progroupinc.com: Article: Who Are Asian Americans?

Who Are Asian Americans?

Asian Pacific American Heritage month 2007 diversity newsletter

The many faces of Asian Pacific Heritage

ProGroup addressed this question along with the dominant stereotype that "all Asians are alike" in a recent training program. While this may sound a bit risky, it was an enlightening session. Participants learned that it's so much a part of human nature to put people in boxes, that taking time to accurately define the term Asian American hadn't even occurred to them.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month provides a wonderful opportunity to educate yourself and others on the wide and varied diversity that comprises this identity group.

So if I asked you if you know the country of origin and ethnicity of your Asian American colleagues, what would you answer?

Today, the U.S. Census Bureau defines Asian American as anyone who self-identifies as having Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry, in whole or in part, regardless of whether they're U.S. or foreign born, U.S. citizens or not, their length of residence, or if they're in the United States legally or illegally. Added to this definition are those who have origins in the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Continent. This includes Asian Indians.

Yet this definition is only recent. The term Asian was first used in the U.S. Census in 1990 and has been redefined several times. The 2000 Census separated Asian and Pacific Islander and even allowed space to write in specific Asian or Pacific Islander ethnic groups.

Asians make up 5% of the U.S. population, and this group is the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in terms of percentage of increase. According to the 2000 Census, six groups represent 88% of the Asian American population in the United States: Chinese (largest), Filipino, Asian Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese.

So what are you if you are Chinese and Mexican, or Chinese, Japanese, and German? Have you heard the term Hapa? What once was a derogatory Hawaiian term to describe a mixed-race individual with partial roots in Asian and/or Pacific Islander ancestry is now a term of pride. Artist and professor Kip Fulbeck started a fascinating project called the Hapa Project as a forum to answer the question, What are you? This ongoing project already has thousands of Hapa members, including Tiger Woods and Ann Curry.

I am hearing terms like Chinese American and Filipino American more often. Perhaps this is an attempt for groups to self-identify in order to claim their uniqueness. The American part of this label is important in defusing another commonly held stereotype of Asians, which is that they are all foreigners. While it's true that more than half of all Asians in the United States were born outside the country's borders, an all too common assumption is that they all are immigrants. As stated in Asian Nation, "Many can't recognize that countless Asian American families have been U.S. citizens for several generations. As a result, because all Asian Americans are perceived as foreigners, it becomes easier to think of us as not fully American."

It's probably obvious that these stereotypes and confusions about who Asian Americans really are have bigger consequences. A belief we hold at ProGroup is that if you assume a group is all alike, the individual differences are minimized and even ignored. With that belief, asking a Japanese co-worker what to order at a Chinese restaurant seems logical, yet the inquirer never realizes that her colleague doesn't even like Chinese food. Or, you see a co-worker look dumbfounded when he asks an Asian client where she is from and gets the answer, "Wisconsin."

May is a time to think about the Asian American/Pacific Islander population in your midst. It could be a time to learn more about the colorful and distinct cultures that make up this group. You will find a remarkable heritage that can be told in many different languages and dialects. See ProGroup's website for more information, including Five Ways to Start an Asian Pacific Heritage Month Conversation.