Asian Americans in Law

Roxboro House Roundtables

Within your lifetime, you’ve likely heard several stereotypes revolving around Asian people. Such as them being competent but cold, excellent at math, and anti-social beings. These “observations” serve as thinly veiled racism that underpins the Model Minority Myth. This widely believed concept is a gross-generalization of a non-monolithic group of people. This Roundtable will unpack these racist assumptions, and how they are leveraged to discourage Asian people from becoming lawyers. We will discuss openly the effect this phenomen has on law school admissions, Asian mental health, and workplace discrimination. By looking at the history of Asian immigration to the U.S. and Asian Americans starting to pursue law on American land, we will aim to answer the question: of the 2,396 elected prosecutors in the U.S. last year, why were only eight of Asian descent?