After Yi-Fen Chou: A Forum
19 writers respond to Michael Derrick Hudson’s yellowface
Michael Derrick Hudson pretended to be an Asian poet, and submitted his work under the name Yi-Fen Chou. One of his poems was included in The Best American Poetry 2015.
via aaww.org
Early last week, news broke that Yi-Fen Chou, whose poem is included in The Best American Poetry 2015, is not a Chinese poet, but in fact is a white man named Michael Derrick Hudson. After little success submitting poems under his real name, Hudson decided to take on the Chinese name Yi-Fen Chou—a name, it turns out, is shared by a high school classmate of his. His poem was accepted by the journal Prairie Schooner and later chosen by Sherman Alexie for this year’s anthology of Best American Poetry.
Why is it that when there is statistical inequality benefitting White people, the presumption by many is that the inequality is the result of superior merit, while success by people of color is bemoaned as “political correctness”? If Hudson saw people of color being selected above him, perhaps he should have worked harder at his craft and stopped complaining! But that’s probably too harsh a judgment on a person I know nothing about. It’s frustration aimed not at Hudson but at the general discourse about race where the narrative of the neutral and efficient market only works in one direction. Study after study showing that non-White names on resumes and applications get superior results, even with lesser qualifications, seems not to make the same impression.