Asian American Identity in the Pacific Northwest

When looking at the Portland, Oregon metro area, people often comment on how it is a diverse and liberal safe haven with a particular large Asian American community. However, in comparison to other large metropolitan cities in the United States it is much whiter and physically segregated. Taking this into account, my research poses the question of what does it mean to be American? Asian American? and Asian American in the Portland metro area? In order to do this, I explore Asian American identity in both the older and younger generation through analyzing interviews conducted and participant observation. This research is used to solidify research on topics including the model minority myth, involvement in social and community activism, long distance nationalism, and the differences between the younger and older generations of Asian Americans in the Portland metro area.