As a Southeast Asian person, it brought me joy to hear stories about Southeast Asian people. I'm also glad that Laotian Daughters talked about Laotian communities in the East Bay, where I am from. Although I am Thai, I can relate to the stories of Laotians and Cambodians in the movie and reading because our cultures are similar. "Laotian Daughters", especially, hit close to home. My parents are from Isan, a region in Thailand that is heavily influenced by Laotian culture, hence the culture represented by the texts related to me personally. The criticisms that Laotian mothers gave to their daughters in "Laotian Daughters" were eerily similar to the criticisms that my mother gave to my sister. When me or my sister misbehaved, my mother would accuse us of being "too American".
Being from Pinole, which is merely 15 minutes from Richmond, I have personal accounts of the effects of Chevron in my community. There is much debate about the presence of Chevron in Richmond. Chevron is not only a huge part of Richmond's economy, it is also a defining characteristic in Richmond's identity. Richmond High School's mascot is the oilers, showing how deep Chevron is embedded in Richmond's culture. Chevron also improve the community by funding schools, educational programs, and scholarships to students in Richmond and surrounding communities. However, the environmental effects are undeniable. The Chevron refinery causes a lot of air pollution, which affects people of Richmond who are mostly poor people of color. Although Chevron has been a part of Richmond for a long time, it has not improved the community much as much of Richmond still live in poverty. Chevron is a big, heated issue in Richmond.
No comments:
Post a Comment