Beauty Pageant - Terry Wong

After I finished scanning the photos today, I realized I came across some interesting candid pictures that are related to the textbook called "True Beauty" that I am reading for my Asian American Study class. These pictures show beautiful Japanese girls shown to be in a beauty pageant of a sort. Some of them actually have banners across their shoulder to waist stating "Miss Cherry Blossom", "Miss Japan Town", representing that they have already won titles or awards. Besides the appreciation for their outward appearance of beauty, I also appreciated the racial dynamics the beauty pageants demonstrated. Asian Americans hosting events such as beauty pageants help promote a racially diverse judgment on beauty. People of all ethnicity can praise the Asian beauty these congenial ladies carry, as well as to embrace it in a larger community. The Miss USA title shouldn't condescendingly link to one's racial background after all. We should focus our community events on a pan-ethnic cultural background for major national events.

                                                                                                                Terry

Finished My Task - Terry Wong

Just finished my task at NJAHS today. I scanned photos for an event related to a protest of the bombing of Hiroshima in August, 1985. The photos I scanned contain people holding banners saying, "No More Hiroshima!". People look emotional in those pictures and they look determined to get their message across. One of the pictures has a post board with a child who'd been affected by the nuclear weapon. He's shown to be in dire straits and have loss of hair. Once again, I feel a deep sorrow and sympathy at my heart. People shouldn't be like this. I detest wars that bring illness and destruction to innocent people. I seek the day when we no longer need catastrophic weapons of mass annihilation, for the reason that these weapons are destroying our living environments.

                                                                                                                          - Terry Wong