Every Coin Has Two Sides Uncovering the Model Minority Myth What
group comes to mind when you read the following: top of the
class, high test scores, and hard working? If you guessed Asian
Americans, you are seeing the power of the “model minority”
stereotype. It is true that Asian Americans, examined
statistically as a single group, have in many ways done
extraordinarily well. Among the major racial and ethnic minority
groups in the U.S., Asian Americans have the highest rate of
college degree attainment, the highest number of advanced
degrees, and the highest percentage of workers in high-skill
occupations. Because of this success, some have held Asian
Americans out as the defining example of what it means to
achieve the American dream, declaring Asian Americans as the
“model minority.” Yet, if we take a closer look at the numbers,
they reveal a more complex side to this remarkable story.
Without question, the model minority myth has camouflaged the
unique history and socioeconomic characteristics of widely