Assimilating Asian Pacific Americans choose between fitting in,
retaining culture

By Kacie Foster  | Indiana Daily Student | Monday, September 19, 2005
http://www.idsnews.com/subsite/story.php?id=31124

When Cheng-yi Liu's father, Keng-she, was in elementary school, his teachers struggled with the pronunciation of his name so they decided to call him "Fred."

Name changes are one of many issues surrounding the assimilation of immigrants and their families. Nearly 20 students of various ethnicities met in a crowded room Friday afternoon at the Asian Culture Center to discuss "What's in a name?"

This discussion was the first in a six-part talk series, "Who are Asian-Pacific Americans?" sponsored by the ACC and Filipino Student Association.

Student facilitator Tony Truong said some Asians choose to use an American name to better assimilate in the culture. But he added that many times a name can hold a deeper meaning.

"Your name is part of your identity," he said.

FSA member Elenita Gui said the choice was not a personal one for some Filipinos. At one time, Spain ruled over the Philippines, and Spaniards systematically reassigned family names so they could keep better records. Since elementary school, Cheng-yi Lui, student outreach coordinator at the ACC, has been asked why he didn't change his name to an English name.

"I was born with this name, and I should be proud of it," he said. "I'm glad I never changed my name."

Babita Upadhyay is the program and administrative assistant at the ACC. Her daughter's name is Shahzadi, and she said her daughter's teachers begged her to shorten it so they could pronounce it. Upadhyay refused.

"That's the name we gave her, and it has meaning," she said. Shahzadi means "emperor's daughter" in Nepali, and Upadhyay said she chose it because her husband's name means "emperor."

Yu-ting Su is from Taiwan, and said she doesn't want to change her name.

"It's something I can hold onto in a foreign country," she said. "It's who I am."

Still, some people choose an American name. Junior Angela Robinson said she understands why it's important to assimilate, but also why some choose to stay close to their roots.

"You want to keep your culture, but you want to sound normal," she said.

When she was a newborn, people said she looked like a little angel, so she was named Angela, she said.

The group decided respect is most important when using someone else's name. They said parents should teach their children while they're young that stereotyping or making fun of someone's name can be painful. Also, parents can choose to raise their children in a diverse community, so they will have exposure to a variety of people.

When Truong asked if American society was like a melting pot, the group disagreed with the metaphor. It decided society was more like a fruit salad.

"The whole is better than the parts alone, and that's the meaning of diversity," Truong said. "Diversity is coming to understand other peoples' point of view."

Students and the public are invited to the next discussion in the series, "Fresh off the boat?" from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Asian Culture Center.