At the intersection of the model minority myth and antiblackness: From Asian American triangulation to recommendations for solidarity.

2023/05/04 by Sherry C. Wang, Sherry Wang, Bianca Marie C. Santos · 30 citations
Social Sciences · #Anthropology #Asian americans #Ethnic group #Gender studies #Law #Model minority #Oppression #Political science #Politics #Psychometrics of racism #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research #Racism #Sociology #Solidarity

paper · doi:10.1037/cou0000662

published in Journal of Counseling Psychology 70(4), 352-366 (American Psychological Association)

openalex publication_date 2023/05/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25

Abstract

Asian Americans are situated in a triangulated role in a black-white racial hierarchy designed to legitimize white supremacy (Kim, 1999). However, little is known about the lived experiences of Asian American triangulation and even less so in the context of anti-Asian racism. The present study was initially designed to examine anti-Asian racism at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, in a sociopolitical climate described as a "racial reckoning," our study evolved to capture the process of racial triangulation and the interplay of anti-Asian racism and antiblackness. Based on the online responses of 201 Asian Americans (from over 32 U.S. states), four themes emerged to showcase the ways in which Asian Americans suffered from and recapitulated racial oppression: (a) anti-Asian racism is overlooked in the black-white racial discourse, (b) anti-Asian racism is not taken seriously, (c) anti-Asian racism is also perpetrated by people of color (POC), and (d) anti-Asian racism is deprioritized in the presence of anti-Black racism. Regarding participant recommendations to combat anti-Asian racism, our second research question focused on areas of convergence with dismantling anti-Black racism. Two key themes emerged: (a) foster Asian American pan-ethnic solidarity and (b) build and strengthen cross-racial coalitions (POC solidarity and White allyship). Altogether, our study descriptively captured the process of racial triangulation to showcase the manifestation and recapitulation of anti-Asian racism and antiblackness. While Asian Americans suffered as victims and perpetrators of racial oppression, they also recognized the need to dismantle white supremacy with racial solidarity, coalition-building, and advocacy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Cited by

• Investigating Anti-Black Attitudes Among Chinese International Students
• Asian Americans and Affirmative Action: A Case Study for Inter-Minority Group Relations and Policy
• COVID-19-Related Racial Discrimination during Lockdown and Its Impact on Asian American Women. [europepmc]
• 'We are not the virus'-Experiences of racism among East & Southeast Asian heritage young people in London during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. [europepmc]
• Invited commentary: mental health services utilization disparities at the intersection of Asian ethnoracial identity and limited English proficiency. [europepmc]
• Parents' anti-Black messages, empathic reactions toward racism, fear of Black individuals, and perceived ability to engage in anti-racism advocacy among Asian American emerging adults. [europepmc]
• "I Speak Up for Myself, My Family, and for My Community": How Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders Respond to Anti-Asian Racism During COVID-19. [europepmc]
• Ethnic-Racial Socialization Through the Lens of German Young Adults of Turkish, Kurdish, East, and Southeast Asian Heritage. [europepmc]

Related

• Dissecting Anti‐Asian Racism Through a Historical and Transnational AsianCrit Lens
• Not All Asians are the Same: A Disaggregated Approach to Identifying Anti-Asian Racism in Social Media
• Demystifying and addressing internalized racism and oppression among Asian Americans.
• Why Don't South Asians in the U.S. Count As “Asian”?: Global and Local Factors Shaping Anti‐South Asian Racism in the United States*
• Experiences of racist encounters among Asian Americans: analysis of #thisis2016