Maurice Seaty (Six Days of Mr. Hyphen 2008)

Andrew Pai
September 25, 2008

maurice.seaty.mrhyphen.JPGMr. Hyphen 2008 contestant Maurice Seaty will represent the Southeast Asian Student Coalition, a progressive organization run by the students at UC Berkeley.  The mission is to "unite Southeast Asian communities, particularly those bounded by the historical context of the Viet Nam War, and to address the social injustices, the economic inequalities, and the political under representation that they face."

About Maurice:

"where are my peoples at and do YOU know what's up with us?"

Mentor, teacher, practitioner of lyrical arts; Maurice is the son of Cambodian refugees and an avid spokesperson for his community.  With a metaphorical license in carpentry, he attempts to build a bridge between Southeast Asian communities and the larger Asian American communities, as he senses a troubling disconnection between the two that's causing some Southeast Asians to not want to identify as Asian Americans.
 

As Mr. Hyphen, I don't want to be labeled as a role model, but I want to reshape the way Asian American media views the Southeast Asian community, in a way that every person in the community can serve as their own role model.

 --
Mr. Hyphen 2008 will take place on Saturday, October 4
at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
Buy tickets here!
 

Categories: 
Hyphen Events
Mr. Hyphen
Contributor: 

Suggested Reads

The Hyphenite's Social Calendar: 100 Days, Red Flamboyant
Bittersweet Issue Teaser Party in L.A.: Artist Spotlight on Dawen
The Hyphenite's Social Calendar: Formosa, Migrants for Export

Comments

Comments

Miss. Yang wrote on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 1:54pm
I agree, he is a wonderful ass human being! We are grateful for all the hoooooridin' he does for our community. We are proud of his passion to fight for what is rightfully ours! We celebrate you, Maurice Seaty!
NORA wrote on Mon, 10/06/2008 - 5:08am
i HELLA love Maurice!!SASC hella loves Maurice!!SEAYL & STP got love for him too!!!we all love this guy!LOVE LOVE LOVE!moemoe! thanks for always being down for EVERYTHING!!and thanks for hella representing for us!YOU NEVER FAIL TO AMAZE ME! you wonderful ass human being!MAURICE = HOORIDER!! =D[ ps. if anyone wants to know what i mean by EVERYTHING, feel free to contact me.. i'll provide you with a whole longggg list! :) ]
jay91175 wrote on Fri, 10/03/2008 - 6:52pm
There's more to the division that just socio-economic backgrounds. The income gap may be closing, but the disconnection is still vast.We're talking about seriously different histories and how we SEAsns ended up in America in the first place.And the sad truth is that there's definitely feelings of superiority among certain Asian ethnic groups over others, and an in/visible hierarchy.
Lxy wrote on Fri, 09/26/2008 - 1:44am
"With a metaphorical license in carpentry, he attempts to build a bridge between Southeast Asian communities and the larger Asian American communities, as he senses a troubling disconnection between the two that's causing some Southeast Asians to not want to identify as Asian Americans."I wasn't aware of this divide, but it is troubling and something that should definitely be addressed in greater depth.I wonder if this division has to do with the different socio-economic class backgrounds of SE Asians vs. some East Asians.The income level of SE Asians tend to be significantly lower than that of East Asians, who are often hyped (and sometimes embrace their role) as the Model Minority.