4/25 Laotian Daughters + Monkey Dance Film

In “Laotian Daughters,” Shah describes how second-generation Laotian women challenge stereotypes of them through political action. One thing that caught my eye was Proposition 227. The proposition called for to only have English education and services allowed in schools. I understand that the primary language in school is English, but it by no means is more of a preferred language than another. If Prop 227 had passed, there would be no bilingual education or bilingual services provided to the many students who speak more than one language. Many immigrants are coming to America, and many of them may not speak English. Showing inclusivity is important. Eventually, schools will have to provide bilingual education as the majority demands it. Another part that caught my eye was when Shah mentioned how second-generation children serve as translators or the intergenerational component. I, myself, am a second-generation child of Vietnamese immigrants. I remembered that back in elementary school, whenever my teacher wanted a parent-teacher conference, I would be by my mom translating English to Chinese for her to understand. 

The film Monkey Dance focused on three kids: Linda, Sochenda, and Sam. All three of them were second-generation of Cambodian immigrants. Their parents came to the U.S. in hopes of a better life for themselves, but mainly for their children. Many of their parents work in factories where they received minimum wage and worked more than 8 hours a day. The children grew up in mostly poor communities where they were likely exposed to gangs, drugs, or any other bad influences. As a result, the children were pressured to succeed in academics and also learn about their parent's culture because of Khmer Rouge, a genocide of Cambodian culture. Because of those high expectations, the children showed resistance by assimilating more to American culture by joining sports like gymnastics, b-boying, working, or caring about cars.