Jason Tengco, AAPI Outreach Director for Hillary Clinton’s campaign, takes a selfie at the AAPI caucus at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
The 2016 Democratic National Convention was one of the most diverse and inclusive yet. And while Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are often overlooked by mainstream audiences, this time we were seen and heard--even on the main stage. The 2016 Democratic Party Platform mentions Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong in its preamble, in the same paragraph as Cesar Chavez. This is the first time any Asian American has been acknowledged in a major party platform.
Behind the scenes, it was the first time the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) organized an AAPI Media Center, where we had teams to pitch media, interact with AAPI delegates, produce videos, and engage on social media. Here are our AAPI highlights!
Paul Krueger and I met because we're part of a very exclusive club: Hapa Authors With Debut Urban Fantasy Novels Starring Asian American Protagonists Out Summer '16.
Paul wrote Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge, which chronicles the adventures of recent college grad Bailey Chen as she's inducted into a secret society of bartenders who fight demons using alcohol magic. And I wrote Heroine Complex, which is all about Evie Tanaka, the put-upon personal assistant to glamorous superheroine Aveda Jupiter (aka Annie Chang), and her epic battles against demonic cupcakes, supernatural karaoke stars, and her own feelings.
As we wrap up our debut summers -- and prepare to appear in a show featuring geeky Asian American writers at LA's second annual Comedy Comedy Festival -- Paul and I thought it would be fun to sit down and talk writing, representation, and how our Asian American identities play into our work.
Two terms. Two terms of that random Asian guy. The one in the background, usually walking a few steps behind the President. Why is he there? What does he do? Who is this guy?!?
Well, that guy could have been me; he probably was. My hope for the random Asian guy is that he does not end up becoming Allison Ng in any movie about the life and times of Barack Obama because there is a long list of talented actors who are more than capable of background acting.
About a year ago, my mom called me and said (in Vietnamese), "I want to make a cooking show for YouTube. I heard there's a lady who's teaching people to make pho using canned chicken broth -- NO!"
I was delighted by my mom's enthusiasm. It was the first time I heard her talk about starting a passion project purely for herself. Growing up, my mom never pursued any hobbies or personal projects. Her entire life was dedicated to providing for her family. Every morning, she woke up early and got the kids ready for school, dropped us off at the bus stop, worked 10-12 hours in the laundromat, ran errands, came home and made dinner, did the dishes, cleaned the house, got the kids ready for bed, watched a little TV, went to sleep, and did it all over again the next day.
Now, with all three kids out of the house, she finally has time to do something for herself. Together, we started my mom's YouTube dreams. I helped film and edit her cooking videos, and she shined naturally and effortlessly on camera. I never saw this side of my mom before -- carefree, charming, a student to the craft of performing. Watching my mom pursue something outside of her comfort zone and embrace the camera with such confidence and courage, I was inspired.
In addition to cutting onions and egg rolling techniques, here are 5 things I learned from watching (and filming) my mom's YouTube cooking show:
Hear from Professor Xiaoxing Xi, August 9-11 in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Irvine
Recently, the U.S. government has wrongfully prosecuted several Chinese American scientists with espionage-related crimes, including Professor Xiaoxing Xi of Temple University.
These American citizens were widely labeled as spies for China before the government dropped all charges with no explanation, apology, or compensation. Their cases highlight a trend of overzealous targeting of Asian Americans in the name of national security, something these Chinese American scientists share with Muslim Americans post-9/11 and Japanese Americans during World War II.
Most of these recent cases have arisen in the Midwest and East Coast, but from August 9-11, Professor Xi will be making special appearances in California to raise awareness of this case and the broader issue of scapegoating specific immigrant communities due to economic or national security concerns.
We never talked about it. The word "undocumented" was nerve-wracking, confusing, and -- as it's been argued in my grandfather's circumstances -- not exactly true. Growing up, my sister and I were told many stories about our family history, but we had also been taught a moderately conservative stance when it came to immigration, about the "right" way to do things and the hard word that comes with that journey.
Which is why when, during a visit to California in April, I sat down with my mother to talk about this in-depth, she didn't use the word -- at least, not at first. Let me explain.
Hello, good readers! I'm out. Starting today, for rest of this month (and perhaps a little more), I'll be taking an extended, much-needed break from the usual proceedings of this blog to attend to some personal matters.
But don't worry! While I'll be temporarily stepping back from regular updates, I've enlisted the help of many cool friends to keep things going around here with a solid lineup of guest posts. We've got you covered.
Have a great summer. I'm hoping nothing too earth-shattering happens while I'm away, because I'd hate to miss it. But sometimes you just have to unplug, re-prioritize, and re-focus. Be like water and all that stuff.
Thanks. I'll see you on the flip side. Stay Angry, my friends.
Ghazala Khan: Trump criticized my silence. He knows nothing about true sacrifice. "Donald Trump has asked why I did not speak at the Democratic convention. He said he would like to hear from me. Here is my answer to Donald Trump: Because without saying a thing, all the world, all America, felt my pain. I am a Gold Star mother. Whoever saw me felt me in their heart."
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Seven Minutes That Shook the Convention: How Khizr M. Khan, the father of a slain Muslim U.S. soldier, shamed Donald Trump, upstaged Hillary Clinton and gave the country a lesson in values.
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How Asian Americans Became Democrats: The last two decades have seen a major shift in the party preferences of Asian Americans, but they're still not deeply engaged in civic life.
Facing My Childhood Bully: Rupinder Singh, a Sikh American who relentlessly bullied as a kid, shares what happened when he came face to face with his childhood nemesis, and the choice he made.
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'Writing Rodham': The strange tale of a Hollywood screenwriter, Young Il Kim, who fell in love with the Hillary who could have been -- and wrote a screenplay about her that landed on the famed "Black List."
The Troubling Perpetuation Of Chinese Tourist Stereotypes: Chinese tourism has increased exponentially around the world over the past decade, following a lengthy period of relative isolation. How does media affect how foreigners perceive Chinese tourists?
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My Father, the YouTube Star: When foodwriter Kevin Pang's father started his own YouTube cooking channel, it was an opportunity for father and son to re-connect after years of distance.
Portraits of Sikh American men and women explore the style and significance of the Sikh articles of faith.
New York! The Sikh Coalition invites you to The Sikh Project, the first-ever art exhibition exclusively featuring Sikh Americans. From acclaimed British photographers Amit and Naroop, the exhibition will feature 40 portraits of Sikh American men and women that explore the style and significance of the Sikh articles of faith.
The exhibition, which will be free to the general public, highlights generations of Sikh American history that embodies perseverance and progress as we commemorate the 15-year anniversary of 9/11. The Sikh Project will run September 16-25 at 138 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Officer Jonathan "JD" DeGuzman, a 16-year police veteran, was shot multiple times during a stop.
In San Diego, a veteran police officer was shot and killed and another was injured as they tried to make a stop on Thursday night, leading to one suspect's arrest and an extensive hunt for other suspects.
Officer Jonathan "JD" DeGuzman, a 16-year-department veteran and father of two, was killed. Officer Wade Irwin, a nine-year veteran, was shot and hospitalized in serious condition, but is expected to survive.
53-year-old Jesse Michael Gomez was charged in the shootings. He was shot during the confrontation and was in critical condition at the hospital. Another man, 41-year-old Marcus Antonio Cassani, was arrested after a standoff with police and is being held as a potential second suspect.
"I'm a believer that folks have space for all sorts of intersecting and overlapping identities."
Hello, good people of the internet! You know what time it is. It is time 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 Quincy Surasmith.
Suspects punched the victim in the head while making anti-Asian remarks.
In Manhattan, the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating a subway attack in which an Asian woman was assaulted by two woman who punched her while making anti-Asian statements.
The two suspects, seen in a video released by the NYPD, assaulted a 29-year-old Asian woman who was with her parents on a northbound 1 train on the Upper West Side the night of June 26.
According to investigators, the two women boarded the train at 86th street. One of the suspects screamed and shouted profanities at the victim. Both suspects then pulled her to the floor and punched her in the head while making anti-Asian comments. Then the two ran off the train at the Cathedral Parkway-110th Street station.
Police have released surveillance images of the women walking past 545 West 11th St. following the attack:
At the risk of giving this person yet more attention... she's back. Jennifer Murphy doesn't appear to be interested in putting this whole "Neenja" fiasco to rest. Instead, she's doubled down and decided to dig herself a deeper hole with her latest video, an even shittier, even longer version of this racist tune.
It's the remix!
Spliced together with the live footage from the "Pink Carpet Launch Party" that set this whole thing off, the new video boasts "never before seen foootage," filling in some of the backstory of the "Neenja" song -- as if context could help this situation -- and unfurling the song's narrative around the now-infamous "Chow." It's basically an Asian guy doing a fairly awful impression of Ken Jeong's character from The Hangover movies.
Chun Tse was assaulted after getting into a minor traffic accident in Queens.
In New York, a 68-year-old man is hospitalized and on life support after being assaulted in an alleged road rage confrontation following a minor traffic accident. The incident was caught on dash cam video.
Chun Tse was involved in a fender bender last week in Queens. Dash cam video shows him walk to the front of the car to check the damage, then exchange words with the other driver, 44-year-old Cleaman Anderson. Moments later, Anderson punched Tse, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head.
The latest movie in the grand cinematic tradition of the Special White Person.
It turns out the Great Wall of China was erected to keep out dragons. Behold, the trailer for The Great Wall, a fantasy action monster movie about an epic battle against dragons in ancient China... starring Matt Damon. Yes, a thousand years ago, Jason Friggin' Bourne saved the Chinese from dragons.
Directed by Zhang Yimou, and touted as the most expensive Chinese movie of all time, the movie stars a long-haired Matt Damon alongside Chinese superstars like Andy Lau, Luhan and Jing Tian, in a crazy-ass smoke and spears and fire and arrows battle on the Great Wall against fire-breathing dragons.
