Although Hmong students are among the lowest demographic to enter college, the “model minority” myth continues to mischaracterize the unwavering success of Asian Americans across all educational levels. Furthermore, the “model minority” myth continues to uphold master narratives that silence the voices of Hmong American students whose educational experiences deviate quite drastically from their East Asian counterparts due to traumatic social-political contexts that continue to exert influence on their migration in the United States. Utilizing AsianCrit as a lens, the purpose of this narrative study was to explore Hmong American students’ perceptions of how race impacts their secondary educational experiences. The study suggests that race, gender, gangs, language work in complex ways to shape how Hmong American students perceive race in education and their choices within educational settings at the secondary level as they transition to post-secondary education. In addition, the study identifies three additional themes that gesture toward the manner in which Hmong American students make sense of their racial and cultural identity in the space of education.

Despite what is known about the importance of diversity in the educator workforce, Asian American women (AAW) are not named in conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in leadership. The purpose of this qualitative study was to build on the limited research on AAW in social justice leadership (SJL), explore the lived experiences of AAW educators, and elevate their voices. I sought to answer the research questions: (1) What affordances and challenges do AAW experience in choosing and enacting SJL in K–12 public school systems? (2) How do the intersectional positionalities of Asian American women affect the way they lead for social justice in K–12 public school systems? Eight AAW, who identified themselves as social justice leaders, from five California public school districts participated in semistructured interviews (Leavy, 2017; Seidman, 2019). I used the tenets of Asian critical race theory to analyze the interview data. The analysis revealed that the intersectional identities of AAW inherently present experiences that are simultaneously both affordances and challenges in their pursuit of SJL. Themes that emerged across interviews include: (a) Cultural/Linguistic Identity, (b) Motherhood and Educational Leadership, (c) Silencing Powerful Voices, (d) Role Models, and (e) Navigating White Spaces. Findings suggest public school districts must develop inclusive environments by investing time and resources into identity-informed mentorship, affinity groups, and antiracism and implicit bias professional development at all levels. Moreover, higher education institutions that prepare teachers and administrators for public school service must actively recruit AAW and build their capacity for assuming these critical roles.