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We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future
Many of us can recall the targeting of South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh people in the wake of 9/11. We may be less aware, however, of the ongoing racism directed against these groups in the past decade and a half.
In We Too Sing America , nationally renowned activist Deepa Iyer catalogs recent racial flashpoints, from the 2012 massacre at the Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to the violent opposition to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and to the Park 51 Community Center in Lower Manhattan.
Iyer asks whether hate crimes should be considered domestic terrorism and explores the role of the state in perpetuating racism through detentions, national registration programs, police profiling, and constant surveillance. She looks at topics including Islamophobia in the Bible Belt; the “Bermuda Triangle” of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim hysteria; and the energy of new reform movements, including those of “undocumented and unafraid” youth and Black Lives Matter.
In a book that reframes the discussion of race in America, a brilliant young activist provides ideas from the front lines of post-9/11 America.
In We Too Sing America , nationally renowned activist Deepa Iyer catalogs recent racial flashpoints, from the 2012 massacre at the Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to the violent opposition to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and to the Park 51 Community Center in Lower Manhattan.
Iyer asks whether hate crimes should be considered domestic terrorism and explores the role of the state in perpetuating racism through detentions, national registration programs, police profiling, and constant surveillance. She looks at topics including Islamophobia in the Bible Belt; the “Bermuda Triangle” of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim hysteria; and the energy of new reform movements, including those of “undocumented and unafraid” youth and Black Lives Matter.
In a book that reframes the discussion of race in America, a brilliant young activist provides ideas from the front lines of post-9/11 America.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 27, 2015
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March 1, 2017
My book club chose this book back in the summer for this year's season, not even knowing how important it would become. Deepa Iyer looks at the plight of a certain sub-segment of immigrants in America post-9/11, but also steps back and looks at Hispanic and Black Americans as well. I should say that this book covers up to 2015 bordering on 2016, and reading it in the context of 2017 made me want to evaluate each statement and policy, wondering how much has already changed.
Sections focus on subjects such as living in an increased state of surveillance, and how specific groups are targeted (this intersects nicely with the reading I did of Angela Davis!), looks closely at Islamophobia and then even more closely at how bad it is in Tennessee (phew, very hard to read), undocumented youth, and the impact of Ferguson and the militarized police (oh hi Angela Davis again!)
Although she examines the almost current state of America, she also shows and suggests how people can work together through religious differences and from different marginalized groups, how to build bridges between us, and how to stand up to the authorities.
I finished this book the same day I attended a solidarity rally opposed to the ban of refugees and immigrants from any specific place, run by students. It was nice to hear their stories and ideas.
Sections focus on subjects such as living in an increased state of surveillance, and how specific groups are targeted (this intersects nicely with the reading I did of Angela Davis!), looks closely at Islamophobia and then even more closely at how bad it is in Tennessee (phew, very hard to read), undocumented youth, and the impact of Ferguson and the militarized police (oh hi Angela Davis again!)
Although she examines the almost current state of America, she also shows and suggests how people can work together through religious differences and from different marginalized groups, how to build bridges between us, and how to stand up to the authorities.
I finished this book the same day I attended a solidarity rally opposed to the ban of refugees and immigrants from any specific place, run by students. It was nice to hear their stories and ideas.
May 28, 2016
Activist Deepa Iyer has written a book that will inspire South Asian, Sikh, Arab, and Muslim (or brown for short) Americans to fight for racial justice and a more tolerant United States. Iyer presents the current trends of brown activism in America and proposes her vision for our increasingly multiracial society.
After 9/11, Muslim Americans were profiled and placed under constant government surveillance. They were subjected to sudden deportation and pervasive Islamophobia and xenophobia. Hate crimes against Muslim Americans, as well as non-Muslim Americans who "looked Muslim enough," spiked in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and were spurred by right-wing politicians who wanted to capitalize on the entrenched anti-Muslim atmosphere. The post-9/11 situation, as Iyer methodically details, has made life difficult for millions of brown Americans.
It's impossible to read Iyer's work without relating it to the current depressing political climate in the United States, dominated by Donald Trump's xenophobic, racist demagoguery. Reading about the physical and mental abuse that brown Americans have suffered throughout American history has made me even more worried about the consequences of Trumpism and its violent ideology. If that man is elected (God forbid), the activists will have to kick into overdrive to protect brown Americans' basic human rights.
Iyer rejects the characterization of brown Americans as a "model minority." Claiming that brown Americans as a singular category enjoy a relatively high status on the American racial hierarchy's scale from white to black is too simplistic. This categorization neglects to address the socio-economic, linguistic, and religious diversity that explains the vibrancy of America's brown communities.
Iyer's call to build cross-racial alliances to combat white supremacy is necessary, and with this work she is calling attention to a subset of Americans that are often ignored as a race, even if they are treated that way by society. For example, until very recently I had not known that Arab Americans were encouraged to put "white" as their race on government forms. As one young Muslim activist eloquently stated, she has never felt white, and instead identifies as a person of color. The racial and religious discrimination she has faced has made it clear that she can never be accepted as "white" by mainstream white society. Iyer emphasizes racial, religious, class, etc. intersectionality as the key to effecting real change in 21st century America. Her "race plus" approach will empower activists to think outside of their identity groups and find new allies to evolve their causes.
While We Too Sing America is not the most beautifully written book and sometimes lacks clear organization, Iyer's passion and expertise is desperately needed to retool the current struggle for racial equality towards a more inclusive, and therefore more effective, fight.
After 9/11, Muslim Americans were profiled and placed under constant government surveillance. They were subjected to sudden deportation and pervasive Islamophobia and xenophobia. Hate crimes against Muslim Americans, as well as non-Muslim Americans who "looked Muslim enough," spiked in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and were spurred by right-wing politicians who wanted to capitalize on the entrenched anti-Muslim atmosphere. The post-9/11 situation, as Iyer methodically details, has made life difficult for millions of brown Americans.
It's impossible to read Iyer's work without relating it to the current depressing political climate in the United States, dominated by Donald Trump's xenophobic, racist demagoguery. Reading about the physical and mental abuse that brown Americans have suffered throughout American history has made me even more worried about the consequences of Trumpism and its violent ideology. If that man is elected (God forbid), the activists will have to kick into overdrive to protect brown Americans' basic human rights.
Iyer rejects the characterization of brown Americans as a "model minority." Claiming that brown Americans as a singular category enjoy a relatively high status on the American racial hierarchy's scale from white to black is too simplistic. This categorization neglects to address the socio-economic, linguistic, and religious diversity that explains the vibrancy of America's brown communities.
Iyer's call to build cross-racial alliances to combat white supremacy is necessary, and with this work she is calling attention to a subset of Americans that are often ignored as a race, even if they are treated that way by society. For example, until very recently I had not known that Arab Americans were encouraged to put "white" as their race on government forms. As one young Muslim activist eloquently stated, she has never felt white, and instead identifies as a person of color. The racial and religious discrimination she has faced has made it clear that she can never be accepted as "white" by mainstream white society. Iyer emphasizes racial, religious, class, etc. intersectionality as the key to effecting real change in 21st century America. Her "race plus" approach will empower activists to think outside of their identity groups and find new allies to evolve their causes.
While We Too Sing America is not the most beautifully written book and sometimes lacks clear organization, Iyer's passion and expertise is desperately needed to retool the current struggle for racial equality towards a more inclusive, and therefore more effective, fight.
July 25, 2016
I read this after a recommendation from a friend who works with groups like SAALT. I started reading this book after I read White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson, and I think the book suffers from the comparison, because while Iyer's book raises some good points, the thesis is unfocused and she fails to talk about the group that she's a part of (specifically, upper caste Hindus) because she thinks it will bias her book, all the while inserting stories about herself and her work through SAALT that I didn't care for.
She initially says that she wants to use the book to show South Asian children the struggles that their populations face (especially important for a lot of the more privileged groups--a lot of South Asians come here with money, education, or both). She also mentions she wants to tie us to the struggles black Americans and other minority groups face.
What she does well: humanizing the victims of the Oak Creek Sikh Temple Massacre. The stories of the victims were very moving; some of the dead left behind children who had just traveled from India a few months before to reunite with the parents they hadn't seen in years. She also does a good job of talking about Sikhs in general; while Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, they often rendered paradoxically visible and visible in terms of race relations--no one knows who they are (see this Daily Show sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RskvZ...) and yet they are targeted because of confusion over their very visible religious attire (men wear turbans, though they are vastly different from ones that Muslims or even Hindus wear--and yes, Hindus do wear turbans occasionally). I also love that Islamophobia is covered extensively and that she includes Arabs in this discussion. I also like that she mentions diasporic South Asians such as ones in Africa or from Indo-Caribbean cultures.
However, in her effort to be "unbiased" she almost completely ignores the Hindu element of South Asian people. Yes, they make up the majority of the diaspora in many places, and yes they often have a disproportionate say in South Asian groups, but they still do have problems and are targets of religious and ethnic violence. Deepa Iyer mentions the Dotbusters, but she doesn't really get into how scarring this was to the Hindu population of Edison and the greater NY/NJ area in general. I was a child living in NJ when the Dotbusters started, and it profoundly changed how my family practiced our religion. My parents still encouraged pride, but there was always a background tension of fear. We erase rangoli and the like immediately after the festival events because we don't want to be targets of violence. I stopped wearing bindis because it made me a target.
I also was really, really disappointed in how she tried to link our struggles with that of other minorities. I do agree that we need to band together with other minority groups in the struggle for justice, but she included a passage on black Muslims that felt like Oppression Olympics. It was from a black Muslim who said that Muslim-oriented groups were crowding out black Muslims (which is a really valid point and needed to be said), but then he went on to say that black Muslims, unlike Arab and South Asians, were racialized since Day One. Uh, no. THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE BOOK IS TO SHOW THAT RACISM AGAINST SOUTH ASIANS AND ARABS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE 1800s!!!! And to that, I say, she didn't do a great job with academic examples of racism happening to South Asians since the 1800s. There isn't enough information about the origins of Indo-Caribbean culture (since the 1700s, when Indians were taken there as indentured servants), the US v. Bhagat Singh Thind case, or the Hindoo Peril written about in various newspapers. No information on the Punjabis who came here in the 1800s, couldn't bring in Indian women to marry due to Exclusion Acts, and instead married Mexican women and created their own vibrant culture in Mexico and the US Southwest. This is why South Asians are so reluctant to join race struggles; when we make complaints, we are told we should not complain, and XYZ have it worse. Oppression Olympics: where no one wins, but everyone whines.
So basically, it was an attempt, and maybe good for beginners, but not enough for me.
She initially says that she wants to use the book to show South Asian children the struggles that their populations face (especially important for a lot of the more privileged groups--a lot of South Asians come here with money, education, or both). She also mentions she wants to tie us to the struggles black Americans and other minority groups face.
What she does well: humanizing the victims of the Oak Creek Sikh Temple Massacre. The stories of the victims were very moving; some of the dead left behind children who had just traveled from India a few months before to reunite with the parents they hadn't seen in years. She also does a good job of talking about Sikhs in general; while Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, they often rendered paradoxically visible and visible in terms of race relations--no one knows who they are (see this Daily Show sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RskvZ...) and yet they are targeted because of confusion over their very visible religious attire (men wear turbans, though they are vastly different from ones that Muslims or even Hindus wear--and yes, Hindus do wear turbans occasionally). I also love that Islamophobia is covered extensively and that she includes Arabs in this discussion. I also like that she mentions diasporic South Asians such as ones in Africa or from Indo-Caribbean cultures.
However, in her effort to be "unbiased" she almost completely ignores the Hindu element of South Asian people. Yes, they make up the majority of the diaspora in many places, and yes they often have a disproportionate say in South Asian groups, but they still do have problems and are targets of religious and ethnic violence. Deepa Iyer mentions the Dotbusters, but she doesn't really get into how scarring this was to the Hindu population of Edison and the greater NY/NJ area in general. I was a child living in NJ when the Dotbusters started, and it profoundly changed how my family practiced our religion. My parents still encouraged pride, but there was always a background tension of fear. We erase rangoli and the like immediately after the festival events because we don't want to be targets of violence. I stopped wearing bindis because it made me a target.
I also was really, really disappointed in how she tried to link our struggles with that of other minorities. I do agree that we need to band together with other minority groups in the struggle for justice, but she included a passage on black Muslims that felt like Oppression Olympics. It was from a black Muslim who said that Muslim-oriented groups were crowding out black Muslims (which is a really valid point and needed to be said), but then he went on to say that black Muslims, unlike Arab and South Asians, were racialized since Day One. Uh, no. THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE BOOK IS TO SHOW THAT RACISM AGAINST SOUTH ASIANS AND ARABS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE 1800s!!!! And to that, I say, she didn't do a great job with academic examples of racism happening to South Asians since the 1800s. There isn't enough information about the origins of Indo-Caribbean culture (since the 1700s, when Indians were taken there as indentured servants), the US v. Bhagat Singh Thind case, or the Hindoo Peril written about in various newspapers. No information on the Punjabis who came here in the 1800s, couldn't bring in Indian women to marry due to Exclusion Acts, and instead married Mexican women and created their own vibrant culture in Mexico and the US Southwest. This is why South Asians are so reluctant to join race struggles; when we make complaints, we are told we should not complain, and XYZ have it worse. Oppression Olympics: where no one wins, but everyone whines.
So basically, it was an attempt, and maybe good for beginners, but not enough for me.
March 8, 2016
Really good overview of most of the anti-muslim violence post 9/11. Someone needed to capture this history and Iyer does this, as along with providing tools for how to move forward against the new rise in hate against this group as well as the rising tide of xenophobia with the 2016 presidential elections looming.
May 22, 2017
Really glad I picked up this book. It really expanded my understanding of America post-9/11 as well as how important it is to bridge connections with others especially in these current political times.
August 6, 2017
Book wasn't sure what it wanted to do. This book has popped up recently (it was published in 2015) somewhere and I thought it'd be an interesting read. I had read 'The Making of Asian America' a few years ago and when this book showed up again it seemed like this might fill in some of the gaps that I thought 'Making' didn't quite cover by focusing on South Asian Americans.
Initially the book was, perhaps, a bit too on the nose. I had not realized that it would open with the shooting at a gurdwara (Sikh temple) located in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The anniversary was just yesterday (8/5) and while I certainly do not in any way fault or blame or feel it's a detriment to the book, it just caught me off guard. But it made the reading very poignant and very relevant.
Then...the book just sort ends up being a jumble. Ranging from the surveillance state (especially in the wake of the post 9/11 world) to the racism and prejudice experienced by South Asians in areas like the US Bible Belt and the importance of activism, particularly focusing on the undocumented and in the wake of Black Lives Matter.
It just felt like (to me) that the author was trying to cram in far too many topics at once without being able to really go into depth. There could VERY easily be tomes on each of the topics including (but not limited to!): the surveillance state, the relationship of South Asians to the United States in a post 9/11 world, experiences of immigration and the threat of deportation, activism with the changes of technology and the rise of movements like BLM, etc.
This is actually the first book that (I think) didn't quite match the cover (which made me think this book was going to be about how immigrants coming to the US have made their way here), it also didn't quite match the book flap either (which mentions the shooting at Oak Creek and the news flap over the Park51 mosque and activism but doesn't mention the government surveillance). So maybe part of it is that I went into the book expecting something else but overall I felt disappointed.
Still, I wouldn't be surprised if it shows up in a class reading list focusing on Asian-Americans, Asian Muslims, government surveillance, etc. Many other people seemed to find the book helpful and informative. I think there is certainly good information here but I think I'll be looking for other books to supplement this one. Borrow from the library.
Initially the book was, perhaps, a bit too on the nose. I had not realized that it would open with the shooting at a gurdwara (Sikh temple) located in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The anniversary was just yesterday (8/5) and while I certainly do not in any way fault or blame or feel it's a detriment to the book, it just caught me off guard. But it made the reading very poignant and very relevant.
Then...the book just sort ends up being a jumble. Ranging from the surveillance state (especially in the wake of the post 9/11 world) to the racism and prejudice experienced by South Asians in areas like the US Bible Belt and the importance of activism, particularly focusing on the undocumented and in the wake of Black Lives Matter.
It just felt like (to me) that the author was trying to cram in far too many topics at once without being able to really go into depth. There could VERY easily be tomes on each of the topics including (but not limited to!): the surveillance state, the relationship of South Asians to the United States in a post 9/11 world, experiences of immigration and the threat of deportation, activism with the changes of technology and the rise of movements like BLM, etc.
This is actually the first book that (I think) didn't quite match the cover (which made me think this book was going to be about how immigrants coming to the US have made their way here), it also didn't quite match the book flap either (which mentions the shooting at Oak Creek and the news flap over the Park51 mosque and activism but doesn't mention the government surveillance). So maybe part of it is that I went into the book expecting something else but overall I felt disappointed.
Still, I wouldn't be surprised if it shows up in a class reading list focusing on Asian-Americans, Asian Muslims, government surveillance, etc. Many other people seemed to find the book helpful and informative. I think there is certainly good information here but I think I'll be looking for other books to supplement this one. Borrow from the library.
January 9, 2016
An Inspiring Read!
Deeps Iyer puts fantastic spotlights on individuals and communities across America who are actively pursuing the more perfect Union our country should represent. She shares truthful histories of tragedy and triumph, and brilliantly discusses how modern everyday South Asians, Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs can transform American realities. There is no single approach for success, and Ms. Iyer explores the complexities of causes, identity, and activism that all of us as "brown folks" (my term, not hers) encounter. I'm fired up and eager to engage in more social justice movements after reading this.
Deeps Iyer puts fantastic spotlights on individuals and communities across America who are actively pursuing the more perfect Union our country should represent. She shares truthful histories of tragedy and triumph, and brilliantly discusses how modern everyday South Asians, Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs can transform American realities. There is no single approach for success, and Ms. Iyer explores the complexities of causes, identity, and activism that all of us as "brown folks" (my term, not hers) encounter. I'm fired up and eager to engage in more social justice movements after reading this.
April 15, 2016
It started out very promisingly, but quickly descended into a litany of all the folks that have been targeted for either violence or funny looks or nasty comments.
I ended up abandoning the book (something I rarely do). But from what I could see, there were no constructive ways to end the Islamaphobia mentioned.
I ended up abandoning the book (something I rarely do). But from what I could see, there were no constructive ways to end the Islamaphobia mentioned.
March 6, 2016
Great review of the discrimination and state violence against AMEMSAs as well as community organizing and activism post-9/11.
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported a 250% increase in workplace religious discrimination complaints involving Muslims immediately after 9/11
- According to the 2001 FBI Hate Crimes Report, 27.2% of reported hate crimes were motivated by "anti-Islamic" bias, representing a 1,600% increase from the previous year (and likely included violence against Sikhs, Hindus, and Arabs as well)
- Prior to 2013, the FBI did not track hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus, or Arabs. Hate crimes against these communities were instead filed under various categories such as "anti-Islamic," "anti-Asian," or "other." Harpreet Singh Saini, who lost his mother in the attack on Oak Creek, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee and said, "Senators, I came here today to ask the government to give my mother the dignity of being a statistic...We cannot solve a problem we refuse to recognize."
"Their lives and bodies will become the sites where the rights of people of color and immigrants are negotiated, diminished, denied, and compromised. Simultaneously, they will be invited to reinforce and maintain systems of White supremacy and the divisive racial hierarchy in our country."
"The racial ladder preserves White privilege while propagating anti-Black racism...In other words, the process of Americanization and the journey toward cultural or legal citizenship inevitably includes accepting, internalizing, and perpetuating racist ideas and narratives of African Americans. As our country's demographics change, our positions on the racial ladder will be cause for even greater anxiety. In order the maintain the position of groups in the racial hierarchy, we can expect to see efforts that expand the category of White to buttress the numbers of Whites and to convey the false impression that Whiteness can include racial diversity--that is, the claim that Whiteness could be based not merely on phenotypical racial identity but also on supposed nonracial factors that signify social and political power, including the attainment of higher economic and educational status. This creeping Whiteness inevitably means that some people of color will be invited to join the White category, with the promise of attaining the privileges of Whiteness. South Asian, Arabs, and other Asians have historically been tempted to take this racial bribe in order to advance to higher positions on the racial hierarchy. We must firmly decline this invitation. When we do so, we can begin to dismantle the racial ladder altogether."
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported a 250% increase in workplace religious discrimination complaints involving Muslims immediately after 9/11
- According to the 2001 FBI Hate Crimes Report, 27.2% of reported hate crimes were motivated by "anti-Islamic" bias, representing a 1,600% increase from the previous year (and likely included violence against Sikhs, Hindus, and Arabs as well)
- Prior to 2013, the FBI did not track hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus, or Arabs. Hate crimes against these communities were instead filed under various categories such as "anti-Islamic," "anti-Asian," or "other." Harpreet Singh Saini, who lost his mother in the attack on Oak Creek, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee and said, "Senators, I came here today to ask the government to give my mother the dignity of being a statistic...We cannot solve a problem we refuse to recognize."
"Their lives and bodies will become the sites where the rights of people of color and immigrants are negotiated, diminished, denied, and compromised. Simultaneously, they will be invited to reinforce and maintain systems of White supremacy and the divisive racial hierarchy in our country."
"The racial ladder preserves White privilege while propagating anti-Black racism...In other words, the process of Americanization and the journey toward cultural or legal citizenship inevitably includes accepting, internalizing, and perpetuating racist ideas and narratives of African Americans. As our country's demographics change, our positions on the racial ladder will be cause for even greater anxiety. In order the maintain the position of groups in the racial hierarchy, we can expect to see efforts that expand the category of White to buttress the numbers of Whites and to convey the false impression that Whiteness can include racial diversity--that is, the claim that Whiteness could be based not merely on phenotypical racial identity but also on supposed nonracial factors that signify social and political power, including the attainment of higher economic and educational status. This creeping Whiteness inevitably means that some people of color will be invited to join the White category, with the promise of attaining the privileges of Whiteness. South Asian, Arabs, and other Asians have historically been tempted to take this racial bribe in order to advance to higher positions on the racial hierarchy. We must firmly decline this invitation. When we do so, we can begin to dismantle the racial ladder altogether."
September 26, 2016
"Together we can walk boldly toward a vision of a more inclusive and equitable future, one in which there are no more 'others' - one in which there is a place for all of our beloved communities." - We Too Sing America | Deepa Iyer imparts a mountain of knowledge in this book. I learned so much about systemic discrimination against minority communities in America post-9/11. Iyer begins by laying out just a handful of the numerous early-2000s tragic, retaliatory attacks against minorities in the U.S. / news stories that I was too young and distracted to pay attention to back then. Judging by the cover art and blurbs, I thought this book was going to read more like an explainer for the average reader, but it actually read like a textbook. Iyer really gets into the weeds and details accounts of violence against South Asians and Sikhs in the U.S., how individual communities have organized, how laws have been used against them, how religious liberties have been imperiled in various cities, and what specific tactics future systems of injustice may use. I loved the plethora of sources and footnotes, but I wished the readability was a little bit better - which was probably just a problem of expectations on my part. One thing that really struck me about this book was reading it in light of the Trump candidacy. Iyer ends the book by lamenting a barrage of violent incidents against South Asian, Arab, Muslim and Sikh communities in Jan. and Feb of 2015, just as the book was about to be finalized. I feel like multiple chapters would need to be added if this were published today, just to analyze and refute the xenophobia and hate that has been given permission to parade as normal politics in the last year.
June 12, 2016
An important read, frustrating at times (not because of the book but the cases it examines). In the last 15 years, the experience of Asian Americans with darker skin has taken a turn for the worse, with an increase in slurs and hate crimes. Author Deepa Iyer has first hand experience in organizing communities to respond together against things like the protests against Park51, the shootings at a Sikh gurdwara (and defacement of mosques and temples), islamophobic laws by states, etc. It's a recent enough book that there's a chapter on solidarity with Ferguson and #Blacklivesmatter, but also further presses the notion that solidarity with other communities of color is important.
This book was also another reminder that "Asian American" is a VERY broad term. My experiences as a fourth generation Chinese American is not the same as a fresh-off-the-plane Hmong American living in California is not the same as a Sikh actor who wasn't allowed to board a plane. Being aware of how multifaceted our demography is a crucial step so we don't harm our own community (example: AAs against affirmative action).
This book was also another reminder that "Asian American" is a VERY broad term. My experiences as a fourth generation Chinese American is not the same as a fresh-off-the-plane Hmong American living in California is not the same as a Sikh actor who wasn't allowed to board a plane. Being aware of how multifaceted our demography is a crucial step so we don't harm our own community (example: AAs against affirmative action).
March 10, 2016
The research that went into this book is beyond commendable; it's seriously impressive. It's an information-heavy, information-dense book, and, at times, the statistics can be overwhelming and almost make the reader forget the emotional core of the human experiences in the book, but that never really happens amidst Iyer's explorations in the depths of tragedy (like the shooting that targeted the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin) or at the heights of hopeful, encouraging grassroots community activism, advocacy, and allyship (with her thoughtful suggestions for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement without co-opting it). A great book for elected officials, community organizers, or anyone in a position to do outreach and to build bridges within a diverse community.
April 6, 2018
This book opened my eyes further to the struggle of South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh immigrants in the U.S., along with all people of color in the U.S.
Iyer takes readers through story after story that will make their hearts hurt and stomachs churn, but offers hope, advice, and solutions along the way. This book was published in 2015, however, and there is a lot more current context missing from the conversation. Nevertheless, it was informative and sets the groundwork for an even deeper study of systemic racism in America and increased self-awareness.
I did feel organization and flow was lacking throughout the book and chapters, which in part slowed my reading and decreased my motivation. By the end of the book, however, I was more accustomed to it and made the connections myself.
Iyer takes readers through story after story that will make their hearts hurt and stomachs churn, but offers hope, advice, and solutions along the way. This book was published in 2015, however, and there is a lot more current context missing from the conversation. Nevertheless, it was informative and sets the groundwork for an even deeper study of systemic racism in America and increased self-awareness.
I did feel organization and flow was lacking throughout the book and chapters, which in part slowed my reading and decreased my motivation. By the end of the book, however, I was more accustomed to it and made the connections myself.
March 22, 2016
Deepa Iyer's gem of a book narrates how Muslim, South Asian, and Middle Eastern communities have resisted profiling and Islamaphobia since 9/11. Through the stories of Sikhs who suffered violence and horrific loss then turned to activism, Muslims who organize in their communities in the face of tremendous possible risk, and activists who stand in solidarity with other communities of color, Iyer has ensured that this book is not an exercise in academia or ivory tower research. It is a testament to the strength and stories of communities who continue to struggle for change. We Too Sing America is a moving and timely book. A must read.
February 5, 2017
I think this is a really important read for 2017; I mean parts of it can be a little dense, but the way Iyer addresses anti Muslim rhetoric and how that feeds into anti-immigration rhetoric in general-how hate crimes are rising because of white fear, how people are reacting to changing demographics, how past legislation has affected where we are now feels in some ways dated after the past two weeks, but in a lot of ways it feels super timely and so necessary to read. We need to read these stories and find out how we got here so we can find out way out again
November 10, 2019
Good discussion of contemporary issues and activism. Covers the increase in the culture of hate and hate crimes, post 9/11 discrimination, relations with police, effects of anti-terrorism legislation, surveillance, xenophobia, racism, Islamaphobia, and legislation on immigration and the undocumented, as well as activism in South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh communities. I especially liked the discussion on multiracial solidarity and organizing. My only complaint is that most of it is written in a factual, no-nonsense, non-emotional way.
February 9, 2017
As Islamophobia spikes even further, threats of new versions of "Muslim registries" persists, & fear of unknown futures for South Asian, Arab, Sikh, & Muslim immigrants continues to permeate the reality of daily life, We Too Sing America provides important historical context and helpful framing that challenges anti-Blackness & model minority myths to help readers prepare for and engage in a multiracial fight for justice.
August 29, 2018
This is an important read that I believe should be incorporated into more conversations around race, culture and diversity. Since the book’s release and under the current administration, Islamophobia and xenophobia have only increased around the United States. Imagine if we started to incorporate some of the discussions used in this book into our daily interactions with strangers and neighbors. On a technical note, this book is also really well written and researched.
April 26, 2016
at times a bit TOO ~academic~~ but otherwise a really great, thoughtful meditation/book of advice on racial activism and solidarity as our country ages. i especially appreciated the bits for asian american communities on anti-blackness, not focusing on solely east asian narratives, and resisting both the 'model minority' myth and the lure/lie of whiteness.
January 12, 2018
This is an important contribution. Iyer covers significant civil rights issues affecting South Asian communities. The book is detailed and informative too. Overall, I highly recommend it.
My only gripe was the infra-chapter organization. It lacks a coherent flow. I felt like I was wandering from one set of issues to another without any real plan.
My only gripe was the infra-chapter organization. It lacks a coherent flow. I felt like I was wandering from one set of issues to another without any real plan.
December 5, 2018
A must read for black and brown people within (or who want to become a part of) "the movement." There is a lot of talk about intersectionality between black, Arab, and Asian communities - of which more is needed. The topic of "model minority" status is just as important when discussing institutional racism and upholding white supremacy.
April 17, 2016
Important, depressing reading.
Despite what we see on the news and in social media, there are a lot of people out there working hard to make this country better.
Despite what we see on the news and in social media, there are a lot of people out there working hard to make this country better.
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July 15, 2016305.80097 I97 2015
September 1, 2016
A well written, truth driven work that does an impressive job of being intersectional. Looking forward to using the Race Talks conversation starters in a group setting soon.
November 14, 2018
Reading about Dump's Muslim ban and the ACLU curbing it put me in the mood to read this book. 1/28/17
January 30, 2017
Timely and important.
February 27, 2017
As Black Muslims I can't thank Deepa enough creating such a fulfilling work of a vast topic. This book will help move thought forward on inequality.
October 13, 2017
It's a heavy subject but the author provides options and ways for people to get involved and change the narrative.
December 2, 2018
Inspiring read. Highlights the work of people working for social and racial justice. Points out the importance of understanding the ‘other’ point of view.
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