Who is Andrew Yang?

The Yang Gang may be over (for now), but the cultural importance of Andrew Yang should not be understated. Ronny Chieng comedically encapsulates the excitement and pure zeal many Asians felt towards Yang, including myself, but he taps into something more deep-rooted: our representation in politics.

Although Yang was never a frontrunner in the US Democratic Primaries, he was competitive enough that he exceeded everyone’s expectation, becoming what the New York Times ascribed as “The Internet’s Favourite Candidate”.

More than that though, Yang refutes the model minority myth - the harmful stereotype that Asians are good workers and not good leaders, that we don’t cause trouble nor do we rock the boat. We talk a lot about the importance of representation, and politics is no different. In fact, the underrepresentation of Asians in Australian politics is severe - in 2020, only 4% of Australian Federal MPs are POCs.

The fact that Yang could command such widespread support is a wonderful signal that the path to politics is a feasible goal - because if he can do it, why can’t we?

- Isabella