At a Historic Moment for Asian-American Candidates, Andrew Yang Leans In
Published in The New York Times on
For the first time, there are three Asian-American and Pacific Islanders seeking a major party’s nomination for president
...“This is absolutely a moment of importance,” John C. Yang, the president of the national arm of the nonprofit advocacy organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said of the three presidential candidates. “It says something about how far we have come.”
...The way Mr. Yang has chosen to lean into stereotypes about Asian-Americans, though, has led to tension among members of the community.
John C. Yang treaded carefully when asked about the candidate’s embrace of those tropes, calling it “a very complex, difficult area.”
“We want to celebrate our successes,” he said, “but not feed into the model minority stereotype.”