Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling

This is going to be a very short post because I need to go and pack for New York. The Au family is in town visiting me for the weekend. I am way to excited to see them. Yes, I am Daddy's girl, Mommy's world. :)

People ask me all the time "why are you so interested and involved in Asian politics and culture? What about everyone else?" Some people have even called me "racist" because they think I'm disregarding all the other minorities. No, I am not disregarding all the other minorities. Everyone has their own struggles and obstacles to overcome, I am just more passionate about the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) community because I feel like I can identify more with them.

This article shows you why I am so interested in what I am. Asian Americans are growing 41 percent faster than any other demographic group yet hold only 12.5 percent of U.S. management positions. We set the bar at some of the most prestigious Ivy leagues. Despite the fact that we make up more than one-third of the workforce in Silicon Valley, we are completely underrepresented in the top board and CEO positions. In class today we were discussing the supreme court and who could potentially take Souter's position. In the whole discussion I was thinking, along with another peer, "when will be see an Asian American in the supreme court?" Looking at the list of nominees, there were Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, but no Asians. Common Obama, Asian Americans have "empathy" too.

Because we are thought to be the "model minority", society thinks of us as being better off then everyone else. We might be doing relatively well in comparison to our counterparts; however, I think our culture is a result of our success and failures. American culture tells you to be an individual and to try the best you can. Part of the Asian culture tells you to BE the best (or else your mama will whip you with a bamboo stick). But at the same time the Asian culture says "you don't have to raise your hand--just do a good job." When there are problems, you just swallow them because speaking up will bring too much attention and trouble. We are all constantly striving to be the leader, but only a very few reach the top. It's time to break down the bamboo ceiling.