The Asian American Bar Association of New York is fighting a perception that perhaps cuts across many professions, not just law.
As president, Mike Huang hears this all the time– why is an organization like his advocating for Asian Americans in the legal profession even necessary?
He wrote about this recently in a blog post for the NY Law Journal.
First the numbers– according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Department, Asian American comprise 4.3 percent of all attorneys in the United States. Just 2.3 percent have made it to the status of law partners.
Now the perception– Asian Americans are perceived as the model minority and thus assumed not to need a helping hand.
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As Huang writes:
“When people think of equality, they often think of gender equality, or equality for minorities, but Asian Americans are not among the minorities about whom society is concerned. The indifference toward Asian American equality is a result of our having been classified under the rubric of the “model minority” and thus viewed as achieving success by keeping our heads down and working hard. But Asian Americans have not achieved the success and equality that we are perceived to have reached, particularly in the legal profession.”
You can read more of Huang’s thoughts in the NY Law Journal.
From @Helenwan1 re: Asian Americans Lawyers via Twitter: "Great piece by @aabany Pres Mike Huang"