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Article edited April 17, 2008 to correct a factual error.
Miami University alumnus Kent A. Ono discussed Asian American stereotypes and representations in the media in his lecture Monday night during the inaugural event of the Asian and Asian-American Faculty and Staff Association (AAA-FSA).
Ono's lecture, held at 4:30 p.m. in the Bystrom-Reid Room at the Shriver Center, was also part of the first Asian Pacific Heritage Celebration at Miami, sponsored by AAA-FSA.
The celebration's first event, held April 10, was a screening and discussion of the documentary film, Conscience and the Constitution, which told the story of Japanese-Americans in American concentration camps who refused to be drafted during World War II.
Though the screening was not well-attended according to Stacy Brinkman, assistant librarian and member of AAA-FSA, the approximately 70 students and staff who did attend crowded into the Bystrom-Reid Room to hear Ono's analysis of the film and historical representations of Asian Americans in the media.
Since the late 19th century, the media has used four strategies for stereotyping Asians, according to Ono.
The first strategy, "yellow peril," portrays Asians as a threat while in "yellow face"- here white actors play Asian roles in a mocking manner, such as Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany's and more recently, Miss Swan on Mad TV.
Ono used other popular characters, like Christina Yang in Grey's Anatomy, to illustrate depictions of Asians as robotic in their extreme studiousness while playing into the "model minority" stereotype.
But audience members did not have to be Asian to sympathize with Ono's presentation.
"(Ono) brought up a lot of issues that applied to people of all ethnicities," first-year Lauren Sanders said.
Ono's message also seemed cross-cultural to Vincent Palozzi, visiting professor of linguistics, who felt that as an Italian-American he could relate to being stereotyped in the media.
Roland Sindos Coloma, assistant professor of education leadership and member of the AAA-FSA steer committee, said the group hoped Ono's lecture would increase students' interest and demand for Asian-American studies and programs on campus, as well as raise cultural awareness.
"(I want the program to) raise visibility and awareness of Asian and Asian American history in the U.S.," Coloma said.
He added that Ono's visit is an opportunity for the AAA-FSA's nine-member steering committee to learn how to build the association's programs and promote Asian American studies on Miami's campus.
Miami President David Hodge began the presentation by congratulating the AAA-FSA on its launch and welcoming Ono.
"(Ono's lecture deals with) important topics that we wrestle with every day," Hodge said. "And affect the way the way we see each other and our future."
Ono, who received his master's in communications from Miami 20 years ago, is a professor of Asian American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. According to Coloma, the funding to start the AAA-FSA was provided by the Office of Institutional Diversity (which co-sponsored Ono's lecture). The Office of Diversity Affairs, the English Department and the Bernard B. Rinello Jr. Learning Center were co-sponsors of the APA Heritage Celebration.
