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Scrolling through Instagram, I am seeing a lot of posts addressing the white population, and I feel like I cannot repost them because I feel like it is not my place. And while the Asian population faces oppression, we must stand up for fellow people of color during this time. Some of the posts I saw were “A Guide to White Privilege'' and “How White People Can Help.” Just because we do not fit under that umbrella does not mean that we should stay silent. Part of being actively antiracist is awareness and education. Once you see that racial injustices exist, know that you play an important role in stopping it. Here is your guide to Asian privelige, and what Asian people can do to help.

From the birth of America, Asians have experienced significantly less discrimination than blacks, coming from this country’s history of putting poc against each other. The term ‘model minority’ was first used in 1966 in the New York Times to describe Japanese Americans, and was used in response to the growing movement against racial inequality. According to The Leadership Conference Education Fund, “Soon after, U.S. News & World Report depicted Chinese Americans as “winning wealth and respect by dint of [their] own hard work.” Using a term like this further diminished claims of racism by African American activists. Originally, the “model minority” term was coined because of higher median incomes and education over other racial groups, including whites. However, according to the same source, “ Research suggests that the upward mobility of Asian Americans over the past century is actually a result of post-war declines in labor market discrimination against them as compared to other minorities.” The wage gap between Asians and whites was extremely improved between 1960 and 1980, and education was not a factor that changed. After the Civil Rights Act, employers responded by changing their hiring practices to hire more Asian workers. On the other hand, a more select labor force was created. According to Labor Commission on Racial and Economic Justice, “Even after civil rights legislation finally made racial discrimination illegal in the 1960s, conservative politicians used racial stereotypes and white fear and anxieties to divide working people.” You have the Civil Rights Act to thank for the “model minority” term. Bringing our race up is only going to bring other races down, which is not the goal- equality.

In addition, immigration policies since 1965 have favored Asians to the United States, while African Americans can trace their past in the United States to slavery and systematic racism. So while the “model minority” term disregards the racism that actually faces Asian Americans, it completely disregards and affects other people of color.

Though it may not be as great as the privilege that white people have, it is still important to acknowledge that we still have privilege and can ignite action with it. The next steps to become antiracist are self interrogation and action. Like WHERECHANGESTARTED.com pleads, “Replace tools of defense to tools of accountability.” Systematic racism still exists at every level of society. For example, black women are 4x more likely to die from childbirth (CDC) and black americans make up 40% of the prison population” (NAACP). Compare that to Asian Americans, who make up less than 10% of the prison population. Compare that to Asian Americans IMR, which is 3.8, while African Americans’ IMR is 10.97.

I am not belittling or disregarding the oppression that has faced our population, like how our citizenship is questioned or our actions being perceived as those of our race. However, we must not ignore the voices of those that are in need now. Let us stand with them and show that the power of all people are stronger than the people in power.