LGBT/Pride Week
June is LGBT pride month. We have a variety of queer AAPI's, friends, families and allies posting about their experiences. Thanks to Be DeGuzman, one of APAP's 2009 Unsung Heroes, for coordinating this special week of posts.
To help with our upcoming hate crimes/Vincent Chin week (June 21) or Pacific Islander week (Aug), please let us know. If you have a topic you or your agency would like to coordinate, email us.
Just caught wind of this over at Angry Asian Man...
Lori Phanachone, a 2nd generation Laotian American (she was born in Cali) senior at Storm Lake High School in Storm Lake, Iowa is waging a one-woman battle against demeaning tests that have emerged from No Child Left Behind and Iowa's dumb English-only law. This sister is FIERCE!!!!
Just because Lori mentioned that she speaks a language other than English at home, she is being forced to take a very basic English-proficiency exam in order to participate in senior privileges. Sister is 7th in her graduating class, has a 3.9 GPA, on the track team, and is in the National Honor Society. Wild guess, but I think she's got to be proficient in English by now, like so many of us 1.5 and 2nd generation kids. She is refusing to take the test, and has been suspended from school!
I recently did a research project on Asian American doctoral students and newly minted Ph.D's. Of the 114 folks I surveyed, over a third of the people who identified as 2nd generation (born in the U.S. to Asian immigrants/refugees) grew up speaking an Asian language, but being fully functional in English (DUH!). Should we subject those people to the test that Lori's being forced to take too? By the way, I'd have to take this dumb test too if that was the case.
For a detailed and incisive discussion of the situation, check out Professor Dennis Baron's blog. Some might say, "Hey Lori, just suck it up and pass the test like we know you can." Others in Iowa do support her, like I think we all should!
So... if you're down for supporting Lori in standing up against lame NCLB/English-only inspired tests, then I encourage you to email the following people:
Paul Tedesco, Storm Lake School District Superintendent: ptedesco@slcsd.org
Principal Teresa Coenen: tcoenen@storm-lake.k12.ia.us
Assistant Principal Beau Ruleaux bruleaux@slcsd.org
The phone number over at Storm Lake High School is: (712) 732-8065
Just drop them a line about how you support Lori in her principled stand against policies that make NO SENSE, and maybe something about how speaking a non-English language at home shouldn't be discouraged especially when everything is so globalized.
But, please feel free to work that language out, since ... you know, I spoke Cantonese (crappy, 3rd grade level Canto... but still Canto!) at home with my parents.
Lori... stay strong! You rock sister!
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You have no idea of this town's weirdness. Rep. Steve King is anti-immigration(-immigrant) and was elected on English-ONLY platform. Superintendent has a reputation of shutting down discussion, even blackmail - his word is the last and he likes it that way.
Granted, the district is in a tough position, trying to teach kids who come into the schools in 8th grade not speaking English, yet having to test them in English -- and are accountable for it. Like most schools, they want to do a good job teaching academics, but when kids can't read the test, and worse, don't even read, don't know the alphabet, it's hard to get NCLB results.
I read today that Lori and the district have come to an agreement of sorts, but it's hard finding details. Anybody hear anything that way? It would be nice if we had a way to lift up Lori Phanachone.
Wow....
First of all shut the fuck up about shit you know nothing about.
You don't go to SLHS. You don't know what happened and you don't know how it all played out.
Your "sister" ended up graduating without taking the test. That's nice, except now this year the students who speak English just like Lori are still being fucked up the ass with the bullshit ELDA testing
Just because someone doesn't have "perfect" grades like she does, and are not in the national honor society program, doesn't mean they don't speak proper English.
The rules even say if you pass it once, you don't need to take it again. She even openly admitted to bullshitting the test. If you ask me, it's her own fault.
She only got off without taking it because she was making the school look bad.
Now it's unfair to everyone else who still has to take it this year.
So shut your fucking mouth and get your facts straight.
ok, Angel... Are you doing anything to get rid of the bullshit ELDA test? Seems to me that we can all agree that it's bullshit. Let us know if you're all organizing something beyond the one Lori Phanachone case to get rid of this test, and you'll have a ton of people supportive of the efforts. I hope to hear good news of community organizing to get rid of unfair tests like the ELDA soon!
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