Ten days after George Floyd was murdered by police officers in Minneapolis, the nation is hurting, protesting and calling for an overturn of institutions that have perpetuated racism for centuries. While it is time for action, mobilization and activism, it is also time for reflection – reflection about our own identities and roles in society that have been complicit in sustaining anti-black narratives.
The Model Minority
Asian-Americans have long been touted as the “model” minority, immigrants who did it the right way. With a median household income that is a staggering 39% above the national median household income, Asian-Americans rank as the highest-earning racial and ethnic group in America. There is an oversimplified perception that strong family values, a robust work ethic, and higher education are the only tenets of this prosperity. White people have time and again used the “successful” Asian-American community as a racial wedge to undermine black struggles – if they [Asians] can do it, why can’t you pull yourself up by your bootstrap and do it too?
This racial comparison not only disregarded centuries of systemic anti-black racism, but it also led to Asian-Americans distancing themselves from the black minority experience, eager to assimilate in a country that prizes white status. Instead of priding ourselves on being some form of a desirable or “superior” minority, we must remember that our success was built on the shoulders of the black heroes of the Civil Rights Movement.
The 1965 National Immigration Act
The immigration histories of a majority of Asian-Americans living in the U.S. today begin after the passage of the 1965 National Immigration Act. The Act ended racist immigration policies instituted by the 1924 Immigration Act (also known as the Asian Exclusion Act), which effectively banned all immigrants from Asia to preserve American homogeneity. The 1965 National Immigration Act was a direct consequence of the Civil Rights Movement – as the movement gained momentum, the racist immigration bans that were designed to keep America white seemed increasingly unacceptable.
The immigration reform gave preference to immigrants with a high skill level and family connections in the U.S. As a result, highly-skilled Asian immigrants who came to America were pre-destined to succeed.
How Race Played a Role
Even though Asian immigrants were skilled and enterprising, their rise was not only due to better education and hard work. Scholars have found that Asian-American upward mobility was not due to investment in education, but because white Americans became less racist towards them. Around the 1950s, the idea of the model minority began to take root, and Asians were portrayed as industrious, law-abiding citizens that prospered on their own merit, unaided by the state. In the 1960s, during the Civil Rights Movement, white Americans further perpetuated positive portrayals of Asian-Americans at a politically convenient time, as a way to shift the blame of poverty on black people. As Jeff Guo writes for the Washington Post, “more education will help close racial wage gaps somewhat, but it will not resolve problems of denied opportunity.” Black people were consistently denied that opportunity to progress.
Busting the Myth
We must actively work within our communities to bust the model minority myth. The idea that anyone in America, regardless of race, can make it without institutional support is a lie. Asians came to the U.S. voluntarily, based on skill and opportunity. Black people were brought here as slaves four centuries ago, and since then have been denied the most basic rights, dignities and opportunities. Black subjugation continued long after the passage of the 13th Amendment, with Jim Crow laws, the convict-leasing system, redlining, mass incarceration and police brutality. It is absurd to break someone’s legs and then blaming them for not being able to walk.
The time to pander to the oppressors is long gone. We cannot and should not hide behind our “People of Color” designation to excuse ourselves of responsibility and accountability. While we do face racism and discrimination, it is nowhere near the systematic subjugation that black people have suffered. It is time to abolish the divisions the oppressors sowed and stand in solidarity. We cannot fight racism in the system if we cannot fight it in our own community – do your bit to educate your family and friends. Take the time to have these conversations with your parents and relatives. Be patient, be compassionate, and be consistent.
Consider donating to Black Lives Matter, ACLU or The National Bail Fund.
