WASHINGTON (BP) — “Asian-American” is too broad a term to encompass descendants in the U.S. of more than 20 or more Asian and Indian nations, the Pew Research Center found in its largest canvas of Asian Americans to date.
When many non-Asian Americans hear or use the pan-ethnic term, they are considering only a portion of Asia such as China, Japan or North or South Korea, not considering or being cognizant of lesser known countries such as Bhutan or Nepal, Pew said Aug. 2 in releasing its findings.
The lack of knowledge in the U.S. of Asia’s diversity challenges Asian Americans to be themselves, many respondents told Pew.
“I guess … I feel like I just kind of check off ‘Asian’ [for] an application or the test forms. That’s the only time I would identify as Asian. But Asian is too broad,” a U.S.-born woman of Taiwanese origin in her 20s told Pew. “Asia is a big continent. Yeah, I feel like it’s just too broad. To specify things, you’re Taiwanese American, that’s exactly where you came from.”
The rich diversity of Asian Americans must be embraced in reaching them with the Gospel, Southern Baptist Asian ministry mobilizer Peter Yanes told Baptist Press.
“As Asians are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group, of which the majority are immigrants, the growing U.S.-born generation of Asians is adding to the complexity of having a strategic ministry approach to reach them with the Gospel,” said Yanes, executive director of Asian American relations and mobilization for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
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Source: Baptist Press
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