May 28, 2024
Historical failings, like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that restricted immigration from China for 61 years, have cast a shadow of prejudice and discrimination over Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations. Its effects continue to loom heavy, often reducing these groups to a single racial-ethnic category and masking major differences that exist between them, even when it comes to their health. In this episode, Devon Valera, from the Office of NIH History, breaks down how history has shaped AANHPI experiences and perceptions, and Dr. Jacqueline Vo from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), explains why science is now calling to dismantle the myth that these populations are a monolithic group.