Officially, the model minority myth is the belief that all Asians are naturally high achieving. Unofficially, it meant that my childhood was a constant barrage of jokes about having to go to Harvard and become a doctor or lawyer. It meant stepping into a room and knowing that people already made assumptions about me and…
Founded in 1980, the Asian Pacific Health Corps (APHC) at UCLA is a student organization that aims to promote healthy lifestyles in Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. They serve disadvantaged APIs who do not have health insurance, do not fully trust their physicians, or cannot accurately communicate their problems. Today, APHC offers educational programs…
You will be hard pressed to find an Asian American that supports the “model minority” myth. Hundreds upon hundreds of articles have been written trying to rile the Asian American community to dismantle this form of oppression, but these articles have mainly been talk and no action. With the June 17 shooting in Charleston, South…
Rihanna has recently released a new music video to her new single, “American Oxygen.” She sings about the American dream and how through hard work one could achieve success and become prosperous. Through her song she even relates her own career experiences, singing, “Young girl hustlin’ on the other side of the ocean. You can be anything at all in America, America.”
According to a 2007 CNN article by Elizabeth Cohen, Asian American (AA) women have the highest suicidal rates for females aged 15-24. Below are several factors that Cohen discusses. I added my own commentary when relevant. 1) AA immigrant parents set high academic and career expectations for their children + the “model minority” myth. When…