In this article, the authors offer critical race theory (CRT) as an alternative theoretical perspective that permits the examination and transcendence of conceptual blockages, while simultaneously offering alternative perspectives on higher education policy and practice and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) student population. The authors do so through a reflection of some findings from their project, their experiences as current and past members of the Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE) research team at New York University, and their broader interests as scholars who seek to challenge racial inequality in higher education. Here, the authors focus on issues related to college access and admissions, the AAPI college student experience, and AAPI administrators and higher education leadership. The authors examine each of these issues through the lens of CRT, which they assert is an effective tool for critically examining the position of AAPIs in higher education policy and practice.