"You have altered the American Story today by becoming part of it. And we are all the better for it."

New U.S. citizens welcomed in a naturalization ceremony at Manzanar National Historic Site.


Photo Credit: USCIS
Last week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalized fourteen new U.S. citizens during a ceremony held at the Manzanar National Historic Site, the former site of one of ten camps used by the government to detain over 110,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

USCIS chose the location in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Manzanar National Historic Site, located six miles south of Independence, California, now stands to preserve and interpret the legacy of Japanese American incarceration in the Unted States. The ceremony, held on May 25, also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, which oversees the site.

Honorable Paul M. Igasaki, Chair and Chief Judge of the Administrative Review Board at the U.S. Department of Labor -- whose own family members were incarcerated during World War II -- served as the ceremony's keynote speaker. Here is a transcript of his remarks:

George Takei and John Cho want you to vote!

New Get-Out-The-Vote PSA urges AANHPI community to vote in this important election year.



George Takei and John Cho want you to vote! Just in time to close out AAPI Heritage Month, the two Sulus have come together for a new video PSA from Asian Americans Advancing Justice and APIAVote urging Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) to go vote in this important election year.

The video also features the likes of Constance Wu, Vincent Rodriguez III, Sonal Shah and Joey "Q" Quenga, and highlights both the historic injustices that AANHPIs have faced in the United States, as well as the some of the many contributions our communities have made to this country.

Check it out:

Official Premiere: Awkwafina x Margaret Cho - "Green Tea"

Rapper and comedian collaborate for a NSFW anthem in celebration of womanhood and AAPI Heritage Month.



Hold up. May ain't done yet. Margaret Cho and Awkwafina have got something fierce for your ass in celebration of womanhood and AAPI Heritage Month. The veteran comedian and new-school rapper have joined forces to drop this wicked fun, be-all-you-wanna-be, stereotype-flippin' rap track and music video, "Green Tea."

Check it out. NSFW, people:

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "Bruce Lee"?

New digital series "Jubilee Project: Voices" gathers Asian Americans to answer a single question.



Jubilee Project: Voices is a five-episode digital series collaboration between The Jubilee Project and NBC Asian America. In each installment, they gather Asian Americans -- including myself -- to answer a single question, with the hopes of sparking conversation and encouraging others to share their stories too.

This last episode is a fun one, in which we talk about the legendary Bruce Lee:

Woman sues police for roughing her up in church parking lot

62-year-old Ok Jin Jun has filed a lawsuit against the LAPD, the city of Los Angeles and two police officers.



In Los Angeles, a 62-year-old woman has filed a lawsuit against police officers who she says roughed her up during an early morning encounter last month in a Koreatown church parking lot.

Woman, 62, Sues LAPD For Allegedly Roughing Her Up In Church Parking Lot

Ok Jin Jun is suing the Los Angeles Police Department, the city of Los Angeles and two police officers.

The altercation was captured on surveillance video. Footage shows an LAPD SUV following Mrs. Jun's car as she pulled into her church's parking lot for early morning prayer service on April 14. Mrs. Jun says the officers followed her after she honked her horn at them because they were blocking the church driveway.

But this was not a traffic stop, and Mrs. Jun was not being pulled over.

Throwback comedy 'Seoul Searching' hits theaters in June

Benson Lee's coming-of-age comedy opens in New York City on June 17 and Los Angeles on June 24.



At long last, after crowd-pleasing hit festival run -- including a world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival -- the indie coming-of-age comedy Seoul Searching hits theaters in limited release next month.

Based on writer/director Benson Lee's own experiences as a teenager, Seoul Searching tells the story of a group of teens from all over the world who converge in Seoul during the summer of 1986 to participate in a government-sponsored program to help them connect with their heritage.

Starring an international all-Asian cast of fresh faces and seasoned performers, the film pays homage to the classic John Hughes dramedies of the eighties, while putting a fresh Asian American spin on the genre with nostalgia, hilarity and heart. This is the movie my generation wished we could have seen while growing up.

Here's the recently released theatrical trailer on iTunes:

Man thwarted while trying drug and rape his dinner date

Michael Hsu was arrested after three watchful women caught him slipping something into his date's drink.



By now you may have seen the viral meme -- DON'T ROOFIE SOMEONE ON OUR WATCH -- about the trio of friends who thwarted a potential sexual assault when they saw a man attempt to drug his date's drink at a Southern California restaurant last week. The suspect has been identified as 25-year-old Michael Hsu. Ugh.

Suspect ID'd in alleged date-drugging attempt detailed in viral meme

Sonia Ulrich, Marla Saltzer and Monica Kenyon were out for happy hour at the Fig restaurant in Santa Monica on Thursday when Kenyon noticed Hsu at another table acting strangely. After his date had excused herself, he appeared to be fumbling with her drink, then dropped something in the glass.

That's when the friends took action. One of them followed the woman into the bathroom to let her know what she and her friends had seen: her friend just tried to roofie her. Meanwhile, one of the other friends alerted the restaurant staff, who called the cops. Later, they found out that the restaurant's security footage had captured the incident and corroborated their suspicions. The would-be date rapist was busted.

Ulrich, Saltzer and Kenyon detailed the incident in a Facebook post that quickly went viral, proclaiming "GUESS WHO STOPPED A RAPE LAST NIGHT?! THESE GALS!"

A photographic mystery unfolds in 'We Were Young Once Too'

A young woman embarks on a journey of discovery in Lawrence Chen's latest short film.



I'm a big fan of filmmaker Lawrence Chen, whose work I've featured here quite a few times over the years.

In his latest short film We Were Young Once Too, a young woman receives a cryptic Polaroid photo in the mail addressed to the former tenants of her apartment, and embarks on a journey to discover both her past and the mysterious destination in the photographs.

Check it out:

This new 'Star Trek' poster is legit #StarringJohnCho

New 'Star Trek Beyond' character banner features John Cho as Sulu.



Marketing for the new Star Trek movie is now upon us in full force. Here's one of the newly unveiled character posters for Star Trek Beyond, featuring the one and only John Cho as Hikaru Sulu. Make no mistake: this movie is legitimately #StarringJohnCho -- no need to Photoshop his head into this poster.

Take a look:

Arizona woman assaults students for speaking Mandarin

22-year-old Kalie Rutledge punched Xiaolin Shi for speaking Chinese on the light rail.



The hell? People apparently can't even speak Chinese in public in Arizona without the threat of violence. In Tempe, a woman was arrested for assaulting two students after she heard them speak Mandarin on the light rail.

Asian Couple assaulted in Tempe for speaking Mandarin on light rail, Kalie Rutledge arrested

Police say 22-year-old Kalie Rutledge was riding on the Metro Light Rail on May 20 when she heard Arizona State University student Xiaolin Shi speaking to a friend in Mandarin. She apparently took issue with this.

Rutledge reportedly told them, "I don't speak Chinese, shut the fuck up!" and "Bitch, go f---ing back to China."

Ann Coulter Calls Asian Americans "Mandarins" -- and Insists It's the Correct Term

By Jenn Fang. Cross-posted from Reappropriate.



Ann Coulter may be the Cornell alum of whom my school is most embarrassed.

The Far Right commentator deploys few facts to defend any mainstream conservative viewpoints, preferring instead to go full-tilt racist and intolerant. She routinely is found stoking the fires of Islamophobia, calling for a return to literacy tests at the ballot box, lamenting women's suffrage, and using all manner of slurs.

And yet, Coulter routinely remains — despite her bigoted and inane commentary — a fixture of mainstream media's political talk shows.

Last night, Coulter appeared on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews in a segment with the host and fellow guest Joy Reid (video after the jump). In discussing protests at Trump rallies, Coulter veered once more into the bizarre and racist when she first referred to Asian Americans as "Mandarins", and then she insisted for the next minute and a half that this is the most correct term for our community.

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Chinese Detergent Ad Draws Charges of Racism: Yes, that Chinese laundry detergent ad is racist as f*ck.

* * *
Meet the Chinese American immigrants who are supporting Donald Trump: Contrary to all the attention received by the group calling itself "Chinese Americans For Trump," most Chinese Americans don't love trump. Polls show that they overwhelmingly disapprove of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

* * *
My 'Oriental' Father: On The Words We Use To Describe Ourselves: "My dad, who came to the U.S. in 1969 from Hong Kong, who speaks English-lilted-with-Taishanese, who has lived in Connecticut for two-thirds of his life -- three times the length of his time in Asia -- still uses the word 'Oriental.'"

* * *
How an industry helps Chinese students cheat their way into and through U.S. colleges: The University of Iowa suspects at least 30 Chinese students of having used ringers to take their exams. The case offers a look inside a thriving underground economy of cheating services aimed at the hundreds of thousands of Chinese kids applying to and attending foreign colleges.

* * *
Opinion: It's Time to Start Putting Effort Toward Polling Asian Americans: "AAPIs are the fastest growing racial group in the nation and a rising political force. Understanding their needs and concerns -- and addressing them -- is vital not only for the AAPI community, but indeed for the strength and future of our nation."

Angry Reader of the Week: Yola Lu

"I like to try to include as much honesty in my comedy as possible."



Hello, good people of the internet. It's that time again. 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 Yola Lu.

National Spelling Bee ends in tie for third consecutive year

13-year-old Jairam Hathwar and 11-year-old Nihar Janga crowned co-champions.



We have a tie. Again. The Scripps National Spelling Bee ended in a tie for the third consecutive year Thursday night, with 13-year-old Jairam Hathwar of Painted Post, New York and 11-year-old Nihar Janga of Austin, Texas emerging as co-champions out of a field of 284 spellers, after 39 epic rounds of competition.

National spelling bee ends in a tie for third consecutive year

It was a dramatic, knock-down drag-out face-off between two spelling bee gangstas. Jairam's final word in the competition was "feldenkrais," a trademark that refers to a system of aided body movements. Nihar stayed in the competition by correctly spelling "gesellschaft," which refers to a type of social relationship.

Twice, it looked like Jairam might be knocked out of the competition, after he misspelled "drahthaar," a breed of dog, and "mischsprache," a language. But Nihar missed his follow-up words, which put Jairam back in contention. Neither speller was going out like that. In the end, the spelling bee ran out of words.

Jairam and Nihar spelled them all.

Dumbfoundead takes on Hollywood whitewashing in "Safe"

Heard about #StarringJohnCho? This is #StarringDumbfoundead.



Check it. In response to recent controversies around the Academy Awards and whitewashed casting, Los Angeles rapper Dumbfoundead offers his own unique contribution to the conversation about Hollywood's perpetual exclusion of Asian Americans from the screen.

In this wickedly amusing music video for his latest track "Safe," Dumbfoundead is cleverly inserted as the protagonist of various Hollywood movies and television shows, from Braveheart to Titanic to Game of Thrones. Y'all heard about #StarringJohnCho and #StarringConstanceWu? This is #StarringDumbfoundead.

Rila Fukushima joins the cast of 'Ghost in the Shell'

But Scarlett Johansson is still apparently in this shit.



Can it be? There will apparently be at least one more actual Asian person in Ghost in the Shell. Japanese actress Rila Fukushima is joining the cast of the live-action Hollywood remake of the manga/anime classic.

'Wolverine' Actress Rila Fukushima Joins Scarlett Johansson in 'Ghost in the Shell'

As you may have heard, Ghost in the Shell has already received a crap-ton of criticism for casting Scarlett Johansson in the lead role of Japanese cyborg cop Major Motoko Kusanagi.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fukushima will co-star in a yet to be revealed role in the film alongside Johansson. One has to wonder if the late addition of a Japanese actress to the film's cast is an attempt to assuage the accusations of whitewashing.

Meet the National Spelling Bee's youngest contestant

6-year-old Akash Vukoti steals the show.



Meet Akash Vukoti of San Angelo, Texas. At just six years old, he is the youngest contestant -- and the first first-grader -- among 285 contenders at this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Although he misspelled "bacteriolytic" and was knocked out of the competition in Round 3, young Akash charmed the heck out of the crowd. He received a standing ovation and high fives as he left the stage.

Here's a fun video of Akash talking about how he got started in his spelling bee career. He also offers some helpful spelling bee tips and shares his favorite word, "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanocon­iosis." (It's a lung disease caused by inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust. I had to look it up.)

'Fresh Off The Boat' responds to Chris Rock's Oscar joke

In about twenty years, Evan Huang is going to be very disappointed.



No, Chris Rock. We're still quite not over that crappy Asian joke you told at this year's Academy Awards. Fresh Off The Boat apparently isn't cool with it either. On Tuesday's season finale, the ABC comedy managed to throw a little bit of shade at the comedian's infamous awards show moment.

The episode's B-story revolves around Eddie's various attempts to watch Chris Rock's brand-new HBO standup comedy special Bring the Pain. (Remember: Fresh Off The Boat is set in the 1990s.) When the Huang brothers are finally able to sneak a late-night viewing, they find Rock's comedy funny and educational, with wide-eyed Evan remarking, "I'm just glad he doesn't do lame Asian jokes."

In about twenty years, Evan is going to be very disappointed.

The Weird History of Asian Sex Stereotypes

MTV's Decoded drops some six-minute truth about western perceptions of Asian sexuality.



Why are Asian women considered "sexy" and "desirable"? While are Asian men considered... well, not. It's a pervasive, seemingly age-old perception that has plagued Asian men and women in various ways, from media representation to shitty bar encounters to ridiculously unproductive internet commentary.

Seriously (not seriously), we've been discussing and debating this topic in internet forums since at least 1957.

In this video for MTV's Decoded, Franchesca Ramsey drops some six-minute truth about these destructive and persistent western perceptions of Asian sexuality. She attempts to get at the origins of these ideas, breaking down some historical and sociological background for folks getting to the conversation a little late.

Naturally, this explanation required the presence of a buff and gratuitously shirtless Asian dude.

Do You Have a Tiger Mom?

New digital series "Jubilee Project: Voices" gathers Asian Americans to answer a single question.



Jubilee Project: Voices is a five-episode digital series collaboration between The Jubilee Project and NBC Asian America. In each installment, they gather Asian Americans -- including myself -- to answer a single question, with the hopes of sparking conversation and encouraging others to share their stories too.

In this installment, we discuss what it means to have a "tiger" parent. It's more than just about being strict.

Native Hawaiian culture meets street art in 'Mele Murals'

Help fund the latest documentary from Tad Nakamura.



Here's a great film project that would use your support... There are just a few hours left to pitch in to Mele Murals, the latest documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Tad Nakamura. Mele Murals is a story that navigates the complexities of Native Hawaiian cultural identity through urban street art.

Set against the resurgence of Hawaiian language and culture of the past twenty years, Mele Murals follows two former illegal graffiti writers turned community artists -- Estria Miyashiro (aka Estria) and John Hina (aka Prime) -- and their quest to connect people and place through mural making. The film shows how public art rooted in underground graffiti unexpectedly but powerfully fuses with Native Hawaiian traditions and contemporary life to impact local youth, the rural community of Waimea, and most of all the artists.

Here's the trailer:

Here's the soundtrack for your AAPI Heritage Month

Spotify playlist presented by the White House Initiative on AAPIs and the Smithsonian APA Center.



Looking for some tunes to set off your day? In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month -- it's May, didn't ya know? -- the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center have put together this very cool AAPI Heritage Month 2016 Spotify Playlist.

It's a pretty dope list, running almost two hours with 31 songs from a wide array of artists, including Run River North, TOKiMONSTA, Jai Wolf, Yuna, Red Baraat, Kero One, Sam Tsui and many more.

Florence + the Machine surprises teenage cancer patient with private bedside concert

15-year-old Karinya Chen had tickets to see the band, but had to cancel when her health declined.



Last week, indie rock band Florence + the Machine played a concert at the Austin 360 Amphitheatre, but their most important gig was a private show they played for one of their biggest fans -- a local teen in hospice.

Teen in hospice care gets bedside concert from Florence and the Machine

Several heartwarming viral videos show singer Florence Welch playing a personal bedside concert for a 15-year-old cancer patient Karinya Chen at Hospice Austin's Christopher House. The two are singing "Shake It Out" and "Dog Days Are Over" as duets, with Welch complimenting Karinya's harmonizing

Karinya had tickets to see Florence + the Machine on Thursday night, but had to cancel her plans when her health declined. That's when hospice staffers reached out the band, who were happy to pay a visit.

Ken Jeong stars on the season finale of 'Fresh Off The Boat'

Episode 224: "Bring the Pain" airs Tuesday, May 24, 8:00pm on ABC



ABC's hit Asian American family sitcom Fresh Off The Boat airs Tuesday nights at 8:00pm. The comedy, inspired by the memoir of chef Eddie Huang, tells the story of the Huang family, a Taiwanese American family getting their immigrant hustle on in 1990s suburban Orlando, in pursuit of the American dream. If you missed this season's episodes, they're available for viewing on the ABC website.

Fresh Off The Boat stars Randall Park as Louis, Constance Wu as Jessica, Hudson Yang as Eddie, Forrest Wheeler as Emery, Ian Chen as Evan and Chelsey Crisp as Honey. With special guest assist from Lucille Soong as Grandma Huang. This week, on the season finale, Ken Jeong guest stars as Louis' estranged brother.

Here's a preview of episode 224, "Bring the Pain":

'Star Trek Beyond' boldly goes where no... well, you know.

Watch the new trailer for director Justin Lin's foray into the final frontier.



Hey Trekkies! In case you missed it... Director Justin Lin and Co. recently dropped the new trailer for Star Trek Beyond, the latest feature film installment of the long-running sci-fi franchise. The movie, hitting theaters this summer, finds the intrepid crew of the U.S. Enterprise exploring the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Check it out:

Obama signs bill removing "Oriental" from federal laws

Rep. Grace Meng's bill eliminating outdated term for Asian Americans from U.S. code.



As of last week, the words "Oriental" and "Negro" will no longer be part of federal law.

On Friday, President Obama signed a bill eliminating the outdated racial descriptors after the legislation passed unanimously in the House and Senate. Yes, they were still on the books. Yes, this was a long time coming.

Obama Signs Bill Removing 'Oriental' and 'Negro' From Federal Laws

H.R.4238, sponsored by Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), aimed to "modernize" two references to "Orientals" and "Negros" in the U.S. Code governing public health, social welfare and civil rights, dating back to the 1970s. The words will be replaced with "Asian Americans" and "African Americans," respectively.

Rep. Meng introduced the bill in December, and it passed the House easily in February. It reached the president's desk last week after the Senate unanimously approved it on Monday.

Asian American Group Files Anti-Affirmative Action Complaint Against Yale, Dartmouth, Brown: What You Need To Know

By Jenn Fang. Cross-posted from Reappropriate.


Yale Law School (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I can't believe we're dealing with this again.

Less than a year after the Department of Education dismissed a frivolous administrative complaint filed by the Asian American Coalition for Education (AACE) against Harvard University, the AACE has now announced it will file a nearly identical administrative complaint against Yale University, Brown University and Dartmouth College. In their complaint against Harvard, AACE alleged -- absent any significant evidence -- that race-conscious affirmative action discriminates against Asian American applicants.

This work bolsters efforts by conservative partisan and lobbyist Edward Blum, who has made a career out of opposing civil rights measures for people of colour. Blum is best known as the architect of the Fisher v. University of Texas Supreme Court cases, which is the Right's latest campaign to invalidate affirmative action in higher education. Outside of his interest in ending race-conscious affirmative action, Blum has backed numerous Supreme Court cases to reverse portions of the Voting Rights Act and to silence voters of colour. In the recently defeated Evenwel v. Abbott Supreme Court case, Blum and his fellow litigators argued that districts should be drawn so as to disenfranchise thousands of non-voting citizens, who are predominantly young people and people of colour. (AAAJ-AAJC talks about how Evenwel v. Abbott would have resulted in the disenfranchisement of numerous AAPIs).

Edward Blum is clearly no ally of the AAPI community. So, one must wonder why some Asian Americans would support his causes.

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Hollywood Has No Business Case for Booking All-White Casts: Hollywood's track record on showcasing minority talent and storylines is pretty awful, even considering some recent efforts to diversify programming. Some studios argue that the fault lies not with them, but with consumers, who -- they claim -- prefer predominantly white casts. But is there any truth to that?

* * *
"You left your culture at the door": Relationships, Misogyny, and Asian American Inside Baseball: Nicole Chung recently received a racist, misogynistic message about her husband and multiracial children. An important and uncomfortable conversation.

* * *
A Facebook friend request brought my mom back to Vietnam after 35 years: Get your tissues ready. Three and a half decades after leaving Vietnam, Ngoc Bich Ha reunited with her childhood friends when one of them found her on Facebook.

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Essay: With Great Privilege Comes Great Responsibility: After she and her children witnessed racial profiling at an airport, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang found a teaching moment to reflect on privilege.

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Hollywood: Drop the bleach: Enough with whitewashing, Hollywood! How #StarringJohnCho took off.

AAWW Publishing Conference '16

Presented by the Asian American Writers' Workshop, Saturday, June 25



Hey writers! The Asian American Writers' Workshop invites you to the AAWW Publishing Conference, a special one-day boot camp for any writer who's ever felt left out and wants to invest in their career. Meet with publishing professionals from Penguin Random House, Catapult, Buzzfeed and more.

It's happening Saturday, June 25 at ISSUE Project Room in Brooklyn. Here are some more details:

Rep. Mark Takai will not seek re-election due to cancer

Hawaii Congressman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year.



U.S. Rep. Mark Takai has announced that he will not seek a second term in Congress due to health problems.

Takai, who represents Hawaii's 1st district, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. He had planned to fight the cancer while running for re-election, but recently learned the disease had spread.

US Rep. Mark Takai will not seek re-election due to cancer

"Right now, for the sake of my family, I need to focus on getting better rather than getting re-elected," Takai said in a statement Thursday. "Although I will not be running for re-election, I intend to serve out the remainder of my term in Congress. There is still much work that I am determined to see through for Hawaii and our nation over the next few months."

Angry Reader of the Week: Louis Changchien

"I have the amazing luck of getting paid to act."



Hey, you guyyyyys. You know what's up. 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 Louis Changchien.

Meet the only two guys in Silicon Valley who have nothing to do with technology

Watch the teaser trailer for Tanuj Chopra's indie comedy 'Chee and T'



Check it. Here's the first teaser trailer for writer/director Tanuj Chopra's upcoming indie buddy comedy Chee and T, about "the only two guys in Silicon Valley who have nothing to do with technology."

Chee and T are a pair of underachieving debt collectors under the employ of Uncle Rob, a wealthy landlord-tycoon. Their day spins out of control when they are tasked with the seemingly simple job of getting Uncle Rob's nephew Mayunk a fresh haircut and new suit for his upcoming engagement party. It turns out that handling their hyperactive, drug-crazed little cousin proves to be anything but simple.

Take a look:

Video: Japanese American Internees Read "Letters From Camp" with Muslim Kids

Young Muslim Americans read letters written by incarcerated Japanese American during World War II.



During World War II, the United States government forcibly and unjustly incarcerated more than 120,000 innocent Japanese Americans without due process. Half of them were children.

In this short film by Frank Chi, produced for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, young Muslim Americans read letters written by Japanese Americans while incarcerated in camps during World War II.

Although these two groups are separated by generations, it's a powerful reminder of the parallels -- of prejudice, persecution and perseverance -- between these two communities, and our tenuous relationship with the past, which is constantly on the brink of only a few simple, dark turns from repeating itself.

Stand Up for Books: 2nd Annual Comedy Night

A Fundraising Event for Eastwind Books of Berkeley - Friday, June 3 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center



If you're in the Bay Area and up for some laughs for a good cause, Eastwind Books of Berkeley invites you to celebrate its 20th anniversary at Stand Up for Books, a fundraiser showcasing some of the best Asian American comedians from the Bay Area and Los Angeles. There will be food, drinks, raffle tickets and standup comedy featuring Jenny Yang, Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Andrew Orolfo, and host Irene Tu.

It's happening Friday, June 3 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Here are some more details:

Today's Google Doodle is dedicated to Yuri Kochiyama.

Google's homepage honors the legendary activist on her 95th birthday.



In honor of Yuri Kochiyama's 95th birthday on May 19th, the Google homepage has dedicated today's Google Doodle to the legendary late activist, educator and humanitarian, who died in 2014.

The doodle, by artist Alyssa Winans, features an iconic image of Kochiyama at the center of one of many protests and rallies, for numerous social and political movements, over a lifetime in the fight for justice.

Dartmouth community speaks out after popular Asian American professor denied tenure

Aimee Bahng, assistant professor of English, was denied tenure despite unanimous department approval.



At Dartmouth College, the campus community has recently been rocked by the inexplicable denial of tenure for Aimee Bahng, assistant professor of English. Earlier this month, Bahng was denied tenure despite the unanimous approval by the English department's tenure committee.

Campus unrest follows tenure denial of innovative, popular faculty member of color

Bahng has been an Assistant Professor of English at Darthmouth since 2009. Her scholarship connects Asian American literary studies, speculative fiction and finance, technology and post-humanist inquiry. Fellow professors and students say Bahng deserves a permanent position on campus.

They also say Bahng's tenure denial speaks to bigger questions about Dartmouth's commitment to diversity, and is part of a disturbing trend in which department votes for tenure and unanimous recommendations for tenure are overruled by deans or the Committee Advisory to the President.

How a Ninja Sketch Gets Whitewashed

"The beloved, classic tale of a failing foreign culture saved by a white man."



How does a story about "The Last Ninja" turn into "the beloved, classic tale of a failing foreign culture saved by a white man"? Whitewashing, baby. This "behind the scenes" CollegeHumor sketch is silly as hell, but you have to imagine this is not too far off from how these whitewashing scenarios might actually go down.

Take a look:

Stop the racial profiling of Chinese American scientists

#SCIENTISTSNOTSPIES



On Sunday, 60 Minutes aired a story on physics professor Xiaoxing Xi and hydrologist Sherry Chen -- two of several recent cases involving Chinese American scientists who have been wrongfully prosecuted by the U.S. government with espionage-related crimes -- falsely accused of spying for China.

In each of these cases, American citizens -- Xi and Chen, as well as Guiqing Cao and Shuyu Li -- were widely labeled as spies for China before the government dropped all their charges with no explanation, apology or compensation. Supporters believe they were profiled and targeted because they are Asian American.

#ScientistsNotSpies
This week, advocates across the nation are demanding accountability and transparency from the federal government, urging for a stop to these reckless prosecutions and an investigation into the possible use of racial profiling in the case of Asian American scientists who have been accused of espionage.

The government still hasn't publicly acknowledged any wrongdoing for its recent wrongful prosecutions. The #ScientistsNotSpies campaign is asking for your support sending a message to the Attorney General and Inspector General of the United States to stop possible racial profiling in the Department of Justice.

Here how you can take action:

A Birthday Celebration & Mural Launch for Yuri & Malcolm

Thursday, May 19 the Manhattanville Community Center



On Thursday evening in New York, in celebration of the birthdays of both Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X -- they shared the same birthday, May 19 -- a new mural design dedicated to the two civil rights icons and friends will be revealed for community discussion and dialogue. The family-friendly event will also feature art-making activities and performances.

It's happening Thursday, May 19 at the Manhattanville Community Center. Here are some more details:

John Chiang is running for Governor of California

State Treasurer officially launches campaign for the Golden State's top job.



It's official. John Chiang is running for governor of California. The state treasurer announced Tuesday that he has filed paperwork with the Secretary of State to allow him to raise funds for a gubernatorial run in 2018.

John Chiang jumps into California's 2018 governor's race

"As your next Governor, I have a blueprint for expanding and renewing the California dream through fixing our crumbling infrastructure, making retirement security our generation's call to arms, and rebuilding California's middle class through better jobs and improved educational opportunities," Chiang said.

The announcement wasn't much of a surprise to California's political observers. Chiang has been saying for months that he was "strongly leaning towards running" for governor. Starting today, no more leaning.

Chiang made the announcement on Facebook and Twitter:

Video: Asian Americans on #BlackLivesMatter

New digital series "Jubilee Project: Voices" gathers Asian Americans to answer a single question.



"I may not know the right thing to say politically, but if I had a friend that I cared about and they're hurting, I would want to be there with them." The Jubilee Project's "Voices" series for NBC Asian America gathered a group of Asian Americans -- including myself -- to do some word association on camera. In this latest installment, we offer some thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement.

Take a look:

Pacific Bridge: Free Outdoor Concert feat. Jhene Aiko

Saturday, May 21 at Los Angeles City Hall



If you're in Los Angeles, and looking for something fun to do this weekend, come out to Pacific Bridge, a free outdoor concert in celebration of Heritage Month. The evening will feature Jhene Aiko, Awkwafina, Tribal Theory, Dumbfoundead, Run River North, Joseph Vincent, and Kevin Oh, and hosted by Jenny Yang.

It's happening Saturday, May 21 in front of Los Angeles City Hall. Here some more details:

Meet Eddie's (fake)(Chinese) girlfriend on 'Fresh Off The Boat'

Episode 223: "The Manchurian Dinner Date" airs Tuesday, May 17, 8:00pm on ABC



ABC's hit Asian American family sitcom Fresh Off The Boat airs Tuesday nights at 8:00pm. The comedy, inspired by the memoir of chef Eddie Huang, tells the story of the Huang family, a Taiwanese American family getting their immigrant hustle on in 1990s suburban Orlando, in pursuit of the American dream. If you missed this season's episodes, they're available for viewing on the ABC website.

Fresh Off The Boat stars Randall Park as Louis, Constance Wu as Jessica, Hudson Yang as Eddie, Forrest Wheeler as Emery, Ian Chen as Evan and Chelsey Crisp as Honey. With special guest assist from Lucille Soong as Grandma Huang. This week, Jessica meets Eddie's girlfriend for the first time.

Here's a preview of episode 223, "The Manchurian Dinner Date":

And now we have #StarringConstanceWu

Inspired by #StarringJohnCho.



By now, you've seen the fun and brilliant #StarringJohnCho social campaign, in which popular and worthy Asian American actor John Cho is cleverly Photoshopped into movie posters and bestowed leading man status in a host of Hollywood movies. Because why not John Cho? The campaign calls out the movie industry's perpetual whiteness, and advances the notion that Asian American actors can indeed be leading men.

And leading women. Because you can't let John Cho have all the fun. Inspired by #StarringJohnCho, some fans have taken the idea a step further with #StarringConstanceWu, similarly re-imagining Hollywood movies starring none other than Constance Wu. She currently shines as Jessica Huang, ruler of everything around me, on ABC's Fresh Off The Boat, and she deserves to topline Hollywood feature films too.

Ain't no harm in imagining. Why not? Here are a few examples of #StarringConstanceWu in action:

Steven Yeun spotted helping out at the scene of a car crash

Yeun and 'Walking Dead' co-star Norman Reedus pull over to help out auto accident victims in Georgia.



He plays a hero on The Walking Dead, and he's apparently a hero in real life. Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn on AMC's hit zombie drama, was recently spotted with co-star Norman Reedus helping victims of a car crash.

Stars from 'The Walking Dead' help accident victims

On Thursday, Yeun and Reedus were apparently riding motorcycles in Peachtree City, Georgia when they witnessed an auto accident and pulled over to help out. A witness snapped a photo of the two actors, who appeared to be trying to help, next to wrecked cars at the site of the crash.

Congressman uses racial slur on TV, blames it on imaginary "guy at the end of the bar"

Rep. Peter King used the term "Jap" on MSNBC, claiming it was "satire."



Former House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King (R-N.Y.) is refusing to apologize for using an anti-Asian racial slur during a recent cable news appearance, defending his remarks as "satire."

Rep. Peter King defends using Japanese slur in describing his anti-Trump views

In an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Friday, King used the term "Japs" while criticizing presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's "uninformed" views on foreign policy, likening the candidate to a hypothetical "guy at the end of the bar."

King highlighted his opposition to Trump's proposal to pull U.S. troops out of Japan and South Korea and instead equip them with nuclear weapons as a deterrent against China and North Korea.

"There's real issues with him, real problems with his views," King said of Trump. "I don't know if he's thought them through, or if it's like the guy at the end of the bar that says, 'Oh screw them, bomb them, kill them, pull out, bring them home. You know, why pay for the Japs, why pay for the Koreans."

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Podcast Ep 16: A Tribe Called Mash-Up: Where do we belong? Who do we belong to? And what do we do when one of our own goes off the rails? Are we responsible for our whole group? The latest episode of The Mash-Up Americans Podcast is all about tribes.

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Family Reunion: A Storytelling Show

"Fresh Off The Stoop." Thursday, May 19 at Lyric Hyperion Theatre & Cafe



Hey, Los Angeles! Wanna hear a story? Disoriented Comedy invites you to the latest edition of Family Reunion, a monthly live storytelling show co-presented by Angry Asian Man, Tuesday Night Project, Mishthi Music and KAYA Press, featuring regular everyday folks talking story. No notes.

This month's theme is "Fresh Off The Stoop" -- stories about intersections, crossing cultures and discoveries. The evening's lineup of featured storytellers includes Kareema Bee, Terrence Newman, Ceda Xiong, Diane James, Nancy Lee, Atsuko Okatsuka, D'Lo, and host Jenny Yang.

It's happening Thursday, May 19 at Lyric Hyperion Theatre & Cafe. Here are some more details:

Angry Reader of the Week: Jes Vu

"I may be secretly (or not so secretly) Canadian."



Hey, internet. It is 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 Jes Vu.

#RedefineSecurity: Policing & Profiling in Asian & Pacific Islander Communities

Guest Post by Sasha W., National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance



When a queer Pakistani Muslim person tries to fly to India, she is deemed a security risk and subjected to an invasive pat-down. Her brown skin is considered a flight risk.

When a Samoan trans woman is targeted by the police for prostitution, her gender identity is disrespected and disregarded. She is seen as a threat, while those who attack and kill trans women are routinely allowed to walk free.

When a gender non-conforming East Asian person tries to fly, they are stopped by security time and time again. Their body is not legible, too confusing to be safe.

When a queer Southeast Asian person is stopped by the police, in a car full of young people, the police care more about impounding her car than the safety of brown youth. Her car is seen as an inconvenience; her safety is deemed unimportant.

These are stories I have heard from friends in just the past few weeks. In our communities, these stories are endless and often go untold. From police officers to TSA agents to FBI informants, people in our API communities are being targeted for state violence, and we need to fight back.