I’m Amy Qin, a reporter for The New York Times. After more than a decade in Asia, where I lived in Beijing and Taipei and mostly wrote about China and Taiwan, I moved back to the United States in 2022 to write about Asian American communities across the country.
It’s a fascinating time to be writing about this topic. Asian Americans comprise the fastest-growing category in the United States. They are more prominent than ever in pop culture. Yet they are also facing growing intolerance in the aftermath of the pandemic and rising tensions between the U.S. and China.
The community is also not a monolith. “Asian American” is an umbrella term for a diverse group that has roots in more than 20 countries across East and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Even the label “Asian American” is itself contested.
In the year or so since I took on this role, I have already learned so much, and in some cases have been able to draw on my own experience working as a correspondent in Asia and growing up as an Asian American. For example, I could relate when students told me about the concerns they felt about appearing “too Asian” on their college applications; I remember having those conversations with peers when I was applying to schools.
I really value your perspective: What Asian American stories do you think The Times should be covering? Is there a lesser-known group or story that you think we should explore to deepen our understanding of the country’s past and present? For our Asian American readers, what are the issues that matter most to you and your community right now?
If you write in, your response will be used only for generating story ideas. I may reach out to hear more about your submission, but we will not publish any part of your response and we will never publicly share your personal information.
