Promote Narrative Change
We reject ideas of Asian Americans as forever foreigners or model minorities, challenging notions of our community as monolithic, apolitical, or anti-equity.
The Current Story
Asian Americans remain widely misunderstood by the public and policymakers alike. As our community grew, several members of the public — including the most active leaders in the county — often assumed a unified pan-Asian American view on controversial issues.
Our community, however, is not a monolith. Asian Americans with progressive views exist both county- and nationwide.
Accordingly, MoCoPAAN was established to close this gap between public perception and reality. We assert clear positions that challenge the 'model minority myth,' among other assumptions that seek to flatten our diversity or pit us against other marginalized groups.
We Show Up
MoCoPAAN engages visibly in Montgomery County's civic life, encouraging Asian Americans to volunteer, join community advisory groups, and step outside ethnic enclaves to take part fully as residents and civic leaders.
How Do We Change The Narrative?
Through speaking engagements and community education, MoCoPAAN gives voice to Asian American perspectives and highlights the community's diversity — bringing these perspectives into mainstream conversations in the county.
At a time when underrepresented communities' histories are increasingly at risk of erasure, MoCoPAAN works to ensure Asian American history is recognized and taught as American history — not just as culture and tradition.
This includes advocating for Montgomery County Public Schools to recognize Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month through this historical lens, and supporting broader efforts to preserve and promote Asian American history at the new Montgomery History museum.
We Speak Up
We Preserve and Share Our History
MCPS professional development training on AAPIs by Aryani Ong, AALEAD, CAPA-MC and University of Maryland Professor Cixin Wang.
Spotlight: Focus Groups
MoCoPAAN convened three focus groups for a ground breaking research study undertaken by AAAJ-Asian American Justice Center and the University of Michigan related to online narratives. The research was the basis for two reports.
