Two Different Minorities
(a raisin in the sun puzzle paragraph)
It is safe to say that Beneatha from A Raisin in the Sun was wrapped up in her own world of individuality. She was the lone ranger of her family in her viewpoints of social awareness. She wanted so badly to associate with her roots in Africa and her friendship with Asagai was exactly what she needed to further that. Beneatha despised forms of assimilation: she was like Gandhi, freeing herself from the social rule of treated hair and white-American music.
As an Asian American, culture and "roots" are very important parts of my life. However, saying that African Americans and Asian Americans share this common goal is merely verisimilitude. As a child of two immigrants, connecting with my Pakistani culture is done without effort. My household is brimming with desi spectacles and I have a tight-knit community of people who share the same culture and religion as me. In the case of Beneatha, she has none of that, in fact, she does not know where her original roots started because her older generations were likely forced into migration, unlike most Asian American families. While others might say this is not really a privilege of the Asian American community, in social aspects I think it certainly is. Having this connection to the world outside of America gives a sense of security and safety to minorities. Most African Americans have to step out of western borders like they are entering a casino; whether they get accepted or not is a rule of chance because of course, racism towards the international black community is still a lit fire.
Asian Americans are by no means a group that has it easiest in America-- we can see an example of this in current times as Andrew Yang's campaign was ignored by the media. But A Raisin in the Sun showed us that contrast between American minorities does exist from subjects like different types of racial profiling to just connecting with our roots.
It is safe to say that Beneatha from A Raisin in the Sun was wrapped up in her own world of individuality. She was the lone ranger of her family in her viewpoints of social awareness. She wanted so badly to associate with her roots in Africa and her friendship with Asagai was exactly what she needed to further that. Beneatha despised forms of assimilation: she was like Gandhi, freeing herself from the social rule of treated hair and white-American music.
As an Asian American, culture and "roots" are very important parts of my life. However, saying that African Americans and Asian Americans share this common goal is merely verisimilitude. As a child of two immigrants, connecting with my Pakistani culture is done without effort. My household is brimming with desi spectacles and I have a tight-knit community of people who share the same culture and religion as me. In the case of Beneatha, she has none of that, in fact, she does not know where her original roots started because her older generations were likely forced into migration, unlike most Asian American families. While others might say this is not really a privilege of the Asian American community, in social aspects I think it certainly is. Having this connection to the world outside of America gives a sense of security and safety to minorities. Most African Americans have to step out of western borders like they are entering a casino; whether they get accepted or not is a rule of chance because of course, racism towards the international black community is still a lit fire.
Asian Americans are by no means a group that has it easiest in America-- we can see an example of this in current times as Andrew Yang's campaign was ignored by the media. But A Raisin in the Sun showed us that contrast between American minorities does exist from subjects like different types of racial profiling to just connecting with our roots.
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