60-year-old Jiansheng Chen was shot and killed by neighborhood security guard while sitting in his minivan.
You've got to be kidding me. Last week in southeast Virginia, a 60-year-old grandfather was apparently playing Pokemon Go when he was shot and killed during a fatal altercation with a neighborhood security guard.
Jiansheng Chen was sitting in his minivan, playing the popular augmented reality game on his smartphone late Thursday in Chesapeake's River Walk community when he was confronted by a security guard. According to police, an altercation ensued, and the guard fired his gun at the car several times, killing Chen.
Today, January 30th, is the celebration of the birthday of Fred Korematsu, one of the bravest men of his time, who stood up to the U.S. government, and challenged the constitutionality of the Japanese Incarceration, where around 120,000 people of Japanese descent, 2/3 being American citizens, and the majority being women of children, and all of whom were innocent of any crimes of espionage, were stripped of their civil rights and human dignity, and forced into concentration camps for four years, resulting in the loss of many of their homes, livelihoods, and many of their possessions they could not take with them.
Today is a day to reflect on this history, and remind ourselves of why we should be careful not to repeat it. That said, why on earth is the Tri-City Herald publishing an article attempting to defend the Japanese Internment and say that it had nothing to do with racism?
I'm trying to get this written as quickly, but as accurately as possible, so I will pick out the major statements I take issue with.
CAPAL's Scholarship and Internship programs are great opportunities for students to gain exposure and real-world experience in government and public service and to receive funding for their internships. The programs also include weekly leadership seminars, networking opportunities, and individual mentorship.
"If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don't be afraid to speak up."
Happy Fred Korematsu Day! On this day, January 30, we celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights icon Fred Toyosaburo Korematsu. And at long last, Google has honored Mr. Korematsu's birthday -- officially designated "Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution" -- with a hallowed homepage Doodle. All things considered, the timing could not be more appropriate.
After Franklin D. Roosvelt signed Executive Order 9066 in 1942, more than 100,000 people of Japanese descent were forcibly removed from the west coast and relocated to internment camps throughout the United States. Fred Korematsu, however, did not go quietly. He was arrested and convicted for resisting incarceration. He appealed and took his case all the way to the Supreme Court in Korematsu v. United States, but lost.
But in 1983, the U.S. District Court in San Francisco formally vacated Korematsu's conviction after evidence came to light that disputed the necessity of the internment. At the time, he told Judge Marilyn Patel that instead of a legal pardon, he wanted to be assured the U.S. government would never again take such an action.
"If anyone should do any pardoning," Korematsu said, "I should be the one pardoning the government for what they did to the Japanese American people."
This Is Not a Test: "Japanese American incarceration didn't happen overnight. It happened after decades of vilification, legal measures, and discrimination, much like what Muslim immigrants, refugees, and citizens are now being subjected to."
All the Radical Words I've Loved: Interview with Jean Ho: Muriel Leung interviews Jean Ho about her short story "Korean Boys I've Loved," getting turned on by dentists, writing Asian American characters who challenge societal norms, literary politics, self-care, and getting your best life.
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Books to Help Kids Understand What It's Like to Be a Refugee: "Stories can facilitate dialogue and promote healthy communication on this difficult topic, help to foster empathy and understanding, and even inspire young readers to take action to ensure safe and welcoming environments in their own communities."
Go Behind the Scenes as Fortune Cookie History Gets Made: Wonton Food gave TIME a look behind the scenes at its Queens, New York factory, which churns out 4.5 million fortune cookies a day, to see fortune-cookie history in the making.
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How Bruce Lee Exploded a Stereotype With a One-Inch Punch: The Museum of Modern Art presents "Eternal Bruce Lee," a week-long film series showcasing 4K restorations of Bruce Lee's The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon and Game of Death, as well as Enter the Dragon.
Happy Lunar New Year! The San Francisco Symphony invites you to the Lunar New Year Concert and Imperial Dinner, a fun-filled family event celebrating the Year of the Rooster.
Featuring a diverse program of Eastern and Western repertoire, the concert will begin in a blackout with a 60-foot neon dragon dance performed by the Loong Mah Sing See Wui dance ensemble. Guest artists include Mei-Ann Chen (conductor); Tang Jun Qiao (dizi); Amos Yabng (cello). One hour prior to the concert, guests are invited to the Festival Reception with Asian instrument demonstrations, "lucky" red envelopes, tea bars, sweet and savory bites, entertainment, games are more.
It's happening Saturday, February 4 at Davies Symphony Hall. Here are some more details:
Viral video of the a cappella empowerment anthem has inspired a movement.
Since hitting the web, this video of an impromptu a cappella choir performing "Quiet" last weekend at the Women's March on Washington has racked up over 11 million views and inspired a movement. Organized by Los Angeles-based musician MILCK, aka Connie Lim, the moving empowerment anthem was performed multiple times, flash mob-style, for unsuspecting onlookers around D.C. during the march.
And they're still singing it. This week, MILCK was invited to perform the song on TBS' Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, backed by GW Sirens and Capital Blend. Check it out (starting at 4:23):
"I think good art asks interesting and important questions."
Hello, good people of the 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 Lee Shorten.
"This is not business as usual, and we will not engage in business-as-usual tactics and strategies."
Over a hundred Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations, from community action groups to national civil rights orgs, have come together and signed on to a joint statement to resist the Trump administration.
Just days into this nightmare presidency and Donald Trump is signing executive orders left and right that have millions of Americans legitimately fearing for their healthy, safety and civil rights. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders cannot stand by idly as this shit show of democracy ruins real lives and communities.
"We stand at a critical juncture in world history," the statement reads. "The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States represents a direct threat to millions of people's safety and to the health of the planet. As Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders committed to equality, inclusion, and justice, we pledge to resist any efforts by President-Elect Trump's administration to target and exploit communities, to strip people of their fundamental rights and access to essential services, and to use rhetoric and policies that divide the American people and endanger the world."
The statement calls on all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to join the movement, refuse to legitimize or normalize Trump's administration, stand up to increased hate violence, and reject any of the administration's strategies that attempt to use AAPI as a wedge against other communities of color, among other principles.
Watch a sneak peek clip from this week's 'Dr. Ken.'
This week on Dr. Ken, when the star of Molly's high school basketball team injures his ankle, Ken's routine exam and unexpected diagnosis shocks everyone since it might keep the young man from playing in the big game.
Inspired by executive producer/star Ken Jeong's real life and career as a medical doctor, ABC's multi-camera comedy Dr. Ken follows Dr. Ken Park, a physician with bad bedside manner trying to juggle medicine and being a family man to his wife and kids -- and not quite succeeding on either front.
Here's a sneak peek and some more info about this week's episode, "Ken and the Basketball Star"
Trump is signing executive orders to ban access to USA for people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen tomorrow. He is following through on his commitment to build a wall banning and deporting immigrants. The President and the Office continue to promote an agenda of hate and oppression.
If you're in Los Angeles, you're invited to join in solidarity with the #VigilantLOVE Coalition and South Asians for Justice - Los Angeles for a solidarity & resistance vigil against Islamophobia, state violence, and xenophobia.
It's happening Thursday evening, January 26 at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo. Here are some more details.
Totally Awesome Hulk #15 is Marvel's most unapologetically Asian American comic book issue of all time.
This is a dire situation that needs the attention of Marvel Comics' greatest Asian American superheroes! Amadeus Cho -- aka The Totally Awesome Hulk -- Ms. Marvel, Silk, Shang Chi, Jimmy Woo and Jake Oh have answered the call to action and assembled... at a bone marrow donor registration drive?
That's the opening scene of Totally Awesome Hulk #15, which is not only totally awesome, but quite possibly the most unapologetically Asian American issue of a comic book that Marvel Comics has ever published.
Starting with that bone marrow donor drive. As you may know, ethnicity matters when searching for a life-saving bone marrow match, and unfortunately, Asian Americans are seriously underrepresented on the National Marrow Donor Registry. And now you know. You can thank writer Greg Pak for that.
Inspiring a cappella performance of MILCK's "Quiet" inspires a movement.
If you've paying to attention to some of the cooler stories coming out of last week's historic Women's March on Washington, you may have seen this flash mob singing "Quiet," organized by Los Angeles-based singer MILCK, aka Connie Lim. After video of the powerful performance garnered millions of views in a matter of hours, the song was being called the unofficial anthem of the Women's March movement.
Comedian's razor-sharp opening monologue throws down a challenge to Donald Trump.
Over the weekend, comedian Aziz Ansari made his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live, becoming the show's first South Asian American host and only the fourth host of Asian descent in the sketch comedy institution's 42-year seasons. A historic moment of television, for sure, but also a moment perhaps made even more significant with Ansari serving as the first host following the inauguration of Donald Trump.
Because, as he has made quite apparent, Trump has an unreasonably obsessive, contentious relationship with Saturday Night Live. Because you could be absolutely certain that Trump, despite claiming to hate the show, was probably tuning in. And because you know Aziz was gonna bring it. And hell yeah, he did.
While most of the show was fairly standard fare, Ansari devoted his opening monologue to some razor-sharp standup directed at the new president -- "Pretty cool to know he's probably at home right now watching a brown guy make fun of him" -- and his supporters who have become "way too fired up about the Trump thing for the wrong reasons." You know, the racists who aren't pretending anymore and the "lower case kkk."
Best of all, Aziz throws down an important challenge at Trump, and offers a word of encouragement to those of us who are worried about this new regime: "If you look at our country's history, change doesn't come from presidents. Change comes from large groups of angry people. And if day one is any indication, you are part of the largest group of angry people I have ever seen." Amen, Aziz.
Reader-submitted photos from the Women's March on Washington and beyond.
You may have heard that some people got together and marched on Saturday. In Washington DC and cities across the nation, an estimated 3.7 million took the streets -- the biggest one-day protest in U.S. history -- in widespread, vocal defiance of Donald Trump's presidency. This is the first day of the next four years.
I knew a lot of friends and readers of this blog would be participating, and I thought it might be fun to create a photo gallery of faces and sights from the Women's March. So I put a call out on social media asking for folks to send photos of themselves and their signs in action...
... And I got flooded with photos. People showed up. I received hundreds of amazing photos from people who participated in marches in cities all around the country. I received so many, I couldn't keep track, and there was no way I could process all of the photos into a gallery in any reasonable amount of time.
But here is a small sampling of the reader-submitted photos from the march. Thank you to everyone who sent one in. I apologize; not every photo I received made it into the gallery. People are still sending them as I write this, and I just had to cut it off. But I appreciate your support and enthusiasm. Stay Angry!
Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, and Maia and Alex Shibutani take gold.
Gold, baby. In what has to be an unprecedented, historic moment for the sport of figure skating, Asian Americans took home gold in three of the four events this weekend at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships: Karen Chen won the women's title, Nathan Chen took gold in the men's event, and Maia and Alex Shibutani nabbed their second consecutive national title in ice dancing. Whaaaaaat.
You might be thinking of someone else? Vanessa Hua on the common experience of one Asian American being mistaken for another, and how rooted in racist history and policies of such an interaction.
Why Iron Fist Could Be Netflix's First Superhero Flop: With a fixation on Asian art and culture but a lack of Asian or Asian American actors in lead roles, Marvel's Iron Fist is likely full of dazzling action and not much else in the way of new ideas.
This woman flipped off Donald Trump during his inauguration speech.
@marygeorgant
The inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America (Lord, help us) has a lot of people feeling all sorts of things. But nothing quite sums up the moment for me quite like this photo. During Trump's first speech as president, this woman was spotted in the crowd at the National Mall, both middle fingers firmly outstretched in solemn salute at the newly sworn in leader of the free world.
"Like most single parents, I have multiple hustles."
Photo Credit: Walter Talens
Hello, 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 Gene Cajayon.
Chicken feet. Sausage buns. Gai lan. Curry fish balls. On a t-shirt.
Do you like Chinese food? I mean, do you really like Chinese food? Like, as a matter of pride? Then these badass, delicious-looking shirts from AYCE are for you. We're talking chicken feet, sausage buns, gai lan, curry fish balls -- the good stuff. Prominently and proudly featured on a white tee.
Created by friends Alex Wong, Jonathan Ng and Jamie Fung, these shirts are a celebration of food, culture and community. Alex says they were intentional about which dishes to highlight, specifically picking items that were close to their hearts, but might be considered more "offbeat" to someone unfamiliar with Chinese cuisine.
"A lot of western culture tends to cherry pick what they deem worthy when it comes to food items from other culture, whether it be Chinese or something else," Alex says. "These are food items that we feel are relevant to our culture that have either been rejected or not accepted yet. They're very much ours and relevant to us."
"This boy was born here and has every right of an American citizen."
There's nothing like a 75-year-old newspaper headline to remind you that some things, unfortunately, do not change. This front page Seattle Times story from April 24, 1942 reports on a man who was charged and found guilty of dragging a Junior Safety Patrol member from a school crossing because the boy was Japanese.
11-year-old Roy Tsuboi, a member of the Junior Safety Patrol, was on duty when 67-year-old Karl R. Paykull reportedly grabbed him, dragged him down the street and forced him into a car in an attempt to take him to police headquarters. With the United States currently at war with Japan, this guy apparently thought a Japanese American kid shouldn't be allowed to, um, help people safely cross the street.
"Particularly those in the Asian community." But it wasn't actually an apology.
After getting slammed with a wave of criticism, comedian Steve Harvey has issued something resembling an apology over jokes about Asian men he made on his talk show. Actually, he issued a picture of an apology.
Also, it wasn't actually an apology.
As you've probably heard by now, the host of the Steve Harvey Show recently made joking comments disparaging Asian men. It was supposed to be a segment about stupid books -- i.e. How to Date a White Woman: A Practical Guide for Asian Men -- but Harvey devoted much of the time gleefully mocking the seemingly outrageous notion that anyone, white or otherwise, would want to go out with an Asian men.
The segment drew the ire of folks across the community, with even New York's Asian American elected officials speaking out and demanding that Harvey retract his comments and make a public apology.
On Tuesday, Harvey tweeted out his "humblest apology":
This guy messed with the wrong takeout joint. Earlier this month in Brooklyn, workers at a Chinese restaurant chased off a knife-wielding man who police say is wanted in connection with a robbery spree.
On January 4, a hooded masked man walked into Chen's Garden in East New York and pulled out a large knife from his waistband, demanding money from the restaurant's employees.
Surveillance video shows the would-be robber hopping on to the counter. That's when the workers fought back, picking up and swinging anything in arm's reach -- including a soup ladle and a stool. Everybody knows that a mere knife is no match for a Chinese guy with a soup ladle.
No doubt freaked out by the unexpected display of not-taking-your-shit and get-the-hell-out-of-here, the suspect fled the restaurant empty handed. Sometimes, you know you've already lost.
The entire 30-second incident was caught on camera:
Panel and Reception, Sunday, January 22 in Park City, Utah.
This week, the indie film world converges on cold, snowy Park City, Utah for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. And yes, it may be a little hard to find amidst all the white, but over the years there has been a small but scrappy and significant APA presence at the festival. And it's growing. So if you're headed to Park City, check out this panel discussion/reception hosted by a coalition of APA media folks.
Elevate, Incubate & Demonstrate: Advancing Asian American Artists will feature a panel of creatives and industry leaders in conversation on the current and future state of Asian Americans in media. It's happening Sunday, January 22 at Bodega on Main. Here are some more details about the event:
AAJA's all-expenses paid journalism training program for high school students of diverse backgrounds.
Attention student journalists! The Asian American Journalists Association is now accepting applications for JCamp, an all-expenses paid journalism training program for high school students of diverse backgrounds.
JCamp will celebrate its 17th year at the Temple University School of Media and Communication in Philadelphia, July 22-27. The six-day camp brings students together for intensive training in writing, photography, broadcast, online media and reporting led by professional journalists.
This program is free and open to current freshmen, sophomores and juniors in high school. Students of all races and ethnicities are encouraged to apply before the March 12, 2017 deadline.
I repeat: JCamp is an all-expenses paid program. Your travel, meals and lodging will be covered by AAJA.
The Asian American Journalists Association is a nonprofit educational and professional organization with more than 1,600 members across the U.S. and Asia. Part of AAJA's mission is to provide encouragement, information, advice and scholarship assistance to AAPI students who aspire to professional journalism careers.
For further information about JCamp, including eligibility and required materials, visit the AAJA website.
Jane gets some help from furry puppets performing a Hall & Oates classic.
I've said this many times before, but Jane Lui is a musical mad genius. In her latest video, she enlists the help of a couple of fuzzy puppet friends for a super-groovy, blippity-boop synth-tastic rendition of Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go For That." There is dancing. There are belly rubs. There are gummy worms.
Episode 309: "The Best of Orlando" airs January 17; Episode 312: "Clean Slate" airs January 18.
ABC's hit Asian American family sitcom Fresh Off The Boat airs Tuesday nights at 9:00pm. 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. Previous episodes are 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, Lucille Soong as Grandma Huang Chelsey Crisp as Honey and Ray Wise as Marvin. This week, we get two nights of brand new episodes. In "The Best of Orlando" (1/17), Louis is named "Small Businessman of the Year." In "Clean Slate" (1/18), the Huangs celebrate another Chinese New Year.
Here's a preview of this week's double dose of Fresh Off The Boat:
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is often celebrated as a national day of service, spoken word artist Kelly Tsai shares this animated video poem "To Find Your Place in the World." Animated by award-winning illustrator Ryan Hartley Smith, the piece is dedicated to the 900,000 people who have served in Americorps and the millions more who improve our communities daily through acts of service, large and small.
Michael Deng suffered major head trauma during a Pi Delta Psi hazing ritual
The first of 37 defendants in a 2013 fraternity hazing death of a Baruch College student in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains to go on trial pleaded guilty Tuesday in Monroe County Court of Common Pleas in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Ka-Wing Yuen, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to hinder apprehension by evidence tampering, a third degree felony, and conspiracy to commit hazing, a misdemeanor. Three other felony charges were dropped.
This is not Doris Truong. This is not Leslie Hsu Oh.
Right-Wing Trolls Harass Asian-American Journalists for Video of Totally Different Woman: After erroneously going after Washington Post editor Doris Truong, the Twitter trolls came after writer Leslie Hsu Oh, claiming she was the woman taking photos of secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson's notes after his Senate confirmation hearing. But she's not the woman in the video either.
What I SHOULD have tweeted about Sasha: Jeff Yang takes some accountability for a joking tweet he made about the absence of first daughter Sasha during President Obama's farewell address.
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Will Racism End When Old Bigots Die? Will racism just die off with old bigots? Does the fate of race relations lie with the children? That idea has been milling about the public psyche for generations. But is it possible?
Hey, Steve Harvey, Who Says I Might Not Steal Your Girl? "I realized that people on the margins aren’t afforded the privilege of being complicated, whole, human beings in America; we have to create that existence ourselves, and it is that experience that I feel fundamentally binds us. Over time, I began to find solidarity with my singularity and difference."
Mathematics for Human Flourishing: Why study mathematics? Professor Francis Su, outgoing President of the Mathematics Association of America, makes a case for the playfulness, beauty, justice, truth, and love of the subject.
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Precious Time: An illustrated short story by Thi Bui about nationalism, history, and the present day.
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Please Consider Me for Your Racial Ambassador Position: Someone, please hire Jean Ho to be your company's racial ambassador. "My approach will include a series of non-judgmental drop-in workshops, addressing water cooler banter such as, 'What about reverse racism?,' 'I don't see color,' 'I'm not racist but,' 'My son's Asian wife,' 'My Black friend said,' 'I can say that because I'm gay,' and a range of other topics which might otherwise expose certain employees to awkward feelings when they discover they may have unintentionally said or done something racist or xenophobic."
Ted Chiang's Soulful Science Fiction: With just fourteen short stories and a novella, the author behind the recent film Arrival has gained a rapturous following within the genre and beyond.
Los Angeles! Celebrate the Lunar New Year with Asian AF, the first-ever Asian American comedy variety show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, hosted by Will Choi, Mike Lane and Connie Shin. Their latest show will feature a musical performance by Dia Frampton, standup by Atsuko Okatsuka, sketches by the UCB Maude Superteam and improv by Voltron: The UCB Superteam.
It's happening Saturday, January 12 at the UCB Theatre. Here are some more details:
"We need more empathy and compassion. Everyone can use more of it."
Hello, good people of the internet. Thank you for being her. Once again, it's 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 Vivian Chan.
Exhibit runs January 19 - June 11 at the Chinese American Museum
If you're in Los Angeles, check out this cool new exhibit opening this month at the Chinese American Museum. Roots: Asian American Movements in Los Angeles 1968-80s collects and presents the history and work of young Los Angeles activists that shaped Asian America through a long decade of fighting displacement, serving their communities, agitating for revolution, and analyzing the intersections of gender, race, and class.
The exhibit opens on January 19, with an opening reception at Pico House. Here are some more details:
A woman allegedly takes a photograph of Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson during a break at his confirmation hearing.
Conservative Tree House expressed shock and outrage today from a video published to the internet of an (East Asian or East Asian American) woman who appears to take a surreptitious cellphone picture of Rex Tillerson's notes during a break from his confirmation hearing for Secretary of State. The story was then soon picked up by the Gateway Pundit.
The two Far Right blogs that frequently serve as alternative sources for conservative news cited "Twitter folks" to identify the woman in the video as Doris Truong, former president of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and a current editor at the Washington Post. Indeed, spurred on by these headlines, Twitter's Trump Trolls were quick to launch a torrent of hate Doris Truong's way, tagging her with hundreds of tweets calling her "sneaky", a "paid Clinton idiot", a "bitch", a "whore" and a "spy". The racist and sexist hate has also called for Truong to be arrested and charged with espionage.
There's a couple of problems with this. The first, of course, is that that woman is not Doris Truong.
Not all Asian women look alike. Let me say it one more time for the cheap seats: Not all Asian women look alike.
Executive produced by Katy Perry. Yes, that Katy Perry.
Amidst xenophobic rhetoric and disconcerting discussions of a Muslim registry, it's not hard to draw parallels between modern day Islamophobia and the fears that led to the incarceration of innocent Japanese Americans during World War II. This PSA, directed by Aya Tanimura and Tim Nackashi, and executive produced by Katy Perry(!), makes the case that registries are the first steps to history repeating itself.
This two and half minute clip features a brief interview with Haru Kuromiya, an 89-year-old American woman of Japanese heritage who grew up in Riverside, California. She recalls how her family was put on a registry and eventually taken off to an internment camp, where they were incarcerated for four years.
Then Haru stops talking and does something unexpected...
'Master of None' star will make his SNL hosting debut on January 21.
Comedian Aziz Ansari is set to make his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live later this month.
It was announced Tuesday that the creator and star of Master of None will take up hosting duties on the January 21 episode of NBC's hallowed sketch comedy institution, joined by musical guest Big Sean.
Well, it's about time.
There have been only three hosts of Asian descent -- Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu, both back in 2000, and Bruno Mars in 2012 -- in Saturday Night Live's 42-year history. Ansari will be the fourth, and the first ever host of South Asian descent.
But look at the adorable Asian baby sitting in the senator's lap.
Jeff Sessions has a significant and explicit public history of hostility towards civil rights and racial justice. His professional career has been defined by racism, and he is absolutely unfit for the role of U.S. Attorney General. Oh, he'll tell you that's not what's in his heart, and that he's being unfairly caricatured.
Also, look at this adorable Asian baby sitting on his lap!
On Tuesday, Trump's pick to be the nation's top lawyer appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary to give testimony regarding his nomination. He was accompanied by many members of his family, including his daughter Ruth Sessions Walk, her husband John Walk -- who is Asian American -- and their four daughters. One of the girls was prominently visible sitting on the senator's lap.
Critics alleged that putting the cute kid front and center was a calculated move. Ira Madison III, a writer/host with MTV News, posted a series of tweets suggesting that Sessions was using his nonwhite granddaughter as a "prop" to deflect the many claims that he is racist. He joked that the senator stole the kid from a Toys "R" Us, followed by a pretty astute tweet about America's use of Asian Americans as "model minorities."
Greg Pak assembles Amadeus Cho, Ms. Marvel, Shang Chi, Silk and more in Totally Awesome Hulk #15.
Ms. Marvel! Shang Chi! Silk! Amadeus Cho! Has there ever been such an awesome assemblage of Asian American superheroes under the banner of Marvel Comics? Possibly probably not... until now.
Writer Greg Pak recently teased the upcoming cover of Totally Awesome Hulk #15, suggesting that this is the most significant grouping of Asian American superheroes that has ever starred in a mainstream comic book.
In Totally Awesome Hulk #15, kid genius Amadeus Cho -- aka The Hulk -- is slowly learning how to become a team player, but has to learn fast when Ms. Marvel, Shang Chi, Silk and a host of other heroes come to town.
How to blatantly shit on the men of an entire race on national television.
Here's how to blatantly shit on Asian men on nationally syndicated television. Thank you, Steve Harvey. The tiresome comedian/host kicked off Friday's edition of the Steve Harvey Show with a segment highlighting and mocking a bunch of goofy, useless self-help books. Weird titles like Knitting With Dog Hair, How to Have Sex in the Woods... and, ahem, How to Date a White Woman: A Practical Guide for Asian Men.
Yes, this is an actual book, written by somebody named Adam Quan and available on Amazon. Longtime readers will remember that we all laughed at it and rolled our eyes way back in 2004.
The book is moronic, and deserving of all the ridicule it has received over the years. But Harvey doesn't devote too much time making fun of the book. Instead, he sets his sights broadly on Asian men and gleefully mocks the seemingly outrageous notion that anyone, white or otherwise, would want to go out with an Asian men.
"That's one page too!" Harvey says. "'Excuse me, do you like Asian men?' No. 'Thank you.' How to Date a Black Woman: A Practical Guide [for] Asian Men. Same thing. 'You like Asian men?' I don't even like Chinese food. It don't stay with you no time... I don't eat what I can't pronounce."
It's an uncomfortably long bit in which he's literally hunched over laughing at his own idiotic jokes.
Sherlock Arana is suspected of punching women in two separate attacks in Queens subway stations.
In New York, authorities are looking a man suspected of punching two Indian women in separate attacks inside Queens subway stations. The NYPD is investigating the incidents as possible hate crimes.
28-year-old Sherlock Arana is accused of uttering anti-Indian slurs before attacking both women.
In the first attack on December 8, Arana allegedly walked up to an 18-year-old woman in the 88th Street station in Ozone Park, began making anti-Indian remarks, then punched her in the face before running away.
The second attack occurred last Thursday, when Arana reportedly offered to swipe a 30-year-old woman into the Jamaica-179th Street station if she agreed to pay. When the woman refused, Arana made an anti-Indian remark and punched her in the head. The blow caused the woman to fall to the ground and hit her head, while Arana fled the scene.
Letters to the Revolution: Vishavjit Singh: "Systemic changes and revolutions are not some instant magical seizures but small courageous acts by countless people that build up into a conflagration."
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The Sci-Fi Author Bridging America and China: Award-winning, prolific science fiction author Ken Liu's epic Dandelion Dynasty trilogy is being likened to Game of Thrones in scope and theme.
How 'Bambi' Got Its Look From 1,000-Year-Old Chinese Art: The Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong, who died last week at 106, was an incredibly accomplished painter, illustrator, calligrapher and Hollywood studio artist. But as Margalit Fox wrote in her obituary for Mr. Wong, "because of the marginalization to which Asian-Americans were long subject, he passed much of his career unknown to the general public."
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Food, Race, and Power: Who gets to be an authority on 'ethnic' cuisines? "White folks have the power to torment, often without consequence; but the special thing about White people is that they also have the power to make a trip to your home country for a month or maybe twelve, get inspired, and dictate when your previously unpalatable dishes suddenly become socially acceptable, trendy, and profitable in the Western world."
"I'm an African-American-Asian. This is a puzzling term for many people in this country, I know."
Happy New Year, internet friends. To kick things off, let's meet 2017's very first 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 Usman Ally.
