Chinese Americans, along with other Asian Americans are dealing with many issues. They are faced with the problems all Americans are faced with, but there are also issues that apply specifically to those of Asian descent. Many Asian Americans deal with issues like interracial marriage, under representation in politics, gender issues and generational issues. One of the biggest issues deals with Asian Americans being known as the model minority. The idea is that Asians in America are the “model minority” and all other minorities should strive to attain the same level of academic success and affluence.
The model minority stereotype appears on the surface to be a good thing. However, there are many issues associated with the “model minority” that can be negative. The model minority stereotype generally assumes three things about Asian Americans: that they have a high socioeconomic status, that they have high academic success and that they have no problems.
The main problem with these assumptions is that they are just that-assumptions. These three things are overgeneralizations that people may have seen in some Asian Americans and applied them to all the rest. These assumptions don’t take into consideration people from different ethnic backgrounds, different languages, different religions, cultures or ideals.
There are many issues with regard to education of Asian Americans. Although they are the “model minority” and are praised for their achievement, not every Asian American student is achieving. Based on many factors, many students are dropping out or not going to the most prestigious colleges, and they aren’t getting the help they need. The “model minority” label causes people to believe that Asian Americans don’t have problems, especially when it comes to academics. Because of this, they often are overlooked when it comes to receiving help and assistance.
Asian American students are not considered to be the same level of minority as Hispanic or black students, and often don’t receive scholarships or other aid because of this. They are also faced with higher standards and expectations, causing those who don’t meet these expectations to struggle.
On the other side of this are Asian American students who are being completely neglected. One of the most important factors with many Asian American students, especially those who have come to the States more recently is the language barrier. Not much is being done to help these students succeed in an English only classroom. We need to be aware of the needs of these students, and not just assume that they are all going to be successful just because they are Asian Americans.
There are so many resources available for Asian Americans in the Bay Area. Several important organizations exist to support Asian Americans in the Bay Area. The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) “is a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans.” (OCA National Website, 2010) The Asian American Parents Association (AAPA) is based in Cupertino that works toward bettering education, especially for Asian American students. The Chinese Cultural Center in San Francisco provides Chinese Americans (and other Americans) with information, exhibits, resources and other programs related to Chinese heritage. The Chinese Historical Society of America also provides a museum and a learning center as well as many online links to other sources of information and other resources.
Two websites that provide access to an Asian American perspective of local and world events are asiannation.org and asianweek.com. Asian Nation provides readers with history, demographics current issues and individuals’ perspectives of Asian people living in the United States. Asian Week is the oldest and largest English newspaper for Asian Americans. It covers local and world news, entertainment, sports, community news and calendars of events and more. This is a great resource for those who wish to strengthen the community between Asian heritage and the United States.
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