(Summary at the bottom)

As we continue AANHPI Heritage Month, this week we focus on recognizing the diversity within AANHPI communities and challenging harmful stereotypes. The term AANHPI encompasses a wide range of identities, and understanding how different these are is essential to break the monolith and confront things like the Model Minority Myth. 

Breaking the Monolith

The term AANHPI covers a wide range of identities, including over 50 ethnic groups, around 100 languages and innumerable cultural traditions, migration histories, religions and class realities. Experiences can vary depending on socioeconomic background, geographical location and even more factors. Some families have lived in their respective countries for many generations, while others have recently immigrated, for example. These key differences can affect access to education, financial stability and healthcare. Referring to AANHPI communities as one group erases these distinctions, which often leads to discrimination and exclusion. 

Deconstructing the Model Minority Myth

The Model Minority Myth suggests that all AANHPI individuals are successful, high-achieving and wealthy. While it might seem positive at first glance, it’s a really harmful stereotype, as it erases the struggles and inequalities many face within different AANHPI communities, creates unrealistic expectations, which only adds to the already existing social pressure, undermines the experiences of marginalized AAPI communities and silences those within it that need support. 

This myth is also often used to pit AANHPI communities against other marginalized communities, which ignores systemic inequality and creates even more division.

Breaking the monolith and recognizing the diversity of experiences is essential towards building a better understanding and allyship, especially to challenge this myth. No community should be reduced to a stereotype.

Woven Identities Competition

The second competition celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month is “Woven Identities,” where users are invited to create a lookbook inspired by AANHPI influences and write a brief description of which cultural elements inspired the looks. 

You can check the competition out here!

Summary

- May is AANHPI Heritage Month, which aims to celebrate different cultures and histories.

- The term “AANHPI” is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of identities. It’s important to recognize the diversity between the different cultures that it encompasses to break the monolith.

- The Model Minority Myth is a harmful stereotype that doesn’t take into account the challenges some AANHPI communities face, as well as creates division between them.

- The “Woven Identities” competition, which is now live, invites users to explore identity expression through fashion, by creating a lookbook inspired by AANHPI influences.

With love,

The Inclusivity Group