Poems

In class we went over poems about gender and ethnicity. My specific group discussed a poem about an Asian-American woman who had trouble finding beauty in herself because she wanted to be white. The poem was powerful for many different reasons. As much as we stereotype Asian-Americans in the media and in our own lives, I feel like they are often looked over when we talk about race and diversity in the United States. So much of our discourse centers on black and white. When I read this poem, I assumed that the author was a black woman, just because she said that she was not white. I feel bad when I catch myself doing things like that, but I also find it very interesting because it shows that despite my efforts to analyze how my perceptions are affected by society, I am easily shaped by what I am told and by my experiences. Why are Asian-Americans not a part of the discourses that I have been taught? It could be because of where I live in the United States, but it could also be many other factors. Are Asian-Americans generally not included in traditional "white" or "non-white" contexts? What could be the consequences of this?