Letters: Wary of data on Asian Americans
Re “Asians nation’s fastest-growing group,” June 19
The Asian Pacific American, or APA, community is represented as a “model minority,” much as it was portrayed in a recent Pew Research Center study that your article cites. However, your article failed to properly address the disparities that exist between and within subgroups of the APA community or the widespread criticisms about the Pew study.
The APA umbrella includes more than 45 distinct ethnicities speaking more than 100 language dialects, and many of the groups that were excluded from Pew’s report are also the ones with the greatest needs. While some in the APA community have been very successful, I caution against drawing oversimplified conclusions that ignore the many real challenges facing our diverse population. Doing so deprives these groups of much-needed resources.
To better understand our growing community, we need to move beyond stereotypical narratives and pursue more disaggregated data on different APA subgroups.
Rep. Judy Chu
(D-Monterey Park)
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