Zia speaks at TWC on racial equality

Helen Zia '73, an Asian-American rights activist, has long been at the forefront of the struggle for racial equality. The Third World Center invited Zia to speak last night on "The Asian-American Emergence."

Zia began noticing racial tensions as a child growing up in New Jersey during the 1950s, observing that "very few faces looked like mine." America, it seemed, was "mostly black and white, with a big noticeable gap," she said. It was difficult for her to imagine that Asian Americans could be an integral part of America. Even during the Vietnam War, Zia noted that "there were many Asian faces — but usually shown as the enemy."

Zia remained hopeful for change despite this discouraging environment and was enthusiastic to begin her work when she graduated from Princeton's first co-ed class.

"There was great excitement and I knew I was being a part of a huge social change," Zia said in an interview.

But Zia faced many personal difficulties first. After graduating, she dropped out of medical school, to her parents' dismay, and quickly took a job as a press operator for Chrysler.

Zia said the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit was a significant turning point in her life. During a time when Japan's economic boom was rousing anti-Japanese sentiment among Americans, Chin, Chinese but mistaken for Japanese, was allegedly beaten brutally to death with a baseball bat by white supremacists.

"America was blaming other countries like Japan for its own problems," Zia said, "and people were blending all the Asians together."

Chin's alleged murderers, to Zia's dismay, were favored by the court and sentenced to several years probation. Outraged, Zia said she was determined to find justice.

She began to fervently pursue journalism, attending classes and submitting small stories. After several years, she finally earned her dream job as Ms. Magazine's executive editor. In this capacity, Zia was exposed to a fast-paced world. She was determined to learn as much as she could.

Zia believes that Asian Americans are also suffering in the political arena.

She said that the campaign finance scandals of 1996-98, during which the FBI investigated the backgrounds of politically active Asian Americans, demonstrated unmistakeable political bias. The more recent Wen Ho Lee controversy, in which physicist Lee was unfairly accused and detained for espionage, also revealed hostility toward Asians, Zia added.

"He was used as a scapegoat. There is no question about it," she said. "That man was not a spy."

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Even the current Bush administration, Zia said, has begun to exercise an anti-China foreign policy.

With China's predicted rise to power in the near future, Zia said she believes America will witness a replay of the Japan saga: due to economic and political competition between the two countries, America will develop anti-Chinese sentiment.

"China's rise to power will definitely create tension — it has before. China has nowhere near the same capabilities as the United States, but the Chinese will be painted as the enemy," Zia said. "They have been presented as the 'protosuperpower' since the mid-90s."

Zia is concerned that Asian Americans are not receiving the recognition that they deserve and are underrespresented in many industries, most notably in television.

"We have been invisible in America," Zia said. "The old paradigm stands true — America remains biracial and bipolar — and we see things in only black and white."

"The Civil Rights movement did not include Asians," she said. "Being human, we have the capacity to do more, to go beyond immediate self-interest and to build a civilization that works for everyone."

Zia said she believes that even the leading educational institutions of America continue to harbor racial bias.

"I suspect that there are certain unspoken feelings around, and I don't think it's a coincidence that year after year, the percentage of minorities accepted to Princeton remains the same. There are limiting quotas," Zia said.

Regarding affirmative action in recent years, Zia believes that it is a "tremendous tragedy that race has been singled out."

"Affirmative action should not be a policy of preferences, that is not its purpose," Zia said. "Race should never be a factor when considering student acceptance."

Zia, who has occasionally disagreed with members of the Princeton alumni population, realizes that "a certain segment of the Princeton community would feel threatened by upping the percentages of women and minorities accepted into the school." Zia admitted that she would have anticipated "more color" at Princeton but is impressed with the current male to female ratio.

"Some things haven't changed a whole lot, which is why we need to constantly push and make efforts," she added.

During last night's speech, Zia encouraged students to raise their expectations. The nation, Zia believes, is facing a crisis of low expectations.

"Zia stands as a reminder that Princeton students can take activism for social justice into the real world," Third World Center committee member Jane Liu '01 said.

"When you dream it," Zia told students, "you have at least a chance at achieving it."

University students who attended Zia's talk were called upon to use their high education to "shape dreams for social justice."

Zia urged students to accomplish peace together. Convinced that all races are intertwined, Zia repeatedly emphasized the need to revise old expectations based on what she said were ignorance, stereotypes and misunderstandings.

"My friends," she said, "we all live in parallel universes."

Though Zia said she believes that much bias still remains to be resolved, she observed that America seems to be undergoing a "heightened consciousness."

"My work is to give all Americans a reality check, to raise the visibility of Asian Americans. Asian Americans are still seen as foreigners — and until we tear down this image of being invisible, we won't be able to prove that we aren't the enemy, that we aren't the alien, that we aren't the foreigner."

Zia, who recently published her book "Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People," currently lives in Oakland, Calif., and continues to rally for social justice around the country.