*Footnotes at the end of the article.

For decades, institutions have driven up a wall between the Black and Asian-American communities, pitting us against one another as a way to deflect blame from the true culprit: the prolonged and continually denied racism of our American government and society. In order for racial minorities to be productive in fighting white supremacy and the racism built into American roots, we must first heal the divisions and distrust among our own communities. As I’ve taken the time to reflect on the impact the Trump administration has made on the racial tensions and social dynamics in America, I would like to discuss with my fellow Asian-Americans the role our community has played in anti-Black racism and how we can write a new narrative in unity with the Black community.

Amidst the Black Lives Matter movement and Black History Month, amidst the countless cases of police brutality, amidst the violence against Asian elders, and amidst the infinite number of microaggressions people of color face in the United States, it is now more crucial than ever to come together and direct our frustration toward a common enemy: white supremacy and systemic racism. 

We Asian-Americans need to acknowledge the ethnocentric ideals that have permeated our households and perpetuated anti-Black racism. While certainly not all of us are necessarily at fault, enough have adopted prejudiced beliefs or have allowed those prejudices to subsist in school, home, and work environments. As we strive to create an equal America, we are responsible for overcoming the biases of our communities and rejecting false notions such as the model minority myth, which harms Black Americans as well as other minorities.

The model minority myth, a term coined around the mid-1900’s by William Petersen*, has two intentions, both of which have been carried out successfully. The first is to gaslight** Asian-Americans, particularly Japanese-Americans at the time of its creation, invalidating the impact of anti-Asian government action and the internment camps; not to mention, it completely disregarded the diverse range of Asian-American communities. The second is to gaslight the Black community, implying that they were at fault for their position in society and overlooking brutal centuries of slavery, violence, and discrimination. One would’ve thought that the result of this model minority myth would be collective Asian and Black anger, especially given the fact that this concept was essentially conceived by a white man. 

Nevertheless, Petersen’s heavily generalized comparisons between the Asian-American and Black experiences in the U.S.––two very incomparable things––consequently created mistrust and conflict between the two minority groups. The idea of a “model minority” in the United States defends the unfounded belief that all Asians represent the standard for what a minority should act like, which, in turn, creates a false reality for what life in America is like for a person of color. To make those generalizations, such as equating the histories of anti-Asian and anti-Black racism, is to negate the historical, generational, and racial trauma of the Black community.

Sadly, once Asian-Americans began to be depicted in this “model minority” light, many of them have continued to fuel this myth, willingly accepting this pedestal they have been placed on. What most don’t realize is that within the Asian-American population itself, there exists a diverse range of ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses, meaning that society quite literally handpicked a smaller portion of Asian-Americans to call the “model minority.” They claimed that our hard work and ethics built us up to be prosperous when in reality, we appeared to be more successful than Blacks based on the fact that we were treated much better. We were given more opportunities because of the color of our skin; we had an advantage when it came to education and employment; we have a certain level of privilege. While Asian-Americans undoubtedly faced discrimination and racism, we did not have to overcome the inhumane abuse and oppression that Black people have suffered from since the beginning of this nation. Yet so many of us have given into the harmful “model minority” concept, further reinforcing the narrative*** that Black communities are to blame for the social and economic disparities. Once again, white America diverts the focus away from the racism deeply ingrained into our society, allowing it to continue plaguing our country.

In a conversation about Black and Asian tensions in the U.S., social activist Janaya Khan and singer Hollis Wong-Wear discussed how many Asian-Americans “buy into” the idea of the model minority myth, likely with the mindset of wanting to “distinguish” themselves. By fitting into what is perceived as the “model minority,” Asian-Americans, especially older generations and immigrants, have developed biases and ethnocentric mentalities, placing themselves above other minorities and upholding racial inequalities. 

Given the history behind the model minority myth, where we are at today is predictable––heartbreaking, but expected. The model minority myth was constructed by a predominantly white society as a tactic to further belittle the Black community and pass the blame onto them. It played out exactly how they wanted it to. Many Asian-Americans accepted that praise and bought into the flawed notion that they were the “model minority,” while Blacks continued to be neglected, their struggles still invalidated. What did that result in? Racial tensions. Who is experiencing the consequences of the “model minority” myth? Not white people, that’s for damn sure.

It is unbelievably frustrating to see so many Asian-Americans easily and ignorantly adopting racist beliefs without even beginning to comprehend the horror that Black people have gone through and still go through today. Yet, it is even more infuriating to let white America, the inherently racist society which has manipulated people of color for centuries, get away with it.

Those of us coming from Asian-American households, as well as everyone else, have the imperative responsibilities of not only educating ourselves and taking action but also passing what we’ve learned on to family and friends. It all begins from within our own homes: holding conversations about race at the dinner table, calling out microaggressions and implicit bias, bringing awareness to these topics through social media, listening and acknowledging Black voices. We are entering a (hopefully) new period in America––a new year, a new presidency. This is the time for unity, in which we will find strength and with which we will work collectively to dismantle the ideals of white supremacy and systemic racism that have tormented America for far too long.

“I do believe that we can change this country and hold out a better faith than the racist one that got us here and that we can achieve equality, freedom, and love but we won’t do any of those things if we live the lie that the past can be forgotten and the future unearned.

“Maybe this Black History Month is about dreaming and working and loving and relishing and enjoying and remembering and doing all the things we failed to do in the past to allow Black folk to breathe and enjoy the fruits of our labor and healing from our suffering. Just maybe.”

–– Danté Stewart

Footnotes:

*In a New York Times article, William Petersen compared the Asian-American and Black experiences, and unfortunately, it ended up becoming incredibly popular and influential. Not only did it re-establish and promote stereotypes and the model minority myth, but it inspired other popular press publications to do the same, thus spreading and maintaining these ideals.

**Racial gaslighting is the manipulation of a group of people. In this case, the gaslighting techniques used involve trivializing or denying the experiences and voices of people of color and deflecting blame onto people of color.

***The "model minority" tactic was employed to imply the following: "If Asian-Americans could overcome discrimination and internment camps and become successful, Black people should be able to do the same. Therefore, it is the fault of the Black community for their 'lower' socioeconomic position in society."