The Curious Space of Asian Americans (in Relation to Racial Justice)

*taken from a podcast interview I was a part of discussing Asian-American Christians and racial justice.

**DISCLAIMER: I understand that the “Asian” race label is a problematic categorization to begin with that lumps together different countries, languages, cultures.  This isn’t necessarily a label that we have chosen for ourselves but speaks to our “racialization” in the world that we live in, especially in America.  Given this context, I speak in some generalizations, realizing that there are always exceptions, in hopes that we can see what we might have in common to build some bridges moving forward.  

When it comes to conversations about racial injustice in America, it seems Asians Americans occupy a curious space in a world that is often seen in Black and White (and sometimes Brown).  As an Asian American it’s not always clear if and when we should speak up and if we’re even a part of the conversation at all.  This is for a number of reasons:

On the one hand there are ways Asian Americans are sided with the OPPRESSOR (the Model Minority Myth)

• The model minority myth is the idea Asian Americans are the “successful” immigrant minority.  In one sense there’s some truth to that as Asian Americans, on average, earn the highest income, are the best educated, and even fastest growing as a race in the US.   
• But it’s also inaccurate as it erases most of South East Asians and some of the South Asians (and this is not to even speak of Pacific Islanders who have their own unique challenges).  Asian Americans also exhibit the widest income disparity gap, meaning the gap between top 90% and bottom 10% of Asians in America.  And when you adjust for what Asians earn with the same education, Whites make more for the same degree as well as have more wealth in general.   
• The model minority myth narrative is particularly dangerous because Asian Americans are often weaponized against other POC.  The dominant culture points to Asian Americans and claim “If ‘they’ can do it why can’t these other races?”     
• What’s worse is when Asian Americans internalize this myth against POC, thinking themselves superior.  And in this way they can become the oppressor (we’ve seen this play out with Anti-Black/Brown sentiments in Asian communities).   The tragedy is that most Asian (especially East Asian) immigrants don’t realize that they’ve come to the US with already a relatively decent education and a lot of the privileges we can now enjoy as Asian Americans were built on the backs of Black Americans who fought for them for people of color (the right to vote without race discrimination, the right to to work without race discrimination,  the right to be in public spaces and use public services without race discrimination ).      

On the other hand there are ways Asian Americans are sided with the Oppressed (Yellow Peril) 

• Covid19 revealed how quickly the “model minority” can become the “Yellow peril” – an age old American idea that Asian are the permanent foreigner, invader, alien, and diseased.
• Because of a virus that started in China, Asians Americans who aren’t Chinese or have never even been to China are deemed responsible for the virus and attacked.  And even if one has come from China, to assume Chinese people have somehow brought this upon themselves and want to see their loved ones die from this terrible virus?  This is appalling and base.  Because Asian Americans may be different we’re treated like we’re savages.  
• There has been a History of “dehumanization”for  Asian  Americans.  Two in particular come to mind:
  • 1854 People vs. Hall, a Chinese witness of a murder by white man ruled inadmissible in CA court bc “the Chinese were ‘a race of people whom nature has marked as inferior, and who are incapable of progress or intellectual development beyond a certain point’” (along with Natives, Blacks, or mixed people could not testify in court against a white person)
  • 1982 Vincent Chin is beaten to death with a baseball bat by two disgruntled whites, that assumed Chin was Japanese, blaming them for the loss of automobile jobs.  The two men were let off without any jail time and this sparked Asian-Americans to unite around civil rights.  Through Federal retrial it was the first time Asian Americans were protected in a federal civil rights prosecution.  Chin’s case paved the way for federal Hate Crime laws.   
• It reminds me of how Asian Americans are frequently and persistently asked “Where did you come from?”, with the assumption we must not be American (the first time might be an honest mistake, but the persistence of the asking when our initial answers don’t satisfy the asker is what reveals this).   Whereas lighter skinned Latino Americans (who can begin to pass as White) and even Black Americans are not assumed from the gate to be foreigners in America.  People pull back their eyes to make slants to mock our appearance, even if we have been here for generations…in this way Asian Americans are made to feel like perpetual foreigners and outsiders, no matter how far we “make it”.      

So Asian Americans occupy this liminal space between oppressor and oppressed, native and foreign, belonging and not belonging.  (this idea is unpacked by Asian American theologian Sang-Hyun Lee, focusing on the more creative, communal, and prophetic possibilities of this liminality).

*As a Japanese-American I carry within me the Japanese who took a cue from the western world and cruelly colonized most of Asia but also I carry within me the Japanese who were put into internment camps in America for no crime but for simply being.

• Add on top of this most all Asian cultures are collectivist cultures as opposed to Western individualistic cultures, meaning Asian cultures put the needs of the community almost always before the needs of the individual.  Personal freedom is in service to collective good.  There’s good aspects to this but there are also bad aspects to this.  
• This means, in general, it comes more naturally to Asians to adjust oneself for the needs of the community.  Writ large, Asian Americans can and will more readily do whatever they need to, to assimilate with the needs of those around them.  This again can do so much social good (cus we Asians can get things done).  But it can also come at great cost, as we can lose our sense of self and turn our backs against injustice, especially to merge with those in power.  

If I can capture what most of my experience as an Asian-American in America has been in one word it would be…invisible.  Trying to blend in so as not to cause trouble but never so good or white enough to be celebrated.  Even in race conversations I didn’t realize i was erasing myself and my ethnic heritage to accommodate the other races at the “table”.  

SO WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS FOR THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY  IN RACIAL JUSTICE? 

1. To expand our sense of Family: 

• Asian Americans usually keep our head down but we fight for the success of our own families.
•  Matthew 25:31-46 is a prophetic word to the Asian American community.  It is a challenge for us to focus not only on avoiding sins of commission but to recognize our sins of omission (actively doing good and caring for the least of these).
• If we built real friendships across differences and saw Jesus in the least of these as family, we would fight for the least of these. Now, if we would fight for our neighbors children as we would for our own children we would be a force to be reckoned with.

2. To step into the role of Peace-Makers

• Jesus tells us that “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).   Now, to be clear that is a call to be peace-makers NOT peace-keepers (who are more about keeping the status quo).  Being a peace-maker is no easy call because this often means being a bridge…and bridges get walked on by both sides. 
• Asian Americans are uniquely positioned, I believe, to be peace-makers – able to absorb the challenges of understanding the oppressor and the oppressed, being able to live in that liminal space and its tensions (we’ve been doing that for a while now).  This is not to say our way is the best but that we DO have something to bring to the conversation to help work together for oneness, not sameness.  

Until we see the prayer of Jesus fulfilled, for us to be one to be a witness to the world that His love is real (John 17:23), let us press forward.

People protesting the death of George Floyd hold placards up at Lafayette Square next to the White House on May 31, 2020 in Washington,DC. – Thousands of National Guard troops patrolled major US cities after five consecutive nights of protests over racism and police brutality that boiled over into arson and looting, sending shock waves through the country. The death Monday of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis ignited this latest wave of outrage in the US over law enforcement’s repeated use of lethal force against African Americans — this one like others before captured on cellphone video. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

dang John…

 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? – 1 John 3:17

g-dog

“the measure of your compassion lies not in your service of those in the margins but in your willingness to see yourself in kinship with them.” – father gregory boyle (aka g-dog)

don’t think Jesus’ words of warning to the rich refers to you (me)?   we may need to reconsider that position.  if you don’t believe me then you can check for yourself here (or at least here if you have a lot of conditions).  to the one much has been given much will be required.  may we do good with what we’ve been entrusted.

some census and neighborhood data about lincoln heights, los angeles