Deconstructing the Model Minority Myth - Workshop at National Association of Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA)

The perception of Asian Americans as model minorities who are academically and economically successful with few social problems has done a great disservice to Asian Americans, in general, and a grave injustice to Asian Americans who experience mental health issues, in particular. Among all the ethnic groups in the U.S., Asian Americans with mental illnesses are least likely to find culturally and linguistically competent services in part because of this public perception. This notion of Asian Americans being diligent, industrious and capable of overcoming the many social and economic obstacles to the American dream has, inadvertently, been used to deny Asian Americans equitable access to social services. To further compound the issue of inequitable access to mental health services, many Asian Americans with mental illness are not revealing their psychological needs, requesting services, or stepping up to assert their rights under the law. This is the model minority myth, which basically reinforces the capitalistic ideology that America is a meritocracy, where a strong work ethic will be rewarded with financial wealth. Conservatives use the Asian American model minority myth to disparage other racial groups for "not making it" without looking at the underlying sociological complexities that tell the real story. The fact is the Asian American under-earn in comparison to their White counterparts when comparing educational background and years of experience in the same jobs. Asian Americans have historically over-invested in education in order to offset the effects of discrimination. Many believing that attaining advanced degrees from prestigious schools are the only means to achieving financial and career success.

The term Asian American assumes a certain level of homogeneity even when none exists. How federal govt defines Asian American as people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. Asian groups are not limited to nationalities but include ethnic terms as well, such as Hmong.
Heterogeneity of this group - 43 distinct ethnic groups, more than 100 languages, and multi-religious, including but not limited to Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.
50-70% are foreign-born and speak a language other than English at home. Approximately 40% of the Asian American population immigrated to the U.S. between 1990-2000.

The truth is that this group of people labeled "Asian Americans" really does not exist as a homogenous group of people, but are a highly diverse, multi-religious, group of 43 different ethnicities and more than 100 languages. Despite this inordinate diversity, Asian Americans, like other non-European populations, were racialized, perceived and treated in particular ways because of their race. The 2000 Census showed that the largest 5 Asian American groups are Chinese, Phillipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Asian Indian.

Here's an excellent article written by Hyung Chol (Brandon) Yoo, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University, with whom I will be presenting with at NARPA:
http://www.education.com/reference/article/unraveling-minority-myth-asian-students/

Here is my outline of Workshop at the 2009 National Association of Rights Protection and Advocacy (http://www.narpa.org/) in Phoenix, AZ on Sept 10.

Introduction and brief summary - Pearl [3 min}
When I first started this film project, it was with the intention of helping to break the silence about mental illness within Asian American communities and to contribute to the broader public discourse about mental health and cultural competency. I soon came to realize that many people in mainstream mental health organizations did not perceive as Asian Americans as having social problems and made little to no outreach efforts to Asian Americans. Even the most educated among them had internalized stereotypes about Asian Americans in their minds, coloring their perceptions of Asian Americans. I realized that even before the issue of cultural competency could be dealt with that the myth of the model minority first had to be dispelled. Many Asian Americans do not want to acknowledge that they have mental health issues in their communities and families. The denial and shame has made Asian Americans, the least to seek mental health services among all the ethnic groups in the U.S. The model minority myth actually helps to obscure the truth and reinforces the denial.
We are fortunate to have Dr. Hyung Chol Yoo, Associate Professor of Psychology of Arizona State Univ. and scholar. One of his specialties is the model minority myth. But first I'd like to show the first 20 minutes of a documentary film in progress, Can. Some of you may know Can Truong, who is a board member of NARPA.

VIDEO – Clip from documentary film “Can” [20 min]
Defining Asian America - [Pearl] [3 min]
What AA means in conversation - Most people think of people of East Asian ancestry such as Chinese, Korean and Japanese, when the term "Asian American" is used. But for the purposes of this workshop, we will be using the term to refer to
How federal govt defines AA -Asian refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. Asian groups are not limited to nationalities but include ethnic terms as well, such as Hmong.
Heterogeneity of this group - 43 distinct ethnic groups, more than 100 languages, and multi-religious, including but not limited to Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.
50-70% are foreign-born and speak a language other than English at home. Approximately 40% of the Asian American population immigrated to the U.S. between 1990-2000.
III. Describe Historical, sociopolitcal context and clearer definition of the model minority myth [Brandon--12 minutes]
Definition of racism - Media images that reinforces AAMMM
Not a stereotype, but a construct that reinforces the power structure
History/Sociopolitical Background
Defining Model Minority Myth and components.
VIDEO - Experts describing Model Minority Myth within the context of mental health - [10 mins]

Deconstructing the model minority myth [Brandon--10 minutes]
Ethnic Heterogeneity
Selective Immigration
Context Dependency

Implications of the MMM [Brandon--10 minutes]
Interracial tension
glass ceiling
psychological distress
Asian American women and suicide
mental health service use
silence and invisibility [Pearl] [5 mins]
lack of cultural competency care
Lack of understanding mental health experience/needs
Lack of media images of AA with mental health issues. Media images of AAs most typically reinforce cultural myths and stereotypesMany major mental health organizations are not conducting outreach to Asian Americans and currently, there exists no national Asian American grassroots groups that are dealing with mental health issues. Asian American women between the ages of 15-24 have among the highest suicide rates in the nation, with only Native American women leading the rates.