Perspective: May is the time when we celebrate Asian Americans. Let's debunk common misconceptions.
Often, the attempts at honoring Asian Americans' contributions fizzle out because people don't distinguish between Asian Americans and other Asian communities outside the US. Numerous outlets remain clueless that the second "A" in "AANHPI" stands for American.
For instance, this year, Billboard put South Korean-born DJ-producer Peggy Gou on their cover for the first-ever "AAPI" issue. This is problematic because she was raised in Europe and currently resides there. Similarly, the publication celebrated AAPI Heritage Month with a chart highlighting 10 Billboard achievements by various Asian artists. While this list included well-known Asian stars like Psy and K-pop sensations BTS, only one of them—Mark Tuan of the K-pop group GOT7—is an actual Asian American.
Another culprit is GRAMMY.com, which released a "genre-spanning playlist" to "celebrate AAPI artists." Unfortunately, most artists featured were from Asia or Europe; for example, the South Korean K-pop boy band ATEEZ, and Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey.
These practices reflect the tendency of media outlets to focus on Asians who spent their lives outside the US. This issue doesn't just bug me; journalist Daniel Anderson even wrote an essay for JoySauce, deploring Billboard's inclusion of Peggy Gou. His piece also harps on the repercussions of conflating Asian Americans with other Asian groups, asserting that each community has unique cultural and communal characteristics that deserve celebration.
Cases like these go beyond the print and digital media. Consider the "Good Morning America" television segment last year. Paying tribute to Asian American Heritage Month, it was about the soaring popularity of the Korean language. According to K-culture blogger Kat Turner, the segment didn't feature a single individual from the AANHPI community, focusing instead on two white women discussing their Korean language learning experiences and the South Korean CEO and co-founder of the Korean language learning platform Talk To Me In Korean, Hyunwoo Sun.
"Imagine," Turner concluded, "if the story had profiled Korean Americans learning their ancestral language." It's disheartening that AANHPIs are usually overlooked in American media, prompting outlets to reach out to non-Americans.
Furthermore, a study by the Asian American Foundation found that over fifty percent of Americans couldn't name a single famous Asian American. Predictably, Jackie Chan, who isn't even an Asian American (he's from Hong Kong), was the most frequently mentioned name. The same goes for Chinese-Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, despite her being of Asian descent.
Misclassifying Asian Americans with Asian communities elsewhere or with diasporas outside the US leads to an unfortunate reality where Asian Americans continue to be perceived as outsiders in their own country. If media organizations continue to publicize Asian folk beyond the US during Asian American Heritage Month, they miss out on countless instances to spotlight and uplift the AANHPI community, contributing to the general public's lack of awareness of Asian Americans' accomplishments. There are plenty of Asian Americans with breakthrough accomplishments, like Lulu Wang, the Chinese-American filmmaker who directed "The Farewell," and Mindy Kaling, the Indian-American icon who has acted in, written, and directed various shows, including "The Office" and "The Mindy Project."
Steven Yeun, a Korean-American actor, is well-known for his leading roles in "The Walking Dead" series and the award-winning show "Beef." He also has impressive works in the cinema.
Additionally, the music industry has some massive names like Bruno Mars and Olivia Rodrigo, along with indie favorites such as Mitski and Japanese Breakfast, and up-and-coming artists like Sarah Kinsley, keshi, Lyn Lapid, and Audrey Nuna.
I hope that by May, media outlets acknowledge that there's no need to search for Asian talent abroad since there is so much talent right here in the United States.
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In addressing the issue of misrepresentation, journalist Daniel Anderson wrote an essay criticizing Billboard for including South Korean-born DJ Peggy Gou in their "AAPI" issue, as she wasn't an actual Asian American. This raised concerns about the conflation of different Asian communities and the need to celebrate each one's unique characteristics and accomplishments.
After analyzing various media outlets, it becomes evident that there's a lack of representation of Asian Americans in American media, leading to the general public's lack of awareness of their accomplishments. For instance, during Asian American Heritage Month, numerous outlets focus on Asians living outside the US, overlooking the accomplishments of Asian Americans like Lulu Wang, the Chinese-American filmmaker who directed "The Farewell," and Mindy Kaling, the Indian-American icon who has acted in and directed various shows.
[Read also: This will change in December, Dikes withstand water masses so far - Scholz holds out the prospect of help, Fireworks and parties ring in 2024 - turn of the year overshadowed by conflicts, Attacks on ships in the Red Sea: shipping companies avoid important trade route]
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