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6.26.2016

Read These Blogs


Under Our Skin: What do we mean when we talk about race? The Seattle Times has put together and insightful, thought-provoking interview series examining the words and phrases that people use and interpret very differently when we talk about race and racism.

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Essay: Finding the Courage to Cross the Street Again After Orlando: "I do not understand why we are back where we started, still having the same conversation." One mother's reflection on the fear she felt after the Orlando nightclub shooting.

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Op-Ed: How Orlando and Donald Trump Made Me Come Out Again Fawiza Mirza is a "proud cis-gendered, Pakistani, Muslim, queer woman," and these intersections made it important for her to create the character Ayesha Ali Trump to critique Donald Trump's racist, homophobic rhetoric.

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How do you say 'I'm gay' in Vietnamese? Last summer, staff at Oakland's Asian Health Services had an idea to create a glossary of LGBTQ terms translated in Burmese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. While the guide was originally meant for doctors and translators, it's proving useful in other ways as well.

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A Look Back: The Push to Rally Asian American Support for Marriage Equality: June 26 marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to legalize same-sex marriage. This excerpt from the anthology "Love Unites Us" reflects on the how same-sex marriage gained support in California among Asian Americans.

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A time of hope and danger: On the 101st birthday of Grace Lee Boggs: "Grace's first birthday without her presence on Earth is a time to thank her once again for blessing us with everything she had to give. It is a time to honor her by carrying forward her struggle. But it is also a challenge to those of us who worked with her to do the best we can to share our understanding of Grace's revolutionary philosophy and spirit for all those who will never get a chance to meet her."

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On The Podcast: Rep Sweats, Or, 'I Don't Know If I Like This, But I Need It To Win': On NPR's Code Switch podcast, Kat Chow and Gene Demby talk about "rep sweats" -- the feeling of anxiety that can come with watching TV shows or movies starring people who look like you, especially when People Who Look Like You tend not to get a lot of screen time.

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Sidekick No More: Writing Asian Superheroes and the Challenges of Representation: Sarah Kuhn on growing up as one of the only Asian Americans in her hometown, and coming around to love X-Men's Jubilee.

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If Lea Salonga Were Your Best Friend: Ever wonder what life would be like if acclaimed singer and Broadway star Lea Salonga were your best friend? Nicole Chung and Karissa Chen paint a vivid picture.

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I Was on That Fateful Flight With Prince: A Protégée Tells Her Story: Judith Hill recounts the emergency airplane landing that foreshadowed Prince's death, and the significance of having the legend as her mentor.

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Constance Wu Doesn't Want to Be Your "It" Girl: The Fresh Off the Boat star talks about being invisible in Hollywood, "mansplaining" executives, and never forgetting who you are.

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Ali Wong Knows How the Internet Sees Her: An interview with comedian Ali Wong, who talks frankly about the challenges of being a woman in stand-up, and why she went to the stage shortly after a miscarriage.

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Hari Kondabolu: Stop Talking to Indian-Americans About Indian Food: Comedian Hari Kondabolu says people come to him wanting to talk about Indian food. As an icebreaker. As small talk. All the time.

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The Warrior Monk Who Brought Kung Fu to America: Shifu Shi Yan Ming was the first to bring Shaolin kung fu to the United States. Trained as a Shaolin Temple Warrior Monk in China, he was on a tour of the U.S. in 1992 when he defected. By 1994, he had moved to New York City where he opened USA Shaolin Temple.

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A Former Disney World Employee Shares the Surprising Truth About 'The Happiest Place On Earth': A former Disney World employee who portrayed Disney princesses such as Mulan, Pocahontas recently took to Reddit to share about her experiences, pulling the curtain back on "the Happiest Place on Earth."


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