On this page, you will find interviews from current staff and faculty as of the Spring 2021 semester. Folks had the choice between a written response, a video recording, or an audio recording. Their responses to the six questions asked are presented below.
Name: Winifred (Wini) Hunton-Chan
Position: Adjunct Instructor in Language and Developmental Studies
As someone who has lived the majority of my life in the city of Napa, I’d say it is highly uncomfortable. There is an attitude that racism doesn’t exist in “liberal” Napa, and as a “model minority” we are fine; however, my experience has not been fine. I was the only Chinese American kid in my classes K-12 in Napa, and it was lonely. My parents were horrified when I came home from school having learned a racist rhyme about a “Chinaman” on the playground. When I went back to school to explain to my classmates that it was racist, they shrugged. Their parents didn’t get mad so why were my parents so weird? Variations on this experience continue to this day.
The microaggressions are real.
A few years ago my dad and I started going out to eat once a week; we would enter mainstream, local (not tourist) Napa restaurants and the other diners would stare at us while we were being seated. I then remembered that this had also been the case during my childhood. I think it is different for my dad because he is in his 80s and has a longer view. In his lifetime racism towards Chinese Americans has diminished in many ways. However, I feel angry that in my only hometown, it is clear that we don’t belong. Even when people are friendly, they often say oblivious things that betray the fact that we are the only Chinese Americans they know, and to them, we represent all of China regardless of my fact my dad and I have together spent fewer than two months out of our entire lives in China.
I am fortunate that I have not experienced violence explicitly due to being Asian American.
As an Asian American woman, men regularly say weird/gross things to me regarding some kind of magic sexuality that they assume I possess because of my ethnicity. Every person is unique. To assume that all women of Asian descent have some kind of sexual “essence” is incredibly sexist and racist. I’m bewildered that I have to say this; however, the most frequent backhanded compliments I’ve received in my life have been in a sexual context.
Tip: When getting to know people, approach them as an individual rather than a stereotype, especially if that stereotype is from porn.
I think one pervasive stereotype is that we’re not “from” here. Some Asian Americans were born in an Asian country. Some were born elsewhere. Some were born in the US. Where one is born is part of an individual’s story and is not a complete picture of who they are, their culture or their experiences. Just because someone is Asian American does not mean that they speak an Asian language, cook a specific cuisine or practice a specific religion. Just because someone was not born here doesn’t mean that they’re less American. Also, AAPI is a giant category. There are so many different Asian countries, cultures, foods, religions and experiences. Here we are lumped together, but that is like lumping together all of Europe.
Also, I’m bad at math, and great at driving.
Tip: Instead of asking someone where they’re from, ask them about their hobbies and interests.
I’m not sure. How do I convince someone to not hate me? When do I have the time to do that as I’m going about my life? I think that conversation and curiosity are important practices. Schools hosting cultural events would help to elevate the level of curiosity and conversation on the campus. And we need allies.
Right now all people of color need allies. We need people who have not experienced racism to accept that it happens and get curious about it while understanding that allyship is a journey, not something one earns a gold star for. Allyship is ongoing and includes being willing to re-evaluate one’s own perceptions and ideas about how the world works. I’m not sure what is to be done about violence and racism, but for allies, read books and watch movies by and about minorities. Be curious about the stories of others. Well told stories go a long way in breaking down stereotypes. When we can see each other as people instead of a vague enemy we will make progress.
Name: Cristine Tapia
Position: Executive Assistant to the Vice President in the Office of Academic Affairs