As a marketer, Eric Toda always watches the Super Bowl with a critical eye. But this year, when he saw the brands pledge to change after a year of protests for racial justice and political division, including an NFL ad that many felt wrong and a highly criticized Jeep ad with Bruce Springsteen, he was not inspired by the messages of hope and unity.
In his mind were the recent reports of elderly Asian people in Chinatowns, from the bay area to New York City, who were being violently beaten, and in at least one case dying from their injuries, after an already difficult year that saw an increase in Asian anti-Racism during the pandemic. Between March 19 and December 31, 2020, the national coalition Stop AAPI Hate documented 2,800 first-hand reports of anti-Asian hatred.
The news brought Toda back to the age of 14, when his own grandfather was beaten by a group of teenagers in a San Francisco park and had to recover in the hospital.
More than 20 years later, Toda, now a Facebook marketing executive, is using his position of influence to speak out against ongoing anti-Asian racism, which dates back to the 19th century and increased during the pandemic.
“The minority myth model is killing us now,” Toda told CNBC Make It, referring to the stereotype that defends Asian Americans as hardworking, quiet and economically successful as a means of erasing the history of racism against members of the community. “It continues to put us on a pedestal for being silent and accepting silence. It pits us against other minority communities.”
“I realized that, after having a relatively successful marketing career with a platform, I needed to use my voice a little bit contrary to our culture, to call attention to what is happening and also try to make the change,” Toda explains. “The difference now is that we are much louder and more able to use our voice.”
Calling brands to support Asian communities
As a marketing executive who has also built brands on Gap, Airbnb and Snapchat, Toda says advertisers should put more money into campaigns that condemn racism aimed at all marginalized groups, including Asian Americans, and improve representation of Asian Americans. and the Pacific Islands including them in more roles in front and behind the cameras. The advertiser’s goal, he points out, is to shape consumer perception with a few seconds of transmission.
In recent weeks, major brands, including Nike, ESPN and HBO, have made public statements in support of Asian American communities and against racially motivated attacks. Their messages encourage consumers to contribute to the ongoing work done by groups such as Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Asian Americans for Equality, Compassion Oakland, Send Chinatown Love and Stop AAPI Hate.
It’s a good start, although Toda says he wants to see more allies of white decision makers in brands, within companies and among the general public to understand why issues of race and racial discrimination are so important to address.
“White colleagues will say, ‘It’s a great piece to do. We all have jobs and now we have to consider prejudices, race and nuances every day?'” Says Toda. “Well, yes, now you know what it is like to live in my skin, or to live in the skin of a black or Latino person – we have to consider this while we are doing our job too. This is empathy and perspective.”
He also believes that brands can do more to take advantage of their multi-billion coffers to contribute directly to judicial organizations.
Employers should examine anti-Asian bias at work
Toda also wants organizational leaders to use that time to examine how they perpetuate the myth of the model minority in the workplace. Toda saw what some call the “bamboo ceiling” in place in their own professional network, in which, due to racial prejudice, Asian-American professionals are the demographic group least likely to be promoted to leadership.
Researchers say employers can do better by examining promotion gaps for employees in Latin America and the Pacific Islands and providing better paths to opportunities, such as through leadership training or mentoring programs. Hiring decision makers must also be trained to actively recognize and confront their own racial prejudice when evaluating candidates.
Toda says his employer has been “extremely supportive” in addressing the issue of anti-Asian discrimination and is working with him to promote change internally and externally; ultimately, he says that speaking openly is a “deeply personal” goal.
In turn, Facebook provided the following statement to CNBC Make It upon request: “We support the Asian American and Pacific Island community, including our many Facebook colleagues. We condemn any and all acts of xenophobia, violence and intolerance – and due to increased anti-Asian sentiment, we are vigilant against any threats. We prohibit hate speech and violence against the community and our teams are working to keep them off our platform. We are examining the investments we have made to support justice in AAPI community and we are exploring what else we can do. “
Facebook’s director of diversity, Maxine Williams, shared a post on Wednesday expressing solidarity with AAPIs and colleagues.
Gaps in corporate diversity training
Within organizations themselves, corporate diversity and anti-racism training often leave out issues of discrimination against Asian-American employees, leaving workplaces ill-equipped to handle discussions at that particular time.
“The vast majority [of DEI leaders] I don’t know how to talk about issues related to Asians in a complex and nuanced way, “says Michelle Kim, CEO of Awaken diversity training provider. She adds that unless leaders have actively studied history and participated in In Conversations about the Asian experience in America, “most people end up focusing on race as a very black and white issue”.
Everyone also sees this issue: “We continue to be considered adjacent to whites. This is not true. If you want to be anti-racist, you need to include all racism against minorities.”
While Toda is happy that issues of anti-Asian racism are gaining attention now, he urges companies to do more, whether through their HR or diversity and inclusion roles, to support under-represented and marginalized employees in all types. of identity.
“I am well aware that, in the area of marketing, this will probably be the flavor of the social justice of the month. Next month, it could be another minority group, ”he says.
“The conversation always comes back to: How are you being anti-racist and supporting your entire community and employee base with education and support, so that when that happens to another community in the future, are you ready?
“The reality is,” Toda says, “being anti-racist is not a 2020 thing. It’s not even a 2021 thing. It’s a thing forever.”
Output check: How to support Asian American colleagues amid the recent wave of anti-Asian violence
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