Day 6: Mental Health Equity

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Anti-Asian racism is on the rise, increasing by over 300% during the pandemic. Journalists, including Connie Chung, remark on the lack of media representation of these crimes. However, the erasure of Asians and Asian Americans go beyond just the lack of reporting in media. The erasure of Asians and Asian Americans is threaded throughout the history of America, including lack of discussion in school curriculum of Chinese Coolies and Filipino and Japanese slaves during the slave trade to the legislated exclusion of the Chinese in the Exclusion Act of 1882. 

Raids throughout towns and cities along the west coast led to thousands of Chinese workers and families being pushed out of their homes and forced onto ships or trains out of their cities in the 1880s. Buildings were razed as mobs composed of hundreds of white residents forced Chinese residents out of these cities. Chinatowns were burned down and forgotten. 

This erasure continued, with more immigration laws enacted in the 1920s, such as the Asian Exclusion Act. Spokane’s own Chinatown/Japanese Alley became a ghost town during the depression and then was destroyed for parking lots and the World’s Fair in 1974. 

These legislative acts, lack of acknowledgement in history, and removal of ethnic enclaves have had a huge impact on how Asians and Asian Americans are viewed and how they experience life in America.

The Model Minority Myth

The Model Minority Myth suggests that those of Asian descent are the perfect immigrant, having come from a foreign place and settled in America without difficulty. The myth proposes that Asians are achieving economic stability and success and do so without complaint. This myth benefits white supremacy by creating racial triangulation; Black communities are compared to Asian communities, kept in competition with each other with Asian successes used against Black communities to dismiss their protests against racism. The myth is then used to keep Asians quiet, with any expressions of concern considered complaining and stepping out of line from their role as a “Model Minority.”

The Model Minority Myth can lead to many Asian Americans feeling extraordinary pressure to succeed which can lead to negative self-talk and self-doubt. In even more extreme cases, the intense pressure some Asian Americans feel can lead to depression. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Asian-American women age 15-24. Asian American college students have higher rates of attempting suicide than those in other groups.

The challenges brought up by the Model Minority Myth continue as students head into their careers. “Research has found that Asians face a double bind at work: If they act more dominant, they will be less liked, but if they do not assert dominance, they will not be seen as leaders.” Consequently, the stereotypes of being quiet and submissive are harmful when looking to be leaders in their field of work. “A 2016 analysis found that Asian workers make up 5.8% of the federal workforce, but only 3.5% of senior roles. The following year, a review found that Asian Americans were the least likely racial group of all to be promoted into management or executive roles.” The stereotypes surrounding the personality of Asian people are preventing Asian Americans from reaching the highest leadership roles in their places of work. 

This systemic erasure means there is also a lack of representation of Asians, especially of Central and West Asian communities, in media, in elected offices and leadership, in mental health industries, and in law enforcement. This affects the pathways Asians imagine for themselves and how they are treated, or ignored, in those and many other industries. This erasure creates great harm on their mental health which can then lead to other health problems. 

The Model Minority Myth groups all people who live on a continent together ignoring the fact that there is so much diversity in Asia. This also adds complications to recruitment and hiring data for workplaces. According to Joyce Chiao, the founder and CEO of a company guiding conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion, the grouping of all Asian people into one can make it “really hard to see who is represented and who is not.” This can result in the skewed representation of Asian Americans in the workforce. The true diversity of the Asian American population in the United States is ignored when all of the unique ethnic and cultural groups are represented with one label.

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WENN SIE HABEN…

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5 Minuten	Und	10 Minuten	Und	1 Stunde
	Und		Und
LESEN SIE DIESEN ARTIKEL that explores the erasure of Asian establishments in Spokane.	Und	SCHAUEN SIE SICH DIESES VIDEO AN  on the act that made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals to become US citizens.	Und	CHECK OUT THIS PODCAST about the erasure and exclusion of Asians in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Bonus! Listen to this curated mental health playlist from a couple YW staff members while taking any part of the challenge (contains explicit lyrics):

Zusätzliche Ressourcen:

Bericht zur psychischen Gesundheit des YWCA USA

Glossar

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REFLEKTIEREN

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Nehmen Sie sich einen Moment Zeit, um über die heutige Herausforderung und die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse nachzudenken.

• Laden Sie die vollständige Reflexionsvorlage zur Herausforderung der Rassengerechtigkeit herunter und füllen Sie sie aus Hier.
  • Zu berücksichtigende Fragen:
    • Welche Gefühle oder Emotionen habe ich beim Abschließen der heutigen Herausforderung bemerkt?
    • Was habe ich gelernt? (Das kann ein neues Konzept, eine neue Idee oder ein neues Wort sein.)
    • Warum ist dieses Thema/Fach wichtig?
    • Von welchen Verhaltensweisen und Glaubenssätzen möchte ich mich lösen?
• Erwägen Sie, Teile dieser Herausforderung mit einem Freund oder einer Gruppe zu teilen, um Ihr Verständnis der Informationen zu vertiefen.
• Nehmen Sie am Freitag, den 29.09., um 12:00 Uhr per Zoom an einer Nachbesprechungssitzung zur zweiten Woche teil.

  Link zum Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84927226372?pwd=MFV6dDgrOTVGSFhGYm9UWWZ5UWFHZz09

  Besprechungs-ID: 849 2722 6372

  Passcode: letmein

• Setzen Sie die Konversation online fort und vernetzen Sie sich mit anderen, indem Sie unserem Facebook-Gruppe für Rassen- und soziale Gerechtigkeit.

Du bist gerade bei der Racial Justice Challenge dabei? Melde dich an und finde die vorherigen Tage Hier. Bitte nehmen Sie die Umfrage vor der Herausforderung - Es wird helfen Bereiten Sie Ihren Geist und Körper darauf vor, in diese rassistischen und sozialen Themen einzutauchen und geben Sie uns wertvolles Feedback für zukünftige Herausforderungen.

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Sources:

Cmaadmin, N. D. H. (2013, April 30). The model minority myth: What 50 years of research does and does not tell us. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. https://www.diverseeducation.com/opinion/article/15093076/the-model-minority-myth-what-50-years-of-research-does-and-does-not-tell-us

What is the model minority myth? (2019, March 21). Learning for Justice. https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/what-is-the-model-minority-myth

_{Torres, M. (2022, May 21). 5 Ways The Model Minority Myth Is Used Against Asian Americans At Work. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/model-minority-myth-work_l_60772adbe4b01654bb798ee8}

Day 6 is authored in collaboration with Asians for Collective Liberation in Spokane. Graphic design by Lara Estaris.

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Die Arbeit für Rassengleichheit ist ständig unterfinanziert. Geben Sie ein starkes Zeichen im Kampf für Rassen- und soziale Gerechtigkeit. Ihr Beitrag unterstützt direkt Initiativen, die Gleichheit fördern, Diskriminierung bekämpfen und Einzelpersonen und Gemeinschaften stärken. Gemeinsam können wir eine integrativere und gerechtere Welt für alle schaffen. Machen Sie noch heute mit und bewegen Sie etwas!

UNTERSTÜTZEN SIE DIESE ARBEIT

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Besonderer Dank gilt unseren Missionspartnern

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Wenn Sie mehr über eine Partnerschaft mit YWCA Spokane zur Unterstützung dieser Racial Justice Challenge erfahren möchten, wenden Sie sich bitte per E-Mail an Erica Schreiber, Director of Community Engagement ericas@ywcaspokane.org oder telefonisch unter 509-789-8275.

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