Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Month
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Month. Let's take a look at what it means to represent the community within our profession from the perspective of three PRSA Chicago board members:
Deborah Song - Director of public affairs for Cook County Health
Public relations professionals represent people and brands from all different backgrounds and cultures, yet there are only 2.6 percent of Asian Americans in the PR industry.
Forward-thinking and diversity-focused communications are critical to the PR industry, and anyone who does not prioritize diversity will lose clients and any valuable relationships.
Growing up as a first generation, Asian American, the career paths that were always presented to me were in medicine or law. My parents were concerned that I chose a field that did not have a large representation of Asian Americans and worried about the struggles I might face, but that did not deter me from pursuing a career in journalism, marketing and public relations. I've had major successes and dealt with struggles, but anything you are passionate about is worth the pursuit.
I realize why my parents never gave me a Korean or Japanese name and why they decided to change their names to be more American. There have been moments where I was asked to translate an email that was in Chinese, even though I am not Chinese. I've also heard, "Wow! I did not think it was OK for you to be so vocal or assertive."
I laughed off these moments even though they made me feel pretty terrible at the time. However, I know that the individuals did not mean harm. I have learned from these moments and embrace the opportunity to have respectful dialogue and further the progress of DE&I.
As the chair of the Young Professionals Network for PRSA Chicago Chapter, I love being able to work with young professionals, who understand the value of a diverse and inclusive industry and to represent the AAPI community in our profession. I look forward to helping them grow, empower and become C-level communications executives with diverse representation including the AAPI community.
Kayee Ip - Senior Manager of Governance Communications at the College of American Pathologists
The notion of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community being the invisible or “model minority" might have been convenient for many… until invisibility is no longer a convenience or an option.
Many companies and organizations are starting to recognize the value of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. They are starting to proactively create safe spaces for people of color, including their AAPI employees, to minimize or eliminate “othering” which is great. However, creating brave spaces to foster bold discussions and allyship among diverse communicators and public relations practitioners is even better.
Our diversity, collective backgrounds and expertise could significantly reposition the communications and public relations cog into a linchpin workforce that helps strengthen our companies, organizations, and industry.
Mailee Ua Garcia – Chief of Communications and Marketing for Heartland Alliance
There is no more urgent time than now for strong representation of diverse voices in communications. For all of my fellow AAPI communications professionals, I stand beside you as we continue to uplift the perspectives and various cultures that are part of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
In order to be a successful organization, it is tremendously important to prioritize inclusivity and diversity in order to retain talent and garner new business. Our society is becoming increasingly diverse, and it is our responsibility to ensure future generations are able to welcome different points of view and display strong cultural competencies.
Public relations and communications can help shape society by driving important conversations and helping organizations “show up” and become more diverse and inclusive.
