RACE for equality

Let’s celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month by admiring these Asian star’s wonderful looks on the MET Gala Red Carpet! 

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How Asian fetishization legitimately poses harms to the Asian community, particularly Asian women

  In recent years, there have been leaps and bounds in terms of Asian representation in the media, with all-Asian movies like Crazy Rich Asians being a huge hit in Hollywood just last year. Here are some examples of amazing Asian actors, actresses, and singers who have made it big! 

1) Lana Condor

Lana Therese Condor is a Vietnamese-born American actress and dancer. She made her debut as Jubilation Lee / Jubilee in the 2016 superhero film X-Men: Apocalypse and had her first lead role as Lara Jean Covey in the 2018 film adaptation of To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Picture via Famebytes.com

2) Ross Butler

The Singapore-born and raised actor Ross Butler is well-known for his acting role on Netflix's popular high school-themed show 13 Reasons Why. He also had a small role on the sixth season of MTV's Teen Wolf, starred as Reggie Mantle on The CW's Archie Comics reboot, Riverdale, and played a small yet vital guest starring role in Disney’s hit sitcom K.C Undercover.                    Picture via Pride.com

3) Priyanka Chopra 

Indian actress Priyanka Chopra made history as the first South Asian actor to star in a leading role in an American network series (ABC's Quantico), and the first South Asian actor to win a People's Choice Award! Priyanka also is a current UNICEF ambassador and has also been vocal about the need for diversity in entertainment. It's safe to say she, along with other actors like Dev Patel,  brings South Asian representation to a film landscape that so desperately needs it. Picture via akclinics.org

4) Karan Brar 

Karan Brar is an American actor who is of Punjabi Indian ethnicity and is best known for his child roles as Chirag Gupta in the Wimpy Kid feature film franchise, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, as well as for his co-starring role as Ravi Ross on the Disney Channel Hit Series Jessie, and its subsequent spin-off Bunk'd.        Picture via teenplicity.com

However, despite the progress made in the past years, Hollywood has yet to confront its history of whitewashing originally Asian characters and the long history of yellowface. Here are some really great articles that explain the disparity in Asian Representation in popular culture, be it in the media, in Hollywood or in pop music: 

 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/t-magazine/asian-american-actors-representation.html

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/yellowface-whitewashing-history

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/t-magazine/asian-american-actors-representation.html

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/yellowface-whitewashing-history

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/asian-immigrants-are-underrepresented-tv-despite-being-fastest-growing-immigrant-n921311

https://www.pride.com/identities/2019/5/02/20-asian-actors-helping-make-hollywood-more-diverse#media-gallery-media-4

https://famebytes.com/lana-condor-bio/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karan_Brar

How the Model Minority Myth actively harms Asian American youths

Asian hate crimes are on the rise and we cannot treat this issue lightly. Just two months ago in New York City, a fatal hammer attack occurred in a Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn. A man identified by the police as Arthur Martunovich entered the restaurant at around 5pm on January 15, and fatally beat 3 Asian employees to death. He felt no sense of remorse or regret. As he ran into the restaurant, Mr. Martunovich, a white man, told a Latino employee that he wouldn’t hurt him because of his race, and that he only wanted to hurt Asian men, thus, this heinous act was evidently a racial hate crime - which was motivated by prejudice, and fuelled by hate. The murders have affected the restaurant’s employees, many of whom had been unnerved by the attack, and not to mention, greatly impacted the 3 men’s loved ones.

“This was a violent, horrific and harrowing attack on three completely innocent, hardworking men who were targeted simply because they were Asian,” said Eric Gonzalez the District Attorney

Despite many believing that today’s society is very homogeneous, cases of hate crimes such as this one demonstrates how fragile our community truly is, and highlights the effort we need to put into maintaining peace and harmony in society. This is just one example of the numerous racial hate crimes that have occurred, and it is disheartening to hear of such crimes which are fuelled by hate against another racial group, still taking place in this day and age. Actions must be taken against individuals who attack or hurt others based on their ethnicity, race, or religion, as their actions greatly affect the cohesiveness and balance of our already delicate society.

Sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/30/nyregion/hammer-attack-brooklyn-chinese-restaurant.html

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/asian-hammer-murders-brooklyn-hate-crime_n_5c54b7aee4b08710475365d0?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALbdnnbsTCHlo7crduyq08BR_alqN7ovO6KcCTKw2XEo-39e3NCET4NTm5Kwgl4MTmGlhALDHvhv0MIVh_NRhFwCgQELnbL7y9tfr6ht-1cY8ErCh99A6tM2n6dk33mHTA3eYz6L8W0uifibpiWSB2NWup5oaTG9IO5t1HBPyC3L

We should stop Model Minority Stereotyping 

Asians - The Model Minority Myth

What is a model minority?

A model minority is a demographic group whose members are regarded to achieve greater socioeconomic success than the rest of the population. This success is measured by income, education, low criminality and high family/marital stability.

This is a controversial concept that has previously been used to argue that government action is not required to adjust socioeconomic disparities between some groups -- An argument that is most commonly applied to contrast Asian-Americans against African-Americans & Hispanic-Americans in America, imposing the notion that Asian Americans are lawful and righteous immigrants/citizens, while encouraging the stereotype that Hispanics and African-Americans are individuals who are more inclined to criminal acts and require aid from the government/organisations .

The model minority myth is based on stereotypes and perpetuates a narrative where Asian Americans are expected to excel academically (especially in mathematical and scientific realms), be affluent, sedulous, self-sufficient, be living "the American dream”, and to never be in need of assistance.

The model minority myth posesses severe repercussions, especially for Asian American students, who are constantly struggling to reach a perpetually raising academic bar. This is a result of the stereotype that “Asians are smart”. This imposes stress on students as not only do they attempt to meet their parent’s expectations, but the expectations of their peers, teachers, and the rest of society. 

Affirmative action deemed “progressive” by top universities is being protested against by Asian-Americans and many other proponents of racial equality. 

As of late, more and more reports of reputable institutions, such as Harvard University discriminating against Asian American students have come to light. However, one may not realise that Harvard University actually has a consistent track record of rating applicants of Asian parentage lower on personality traits such as likability. In the majority of elite universities, Asian-Americans comprise a far higher percentage of students than what is reflected in the overall population, yet, that percentage could be higher. Recently, a lawsuit brought by Students for Fair Admissions, accusing Harvard of discriminating against Asian American students was filed against the university.

 Asian Americans scored significantly higher than other racial groups in the Admissions examination, as well as on academic assessments. However, when it came to the test on their personality, they fared much worse as compared to the American students. Harvard has consistently rated Asian-American applicants lower than other races on traits like likability, kindness and “positive personality”, the uneven and inaccurate distribution of scores implies that Harvard discriminates against Asian Americans.

Harvard’s actions of discriminating against Asian American applicants, for no valid reason, are inexcusable, as Asian American students are equally “‘helpful’, ‘courageous’, and ‘kind’ as white applicants.’

Even though Harvard has dismissed these allegations, the statistics prove that the institution has been discriminating against Asian Americans for years - Something we feel requires actionable change. Many Asian Americans have taken to the streets to protest and advocate for their rights, holding up signs indicating their desire to end affirmative action, and for equal admission opportunities for all.

To begin our section on the issue of racial discrimination against Asians, at RACEforequality we truly hope for countries to create equitable policies and for activists to truly understand the issues minority groups like Asians face. The types of discrimination that Asians face may not be as palpable or as clearly visible as that of African Americans, for example, but that does not mean it is not important to tackle. In fact, many Asian-empowering movements and activists don’t carry with them much traction, which means the issues Asians face in terms of racial discrimination often go unsaid or unheard of. 

We felt that this topic would be very appropriate considering that it just so happens to be Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month! 

Such issues are usually faced in regions where Asians are the vast minority, i.e. America, the UK and Australia, for example. Thus, the discrimination that Asians face is usually talked about in relation to these countries. In our discussions of these inequities, we will mainly be focused on tackling the inequalities Asian-Americans face. At RACEforequality, we strongly stand with all groups that campaign for actionable change of policies, mindsets, and stereotypes regarding the Asian community that serve to denigrate and marginalise minorities! 

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 This is a very interesting video by CNN which compares opinions of children on racism as they grow older. It is very saddening to observe the trend of children becoming more and more aware of racism as they grow up, and that racism affects the children in our society as well. We must work hard to combat racism, so that one day, children will no longer be susceptible to racism and we can have an inclusive society not limited by race!

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Issues that discrimination in the workplace causes

From this image, it is evident how discrimination in the workplace is occurring at an alarming rate; where people are being deemed as “unacceptable” and are being discriminated not only based on race, but also for a  variety of other reasons like disabilities and age. In the workforce, such discrimination is bound to happen, where a person may be hired based on religion or age and not based on his or her skills and ability. This image is an example of discrimination at work, where a person is not judged purely based on ability and instead, on something they were born with and are unable to change. This will thus result in a great detriment to those who are discriminated against, hence giving rise to a variety of problems. 

Several forms of discrimination include Disability discrimination, Religious discrimination, and Sex discrimination, all of which involve treating someone (be it an applicant or employee) unfavorably because of this particular characteristic of theirs. Racial discrimination, however, involves treating someone unfavorably because he/she is of a certain race or because of personal characteristics associated with race (such as hair texture, skin color, or certain facial features). Some issues that discrimination in the workplace causes to minority races include:    

1) 

While in most nations, there are currently existing legislation prohibiting the discrimination of any individual in the workplace based on their race. This ensures that employees are protected at all stages of employment - from recruitment, to workplace terms and conditions, to dismissal. We believe that all employees deserve to be treated fairly and be given equal opportunities, and companies or employers should hire their workers based on a meritocratic system - where candidates are assessed based on their skills and qualifications. 

Let’s work together to spread the word and end workplace discrimination!

Sources: 

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/

DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE

To begin our section on racial discrimination in the workplace, we felt it would be important to share examples of racial discrimination in the workplace which would be an effective way to deepen our understanding and increase your awareness of situations like these which may be occurring around you unknowingly. We have found the attached article very informative and hence decided to share it. We hope such examples will aid in your understanding of this issue and understanding how there are systemic reasons for People of Colour struggling economically and socially in society, given the major disadvantages they face in higher education, in hiring and in the workplace! 

Background

Though there exist persisting inequalities due to race in many countries, particularly white-majority nations like the USA, no disparities are as extreme as that of which exist in the criminal justice system; in which African Americans are 5.1 times more likely than Whites to be incarcerated. It has been clearly indicated that in cities across the United States, racial disparities have been documented throughout the criminal justice system, from routine police stops to long-term imprisonment for similar crimes as racial majorities. 

Examples of such racial inequalities

1) Increased number of “routine” police stops 

A team of Social Psychology Professors analyzed traffic and pedestrian stops made in Oakland, California, going on to uncover a consistent pattern of racial disparities. It was found that 60% of police stops were of Africans Americans, though they make up only 28% of the population of Oakland. Once stopped, African Americans were significantly more likely to be handcuffed, searched, and arrested. The team of Professors then went on to control these groups for more than two dozen factors relevant to officer decision making, including but not limited to crime rates and the underlying racial and socioeconomic demographics where the stop was made. However, despite making these controls to account for various factors at play, it was found that these disparities remained statistically significant. This social experiment of sorts was repeated in other places including Boston; Greensboro, North Carolina; Los Angeles; and New York City, and similar patterns were observed. These figures are extremely similar to others throughout St. Louis County. For example, in the town of Florissant, 71 percent of the motorists pulled over by police in 2013 were Black though they only made up 27 percent of the town at the time. Blacks were also twice as likely to be searched after a stop, even though white motorists were more likely to be found with contraband goods.

2) Unfair sentencing accorded to Black Americans in comparison to White Americans 

Picture via: The Washington Post 

Perhaps the best example of this persisting problem is in how Black people are consistently arrested, charged and convicted of drug crimes including possession, distribution and conspiracy at far higher rates than white people. This, despite research showing that both races use and sell drugs at about the same rate. In what is termed as the “drug war” in America, A 2014 ACLU survey of SWAT teams across the country found that “dynamic entry” and paramilitary police tactics are disproportionately used against black and Latino people. Most of these raids were on people suspected of low-level drug crimes. This is as compared to how White people are about 5 times less likely to go to prison for drug possession than Black people. According to exoneration data from the National Registry of Exonerations (NER), Black people are also 12 times more likely to be wrongly convicted of drug crimes. Black people comprise about 12.5 percent of drug users but 29 percent of arrests for drug crimes and 33 percent of those incarcerated. This data is significant as it is a very clear indicator of racism in the judicial system itself, and how Black people are stereotyped as more likely to be drug dealers, or involved with drug crimes. Due to the harmful profiling and stereotyping, the judicial system tends to give unfair sentences to Black Americans.  

3) Disparities in Juries and Jury Selection

Although the Supreme Court has made it illegal for prosecutors to exclude prospective jurors because of race, that ruling has largely gone unenforced. A 2010 report by the Equal Justice Initiative documented cases in which courts upheld prosecutors’ dismissal of jurors because of allegedly race-neutral factors such as affiliation with a historically black college, a son in an interracial marriage, living in a black-majority neighborhood or that a juror “shucked and jived [slang term for the behavior of joking and acting evasively]”. While there remains no comprehensive nation-wide data for America on this issue, there is regional data, with data from Caddo Parish, Los Angeles, finding that between 2003 and 2012, prosecutors struck 46 percent of prospective black jurors with preemptory challenges, vs. 15 percent of nonblacks. These disparities are so significant becuase of how they often result in unfair sentencing for Black Americans. A survey of data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission from 2017 found that when black men and white men commit the same crime, black men on average receive a sentence almost 20 percent longer. The research controlled for variables such as age and prior criminal history. A 2011 study of bail in five large U.S. counties found that blacks received $7,000 higher bail than whites for violent crimes, $13,000 higher for drug crimes and $10,000 higher for crimes related to public order. These disparities were calculated after adjusting for the seriousness of the crime, criminal history and other variables.

These examples just barely touch the surface of the sheer extent of racial inequality African Americans face in the judicial system in America. To find out even more about the inequality, you can read the attached article, via the Washington Post!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/09/18/theres-overwhelming-evidence-that-the-criminal-justice-system-is-racist-heres-the-proof/?utm_term=.1a7c7d71de1c

Sources: 

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0963721418763931

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/09/18/theres-overwhelming-evidence-that-the-criminal-justice-system-is-racist-heres-the-proof/?utm_term=.1a7c7d71de1c