Amb. Katherine Tai, the first woman of color to serve as U.S. trade representative, reflects on the struggles she’s encountered as an Asian American woman in leadership.
"It can be very complicated, it can be very double edged," Tai said, addressing Rep. Greg Murphy's comments that she was "too nice" for the job.Ting Shen / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAs Biden administration officials celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Ambassador Katherine Tai, the first woman of color to serve as U.S. trade representative, reflected Wednesday on the struggles she has encountered as an Asian American woman in leadership.
Tai, who’s also a co-chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, said that when it comes to others' perceptions of Asian Americans, “it can be very complicated, it can be very double-edged, but I guess my way of coping is just to ground myself and say, 'I can’t be anyone but myself.'”
Tai said, however, that the women and trailblazers from marginalized communities who have ascended to leadership positions have shown her that such roles are possible for those in such communities. And fulfilling them doesn’t require change. Harris, the first female, first Black and first Asian American vice president, emphasized to the room of fellow Asian American leaders the importance of ensuring that positions like hers don’t continue to remain exclusive.
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