Dr. Ellen Wu, CRRES Affiliate, Historian at Indiana University and the author of "The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority," says American society has long defined Asians and African Americans in relation to each other. In her research, she traces that back to the post WWII-era, when U.S. leaders were facing growing questions about racism and equality. She says observers pointed to East Asian immigrant groups as "good" minorities, in order to undermine Black people's demands for equal rights. "But I think most fundamentally, the gains we as a country have made in terms of justice and equality -- we owe them to Black folks doing all the things that they have for generations to make life more livable for themselves and for the rest of us," she said.