Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles ♪ [THEME MUSIC] ♪ >> WELCOME TO "ASIAN AMERICAN LIFE," I'M YOUR HOST, ERNABEL DEMILLO. WE'RE IN MANHATTAN'S CHINATOWN, CHECKING OUT THE "88 GATES" PROJECT. THESE MURALS ARE POPPING UP ALL OVER THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. IT'S ALL PART OF THE BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT WITH A LITTLE TWIST. MORE ON THAT, COMING UP. BUT FIRST, HERE'S WHAT'S ON OUR SHOW. >> HE WANTS TO MAKE HISTORY. ANDREW YANG COULD BE THE FIRST ASIAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. KYUNG YOON TAKES US TO A NEW YORK HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE THE CURRICULUM IS READING, WRITING, AND KOREAN. MANY ASIAN-AMERICAN ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE FINDING THEMSELVES THE TARGET OF HATE SPEECH. MINNIE ROH HAS THE STORY. AND RAYNER RAMIREZ SHOWS US HOW THIS QUEENS PRINCIPAL IS DEFYING ALL ODDS AND TRANSFORMING A HIGH SCHOOL IN THE FAR ROCKAWAYS. THIS AND MORE ON "ASIAN AMERICAN LIFE." >> YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED MURALS LIKE THIS POPPING UP . THE 88 GATES PROJECT, THE BRAINCHILD OF JOHN YU, A LONG TIME RESIDENT OF CHINATOWN. WITH THE HELP OF HIS WIFE, AND TWO DAUGHTERS, THEY'RE TURNING SECURITY GATES INTO A WORK OF ART. HE WANTED TO SPREAD CHINESE CULTURE WITH HIS PAINTINGS BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE BUSINESSES CLOSED, AND THE GATES ARE DOWN TO SEE MOST OF THE MURALS, BUT BELIEVE US, IT'S WORTH THE TRIP. THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS A COUPLE YEARS AWAY AND ONE MAN HAS ALREADY PUT HIS HAT IN THE RING. HIS NAME IS ANDREW YANG, AND HE'S HOPING TO MAKE HISTORY. >> THIS MAN WANTS TO GIVE YOU AND ME $1000 A MONTH. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. >> THE FREEDOM DIVIDEND IS A POLICY WHERE EVERY AMERICAN ADULT RECEIVES $1000 A MONTH FREE AND CLEAR TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT WITH IT WHILE THAT SEEMS DRAMATIC OR EXTREME, IT'S BECOMING INCREASINGLY NECESSARY AS OUR ECONOMY CHANGES. >> ANDREW YANG HOPES HIS FREEDOM DIVIDEND WILL CATCH THE ATTENTION OF VOTERS. YANG IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. IF HE WINS, HE COULD BE THE FIRST ASIAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. WE MET YANG RECENTLY AT HIS NEW YORK-BASED CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS A SPARTAN LOFTLIKE SPACE ENERGIZED BY A GROUP OF VERY ENTHUSIASTIC MILLENNIALS. ZACH GRAUMANN IS MORE THAN A BIG FAN, HE QUIT HIS DAY JOB IN BANKING TO JOIN YANG'S CAMPAIGN. THE POLITICAL NEWBIE IS NOW YANG'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER, IN FACT, MOST OF THE PEOPLE ON THE STAFF ARE NEW TO POLITICS, INCLUDING THE CANDIDATE. >> I WAS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND THE APPETITE FOR THIS MESSAGE AND A CANDIDACY FROM SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A TRADITIONAL POLITICIAN WILL ACTUALLY ADDRESS THE REAL ISSUES IS REALLY HIGH. >> THESE ISSUES INCLUDE JOBS AND THE ECONOMY. IN HIS NEW BOOK, THE WAR ON NORMAL PEOPLE, HE LAYS IT ALL OUT, AND IT'S BLEAK. HE WARNS AUTOMATION AND ROBOTS WILL SOON REPLACE MILLIONS OF HUMAN WORKERS. >> I KNOW IT SEEMS A LITTLE BIT FANTASTIC, LIKE ROBOTS ARE GOING TO WALK IN AND TAKE OUR JOBS, AND THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE THE CASE, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, THE REASON WHY DONALD TRUMP IS OUR PRESIDENT TODAY IS THAT WE AUTOMATED AWAY 4 MILLION MANUFACTURING JOBS IN MICHIGAN, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, AND WISCONSIN FROM 2000 TO NOW AND WE ARE ABOUT TO DO THE SAME THING TO WORKERS IN RETAIL, TRUCK DRIVING, CALL CENTERS, FAST FOOD, AND ON AND ON THROUGHOUT THE ECONOMY. >> THESE JOBS, HE SAYS, ARE NOT COMING BACK AND HIS ANSWER IS UBI, UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME. GUARANTEED MONEY FOR ALL AMERICAN ADULTS PAID FOR WITH A VALUE-ADDED TAX. >> WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT THE UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME TO GIVE AMERICANS A CHANCE TO TRANSITION, GO BACK TO SCHOOL, PAY THEIR BILLS AND START PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE. >> WHILE HIS MESSAGE IS CAPTURING THE ATTENTION OF VOTERS AND THE MEDIA, YANG HAS A DIFFICULT ROAD AHEAD. IT'S ONE THING GETTING PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT FREE MONEY, BUT MAUNTING A PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IS QUITE DAUNTING. WHEN HE ANNOUNCED HIS CANDIDACY IN FEBRUARY, THE "NEW YORK TIMES," CALLED HIM THE "LONGEST OF LONG SHOTS." BUT YANG DOES NOT SEEM PHASED, IN FACT, THIS QUOTE IS HANGING IN THEIR OFFICE. YANG WAS BORN AND RAISED IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, HIS PARENTS IMMIGRATED FROM TAIWAN IN THE 1960s. >> I WAS A VERY NERDY, STUDIOUS, LITTLE ASIAN BOY. >> HE STUDIED ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE AT BROWN AND HE GOT HIS LAW DEGREE FROM COLUMBIA. HE VENTURED INTO THE WORLD OF STARTUPS AND HE WAS CEO OF MANHATTAN PREP, A TESTING AND TUTORING COMPANY AND AFTER IT WAS SOLD, HE TOOK THAT MONEY AND FOUNDED VENTURE FOR AMERICA, A NONPROFIT TRAINING PROGRAM PLACING RECENT COLLEGE GRADS AT SMALL BUSINESSES AND STARTUPS IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES. >> OUR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM SENDS HUNDREDS OF RECENT GRADUATES FROM SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE, TO STARTUPS AND CITIES WITH EMERGING ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS. >> HE AND HIS TEAM KEPT THAT STARTUP MENTALITY WHEN IT COMES TO THE CAMPAIGN. >> WE KIND OF SEE IT AS A VIDEOGAME, CERTAIN LEVELS HAVE DIFFERENT POINTS, BUT IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE ARE WORTH A LOT MORE POINTS SO WE KNOW WE HAVE TO GET 18,000 IOWANS TO UNDERSTAND AND VOTE FOR YANG AND 22,000 PEOPLE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE ARE GOING TO VOTE AND UNDERSTAND ANDREW YANG. >> YANG, WHO IS MARRIED WITH TWO CHILDREN IS TRAVELING TO KEY STATES AND REACHING OUT TO VOTERS. HE IS PART OF THE GIANT WAVE OF AAPI IS RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE SPURRED ON BY TRUMP'S WIN, AND WHILE SOME ASIAN-AMERICAN CANDIDATES HAVE FACED RACISM AND RACIST TAUNTS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, YANG SAYS HE HAS NOT. >> THE RACISM HAS BEEN VERY NONEXISTENT, HONESTLY. I THINK THERE MAY BE A POINT WHERE THAT CHANGES BUT REALLY, I HAVE NOT SEEN A WIDTH OF IT THUS FAR. I'VE SEEN GREAT THINGS HAPPEN FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS AND MY CHANCES OF BECOMING PRESIDENT IMPROVE EVERY DAY, IT'S NOT IN THE 60s ANYMORE, WE NEED TO WAKE UP TO THE CHALLENGES OF THIS ERA AND ACCELERATE OUR SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT FORWARD. >> HE SAYS THE VOTERS HE IS MEETING ARE QUITE RECEPTIVE TO HIS IDEAS, SO MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THIS LONG SHOT MAY JUST EKE THIS ONE OUT. I'M ERNABEL DEMILLO FOR "ASIAN AMERICAN LIFE." >> WORK HARD, GO TO COLLEGE, CHANGE THE WORLD, THAT'S THE MODEL OF THIS HARLEM HIGH SCHOOL. BUT WHAT'S REALLY UNIQUE ABOUT THE DEMOCRACY PREP CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL IS ITS KOREAN PROGRAM THAT IS AT THE HEART OF ITS CURRICULUM AND CULTURE. >> DIAVIONNE ROBINSON AND IVAN QUEZADA ARE SENIORS AT DEMOCRACY PREP, A CHARTER SCHOOL IN HARLEM WHERE FACT, FIGURES, AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS ABOUT KOREA LINED THE WALLS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOMS. INSIDE, STUDENTS ARE LEARNING THE KOREAN LANGUAGE. >> [SPEAKING IN KOREAN] >> I WAS THINKING THIS IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT OTHER HIGH SCHOOLS TEACH. HERE IN NEW YORK CITY. >> YOUNGJAE HUR IS THE KOREAN DEPARTMENT CHAIR. >> THE LANGUAGE ITSELF IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM ENGLISH. THE WORD ORDER, THE STRUCTURE OF THE SENTENCES IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT. THE OTHER WAY AROUND. JUST LEARNING THEM GIVES THEM HUGE HEADACHES. I CAN'T DO THIS, BUT ONCE THEY PASS KOREAN 1, 2, 3, THEY GET HUGE SELF-CONFIDENCE. I CAN DO THIS, I CAN SPEAK IN KOREAN. >> WHAT LED TO KOREAN PROGRAM BEING SO EMBEDDED IN THE DNA OF DEMOCRACY PREP? >> OUR FOUNDER, MR. SETH ANDREW, WHEN HE FOUND OUR SCHOOL, HE WANTED TO MAKE A SCHOOL THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SCHOOLS. WE ARE A CHARTER SCHOOL, WE CAN HAVE OUR OWN POLICIES AND STUFF. HE ACTUALLY HAD AN EXPERIENCE TEACHING IN KOREA AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER. HE WAS MESMERIZED BY THE CULTURE, KOREANS FOCUS ON EDUCATION. THEY ARE BUILT TOWARDS EDUCATION. HE WANTED TO BRING THAT CULTURE TO HIS FUTURE SCHOOL. >> THAT CULTURE TRANSPLANTED TO HARLEM HAS TAKEN ROOT AT DEMOCRACY PREP. 99% OF STUDENTS OF COLOR AND 85% QUALIFY FOR FREE LUNCH. >> OUR STUDENTS REALLY RESPECT THEIR TEACHERS AND THEY REALLY HAVE THAT POWER OF LEARNING, WITH LEARNING, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO BETTER AND BE MORE SUCCESSFUL. >> THE SCHOOL PROVIDES A RIGOROUS COLLEGE PREP CURRICULUM OF WHICH THE KOREAN PROGRAM IS JUST ONE SLICE, AND IT'S WHAT MANY OF THE STUDENTS FIND THE MOST SPECIAL. >> BEING FOCUSED ON KOREAN CULTURE HAS BEEN AMAZING FOR ME. I LOVE KOREAN CULTURE, I LOVE THE KOREAN LANGUAGE. >> DIAVIONNE IS PRESIDENT OF THE KOREAN DANCE TEAM. >> WE DO TRADITIONAL DANCE, BUT WE ALSO DO K-POP DANCE, IT'S HARD TO DO AND PERFORM A DANCE THAT IS NOT FROM YOUR CULTURE. AND ALTHOUGH IT IS SOMETIMES HARD FOR THE PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WHY IT IS WE DO IT, IT'S MORE TO HAVE A MORE PERSONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CULTURE AND TO FULLY INVOLVE OURSELVES. >> EVERY SPRING, DEMOCRACY PREP HOSTS A KOREAN STREET FESTIVAL IN HARLEM WITH PERFORMANCES AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. THE SCHOOL ALSO HAS A TRAVEL PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS TO VISIT KOREA. >> WE SEND 20 STUDENTS TO KOREA EVERY YEAR DURING THEIR SPRING BREAK. THEY DO HOMESTAY WITH KOREAN FAMILIES, THEY VISIT OUR SISTER SCHOOL, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY TRY THEIR KOREAN SKILLS, TO KOREAN PEOPLE. AND ALSO LEARN THE CULTURE. >> I WAS ABLE TO IMMERSE MYSELF IN THE CULTURE, SPEAK TO ACTUAL KOREAN PEOPLE, LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF KOREA AND ACTUALLY ENGAGE IN THE ACTIVITIES THAT THEY DO. >> IT'S CLEAR THE CULTURE OF THE SCHOOL IS ONE OF HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SCHOLARS, WITH COLLEGE BEING A CONSTANT REMINDER. THE WALLS ARE LINED WITH UNIVERSITY BANNERS AND ALL THE CLASSROOMS ARE NAMED AFTER WELL-KNOWN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES, AND EVEN ONE ELITE KOREAN UNIVERSITY. SINCE IT OPENED ITS DOORS IN 2005 WITH A SIXTH-GRADE CLASS, 100% OF ITS STUDENTS HAVE GONE TO COLLEGE, INCLUDING SOME OF THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY. THIS FALL, ERIKA IS STUDYING AT DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY, AND IVAN AT HAVERFORD COLLEGE. >> IT CHANGED MY LIFE, I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS WHO GO TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND I SEE OUR DIFFERENCES. I SEE HOW THEY TURNED OUT AND HOW I TURNED OUT. >> I FEEL VERY HONORED, GRATEFUL, AND HAPPY TO TEACH MY LANGUAGE AND TEACH MY CULTURE TO THE STUDENTS OF HARLEM. THROUGH KOREAN, I WANT THEM TO BECOME STUDENTS WHO WILL BE MORE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND OTHER CULTURES, UNDERSTAND OTHER PERSPECTIVES AND BECOME MORE ROUNDED HUMAN BEINGS WHO WILL BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS MORE AND MORE GLOBALIZING WORLD. >> EVERY STUDENT AT DEMOCRACY PREP MUST PASS THE REGENTS TEST IN THE KOREAN LANGUAGE IN ORDER TO GRADUATE. BUT IT'S CLEAR THAT THE VALUE OF THE KOREAN PROGRAM EXTENDS FAR BEYOND LANGUAGE SKILLS IN SHAPING THE OUTLOOK OF THE SCHOLARS FOR THEIR FUTURE. I'M KYUNG YOON FOR "ASIAN AMERICAN LIFE." >> I AM MINNIE ROH. 2017 WAS A RECORD BREAKING YEAR FOR ASIAN AMERICAN POLITICIANS ELECTED INTO OFFICE. BUT WITH THIS WELCOME INCREASE FOR THE COMMUNITY, ALSO CAME AN UNWELCOME RISE IN THE NUMBER OF RACIALLY CHARGED HATE SPEECH AGAINST MANY OF THESE POLITICIANS. >> FROM COAST-TO-COAST AND THROUGHOUT THE NATION, CHANGE IS UNDERWAY. CANADA DONALD TRUMP'S RALLYING CRY IN 2016 TO -- >> MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. >> AND THE ANTI-IMMIGRANT ALT-RIGHT RHETORIC UNLEASHED IN NEIGHBORHOODS SINCE HE BECAME PRESIDENT ONLY SERVED TO FEEL THAT WAVE OF CHANGE. ASIAN-AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDERS PUSHED BACK BY RUNNING IN RECORD NUMBERS FOR ELECTED POSITIONS, FROM CONGRESS TO LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. ARATI KREIBICH WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO HEARD THE CALL. >> THE AMOUNT OF HATE CRIMES THAT WERE SPIKING AFTER NOVEMBER ELECTIONS AND THE KIND OF RHETORIC THAT WAS OUT THERE, IT REALLY BROUGHT HOME TO ME THAT WHAT WE NEEDED WERE MORE PEOPLE TO STEP UP AND SOMEONE IS TO REPRESENT AND REALLY SOMEONE SAID WHY CAN'T THAT BE YOU? >> SHE WAS A POLITICAL NEWBIE, ONE OF THE MANY TO ENTER THE POLITICS POST 2016. SHE RAN FOR AND WON A COUNCIL SEAT IN HER HOMETOWN OF GLEN ROCK, NEW JERSEY. A NEW YORK CITY SUBURB. THE NUMBERS FROM THE ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CONGRESSIONAL STUDIES, WHICH TRACKS THE AAPI ELECTED OFFICIALS SHOWS, AS OF 2018 THERE ARE ROUGHLY 370 STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS, 18 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, AND ONE GOVERNOR NATIONWIDE. AND WHILE THE INCREASED REPRESENTATION IS ENCOURAGING, RACIALLY TINGED DISCOURSE DIRECTED TOWARDS THOSE ELECTED OFFICIALS IS NOT. >> YOU ARE THE GOOD KIND OF IMMIGRANT, YOU ARE THE KIND OF ASIAN THAT IS OK, OR YOU ARE ALMOST WHITE. >> WHILE MANY OF THE COMMENTS CAN BE CONSIDERED MILD, OTHERS IN COMPARISON TAKE ON A DARKER NOTE. THE MAYOR OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, WAS LABELED A TERRORIST DURING HIS CAMPAIGN. FORMER COLORADO CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE FLED HER HOME, AFTER RECEIVING THREATS TO HER FAMILY AND ENDURING RACIAL SLURS ON FACEBOOK AFTER SHE TWEETED THIS IN RESPONSE TO A NEW YORK TIMES OPINION PIECE. >> TURBAN MAN. >> THESE RADIO HOSTS ARE TALKING ABOUT THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, A SIKH INDIAN. >> IF THAT OFFENDS YOU, THEN DON'T WEAR THE TURBAN MAN AND I WILL REMEMBER YOUR NAME AREA. >> THE HOSTS WERE SUSPENDED AND SHE WAS ON THE RECEIVING END OF THIS SOCIAL MEDIA POST ON GLEN ROCK RESIDENTS ONLY FACEBOOK PAGE. SHE IS NOT MUSLIM. >> THE COMMENTS TO ME TALKED ABOUT HOW IGNORANT THE PERSON WAS, WHAT WAS ACTUALLY INTERESTING ABOUT THAT, IT WAS THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WHO SHUT IT DOWN AND VERY QUICKLY. I THINK THAT GIVES ME HOPE. >> A REPORT GENERATED BY THE SOUTH ASIANS AMERICANS LEADING TOGETHER OR "SAALT," DOCUMENTED INCREASE OF OVER 32% IN XENOPHOBIA POLITICAL RHETORIC IN THE YEAR FOLLOWING THE 2016 ELECTIONS, AS COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR. WITH THE WORST OFFENDERS BEING WHITE SUPREMACIST GROUPS AT 41%. FOLLOWED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP OR TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS AT 33%. AND THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER FOUND THE NUMBER OF ANTI-IMMIGRANT, ANTI-MUSLIM HATE GROUPS AS WELL AS NEO-NAZI GROUPS INCREASED IN 2017 FROM 2016. KHYATI JOSHI POINTS A FINGER DIRECTLY AT THE 2016 ELECTIONS, SAYING AFTER TRUMP BECAME PRESIDENT, RACIALLY CHARGED RHETORIC ESCALATED. >> WE ARE NOW SEEING IT CONSISTENTLY. IT'S NOT JUST DURING ELECTIONS. WHAT KIND OF ETHOS AND CULTURE EXISTS IN AN ORGANIZATION OR IN SCHOOL THEY CREATE THAT KIND OF CULTURE THAT SAYS IT'S OK TO SAY THAT AND IT'S OK TO DEMAND THAT OF PEOPLE. AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE PEOPLE? >> SHE ALSO GOES ON TO SAY THIS RACIAL DIVISIVENESS IS NOTHING NEW AND SHE BELIEVES THAT ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS FOR THIS DIVIDE IN THIS COUNTRY IS THE LACK OF U.S. HISTORY EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS. >> RIGHT AFTER THE ELECTION, IN JANUARY OF 2017 WHEN HE SIGNED THE EXECUTIVE ORDER ON WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE MUSLIM BAN WHICH THEY WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE AS THE MUSLIM BAN. THEY WERE SAYING, THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE AS A COUNTRY AND I WAS SAYING, YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR U.S HISTORY THEN, BECAUSE THIS IS EXACTLY WHO WE ARE, WE'VE DONE THIS BEFORE, WE HAVE EXCLUDED PEOPLE BEFORE, BASED ON IDENTITY, AND WE WERE VERY BLATANT ABOUT IT WITH 1882, THE WAY THAT CHILDREN ARE BEING FORCIBLY REMOVED FROM THEIR PARENTS, WE DID THAT FOR 60 PLUS YEARS TO NATIVE AMERICANS. NOT TO MENTION THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN WHO WERE TAKEN FROM THEIR PARENTS WHO HAD BEEN ENSLAVED. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE INSTITUTIONAL RACISM. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO OPEN PEOPLE'S EYES ABOUT. BECAUSE I THINK ONCE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT, THEN THAT BIAS IS REDUCED. >> WHICH IS WHY KREIBICH SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT THAT AMERICANS SEE MORE PEOPLE LIKE HER, A MINORITY, A WOMAN, AN IMMIGRANT, TAKING A STAND POLITICALLY. >> IF I'M NOT GETTING DEATH THREATS, I NEED TO MAKE SURE I'M SUPPORTING THE ONES WHO ARE, MAKE SURE I SAY THAT I AM JUST LIKE THAT PERSON. IF YOU'RE COMING AFTER THEM, YOU ARE ALSO COMING AFTER ME. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT. >> IN THE PROCESS, SHE FOUND THAT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, HER COMMUNITY HAD HER BACK. SOMETHING THAT MAKES HER GRATEFUL AND EMOTIONAL. >> AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT TAKES COURAGE. IT TAKES COURAGE TO BE OUT THERE AND ALSO TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS SO MUCH SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY NOW. AND IF WE ARE NOT THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO BE UP THERE SPEAKING OUR TRUTHS, WHO ARE TAKING THAT EMOTIONAL LEAD TO SPEAK FOR ALL THE PEOPLE, WHO ELSE? WHO ELSE IS GOING TO DO IT? >> I'M MINNIE ROH FOR "ASIAN AMERICAN LIFE." >> NEW YORK CITY'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST IN THE WORLD 1.1 MILLION STUDENTS ENROLLED IN 1700 SCHOOLS. OF THE 1.1. MILLION STUDENTS, ABOUT 5% OR 58,000 ARE UNDOCUMENTED. THE SCHOOL BEHIND ME IS UNIQUE. 30% OF THEIR STUDENTS ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND THEY ARE DEFYING ODDS. NOT FAR FROM THE SHORES OF THE ROCKAWAYS IS THE QUEENS HIGH SCHOOL FOR INFORMATION, RESEARCH, AND TECHNOLOGY, OR QIRT. QIRT PROVIDES CLOSE TO 500 STUDENTS PRACTICAL TRAINING FOR JOBS AND TECHNOLOGY. IT'S ALSO A SAFE HAVEN FOR UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF PRINCIPAL CARL MANALO. HE TOOK THE HELM OF QIRT WHEN THE SCHOOL WAS ADRIFT. >> I CAME IN AS THE FOURTH PRINCIPAL OF THE SCHOOL. MY FIRST GRADUATING CLASS THERE WAS A 55% GRADUATION RATE AND THAT WAS REALLY TOUGH. >> AT THE TIME, QIRT'S GRADUATION RATE WAS 55%, WELL BELOW THAN NYC AVERAGE, OF 74.3%. THE SCHOOL HAD A LONG WAY TO GO. >> MY JOB WAS TO STABILIZE THE SCHOOL, MAKE SURE THAT STAFF ARE RETAINED. >> THERE WERE OTHER CHALLENGES TO. THE STUDENT POPULATION OF ENGLISH LEARNERS WAS GROWING FAST. >> [SPEAKING IN SPANISH] >> SHE FLED GUATEMALA WHEN HER MOTHER PASSED AWAY IN 2016. SHE CAME WITH THE HELP OF THE HUMAN SMUGGLER. >> [SPEAKING IN SPANISH] >> AFTER TWO MONTHS IN A DETENTION CENTER IN TEXAS, AUTHORITIES RELEASED HER TO REUNITE WITH HER COUSIN LIVING IN THE ROCKAWAYS. TODAY, QIRT HAS ABOUT 100 STUDENTS WHO CAME AS UNACCOMPANIED MINORS TO THE U.S. >> SOME OF THEM HAVE ENDURED VIOLENCE OR THREATS OF VIOLENCE. >> -- THEY'RE SENT TO RELATIVES AND A LOT OF THEM HAPPEN TO LIVE HERE IN ROCKAWAY. >> FOR THE FIRST TIME, SOMEBODY WHO HAS NEVER HELD A JOB IN GOVERNMENT -- >> ONE OF THE ROUGHER THINGS THAT I HAD TO DEAL WITH AS AN EDUCATOR IN 16 YEARS, IS SPEAKING TO STUDENTS THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION AND STUDENTS ASKING IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE DEPORTED. >> HE EDUCATED HIS STUDENTS ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS. >> WHAT DOES AN ICE WARRANT LOOK LIKE? WHAT DO YOU DO IF THEY KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR? WHAT DO YOU SAY? WHAT DO YOU SAY IF YOU SEE THEM ON THE STREET AND THEY ASK FOR YOUR PAPERS? WE HAD TO EDUCATE OUR STUDENTS. >> AFTER IMMIGRATIONS AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT CONDUCTED RAIDS IN NEW YORK CITY THIS YEAR THE THREAT OF DEPORTATION WAS PALPABLE. >> OUR KIDS WOULD BE LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AND EVERY TIME THEY SEE A VAN, THEY HIDE. >> TO FEEL LIKE YOU COULD BE TAKEN AWAY WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO BUILD A LIFE -- I DON'T KNOW HOW A 15-YEAR-OLD OR 17-YEAR-OLD WOULD HANDLE IT. >> AS AN IMMIGRANT FROM THE PHILIPPINES, HE SEES HIMSELF IN THESE STUDENTS, WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS. >> I CAME HERE FOR OPPORTUNITY WITH MY PARENTS, THEY CAME HERE TO ESCAPE VIOLENCE. AND POSSIBLE DEATH. >> A LOT OF THE STUDENTS THAT ARE UNDOCUMENTED LIVE IN FEAR AND THEY FEEL THAT ONE MOMENT THEY CAN BE HERE AT THE NEXT MOMENT THEY CAN'T. HOWEVER, WHEN THEY ARE HERE AT QIRT, THEY DON'T FEEL THAT FEAR. THEY FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING. >> GUIDANCE COUNSELOR JOHN RESTREPO SAYS MANALO IMPROVED ACADEMICS BY BUILDING A COMMUNITY. >> I FEEL LIKE HE REMOVED ALL BOUNDARIES LIKE ABOUT ETHNICITY, RACE, GAY, STRAIGHT, BI, IT DOESN'T MATTER. YOU ARE HUMAN AND YOU BELONG HERE NO MATTER WHAT. >> OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ARE PART OF US. THEY ARE WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY. THEY ARE THERE JUST AS MUCH AS EVERYBODY ELSE AND THEY ARE A HUGE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. THEY ARE NOT SEPARATE, THEY ARE NOT DIFFERENT, THEY ARE PART OF OUR IDENTITY AS A SCHOOL. >> THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES WON'T REMOVE STUDENTS FROM THE SCHOOL, BUT THIS PRINCIPAL IS OPTIMISTIC. AFTER ALL, HIS LAST NAME MEANS TO WIN IN FILIPINO. QIRT'S GRADUATION RATE HAS INCREASED EVERY YEAR SINCE HIS TENURE. LAST JUNE, 82% OF QIRT SENIORS GRADUATED. THAT'S EIGHT PERCENTAGE POINTS ABOVE NEW YORK CITY'S GRADUATION RATE. >> I REALLY WANT MY KIDS TO SUCCEED. I WANT MY SCHOOL TO BE THE HUB OF A LOT OF THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY. I WANT THE COMMUNITY TO BE PROUD OF MY SCHOOL, I THINK THEY ARE. AND THEY WANT US TO BE THE SHINING STAR OF THE ROCKAWAYS. >> FOR "ASIAN AMERICAN LIFE," I'M RAYNER RAMIREZ. >> THAT'S OUR SHOW FOR NOW. WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. LEAVE US A COMMENT ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AT ASIAN-AMERICAN LIFE. I'M ERNABEL DEMILLO. WE WILL SEE YOU NEXT TIME. ♪ [THEME MUSIC] ♪
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