Diversity in Residential College Naming: Asians@NewYale
Asians and Asian Americans are the largest minority group at Yale. We just celebrated our first reunion with speakers from Pepsico CEO and Chair, Indra Nooyi, to M. Butterfly's David Henry Hwang on the 160th anniversary of the graduation of Yale's first Asian student: Yung Wing.
Join us in letting President Peter Salovey know that we would like the names of the two new residential colleges to reflect the diverse perspectives and rich heritage that are two of the hallmarks of a Yale education.
Sign this petition in support of a college named after Yung Wing!
Yung Wing 容閎
was the first Asian to graduate from Yale in 1854 and the first Chinese
student to graduate from any US university. He was a trail blazer who
paved the way for Yale's current 3900 Asian and Asian American students
and her 15,000 Asian alumni in the United States and worldwide.
Yung
Wing became an American citizen and was an entrepreneur bridging the
gap between China and the US. As an alumnus, he worked tirelessly to share with
others the same educational opportunities from which he had
benefited. Wing significantly furthered Chinese studies at Yale by donating more than 1,200 volumes which are the core of Yale's world-renowned East Asian Library.
He lived during the tumultuous time of Hearst's "Yellow
Peril" which also saw the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1860,
the only US immigration legislation ever enacted against a specific
race. Yung Wing's own US citizenship was later revoked by the
Naturalization Act of 1870, but he always remained a true son of Yale.
We would also like to express our solidarity with other alumni who are organizing to support the tradition of diversity at Yale. Please check out this letter: http://bit.ly/1E2ZimK.
***Unfortunately, you'll have to copy and paste the link as this platform is limited.***
Updates
November 5, 2014
President Salovey continues to ignore the obvious legacy of Yung Wing while clinging to the same tired tradition. I have been relentless in demanding a meeting with the administration regarding these naming decisions. They think if they stay silent we will just go away but they are dead wrong.
21 Comments
I was a Yung Wing fellow at Yale and I think it will be a great opportunity for Yale to use the Yung Wing legacy to rally Asian alums both in the US and overseas to rally in support of Yale and furthering goals of equality, diversity and prosperity.
First Asian to graduate from an American university. He was an activist in his day to strengthen cross-cultural ties and foster educating the next generation of leaders. What a great example Yale will make in highlighting his life story. It should be an inspiration to those who follow in his footsteps, particularly as China's economy grows in importance.
Yale was the first to admit and graduate an Asian, in 1854, and to offer Chinese language courses. It should be the first to name a residential college for an Asian alumni!
It has been 160 years since Yung Wing graduated from Yale, this act would inform and remind everyone that we have been a part of Yale's history and heritage.
Naming a residential college after Yung Wing isn't just about diversity. It is simply honoring a worthy alumnus. Yung Wing singlehandedly persuaded the Qing court to send more Chinese students to US universities, he was a tireless advocate for modernizing China, and he initiated the special bond between Yale and China that exists today.
All perspectives, including religious ethics should be a part of the diversity of thought that Yale includes and examines. Yale-China started in 1901 as the Yale Foreign Missionary Society by a group of Yale graduates and faculty members committed to establishing a Christian missionary presence overseas. For more on the origin of Yale-China, see: http://www.yalechina.org/history. Thanks for your comment Peng! Julie Wong TC '86
Yale’ s logo is Light and Truth. This light may have religious connotations. How was, is and will be the religious ethics between the United State and China? Peng Zheng SOM'01
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Diversity in Residential College Naming: Asians@NewYale
Asians and Asian Americans are the largest minority group at Yale. We just celebrated our first reunion with speakers from Pepsico CEO and Chair, Indra Nooyi, to M. Butterfly's David Henry Hwang on the 160th anniversary of the graduation of Yale's first Asian student: Yung Wing.
Join us in letting President Peter Salovey know that we would like the names of the two new residential colleges to reflect the diverse perspectives and rich heritage that are two of the hallmarks of a Yale education.
Sign this petition in support of a college named after Yung Wing!
Yung Wing 容閎
was the first Asian to graduate from Yale in 1854 and the first Chinese
student to graduate from any US university. He was a trail blazer who
paved the way for Yale's current 3900 Asian and Asian American students
and her 15,000 Asian alumni in the United States and worldwide.
Yung
Wing became an American citizen and was an entrepreneur bridging the
gap between China and the US. As an alumnus, he worked tirelessly to share with
others the same educational opportunities from which he had
benefited. Wing significantly furthered Chinese studies at Yale by donating more than 1,200 volumes which are the core of Yale's world-renowned East Asian Library.
He lived during the tumultuous time of Hearst's "Yellow
Peril" which also saw the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1860,
the only US immigration legislation ever enacted against a specific
race. Yung Wing's own US citizenship was later revoked by the
Naturalization Act of 1870, but he always remained a true son of Yale.
We would also like to express our solidarity with other alumni who are organizing to support the tradition of diversity at Yale. Please check out this letter: http://bit.ly/1E2ZimK.
***Unfortunately, you'll have to copy and paste the link as this platform is limited.***
Updates
November 5, 2014
President Salovey continues to ignore the obvious legacy of Yung Wing while clinging to the same tired tradition. I have been relentless in demanding a meeting with the administration regarding these naming decisions. They think if they stay silent we will just go away but they are dead wrong.
21 Comments
The significance of naming a new college after Yung Wing goes beyond Asians. It symbolizes Yale's role in educating global citizens.
I was a Yung Wing fellow at Yale and I think it will be a great opportunity for Yale to use the Yung Wing legacy to rally Asian alums both in the US and overseas to rally in support of Yale and furthering goals of equality, diversity and prosperity.
First Asian to graduate from an American university. He was an activist in his day to strengthen cross-cultural ties and foster educating the next generation of leaders. What a great example Yale will make in highlighting his life story. It should be an inspiration to those who follow in his footsteps, particularly as China's economy grows in importance.
Yale was the first to admit and graduate an Asian, in 1854, and to offer Chinese language courses. It should be the first to name a residential college for an Asian alumni!
It has been 160 years since Yung Wing graduated from Yale, this act would inform and remind everyone that we have been a part of Yale's history and heritage.
Naming a residential college after Yung Wing isn't just about diversity. It is simply honoring a worthy alumnus. Yung Wing singlehandedly persuaded the Qing court to send more Chinese students to US universities, he was a tireless advocate for modernizing China, and he initiated the special bond between Yale and China that exists today.
All perspectives, including religious ethics should be a part of the diversity of thought that Yale includes and examines. Yale-China started in 1901 as the Yale Foreign Missionary Society by a group of Yale graduates and faculty members committed to establishing a Christian missionary presence overseas. For more on the origin of Yale-China, see: http://www.yalechina.org/history. Thanks for your comment Peng! Julie Wong TC '86
Yale’ s logo is Light and Truth. This light may have religious connotations. How was, is and will be the religious ethics between the United State and China? Peng Zheng SOM'01
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The significance of naming a new college after Yung Wing goes beyond Asians. It symbolizes Yale's role in educating global citizens.