reflection paper
De-constructing the Myth of the Model Minority
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What is meant by a “Model Minority” group?
The notion that a group has overcome it’s “minority status”
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This refers mainly to parity in income and education. But other factors, such as political power/ representation in government, health indicators, and incarceration rates can also be measures of whether a group has overcome it’s “minority status.”
Is this notion limited to the U.S.?
No, but in other countries, Asian communities are often labeled in this fashion.
The concept of “model minorities” is not limited to the U.S. But frequently refers to Asians.
In the Netherlands, the comparable status is primarily associated with “Indo” people (Mixed Dutch and Indonesian heritage), also known as Indies Dutchmen or Dutch Indonesians. They are the largest minority group in the country. Whereas in Germany, Korean Germans and Vietnamese Germans are considered model minorities, with the latter being considered "The Vietnamese Miracle", which is associated with the academic success of Vietnamese Germans in Germany. Similarly in France, French Vietnamese and French Laotians are regarded as model minorities by French media and politics due to their high level of integration and success rate in academics and household income.
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How did this belief originate in the U.S.?
In 1966, the term “model minority” was first used by sociologist William Petersen in the New York Times magazine.
In the United States, the term was invented to describe Japanese-Americans, although it has evolved to become associated with American Jews and Asian Americans,] but more specifically with East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) and more recently the South Asian community such as Asian Indians.
In January 1966, the term "model minority" was coined in The New York Times magazine by sociologist William Petersen to describe Asian Americans as ethnic minorities who, despite marginalization, have achieved success in the United States. In his essay called "Success Story: Japanese American Style", he wrote that the Japanese cultures have strong work ethics and family values. Furthermore, he wrote that those values prevent them from becoming a "problem minority". A similar article about Chinese Americans was published in U.S. News and World Report in December 1966.
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The “Model Minority Myth” in Historical Context
How do you view U.S. history?
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A land of opportunity with equality and justice for all (with a few unfortunate exceptions)?
Or a land that has a long history of economic exploitation of communities of color and systematic racism?
Or something in-between?
A Short History of Asian Americans
You can view this short film on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hVlSuuaQhs
Today, because the majority of Asian Americans arrived after the end of legal segregation, it is hard for them to imagine the hardships faced by earlier generations.
Example of my family:
1. Grandmothers lost citizenship
2. Father growing up in Bakersfield:
a. Where they could live
b. Where they could be served (barbershops)
c. Where they could sit in the movie theatre
d. What day of the week they could use the public swimming pool?
That was the dominant power structure for hundreds of years from the founding of this country in 1776, for more than 170 years until it was challenged by the Civil Rights Movement which began in the late 1950s to demand voting rights, an end to legal segregation, the passage of anti-discrimination laws, an end to racial violence and greater opportunities in education and employment. The black civil rights movement inspired and spawned later movements of women, Latinos, American Indians, and Asian Americans demanding fuller equality.
But then suddenly, in the 1960s all of that history gets erased and Asian Americans are held up as a racial minority group that has “made it.”
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Why did this stereotype emerge?
As a response to the civil rights movement.
In a backlash to the movement, the power structure of white America (policy-makers, think tanks, the mass media) presented and used Asian Americans to argue that African Americans could raise up their communities by focusing on education and not protesting racial segregation and the institutional racism and discrimination of the time period, as Asian Americans have arguably done. In particular, the perceived success of Asian Americans has been used to argue that affirmative action in college admissions and employment is not necessary. Other minority groups need to stop whining and just work harder, study harder and implicitly, stop having so many babies, stop using drugs, stop joining gangs and stay out of jail. If you’re failing, it’s your own fault.
Maris Matsuda is a professor of law and critical race theory at Georgetown University. In her famous address, ,”We will Not be Used”…
If white, historically, is the top of the racial hierarchy in America, and black, historically, is the bottom, will yellow assume the place of the racial middle? The role of the racial middle is a critical one. It can reinforce white supremacy if the middle deludes itself into thinking it can be just like white if it tries hard enough. Conversely, the middle can dismantle white supremacy if it refuses to be the middle, if it refuses to buy into racial hierarchy, if it refuses to abandon communities of Black and Brown people, choosing instead to form alliances with them.
Yes, my ancestors made it in this country, but they made it against the odds. In my genealogy and probably in yours, are people who went to bed hungry, who lost land to the tax collector, who worked to exhaustion and ill-health, who faced pain and relocation with the bitter stoicism we call, in Japanese, "gaman." Many who came the hard road of our ancestors didn't make it. Their bones are still in the mountains by the tunnels they blasted for the railroad, still in the fields where they stooped over the short-handled hoe, still in the graveyards of Europe, where they fought for a democracy that didn't include them. Asian success was success with a dark, painful price.
To use that success to discount the hardship facing poor and working people in this country today is a sacrilege to the memory of our ancestors. It is an insult to today's Asian-American immigrants, who work the double-triple shift, who know no leisure, who crowd two and three families to a home, who put children and old-folks alike to work at struggling family businesses or at home doing piece-work until midnight. Yes, we take pride in our success, but we should also remember the cost. The success that is our pride is not to be given over as a weapon to use against other struggling communities. I hope we will not be used to blame the poor for their poverty.
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What’s wrong with labeling a group like Asian Americans a “model minority?”
It doesn’t acknowledge Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who are not “making it.”
As we discussed last week, there are some groups, especially Southeast Asian refugees and Pacific Islanders whose income, and educational rates are quite low, and in some cases comparable to status of African Americans and Latinos. Vietnamese Americans only have a college degree attainment rate of 20%, less than half the rate for other Asian American ethnic groups. The rates for Laotians, Cambodians, and Hmong are even lower.
Furthermore, for every Asian Pacific American doctor, lawyer or engineer, you have Asian American low-wage earners struggling to survive working in garment factories, restaurants, nail salons, as security guards in museums, or foot massage spas.
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It uses data selectively and out of context to prove the success of Asian Americans.
Household Income by Race and Ethnicity, U.S. 2007 – 2009
Asian American: $68,549
White: $55,906
Total Population: $51,369
Pacific Islander: $57,664
American Indian: $38, 515
Latino: $40, 920
African merican: $34,585
Asian American household incomes are higher than any other group, including whites.
As we mentioned last week, Asian Americans are much more likely than any other group to have at least three wage-earners per household.
Asians and Pacific Islanders are concentrated in metropolitans areas where the cost of living is higher and consequently wages are higher, too.
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It ignores that economic disparities between whites and Asians continue.
Studies have shown that Asian Americans who have the same education and experience on the average earn less than their white counterparts. Recent research from scholars such as Timothy Fong, Roderick Harrison, and Paul Ong, to name just a few, continues to confirm these findings that controlling for other variables, Asian Americans still earn less money than Whites with virtually equal qualifications
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4. It also has the negative effect of creating tension between Asian Pacific Americans and other communities of color.
'Model Minority' Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks
By holding up Asian Americans as the “good minority group,” it causes some Asian Americans to feel superior to other groups and causes resentment from other communities of color. Some Asian Americans are vocal in their opposition to affirmative action programs in college admissions to increase the enrollment of African American, Latino and American Indian students, causing further rifts. Some Asian merchants located in impoverished inner-city neighborhoods face resentment from some local residents who view them as profiting from the local community but giving back little in return.
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5. It ignores that there are “glass ceilings” that restrict the advancement of Asian Pacific Americans.
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U.S. Population by Race and Ethnicity
Of the 323 million people living in America:
White: 61.3%
Latinos: 17.8%
African Americans: 12.7%
Asians and P.I.s: 6.6%
American Indians: 2.4%
When we look at who wields power in America we have to remember the demographic break-down of the U.S. population. This gives us a reference point to find out who is over-represented in positions of authority and who is under-represented.
When we talk about positions of power, what would be some examples?
Corporate America
Political power/Elected Officials
Appointed Leaders (Judges, College Presidents)
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CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies in 2014
95% are white
6 African Americans (1%)
10 Latinos (2%)
10 Asian Americans (2%)
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I tried to find updated information of more current data and could only find articles that stated that the number of black CEOs has declined from 6 to only 3.
Today, only 28 if Fortune 500 companies currently have women CEO (6%)s, and six have women CEOs of color (1%)
Members of Board of Directors of Fortune 500 Companies
87% were white
74% were white men
13% were white women
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Minority Represention on Fortune 500 Boards
African Americans: 6.8%
Latinos: 3.1%
Asian Americans: 2.4%
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API Representation in all of Corporate America
Asians constitute 3 percent of corporate officers.
Less than 1 percent of corporate board members.
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Leaders in Higher Education
Only 2 percent of college presidents are Asian Pacific American.
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Asian Pacific American Elected Officials
There are 100 members of the U.S. Senate.
Only three are Asian American: Mazie Hirono of Hawaii. That’s 3% of all Senators.
Maize Hirono (HI) Kamala Harris (CA) Tammy Duckworth (Ill)
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Prior to the 2016 election, there was only Maize Hirono (.5%).
In 2016, two more Asians were elected to the Senate:
Kamala Harris, former CA Attorney General and current presidential candidate. Her father is Jamaican and her mother is from India.
Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. She was born in Thailand to an American father and ethnic Chinese Thai mother. She is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel. She served in the Iraq War as a helicopter pilot and lost both of her legs in
U.S. House of Representatives California Contingent
, Sacramento
Judy Chu, SGV
Mark Takano, Riverside
Doris Matsui
Ted Liu,
Torrance
Ami Berra,
Sacramento
Ro Khanna
Silicon Valley
T.J. Cox
Central Valley
Of 435 members, only 14 are API (3%)
All are Democrats
7 are from CA:
Judy Chu, San Gabriel Valley
Mark Takano, Riverside
Doris Matsui, Sacramento
Ted Lieu, Torrance
Ami Bera, Sacramento
Ro Khanna, Silicon Valley
TJ Cox , Central Valley
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U.S. House of Representatives from Other States
Tulsi Gabbard,
Hawaii
Grace Meng,
New York
Pramila Jayapal
Washington
Raja Krishnamoorthi
Illinois
Stephanie Murphy, Florida
Andy Kim,
New Jersey
Bobby Scott,
Virginia
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Tulsi Gabbard is the only Pacific Islander (Samoan) in Congress
Stephanie Murphy is the only Vietnamese
Andy Kim is the only Korean
Robert Scott is ¾ black and has a Filipino grandfather.
Governors
David Ige of Hawaii
(2%)
There were two Asian American governors, David Ige of Hawaii and Nikki Haley of South Carolina (whose parents are immigrants from India). Haley was appointed by President Trump to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. That leaves Ige. Now only 2% of governors are Asian.
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CA State Legislature
Of the 40 members of the State Senate, only one is Asian (2.5%).
Of the 80 members of the State Assembly, 9 are Asian (11%)
All are Democrats.
All are men. Currently there are no Asian Pacific American women serving in either house of the CA State Legislature.
Senate: Dr. Richard Pan (Sacramento)
Assembly: 80 members, 9 Asians 11%
Ed Chau (SGV) immigrant from Hong Kong
David Chiu (SF)
Kansen Chiu (San Jose) Taiwanese immigrant who came to US for Grad School
Todd Gloria (San Diego) ¼ Filipino
Ash Kalra (San Jose) first Indian American to serve in CA State Legislature
Evan Low (Silicon Valley)
Al Marutsachi (Torrance) only Japanese American
Phil Ting (Sacramento)
Rob Bonta (East Bay including Oakland) Filipino American
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County Board of Supervisors
Since it’s formation in 1852, there has never been an Asian American member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
The five member County Board of Supervisors oversees a region with nearly 10 million residents. It’s budget is larger than most states.
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L.A. City Council
David Ryu, Council District 4
John Lee, Coucil District 12
There are 15 members of the L.A. City Council which represents about 4 million residents. David Ryu was recently elected as the only Asian American member, representing Hollywood, Los Feliz, Hancock Park and some parts of the San Fernando Valley.
But in a special election in April of this year, John Lee, Council District 12, was elected to serve the remainder of the term of a Councilmember who left office. John Lee had been an aide to the previous member and is the only Republican on the City Council.
Only one previous member: Mike Woo who was elected 30 years ago in 1985 representing the Silverlake and Hollywood area. He won two terms but vacated his seat to run unsuccessfully for Mayor.
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Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education
No Asian Americans currently serve on the board.
Second largest school district in nation. Three Asian Americans have served on the board in the past.
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California Supreme Court
Of the seven members who are appointed, 3 are API:
Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye, Goodwin Liu, Ming Chin
Interestingly, in California, the one area whether we see a surprising over-representation of Asian Americans is at the level of the Supreme Court.
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Re-cap of Main Points
What is meant by a “Model Minority” group?
Why did this stereotype emerge?
What’s problematic with labeling a group like Asian Americans a “model minority?”
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Can You Explain these Concepts about the Model Minority Myth?
1. It doesn’t acknowledge Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who are not “making it.”
2. It uses data selectively and out of context to prove the success of Asian Americans.
3. It ignores that economic disparities between whites and Asians continue.
4. It creates tension between Asian Pacific Americans and other communities of color.
5. It ignores that there are “glass ceilings” that restrict the advancement of Asian Pacific Americans.
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Homework for Next Class
Please come to class next week prepared to share your family's immigration history or whatever you know about your oldest ancestors in America. If you are an international student or have little knowledge of your family’s story, you can interview someone else and share their family’s story.
1. What do you know about your family’s quality of life before they came to the U.S.?
2. What were the circumstances that caused them to immigrate to the U.S.?
3. In what city and state did they first arrive? What caused them to choose that location?
4. As newcomers to America, what hardships, obstacles and barriers did they face in a new country?
5. In America, did they pursue the same jobs and occupations that they had in their homeland? What were their first jobs? Did they later change occupations?
6. What became of any family members who stayed behind in their homeland?
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