By Dr. Xiaoyan Zhang
Over the next 20 years, the United States will fully become an AI-empowered pluralistic society. Sharing the achievements of technology, establishing a society that embraces diversity, and ensuring multiethnic participation are the wishes of all American people. In this process, contribution and leadership are the fundamental paths for minorities to elevate their status.
Successful Role Models
With a population of just over 7 million, about 2% of the U.S. population, Jewish Americans are recognized as the most successful minority group. Beyond active political participation, their contributions and leadership in America’s development are widely acknowledged. Jewish scientists such as Albert Einstein, who fled Hitler’s persecution, laid the foundations of modern American science. Diplomats such as Henry Kissinger helped the U.S. extricate itself from the quagmire of the Vietnam War and, through a new geopolitical strategy of leveraging China against the Soviet Union, ultimately enabled the U.S. to win the Cold War. Jewish financial groups hold immense influence on Wall Street, helping to establish many operational rules of the financial industry. Their dominance in media and Hollywood is also well known. Despite ongoing antisemitism in America, the status and influence of Jewish Americans remain undeniable.
African Americans, comprising 13% of the population, are another pivotal minority group. In 2020, the key to Joe Biden’s successful presidential campaign was support from Southern Black voters, which reversed his losses in the early days of the primaries and secured his Democratic nomination. He chose Kamala Harris, of African heritage, as his running mate and, after victory, appointed several Black leaders to his cabinet, including the Secretary of Defense.
In addition to forming a political “voting block” through active engagement, African Americans have elevated their social standing through contribution and leadership. In the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement, advancing society through peaceful means, helping Congress pass four landmark civil rights laws that reshaped the status of all people of color, including Asian Americans. African Americans’ contributions to American music are unparalleled—jazz, gospel, rock & roll, disco, rap, and pop were all pioneered and driven by Black musicians. In sports, African American athletes shine far beyond their share of the population. Football and basketball are dominated by Black players, and they excel in track and field, boxing, and gymnastics. Without African American athletes, the U.S. would likely lose half its Olympic gold medals.
Aside from Native Americans, the U.S. is a nation of immigrants from all corners of the world. Every immigrant is an owner of this free land. As the famous American folk song “This Land Is Your Land” sings: “This land is your land, this land is my land. From California to the New York Island, from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters, this land was made for you and me.”
The lesson from Jewish and African American success is clear: by assuming ownership and making undeniable contributions, minorities can lead and elevate their place in American society.
Asian American Contribution and Leadership
Today, the U.S. faces three major structural challenges:
- The rise of the Asia-Pacific economic sphere, reshaping global political, economic, and military dynamics.
- Artificial intelligence sweeping the world, transforming every aspect of life.
- America’s population structure irreversibly shifting toward diversity.
The 25 million Asian Americans, comprising 7.2% of the population, have already—and will continue to—make unique contributions and provide leadership as the U.S. faces these challenges of an AI-empowered pluralistic society.
Asian Americans have extensive economic, political, and social ties with the Asia-Pacific region. They play an important role in reshoring American industries and attracting investment. They also advance people-to-people diplomacy, cultural exchange, mutual understanding, and global peace. Three examples familiar to the author are:
- APOZ (Asia-Pacific Opportunity Zone) near Houston, Texas, which attracts investment from Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macau, Southeast Asia, and mainland China to support U.S. industrial reshoring.
- 72 Steel, headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, which unites Asian American entrepreneurs to build an eco-friendly, energy-efficient green steel mill producing 500,000 tons of construction steel annually in Aliquippa, a former steel town near Pittsburgh.
- Windfall Group in Chicago, which has pooled Asian American capital to acquire declining shopping malls and redevelop them into vibrant “Asian Towns.”
Asian Americans also excel in artificial intelligence, with employment rates far exceeding their population share. Eight publicly listed high-tech companies led by Asian Americans have a combined market capitalization approaching $13 trillion (see table below). A new generation of Asian entrepreneurs is also drawing attention: Alexandr Wang, the 28-year-old CEO of Scale AI, and Jessica Wu, a 22-year-old Asian American woman and CEO of Sola Solutions, are two rising stars.
According to U.S. Census Bureau projections, by 2043 whites will make up 50% or less of the total population, marking the transition to a society without a single dominant race. This demographic shift has already triggered deep civilization clashes among ethnic groups and conflicts of economic, social, and political interests. Over the past year, a series of political assassinations, including presidential candidate Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, and young opinion leader Charlie Kirk, have starkly revealed America’s profound social and political divides.
American society, once dominated by whites and Western civilization, is transitioning toward multiethnic participation and coexistence of multiple civilizations. While this reality is widely acknowledged, different interest groups hold sharply divergent views on its consequences. The challenge facing all Americans is how to build a democracy shared by all ethnic groups, ensure harmonious coexistence, and truly realize the founding ideal that “all men are created equal.” Asian Americans, heirs of ancient civilizations, should assume ownership in America and bring the essence of their cultures into the nation’s economic, social, and political life, making contributions and providing leadership. We believe that the collective wisdom generated by peaceful encounters among civilizations will surpass anything any single civilization can achieve.
Conclusion
In an immigrant society, minorities must go through multiple stages to integrate into the mainstream: cultural inheritance, rights advocacy, political participation, and ultimately contribution and leadership. Cultural inheritance fosters understanding, rights advocacy gains sympathy for justice, political participation wins mainstream recognition, but contribution and leadership win the respect and trust of the whole society. Contribution and leadership are the fundamental paths for minorities to elevate their status. Asian Americans must assume ownership and contribute to America’s development. We should confidently and rightfully claim our role as owners of this free land.
