The Gift of Diversity

Maqsood Mamawala, Senior Consultant

By Maqsood Mamawala, Senior Consultant for Table Mountain

Our differences make us better

May’s arrival brings spring weather, flowers in bloom, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Officially designated in 1992 and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush, this heritage month commemorates the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders to American society.  It’s also an opportunity to spotlight an incredibly diverse group of people from over 75 countries.

As of the 2020 census, here are some facts about this fastest-growing ethnic group in the US:

  • There is an estimated 1.7 million Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander residents in the US.
  • Among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, 89.9% have high school diplomas, and 25% have college degrees.
  • There are an estimated 8,822 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-owned businesses.
  • 6.8% of US veterans are of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander origin.
  • There are 24 million residents of Asian origin currently living in the US.
  • The six largest groups representing this group are Chinese (5.2 million), Indian (4.8), Filipino (4.4), Vietnamese (2.3), Korean (2.0), Japanese (1.6).
  • About a quarter (27%) of Asian households are multi-generational.
  • 88% of Asian residents have a high school diploma, and 55% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
  • There are an estimated 612,194 Asian-owned businesses in the US.
  • Around six-in-ten Asian Americans (57%), including 71% of Asian American adults, were born in another country.

This fast-growing demographic’s contributions to the United States encompass all aspects of American life, from science and technology to business, government, authors, the arts, and sports. Some well-known figures include Ellison Onizuka (first Asian in space), Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo CEO), Stephen Chen (co-founder of YouTube), Sundar Pichai (Google CEO), Tammy Duckworth (US Senate), Amy Tan (novelist), Yo-Yo Ma (classical musician), Bruno Mars (pop singer), I.M. Pei (architect), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (football player and actor), and Troy Polamalu (NFL), to name just a few.

Celebrate!

How do you plan to lead a celebration — starting with your immediate team?

Here are some simple, no-cost items to consider to help you focus on the gift of diversity:

  • Challenge yourself and other leaders, direct reports, peers, and stakeholders to be more intentional about learning one more thing about associates and their culture, heritage, background, and traditions.
  • Encourage everyone to share (and plan to do so yourself) how their uniqueness has created opportunities and challenges and how they have dealt with them.
  • Ask them to reflect on and describe an even more psychologically safe environment. Discuss with the overall team how to address these items.
  • Finally, plan a lunch and learn, and (if you can meet face to face) have fun sharing a potluck of foods and games from each of their countries of origin.

Here’s to finding additional ways to increase awareness and acknowledge how our differences make us even better!

Resources

  • https://asianpacificheritage.gov
  • https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2023/asian-american-pacific-islander.html
  • https://blog.ongig.com/diversity-and-inclusion/famous-asian-americans/