After a lifetime of abuse and racism, and a year of publicized hate crimes, most Asian Americans feel some degree of discomfort. The past year has brought these issues to the fore in public discussions, but it’s important to know that what our community is going through is not new.
From displacement of indigenous populations, to slavery, to concentration camps, our nation’s history is characterized by racism against people of color, including Asian Americans. One particular case has fueled the Asian-American rights movement today — the murder of a Chinese-American man, Vincent Chin, 39 years ago this June. Chin was beaten to death during a bachelorette party at a Detroit bar by two white men, who blamed Japan for the loss of their jobs in auto manufacturing. There are still echoes of Chin’s murder in the hate crimes we see today, and the pain inflicted on Asian-American families who have endured egregious injustices.
In addition to racially charged mass murders and acts of violence, the United States has a long history of anti-Asian policies rooted in systemic and structural racism. For example, discriminatory immigration laws of the 1800s (such as the China Exclusion Act) and U.S. Supreme Court rulings (for example: USA vs Bhagat Singh Thind) in the 1900s legalized bias and exclusion. In fact, it was not until 1952 that people of Asian descent gained the right to become citizens. This history is still ramifications, to this day, and has shaped current stories and policies impacting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and other people of color. Our Executive Vice President, Julie Morita, wrote about her Japanese-American parents who suffered in the US-sanctioned internment camps during the Second World War and these days. heard “all the things all too familiar to Asian Americans spewed out from the dark and angry corners of society, media and beyond. ”
So, while stubborn rhetoric about COVID-19 may exacerbate hatred for Asian Americans, it has been with us for generations. What may be changing, however, is the growing political strength of the Asian American community, the unprecedented recognition of hate crimes against Asian Americans, the growing solidarity interracial and determined to defeat white supremacy.
Towards solutions
Our history and experience drive our passion for RWJF’s commitment to ensuring that everyone in America has a fair and just opportunity for development. We are proud to work alongside others who are working to eliminate structural racism. We know that doing so will require increased funding for AAPI and a new narrative that acknowledges, rather than conceals, the major differences in our community. And as researchers, we understand that doing so will also require better, more nuanced data.
The widespread and false “model minority myth” has led to misunderstanding, division, and inaction. Historically, the term “model minority” has been used to refer to Asian Americans against other communities of color, and it is harmful on many levels. Bringing together highly diverse communities and conveying the falsehood that all Asian Americans are doing well conceals serious disparity among segments of the population. In fact, the Asian American community has the greatest income inequality of any racial or ethnic group. The archetypal minority myth erases the need for people who don’t fit the stereotype. That is the main reason so few resources are invested in Asian Americans. Quite simply, not everyone is doing well and suggesting an alternative is to discourage investments and promote division, rather than unity, among people of color.
The complexity of Asian-American communities* has been a barrier to conducting the kind of research needed to understand and address discrimination, poverty, poor health, and other issues . Asian Americans include people from this country and people from more than 65 countries. We have very different life experiences, speak different languages and are diverse in different ways. Normally, we don’t ask survey questions or conduct focus groups in other languages. But with the resources and technology we have today, that will change. We can improve language access and develop surveys in culturally sensitive ways.
Doing so allows for a closer look at the data — the breakdown of data, in research parlance — that can reveal real-life problems and point to solutions. Instead of looking at the overall results of a survey or study, breaking down data into subcategories can reveal patterns that would otherwise be masked. In one example, a National Nurses United report on COVID-19 deaths among healthcare workers found that 31.5% of registered nurses died from COVID-19 and related complications. are Filipino, even though Filipinos make up only 4% of registered nurses. in U.S.A. Only by dissecting the data was this astonishing and tragic disparity revealed.
RWJF is supporting data analysis, community power, narrative change, and other research projects that advance health equity. We are also working collaboratively with communities of color; one example is a helpful guide for community leaders and advocates who want to advance health equity through changes in the way data is collected, analyzed, and reported.
Among other projects, the Foundation is:
- supports the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum as it promotes the health and well-being of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, as well as the AAPI Civic Engagement Foundation to empower organizations that are tackling hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities through education, data collection/analysis, narrative change, and initiatives other led by the AAPI community;
- funding studies to identify barriers to compliance with federal racial and ethnic data collection and reporting standards; and to test and monitor objections to data segregation from a social justice and social perspective; and
- support the Hawaii Indigenous and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Data Policy Laboratory to demonstrate how culturally informed and community-based research efforts can document COVID-19 prevalence. can serve as a model for other communities to combat their underrepresentation in the data.
Strengthening racial solidarity
In addition to this work, interracial conversations are essential right now. We must recognize the unique needs of communities experiencing racism at the individual, institutional and structural levels, in this country and this nation. As with blacks, Indians, and other people of color (BIPOC), Asian Americans suffer from discrimination in housing and employment, high rates of uninsurance, and access to health services. low mental health services.
The nation that takes race into account and the difficult conversations it has fostered is giving us hope that we can join others in admitting past wrongs — the first step toward finding solutions. law and hope for the future. We stand in solidarity with all communities that have suffered from racism and discrimination.
* The authors acknowledge that Asian Americans are a distinct population from Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (NHPIs). The US Office of Personnel Management recognized these as unique groups nearly 25 years ago, in 1997. However, we include NHPI in discussing solutions in this post because historically , many organizations have worked to support both communities in AAPI terms.
Learn about how we are working to strengthen the evidence base that can guide our nation towards a more equitable future.
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