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Viral images show people of color as anti-Asian perpetrators. That misses the big picture.
A new analysis reveals misconceptions about perpetrators, victims, and the general environment around anti-Asian hate incidents. These can have "long-term consequences for racial solidarity."

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The Asian American wealth gap, explained in a comic
The largest wealth gap in the country comes down to the history of Asian migration.

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I Started Going to Therapy When I Hit 40. Why Did It Take So Long?
Andrew Ti was taught therapy wasn’t for people like him. But reaching midlife during a pandemic—and rising racist violence—changed things.

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The Water in May
In a letter to his young son, the actor Ken Leung tells the story of his brother, who tragically drowned in Thailand, and the incredible journey it took to bring him home.

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Simu Liu on His Journey from Scared Asian Guy to Marvel Superhero
A conversation between comedian Ronny Chieng and Simu Liu on Liu’s acting career so far.

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SuChin Pak Is Processing Everything
The groundbreaking news anchor is still making sense of her MTV experience.

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F&W Game Changers: Sahra Nguyen
Nguyen Coffee Supply is bringing single-origin Vietnamese coffee to as many cups as possible.

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‘She Died Working for Us': Sons of Atlanta Victim Struggle to Move Forward
Randy and Eric Park's mother, Hyun Jung Grant, was among eight people killed in the Atlanta spa shootings. They have been largely left to navigate the world by themselves.

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My name is hard for Americans to pronounce. Don't tell me to change it.
"I used to wish I had a different, less ‘difficult' name. Now I treasure it."

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I had to travel 6,000 miles to learn this lesson about being Asian American
When Jean Trinh traveled to China to visit her distant relatives in China, she learned to let go of the internalized "American-born Chinese" shame she carried for so long.

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Watching Martial Arts Movies Amid Anti-Asian Violence Is Much-Needed Catharsis
Movies and TV shows like The Paper Tigers and Warrior show the beauty of Asian American survival.

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"You Have to See It to Be It": Michelle Zauner and Karen O in Conversation
Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O and Japanese Breakfast singer Michelle Zauner talk grief, growing up biracial, loving the '80s pop star Tiffany, and much more.

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St. Lenox's Songs From Indie Asian-America
Andrew Choi shares a playlist of his favorite Asian American peers' music ahead of the release of his fourth LP.

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Hollywood's New Crown Prince of Musicals
Jon M. Chu, the director of In the Heights and Wicked, is finding a new edge in an old genre.

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Wish Dragon star John Cho says his work is informed by a 'desire to please myself as a kid'
He's been to White Castle, the Final Frontier, and Over the Moon, but now John Cho is just trying to enter the spirit world in Netflix's Wish Dragon.

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Phillipa Soo talks recording her first audiobook, romance novel The Stand-In
You've heard her voice bringing inimitable life to Eliza Hamilton on the Hamilton soundtrack, But now Soo is putting her vocal talents to a new challenge, narrating a romance novel by Lily Chu.

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A Hip-Hop Dance Crew’s Frabjous Reign in Las Vegas
The Jabbawockeez, with their something-for-everyone approach, proved that an ensemble of anonymous, masked dancers could pull in crowds.

They Call Us Bruce 127: They Call Us Jon M. Chu

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome back Jon M. Chu, who directed the new film adaptation of the hit musical In The Heights. He talks about bringing Lin-Manuel Miranda's vision to the screen, making sure you get the sauce right, and why this is the movie the world needs right now.

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The Beautiful, Flawed Fiction of 'Asian American'
"As long as the United States remains committed to aggressive capitalism domestically and aggressive militarism internationally, Asians and Asian Americans will continue to be scapegoats who embody threat and aspiration, an inhuman 'yellow peril' and a superhuman model minority."

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The Cost of Being an 'Interchangeable Asian'
At some top companies, Asian Americans are overrepresented in midlevel roles and underrepresented in leadership. The root of this workplace inequality could stem from the all-too-common experience of being confused for someone else.

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I am Asian American. No hyphen required
"Every time we call ourselves Asian American, we are making a powerful political statement that we are American, and we belong here."

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Verbal jiujitsu, disarming and other tips for dealing with microaggressions
Some common racial microaggressions that Asian Americans experience include people assuming they are foreigners and non-Asians explaining Asian culture to them.

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What Is Asian American Music, Really?
Seeking more than representation, a critic tries to make sense of a fragmented, disparate musical tradition.

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Why 'Kim's Convenience' Is 'Quietly Revolutionary'
In not explaining every detail of Korean food culture, the award-winning Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience speaks volumes.

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With 'In the Heights,' Jon M. Chu disrupts the movie musical. Here’s how he did it
Director Jon M. Chu makes his movie musical debut with In the Heights, nearly twenty years after he was predicted to transform the genre.

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Invincible's racebending makes the whole series deeper and smarter
In the animated superhero series Invincible, Mark Grayson's biracial heritage is a major theme of the story -- and now it isn't just subtext.

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Sung Kang on embracing 'rare' journey of Han, 'Hollywood story' return in F9
Sung Kang talks about reviving Han, his Fast & Furious character, back from the dead.

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I'm Tired of Trying to Educate White People About Anti-Asian Racism
"I am ready to stop chasing after those who need to see your deepest wounds on display before they will even contemplate believing your words. I've lost the energy or desire to educate or provide reasoned, patient answers to anyone who still needs to be convinced that Asian people face discrimination and violence in this country."

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As Anti-Asian Attacks Continue, What Kind of Bystander Are You?
What R.O. Kwon didn't fully expect, she writes, was the abiding and overwhelmingly white silence many Asian people have encountered from even would-be allies.

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'This could have been me'
The six victims of Asian descentin the Atlanta-area mass shooting represented a diverse community. Their deaths have united many Asian American women.

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Why Don't We Know Mitsuye Endo?
Mitsuye Endo participated in a landmark Supreme Court case challenging the right of the government to hold citizens in concentration camps like Topaz.

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Those 5 Words
It's time to stop saying 'Me love you long time.'

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What Happened To The First Asian American Rapper Signed To A Major Label?
MC Jin was the unofficial face of the AZN Pride movement in the aughts. He's still grappling with his identity and the terms of his success.

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Michelle Zauner Is Not Quite Ready to Retire
The writer and Japanese Breakfast front woman is excited about the future of her art.

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How Subtle Asian Traits made a generation of Asians feel understood on the internet
Founded in 2018 by nine Chinese Australian high schoolers, Subtle Asian Traits has grown into a global phenomenon with nearly 2 million members.

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'Whoa, this is crazy': L.A. teen punks the Linda Lindas on going viral (just before finals)
Hot off their face-melting set earlier this month at the Cypress Park branch of the L.A. Public Library, including the viral anthem "Racist, Sexist Boy," tween/teen girl punk quartet The Linda Lindas are suddenly the most talked-about band in the country.

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The Silence of My White Friends After Atlanta
"I strangely found more comfort on Twitter with fellow Asian Americans—most of them creatives and artists—than I did from my own best friend."

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When the Reporter Asks You Why There Are So Many Filipino Nurses in the U.S.
"The presence of Filipino nurses in the United States is a longstanding one. Yet the reporter's questions suggest that the general public is wondering for the first time why there are so many Filipino nurses in the U.S."

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In many Asian American families, racism is rarely discussed
According to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey, only 13 percent of Asian adults said race came up "often" in conversations with friends and family, compared with 27 percent of Black adults.

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Some Korean pastors say they need to be more vocal about racial justice
Pastor Byeong Cheol Han, who presides over the Korean Central Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, felt it was vital to condemn white supremacy and systemic racism after the March 16 massacre in Atlanta. Many other ministers discouraged him from doing so.

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Jeremy Lin reflects on lessons he's learned as an Asian American chasing NBA dreams
Jeremy Lin is no longer pursuing a return to the NBA and shares some profound lessons for Asian Americans.

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100 Years of Yuri Kochiyama: Akemi Kochiyama on Her Grandmother's Life, Leadership, and Legacy
On Yuri Kochiyama's 100th birthday, her granddaughter Akemi Kochiyama reflects on her radical anti-imperialist, anti-racist, and internationalist politic and praxis.

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Bowen Yang Is Changing the Late-Night Comedy Landscape
At the end of his second season on Saturday Night Live, Bowen Yang has carved out a space for queer characters whose sexuality isn’t always a punchline.

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A Queer Asian American Photographer In The South Is Making Some Of The Best Art Of His Generation
Originally from Memphis, Tommy Kha creates photos that reflect his relationship with the South and Southern culture, as well as his own Chinese heritage.

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In Praise of Congee
I grew up eating rice porridge, and every culture has its version. From mush we originate — to mush we'll return.

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Constance Wu Portrays The Pain Of Miscarriage In 'Solos' Episode
Each episode of the new Amazon series Solos features a character struggling in isolation. Constance Wu talks to NPR about her 22-minute monologue as "Jenny."

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What My Korean Father Taught Me About Defending Myself in America
Lessons in tae kwon do, style, and activism.

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The Term 'Asian American' Has an Impossible Duty
In a moment of pain, the descriptor "Asian American" has become a galvanizing force. But what happens when you lump together a group of people whose lives differ so vastly?

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'You cannot do anything': Indian American doctors struggle with COVID-19 crisis back home
Dr. Sunita Puri, who is trying to rally funds to send supplies to India for the COVID-19 crisis, is one of many Indian American doctors struggling with the COVID crisis in India.

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I Am Sikh and Tired
Wracked with pain about being othered, Vishavjit Singh dressed up like Captain America.

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We Need to Talk About What It Means to Be 'White-Adjacent' in Tech
"But it is that mix of privilege and exclusion that also gives us a unique position from which to advocate for anti-racism and the dismantling of structural and systemic racism."

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Grieving Vincent Chin, 39 Years Later
"There are no words that can describe the abuse and erasure we have faced."

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I'm Asian. My parents are white. How do I process anti-Asian violence?
After a year of rampant racism and violence against Asian Americans, some Asian adoptees in white families are left wondering how they fit into the conversation.

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'But I'm Just Like You'
The moment when illustrator Ruth Chan learned what it meant to be the 'other' in America.

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Uncovering the History of America's First Koreatown
A Korean-American professor discusses the most gratifying research of his career, into Riverside's Pachappa Camp -- the first Korean community in the United States, predating the founding of Los Angeles' Koreatown .

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The Lure of H Mart, Where the Shelves Can Seem as Wide as Asia
H Mart is "a beautiful, holy place." The huge grocery chain and other megastores like it have revolutionized the way many Asian Americans shop and eat.

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Meet the mystery woman who mastered IBM’s 5,400-character Chinese typewriter
Lois Lew operated IBM's improbable, ill-fated Chinese typewriter with aplomb in presentations from Manhattan to Shanghai. 70-plus years later, she's telling her story.

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Why I Bought Bruce Lee's Watch
The story behind the martial arts icon's Seiko is almost as legendary as the man himself.