Count Me In! Ethnic Data Disaggregation Advocacy, Racial Mattering, and Lessons for Transformative Racial Justice Coalitions

• In Event: 29.075 - Exploring Disaggregation With the Asian Pacific American Community

Abstract

Calls for ethnic data disaggregation have become a central issue among Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) interested in racial equity in education. Many assert that the “model minority myth” contributes toward neglect of educational challenges faced by some AAPIs, and reason that disaggregated data can reveal deficiencies proving AAPI relevance to educational policy discourses. This case study of a recent disaggregation campaign critically examined racialized desires underlying disaggregation initiatives to offer a better understanding of the often-disregarded complexities in racial politics between people of color. Guided by critical theories of whiteness and anti-Black racism, we analyzed ten interviews with students who led a successful disaggregation campaign. Analysis revealed unintended anti-Black racism in an over-reliance on endemic deficit thinking frameworks.

Authors

• OiYan A. Poon, Colorado State University

• Jude Paul Dizon, University of Maryland

• Dian D Squire, Iowa State University