Huffington Post
This country's fastest growing racial group, Asian Americans, comes from all walks of life. Some are doctors or lawyers, others work in restaurants or nail salons. Many were born in the United States, most are immigrants. They have roots in countries throughout Asia, including Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Asian American Center for Advancing Justice (Advancing Justice) and other organizations serving Asian Americans are deeply concerned about how findings from a recent study by the Pew Research Center have been used to portray our communities. While the report, "The Rise of Asian Americans," should be applauded for the attention it provides an often misunderstood racial group, its narrative largely ignores the tremendous social and economic diversity within Asian American communities. Failure to fully recognize the challenge Asian Americans face means that the educational, economic, and social service needs of America's fastest growing racial group will not be fully understood or addressed by policy makers.
