White adjacency is the premise that some groups of non-White people are aligned with White people and that this adjacency gives them special privileges that are denied to people who aren't white adjacent.^{[1][failed verification]}

Non-white people may be considered white adjacent by choice or by cultural factors that have stereotyped them as white adjacent, such as the model minority stereotype.^{[2][failed verification][1][failed verification]} Conversely, white adjacency can be sought by non-Black minorities who want to distance themselves from Black people.^{[1][failed verification]} Mixed-race black people may, however, seek white adjacency.^[3] Asian Americans are often viewed as the most white adjacent minorities.^{[2][failed verification]}

In the United States, critical race theorists increasingly view East Asians as white adjacent.^{[2][failed verification]}

However, according the Brookings Institution, 63% of Asian American respondents identify as people of color and 76% perceive their status as closer to people of color, suggesting that Asian Americans as a whole do not see themselves as white adjacent.^[4]

Diversity within white spaces is rarely represented by Black people, which some critical race theorists view as driving a wedge between minority communities by incentivizing Asians to retain their special status while reinforcing stereotypes.^{[2][failed verification]} However, some Black people may present themselves as white adjacent, presumably to enjoy the benefits of whiteness.^[3] Such people are typically light-skinned enough to pass as White or anything but Black.^[3]

• Critical race theory – Conceptual framework
• Passing (racial identity) – When a person classified as one race is accepted as another

• Maghbouleh, Neda (2017). The Limits of Whiteness: Iranian Americans and the Everyday Politics of Race. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-1503603370.