Because Robert Lee is too similar to Robert E. Lee.
Really? We live in ridiculous times.
ESPN decided to move an Asian American announcer, Robert Lee, off the University of Virginia's upcoming home opener football game against William and Mary, "simply because of the coincidence of his name."
Because Robert Lee is too similar to Robert E. Lee.
Earlier this month, violence erupted at a white nationalist rally that gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of a statue of the Confederate general. The night before a counter-protestor was killed, white nationalists marched across the UVA campus, carrying torches and chanting racist slogans. So yeah, you could say it was a minor coincidence that a guy named Robert Lee was going to call the play by play.
That minor coincidence was enough for ESPN to reassign Lee to announce the Youngstown versus Pitt game being played on the same day. It was supposed to be a minor change -- reassignments happen all the time, and neither game is even scheduled to be televised. But then word of the network's switch leaked on Tuesday.
A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.
In this episode, we pick up from last episode's cliffhanger. Jan Di is rescued from the creepy model guy and the crew takes (another) trip to unwind, this time to the slopes! We talk about possessive gift giving, why Jun Pyo needs to stop trusting mean girls, Jan Di's fainting problem, cute DIY bentos, and consensual kissing!
Manhattan's Cornerstone Cafe apologizes after racial receipt goes viral.
This again. It's the return of the Racial Receipt! The latest sighting occurred in New York, where a Manhattan restaurant recently apologized for referring to an Asian American customer as "Ching Chong" on a receipt.
Last Wednesday, a server at Cornerstone Cafe in the East Village entered an Asian customer's name as "Ching Chong" on the slip for a to-go order of steak and eggs. Because why bother asking for a customer's actual name when you can silently mock them with a racial slur, right under their nose?
The incident started picking up attention when a friend of the customer, Facebook user Ziggy Chau, posted a photo of the offending receipt on social media. That's when the internet went in on Cornerstone Cafe.
Asian-American doctor says white nationalists refuse her care: Dr. Esther Choo is an Asian-American emergency room physician in Oregon who has practiced medicine for more than a decade. Yet, she says, a few times a year, a patient will refuse to let her treat them. Solely because of her race.
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We Must Stand Up for Dreamers and #DefendDACA: "Today, on the heels of nationwide vigils that spoke out against racism, people all around the country will stand up once again on behalf of Dreamers, young immigrants who face an uncertain future under President Trump and his administration. Just as we stood against white supremacists, we must stand with the Dreamers as well."
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Philly Councilwoman Helen Gym unflinching in calls to remove Rizzo statue: Philadelphia Councilwoman Helen Gym is calling for the city to take down a statue honoring Frank Rizzo, the late police commissioner and mayor who was known for sometimes brutal treatment of the black and gay communities.
What happened to Chicago's Japanese neighborhood? Chicago's Lake View neighborhood once had a thriving Japanese community, but it fell victim to a push for assimilation. As one Japanese-American puts it: "You had to basically be unseen."
A Look Back at the Chinkees, the Ska Band that Reclaimed Asian Identity: The Slants aren't the first Asian American rock band to reclaim a racial epithet. The ska punk band the Chinkees, who the Slants have shouted out as an inspiration, began releasing music in 1998, skanking against ugly stereotypes and putting Asians on the forefront of American rock.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco, Birth of the Dragon is a modern take on the classic movies that Bruce Lee was known for. It takes its inspiration from the epic and still controversial showdown between an up-and-coming Bruce Lee and kung fu master Wong Jack Man -- a battle that gave birth to a legend.
Before becoming a legendary icon, known to millions around the world, Bruce Lee was a driven young man working to establish himself as a top kung fu master. In 1964, everything changed for Lee when Wong Jack Man, a Northern Shaolin master from China, arrived in San Francisco and stepped forward to accept Lee's public challenge. Remarkably, the outcome of that ensuing confrontation was observed by only a handful of witnesses and, still hotly contested today, has taken on mythic proportions. But one thing appears certain: from that epic battle, Bruce Lee emerged as The Dragon -- the man who brought kung fu to the world.
Directed by George Nolfi, Birth of the Dragon is a lively imagining of that mythic fight. Philip Ng stars as the then unknown but irrepressibly talented Bruce Lee, and celebrated Chinese actor Xia Yu plays Wong Jack Man. The film also stars Billy Magnussen, Jingjing Qu, Jin Xing and Simon Yin.
Aaaaand we're back. Sorry, it's been a minute. After a lengthy hiatus, my original interview podcast Sound and Fury is back! Hopefully, we'll get back on track, keep things regular and stick around for a while.
In Episode 23, I talk to actor and filmmaker Justin Chon about his award-winning indie film Gook. He explains why he wanted to make a movie set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, his Korean American family's personal connection to the conflict, and his reasoning behind the film's controversial title.
"The mother of three children, a historian, an Asian American Studies scholar..."
Hello, internet friends. It it time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Ji-Yeon Yuh.
The NYPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime.
Because it's not enough to be racist against the living. These guys were racist against the dead too. This week in New York, three teens broke into a cemetery and vandalized dozens of grave sites in the Asian section, toppling headstones, breaking marble markers and scrawling racist graffiti throughout the grounds.
Three suspects, who appear to be between 16 and 19 years old, broke into the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn just after midnight on Tuesday and vandalized graves in an Asian section, another section and two memorial abbeys in the center of the grounds. According to the NYPD, the suspects knocked over 70 headstone, broke 15 marble memorial markers in a mausoleum, and spray-painted them with hate graffiti
The graffiti included "fuck Jackie Chan" and "ching chong" on a grave that appeared to originally have an Asian language on it, according to the NYPD. They also wrote the phrase, "fuck sand n--gers."
Police released a video of the suspects, who can be seen taking photos inside the cemetery:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice is calling on you to pledge your support.
I don't know if you heard, but a horde of racist white dudes recently held a march in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend. They weren't wearing hoods, but they were carrying torches and Nazi and Confederate flags to make it all too clear what they stood for: white supremacy, white power and nativism.
Ah, the ugly building blocks of our great nation.
While the man who is supposedly the President of the United States unsurprisingly refuses to denounce or distance himself from these racist shits -- let's face it, he wouldn't be in the White House without them -- some of us refuse to stand around and let literal Nazis trample, strangle and seize the soul of this democracy.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice has just launched a new pledge campaign calling on Asian Americans to come together, join the fight and take a stand against white supremacy.
"We call on all Asian Americans to join us in defending our vision of democracy -- one where we protect the vulnerable amongst us, resist efforts to erode our hard-won rights and protections, and fight to advance progress for all marginalized communities."
