Asian American Women Stories Inspire Inclusion

Photo by: Jannelle Andes

Traumatic. Isolated. Anxious. These were the words used by several Asian American women I interviewed to describe their experiences in the workplace and in society.

When my Filipina-Chinese grandmother passed away a few years ago, I wanted to tell her story. When the 2021 FBI report revealed that there was a 76 percent increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans and more than 63 percent of the incidents were against Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) women, I knew I wanted to amplify the voices of other women, especially those who are doubly or triply marginalized.

According to Stop AAPI Hate, there were 10,360 reported anti-Asian hate incidents since the start of the pandemic. Despite the rising violence against the AAPI community, there has been a lack of urgency from the media to bring awareness to this issue and even less of a push to make changes in policy and reform.

Even though Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S., they are highly underrepresented in journalism. The Associated Press reported that only six percent of its staff are Asian. According to the American Press Institute, journalism requires a variety of perspectives, and this can only be accomplished by having a diverse newsroom.

The Asian American Journalists Association stated that most of the media coverage came from AAPI journalists who were dealing with their own discrimination challenges. Amara Walker, a CNN anchor, received racial slurs on Twitter (X), even though they identified themselves as journalists, [and] Maye-E-Wong and Josie Huang were pushed to the ground and forcibly arrested by police. The Coalition for Women in Journalism reported that AAPI journalists, especially AAPI women journalists, were threatened and attacked. 

The portrayal of AAPI women in media has made them particularly vulnerable to racially charged attacks. AAPI women have been objectified, fetishized, dehumanized, and hypersexualized.

In their Time article, “How a Long History of Intertwined Racism and Misogyny Leaves Asian Women in America Vulnerable to Violence,” Cady Lang and Paulina Cachero describe how U.S. military presence in Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and other Asian countries created “. . . a military-sexual complex. You had large numbers of American men going abroad and a plan by the military to create rest and recreation sites where men can go and blow off steam.” This racial trope of Asian women as objects for pleasure continues to be perpetuated by movies, TV, literature, and music. The line by a Vietnamese prostitute in the movie Full Metal Jacket, “Me So Horny,” has been the anthem for hypersexualizing AAPI women.

Stereotypes like the model minority myth also influence AAPI women’s mobility in corporate America. The model minority myth portrays Asian Americans as rule-abiding, submissive, well-educated and able to achieve financial success without the support of government assistance. 

The 2021 McKinsey Women in the Workplace report showed that over 49 percent of Asian American women have a bachelor’s degree or higher, yet only less than one percent hold executive-level positions. The report also revealed that AAPI women experience microaggressions three times more than any other group. The Association of Asian American Investment Managers argued that with the intersection of race and gender, AAPI women have been the forgotten minority in the glass ceiling conversation. Because of the model minority myth, Asian Americans are often omitted or underrepresented in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. 

I have experienced the effects of the bamboo ceiling, the term given to the barriers and biases Asian American women face in corporate America. Despite being an award-winning marketer with over 17 years of experience, I have been passed over for promotions. There were many situations where I was told I needed to stay in my role for at least two years. Meanwhile, I watched more junior, white male counterparts assume senior-level and executive positions after only six months in their roles. I participated in mentorship, allyship and leadership programs in search of career advancement. Instead of promotions, I was given empty promises. I was overly mentored and vastly under-sponsored.

When my company started focusing on DEI, I served as a subject matter expert, thought partner and coach for our executives and brand leads on diversity and inclusion priorities. I led employee resource groups with 2,000+ members globally and doubled engagement in two years. Notwithstanding, I was often excluded from DEI roles and assignments. There was a lack of diversity in the diversity space. I did not belong there either.

My personal and professional experiences have inspired me as a journalist to pursue media pluralism and give voice to the voiceless. The stories of Asian American women are important because they are stories about the human experience, and they inspire inclusion.

Strength. Resilience. Courage. These are the words that I will use to tell the stories of my grandmother and other Asian American women.