“What we're fighting for is the same”: Grounded theory of Asian American activists’ racial and activist identity development while fighting anti-Black racism

The events following the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the death of George Floyd highlighted the complicated relationship between Asian and Black Americans and the necessity of cross-racial solidarity amongst these groups. Further research is needed to investigate how Asian American navigate their racialized experiences to fight against anti-Black racism. The current study investigates the process of becoming an activist fighting anti-Black racism with a sample of East and Southeast Asian Americans. By exploring the critical incidents and narratives of Asian American activists, this qualitative study aimed to examine how racial identity development influences the development of an activist identity. Using critical constructivist grounded theory (Levitt, 2021), this study explored the experiences of 13 East and Southeast Asian American activists through timeline activities and semi-structured interviews. Findings from the study revealed that Asian American activists fighting anti-Black racism navigate six stages throughout their racial and activist identity development. These six stages are marked by the following six categories: (1) erasure of Asian and Black experiences (2) exposure to anti-Asian and anti-Black racism, (3) deepening understanding of racism through education, (4) critical reflection of racialized experiences, (5) witnessing effective cross-racial solidarity, and (6) developing a collective path towards liberation for Asian and Black communities. These six stages reflect the core category that Asian American activists engage in activism at different points in their life, based on the negotiation of their racial identity among contextual factors. Findings from this study highlight the complexities of engaging in social change work for other racial minority groups while navigating unique challenges associated with one’s own minority group. Implications for research, clinical work, advocacy, and directions for future scholarship will be discussed.