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<\/p>\nRecent weeks have seen crimes against Asians and Pacific Islanders make headlines across the U.S. From verbal and physical attacks, to murders and mass shootings, these heinous crimes are forcing us to address a persistent, pervasive\u00a0and largely unspoken national problem. There is an inherent bias toward\u00a0the\u00a0API\u00a0community in America.<\/p>\n
In many cases, it\u2019s an unconscious bias, rooted in an ignorance of our cultures and diversity.\u00a0 But it is bias all the same, one\u00a0compounded by miscast blame of the COVID-19 pandemic on people of\u00a0API\u00a0descent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is an uncomfortable conversation that people have ignored for decades, including those of us in the\u00a0API\u00a0community. Our culture is not one where we speak out. The wise person in our culture is the quiet one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So instead, we have kept our heads down and worked hard to chase the American dream, choosing politeness and silence that let this bias continue unchecked.\u00a0Like a cancer it has metastasized, growing stronger and more virulent over time.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0latest rash of crimes and murders have compelled a chorus of voices to speak up.\u00a0 It has been heartening to see so many people \u2014 and importantly people outside of the\u00a0API\u00a0community \u2014 stand\u00a0in solidarity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calling out this inherent bias on its face is critical, but it also highlights a second societal problem: A\u00a0dearth of\u00a0APIs in leadership roles in our country.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
We have not historically seen\u00a0API\u00a0role models portrayed as leaders in our society.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s movies and TV shows or advertisements, we are often shown as owners of a restaurant or dry-cleaning business. “Crazy Rich Asians” was one of\u00a0the first blockbuster movies I remember seeing where we were not small business owners.\u00a0This extends beyond pop culture into real life.<\/p>\n
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A woman sheds a tear during a vigil and rally against Asian hate crimes, Friday, March 26, 2021, at Chicago's Horner Park. The event is organized by local Chicago organizations led by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (AP Photo\/Shafkat Anowar) ORG XMIT: ILSA107 (Photo: Shafkat Anowar, AP)<\/span><\/p>\n Growing up in West Virginia,\u00a0I felt many times that my family was the only Asian one in the entire state. As I proceeded to medical school and\u00a0residency, I found myself among a greater number of\u00a0API\u00a0colleagues.\u00a0<\/p>\n A huge number of us pursue careers in the sciences;\u00a0however, when you look at our careers, the vast majority plateau early on.\u00a0Instead of a professional leadership trajectory, it\u2019s a flat line.\u00a0<\/p>\n When I worked\u00a0at the National Institutes of Health in the 1990s, it was largely the\u00a0API\u00a0community in the lab doing the frontline work. Few ascended to department chairs or other senior positions.\u00a0We have not felt empowered to pursue promotions, to seek the next rung on the ladder. The higher you move up in medicine, the fewer of us there are.\u00a0<\/p>\n Today, not many\u00a0APIs serve\u00a0as CEOs and\u00a0department chairs\u00a0or lead\u00a0government agencies. Few health sector operations have\u00a0API\u00a0CEOs.\u00a0I\u2019m one of, if not the only, Asian leading a major national cancer center.\u00a0<\/p>\n Only 35\u00a0API\u00a0men and women were\u00a0appointed as new CEOs of\u00a0Fortune\u00a0500\u00a0companies between 2000 and 2020.\u00a0This\u00a0vast underrepresentation leads to unconscious bias.<\/p>\n It feels impossible to move ahead in your career when people categorically overlook you community as leaders. According to the\u00a0U.S. Census Bureau,\u00a0APIs comprise 6.5% of the U.S. population. If we want to correct inherent bias, we need to make sure our leadership looks like our country. It is imperative that we elevate more\u00a0APIs into positions of leadership across every sector\u00a0and move away from the status quo of \u201cwhite men and then everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n While diversity has always played a role in Moffitt Cancer Center\u2019s 35-year history, we strengthened our efforts in 2003, launching a Diversity & Inclusion department.\u00a0This team has worked diligently not only to build a diverse team, but in its research of disparities in cancer \u2013 spanning awareness, community engagement, equity and access challenges, and the impact of certain cancers on communities of color.<\/p>\n We remain committed to building our staff and our leadership to mirror the diversity of the nation.\u00a0If every organization takes on this challenge, we will be able to see immediate impact.<\/p>\n Part of that work also starts within our own community.\u00a0I advise the\u00a0API\u00a0men and women I mentor to start with self-empowerment.\u00a0Do not wait for someone to build your path \u2014you must pursue your own trajectory of growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the national scale, we will not see changes in leadership until we address unconscious bias.\u00a0Having uncomfortable conversations about how\u00a0APIs are viewed in this country is so important.\u00a0<\/p>\n And we must challenge our own understanding of who a leader is \u2014 including race, ethnicity, gender, among other demographic consideration. It\u2019s time we put disproportionate emphasis on the inclusion part of diversity and inclusion.<\/p>\n We saw the multinational, multicultural cooperative response to the pandemic in the successful development of COVID-19 vaccines. It was through coordination and the ready embrace of the best and brightest minds worldwide that we were able to effect change that is saving lives globally.<\/p>\n If we take a similar approach in uplifting the best minds in this country, we can effect change in how we see each other and the world.<\/p>\nAPIs overlooked as leaders<\/h2>\n
Address unconscious bias<\/h2>\n