More than 1,000 Asian American students from 90 universities attended the East Coast Asian American Student Union conference this weekend at Columbia University in New York, reported the Columbia Spectator.
Former Secretary of State Norm Mineta urged the students to pay attention to the immigration reform debate.
“Immigration debate is happening in this country, but those debates seem to forget that we’re here,” he said.
“Wherever you’re from,” he said, “the bottom line is that this current debate will have profound effects for the Asian American community both today and in the future. A neutral observer simply does not exist.”
Others called on the students to fight for their rights.
“Everything that we have in this country, everything that we take for granted was born out of someone’s struggle, said Calvin Sun, ECAASU Board of Director. It’s tough simply being Asian-American, and to be taken seriously as a group of people who are tired of being so fucking polite.”
More on special performances at the conference in the Columbia Spectator.