Asian-American Students Host First Cultural Fest

In an effort to inform Harvard students about the issues facing the Asian-American community, student groups will launch a week of cultural activities on campus today to promote an understanding of Asian-American heritage.

The goal of Asian-American Cultural Week '89-'90 is "to combat ignorance and appreciate our different heritage," said Arlene M. Mayeda '91, co-president of the Asian-American Association (AAA) and a member of the planning committee.

"Asian-Americans appear to many as being very successful, so the many instances of subtle discrimination and racism don't often get addressed," Mayeda said.

Since Actively Working Against Racism and Ethnocentrism (AWARE) Week will begin Monday, Asian-American Cultural Week planners said they scheduler their events around AWARE Week activities.

"It's not a question of one agenda interfering with the other, because whenever you have any minorities starting social and political action and no longer being passive about the issues, they will all contribute positively to the situation at hand," said Hilda Hernandez-Gravelle, assistant dean for race relations and minority affairs.

Organizers also said that while Asian-American student groups have sponsored events to promote awareness in the past, this week's agenda marks the first time that an entire week has been devoted to Asian-American issues.

"The cultural week is really a coalescingfunction for all the Asian groups on campus," saidWesley J. Paul '91, and AAA representative to theMinority Students' Alliance. "All the groups areuniting to show cultural awareness, and each groupwill target different issues."

Activities begin today with a symposium,sponsored by the Koreans of Harvard and Radcliffe(KOHR), on the political prospects forKorean-Americans. The discussion will be followedby a food festival hosted by AAA.

A decision by the Andrew M. Mellon Foundationto exclude Asian students from an affirmativeaction fellowship program will be discussedtomorrow in a workshop on the minority status ofAsian-Americans.

During the workshop, entitled "Are weminorities?" Professor of Education and SocialStructure Nathan Glazer and Peter N. Kiang, aprofessor at the University of Massachusetts atBoston. will offer opposing viewpoints onaffirmative action.

According to Paul, "Glazer sees affirmativeaction as a regressive policy that actually limitsthe ability of minorities to achieve parity withthe mainstream. This will be a stimulatingdebate--especially since Harvard Collegeofficially recognizes Asian-Americans asminorities and yet the Mellon Fellowship islimited to Blacks, Native Americans andHispanics."

The recently created Harvard Students forDemocratic China also will play an active role inthe week's events with a candle-light vigil Sundaynight to commemorate the six-month anniversary ofJune's Tiananmen Square massacre.

"Our goal is for the Harvard community atlarge, and all the Asian groups as well, toremember the issues that still face China," saidJoseph C. Kusnan '93, one of the coordinators forthe vigil. He added that the group had postedannouncements at other local colleges, includingBoston University, Boston College and Tufts