May
Asian Pacific American Heritage:
A History of Growth and Challenge
Since President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution in October of 1978, May has been Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month, celebrating the culture of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
It is interesting to note that May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the U.S. in May 1843 and to coordinate with the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869. Chinese immigrants laid the majority of the track.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Diversity, Leadership, Empowerment and Beyond.”
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With the release of the 2010 Census data, this is a perfect time to reflect on the growth of the Asian population in the United States and what that means for our communities and workplaces.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “The Asian alone population grew faster than any other major race group between 2000 and 2010, increasing by 43 percent.”
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National and local headlines carried a common theme after the release of the data earlier this year:
We believe this is the perfect time to look at the challenges facing Asian Americans at work and in their communities. We’ve gathered a few resources from KMA experts and outside sources to start the conversation.
Workplace:
“What prompts this blog is a complaint by an Asian friend of ours about a work place situation where he presented himself in front of two white male associates who were bullshitting about personal stuff and they continued to talk as if he wasn’t there. Compounding his sense of indignation was that what they were talking about was personal while what he wanted to talk about was work-related, which, in his mind, should trump the personal –after all, isn’t everyone at work primarily supposed to be working?”
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Asian-American employees underreport discrimination, report finds
“Asian-American employees are underrepresented in the senior ranks of federal agencies, and likely are underreporting instances of discrimination on the job, according to a new report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
"This community has been facing a number of misperceptions or stereotypes," ranging from "hard-working" to "anti-social," said the Jan. 9 report. "While some of these stereotypes have positive characteristics, they have become the framework of barriers establishing glass or bamboo ceilings which prevent [Asian American and Pacific Islanders] from moving into the upper tiers of an organization."
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50 Great Employers for Asian Americans
“The employers listed here were chosen for the quality and quantity of opportunities, compensation levels and benefits offered to professional-level Asian Americans, their degree of interest in recruiting and promoting Asian Americans, their business performance and industry conditions. Our information was obtained from reader responses to our ongoing Employer Survey, input from employers, media research and commercial sources.”
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Identity:
What’s Happening With HAPAs?
By Adrian Chan
“If you followed the Michael Jackson Memorial, the unknown lead singer for the ending, “We Are the World” and “Heal the World”, is Judith Hill, a Los Angeles-raised musician, who was an alternate backup singer set to perform in Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” concert tour. She is also a HAPA, daughter of a Japanese immigrant mother and African American funk band father. As she put it, “I was a skinny mixed kid with a lot of hair that I didn’t know what to do with.”
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Out with the Old, In with the New
“What are some of the biggest differences between second generation Asian American culture and first generation culture? Issues of assimilation, Americanization, and respect for the "old" way or traditions inevitably come up in this discussion.”
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Hai Gui – Another Interpretation –
By Adrian Chan
The Chinese notion of hai gui means “sea turtle” for those who were born in China and left, only to return at some later stage in their lives. This applies to Jieliang Hao who was one of our past KMA consultants in 2004 who translated our Asian Pacific Islander/Anglo Cultural Patterns of Difference (1990 videos) to contain Chinese subtitles, now used in our KMA training. Born in China but immigrated early with her parents to the USA, Jieliang reflects the immigrant’s story of hard work, struggle and achievement, as well as USA’s ability to attract and hone cross culturally sensitive and talented people from the different cultures throughout the world.
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Health:
OCA and Hep B Free partner with Nordstrom for APA Heritage month and Hepatitis B Awareness
“According to Hep B Free, one in ten Asian Americans is chronically infected with hepatitis B, versus one in 1,000 of the general population. That disparity is pretty staggering. In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its national HHS Action Plan to Reduce Health Disparities, listing the elimination of hepatitis B as a priority.”
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