Litza Lee knows what it's like to be alienated for her Asian accent.
"I was working at Meijer for 11 years, and I see some people, especially elderly, they think we are here to take over their country," said Lee, business chairwoman of the Chinese Association of Greater Toledo. "Sometimes they are very rude because we speak with an accent. They act like they are better than us."
Lee, who came to the United States from Taiwan in 1993, doesn't let others' behavior get to her, though.
"I just look at them and move on," she said. "I don't want to argue with them, so I tell them 'God bless you' and 'have a nice day.'"
April is National Asian-American History Month, and part of celebrating it is sharing experiences like Lee's.
Some students said they faced challenges in America.
Maleigha Watts, from South Korea, graduated in May 2006 from UT as a pre-med student and is now a medical student at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Ariz.
"I have faced challenges because of my ethnicity, but it's opened my eyes to the good and the bad that's out there," she said. "In the end, it's made me a much stronger person and has given me confidence in what I do each day."
"The culture is so much different, especially the language," she said. "Personally for me, it's a little difficult to communicate with people in this country."
Koji Nishimoto, a senior majoring in human resource management and who is half Japanese, agreed.
"I haven't had many challenges being an Asian American besides the prejudice and ignorance some have shown toward me throughout my life," he said. "It may have been somebody stretching their outer eyelid to make it slanted and chanting 'ching-chong.'"
He said that this does not bother him.
"I embrace my slanted eyes and wear them with pride," Khioukhom said.
"It's important to celebrate Asian-American History Month to learn about my culture and heritage," Khioukhom said. "It's awesome to see where you've come from, how your ancestors lived, and how your culture lives today."
Another Asian-American student agreed.
"We are not only one of the smallest minorities, but we may be one of the most misunderstood," said Akhom Khioukhom, a senior majoring in marketing and professional sales. "We are misunderstood through stereotypes and our wide variety of diverse cultures that confuse the non-Asian Americans."
Khioukhom's parents were born in Laos, in Southeast Asia. They came to America during the Vietnam War as refugees, and Khioukhom was born in Toledo.
"Prejudice and ignorance isn't an issue faced only by the Asian Americans, but by people of all backgrounds," he said. "It's a challenge that we all face, and we can individually choose to recognize as a problem that can change with one's own actions towards diversity."
Students say it is out of ignorance when others stereotype them.
"Some people judge where I come from, or sometimes they're just being ignorant and say things like they know who I am or where I am from," said Jo Vita, a junior in computer science engineering from Indonesia. "I've experienced being left out, discriminated against, stereotyped and belittled. I really hope that people would not stereotype or judge others in any way just because they are different or strangers to them."
Celebrations such as Asian-American History Month are important to recognize different cultures, especially at UT.
"It's important to learn not only about Asian cultures, but all cultures and their histories," Nishimoto said. "People can learn from the mistakes others have made regardless of what race they are. The more people know about each other, the less conflict there will be."
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