Wealth Inequality: Pacific Islander Community
The month of May is an important month for the Overachiever community. We get to celebrate our diverse heritage, cultures and acknowledge pioneers in our communities. However, the dialogue surrounding Asian American Pacific Islander month often fails to adequately include and describe Pacific Islanders. When we place Pacific Islanders under this umbrella term, we need to make sure that their struggles are discussed. The idea that everyone in the Asian American Pacific Islander community is well-off is a common misconception and this generalization is in fact dangerous. When we make generalizations, we feed into the model minority myth and perpetuate stereotypes that diminish the struggles faced by certain communities. The underrepresentation of the Pacific Islander community is an urgent matter. Especially during a month where we’re celebrating this community, we should make sure that these issues are at the forefront.
Pacific Islanders refer to those who are of Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesia descent. The United States is composed primarily of Native Hawaiians, Tongans, Samoans and Guamanian (PTA, n.d., para. 1-3). With regards to wealth inequality, almost 18% of Native Haiwaiians and Pacific Islanders are living below the poverty line in comparison to the national average rate which is 12% (White House, n.d., p. 3). In another study titled, “Financial Distress among Pacific Islanders in Southern California,” researchers found that “about one-third of the respondents reported that their household earned less than $20,000 annually” (Tanjasiri et al., 2015, p. 4). Our community members are not monolithic which is reflective in the disparities within the community. The statistics surrounding income within the Asian American Pacific Islander community itself is even more shocking. According to Pew Research, they reported that based on data from 2016, Asians in the top 10th percentile earned 10.7 times as much as those in the bottom 10th percentile (Kochhar & Ciluffo, 2018, para. 3). Not only are these numbers indicative of the work that needs to be done to close this gap, but it also speaks upon the need to disaggregate our data. Unfortunately, our data is making generalizations about our communities and that poses an issue when it comes to elected officials addressing issues. It is crucial that our data is broken down and specific to fully reflect the experiences of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders.
Understanding wealth inequality means also understanding the disparities within our educational system as these issues are not mutually exclusive. In fact, “49% of Native Hawaiians, 57% of Samoans, 58% of Tongan, and 53% of Guamanian adults 25 and older have not completed a two year or four-year degree” (PNPI, 2018, para. 5). There are several factors that contribute to the lack of enrollment for higher education which includes the inaccessibility of educational resources. Many Pacific Islander students don’t see higher education as an option for them and it’s reflective in the lack of educational support from their schools and households. Many families are under financial stress and urge their children to find jobs after graduating from high school (Tran et al., 2010). Unfortunately, in our country, wealth and educational access are intersectional. Our system was not designed for low-income, communities of color. The lack of support for these communities is intentional and I emphasize this idea because our institutions were built on the backs of people of color. It is these institutions that have forced these communities into a vicious cycle of poverty.
Given that we’re armed with all of this information, many of us want a course of action. We may ask ourselves: how do we advance the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community? This is where organizing and advocacy comes into the scene. Our advocacy efforts could simply be sharing stories and experiences. On a larger scale, we could organize rallies, events and meetings with our legislators to make sure that there are resources being allocated to the Pacific Islander community. Our advocacy must be intersectional which means including our Pacific Islander brothers and sisters. At Overachiever Magazine, we hope that with every published article, there is conversation built around it. We hope that you start a conversation of your own with those in your community. We must remember that change only happens when we have those tough discussions.
References:
Factsheets. (2018, September 26). Retrieved from https://pnpi.org/asian-americans-and-pacific-islanders/
Fact Sheet: What You Should Know About Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/list/asian-americans-initiative/what-you-should-know.pdf
Kochhar, R., & Cilluffo, A. (2018, July 12). Racial and ethnic income inequality in America: 5 key findings. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/07/12/key-findings-on-the-rise-in-income-inequality-within-americas-racial-and-ethnic-groups/
Pacific Islander American Children and Families: National PTA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pta.org/home/run-your-pta/Diversity-Inclusion-Toolkit/supporting-multicultural-membership-growth/Pacific-Islander-American-Children-and-Families
Tanjasiri, S. P., Takahashi, L., & Sablan-Santos, L. (2015). Financial Distress among Pacific Islanders in Southern California. AAPI nexus : Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, policy practice and community, 13(1-2), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.17953/1545-0317.13.1.14
Tran, J. H., Wong, M., Wright, E. K. A., Fa'avae, J., Cheri, A., Wat, E., ... & Foo, M. A. (2010). Understanding a Pacific Islander young adult perspective on access to higher education. Californian journal of health promotion, 8, 23.
