Are Asian American journalists united?

Asian Americans hail from countries that span across the globe, from the west part of the continent to the east, looping in countries as diverse as China, the Philippines and Pakistan.

Though they may not speak the same language and may not have the same histories, journalists hailing from these countries come together based on background, experiences, issues in the workplace and perspective.

Scroll to listen to these five journalists tell their stories.

“Sometimes, we find oneness in being different and just being from a different background”

“When I was working in Southeast Asia last year, I noticed that like when I would go to meet with NGOs or meet with people, they would not give me the same sort of like grand reception they would if I was like a white person coming into the office, where they would like prepare and be like, ‘Oh, this important foreigner is coming.’ And I wouldn’t get the same foreigner treatment as they would.”

“I’ve been in situations where when I’ve been interviewing people on the phone, they’ve been surprised that I’m not white. Well, the way they put it was: They were surprised I wasn’t blonde.”

“I used to do a lot of reporting in the rough black neighborhoods in Chicago and we always joke about like, when you’re an Asian, you go into that neighborhood and you light up like a Christmas tree. Because everyone gives you a look and are like, ‘What are you doing here?'”

“If there’s anything that unifies the vast majority of people here at AAJA, is that we’re first-generation journalists. My dad was an electrical engineer; my mom was a political science major, and she was then a stay at home mom after that.”