Hodes Voices

The Diversity of Asian and Pacific Americans

Jun 4, 2010 | mgordon | Diversity & Inclusion, Diversity Matters, Uncategorized

During May, America celebrated Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month through learning about the histories and cultures of the third largest minority group in the country. It is also the fastest growing, rising 2.7% between 2007 and 2008. These 15 million Americans represent over a dozen different ancestries, each with vastly different cultures, histories, and relationships with one another. This diversity necessitates avoiding assumptions about background, language, and culture when engaging with Asian American individuals or the population as a whole.

Source: 2008 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
Note: Indonesian, Malaysian, and Sri Lankan each represent less than 1% and are not shown.

In order to gain a sense of this population and its place in the economy and workforce, however, we can turn to the latest demographics provided by the Census (data is for adults 25 and older identifying only as Asian):

• 50% have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education, compared with 28% of all Americans.
• 20% have a graduate or professional degree, compared with 10% of all Americans.
• 48% of civilian employed Asians (16 and older) worked in “management, professional and related occupations”, such as financial managers, engineers, teachers and registered nurses; 22% worked in sales and office occupations; 16% in service occupations and 11% in production, transportation and material moving occupations.
• 73% live in a household with Internet use — the highest rate among race and ethnic groups.

History of Asian Pacific Heritage Month 

While Asian immigrants began coming to the new world before America had even gained its independence, the first major wave in immigration occurred in the late 1840s and by the 1860s the Asian and Pacific Islander population in the U.S. had grown to over 30,000. By 1970 the population had passed the one million mark and in 1977 both houses of Congress formalized a resolution proclaiming the first week of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage week, commemorating the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to America in 1843. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush expanded this week into a month-long celebration. 
 
Relevant Sites
 
http://www.asianpacificheritage.gov/
http://www.asian-nation.org/
http://www.naaap.org
http://www.goldsea.com
http://modelminority.com/  
http://www.apex.org/Default.php

Also in May: Older American Month
 
Older American Month was established in 1963, making it, fittingly, one of the oldest monthly national celebrations. At the time, however, there were only 17 million Americans 65 and older, compared to 37 million now. By 2016 Americans 55 and older will comprise one quarter (23%) of the labor force.