Celebrating Heritage Month
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Dear Friend,
Yesterday marked the first day of AANHPI Heritage Month! May was originally designated for this celebration for two historic reasons: It recognizes the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843, and it pays tribute to the Chinese workers whose labor was instrumental in completing the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, or Golden Spike Day. It’s so important that the diversity of AANHPI stories and contributions are included and recognized as part of the American narrative.
We also released the findings of our fifth annual STAATUS (Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the United States) Index. STAATUS is the leading national study of Americans’ perceptions of AANHPI communities. Building on five years of data, STAATUS shows that there is a growing perception that Asian Americans are more loyal to their countries of origin than to the U.S. We’ll dive deeper into these findings in this issue. The study also reveals a stark disconnect between the public perceptions and lived realities of Asian Americans: 48% of Americans believe Asian Americans are treated fairly—a five-year high—while 63% of Asian Americans report feeling unsafe and fear future discrimination.
Finally, this month marks the fourth anniversary of TAAF's founding. We started this organization in response to the rise of anti-Asian hate during the pandemic. But our mission has become so much more than that. Today, you can read about our focus areas in our 2024 Annual Impact Report that was released today, and we’ll share some of the initiatives we’re most proud of and the impacts we’ve made over the past year in this newsletter. I’m truly grateful for your continued commitment to our mission of building greater safety, belonging, and prosperity for AANHPIs across the country.
In solidarity,
Norman Chen
CEO, The Asian American Foundation
DATA & RESEARCH
4 in 10 Americans see Asian Americans as more loyal to their countries of origin than to the U.S., and other key findings revealed.
TAAF unveiled the findings of our annual Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the United States (STAATUS) Index––the leading national study of Americans’ perceptions of AANHPI communities. The survey reveals both new insights on Americans’ views of the country’s most ethnically diverse communities and notable trends that have emerged since the inaugural STAATUS Index. Drawing on five years of data, it also offers granular analysis of how longstanding stereotypes, deep-seated misperceptions, and media, culture, and information consumption habits shape how Asian Americans are viewed—often in stark contrast to their lived realities.
Among the 2025 STAATUS Index’s key findings:
- 40% of Americans believe that Asian Americans are more loyal to their countries of origin than to the U.S., doubling since 2021. This lack of trust is resonant with historical discrimination toward Asian Americans––for instance, only 44% strongly agree that the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II was wrong.
- Amid tensions between the governments of the U.S. and China, more than 1 in 4 Americans are concerned that Chinese Americans are a threat to U.S. society, especially around national security. As a wave of state legislatures consider legislation aimed in part at restricting Chinese nationals from purchasing property, 4 in 10 Americans support laws to prevent foreign citizens residing in the U.S. from owning land.
- 48% of Americans believe Asian Americans are treated fairly in society – a five-year high. Meanwhile, 63% of Asian Americans report feeling unsafe in a range of day-to-day spaces, and 63% think it likely they will be victims of discrimination in the next five years.
- Over the past 5 years, many Americans are unable to name a famous Asian American. Jackie Chan, who is not American, continues to be the most popular answer. This year, 42% could not name a famous Asian American. Large swaths of Americans also cannot name a single famous Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (54%) figure, or a significant event involving Asian Americans (53%). Furthermore, 1 in 4 Americans have no primary relationship with an Asian American – highlighting the persistent invisibility of Asian Americans in society.
- Among younger Americans, there is a notable reliance on social media (mainly TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube) to learn about AANHPIs. Global pop culture products such as Japanese anime (43%) and Korean TV dramas (42%) are top sources among 16-24-year-olds to learn about Asian Americans, showing many are mistakenly conflating content from Asia with domestic Asian American cultures and experiences.
- Americans continue to view Asian Americans as “smart, hardworking, and nice,” perpetuating the model minority myth. In the workplace, East and South Asian Americans are seen as more reliable and respectful than white Americans, but less assertive and charismatic. As leaders, East Asian and South Asian Americans are perceived as having less authoritative leadership styles than white Americans.
- Despite the lack of understanding of the lived realities of Asian Americans, nearly 80% of Americans support specific initiatives aimed at uplifting Asian American communities, with 41% backing legislation requiring Asian American history to be taught in schools. This comes as recent strides to expand Asian American studies face pushback as debates about curriculum intensify.
The fact that so many Asian Americans still worry about their day-to-day safety is deeply concerning. Americans’ lack of knowledge of Asian Americans’ history and lived experiences, together with growing questions of national loyalty, show us that we still have work to do. With so many in the Asian American community still feeling unsafe or that they don’t belong, and with increasing questions about where Asian Americans’ loyalties lie, we must renew our efforts to expand AANHPI education, build opportunities for cross-racial interactions, and broaden existing narratives. Finding opportunities to work with other communities of color—including NHPIs, who share many of the same struggles as Asian Americans—can also help in advancing safety, prosperity, and belonging for all of our communities.
PROGRAMS
2024 TAAF Impact Report
2024 was a year of innovation, impact, and growth for TAAF. We supported new initiatives, launched first-of-their-kind studies, and invested in organizations and people making meaningful change. In this year’s Annual Impact Report, you can read about all our initiatives. Here are some of the highlights:
- TAAF released two first-of-their-kind city safety studies in 2024, examining the safety concerns of AANHPI residents in New York City and Seattle, as well as our annual STAATUS Index.
- Comprised of 56 partners in major metropolitan areas and covering over 50% of the AANHPI population in the country, the Anti-Hate and Safety National Network provides essential direct services, safety, and healing to communities affected by hate incidents and crimes.
- TAAF launched the AAPI History Hub in September 2024. A first-of-its-kind online educational platform, the Hub provides K-12 educators with over 280 high-quality, vetted, standards-aligned curricular resources covering AAPI history.
- TAAF’s third annual award-winning TAAF Heritage Heroes features short films profiling everyday people making a difference in the AANHPI community. This year’s heroes include trailblazers in entrepreneurship as well as leaders in the fight against anti-Asian hate in New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, Houston and Seattle.
- TAAF launched a groundbreaking mental health study entitled Beyond the Surface: Understanding Mental Health Among AANHPI Youth. The study offers valuable insights into the key pressures and challenges AANHPI youth face, along with potential solutions to combat long-standing stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental health in our community.
- TAAF sponsored a series of immersive New York Times articles highlighting AANHPI stories—putting our cultural moments in the headlines, and examining how the creative output of our community is increasingly impacting popular culture.
- Since inception, TAAF has invested $30M+ into 100 community organizations that are working on the frontlines to support the diverse needs of our AANHPI communities.
These are just a few of the initiatives that we’re proud to have accomplished over the past year. As always, we are grateful for your commitment to making this work possible.
Dig into our 2024 Impact Report