Misconception of Affirmative Action Support by AAPIs

Brian Tran
ASA 2 Sec. A1
Blog 3
10/4/15

Upon the approval of the Prop. 209, the author(s) of "How Higher Education Diversity Benefits Our Communities," justifies the common claim that AAPIs support the proposition as it wrongly assumes they will have a better chance in university admissions. AAPIs' chance at higher education increased due to solidarity between multi-ethnic groups during the 1960s and 1970s in support of affirmative action. It is easy for people to mistaken that there is a correlation between high AAPIs student population and Prop. 209 but the number does no necessarily represent all Asians. Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders are among the most underrepresented group and least likely to pursue higher education. According to the statistics of "Race still matters," there is a high percentage of Southeast Asian (Hmong, Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese) and Pacific Islander (Tongan and Samoan) adults without high school diplomas. 

Affirmative action is extremely beneficial since diversity in student population can powerfully break down racial and social barriers between multi-ethnic groups. In addition to the positive effect of diversity, in the AAPI community, diversity develop necessary skills for success in the professional world. 

Question: How can we solve the issue of misrepresentation of groups in the AAPI community?