Asian graduate students to screen documentary

In an effort to make the campus more aware of issues facing Asian Pacific American students, the Coalition of Asian Pacific American Social Work Students is scheduled to screen its documentary tomorrow night.

"Face Value," a 35-minute video filmed this summer by LSA senior Marc Drake, will be shown at 6 p.m. in the Pendleton Room of the Michigan Union.

The idea for the video grew partly out of frustration APA students experienced with the way the University teaches ethnic issues, said Clara Choi, a Social Work second-year graduate student.

"All first-year students were discouraged with the class material," said Choi, who joined the group this past year.

"It was all black and white issues with barely any other cultures discussed," Choi said. "In the textbook, there was one paragraph about Asian issues. We didn't think that was good enough."

To facilitate discussion, the group created a video of 13 students sharing their experiences with interracial dating, stereotypes, assimilation and gay and lesbian issues.

Christie Onoda, co-chair of the coalition, said one of the goals of the video is to deconstruct stereotypes and myths.

"The message of the video is 'Don't judge me on basis of face value,'" Onoda said. "Even though we have one skin color, hair color, it doesn't mean we are the same. We may look the same, but we have different historical culture, identity."

Onoda said she hopes the documentary will be a way to continue the group's work even when the members leave the University.

"This video will be here after we are gone," Onoda said. "It will create a legacy and a record of what happened. It is an example of student advocacy. We started a dialogue. The next generation can continue and build on it."

Screenings of the documentary in the School of Social Work have already received a positive response, Choi said..

"We had a pre-screening for first-year (graduate) students, and they were blown away," Choi said. "Many had never thought about some of the issues we presented."

Choi said that more than just Asian students can benefit from the video.

"You don't even have to be Asian to benefit from the video. Any minority; a woman or member of any minority group can relate," Choi said.

While the group intended for the documentary to be a local project, distribution on a national level also is being considered.

"Now we are thinking other schools and other states," Choi said.

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