Overcoming Forced Transformation
Overcoming Forced Transformation
Behind each Hawaiian tradition, each Korean military wife, and each diligent Filipino nurse lays a history of unseen obstacles. The gender-discriminating and racist obstacles these Asian American and Pacific Islander women went through created the path for the senses of agency, resistance, and resilience used to overcome harsh, life changes. What these women have gone through to get to where they are today not only helped shape who they are, but also has transformed our understanding of women’s history. Hawaiian hula tradition is seen across the media as a beautiful, cultural dance done to entertain a crowd. Indeed, it is incredibly beautiful, but it is much more than entertainment. The hula and many other …show more content…
Hawaiian legends/traditions are still used today as a sense of agency and transmission of culture and history through prolonged traditions. Hawaii’s last royal woman to take the throne, Queen Lili’uokalani, during the late nineteenth century, became the “Focal point of Native Hawaiian protest against American annexation, rule, and assimilation,” (McGregor, 33). No matter what the Americans would do, the Queen would not surrender – she never did. That, in itself, is a concrete example of women’s empowerment to take action based on one’s culture. After her overthrow, Native Hawaiian women strongly sought to sustain and protect Hawaiian culture – something Queen Lili’uokalani did in all her will. The way they did that was through flourished use of traditional skills, Hawaiian hula dances and chants, traditional healing practices, and legendary story telling as a part of primary school curriculum still all used today. The history of Native Hawaiian tradition now shows us the true meaning in regards to agency and empowerment; the hula, for example, is much more than a cultural dance/chant used for entertainment, but also a way to keep the slowly-dying Hawaiian tradition alive. Korean women showed tons of resistance through marrying American military men. Korean patriarchy was the norm in Korea, and the women sought out to marry American men to gain freedom and economic opportunity in America. Women saw this as a “Resistance to a past, and a looming future, as a debt-ridden, impoverished camptown prostitute serving American soldiers stationed in South Korea,” (Yuh, 222). Resistance continued when the “American Dream” life was not as wonderful as (now) Korean military wives thought. Americans were racist towards the Korean military wives, which created many restraints upon their success in America. Even though they suffered that discrimination, they found their way around it and created friendship ties with other military wives as ways of “Finding and connecting with each other,” (Yuh, 225). This worked to the Korean women’s advantage, because they received much information and companionship to live comfortably and successfully in America with their husbands. They eventually created organizations for more women like them, which brought them together for more companionship and comfort. The story of Korean military wives shows us how truly strong-willed they were to take action from what was unfair. After World War II, nursing positions in the United States opened up tremendously.
Filipino nurses in the Philippines were excited to take this opportunity because they had learned English and trained to be professional nurses. Plus, the economic issues had encouraged Filipino nurses to pursue successful nursing opportunities in America. However, when they came to America, becoming a nurse was far harder than they had ever imagined. The United States imposed changes among the requirements for a nursing license. The Filipino nurses continuously had high failure rates among examinations for their nursing license. Even when nursing organizations were created to help the Filipino nurses, they “Had little power to affect exploitative recruitment practices and the high failure rate on American licensing exams,” (Choy, 341). This did not stop the Filipino women, though; they created alliances that fought for all Filipino women in America against “Discrimination in any area – whether in employment, housing, education, and others,” (Choy, 343). More and more organizations were being created by these women to ensure equal rights and to stop racial discrimination within the medical field. With slow progress, the Filipino nurses in America show us a great aspect of resilience. No matter what it took, they fought hard to get an equal medical career in America. Each obstacle these Asian American and Pacific Islander women have overcome and the paths they took to overcome them has allowed us to notice the true meanings of actions, adjustments to the unfair norms, and persistence towards an equal life throughout women’s history. Agency, resistance, and resilience were used to allow these women to become successful in a world full of discrimination. Their experiences shaped their lives and transformed our understanding of their history from now
on.
Work’s Cited
Choy, Catherine Ceniza. “‘Relocating Struggle’ Filipino Nurses Organize in the United States.” Asian/Pacific Islander American Women. Ed. Shirley Hune, Gail M. Nomura. New York: New York University, 2003. 335-347. Print.
McGregor, Davianna Pōmaika’i. “Constructed Images of Native Hawaiian Women.” Asian/Pacific Islander American Women. Ed. Shirley Hune, Gail M. Nomura. New York: New York University, 2003. 25-37. Print.
Yuh, Ji-Yeon. “‘Imagined Community’ Sisterhood and Resistance among Korean Military Brides in America, 1950-1960”. Asian/Pacific Islander American Women. Ed. Shirley Hune, Gail M. Nomura. New York: New York University, 2003. 221-235. Print.
Behind each Hawaiian tradition, each Korean military wife, and each diligent Filipino nurse lays a history of unseen obstacles. The gender-discriminating and racist obstacles these Asian American and Pacific Islander women went through created the path for the senses of agency, resistance, and resilience used to overcome harsh, life changes. What these women have gone through to get to where they are today not only helped shape who they are, but also has transformed our understanding of women’s history. Hawaiian hula tradition is seen across the media as a beautiful, cultural dance done to entertain a crowd. Indeed, it is incredibly beautiful, but it is much more than entertainment. The hula and many other …show more content…
Hawaiian legends/traditions are still used today as a sense of agency and transmission of culture and history through prolonged traditions. Hawaii’s last royal woman to take the throne, Queen Lili’uokalani, during the late nineteenth century, became the “Focal point of Native Hawaiian protest against American annexation, rule, and assimilation,” (McGregor, 33). No matter what the Americans would do, the Queen would not surrender – she never did. That, in itself, is a concrete example of women’s empowerment to take action based on one’s culture. After her overthrow, Native Hawaiian women strongly sought to sustain and protect Hawaiian culture – something Queen Lili’uokalani did in all her will. The way they did that was through flourished use of traditional skills, Hawaiian hula dances and chants, traditional healing practices, and legendary story telling as a part of primary school curriculum still all used today. The history of Native Hawaiian tradition now shows us the true meaning in regards to agency and empowerment; the hula, for example, is much more than a cultural dance/chant used for entertainment, but also a way to keep the slowly-dying Hawaiian tradition alive. Korean women showed tons of resistance through marrying American military men. Korean patriarchy was the norm in Korea, and the women sought out to marry American men to gain freedom and economic opportunity in America. Women saw this as a “Resistance to a past, and a looming future, as a debt-ridden, impoverished camptown prostitute serving American soldiers stationed in South Korea,” (Yuh, 222). Resistance continued when the “American Dream” life was not as wonderful as (now) Korean military wives thought. Americans were racist towards the Korean military wives, which created many restraints upon their success in America. Even though they suffered that discrimination, they found their way around it and created friendship ties with other military wives as ways of “Finding and connecting with each other,” (Yuh, 225). This worked to the Korean women’s advantage, because they received much information and companionship to live comfortably and successfully in America with their husbands. They eventually created organizations for more women like them, which brought them together for more companionship and comfort. The story of Korean military wives shows us how truly strong-willed they were to take action from what was unfair. After World War II, nursing positions in the United States opened up tremendously.
Filipino nurses in the Philippines were excited to take this opportunity because they had learned English and trained to be professional nurses. Plus, the economic issues had encouraged Filipino nurses to pursue successful nursing opportunities in America. However, when they came to America, becoming a nurse was far harder than they had ever imagined. The United States imposed changes among the requirements for a nursing license. The Filipino nurses continuously had high failure rates among examinations for their nursing license. Even when nursing organizations were created to help the Filipino nurses, they “Had little power to affect exploitative recruitment practices and the high failure rate on American licensing exams,” (Choy, 341). This did not stop the Filipino women, though; they created alliances that fought for all Filipino women in America against “Discrimination in any area – whether in employment, housing, education, and others,” (Choy, 343). More and more organizations were being created by these women to ensure equal rights and to stop racial discrimination within the medical field. With slow progress, the Filipino nurses in America show us a great aspect of resilience. No matter what it took, they fought hard to get an equal medical career in America. Each obstacle these Asian American and Pacific Islander women have overcome and the paths they took to overcome them has allowed us to notice the true meanings of actions, adjustments to the unfair norms, and persistence towards an equal life throughout women’s history. Agency, resistance, and resilience were used to allow these women to become successful in a world full of discrimination. Their experiences shaped their lives and transformed our understanding of their history from now
on.
Work’s Cited
Choy, Catherine Ceniza. “‘Relocating Struggle’ Filipino Nurses Organize in the United States.” Asian/Pacific Islander American Women. Ed. Shirley Hune, Gail M. Nomura. New York: New York University, 2003. 335-347. Print.
McGregor, Davianna Pōmaika’i. “Constructed Images of Native Hawaiian Women.” Asian/Pacific Islander American Women. Ed. Shirley Hune, Gail M. Nomura. New York: New York University, 2003. 25-37. Print.
Yuh, Ji-Yeon. “‘Imagined Community’ Sisterhood and Resistance among Korean Military Brides in America, 1950-1960”. Asian/Pacific Islander American Women. Ed. Shirley Hune, Gail M. Nomura. New York: New York University, 2003. 221-235. Print.