Crazy Rich Asian American History

I am an Asian American man of Filipino descent born in Minneapolis and currently living in D.C. Because of my line of work in education and psychology, I have supported and facilitated many conversations about race, ethnicity, and social justice in the classroom, the media, and on the streets.

Growing up in the Midwest near Chicago helped me to identify and solidify my roots, although I often found it frustrating that a demographic of people from 48 very different countries were grouped into one in America. I have dedicated much of my career and studies to the history, awareness, and disaggregation of data of Asian Americans in modern society. In 2014, I founded the Asian Pacific American Society at one the country’s largest graduate universities in psychology.

There exists a continual misrepresentation of Asians in the media. Prior to the 2018 blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians, the last movie featuring a predominantly Asian cast was Better Luck Tomorrow in 2003 and The Joy Luck Club in 1993. A lot of luck going on there for sure, but nowhere near the sense of representative of what constitutes nearly 7% of the country today.

I sought out Asian culture as a high schooler with regular trips to Chinatown in the South Side of Chicago. I felt a sense of peace among the mostly Chinese dominant businesses and stores. My family has been going there since the 70s and, when I lived there from 2010–17, it was our regular meeting place. We knew the store owners and the best places to go, but we were never part of the community. Language barriers and different family customs kept my family at a distance from becoming a part of the community.

In many ways, visiting Chinatown was just like visiting Ukranian Village on the upper West side of Chicago. The approach and immersion into either culture was welcomed in the same way. Growing up, I rarely saw the less dominant presence of Asian culture as many other cultures in America were either assimilating or too far removed from my purview. That is why I moved back to Chicago in 2010. I could find and experience any culture by visiting any one of the 78 neighborhoods in the city.

Now, in the nation’s capitol, I continue to experience international cultures and on an elevated level. My draw to very culturally diverse areas has led me to live in seven states from coast to coast. What I’ve learned is that people tend to move to the familiar like they’re wearing their most comfortable pair of shoes. That’s fine too, but the very essence of learning about other cultures (or shoes) is lost. I’ve made it a point to immerse into society, not because a culture or neighborhood is just like me, but precisely the opposite. I realize this is because there are really no established Filipino neighborhoods that I know of in the United States other than Little Manila in Los Angeles. And even when I lived there, I visited regularly, but never lived in the neighborhood.

So, aside from my continual perpetual foreigner status, and perhaps because of the assimilation of Filipinos into white culture, I have never known what it is like to live and work amongst my demographic of people. On the larger scale, Asian Americans tend to appreciate one another’s cultures, but don’t necessarily understand the differences and nuances that make them unique.

None of this can be done without study and immersion. Education and psychology are the perfect disciplines that, in tandem, one can really learn and understand the world. Add cultural anthropology, sociology, and political science and a cultural warrior can take further bounds to understand other people and their approach to the world.

So, back to my original posit of the lack of Asian American culture in the United States, it is not so much the culture that is missing, but the awareness and presence of the very basic threads that tie the communities together that is lacking. We don’t hear, see, or think about Asian culture unless we are thinking about food, K-pop, yoga or the martial arts and, even then, are we really thinking about the history or culture. There is a tremendous and infinitely varied world outside of what American culture has cultivated to be Asian. There are people with vast histories, struggles, and stories that, if you them and look under the surface, are much like yours. There are people who are willing to share their unique stories. I, for one, am one of those people.

If you want to know or learn more about the Asian Pacific American demographic in America, feel free to message me directly.

Be well, America. We are ready and willing to represent and sustain change.

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