A Grain of Rice

So I was just “surfing” the web…and I happened to stumble upon this site for Asian Americans living in Arizona.

It’s called arizonaasians.com and it’s basically a networking site for Asians within the community to connect. They have a directory for local Asian businesses to post their information along with calendar dates about Asian related events in the community.

According to the site, they currently have over 2,000 members…and growing.

It amazes me to see sites like this because it’s evidence of the sense of disconnect felt within the Asian American community. The fact that someone needs to create a site like this to reach out to others, shows the lack of connection. And apparently thousands of people agree.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the minority of the minority in this state. According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, “Asian persons” in Arizona along with “Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander” make up about 2.6 percent of the state population.

2.6 percent…of close to 6.2 million people in the state. Think about it. 

This means that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Arizona add up to a little more than 160,000 strong. The entire Asian population in the state could fill the University of Phoenix Stadium two and a half times. 

That’s not a lot…especially when compared to other ethnic groups within the greater community.

The Hispanic population rounds up to about 29.2 percent. That means almost a third of Arizona’s population is made up of Hispanics. They would be able to fill the University of Phoenix Stadium about 28 and a half times!

So, I guess I understand the need for the Asian Americans to find a way to connect with one another. This networking site and others like it, help them find some common ground in this desert in which we live.