Yet, Asians do not receive the same lack of opportunities compared to other minority groups but also not held in the same light as to someone who is White. Being at Binghamton University where the faculty is 80% White and the students are 68.3% White (Martin & Pragacz, 2013). I could sit in a lecture full of students and be the only Asian. Although, I don’t think I feel as out of place as opposed to if I were Black. The Black student population on campus is only 7.3%. My friend, who is a person of color, told me, “It is hard being a person of color on campus.” I don’t experience the same struggles because although Asians are minorities, we are the “model minority.” It’s a strange concept because it promotes this idea that Asians are the superior minority group because of the stereotypes that we’re hard working, docile, and passive. Asians have displayed the ability to assimilate into White culture as well as letting go of the past where they were mistreated and racialized by Whites, while Blacks have had a harder time doing the same. With that being said, it’s not to say that I’ve never been prejudiced against. Despite being the “model minority,” there are many barriers for Asians to overcome such as affirmative action, the glass ceiling, or even the presence of Asians in the media or politics – it’s close to nil. While affirmative action helps other minority groups, it works against Asians and keeps them from attending prestigious universities despite having the qualifications for
Yet, Asians do not receive the same lack of opportunities compared to other minority groups but also not held in the same light as to someone who is White. Being at Binghamton University where the faculty is 80% White and the students are 68.3% White (Martin & Pragacz, 2013). I could sit in a lecture full of students and be the only Asian. Although, I don’t think I feel as out of place as opposed to if I were Black. The Black student population on campus is only 7.3%. My friend, who is a person of color, told me, “It is hard being a person of color on campus.” I don’t experience the same struggles because although Asians are minorities, we are the “model minority.” It’s a strange concept because it promotes this idea that Asians are the superior minority group because of the stereotypes that we’re hard working, docile, and passive. Asians have displayed the ability to assimilate into White culture as well as letting go of the past where they were mistreated and racialized by Whites, while Blacks have had a harder time doing the same. With that being said, it’s not to say that I’ve never been prejudiced against. Despite being the “model minority,” there are many barriers for Asians to overcome such as affirmative action, the glass ceiling, or even the presence of Asians in the media or politics – it’s close to nil. While affirmative action helps other minority groups, it works against Asians and keeps them from attending prestigious universities despite having the qualifications for