AAPIP Sips featuring OiYan Poon, Author of Asian American is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family

Kicking off our first AAPIP Sips during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was author and researcher, OiYan Poon, for an intimate conversation with AAPIP’s members on defining Asian American identities after the Supreme Court ruling on race-conscious college admissions. Poon interviewed Asian Americans engaged in debates over race-conscious admissions, or affirmative action, uncovering tensions between those working to advance racial equity for all through cross-racial solidarity and those invested in individualistic strategies of climbing to the top of a racial hierarchy. She argues that divergent approaches to addressing anti-Asian racism and defining what it means to be Asian American in an increasingly unequal society characterizes the “Asian American affirmative action divide,” and more broadly, AAPI struggles to be recognized and included in projects for racial equity. Faced with the dual responsibilities of advocating for our communities while organizing our communities for more just futures, we invite philanthropic professionals to a deeply reflective space to explore our identities and roles in this important work.