Advancing Justice: Exploring Political Representation by Asian Pacific Americans

• In Event: Asian American Empowerment: Marginalization and Voice

Abstract

In the world of minority politics, Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) have been considered the privileged people whose socioeconomic achievements have earned them the label of the “model minority.” Among elected officials of color, APA men and women have been found to obtain the highest levels of education and family income as a whole. How has the gilded group stereotype or perception of “being privileged” influenced the political socialization and campaigning of US elected officials of APA descent? How have some been able to advocate for the interests of the intersectionally disadvantaged among their constituencies because of their own experiences of marginalization? What issues do they champion or eschew? What challenges or obstacles do they need to confront and overcome in advocating justice for the community they represent? How are the experiences gendered?
In this paper, we shall explore whether and how political representation among APA women and men employs womanism, a theory and praxis of leadership developed by Black and other women of color feminists that prioritizes the issues and experiences of intersectionally marginalized groups towards the goal of full community empowerment. Case studies of evidence in
legislative initiatives and community-based campaigns advancing equality and justice for
underprivileged segments in the APA community by class, color, citizenship status, and culture will be identified and analyzed. Our data come from a proprietary database of APA elected officials constructed initially from the political directories and almanacs published by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, 1980-2014 and supplemented with data up to the 2018 cohort compiled partly by the Asian Pacific American Institute of Congressional Studies. The results are expected to advance knowledge and understanding of the possibilities of substantive representation by members of a “model minority.”

Authors

• Pei-te Lien, University of California Santa Barbara

• Nicole Filler, Highline College