What Is Discrimination?

According to the American Psychological Association, discrimination is the act of unfair treatment based on someone’s social group - such as race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Discrimination is often the result of prejudice - a set of pre-formed negative judgments or attitudes towards a person or a group. When it comes to social groups, many prejudiced attitudes tend to go hand-in-hand with stereotypes - oversimplified assumptions about a group based on prior experiences or beliefs. These negative attitudes and stereotypes may lead to harassment and discrimination, and affect a person’s wellbeing in everyday contexts such as schools or workplaces. 

The History of Discrimination Against Asians/Asian-Americans

Discrimination against Asians and Asian-Americans is a form of racism. Although the model-minority myth associated with Asians and Asian-Americans often promotes the idea that racism against Asian/Asian-Americans is not real or at least not severe (Kim and Yeh 2002; Lee 1996), a quick look at history reveals that this is far from being true. Here is a list of resources that gives a brief overview of Asian-American immigration history and the forms of discrimination they experienced and continue to experience:

• Asian Americans Then and Now

• An Unnoticed Struggle: A Concise History of Asian American Civil Rights Issues by the JACL

• Why We Must Talk About the Asian-American Story, Too

• An Introduction to South Asian American History

• And Then They Came For us

• Watch The Chinese Exclusion Act | American Experience | Official Site

• Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066

• Stop Repeating History

How Do I Recognize Anti-Asian Discrimination?

Anti-Asian discrimination comes in many forms and here are some questions we have compiled from school and workplace-related resources that may help you identify discrimination.

• Are you being treated differently than a similarly situated person who is not of Asian descent? (Different access to resources, targeting of blame, assignment of work, etc.)

• Is there segregation (of classes, activities, groups, etc.) on the basis of one’s race, ethnicity, or national origin?

• Do people regularly make rude or derogatory comments directed at your Asian identity or people of Asian descent as a group?

• Does your employer/teacher/administrative staff have a history of showing bias towards persons of Asian descent?

• Are there noticeably few members of your racial/ethnic group in your environment?

• Have you heard other members of your racial/ethnic group complain about discrimination? 

• Are there statistics that show favoritism towards or bias against any group? 

Resources for Identifying Workplace Discrimination:

• Proving Discrimination

• What Is "Discrimination"?

• Types of Discrimination

Resources for Identifying School Discrimination:

• Overview of Discrimination in Education

• Combating Discrimination Against Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Arab, Sikh, and South Asian (MASSA) Students

Crime & Law-Related Resources:

• Types of Discrimination | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

• 2018 Hate Crime Statistics | The U.S. Department of Justice

• An Asian Pacific American Hate Crime Response Guide

• Hate Crime Resources

• Know Your Rights | Race, Ethnicity, or National Origin-Based Discrimination

• In the Name of Hate: Examining the Federal Government’s Role in Responding to Hate Crimes

• Korematsu Institute

We understand that, even with the knowledge of these resources, it may sometimes still be difficult to identify discrimination due to its complex and ever-changing nature in our current society. We encourage you to think carefully about the questions listed above.

Here are a few opinion pieces on the topic that might help you think about your own experiences:

• Confronting Anti-Asian Discrimination During the Coronavirus Crisis

• Asian American Discrimination And The Coronavirus Crisis

• Anti-Asian Racism Isn’t New

• The Slur I Never Expected to Hear in 2020

References:

• Kim, A., & Yeh, C. J. (2002). Stereotypes of Asian American Students. ERIC Digest, 172, 3–4.

• Lee, S. J. (1996). Unraveling the ‘‘model minority’’ stereotype: Listening to Asian American youth. New York, NY: Teachers College Press