIRST BLACK HISTORY
COURSE.
WHEN I GOT THERE, I FOUND
THAT MY COURSE HAD BEEN
ASSIGNED TO A LARGE LECTURE
HALL.
AND WHEN I WALKED IN, EVERY
SEAT WAS TAKEN.
500 SEATS, AND THERE WERE
STUDENTS SITTING IN THE
AISLES.
IT WAS SO PACKED!
AND THERE WAS A PLATFORM
STAGE AT THE FRONT OF THIS
AUDITORIUM AND A PODIUM.
WHEN I WALKED IN, THERE WAS A
LOT OF CHITTER CHATTER IN THE
AIR.
STUDENTS WERE EXCITED.
WHOA, U.C.L.A.'S FIRST BLACK
HISTORY COURSE.
SO I MADE MY WAY TO THE FRONT
OF THE ROOM.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, A
SILENCE STOOD ON THIS ROOM.
D THEIR THE EYES WERE
RIVETTED ON ME.
AND I COULD JUST FEEL THEM
SPEAK TO THEMSELVES, FUNNY,
HE DOESN'T LOOK BLACK!
(LAUGHING) THESE WERE THE
DAYS OF BLACK MILITANCY, WHEN
BLACK STUDENTS WORE THE
DASHIKIS.
YOU DON'T EVEN HEAR THE WORD
DASHIKI ANY MORE, AND THEY
WORE THE HUGE AFROS.
I WALKED TO THE FRONT OF THE
ROOM, GOT ON THE STAGE AND
GOT BEHIND THE PODIUM.
BEFORE I COULD SAY ANYTHING,
THIS TALL BLACK STUDENT IN
THE MIDDLE STANDS UP AND HE
RAISES HIS HAND, AND HE SAID,
" WELL, PROFESSOR, TAKAKI,
WHAT REVOLUTIONARY TOOLS ARE
WE GOING TO LEARN IN THIS
CLASS!"
I THOUGHT, OH, THIS IS NOT
THE WAY I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN
MY CAREER AS A TEACHER!
HERE, WE HAD 500 STUDENTS
SITTING ON THE EDGES OF THEIR
CHAIR, THINKING WHAT IS HE
GOING TO SAY. HOW IS HE GOING
TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. I
CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT I
SAID.
BUT I THINK I SAID SOMETHING
LIKE THIS, "WE WILL BE
STUDYING THE HISTORY OF THE
UNITED STATES AS IT RELATES
TO BLACK PEOPLE.
WE WILL ALSO BE SHARPENING
AND STRENGTHENING OUR
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND
OUR WRITING SKILLS, AND THESE
CAN BE REVOLUTIONARY TOOLS IF
YOU WANT TO MAKE THEM SO." SO
THAT'S HOW I BEGAN.
>>WHAT WAS THE COMPOSITION OF
THAT CLASS?
>> MOSTLY WHITE.
THIS WAS 1967.
>>SURE, RIGHT.
>>BEFORE THE DAYS OF
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.
>>RIGHT.
>>BUT ALSO THERE WERE SOME
ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENTS, BUT
NOT TOO MANY, BECAUSE THE
IMMIGRATION ACT WAS JUST
PASSED IN 1965.
SO UP TO 1965, ASIAN
AMERICANS COULDN'T ENTER THIS
COUNTRY.
WE HAD A HANDFUL OF STUDENTS
FROM MEXICO.
BUT THE VERY DIVERSITY IN MY
CLASS LED ME TO ASK
EPISTEMOLOGICAL QUESTION,
BACK TO DR. NISHI, EVEN
THOUGH I HAD A PH.D. IN
AMERICAN HISTORY, I ASKED
MYSELF THE QUESTION, HOW DO I
KNOW WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THE
DIVERSE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA AS
REFLECTED IN THE VERY FACES
OF MY STUDENTS BEFORE ME.
SO IT BEGAN AT U.C.L.A. WHERE
I BEGAN TO RETHINK MY
THINKING ABOUT AMERICAN
HISTORY.
I ALSO DECIDED, HOWEVER, TO
INCLUDE WHILE AT U.C.L.A., TO
INCLUDE THE STUDY OF IRISH
IMMIGRANTS BECAUSE I WANTED
TO INCLUDE ETHNIC MINORITIES,
NOT JUST RACIAL MINORITIES.
THEN I CAME TO BERKELEY IN
1972, I CAME TO BERKELEY AND
I BROUGHT THE COMPARATIVE
APPROACH WITH ME IN 1972.
HERE AT BERKELEY, I HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO ACHIEVE SOME
CURRICULUM INNOVATIONS.
IN 1974, I WROTE AND
ESTABLISHED THE COMPARATIVE
ETHNIC STUDIES MAJOR FOR
UNDERGRADUATES, 1974.
IN 1984, I WROTE AND I GOT
APPROVED A PROPOSAL FOR
COMPARATIVE ETHNIC STUDIES
PH.D. PROGRAM.
SO NOW WE OFFER THE PH.D. IN
COMPARATIVE ETHNIC STUDIES,
AND WE HAVE OVER 120 STUDENTS
STUDYING FOR THEIR PH.D.
THEN IN 1989 CAME THE BIGGEST
INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE.
THE MULTICULTURAL REQUIREMENT
FOR GRADUATION.
WE CALL IT THE AMERICAN
CULTURES REQUIREMENT. EVERY
STUDENT IN ORDER TO GRADUATE
FROM BERKELEY, MUST TAKE A
COURSE DESIGNED TO DEEPEN AND
BROADEN UNDERSTANDING OF
AMERICA'S RACIAL AND ETHNIC
DIVERSITY.
ITS NOT A NEW REQUIREMENT.
IT JUST SAYS THAT YOU HAVE TO
TAKE TWO SOCIAL SCIENCES
COURSES, TWO HUMANITIES
COURSES AND ONE OF THESE FOUR
COURSE, MUST HAVE
MULTICULTURAL CONTENT. BUT
THAT CONTENT MUST BE
COMPARATIVE.
GUESS WHERE THEY GOT THAT
IDEA, COMPARATIVE?
IT MUST INCLUDE THE STUDY OF
FIVE GROUPS, AFRICAN
AMERICANS, ASIAN AMERICANS,
LATINO AMERICANS, NATIVE
AMERICANS AND ALSO EUROPEAN
IMMIGRANT GROUPS, ESPECIALLY
THE GROUPS THAT CAME FROM
IRELAND, POLAND, ITALY AND
RUSSIA, GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN
LEFT OUT OF THE TRADITIONAL
ANGLO-AMERICAN CURRICULUM.
YEAH, SO THAT COMPARATIVE
MULTICULTURE APPROACH THEN,
YOU KNOW, BEGAN IN PALOLO
VALLEY AND CAME ALL THE WAY
UP TO BERKELEY 1989,
MULTICULTURAL REQUIREMENT.
>>GREAT.
GREAT.
HOW DO YOU USE BOTH
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS AND
LITERATURE TO HELP WEAVE
STORIES ABOUT WHO WE ARE AS A
PEOPLE AND A NATION?
>> I AM TRAINED AS A
HISTORIAN, BUT ACTUALLY I
PRACTICE WHAT I CALL AN
INTEGRATED INTERDISCIPLINARY
APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF
REALITY.
MY BOOKS INCLUDE, NOT JUST
HISTORY, BUT ALSO ECONOMICS,
SOCIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY AND
LITERATURE.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT THE
DEPARTMENTAL STRUCTURES ARE
ARTIFICIAL, AND THEY SEPARATE
KNOWLEDGE.
I BELIEVE THAT IN ORDER FOR
US TO COMPREHEND THE WORLD,
WE HAVE TO INTEGRATE
KNOWLEDGE.
SO I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH
PRESENTING STATISTICS AND
SHAKESPEARE SIDE BY SIDE.
I THINK THIS IS THE WAY I'D
LIKE TO SEE FUTURE
SCHOLARSHIP.
I AM TRYING TO DEMONSTRATE A
WAY FOR US, AS SCHOLARS, BUT
ALSO AS TEACHERS, TO
COMPREHEND THIS WORLD AND TO
DO IT IN AN INTEGRATED,
INTERDISCIPLINARY WAY.
NOW, IN THE KIND OF TEACHING
THAT I DO AND THE KIND OF
WRITING THAT I DO, IT IS VERY
IMPORTANT TO TELL STORIES.
BECAUSE STORIES ALLOW US TO
GET ACCOUNTS OF FIRSTHAND
EXPERIENCES.
SO IT IS NOT LIKE A SECONDARY
SOURCE TELLING US WHAT
HAPPENED IN THE PAST, BUT IT
IS THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE
EXPERIENCED THAT PAST TELLING
US WHAT THEY EXPERIENCED.
OKAY.
SO A TEACHER OF HISTORY CAN
UNFOLD THE PAST BY RETELLING
STORIES.
LESLIE SILKO, IN THE BOOK
"CEREMONY " POWERFUL AND
BRILLIANT BOOK OPENS WITH
THIS POEM, SHE SAYS, AS
WRITTEN, "OUR STORIES AREN'T
JUST FOR ENTERTAINMENT.
DON'T BE FOOLED."
BUT OUR STORIES FROM HISTORY
ARE ENTERTAINING, BUT THEY DO
MORE THAN THAT.
THEY REVEAL AMERICA'S PAST,
AND THEY REVEAL LIKE
EXPERIENCES THAT HAPPEN TO
REAL PEOPLE.
THINK ABOUT MY SCHOLARSHIP.
IN MY BOOKS, MY BOOKS ARE
INHABITED BY REAL PEOPLE.
THEY HAVE NAMES.
THEY HAVE WILLS.
THEY HAVE VOICES, AND THEY
SPEAK TO US.
BUT THIS IS WHAT A TEACHER
CAN DO THROUGH THE TEACHING
OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
>>WE HEAR ABOUT HIS STORY.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HER STORY.
>>USUALLY, JQ, HIS STORY IS
HISTORY.
HISTORY OF MEN, NOT ONLY MEN,
BUT MEN AT THE TOP, ELITE
HISTORY.
I HAVE BEEN WRITING HISTORY
NOT ONLY FROM THE TOP DOWN,
BUT ALSO FROM THE BOTTOM UP.
BUT WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT
THERE WERE WOMEN IN HISTORY,
TOO.
HISTORY IS NOT JUST HIS
STORY, BUT ALSO HER STORY.
AND IT IS IMPORTANT WHEN WE
STUDY THE DIVERSE PEOPLE OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT,
THERE WERE WOMEN HERE, TOO,
IN THIS PAST.
AND SO EVERYWHERE IN MY
SCHOLARSHIP, IN MY HISTORY, I
MAKE SURE HER STORY IS BEING
TOLD, TOO.
BECAUSE WOMEN HAD AGENCY IN
THE PAST, TOO.
NOT ONLY DID THEY RAISE
FAMILIES, BUT THEY WERE
WORKERS.
THEY WORKED IN THE FIELDS AND
IN THE FACTORIES OF AMERICA.
MY GRANDMOTHER CAME HERE FROM
JAPAN, AND SHE WORKED AS A
PLANTATION WORKER IN HAWAII.
SO SHE HELPED TO BUILD THAT
SUGAR KINGDOM IN HAWAII.
BUT THINK ABOUT THOSE AFRICAN
WOMAN WORKING IN THE COTTON
FIELDS OF MISSISSIPPI AND
ALABAMA.
THEY WERE THERE, TOO, THEY
WERE WORKING.
SO THEY WEREN'T JUST RAISING
FAMILIES.
THEY WERE WORKERS. TOGETHER
THEY HELPED TO BUILD THE
AMERICAN ECONOMY INTO A WORLD
CLASS ECONOMY.
SO TO LEAVE WOMEN OUT IS TO
LEAVE OUT HALF OF HISTORY!
>>I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE A
STORY ABOUT THE INTERNMENT OF
JAPANESE DURING WORLD WAR II.
>>FOR A LONG TIME, MOST
AMERICANS DIDN'T EVEN KNOW
THAT THE JAPANESE AMERICANS
HAD BEEN INTERNED DURING
WORLD WAR II. THEY SAW WORLD
WAR II AS THE GOOD WAR, YOU
SEE.
OH, THE UNITED STATES DID
NOTHING CRIMINAL. BUT WORLD
WAR II WAS ALSO THE TIME WHEN
120 AMERICANS OF JAPANESE
ANCESTRY WERE ROUNDED UP,
EVACUATED AND PLACED IN
CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN THE
UNITED STATES.
TWO-THIRDS OF THESE.
>>120,000.
>>120,000 OF THEM.
TWO-THIRDS OF THEM WERE
CITIZENS BY BIRTH.
SO THEY HAD THEIR
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
VIOLATED.
BUT EVEN IF THEY HAD NOT BEEN
CITIZENS BY BIRTH, THE
CONSTITUTION ALSO PROTECTS
THEM.
IT SAYS "ALL PERSONS ARE
ENTITLED TO DUE PROCESS OF
THE LAW."
AND THE RECOMMENDATION FOR
THE EVACUATION AND INTERNMENT
BEGAN RIGHT HERE IN SAN
FRANCISCO, IN THE PRESIDIO,
WHERE THE GENERAL OF THE WEST
COAST DEFENSE, GENERAL JOHN
DEWITT WAS A RACIST.
HE WAS THE ONE WHO COINED
THIS PHRASE "A JAP IS A JAP
IS A JAP."
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT
GENERATION YOU ARE, YOU
INHERIT LOYALTY TO THE
EMPEROR.
SO HE RECOMMENDED THAT THESE
ALIENS WHO REPRESENTED A
THREAT TO THE SECURITY OF THE
UNITED STATES BE EVACUATED
FROM THE WEST COAST AND PUT
IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS.
WELL, HE SENT THAT
RECOMMENDATION TO WASHINGTON,
AND THE SECRETARY OF WAR, AT
THAT TIME THE SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE WAS CALLED THE
SECRETARY OF WAR, HENRY L.
STEMSON WROTE IN HIS DIARY,
FEBRUARY 10, 1942, AND I HAVE
READ THAT DIARY.
HE SAID "IN ORDER FOR US TO
DO THIS EVACUATION AND
INTERNMENT, WE'D HAVE TO PUT
A HOLE IN THE CONSTITUTION, A
HOLE IN THE CONSTITUTION."
SO, HERE, ONE OF OUR TOP
POLICY MAKERS, SECRETARY OF
WAR WAS SAYING WE CAN'T DO
THIS WITHOUT VIOLATING OUR
OWN CONSTITUTION.
BUT WHAT DID ROOSEVELT DO, HE
SIGNED THAT EXECUTIVE ORDER,
THINKING, OH, THESE JAPANESE
REPRESENTED A THREAT TO THE
MILITARY SECURITY OF THE
UNITED STATES.
ROOSEVELT DID THE WRONG
THING. OKAY.
AND LATER TO THE CREDIT OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
IN 1988, THE CONGRESS PASSED
A LAW FOR REDRESS AND
REPARATIONS SAYING THAT THE
CONGRESS, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
APOLOGIZES FOR VIOLATING YOUR
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND
PAID EACH PERSON WHO HAD BEEN
INTERNED $20,000.
THAT'S JUST SYMBOLIC.
THAT'S JUST A TOKEN. BUT
WHAT IS USUALLY LEFT OUT OF
THE HISTORY BOOKS IS THE
STORY THAT THE JAPANESE IN
HAWAII WERE NOT INTERNED.
I AM FROM HAWAII.
I WAS NEVER SENT TO AN
INTERNMENT CAMP.
WHY IS IT THAT THE JAPANESE
IN HAWAII WHO CONSTITUTED A
LARGER POPULATION THAN THE
JAPANESE ON THE WEST COAST.
WHY IS IT WE WERE NOT
INTERNED?
WE ALSO WERE LIVING IN AN
AREA WHERE MILITARY ACTION
BETWEEN JAPAN AND THE UNITED
STATES ACTUALLY HAD TAKEN
PLACE AT PEARL HARBOR.
WELL, WHY IS IT THAT WE WERE
NOT INTERNED?
THAT'S A QUESTION I HAD TO
ASK.
HERE IS EPISTEMOLOGY AGAIN,
IN ORDER FOR ME TO ANSWER
THAT QUESTION, I HAVE TO DO
RESEARCH.
THIS IS WHAT I FOUND.
I FOUND THAT THE MILITARY
GOVERNOR OF HAWAII, HIS NAME
IS GENERAL DELOS EMMONS,
RIGHT AFTER PEARL HARBOR,
MADE A PUBLIC DECLARATION ON
RADIO, HE SAID "JAPANESE
AMERICANS NEED NOT WORRY
ABOUT BEING PLACED IN
CONCENTRATION CAMPS," AND HE
USED THAT WORD,
"CONCENTRATION CAMPS."
HE SAID, "WE HAVE A
CONSTITUTION TO RESPECT AND
TO ENFORCE.
YOU ARE ENTITLED TO DUE
PROCESS OF THE LAW.
WE WILL TRY YOU PERSON BY
PERSON SO THERE WILL BE NO
MASS INTERNMENT." AND THANKS
TO GENERAL DELOS EMMONS, THE
JAPANESE IN HAWAII WERE NOT
INTERNED.
THIS HISTORY SHOWS THAT IT IS
POSSIBLE FOR A POLICY MAKER
TO DO THE RIGHT THING, TO
REMEMBER THAT THIS COUNTRY
HAS A CONSTITUTION.
>>POWERFUL STORY.
>> TODAY, THE RIGHTS OF
MUSLIMS IN THIS COUNTRY HAVE
BEEN VIOLATED LIKE RIGHT
AFTER 9-11, THOUSANDS OF
MUSLIMS WERE ARRESTED, AND
THEY WERE DETAINED.
THEY WERE DETAINED.
THEY ARE STILL BEING DETAINED
IN PRISONS IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN DEPORTED.
IT SEEMS THIS IS AN
INJUSTICE.
I TOLD YOU ABOUT HOW THE
CONGRESS MANY YEARS AFTER
INTERNMENT HAD TO APOLOGIZE.
I CAN JUST SEE THE TIME
COMING WHEN THIS CONGRESS,
THIS GOVERNMENT WILL HAVE TO
APOLOGIZE TO THE MUSLIMS THAT
THEY HAVE DETAINED
UNCONSTITUTIONALLY AND THEY
DEPORTED.
BUT TO DETAIN AND TO DEPORT
HAS WREAKED HAVOC ON THEIR
LIVES AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS
FAMILIES.
SO THIS IS AN AMERICAN
TRAGEDY THAT IS HAPPENING
RIGHT NOW TODAY.
AND I WISH OUR POLICY MAKERS
WILL REMEMBER THAT WE ARE A
NATION OF LAWS, AND OUR LAWS
ARE BASED ON OUR CONSTITUTION
WHICH GUARANTEES THE RIGHT OF
HABEAS CORPUS.
>>OFTEN WHEN STRUGGLING WITH
MY STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND
THESE CONCEPTS, ESPECIALLY
DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF
DIVERSITY, THEY COME UP WITH
THIS NOTION OF BEING
COLORBLIND.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT
CONCEPT?
>> WELL, WHO IS REALLY
COLORBLIND?
LET'S BE HONEST WITH
OURSELVES!
(LAUGHING) WHEN SOMEBODY SEES
ME, DON'T THINK THEY DON'T
SEE LIKE THESE EYES. WHEN
THEY SEE YOU, DON'T THINK
THEY DON'T SEE THE COMPLEXION
OF YOUR SKIN.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS
BEING COLORBLIND AND VIEWING
YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
OUR CHARACTERISTICS, OUR
RACIAL CHARACTERISTICS ARE
PART OF OUR HUMANITY.
WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS TO MAKE
SURE THAT OUR DIFFERENCES ARE
GIVEN DIGNITY, AND THIS IS
THE COUNTRY WHERE OUR
DIFFERENCES ARE ENTITLED TO
DIGNITY.
BECAUSE HOW MANY COUNTRIES IN
THE ENTIRE WORLD HAVE BEEN
FOUNDED ON A DOCUMENT CALLED
THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE.
IS SO I THINK WE HAVE ENTERED
LIKE THIS NEW CENTURY AND THE
TIME HAS COME, YOU KNOW, TO
RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE
DIFFERENCES.
THAT WILL ENRICH US, ENRICH
ALL OF US.
>>WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS
COUNTRY THAT KEEPS THE RACE
CARD ALIVE, THESE
IMPLICATIONS THAT WE MAKE
ABOUT RACE AND ETHNICITY AND
GENDER?
WHY DOES THAT KEEP COMING
BACK?
>>THAT MASTER NARRATIVE IS A
RACIST NARRATIVE.
IT NARROWLY DEFINES WHO IS AN
AMERICAN, YOU SEE.
FOR THIS GOVERNMENT TO
SCRUTINIZE CHINESE AMERICANS
IS TO SAY, OH, THEY ARE NOT
QUITE AMERICAN. THEY STILL
HAVE THEIR LOYALTIES TO
CHINA.
SO I THINK THAT'S AT THE
BASIS.
IT IS LIKE A CURRENT UNDER
THE SURFACE OF OUR
CONSCIOUSNESS AND OUR
POLITICS AS TO WHO IS AN
AMERICAN.
AND THIS IS WHERE TEACHERS
HAVE THE OBLIGATION AND ALSO
THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDEFINE
WHO IS AN AMERICAN, TO OFFER
A MORE INCLUSIVE AND MORE
ACCURATE DEFINITION OF WHO IS
AN AMERICAN.
>>OFTEN AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE
CRITICIZED FOR NOT BEING ABLE
TO GIVE UP THE PAST, THAT
THEY STILL ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT JIM CROW AND SLAVERY
AND SO FORTH.
WHY DOES RACE STILL MATTER TO
THEM IN THAT HISTORICAL
CONTEXT?
>> BECAUSE SEDIMENTATION OF
SLAVERY IS SO POWERFUL EVEN
TODAY IN THE 21ST CENTURY.
I CAN GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE OF
THIS SEDIMENTATION.
IN THE 17TH CENTURY, IN
VIRGINIA WHERE IT ALL BEGAN,
THE FIRST AFRICANS WERE
LANDED BY THIS DUTCH
SLAVESHIP IN 1619, 20
AFRICANS WERE LANDED.
OVER 50 YEARS LATER, THE
AFRICAN POPULATION IN
VIRGINIA, IN THE VIRGINIA
COLONY, WAS ONLY 5%.
THESE ENGLISH PLANTERS IN
VIRGINIA, DID NOT WANT TO
BRING WORKERS IN FROM AFRICA.
THEY PREFERRED WHITE
INDENTURED SERVICES FROM
ENGLAND AND IRELAND BECAUSE
THEY SAW VIRGINIA AS A NEW
ENGLISH SOCIETY IN THE NEW
WORLD.
IN NEW ENGLAND IT WOULD BE A
"NEW" ENGLAND.
THEY WANTED THIS TO BE A
HOMOGENEOUS, A RACIALLY
HOMOGENEOUS ENGLISH WORLD IN
AMERICA. BUT THEN SOMETHING
HAPPENED IN 1676. THERE WAS
BACON'S REBELLION.
OKAY, THIS IS SOMETHING
EVERYBODY STUDIES IN U.S.
HISTORY COURSE, BACON'S
REBELLION.
JUST THINK WHAT THEY HAVE HAS
DONE WITH BACON'S REBELLION
BECAUSE I AM GOING TO BACON'
REBELLION, A FAMILIAR EVENT.
I AM LOOKING AT BACON'S
REBELLION THROUGH A
MULTICULTURAL LENS.
WHAT I FOUND SIGNIFICANT
ABOUT BACON'S REBELLION IS
THAT THE REBELS WERE MAINLY
WHITE REBELS.
THEY WERE WHITE INDENTURED
SERVANTS.
THEY WERE NON-WHITE LAND
HOLDING WORKERS.
THERE WAS A LAW AGAINST
BLACKS OWNING GUNS.
BUT THESE WHITE REBELS GAVE
ARMS TO THE BLACKS, AND
TOGETHER THEY MARCHED ON
JAMESTOWN, 500 OF THEM, AND
THEY BURNED JAMESTOWN TO THE
GROUND.
AFTER BACON'S REBELLION, THE
PLANTER ELITE IN VIRGINIA
DECIDED TO SHIFT FROM THE
DEPENDENCY ON WHITE
INDENTURED SERVITUDE TO
ENSLAVED AND DISARMED WORKERS
FROM AFRICA.
SO THE BLACK POPULATION
INCLINED SHARPLY AFTER
BACON'S REBELLION.
AND VIRGINIA BECAME A
BIRACIAL COLONY.
SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT
IS HAPPENING TODAY WITH A
HUGE AFRICAN AMERICAN
POPULATION, IT ALL STARTED IN
HISTORY, YOU SEE.
BUT NOT ONLY DID THESE
PLANTERS IN THE 17TH CENTURY
AFTER BACON'S REBELLION
TURNED THEN TO AFRICA AS
MAJOR SOURCE OF LABOR, BUT
THEY PASSED LAWS THAT
PROHIBITED MISCEGENATION.
OKAY.
THEY SAID A CHILD INHERITS
THE STATUS OF HIS MOTHER.
SO IF THE MOTHER IS A SLAVE,
THE CHILD IS A SLAVE.
OKAY.
ALTHOUGH THE FATHER MIGHT BE
A WHITE MASTER OR WHITE MAN,
THE CHILD IS STILL A SLAVE
AND IS BLACK.
AFTER BACON'S REBELLION, IT
ALSO PASSED A LAW AIMED AT
ENGLISH WOMEN.
IF ENGLISH WOMEN CONCEIVED
AND GAVE BIRTH TO A BIRACIAL
CHILD, THAT CHILD, TOO, WOULD
BE ENSLAVED.
OKAY.
SO SLAVERY BECAME EQUIVALENT
WITH BLACK.
IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT THE
RACIAL MIXTURE OF THE CHILD
WAS.
SO, TODAY, YOU STILL HAVE
THIS ONE DROP RULE.
YOU SEE, CENTURIES LATER SO
THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER
WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE
RACIALLY MIXED LIKE TIGER
WOODS, YOU ARE STILL BLACK.
THINK ABOUT HENRY LEWIS
GATES.
AS IT TURNS OUT HIS D.N.A.
POOL IS LARGER IN EUROPE THAN
IN AFRICA.
BUT HE IS STILL BLACK, YOU
SEE.
SO SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH
THIS PICTURE. BUT THIS IS
THE SEDIMENTATION THAT I HAVE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
IT IS STILL LIKE -- IT IS
DEEPLY EMBEDDED IN U.S.
SOCIETY AND U.S. CULTURE.
THAT'S WHY THE HISTORY OF
SLAVERY MATTERS.
I ONLY RECENTLY LEARNED THIS
FACT THAT I WISH EVERY
AMERICAN WOULD KNOW.
I HAD PUBLISHED MY BOOK, "A
DIFFERENT MIRROR," IN 1993,
AND I DIDN'T KNOW THIS FACT
CLEARLY IN 1993.
BUT AFTER 1993, I DID MORE
RESEARCH ON BLACKS DURING THE
CIVIL WAR.
AND HERE YOU HAD THE NATION
EXPERIENCING ITS MOST SEVERE
CRISIS, THE CIVIL WAR.
WE COULD HAVE DISSOLVED AS THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN
1862 IF THE SOUTH HAS SECEDED
TO DEFEND SLAVERY.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL
WAR, PRESIDENT LINCOLN
REFUSED TO ALLOW THE UNION
ARMY TO ENLIST AFRICAN
AMERICANS IN THE UNION ARMY
BECAUSE HE THOUGHT WHITE
TROOPS WOULD NOT WANT TO
FIGHT WITH BLACK
TROOPS, BUT HE ALSO WAS
CONCERNED ABOUT THE BORDER
STATES.
HE DID NOT WANT THE BORDER
STATES TO SECEDE BECAUSE THEN
THAT WOULD BE THE END OF THIS
GAME, THIS WAR.
THE WAR BEGAN IN 1862, 1861.
IN 1863, IN THE SPRING OF
1863, THE NORTH WAS LOSING
THE CIVIL WAR.
THE NORTH WAS ON THE VERGE OF
LOSING THE ENTIRE WAR.
THE WAR HAD BEEN UNDERWAY FOR
TWO YEARS NOW, AND WHITE
SOLDIERS FIGHTING IN THE
UNION ARMY HAD COMPLETED
THEIR TERMS OF ENLISTMENT,
AND THEY WERE RETURNING TO
CLEVELAND, BOSTON, CHICAGO.
THEY WERE GOING HOME, AND
THEY WERE TIRED OF FIGHTING
THIS WAR OVER SLAVERY.
OKAY.
THERE WAS NO DRAFT LAW YET IN
THE SPRING OF 1863, AND THERE
WERE VIRTUALLY NO NEW WHITE
ENLISTMENTS.
THOSE WHITE MEN IN THE NORTH
WERE NOT ENLISTING, WERE NOT
VOLUNTEERING TO FIGHT IN THE
UNION ARMY.
AT THIS POINT, LINCOLN SAW HE
HAD NO CHOICE.
SO HE ORDERED HIS COMMANDERS
IN THE FIELD TO START
ENLISTING BLACK MEN AS FAST
AS HE CAN.
WITHIN MONTHS, GENERAL
LORENZO THOMAS WHO WAS
ALREADY FIGHTING IN THE
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, HAD 20
REGIMENTS OF BLACK MEN IN
BLUE WHO WANTED TO BE ARMED
IN ORDER TO LIBERATE THEIR
WIVES AND CHILDREN STILL IN
BONDAGE. BY THE TIME LINCOLN
WENT TO GETTYSBURG, THE U.S.
UNION ARMY HAD 200,000 BLACKS
SERVING IN THE UNION ARMY.
AND THAT HELPS US TO
UNDERSTAND WHY LINCOLN WROTE
THE ADDRESS HE DID AT
GETTYSBURG WHERE HE SAID "FOUR
SCORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO,
THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED AND
DEDICATED TO THE PROPOSITION
THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED
EQUAL."
NOTICE, HE DIDN'T QUOTE FROM
THE CONSTITUTION.
HE QUOTED FROM THE
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
HE HIGHLIGHTED EQUALITY AS A
WAR AIM.
HE INFORMED HIS STAFF, ALSO
AT THIS TIME, THAT IF IT
WEREN'T FOR THESE BLACK MEN
IN BLUE, WE WOULD HAVE TO
ABANDON THE WAR EFFORT IN
THREE WEEKS.
THAT IS NOT PROFESSOR TAKAKI
SAYING THIS.
THIS IS THE COMMANDER IN
CHIEF OF THE UNITED STATES
ARMY SAYING THAT WE WOULD
LOSE THIS WAR.
SO THESE BLACK MEN IN BLUE
MADE THE DIFFERENCE IN
DETERMINING THAT THIS NATION
OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE,
AND FOR THE PEOPLE DID NOT
PERISH FROM THE EARTH.
I THINK THIS IS A FACT THAT
EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD KNOW
BECAUSE YOU REALIZE WHAT A
DEBT WE OWE TO ONE ANOTHER,
WHAT A DEBT WE OWE TO AFRICAN
AMERICANS.
WE WOULD NOT BE LIVING IN
THIS NATION CALLED THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA HAD IT NOT
BEEN FOR THE SACRIFICES OF
THESE BLACK MEN IN BLUE
BECAUSE THEIR CASUALTY RATES
WERE HORRENDOUS.
ONE-THIRD OF THEM AFTER THE
WAR WERE LISTED AS KILLED OR
MISSING IN ACTION.
BUT THEY GAVE THEIR LIMBS AND
THEIR LIVES IN ORDER TO SAVE
THIS UNION.
OUT OF THIS CIVIL WAR CAME A
NEW NATION, A NATION THAT WAS
NO LONGER HALF FREE AND HALF
SLAVE, BUT A NEW NATION THAT
HAD BEEN REDEDICATED TO THIS
PROPOSITION THAT ALL MEN ARE
CREATED EQUAL.
>>HISTORY SEEMS TO REPEAT
ITSELF, AND WE ARE GETTING
CURRENT INCIDENTS OF "YELLOW
PERIL."
WHEN DO YOU THINK THESE OLD
SENTIMENTS WILL WITHER ON THE
VINE AND PASS AWAY?
>>YOU CALL THEM OLD
SENTIMENTS, THIS WHOLE IDEA
OF THE YELLOW PERIL, AND, YOU
KNOW, HERE WE ARE ENTERING
INTO TENSIONS WITH CHINA.
BEFORE 9-11, CHINA WAS
EMERGING AS THE NEW
DIABOLICAL NATION.
IN FACT, PRESIDENT BUSH WAS
SENDING SPY PLANES CLOSE TO
CHINA, CONFRONTING CHINA.
BUT THEN 9-11 HAPPENED, AND
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE FOCUS
SHIFTED AWAY FROM CHINA.
BUT, YEAH, THESE OLD
SENTIMENTS ARE ALWAYS THERE
LURKING IN THE SHADOWS.
CHINA, RIGHT NOW, IS EMERGING
AS A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE
ECONOMIC NATION TO THE UNITED
STATES.
IN FACT, IT IS ALREADY
PREDICTED THAT CHINA WILL
BECOME THE NUMBER ONE ECONOMY
IN THE 21ST CENTURY.
SO I CAN SEE WHERE THESE
ECONOMIC RIVALRIES THEN WILL
SHAPE POLITICAL RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS, BUT
ALSO WILL SHAPE RELATIONSHIPS
OF THE CHINESE AND THEIR
GOVERNMENT HERE.
CHINESE WORKING FOR THE
DEFENSE INDUSTRY WILL BE
SCRUTINIZED, OKAY, AND WILL
BE SCAPEGOATED AND TARGETED
AND UNFAIRLY TREATED.
I THINK THIS IS A PROBLEM.
THE THING ABOUT THESE OLD
SENTIMENTS IS THAT THEY ARE
INVOKED AS NEEDED, OKAY.
THEY ARE THERE, BUT NOT
ALWAYS THERE, BUT THEY ARE
INVOKED AS NEEDED.
>>THAT'S INTERESTING.
ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, HOW
DO WE DEAL WITH PLATITUDES
LIKE ASIANS OF MODEL
MINORITIES?
>>OKAY, WHERE DID THIS WHOLE
IDEA AS ABOUT ASIAN AMERICANS
AS A MODEL MINORITY COME
FROM?
YOU SEE.
IT CAME FROM RONALD REAGAN,
1980'S.
REAGAN WAS THE ONE WHO WANTED
TO CUT BLACKS OUT OF WELFARE,
AND HE HAD ONE OF HIS PUNDITS
NAMED CHARLES MURRAY WROTE
THIS BOOK "LOSING GROUND"
PUBLISHED, IN WHAT, IN 1985,
AND THAT BECAME THE SOCIAL
BIBLE ON REAGAN'S ATTACK ON
THE WELFARE SYSTEM.
BUT THINK ABOUT WHAT REAGAN
SAID ABOUT THAT SAME TIME, HE
DESCRIBED BLACKS ON WELFARE
AS THE WELFARE QUEENS.
REMEMBER, THE WELFARE QUEENS?
HE SAID WHY CAN'T BLACKS BE
LIKE ASIAN AMERICANS, THE
MODEL MINORITY? THEY DON'T
DEPEND ON WELFARE.
THEY PULLED THEMSELVES UP BY
THEIR BOOT STRAPS.
THINK ABOUT THIS IDEA OF
ASIAN AMERICANS AS MODEL
MINORITY.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS LIKE THE
PROTESTANT ETHIC. YOU KNOW,
YOU DO IT ON YOUR OWN.
BUT THE ASIAN AMERICANS THEN
FUNCTION, THE IDEOLOGICAL
HATCHET MAN FOR WELFARE.
BUT THE REALITY IS THAT NOT
ALL ASIAN AMERICANS ARE
MAKING IT.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE
MONG, THE MIEN, THEIR WELFARE
RATES ARE 80, 90%, AND
PERMANENT UNEMPLOYMENT AND
DEPENDENCY ON WELFARE.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
COMPARING WHITE INCOMES WITH
ASIAN AMERICAN INCOMES, YOU
ARE TALKING ABOUT COMPARING
FAMILY INCOMES.
WELL, ASIAN AMERICANS HAVE
MORE TWO INCOME EARNERS PER
FAMILY THAN WHITE FAMILIES.
OF COURSE, THEIR INCOMES WILL
BE HIGHER THAN WHITE FAMILIES
BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE
WORKERS PER FAMILIES.
PUNDITS LIKE CHARLES MURRAY
OVERLOOK THOSE FACTS.
BECAUSE THESE FACTS WILL
SUPPORT THEIR ASSERTIONS, AND
THIS IS WHERE IT IS IMPORTANT
TO ASK EPISTEMOLOGICAL
QUESTIONS, YOU SEE!
WHEN REAGAN ATTACKED WELFARE
AND BLAMED BLACKS FOR THEIR
POVERTY AND CELEBRATED ASIAN
AMERICANS AS A MODERN
MINORITY, HE WAS MAKING THESE
CLAIMS WITHIN AN ECONOMIC
CONTEXT.
IN THE U.S., IN THE 1980'S,
AMERICAN COMPANIES WERE
DEINDUSTRIALIZING.
THEY WERE MOVING PLANTS OUT
OF THE UNITED STATES INTO
FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
U.S. AUTO COMPANIES WERE
SHUTTING DOWN PLANTS IN
DETROIT AND RELOCATING THEM
IN MEXICO.
SO YOU HAVE THE RISE OF
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE CITIES,
AND THIS RISE ESPECIALLY
IMPACTED OUR AFRICAN
AMERICANS.
THEY WERE UNEMPLOYED IN
DETROIT, AND THEY FOUND IT
DIFFICULT THEN TO FIND NEW
JOBS.
SAME THING IN SOUTH CENTRAL
LOS ANGELES.
THE FIRESTONE PLANT HAD A BIG
FACTORY IN CENTRAL LOS
ANGELES.
IT SHUT DOWN.
AND TEN THOUSAND BLACKS WHO
WERE WORKING AT THE FIRESTONE
PLANT, IT SHUT DOWN. OKAY,
SO HERE YOU HAVE BLACKS NOW
BEING FORCED INTO
UNEMPLOYMENT, FORCED INTO
POVERTY, AND HERE YOU HAVE
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES SAYING, "OH, IT IS
THEIR FAULT.
IT IS THEIR FAULT.
THEY SHOULD WORK HARD.
THEY SHOULD LIFT THEMSELVES
UP BY THEIR BOOT STRAPS." BUT
POVERTY, YOU KNOW, IS CAUSED
BY THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE
U.S. ECONOMY BY THE
DEINDUSTRIALIZATION OF
AMERICA.
TODAY WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH
POLICY MAKERS, THEY ARE
BLAMING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
FROM MEXICO FOR TAKING JOBS
AWAY FROM AFRICAN AMERICANS.
BUT THESE AFRICAN AMERICANS
HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS BECAUSE
OF OUTSOURCING AND SO FORTH,
YOU SEE.
WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE
LARGER PICTURE.
SAME THING WITH THESE ILLEGAL
IMMIGRANTS FROM MEXICO.
WHILE I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY,
I HAVE TO GET INTO THIS
DEBATE OVER THE ILLEGAL
IMMIGRANTS.
NO ONE IN WASHINGTON IS
ASKING WHY IS IT THAT
MILLIONS OF MEXICANS ARE
LEAVING THEIR HOMELAND AND
COMING TO THIS COUNTRY?
IF YOU READ MY BOOK, "A
DIFFERENT MIRROR," YOU WILL
REALIZE THAT IMMIGRANTS ARE
PULLED TO THE UNITED STATES
BECAUSE OF JOBS, BUT THEY ARE
BEING PUSHED OUT OF THEIR
HOME LANDS BY POVERTY.
SO THESE MEXICANS WHO ARE
COMING OVER HERE ARE BEING
PUSHED BY POVERTY -- PUSHED
OUT OF MEXICO BY POVERTY.
AND THE UNITED STATES HAS
BEEN CONTRIBUTING TO THIS
POVERTY.
THE CROSSINGS OF THE BORDER
SPIKED UPWARD AFTER 1994.
WHAT HAPPENED IN 1994?
IN 1994 NAFTA WAS AGREED ON.
THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE
AGREEMENT.
SO AFTER NAFTA BECAME POLICY,
IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR
GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED CORN TO
BE SHIPPED FROM IOWA TO
MEXICO, CHEAP CORN, AND THAT
BANKRUPTED 1.5 MILLION
MEXICAN FARMERS.
WHERE ARE THESE FARMERS
GOING?
THEY ARE GOING TO THE CITIES
LIKE MEXICO CITY WHERE
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS 40%,
HIGHER THAN THE UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE IN THIS COUNTRY DURING
THE GREAT DEPRESSION, AND
THEY ARE ALSO COMING
NORTHWARD TO WORK IN THE
UNITED STATES.
SO IF WE REALLY WANT
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION
REFORM, I THINK WE HAVE TO
REFORM NAFTA.
>>IT IS A HUGE CAUSE AND
EFFECT, ISN'T IT?
>> THIS KIND OF HISTORY THAT
THIS MORE INCLUSIVE HISTORY
CAN SERVE AS A TIE THAT CAN
BIND US TOGETHER.
LINCOLN, IN HIS FIRST
INAUGURAL ADDRESS, SAID
HISTORY CAN OFFER US THE
MYSTIC CORDS OF MEMORY.
I THINK THIS IS WHAT A
MULTICULTURAL INCLUSIVE
HISTORY CAN DO.
IT CAN OFFER US THESE MYSTIC
CORDS OF MEMORY THAT BIND US
TO ONE ANOTHER AS A DIVERSE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
