This week Cynthia and Sadaf share their stories and the impact of the model minority myth

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I came to Canada when I was three years old. We first lived in a small village with a population of 500. It was my father’s dream to live in a huge house with a barn like in the Western movies he watched as a child.

Once I was old enough for grade school we moved to Vancouver. There were more people that looked like us here, but not many Koreans at the time. I was always the top of my grade for mathematics. My teachers assumed I wanted to be a doctor and always put in me in advance programs because it was their impression that I wanted to achieve more. I had high expectations at a young age.

Being the role model didn’t end at school. Though I am an only child in my family, I am the oldest of my generation for both sides of my family. As the oldest of the Kang family, I have the responsibility of being the role model for my cousins, nieces and nephews. I was not allowed to be spoiled, be immature or make mistakes. As I was the only one living in North America, I was also expected to have the best education and best career path compared to the rest of my cousins. I gave up a lot being the “model minority”. I wanted to pursue a career in music- I played most woodwind instruments and loved composing music. However, it was against the expectations set by my parents under the influence of model minority myth, so I stopped playing.

I joined Starbucks eight years ago. I placed a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect and that was noticed by the people around me, but one day something clicked. As I was learning more about inclusion and diversity, I came across the concept of the imposter syndrome. I realized that a lot of the pressure I placed on myself came from a fear of not being seen as good enough in front of others. This had a lot to do with the expectations I internalized due to the model minority myth. Through that realization, I learned to be more comfortable with myself and build confidence. At a company Courageous Conversation meeting, I spoke openly for the first time in front of my peers about inclusion and diversity and the importance of more representation. Afterwards, I heard from other partners that they were happy to hear me talk about things that they were feeling, but felt uncomfortable sharing. I realized how important my voice was. That’s why I joined the Starbucks Canada Pan Asian Partner Network council as a communications specialist, helping others to build confidence and be comfortable with sharing their stories.

Though I wish I had challenged the status quo much sooner, I’m very happy with my life now and have even begun playing music again. I want others to know that it’s important to keep your head up, speak up and challenge the status quo. You’ll be much happier and will make those around you happier as well.

My journey of embracing my Asian Canadian identity begins with my Asian Russian identity. I was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, but my family moved to Russia when I was six months old.

Growing up in post USSR Russia was surreal. I remember seeing tanks entering the city from my window in 1993, line ups for bread and milk, empty store shelves contrasting luxury cars of the "New Russians" – the newly formed business class of now "democratic" Russia. Growing up I'd play with kids in the streets under the warm supervision of omnipresent babushkas and come home to the aromatic smell of Bengali food and sounds of my native language. Although I had a lot of close friends, I still faced ingrained forms of racism through surprised glances and looks, especially when hearing my lack of accent in Russian, or sometimes outward aggression due to my race; this made me question my identity.

After coming to Canada in my early 20s, I was treated with respect and was seemingly given equal opportunities at university and work. Thus, like many first-generation Canadians, I felt that people who complained about equity, didn’t understand how thankful they should be for their privilege. In my view (at the time), the liberties of North America seemed unparalleled in contrast to the rest of the world and my own past experience.&nbsp;

My lived experience helps me strive to have an open mind. It reminds me that a sense of belonging and a community is a basic human need; it is also a privilege that is taken away from many, so as years passed, my perspective changed. I was introduced to terms like “glass ceiling” and learned more about the oppression faced by the LGBTQ+ community, the Black Lives Matter movement and the history and experiences of Asian Americans and Canadians. It was open and honest conversations with my fellow partners, learning about their lives and experiences, and our Starbucks Third Place Series, videos and conversations designed to help break down biases and create more inclusive spaces, that helped open my eyes to what implicit bias truly means.

I now understand the sacrifices and suffering that many in Canada had to go through to pave a foundation of equality for everyone, and I am thankful. So much work has been done and it now gives me the privilege to write these words without fear. Perhaps paradoxically, this progress uncovers more and more opportunities for us to build on the foundation and continue our journey towards equality. A path that can only be uncovered by embracing our cultures and celebrating them.

This May, Starbucks is honouring Asian Heritage Month by sharing the unique stories and experiences of its Pan-Asian partners (employees) each week on Starbucks Stories.

Behind the Green Apron: Two Starbucks partners share their stories and the impact of the model minority myth - Starbucks Canada

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Starbucks Canada

Behind the Green Apron: Two Starbucks partners share their stories and the impact of the model minority myth

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2021/behind-the-green-apron-two-starbucks-partners-share-their-stories-and-the-impact-of-the-model-minority-myth/

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This week, Hanh, logistics service rep in Toronto, MJ, store manager in Calgary, and David, barista, share how their culture, teaches and upbringings inspire their desire to give back to the community

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In the Vietnamese and Chinese culture, friends and family are very important.&nbsp; Our friends are treated like family members, and when they come to our home, they are welcomed with love and are fed with delicious food.&nbsp; There were times when we did not have much food on the table, but our bellies felt full because our hearts were filled with laughter and joy with our friends and family company.&nbsp;&nbsp;

My mom was the sole financial supporter for my four siblings and me. She worked on an assembly line where 95% of her coworkers were Asian, so there were very few opportunities to speak English. This became a challenge when one of my sisters was diagnosed with epilepsy and developmental delays and it was difficult for my mom to navigate the system to find support for her.

At the age of 12, I would attend my sister’s appointments with mom. I helped translate English to Vietnamese/Cantonese so my mom could understand what the medical teams needed to support my sister. Seeing how strong, loving and appreciative my mother was, even with the circumstances, made me feel grateful for everything around me.

As a teenager, my sister tried fitting in with kids her age, but was often bullied and taken advantage of because of her vulnerability, which led to a diagnosis of psychotic depression. This made me very angry and I became her advocate and protector.&nbsp;

I think these experiences helped instill my love for people and strong desire to support the most vulnerable in our communities. Even when the whole world seems dark, if someone showed that they care about me, that would make me feel hope to get through another day. This is what drives me do the same for others.&nbsp;

Throughout my journey at Starbucks, I have taken opportunities to volunteer and organize events that bring a light of hope to people who need it most and help them believe that they can get through the toughest of times.&nbsp;Most recently, our Starbucks Canada Pan-Asian Partner Network (PPN) donated care packages to Asian seniors to help lift their spirits at a time when they really needed it. Being part of the PPN allows me to learn more about the Asian culture but also gives me an opportunity to support those who are most vulnerable in our community.

I hope that my story will inspire more people to think about what they can do for their community to make that one person smile and feel important. The smallest action of care can truly make someone feel like they are worth it!

I grew up in India, and when I was young my father and grandfather introduced me to this Mantra from The&nbsp;Bhagwat Gita, the Hindu holy Book, and it stuck with me forever: Karmanye&nbsp;Vadhikaraste,&nbsp;Ma&nbsp;phaleshou&nbsp;kada&nbsp;chana. In Sanskrit, the world’s oldest language, this means: keep on performing your duties without expecting for any reward in return, leading a selfless life! This is the main principle of&nbsp;Karma.

I witnessed my father live by this Mantra, often going out of his way to help others in need, despite our financial hardship. I also have a fond memory of accompanying my grandfather to the local community Bazaar and watching him buy vegetables that were nearly rotten from a vendor, who had no customers, so that the vendor would be able to buy food for their own family. This always got him in trouble with my grandmother, but that didn’t stop him from doing it again, and doing his part to give to others. This is how I was seeded with a lifelong purpose of making a difference in the community where I live.

In 2007, I was hired to join the Starbucks team in India, but when the launch was delayed, a life changing moment happened, Starbucks Canada offered me a temporary position as a store manager in Calgary, Alberta. When I arrived in Canada in 2008, I was on a two-year work permit and had planned to return to India, but my experience in this beautiful country, and at Starbucks, made me move my home 11,000 miles away!

From the very beginning of my 13-year Starbucks Canada journey, I committed myself to my family and cultural values&nbsp;that were seeded very early in my life and to our Starbucks mission – To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one cup, one person and&nbsp;one neighborhood at a time. This is why my team and I stay up-to-date and make ourselves available for any opportunities to give back and make a difference in our community. Whether through supporting sustainability, health and inclusion initiatives, or helping to fight food insecurity, I feel fortunate that we have had the opportunity to partner with organizations in our community doing great work to make our neighbourhoods a better place for everyone. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, World is one Family.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Growing up, my parents always reminded me to ground myself in my values. So, when I faced any adversity, I could lean on who I was and continue to strive for success. As a child of immigrants, I saw the strong work ethic my parents required to become established in Canada. They faced issues like trying to find housing and jobs that would recognize their education, while attempting to make a life for themselves and trying to take care of my brother and me.

I remember my mom and dad working 16-hour days, sometimes not seeing them for days at a time. They had to lean on the Filipino community to help take care of us and find opportunities to build their new life here. Along the way, they decided to create their own business, and became advocates for the Filipino community by hiring individuals who had just moved to Canada to help set them up for success. Seeing this, my values became about work ethic and helping underprivileged and marginalized groups succeed.

As I grew into my own, I became passionate about community involvement and empowering our youth to be the leaders we need today. I was humbled with the stories my parents told me about how some areas of the Philippines were incredibly destitute and how fortunate I was to be living in Canada. With this, I knew I wanted to create a better world for everyone to be accepted in.

I started to be involved in charities and non-profits I felt were important to me and my experiences. I started to fundraise for our city’s first Youth Homeless Shelter, organized our community Terry Fox Run, and became a facilitator in a community forum about building inclusion in Saskatchewan this year, especially important with an increase in Asian hate around the world.

To me, being a Filipino isn’t just about the delicious foods that are part of our culture, but about leveraging our work ethic and hospitality so we can help those in need in our communities.

Behind the Green Apron: Three Starbucks partners share how Asian culture and teachings inspire them to give back to the community - Starbucks Canada

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Behind the Green Apron: Three Starbucks partners share how Asian culture and teachings inspire them to give back to the community

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2021/behind-the-green-apron-three-starbucks-partners-share-how-asian-culture-and-teachings-inspire-them-to-give-back-to-the-community/

This week, Jeff, district manager, and Engagement Lead of the Canada Pan Asian Partner Network (PPN) reflects back on his move to Canada and how he makes a difference for other new Canadians. &nbsp;&nbsp;

I grew up in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. I have an older brother who lives with my mom in Taiwan. I consider myself lucky as the second born son in Chinese culture. Being second, means less pressure carrying the family name, and it came with much more freedom.

When I was young, my dream was to become a computer engineer. As all coding is done in English, I begged my parents to let me move somewhere to learn the language. Growing up, I remember my mother loved watching French movies. She found the language romantic. My parents decided that I would move to Montreal, Quebec, where I could learn both English and French. On the plane, I chose my English name, Jeff, because I wanted to be accepted by my new community. When I arrived in Quebec,&nbsp;I was lucky and blessed that my home-stay family had an open mindset and embraced diversity.

I started attending language school where I met the love of my life. We didn’t speak the same language, but we knew we were perfect for each other, and we got married young. In my language classes, everyone was an immigrant, so I didn’t feel like an outsider, until I tried to find an apartment for me and my wife. When I inquired for places, landlords would ask, “What nationality are you? …We have nothing available." Eventually my sister-in-law, who spoke with no accent, called on our behalf and the same people told her they had plenty available! She helped negotiate for our first place. Even with her help we had to pay 6 months of rent in advance.&nbsp; While this doesn’t happen to me today, I still often get asked if I speak English and French.

After a few years in Canada, I joined Starbucks. As a customer, I thought Starbucks was a company that valued diversity, so I joined as a district manager in Montreal. It was easy to see how the team lived up to the company’s Mission and values. I didn’t feel like a minority or a co-worker – it felt more like friends with the same goals. Indeed, this was the best decision I could have made.

My experience as a new Canadian gives me a unique perspective. I understand the importance of opportunities. I know how difficult it can be for new immigrants to find jobs in our province when they have difficulties speaking French. This is what inspires me to create opportunities for everyone and encourage others to do the same.&nbsp; I am proud of the store managers in our district because they always keep an open mindset when it comes to hiring new partners who are still learning the language. It’s important that we provide people with the opportunity to work and learn the language. We’ve brought on many partners who were able to learn French with the help of their partners at work. And in time, those new partners have the opportunity to leverage our educational benefits to study the language. I think that is how we are making a difference.

Last year, I joined the Canada Pan Asian Partner Network at Starbucks as the Engagement Lead. The network has been a positive force in my life amidst a global pandemic as it introduced me to my virtual family.&nbsp;

In a time where outbursts of racism are built out of anger and confusion, I want to create a new movement of connection and positivity to celebrate all the things that make us amazing.

Hopefully by sharing my story I can inspire others to do the same, and the world will learn that the base of Asian culture is community and caring for others.

Behind the Green Apron: How one Starbucks partner’s experience as a new Canadian inspires him to create opportunities for others - Starbucks Canada

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Behind the Green Apron: How one Starbucks partner’s experience as a new Canadian inspires him to create opportunities for others

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2021/behind-the-green-apron-how-one-starbucks-partners-experience-as-a-new-canadian-inspires-him-to-create-opportunities-for-others/

This week, Joanna, customer logistics manager, and Sonia, district manager, and co-chairs of the Canada Pan Asian Partner Network (PPN) tell us about the experiences that led them to launching the network in Canada, what they hope to accomplish with PPN and how the network plans to celebrate Asian Heritage Month for the first time at Starbucks.&nbsp;

We come from different backgrounds, but the two of us have a lot in common. We were both born in Canada to immigrant parents, and coincidently, for most of our young adult lives, we both tried to distance ourselves from our culture and heritage. Growing up, we felt a strong desire to fit in. To be seen as “Canadian”.&nbsp;

Not liking the food. Seeking friends who were not Asian.&nbsp; Making sure to speak immediately so people knew you didn’t have an accent.&nbsp; These are just a few of the deliberate efforts we’d make to push who we were away. Since we were both born in Canada, this was also a way to differentiate&nbsp;ourselves&nbsp;from those who were new and not easily accepted.

It wasn’t until recently that we both discovered how truly connected we were to our cultures and how special they are in making up this beautiful country. It took being avid travelers of the world, and lots of conversations with each other, our families and friends, to see the beauty that we set aside for so long.&nbsp;We also recognized that we still had so much to learn.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In our professional lives, we’ve had similar career paths that led us to amazing opportunities, but still, there were times we each often felt lonely from&nbsp;a&nbsp;diversity perspective. There weren’t many people in our peer groups or leadership that looked like us or could&nbsp;even&nbsp;understand&nbsp;or relate to us.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

A culmination of these experiences&nbsp;led us to launching the Starbucks Canada Pan-Asian Partner Network (Canada PPN).

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Our Canadian PPN vision is to foster meaningful connections and elevate the impact of Pan-Asian partners and allies within Starbucks and the community. We have found a new family. Although partners in the network come from many different cultures, and each partner is unique in their journey, it’s our shared experiences that bring us together and create&nbsp;trust and an unconditional feeling of “We got your back!”.

Connecting through the network has&nbsp;ignited&nbsp;a&nbsp;strong desire to change the world, not only because we&nbsp;can, but we have a responsibility to do so,&nbsp;even&nbsp;if it is&nbsp;in small ways, within Starbucks and in our local communities.

Since launching the network, we hosted a forum for Pan-Asian partners to share their experiences and feelings in a safe space. This allowed our partners to be seen and heard and helps us better understand how to support them. We have also begun to&nbsp;build relationships&nbsp;with community organizations that support Pan-Asian Canadians and fight against anti-Asian racism across Canada.

This time next year, we hope to have more partners from across the Pan-Asian community&nbsp;(South, East, West Asia and more)&nbsp;truly feel supported by our network&nbsp;with resources that we can provide&nbsp;and ultimately a network that they can call family too.&nbsp;

This May, we are so excited to be celebrating Asian Heritage Month in Canada at Starbucks for the FIRST time. This month is all about celebrating the culture and contributions of Pan-Asian Canadians to Canada and amplifying the topics and issues important to our communities. We have heard partners say, “wow, we get our own month?” We never truly understand how important the role that space recognition plays in helping our partners feel valued and like they belong.

Our theme this year for Asian Heritage Month is Being Asian Canadian: the past, the present and the future. We are looking forward to bringing our partners along the journey&nbsp;as we highlight&nbsp;the history of Asian Canadians&nbsp;who forged a path for our parents to immigrate to Canada and learn about the Asian Canadians who have made significant contributions to our country to the present. We will also&nbsp;bring awareness to important issues&nbsp;such as the Model Minority&nbsp;Myth&nbsp;and&nbsp;mental health in our community.

Most importantly, we will celebrate the unique identities and cultures&nbsp;in Asia that make us to be proud be part of the community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We welcome you to follow our journey on Instagram by searching <a href="https://www.instagram.com/starbuckscanadappn/">starbuckscanadaPPN</a>

Behind the Green Apron: Meet the Co-Chairs of the Starbucks Canada Pan-Asian Partner Network who want to change the world - Starbucks Canada

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Behind the Green Apron: Meet the Co-Chairs of the Starbucks Canada Pan-Asian Partner Network who want to change the world

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2021/behind-the-green-apron-meet-the-co-chairs-of-the-starbucks-canada-pan-asian-partner-network-who-want-to-change-the-world/