SHOTS.
SHOTS. WELL, SINCE THE PANDEMIC STARTED, ASIAN AMERICANS AND
PACIFIC ISLANDERS HAVE BEEN
FIGHTING A RISE IN TARGETED
VIOLENCE AND RACISM AS PART
OF OUR EFFORT TO SHARE VOICES
OF CHANGE NOT NEWS.
REPORTER NELSON GARCIA SHOWS
US SOMETHING THAT EXPERTS
BELIEVE IS AN UNDERLYING CAUSE.
IT'S CALLED THE MODEL MINORITY
STATUS IN AN AGE WHEN FIRST
IMPRESSIONS ARE OFTEN MADE ON A
SCREEN SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
MYSELF.
SO MY NAME IS RATHER THAN THAT
I DO GO BY RATHER SHORT
PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS CAN BE
MAGNIFIED.
I'M TRYING TO LEARN AND I WANT
TO KEEP LEARNING LIKE I SAID
RIGHT REATH PRIYA ATTENDS
THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES, A
SENIOR IN MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING.
I'VE GOT TO GET MY DEGREE IN
THREE WEEKS HE STUDIES ON A
CAMPUS WHERE HE HAS TO BE GOOD
AT MATH AND SCIENCE REGARDLESS
OF HIS BACKGROUND.
I WAS ACTUALLY BORN IN
THE COUNTRY OF CAMBODIA, CAME
TO AMERICA WHEN I WAS VERY
YOUNG RATHANA GREW UP IN DENVER
IN AURORA AND SAYS HE KNOWS
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE
STEREOTYPED TO BE OBVIOUS
ESPECIALLY WHERE I CAME FROM
I WAS THE ONLY ASIAN SO ASPX ME
WHEN I GOT BACK.
YOU GO RIGHT.
THERE'S A NOTION IN THIS
COUNTRY CALLED A MODEL MINORITY
MYTH AS EXPLAINED BY UNIVERSITY
OF DENVERS MIKAWA.
SURE.
YEAH.
SURE. YEAH. THE MODEL MINORITY MYTH IS A
REALLY HARMFUL AND DANGEROUS
STEREOTYPE THAT THAT
MISCHARACTERIZES
ASIAN-AMERICANS AND PACIFIC AS
UNIVERSALLY SUCCESSFUL AS HIGH
ACHIEVING, HARDWORKING AND HAVE
HAVE ESSENTIALLY ACHIEVED SOME
LEVEL OF SUCCESS THAT'S
UNPARALLELED AND IS A
RESEARCHER AND PROFESSOR
STUDYING RACE AND PERCEPTIONS
AND THE IMPACTS ON EDUCATION.
NO, I'M GOOD.
THANKS LOVE.
QUINN SAYS THE MODEL MINORITY
MYTH IS A COOKED UP IDEA THAT
PEOPLE LIKE RALFE ARE ASSUMED
TO BE GOOD AT MATH AND SCIENCE.
I DO STAGNATION EQUATIONS, PEER
PRESSURE AND STUFF LIKE THAT
JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE ASIAN.
THE ASSUMPTION IS THAT THEY'RE
DOING WELL.
THEY'RE OK.
THEY DON'T NEED ANY HELP.
THEY DON'T NEED ANY ASSISTANCE
AND SO THEY'RE LEFT INVISIBLE.
NO NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION
TO THEM.
I JUST HAD IT JUST LIKE THAT.
RIGHT LIKE NOW YOU ASISNE YOU
TO GET OUT AND YOU KNOW I WORK
FOR REATH FEELS LIKE THE MYTH
DISCREDITS HIS STRUGGLE TO GET
TO AND MAKE IT AT THE COLORADO
SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND THEN IT
ALSO AT THE SAME TIME REFRAMES
OUR EXPERIENCES AS SOMEONE
WHO'S NOT A PERSON OF COLOR WHO
DOESN'T EXPERIENCE RACE OR
RACISM.
I FELT THAT RACISM I FELT I'M
GOING TO HAVE ANYTHING FROM
SMALL MICROAGRESSIONS TO GOING
FROM MY OWN SAFETY AND
MY FAMILY'S SAFETY SOMETIMES
ESPECIALLY THIS PAST THE YEAR
OF CORBITT WHEN SOME PEOPLE
BLAMED THE PANDEMIC ON ASIANS,
THE YEAR WHEN RACIAL VIOLENCE
AGAINST ASIANS AND PACIFIC
ISLANDERS IS ON THE RISE.
THE OTHER ASPECT OF IT THAT IS
REALLY PROBLEMATIC IS THAT THEN
IT PITS OTHER RACIAL GROUPS
AGAINST ASIAN-AMERICANS.
WEIGEND SAYS SOME PEOPLE JUST
THINK ALL ASIANS ARE ALIKE.
IT'S A VERY COMPLEX AND DIVERSE
GROUP
GROUP BUT
GROUP BUT THE STEREOTYPE PLACES US INTO THIS MONOLITH WHERE EVERYONE IS SORT OF SEEN
AS THE SAME RESEARCH SHOWS MORE
THAN 50 ETHNICITIES FROM ASIA
IN AMERICA AND THAT GOING TO A
TOP NOTCH UNIVERSITY IS NOT A
FOREGONE CONCLUSION.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT ACTUALLY
THE NUMBERS OF ASIAN-AMERICANS
PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN HIGHER
EDUCATION, ABOUT 50 PERCENT
OF THEM ARE NOT ARE IN
COMMUNITY COLLEGES.
I'M THE FIRST PERSON IN
MY ENTIRE FAMILY TO ABOUT TO
GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE WHILE HIS
SUCCESS IN COLLEGE FITS INTO
THE MYTH OF BEING A MODEL
MINORITY, I REALLY RATH HAS
BEEN TOLD HE DOESN'T SOUND LIKE
AN ASIAN.
OH MY GOD I CANNOT TELL YOU
THE MODEL MINORITY EFX IN
AMERICA SUGGESTS ALL ASIANS ARE
QUIET AND INVISIBLE, THAT THEY
KEEP THEIR HEAD DOWN AND STAY
QUIET AND JUST DO THEIR WORK.
EFX IS PROUD TO BE LOUD.
DON'T GIVE UP ANYTHING WELL AND
HE RUNS DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS
AROUND CAMPUS BREAKING THE MYTH
THAT ASIANS CANNOT BE LEADERS.
I AM WHO I AM REGARDLESS OF MY
RACE.
SO AS HE TRIES TO MAKE AN
IMPRESSION IN LIFE AND JOB
INTERVIEWS I HAVE A LOT
OF PRIDE IN MY WORK.
I HAVE A LOT OF PRIDE IN
REGARDS TO SEEING MY DESIGNS
COME FROM NOTHING RIGHT FROM AN
INNOVATIVE IDEA, REATH WANTS TO
DISPEL THE MODEL MINORITY
SOUNDS AMAZING JUST BY BEING
HIMSELF ON CAMPUS IN THE WORLD