Social Justice is Leaving Asian Americans Behind

A rally to stop Asian Hate in McPherson Square, D.C. in March 2021. Photo by Victoria Pickering. 

Since the Atlanta spa shooting in mid-March, the hashtag #StopAsianHate went viral, spurring thousands of activism posts on various social media platforms. However, the #StopAsianHate hashtag trend not only faded within weeks but was only instigated because of a shooting. Should peaceful protests and activism be reserved only for when extreme physical violence takes place?

Unlike the mass movements towards racial justice and calls to defund the police that have persisted from last summer to today, this social justice trend of continuous social media reposts and company statements has not carried over to other covert issues Asian Americans face. 

This year, the media has highlighted the effects of COVID-19 on Asian hate crimes. Just a few weeks ago, on July 20, the staff at Ramen Lab Eatery, a ramen restaurant in Delray Beach, Florida, were a target of anti-Asian hate when a group of men hurled racist insults at them. In fact, according to an analysis released by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, anti-Asian hate crimes rose by nearly 150% in 2020. 

While social justice and activism have good intentions, they are not fully inclusive of Asian American struggles. The goal of social justice is to provide everyone with equal economic, political, and social rights. However, the socioeconomic struggles and workplace discrimination of Asian Americans are rarely highlighted in the social justice world. 

Many activists have shined a light on the income inequality among Black Americans versus white Americans. Indeed, the socioeconomic disparity faced by Black Americans cannot be understated, as, in 2019, median annual earnings reached just $45,644 for Black men and$41,098 for Black women. In contrast, the median annual income of white men and women was $60,107 and $48,845, respectively. 

Data from the U.S. Department of Labour shows that, in 2019, Asian American men earned a median annual income of $75,671, exceeding that of both Black and white Americans. While it is true Asian Americans are the overall highest earners for median-income households in the United States, this statistic obscures the data that shows that in some regions, Asian Americans have the highest income inequality—meaning some Asians thrive while others are severely impoverished. 

In New York City, for example, Asians suffer from the highest income inequality compared to any other race. According to the 2019 New York City Government Poverty Measure, around 23.8% of Asians live in poverty by municipal standards. This statistic is the highest rate of income inequality from all racial and ethnic groupings. However, the data remains relatively unknown to people due to both the “model minority” myth and the cherry-picking of certain numbers. 

Social justice advocates tend to focus their energy on the struggles of Black and brown Americans. Since there is often little to no coverage on Asian challenges, the idea that Asians are hardworking and easily succeed seeps into our society's generalization of Asian Americans. Moreover, cherry-picking certain numbers, such as only emphasizing that in 2019, Asian households in the United States had a median annual income of $85,800, denies the problem that poverty among Asians exists. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, within the Asian race group, Indians generated a median income of $119,000 and Filipinos generated a median income of $90,400. These numbers strongly contrast with the earnings of other origin groups such as Burmese ($44,400) and Nepalese ($55,000). Clearly, not all Asians succeed financially. 

In conjunction with the fight for racial justice, social justice groups have also called for greater representation of Black and brown people in leadership positions across all fields. While it is important to amplify Black voices and representation in leadership positions, Asian Americans—who are also POCs— are constantly being left out of those high-level positions. In 2018, the Ascend Foundation’s report from “The Illusion of Asian Success” found that Asian Americans are the least likely racial group to be promoted into management and executive levels in Silicon Valley, even though they are the most likely to be hired for high-tech positions. Yet, there is minimal publicity on this disparity. 

Asian Americans make up 12% of the professional workforce, yet only 5.6% of the U.S. population. Since Asian Americans are not considered an underrepresented minority in the workplace, they are given little attention in diversity programs. According to 2012 data, Asians represent only 1.5% of corporate officer positions in the Fortune 500. Moreover, in 2018, just 19.5% of Fortune 100 Companies’ board seats were held by minorities, including Asian Americans. 

Based on research from Yale Law School and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, there is an abundance of qualified Asian Americans for hire. However, the disparity between lower ranks and executive levels suggests that companies may be overlooking Asian American talent and, perhaps under pressure from social justice advocates to promote mostly Black Americans, failing to see a social reason to promote Asian Americans. Centering POCs and giving them a fair shot means including all POCs—especially Asian Americans, who are often brushed to the side. 

Social justice activism claims to support and include all minorities towards a path of equal treatment and racial justice. Yet, the dearth of reporting and action to mend income inequality within Asian communities and the disregard for the lack of Asian diversity in high-level positions suggest social justice is not only failing to incorporate Asian Americans but also fueling the “model minority” myth and hurting Asian Americans. 

Evelyn Yu (CC’25) is a staff writer at CPR and a first year student looking to major in either neuroscience or political science. You can find her taking up dance classes, exploring new coffee shops, writing, or just lounging on the lawn with friends.