Did you know that 22 million Asian Americans in the United States trace back to their roots in the East, Southeast and Indian Subcontinent? Many of them have their own unique histories and cultures. However, the Asian American population within the United States is expected to increase to 46 million by 2060.
Hyun’s experience in mingling with US Culture
Jane Hyun lives in New York City as a Global Leadership Strategist and Author who has a good perspective on cultural fluency. She has worked with many companies to close the culture gap, allowing her to pursue a cultural journey. She was born and lived in South Korea for part of her life including some years of her going to school. In this school, there were different values and she was surrounded by people that looked similar. In fact, most if not all of her interactions with people in South Korea were East Asian. When she moved to the US all the rules were different, and her arrival in New York showcased a much more multicultural background. She says, “When I went to the United States I had to learn a whole ton about language, culture, and different social patterns.”
Currently, she is involved with two nonprofit organizations in addition to working with corporate clients. Operation Exodus is a nonprofit organization based in NYC which provides holistic care – academic, socio-emotional care to Latino students and families. In addition, she is on the board of the National Association of Asian American Professionals which offers career development.
As an Asian author, Hyun views being an American as a way to write about her experience in the United States and how that differs from where she came from, Asia.
Asian Americans Influence on US Culture
There has been an 88% increase in the Asian population within two decades. In fact, this has been the fastest-growing ethnic group. Despite the Asian American projection to be the nation’s largest immigrant group, that does not mean they are not fluent in English within the United States, with 72% of US Asians being proficient in English.
Balance Now has an article about Doll Diversity, which speaks about diversifying Barbie dolls and changing the stigma of Barbie dolls being blonde and skinny. Marsanna Harris, author of Doll Diversity: How has Barbie Become More Inclusive in Recent Years emphasizes the importance of different Barbie doll appearances. The differences and uniqueness of the Barbie dolls help to make a more positive impact on the inclusion of diverse appearances and ethnicities. This relates to the impact of Asian Americans in the United States because of the emphasis on bringing diversity and awareness.
Cultural understanding between ethnic groups in the US
Hyun is fully aware of the term cultural fluency, which helps her understand and perceive people who are different from her. Hyun gives the example of being in a workplace and needing to know how to deal, interact and communicate with people who are different. She says, “It is important to develop the skill of communication and acceptance within each culture.” As Asian Americans blend with other cultures in the United States, Hyun emphasizes the importance of understanding one another’s differences and accepting one another as they are. She goes on to say, “The United States population needs to take a positive approach in understanding one another. It is essential to raise awareness of dealing with different interactions between multiple races.”
Some statistics to consider that impact United States culture is the number of people living in households together and the education level that individuals receive. 71% of Asian households are families compared to 65% of all households. In addition to household life for Asians, the education levels differ significantly compared to other ethnic backgrounds. Only 35% of the total population has a bachelor’s degree according to USA facts.org versus 55% of Asians over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree. Overall, many Asian Americans have a higher education level and live more closely to their loved ones or family members.
Hyun speaks about hardships in the workplace, and she emphasizes the importance of standing up for yourself no matter what ethnicity you are. There is a need to stand up for the Asian American community, and many other minority ethnicities.
Maya Siguenza mentions incidents with Asian Americans across the United States in her article called Meet MariNaomi: The Artistic Advocate for the Asian Community. To advocate for the Asian community, she presented a comic mural in different cities within California to advocate for the Asian community. Siguenza says, “Overall, inequity is common today, as many victims still did not get justice for what happened to their loved ones and themselves.” This refers to different racial attacks within the US community.
