We Need to Talk About What It Means to Be ‘White-Adjacent’ in Tech

Asians in tech are now frequently considered so white-adjacent that we are no longer identified as people of color, as if the relative overrepresentation of some East and South Asians with socioeconomic and educational privilege means that the entirety of the AAPI community is no longer subject to issues of racism. But it is that mix of privilege and exclusion that also gives us a unique position from which to advocate for anti-racism and the dismantling of structural and systemic racism. While Asians comprise <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/09/asian-americans-are-the-fastest-growing-racial-or-ethnic-group-in-the-u-s/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">5.7</a>% of the U.S. population, our representation in tech is almost 2.5 times that at <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/special-report/diversity-high-tech" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">14</a>%; compare that with 0.9% of elected AAPI officials. (Note: Most data do not include numbers for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, who make up <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/09/asian-americans-are-the-fastest-growing-racial-or-ethnic-group-in-the-u-s/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">0.2% of the US population</a>, and should be considered part of the AAPI community.) <a href="https://medium.com/projectinclude/we-need-to-talk-about-what-it-means-to-be-white-adjacent-in-tech-f91fbcce7a42">Website</a>