published by ANBM on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 21:19
A terrifying gang assault on Sydney train passengers has left two international students seriously injured and caused a media storm in China.
The alleged robbery, including racist taunts, drew a social media pledge from former foreign affairs minister Kevin Rudd and led to emergency talks at Sydney's Chinese consulate general.
Police said six people, aged 14 to 18, robbed passengers on a train between Central and Rockdale about 12.30am yesterday
Officers were called to Rockdale station about 15 minutes later, where they arrested three men, two aged 18 and one 19, a 14-year-old boy and two girls, aged 16 and 17.
They were all charged with a number of robbery and assault offences.
Yesterday's attack came just days after two safety warnings from the Chinese embassy in Canberra for citizens travelling in Australia. Many Chinese students studying in Australia have expressed their fear over growing violence directed against them.
published by ANBM on Mon, 04/16/2012 - 21:59
In growing numbers, experts say (there is always an experts somewhere) a highly educated children of immigrants to the United States are uprooting themselves and moving to their ancestral countries. They are embracing homelands that their parents once spurned but that are now economic powers.
Some, like Mr. Kapadia, had arrived in the United States as young children, becoming citizens, while others were born in the United States to immigrant parents.
Enterprising Americans have always sought opportunities abroad. But this new wave underscores the evolving nature of global migration, and the challenges to American economic supremacy and competitiveness.
In interviews, many of these Americans said they did not know how long they would live abroad; some said it was possible that they would remain expatriates for many years, if not for the rest of their lives.
Their decisions to leave have, in many cases, troubled their immigrant parents. Yet most said they had been pushed by the dismal hiring climate in the United States or pulled by prospects abroad.
published by ANBM on Fri, 04/06/2012 - 22:54
The latest Marion Barry controversy burned bright Thursday, but it’s now mostly burnt out.
In case you missed it: Barry (D-Ward 8) made comments late Tuesday at his primary night victory party suggesting that the Asian-American owners of businesses in his ward run “dirty shops” that “ought to go.” After the comments were reported late Wednesday, the rebuke was swift, and by Thursday evening, Barry had tendered an apology of sorts.
But the episode — which gave new voice to decades-old tensions between the residents of largely black inner city neighborhoods and the many Asian owners of the businesses that serve them — deserves a coda.
I’m happy to give some space here to Mark L. Keam, a Democrat who represents a portion of Fairfax County in the Virginia House of Delegates. He’s the first Korean-American and the first Asian-born immigrant elected to serve in that body, and he has valuable experience bridging the longstanding divide between Asian businesses and their black customers.
published by ANBM on Thu, 04/05/2012 - 23:57
WHEN she was a philosophy student at Harvard College eight years ago, Liane Young never thought twice about all the interracial couples who flitted across campus, arm and arm, hand in hand. Most of her Asian friends had white boyfriends or girlfriends. In her social circles, it was simply the way of the world.
But today, the majority of Ms. Young’s Asian-American friends on Facebook have Asian-American husbands or wives. And Ms. Young, a Boston-born granddaughter of Chinese immigrants, is married to a Harvard medical student who loves skiing and the Pittsburgh Steelers and just happens to have been born in Fujian Province in China.
Ms. Young said she hadn’t been searching for a boyfriend with an Asian background. They met by chance at a nightclub in Boston, and she is delighted by how completely right it feels. They have taken lessons together in Cantonese (which she speaks) and Mandarin (which he speaks), and they hope to pass along those languages when they have children someday.
published by ANBM on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 23:33
Hey guys! Huggable Heather here with another article exposing racism – this time, on New York Knick’s beloved Asian American superstar, Jeremy Lin.
Now that we’re two+ weeks into the Linsanity story, we know that he’s able to deliver more than just a few baskets or assists – he’s made 295 points, 118 assists, revitalized the NBA and, according to Forbes magazine, has singlehandedly reinvigorated the economy. Jeremy Lin seems to be bigger than himself…and in all this tumult and hype, he still remains humble and remembers why he’s here: to play basketball.
published by ANBM on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 23:52
If you thought the Anti-China evil professor video's didn't anger enough people or Asian Americans, then the Republicans will repeat the same crime again, except this time using an Asian girl.
Amid spring-loaded babies and Ferris Bueller flash-backs, there was one Super Bowl ad that had few people laughing. While it ran only in Michigan, U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra’s campaign ad featuring an Asian woman speaking broken English is being criticized around the country today.
In the ad, Hoekstra, a former U.S. House Representative, dubs his Democratic Senate rival Debbie Stabenow “Debbie Spend It Now” for supporting policies that cause American jobs and investments to be outsourced to China.
published by ANBM on Tue, 12/27/2011 - 20:29
White men hate women. All women, Black, Yellow, Brown, Red, White. White men aren’t interested in sex, they are addicted to power. Sex is a power trip for the white man. He needs the woman to be hurt, humiliated, broken. He feeds off female suffering. That is why white men have went so batshit insane over the modest gains of white feminism. That is why he used to have Jungle Fever for Sally Helms, but now finds Black women manly and unfeminine.
The one race of women, that white men supposedly promotes feminism for is Asian women. What does feminism mean for Asian women? Obeying and serving her white colonial masters. That is a feminism the white man can get behind.
Or can he?
Lets see how a white man reacts to a genuine Asian feminist, and to her scholarly work exploring WM/AF relationships, here are excerpts from a WM 1-star review-
“I anticipated reading this book with pleasure. It covers an interesting and important topic.
published by ANBM on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 21:19
In western culture, many social animals like to associate drinking to social skill and ability, more particulary in males who measure theier masculinities with one's alcoholic tolerance ie. holding down their drink.
With this in mind, many Asians have long been on the subjected to stereotypes and made fun of when they preduce a flush reaction to their alcoholic drink.
These stereotypes can easily be debunked, as people become more clued in with a fact that the assumption is not a race matter. To imply asians are weak simply because they turn red is nothing more than ignorance and social racism, many of us do not flush.
Here is the story:
New Shanghai-based research reverses the stereotypical Western notion that Chinese people cannot hold their liquor – at least, when it comes to pounding back grain-based alcohols like baijiu.
published by ANBM on Tue, 11/29/2011 - 01:08
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jeff Adachi says he grew up hearing the stories of his Japanese-American family's internment during World War II.
"They lost everything. But they taught me not to be bitter, to get an education and to stand up for what's right," Adachi, San Francisco's public defender, writes on the website devoted to his campaign for the city's mayor.
He's one of six Asian-Americans candidates who are drawing on their life stories of immigration, discrimination and empowerment as they try to become the first Asian-American elected mayor in the city's history.
San Francisco already has an Asian-American mayor in Ed Lee, who was appointed in January. But the Nov. 8 election is being seen as an historic moment in a city that has the largest percentage of Asian-Americans in the continental United States and boasts the nation's oldest Chinatown.
While the candidates are from diverse Asian backgrounds and differ on policy, all agree that the community's time has come.
published by ANBM on Sun, 10/09/2011 - 15:50
The angel Island Immigration Stations was enlisted on as one of the 11 most endangered historic sites in 1999, As a major port of entry for immigrants from the Pacific Rim and parts of South America, the Angel Island Immigration Station is sometimes called "the Ellis Island of the West Coast." An estimated 250,000 Chinese and 150,000 Japanese, along with thousands of immigrants from other nations, passed through the station from 1910 to 1940.
This hallowed spot, a California state park, fell into ruin. Its plight was mirrored throughout the 265 units of the state parks system, where chronic under funding resulted in a deferred maintenance debt approaching $500 million for historic sites alone.
Year Listed: 1999
Location: California
Current Status: Saved
Threat: Deterioration, Natural Forces, Neglect
published by ANBM on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 20:44
FINAL DESTINATION 5 FEATURES THRILLING VISUAL EFFECTS
BY ACADEMY AWARD®-NOMINATED FILIPINO AMERICAN FX MASTER
Sequel marks Visual Effects Supervisor Ariel Velasco Shaw’s return to
the Final Destination series and his first foray into 3D filmmaking
published by ANBM on Sun, 06/19/2011 - 23:12
The Newsweek headline catches my eye: "Asian Identity Crisis, A young Asian American author defends his assimilation -- and draws fire from activists." Eric Liu's new book is something I will have to read, although I am not sure how much of it I will like.
In "The Accidental Asian: Notes from a Native Speaker," Liu takes readers on a journey through his life in a series of loosely connected essays. They run from remembrances about his youth and his late father, to explaining why he married a white woman, to his unabashed assimilation into the white world.
The Newsweek story already made me apprehensive about the book. Then, in the first few essays Liu talks about his "honorary white status." I cringe. He seems to have a naïve belief that race doesn't matter. But I read on.
published by ANBM on Tue, 06/14/2011 - 01:49
Let me begin by firstly admit to my personal skepticism of any mainstream movie that attempts to portray Asian people positively, in particular Hollywood movies.
We are about to see an upcoming release titled 'Snow Flower', an adaptation to the original story. We have been informed that this is not a rehash of the old pain known as 'Joy Luck club', perhaps the Asian Americans may feel relieved.
However this has yet to be confirmed as the question still poses as to whether this movie be end up as another Hollywood-ized packaged disappointment for the Asian audience.
The big question, will this movie differ to it's evil predecessor 'Joy Luck Club' film, as we had already known to draw criticism from many Asian Americans, as a fabrication of Chinese culture to entertain the masses.
All thanks (but no thanks) to Tan and her "Joy Luck club" co-writers, our Asian American youths could only ever grow up misguided by false representations of identity.
published by ANBM on Sun, 03/27/2011 - 17:12
LOS ANGELES, CA -- The Asian Pacific American Legal Center, a member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, welcomes long-time public interest attorney Doreena Wong as the project director for APALC's Health Access Project
Wong, a long-time civil rights lawyer and expert on health policy and language access issues, spent the prior 11 years as a senior staff attorney at the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), which is a national public interest law firm focused on health care issues. Wong is also a well-known social justice advocate who has helped to found several Asian/Pacific Islander lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights group, including API Equality-LA.
She has also worked at other notable civil rights and public interest organizations, including the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco, the ACLU of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, the National Women's Law Center in Washington, D.C. and a Los Angeles civil rights firm specializing in enforcement of consent decrees in race discrimination cases.
published by ANBM on Sat, 03/12/2011 - 02:06
The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population in California grew significantly during the past decade, according to a preliminary analysis of newly released Census 2010 data conducted by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, a member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.
Remaining among the state’s fastest-growing communities, AAPIs grew from 4,321,585 in 2000 to 5,556,592 in 2010, representing 33.6% growth in the last decade. In comparison, the state’s overall population grew from 33,871,648 in 2000 to 37,253,956 in 2010, representing 10.0% growth.
AAPIs now constitute 15.5% of the state’s population, compared to 12.8% in 2000. “Policymakers, the new Citizens Redistricting Commission, and local redistricting bodies must be accountable to the needs of the state’s substantial Asian American and Pacific Islander population,” stated Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of APALC.
published by ANBM on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 22:50
As white Americans move into the minority, some are claiming they're the ones now subject to racial oppression. Do they have a case?
For a small, nerdy cluster of folk -- social science and cultural studies wonks, market researchers, armchair political pundits -- this month is the Super Bowl, Oscars and Olympics rolled into one. That's because the next few weeks will see the gradual, yet grand unveiling of data from the 2010 U.S. Census, an event literally 10 years in the making.
published by ANBM on Fri, 02/04/2011 - 21:45
LOS ANGELES, CA– The California Association of Human Relations Organizations (CAHRO) will present its 2011 CAHRO Leadership Award to Stewart Kwoh, the president and executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), a member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.
Kwoh, a nationally-recognized civil rights advocate who has received dozens of awards, including a MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant, will be honored during CAHRO’s statewide training conference, “California: The State of Human Relations” at The California Endowment’s Center for Health Communities on Feb. 7. More than 100 human relations and civil rights leaders from governmental and community-based entities statewide are expected to attend the conference.
“I am honored to receive the CAHRO Leadership Award and believe deeply in CAHRO's mission and values,’’ Kwoh said. “Collaboration and coalition-building are key to effective and lasting social change in our communities.”
published by ANBM on Thu, 01/20/2011 - 21:55
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Gung Hay Fat Choy! And a “Happy New Year” it promises to be as the mild mannered hare ushers out the ferocious and volatile Year of the Tiger.
Confrontation and mass upheaval promises to give way to peaceful negotiation and easy prosperity as the Year of the Hare begins on February 3, 2011.
As the fourth of twelve animals in the Chinese horoscope, the hare represents success and independence.
YEAR OF THE HARE JANUARY 29 -FEBRUARY 20, 2011
LUNAR YEAR 4709
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
(415) 986-1370 or (415) 982 -3000
www.chineseparade.comJanuary 29 Southwest Airlines Mini-Procession & Ribbon CuttingSaturday, 10:30 am Grant Avenue from California St. to Pacific Ave. FREE
Come help us kick off the new year with a procession that gives a taste of what the larger
Lunar New Year parade will bring. The procession begins at historic St. Mary’s Square,
published by ANBM on Sun, 01/09/2011 - 22:56
Wikipedia describes the Russian word “pogrom” as a form of “violent riot, a mob attack, either approved or condoned by government or military authorities, directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious, or other”. Education Week reports “The courage of Asian students to describe the harassment and violence they experienced at South Philadelphia High School led members of the Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission to act on their behalf, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.”
published by ANBM on Fri, 12/03/2010 - 16:25
Maclean's article sparked overdue rebellion against powerful voices claiming racial discrimination is not a problem
Maclean's magazine has struck a match. Now a firestorm of criticism is headed its way. Canada may never be the same.
On Nov. 25, Victoria city council unanimously adopted a motion, submitted by veteran councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe, criticizing Maclean's for their article 'Too Asian' in their widely read special university rankings feature edition (Nov. 2010). The motion, unanimously adopted, described the title of the Maclean's article as "offensive and intolerant" and criticized its contents for "propagating a litany of racial stereotypes."
I agree and Thornton-George and the council deserve credit for speaking out against a media giant. Their action demonstrates how far we have come from the bad old days.
published by ANBM on Tue, 11/30/2010 - 16:01
From our work at WTC, we have come to see racism and the internalization of racism as the primary assaults on our love for ourselves and each other. I understand love here as our ability to care for ourselves and each other spiritually, emotionally, physically and intellectually and to do it in a way that does not split us off from ourselves - body from mind, spirit from emotion, individual from community and so forth.
Like most progressive anti-racism trainers, we define racism as having to do with power. Separating it from the human flaws we all share such as prejudice and scapegoating, we see racism as a system of oppression based on race that in this country is perpetrated by white people against people of color.
It involves an unequal distribution of systemic power for people with white-skin privilege in four main areas:
1. the power to make and enforce decisions;
2. access to resources, broadly defined;
3. the ability to set and determine standards for what is considered appropriate behavior; and
4. the ability to define reality.
published by ANBM on Thu, 11/25/2010 - 13:37
The 1940's period drama "Shanghai" still awaits its U.S. premiere.
Filmed in 2008, "Shanghai" was given an international release in China, India, Hong Kong and more recently Isreal, but has yet to be given a U.S. release.
The film stars several Asian stars Gong Li, Rinko Kikuchi, Chow Yun Fat and Ken Watanabe, along with American stars John Cuscak, David Morse and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. It was directed by Mikael Hafstrom from a script by Hossein Amini.
Produced by the Thai company Living Films and the Weinstein Company, it was originally intended to be shot on location in Shanghai, but, due to the controversial WWII time period the film is set in, the Weinstein Company had its permits taken away by the Chinese government one week prior to when filming was scheduled to start.
The film crew relocated to Bangkok, Thailand, where it built an elaborate two-block replica set of 1940's Shanghai.
But despite its all-star cast of Asian actors, the film, which was produced for an estimated $50 million, has earned a mere $7.5 million at the Asian box office during its limited release this year.
published by ANBM on Thu, 11/25/2010 - 13:07
Privy.net Highlights 360 Must-Visit Places to Eat, Drink, Stay, Play, Shop, and Relax in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES – (U.S. ASIAN WIRE) -- November 17, 2010 -- Private travelers’ network Privy.net has launched the “Privy 5 Los Angeles Guide” to help visitors and locals discover the best LA has to offer, particularly in the realm of authentic Asian cuisines such as the very top restaurants that serve Korean Barbeque, Shanghainese, Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, Dim Sum, Japanese Sushi, Hotpot and Vietnamese Pho.
published by ANBM on Sun, 11/21/2010 - 17:27
published by ANBM on Fri, 11/12/2010 - 02:11
There has been some recent discussion surrounding a racist piece of media that had recently surfaced on the Maclean's website about the increasing number of Asian students in their academic institutions (racist...ahem).
Not only has this article unnecessarily making an issue of race but also implying that Universities and colleges are "too Asian" for their liking, a very racist emitting but also at the same time hideous at a glance.
Although the original article has been edited the original version can be found here "Too Asian" (Thanks to Angry Asian Man's post).
So you might ask should Chinese Canadians be concerned? of course not, because we are not the ones complaining. Obviously all those who are enrolled in higher education is obviously there to study and nothing else.
published by ANBM on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 22:28
Last month was exciting in terms of entertainment news. Musicians made Asian American history, San Diego hosted its annual Asian Film Festival, Jon M. Chu’s career took off, Yao Ming returned to the basketball court, and Brenda Song received an award. Let’s get started!
Making beautiful music — for the mainstream!
For the week of Oct. 30, members of Far East Movement became the first Asian Americans to hit the top of the Billboard charts. Even more exciting was the fact that the number two spot was held by singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, who is of Filipino and Puerto Rican descent.
Far East Movement is made up of Kevin Nishimura “Kev Nish,” James Roh “Prohgress,” Jae Choung “J-Splif,” and Virman Coquia “DJ Virman.”
In a New York Daily News story, Oliver Wang, an assistant professor of sociology at California State University-Long Beach, said, “Far East Movement and Bruno Mars didn’t come just out of nowhere. There’s been a slow push to make it happen through social media. It’s finally hit that tipping point.”
San Diego’s Asian Film Festival: action-packed!
published by ANBM on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 21:59
According to a preliminary exit poll released by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) on Nov. 4, the party preferences of Asian Americans typically reflect the sensibilities of their geographical location. In the traditionally Democratic northeastern states, Asian Americans voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates.
Likewise, in states like Georgia and Texas, Asian Americans favored Republicans.
However, on the whole, Asian Americans favored Democratic candidates. The AALDEF polled 3,500 Asian American voters in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Georgia. Sixty percent were registered Democrats, 19 were not enrolled in any political party, and 14 were registered Republicans.
These findings were echoed in the outcomes of political races involving Asian American candidates. Nearly all Democratic incumbents retained their seats. Nearly all Asian American Republican challengers in primarily Democratic districts (and Democratic challengers in Republican districts) lost their races. On the whole, there are far more Asian American Democrats in political office than Asian American Republicans.
published by ANBM on Sat, 11/06/2010 - 22:00
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — On Nov. 7, 125 years ago, the residents of what would one day be Bellingham gathered in celebration.
They marched in a torchlight parade, listened to speakers that included the mayor, heard songs by the glee club, and watched a fireworks display.
The reason for their merriment was noted in the Nov. 6, 1885, edition of the Whatcom Reveille, which had invited residents to the Nov. 7 gathering.
“The Chinese are gone. We rejoice. Every person who rejoices in the exit of the Mongolian serfs and coolies is cordially invited,” read that edition of the weekly newspaper.
The Reveille’s publishers, with the help of civic leaders, had successfully launched in its pages a campaign to push all Chinese out of Whatcom County through a combination of threats, boycotts, vitriol, and insistence that the immigrants were taking jobs away from white residents in the midst of an economic downturn.
The Chinese were given until Nov. 1, 1885, to leave.
published by ANBM on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 17:50
On Sunday, Asian-American actors Daniel Dae Kim (”Hawaii Five-O”), C. S. Lee (”Dexter”), Harry Shum Jr. (”Glee”), Ellen Wong (”Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”), and Aaron Yoo (”Friday the 13th”) talked casting, graduate school and stereotypes at the Asian Americans in Hollywood panel at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
In particular, each of the actors stressed that their current status as recognizable faces didn’t happen overnight. Lee and Kim both studied acting at graduate school (Lee at Yale and Kim at NYU; the former even asked latter for advice about where he should go), and Shum Jr explained that he first moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to act. After realizing he could “kinda dance,” he built up his skills and his dancing ultimately took over. (For “Glee” fans, he added: No, he doesn’t really sing as badly as Mike Chang does, and yes, there will a continuing storyline for his character this season).
published by ANBM on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 17:11
Over the weekend, the San Diego Asian Film Festival invited actors like Lost alumnus Daniel Dae Kim, Glee's Harry Shum Jr., Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), and Aaron Yoo (Friday the 13th) to a panel entitled "Asian Americans in Hollywood" (we checked to see if the panel was also subtitled "Best-Looking Actors You Can Think Of," but results were inconclusive). While Kim had plenty of success to share with the audience, he said that even now, his race is still an issue on his current show, Hawaii Five-0; in fact, it's affecting who he gets to knock onscreen boots with.
Speakeasy columnist Michelle Kung was on the scene:
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