Beyond the Model Minority Myth: Ben Hires on Supporting AAPI Communities

How does the "model minority myth" impact how funders view and support Asian immigrant communities? What role do disaggregated data play in ensuring their thriving? In a conversation with Ben Hires, CEO of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC), hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette dig into the vast array of services that BCNC — and nonprofits like it — provide and the crucial role they play in mitigating the challenging realities facing Asian immigrants today, from ICE enforcement creating a climate of fear to long-standing funding gaps that leave essential services underfunded. 

Ben explains why translation services as well as robust and disaggregated datasets are foundational to ensuring immigrant communities are well served, and why supporting both direct services and systemic change isn't an either-or proposition, but “a both-and.” Despite mounting challenges, Ben's message is unshakably optimistic: "The immigrant community, in particular, we know is resilient and strong and is not going away." 

Additional Resources

Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) 

Pao Arts Center 

Overlooked, Part One: Foundation Support for Asian American and Pacific Islander Leaders and Communities

The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) 

STAATUS Index by TAAF

The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation

Asian Pacific Islander Civic Action Network in Massachusetts