Raising awareness about the current realities of racialized groups in the U.S. is key to understanding how our colleagues may be experiencing the workplace from diverse vantage points. As an Asian-American with deep roots in Filipino culture, it’s a privilege to share the complex identities and experiences of people who fall under the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) racial umbrella.

The term Asian American was first coined by student activists in 1968 to identify Asian groups during a time when Americans would use the derogatory term “oriental” to refer to Asians in the United States. Today, the Asian American Pacific Islander is a multi-layered and multi-faceted racial community, representing complex identities marked by differences in ethnic backgrounds, religion, language, immigrant status, and political perspectives. 

Disaggregation of data is critical to gaining a more full and comprehensive understanding of Asian Americans. It’s also important to start with statistics because invisibility is one of the issues that the community is facing. Often, when talking about disparities in job and education, AAPIs are not even part of the equation, because there’s a myth that our community is small and insignificant. 

Asian Americans are poised to become the nation’s largest immigrant group by 2055, surpassing Hispanics. By then, Asians are expected to make up 36% of all U.S. immigrants, while Hispanics will make up 34%. Pew Research Center notes that the 19 largest Asian origin groups account for 97% of the nation’s total AAPI population, with six groups making up 85% of all Asian Americans. Chinese Americans are the largest Asian group in the U.S., making up 23% of the Asian population. The next two largest origin groups are Indian Americans, who account for 20% of the total, followed by Filipinos, who account for 18%. 

Racism has impacted Asian immigrants and Asian Americans in the United States for a long time. In 1871, a white mob killed 10% of the Chinese population of Los Angeles in an event dubbed the Chinese Massacre of 1871. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 halted Chinese immigration for 10 years and declared Chinese immigrants ineligible for naturalization. During World War II, 120,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned in concentration camps throughout the West. Over the last year, we witnessed attacks against Asian elders and Asian-owned businesses amid the Coronavirus pandemic. 

For DEI practitioners and others working to advance equity in the workplace, it’s important to understand the specific challenges faced by the burgeoning AAPI community. 

Model Minority Myth: The model minority myth is based on stereotypes and perpetuates a narrative of high-achieving and well-educated Asian Americans who perform better than Whites economically. This myth characterizes Asian Americans as a polite, law-abiding group that achieved a higher level of success than other groups through innate traits and relentless pursuit of the American dream.

It’s harmful because it’s not true. There are more than 50 ethnic groups and national origins under the AAPI racial category. While there may be a few established communities that are doing fine, many AAPI communities experience poverty due to a lack of access to education and well-paying jobs.

Bamboo ceiling: Related to the model minority myth, the bamboo ceiling refers to the barriers faced by Asian-American professionals when trying to climb the corporate leadership ladder. Asian-Americans make up only a fraction of corporate leadership in Fortune 500 companies, despite being highly represented in the finance, technology, and healthcare workforce.

Perpetual foreigner: Asian Americans endure the myth of the perpetual foreigner. being asked “where are you from?” and “where are you really from?” Anti-Asian bias betrays the belief in the Black/White racial binary, casting Americans of Asian or Latino/a descent as outsiders.

It’s harmful because the myth of the perpetual foreigner has led to ostracization and violence against people who are phenotypically East Asians. The rise of anti-Asian violence rose during the Coronavirus pandemic, with AAPIs being violently attacked and blamed for the virus. This hate wave culminated in the tragic Atlanta murders in 2021.  

Understanding the complexities of diverse communities represented in the workplace is an important step to advancing DEI. If you seek a partner in cultivating your organization’s DEI approach, the WTIA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center of Excellence offers a comprehensive suite of solutions to support your DEI goals. We can work with you on data benchmarking, micro-learning, training resources, leadership development, and executive coaching. Learn more about our offerings here.