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1.31.2016

Read These Blogs



100 times a white actor played someone who wasn't white: Hollywood has moved on from blackface, but it remains terrible at casting people of color. Despite decades of protests over racially inappropriate casting and the recent complaints over the lack of diversity among the Oscar nominees, filmmakers continue to cast white actors as minority characters.

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Working in Hollywood When You're Not White: Three Players Reveal All: Dear White People writer/director Justin Simien, veteran producer Stephanie Allain, and Master of None showrunner Alan Yang talk about being a person of color in Hollywood -- and why the word "minority" is "the worst word."

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Essay: Why I Asked GOP Candidates About Promoting Tolerance: "I asked this question for the girls who have been harassed for wearing the hijab, for the members of the mosques and temples that have been defaced and targeted by arsonists, for the hardworking business owners who have been attacked for their beliefs." Lifestyle vlogger Nabela Noor on why she asked the GOP candidates about promoting tolerance.

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The Brave Sikh Man Who Stood Up to Trump's Muslim Bashing: Arish Singh knew what he was in store for when he decided to attend a Trump rally in Iowa. But he's glad he did it -- and he'd do it again.

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America's Quiet Crackdown On Indian Immigrants: The U.S. government has moved quietly and aggressively to prevent undocumented Indians from entering the United States, many of whom are Sikhs fleeing political repression or economic collapse at home.

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Everything NBA Broadcasters Have Said About Jeremy Lin's Hair This Season: If you've watched Jeremy Lin play this year, surely the first thing you've noticed is that hair. NBA broadcasters are with you, and an enterprising NBA fan mashed up 3:22 worth of befuddled commentators trying to make sense of it.

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Did I Grow Up And Become The Yellow Hand? Designer and technologist John Maeda contemplates being Asian American, working in Silicon Valley and possibly being the "yellow hand" emoji.

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Growing Numbers Of Chinese Teens Are Coming To America For High School: An increasing number of Chinese teens come to get a high school education, according to the Institute of International Education.

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Leaving China's North, Immigrants Redefine Chinese In New York: The newest influx of immigrants to Flushing from northern China are reshaping the largest Chinese community of any city outside Asia.

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How to Teach Chinese New Year at School: Grace Hwang Lynch outlines some helps tips for teaching the traditions of Chinese New Year -- including avoiding stereotypes -- to your child's classroom.

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'Flower Drum Song' author C.Y. Lee eyes San Gabriel Valley for new stories: At 99 years old, C.Y. Lee, author of the novel Flower Drum Song, looks to the San Gabriel Valley for inspiration.

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Elaine Elinson on Enduring Conviction : Fred Korematsu and His Quest for Justice: Lorraine Bannai was part of the original legal team that pursued overturning Fred Korematsu's four-decades-old conviction for defying the U.S. government during wartime. Her new book Enduring Conviction weaves the story of the landmark court case with Korematsu's personal journey.

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YUMI SAKUGAWA: HOW TO BECOME ONE WITH THE UNIVERSE: Yumi Sakugawa's cute illustrated books bring life's big questions down to earth. But mastering them herself will always be a work in progress, she says.

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GENE LUEN YANG On What's Next At DC & Beyond, And Being National For YA Lit: Newsarama talks to graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang about his new position as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature for the Library of Congress, what the appointment entails, some comics he recommends, and more.

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Amy Chu Sets Down Poison Ivy's Roots in 'Cycles of Life and Death': ComicsAlliance talks to comics writer Amy Chu about the new miniseries Poison Ivy: Cycles of Life and Death.

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Chelsey Crisp of Fresh Off the Boat Talks Diversity in Hollywood: "I'm obviously a Caucasian member of the cast, and it's been so educational for me." What's it like being the white girl on ABC's Fresh Off The Boat? It's given Chelsey Crisp an interesting perspective on diversity.

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Who is Bill Maher kidding? Blaming "racist Asians" for the all-white acting Oscars might be the most disingenuous response yet: Maher's "I'm just honest!" shtick allows him to toss absurdities about Hollywood and race disguised as truth-bombs. The latest conspiracy theory he dropped on HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher blames #OscarsSoWhite on moviegoers in China.

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'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Star Rachel Bloom on Why TV Needs More Asian Bros: The charismatic star of the CW's musical comedy opens up about her recent Golden Globe win, fighting to stay on air, depicting mental illness in song, and putting an "Asian bro" in her show.

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Q&A with Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Director of "Kung Fu Panda 3": An interview with Kung Fu Panda 3 director Jennifer Yuh, who discusses her early memories of drawing with her sisters, Asian and Asian American actors in the film, and how her own life parallels Po's.

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Albany teens win national song contest, going to Grammys: A 15-year-old Burmese refugee who has been speaking English for less than half his life and his 13-year-old friend from Albany, New York are the winners of the sixth annual Grammy Foundation and MusiCares Teens Make Music Contest.


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