Youth from NAKASEC and other groups are leading a 24-hour, 22-day vigil to defend DACA.
Right now, Asian American youth from NAKASEC (National Korean American Service & Education Consortium) and other groups are leading a 24-hour, 22-day vigil in front of the White House to call attention to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and defend thousands of immigrant youth who are under threat of deportation if the Trump administration should end the program.
DACA was initiated under President Obama in 2012. The executive order allowed undocumented youth to come forward, undergo a rigorous background check, pay a fee and receive temporary legal status that allows them to have work permits and drivers licenses. Since the program's inception, nearly 800,000 beneficiaries -- including 130,000 Asian Americans -- have been granted permission to live, work and study legally in America.
But now, DACA and the futures of thousands are at risk.
In June, a coalition of ten state attorney generals, led by Texas, threatened legal action if Trump didn't make moves to rescind DACA by September 5. As it stands, DACA is "currently under review," with an update expected any day now. Trump is reportedly leaning towards ending the program.
That's almost 800,000 people who came forward with the government's promise of protection who would now be at risk of deportation. Who would lose their jobs. Who would be forced back into the shadows.
A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.
In this episode, we catch up with our plucky K-Drama heroes as we enter what is essentially "season 2" of Boys Over Flowers. Skipping ahead six months, we follow Jan Di to Macau in search of the Perm Boy who left her behind. Will also learns where and what a Macau is. Oh, and the mystery of the juk man deepens.
"It is our responsibility to make moral decisions in difficult times and to give voice to inclusivity."
Well, this is a surprise... Actor Ed Skrein has stepped down from his role in the upcoming Hellboy movie reboot after his casting set off massive outcry over yet another instance of Hollywood whitewashing.
News broke last week that Skrein had joined the cast of Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen as Major Ben Daimio, a character who is Asian American in the comic books. This, of course, unleashed all kinds of internet fury. A white guy takes a role that clearly should have gone to an Asian actor. We'd been down this road before.
But here's what we haven't seen: a white actor stepping down from a role out of conscience and solidarity. Skrein's exit from Hellboy has to be the first time an actor has removed himself from such a high-profile project in response to public criticism. Hey, Scarlett Johansson, take some notes.
Skrein announced that he was leaving the project on Twitter.
Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.
What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. Each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.
This week, having now ni hao'd their way into your hearts, we recap and revisit the first 20 episodes of They Call Us Bruce. Then they welcome friend and fellow podcaster Minji Chang (Kollabcast, First of All), for a round of The Good, The Bad and The WTF.
questions on (the limits & effects of) (asian american) allyship: Hyejin Shim raises some important questions about Asian American activism, the pitfalls of replicating white allyship, and re-framing the ways in which Asian Americans can understand their power and the stories they tell.
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Eating Our Own: Deconstructing the Misogynistic Myths of Asian American Antifeminism: There's been a crop of antifeminist essays accusing Asian American women of many things, including supporting white supremacy in dating practices. Ju-Hyun Park identified and debunked some of the base assumptions, arguments, and outright myths of the Asian American antifeminist narrative.
Returning to My Father's Koreatown: Margaret Rhee looks back at family, food, and memories in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Koreatown.
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No, Where Are You Really From? CNN asked people to share their experiences of being questioned about where they are really from. The #whereimreallyfrom project is a collection of 2,000 stories.
Kulap Vilaysack Will Take Over TV: Comedian and T.V. showrunner Kulap Vilaysack, creator of Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, has made it her mission to force Hollywood to address its race problem.
Hey, everybody! 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 Teresa Huang.
'Hellboy' movie reboot casts Some White Dude as a Japanese American character.
At this point, they can't even pretend to give a shit.
This week, news broke that actor Ed Skrein has joined the cast of the upcoming Hellboy reboot, Rise of the Blood Queen, as Ben Daimio, who is Asian American in the comic books. Yes, in the illustrious Hollywood tradition of pretending Asian actors don't exist, yet another white guy will play an Asian character.
In the Hellboy comic books, Ben Daimio is a severely scarred former marine officer who works for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Due to supernatural encounter in the field, he has the ability to transform into a monstrous, jaguar-like creature under extreme stress.
Daimio's Japanese American heritage actually plays a significant part in the character's development and backstory. In B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground, Daimio's loyalty is called into question when it is revealed that his grandmother was an Imperial Japanese agent known as The Crimson Lotus. As history has shown, Japanese Americans have a little experience with their loyalty being unjustly called into question by the government.
So yeah, this character is Asian American. But who the hell is Ed Skrein?
Hong Inh was the oldest among 10,000 new Americans at Tuesday's naturalization ceremony in Los Angeles.
This week, a 103-year-old woman from Cambodia joined thousands of flag-waving folks at the Los Angeles Convention Center to take the oath of allegiance and become our nation's newest Americans.
Hong Inh, who survived years of war and violence under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, came to the United States when she 97 years old to join a daughter and other relatives.
She was the oldest of more than 10,000 people at Tuesday's naturalization ceremony. She was joined by three generations of her family, from her 80-year-old daughter to her 13-year-old great-granddaughter.
Arizona GOP website displays family from Margaret Cho sitcom to represent Asian American interests.
It looks like Arizona Republicans are hard up for some Asian friends. In a spectacularly awful attempt to illustrate its diversity and support for Asian Americans, the Arizona Republican Party's official website prominently displayed a photo of a smiling Asian American family. Here's the problem: the family is fake. In fact, it's a cast photo of the fictional Kim family from Margaret Cho's short-lived 1994 sitcom All-American Girl.
For you young ones out there, decades before Fresh Off The Boat, ABC aired the very first sitcom featuring a Korean American family, starring rising standup comedian Margaret Cho. It made some waves, but for the most part it was not well received and was promptly canceled after a season. You heard it mentioned a lot in the hoopla as a predecessor to Fresh Off The Boat when that show hit the air a couple of years ago.
But it's pretty apparent that the show didn't have any fans among the Arizona GOP. Or they would have found a nonfictional or at least less recognizable Asian family to use as their token minorities.
Because Robert Lee is too similar to Robert E. Lee.
Really? We live in ridiculous times.
ESPN decided to move an Asian American announcer, Robert Lee, off the University of Virginia's upcoming home opener football game against William and Mary, "simply because of the coincidence of his name."
Because Robert Lee is too similar to Robert E. Lee.
Earlier this month, violence erupted at a white nationalist rally that gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of a statue of the Confederate general. The night before a counter-protestor was killed, white nationalists marched across the UVA campus, carrying torches and chanting racist slogans. So yeah, you could say it was a minor coincidence that a guy named Robert Lee was going to call the play by play.
That minor coincidence was enough for ESPN to reassign Lee to announce the Youngstown versus Pitt game being played on the same day. It was supposed to be a minor change -- reassignments happen all the time, and neither game is even scheduled to be televised. But then word of the network's switch leaked on Tuesday.
Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.
What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. Each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.
This week, we welcome actor Philip Ng, who stars as Bruce Lee in Birth of the Dragon. He talks about the premature controversy around the film -- it's not a biopic -- his approach to playing an icon, and some of the big differences between Hong Kong and Hollywood action.
A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.
In this episode, we pick up from last episode's cliffhanger. Jan Di is rescued from the creepy model guy and the crew takes (another) trip to unwind, this time to the slopes! We talk about possessive gift giving, why Jun Pyo needs to stop trusting mean girls, Jan Di's fainting problem, cute DIY bentos, and consensual kissing!
Manhattan's Cornerstone Cafe apologizes after racial receipt goes viral.
This again. It's the return of the Racial Receipt! The latest sighting occurred in New York, where a Manhattan restaurant recently apologized for referring to an Asian American customer as "Ching Chong" on a receipt.
Last Wednesday, a server at Cornerstone Cafe in the East Village entered an Asian customer's name as "Ching Chong" on the slip for a to-go order of steak and eggs. Because why bother asking for a customer's actual name when you can silently mock them with a racial slur, right under their nose?
The incident started picking up attention when a friend of the customer, Facebook user Ziggy Chau, posted a photo of the offending receipt on social media. That's when the internet went in on Cornerstone Cafe.
Asian-American doctor says white nationalists refuse her care: Dr. Esther Choo is an Asian-American emergency room physician in Oregon who has practiced medicine for more than a decade. Yet, she says, a few times a year, a patient will refuse to let her treat them. Solely because of her race.
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We Must Stand Up for Dreamers and #DefendDACA: "Today, on the heels of nationwide vigils that spoke out against racism, people all around the country will stand up once again on behalf of Dreamers, young immigrants who face an uncertain future under President Trump and his administration. Just as we stood against white supremacists, we must stand with the Dreamers as well."
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Philly Councilwoman Helen Gym unflinching in calls to remove Rizzo statue: Philadelphia Councilwoman Helen Gym is calling for the city to take down a statue honoring Frank Rizzo, the late police commissioner and mayor who was known for sometimes brutal treatment of the black and gay communities.
What happened to Chicago's Japanese neighborhood? Chicago's Lake View neighborhood once had a thriving Japanese community, but it fell victim to a push for assimilation. As one Japanese-American puts it: "You had to basically be unseen."
A Look Back at the Chinkees, the Ska Band that Reclaimed Asian Identity: The Slants aren't the first Asian American rock band to reclaim a racial epithet. The ska punk band the Chinkees, who the Slants have shouted out as an inspiration, began releasing music in 1998, skanking against ugly stereotypes and putting Asians on the forefront of American rock.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco, Birth of the Dragon is a modern take on the classic movies that Bruce Lee was known for. It takes its inspiration from the epic and still controversial showdown between an up-and-coming Bruce Lee and kung fu master Wong Jack Man -- a battle that gave birth to a legend.
Before becoming a legendary icon, known to millions around the world, Bruce Lee was a driven young man working to establish himself as a top kung fu master. In 1964, everything changed for Lee when Wong Jack Man, a Northern Shaolin master from China, arrived in San Francisco and stepped forward to accept Lee's public challenge. Remarkably, the outcome of that ensuing confrontation was observed by only a handful of witnesses and, still hotly contested today, has taken on mythic proportions. But one thing appears certain: from that epic battle, Bruce Lee emerged as The Dragon -- the man who brought kung fu to the world.
Directed by George Nolfi, Birth of the Dragon is a lively imagining of that mythic fight. Philip Ng stars as the then unknown but irrepressibly talented Bruce Lee, and celebrated Chinese actor Xia Yu plays Wong Jack Man. The film also stars Billy Magnussen, Jingjing Qu, Jin Xing and Simon Yin.
Aaaaand we're back. Sorry, it's been a minute. After a lengthy hiatus, my original interview podcast Sound and Fury is back! Hopefully, we'll get back on track, keep things regular and stick around for a while.
In Episode 23, I talk to actor and filmmaker Justin Chon about his award-winning indie film Gook. He explains why he wanted to make a movie set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, his Korean American family's personal connection to the conflict, and his reasoning behind the film's controversial title.
"The mother of three children, a historian, an Asian American Studies scholar..."
Hello, internet friends. It it 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 Ji-Yeon Yuh.
The NYPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime.
Because it's not enough to be racist against the living. These guys were racist against the dead too. This week in New York, three teens broke into a cemetery and vandalized dozens of grave sites in the Asian section, toppling headstones, breaking marble markers and scrawling racist graffiti throughout the grounds.
Three suspects, who appear to be between 16 and 19 years old, broke into the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn just after midnight on Tuesday and vandalized graves in an Asian section, another section and two memorial abbeys in the center of the grounds. According to the NYPD, the suspects knocked over 70 headstone, broke 15 marble memorial markers in a mausoleum, and spray-painted them with hate graffiti
The graffiti included "fuck Jackie Chan" and "ching chong" on a grave that appeared to originally have an Asian language on it, according to the NYPD. They also wrote the phrase, "fuck sand n--gers."
Police released a video of the suspects, who can be seen taking photos inside the cemetery:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice is calling on you to pledge your support.
I don't know if you heard, but a horde of racist white dudes recently held a march in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend. They weren't wearing hoods, but they were carrying torches and Nazi and Confederate flags to make it all too clear what they stood for: white supremacy, white power and nativism.
Ah, the ugly building blocks of our great nation.
While the man who is supposedly the President of the United States unsurprisingly refuses to denounce or distance himself from these racist shits -- let's face it, he wouldn't be in the White House without them -- some of us refuse to stand around and let literal Nazis trample, strangle and seize the soul of this democracy.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice has just launched a new pledge campaign calling on Asian Americans to come together, join the fight and take a stand against white supremacy.
"We call on all Asian Americans to join us in defending our vision of democracy -- one where we protect the vulnerable amongst us, resist efforts to erode our hard-won rights and protections, and fight to advance progress for all marginalized communities."
A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.
In this episode, a delicious ramyun scene, suspicious modeling jobs, and all around poor decision making from our heroine Jan Di as she ends up on the wrong side (again!) of the F4. We also meet a nice boy/potential love rival that seems almost too well adjusted for this show... until he suddenly becomes a creepy kidnapper...
Longtime friends will collaborate for a Netflix feature. Because God is good.
Yes. Yesssssssssss. Hell yes. People, our wildest dreams are coming true. Randall Park and comedian Ali Wong are set to star together in a romantic comedy they wrote with Michael Golamco for Netflix.
According to Deadline, the untitled feature follows two childhood friends who find themselves in vastly different socioeconomic situations when they fall in love as adults. Netflix is currently looking for a director.
There have been some recent, ill-informed protests by some vocal Chinese groups against the collection of Asian ethnicity data, and it has sparked a massive response by AAPI educators and community groups. The following is an account from an educator who has spent nearly two decades helping Asian American and Pacific Islander students, including Chinese American students.
Erica* was always academically successful in high school. Her Asian immigrant parents challenged and supported her scholastic development. But when she started college, she struggled to keep up with her classes, and realized she didn't want to study pre-med, the major her parents wanted. While other students seemed to be easily finding friends and getting involved in various campus activities, Erica didn't feel she could spend time outside of her books, for fear of failing her classes. Despite increasing her study time, Erica's growing social isolation and academic anxiety began eroding her sense of self-efficacy. Her sense of belonging in college quickly began to plummet, and she became depressed over disappointing her parents. At the end of her first term, the university notified Erica that she was being placed on academic probation. Instead of turning to campus resources and services to turn things around, Erica began to consider ending her life.
As a student affairs professional, I often worked with undergraduates like Erica. In fact, during my three years working on one campus, four Asian American undergraduates committed suicide. Around that same time period, fellow student affairs professional networks discussed what seemed to be a national outbreak of Asian American student suicides, with Elizabeth Shin, who set herself on fire in her dorm room at MIT being the most infamous case.
Diana Huey defies expectations in the touring stage production of 'The Little Mermaid.'
For Diana Huey, starring as Ariel touring stage production of The Little Mermaid was a chance to share her talent and passion to audiences around the country. But some people -- too many -- apparently have a problem with the fact that the musical's title role is being played by an Asian American actress.
In a recent interview with The Buffalo News, Huey says she's been dealing with negative social media comments about her casting since the tour began in Seattle in November. Outraged Disney fans say the production, a stage adaptation of the 1989 animated Disney movie, should have cast a white woman as Ariel.
First of all: never read the comments. But may I remind everyone that Ariel is a friggin' animated mermaid.
While she's brushed off most of the criticism, Huey admits it was hard not to take it personally. And the tone and frequency of the comments only intensified when the tour made its way to the South.
"It's never easy being up on a stage in front of thousands of people everyday baring your soul, pushing through exhaustion and just hoping that they'll like you," Huey wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. "For me personally with this show, I've often also felt the added pressure of feeling like I have to work even harder to get the audience to like me or be with me because I'm not what they might have expected to see as an Asian American actor."
Reimagining The New Colossus... in Trump's voice A senior Trump advisor, Stephen Miller, sparked a furor last week when he dismissed the famous poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty. In response, The Guardian asked 21 poets: what type of poem would Trump like to see at the statue?
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The Uncomfortable Truth About Affirmative Action and Asian-Americans: "But this lawsuit, and much of the discussion of affirmative action that surrounds it, makes a serious error in assuming that, in order to stop discrimination against Asian applicants, race-conscious affirmative action must end."
Minnesotan who witnessed Khmer Rouge terror hopes for justice: Advocates in Minnesota documented the stories of Khmer Rouge survivors to preserve history for future generations. Now, these accounts are part of a Cambodian court’s investigation into those responsible for the atrocities.
What to do when you realize classic books from your childhood are racist: Do you have an old children's book you love? Well, there's a good chance that it might be racist, says kids' author Grace Lin. She offers her humble opinion on how you can keep loving your favorite classics while acknowledging the out-of-date or harmful parts.
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A Round-Up of Awesome Asian American Protagonists in YA Lit: Add these to your summer reading list: "From the kickass to the troubled, from gay to straight, boys to girls to somewhere in between, from the ambitious, and the humorous, to the stoic, and even more that don't fit in boxes, no matter how much people try to make them, these teen characters are ones we think you won't easily forget."
But the woman with the "fucking Chinese eyes" wasn't even Asian.
In New York, a man on a subway train was caught on camera yelling and threatening a fellow passenger, telling her to "get the fuck out of my country before I murder your whole fucking nation" and making racist remarks about "your fucking Chinese eyes." Plot twist: the person he was yelling at wasn't even Asian.
The incident happened Tuesday afternoon on the Manhattan-bound Q train. It was set off when the victim, a 21-year-old Brooklyn woman, started "weird vibes" from the man, who was apparently staring at her.
"I asked him politely, 'Can you please stop staring at me you are making me uncomfortable,'" she told Gothamist. "He didn't immediately start screaming but his look turned sour. Then he got off the train and started asking the surrounding people if I had a right to tell him to stop staring, and said I had less of a right because I was Asian." Then the guy got back on the train.
Award-winning indie drama opens in theaters August 18.
Heads up. Writer/director Justin Chon's acclaimed indie drama Gook opens in theaters on August 18.
Set against the backdrop of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the film follows two Korean American brothers, Eli and Daniel, who run their late father's shoe store in a predominantly Black community. The pair strikes up a unique and unlikely friendship with a streetwise 11-year-old girl, Kamila. While Daniel has dreams of his own, Eli struggles to keep the family business afloat. But racial tensions in the neighborhood build to a breaking point, erupting into conflict that threatens their livelihood and tests the meaning of family.
Gook is a stunning, gut-punch of film, full of humor, heart and low-budget scrappiness. It also announces the arrival of one hell of a voice and vision -- didn't I see Justin Chin butt naked in 21 & Over? -- and revelatory performances from its supporting cast, including comedian David So as Daniel, newcomer Simone Baker as Kamila, and even a dramatic turn from Chon's own father.
In this exclusive clip from Gook, Eli and Kamila share a personal moment while the city burns in the distance:
Thursday, August 10 at Grand Performances in Downtown Los Angeles
Good people of Los Angeles! Grand Performances invites you to a free outdoor event, 9066::13769 (Executive Orders that Exclude), an evening of films and live art addressing controversial executive orders, from those resulting in the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII to current threats aimed at Muslim Americans. There will be performances by #VigilantLOVE, Taz Ahmed, and traci kato-kiriyama, along with screenings of Tad Nakamura's Pilgrimage and other films, and post-show discussion led by Karen Ishizuka.
It's happening Thursday, August 10 at Grand Performances in Downtown Los Angeles. Here are some details:
Guest Post by Jessica Jinn, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles
The author at her college graduation with her very pleased parents.
My parents cried when I did not get into UC Berkeley. My dad literally held the denial letter in his hands and cried. I cried, too. All my life I had been told to go to Berkeley and suddenly, I wasn't allowed. What was worse was that one of my best friends, a Latina, had gotten accepted. Despite the fact that California banned its universities to consider race in admissions at that time due to Proposition 209, life as an 18-year-old was horrible and we didn't know what else to do but blame affirmative action.
As affirmative action comes into the national spotlight again, one thought comes to mind: not this again. I knew Asian Americans would be pulled into this debate and depicted as affirmative action haters. With a story like mine, I would have been a prime suspect to oppose affirmative action. I am the Asian American that Edward Blum is hoping to take advantage of.
A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.
Last week our "one true pairing" finally came together, so in Korean drama world, that can only mean one thing... it's time for the CURVEBALL! The tilt comes in the form of Perm Boy's mother (Perm-Mom?) who does not approve of the sorta cute and cheesy relationship we've grown to tolerate over the past nine episodes. In this episode, we analyze her multi-phase Machiavellian plot to separate our plucky heroes. Will she succeed?
More details on Kelly Marie Tran's character in 'Star Wars: Episode VIII'
As you know, we're pretty darn excited about newcomer Kelly Marie Tran as Rose in the upcoming new Star Wars movie, and have been gobbling up every scant little detail about the character in the lead up to Episode VIII. The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly has rolled out a multi-part cover story on The Last Jedi, and gives us some more info on Rose and her role in a galaxy far, far away.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Rose Tico is "a gearhead, a greasemonkey, a behind-the-scenes jack-of-all-trades," while her sister Paige, a Resistance gunner who fights on the front lines, is the dynamic one.
When we pick up with the saga in Episode VIII, Finn (John Boyega) wants out of the fight, but reluctantly finds himself celebrated as a "big deal" by many in the Resistance -- including Rose, the low-profile nobody who is "starstruck" by the former Stormtrooper who helped destroy Starkiller base.
This heroic ideal she sees in him helps him stay in the fight.
Celebrate by backing the Haikus For Hotties 2018 Calendar.
Attention, please! This is a Very Important Announcement about Hot Asian Men. Did you know that August is Hot Asian Man Awareness Month? It has been declared. Not by coincidence, the annual Haikus For Hotties Calendar is back! From the makers of Haikus With Hotties and Haikus On Hotties, the 2018 calendar features twelve months of Hot Asian Men, carefully curated by our friend Ada Tseng, esteemed Professor of Hotness.
This year, they're inviting fans to participate in the fun. Every three days, during the calendar's Kickstarter campaign, they'll unveil a new photo of a 2018 calendar hottie and invite you to submit a hotness-inspired haiku. They'll publish their favorite one and give each haiku winner a free calendar.
The theme for the 2018 edition will be "Cover Men," with each photo transformed to look like the cover of a magazine -- a nod to the fact that we still rarely see Asian men rocking the covers of Hollywood magazines. It's a fun way to highlight a multitude and variety of Asian men doing cool things in the media.
Check out this behind-the-scenes video of the photo shoot with the official Haikus With Hotties ambassadors Yoshi and Peter Sudarso, and the very first female calendar hottie, Anna Akana. (The image is a parody of this Vanity Fair cover with Tom Ford, Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson.)
Bay Area couple buys private San Francisco street at a city auction -- unbeknownst to residents.
Photo Credit: San Francisco Chronicle
Thanks to a little-noticed auction sale -- and a comedically overlooked unpaid tax bill -- a Bay Area couple are now the proud owners of one of the most exclusive streets in San Francisco. And now the street's super-rich residents might actually have to pay to park on their own private street.
Tina Lam and Michael Cheng won Presidio Terrace for just over $90,000 at a city-run auction. The block-long oval private street, home to 35 multi-million-dollar mansions, was up for sale after the Presidio Homeowners Association failed to pay a $14-a-year property tax for thirty years. The homeowners apparently had no idea, and failed to pay because the tax bills had been going to an accountant's outdated address.
The Yakima Terror: Ninety years ago in Washington, a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment resulted in horror for Filipinos -- an episode that seems to have been erased from history.
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Sikhs in America: A History of Hate: Demonized as immigrants. Mistaken for Muslims. For more than a century, Sikhs in the United States have faced suspicion and violence.
Why Asian Americans Refuse to Be a Wedge in the War on Affirmative Action: "We have been here before. Asian Americans and the issue of affirmative action have long been used to drive a wedge between communities of color and obfuscate the real purpose of the program, which brings opportunity to students from disadvantaged backgrounds."
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The 'Good Immigrants,' The 'Bad Immigrants,' The Deported: As the current administration ramps up to justify detainment and deportation, we must remember that the "good" and "bad" binary is a tool in dehumanizing all immigrants.
Eat, Memory: A heart-rending essay by David Wong Louie recounting his life with throat cancer.
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It's A School's Job To Acknowledge Race: A few years ago, commentator Grace Lin joined the Diversity Committee of her child's preschool in western Massachusetts . When one of the members asked dubiously whether race really needed to be addressed with young children, Lin knew the answer instantly.
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Dear Adoption, I Am Finally Ready to Face You -- The Real You, The Darker You: Mary San Agustin confronts the uncomfortable realities of adoption: "To many, you have proven to be a corrupt and broken system, but no one likes to talk about that. In some cases, you are a cunning cash exchange posing as altruism. Because of you, some are plucked from the frying pan and put into the fire."
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Not Dead: What the parallels between the violent murders of Glenn Rhee on The Walking Dead and Vincent Chin tell us about being Asian in America.
"I love what I do. Like seriously love it. My students will tell you that. I love them too."
Hello, good people of the internet! It is time 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 Der Vang.
Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.
What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. Each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.
This week, we got an early look at Birth of the Dragon, the upcoming action flick inspired by Bruce Lee's most famous fight. Our reaction will probably surprise you. We offer our takes on Bruceploitation, fan fiction, Some White Dude, and why this movie is absolutely not a biopic.
A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.
In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.
In this week's episode, the creepy sleepover continues as Jun Pyo is treated to his very own commoner montage and discovers what he's been missing all his life. We are introduced to a real jerk boyfriend, sweet club revenge, and finally, a for reals consensual kiss! Also, we share our Korean spa stories.
A new study says heavier Asian Americans are more likely to be perceived as "American."
A new study has found that for Asian Americans, those who appear heavier not only are perceived to be more "American," but also may be subject to less prejudice directed at foreigners than Asian Americans who are thin.
Wait, what?
According to a new study at the University of Washington, published last week Psychological Science, heavier Asian Americans are more likely to be perceived as "American" than those of a thinner weight.
How the hell does that even compute? The perception apparently relates to common stereotypes that Asians are thin and Americans are heavy. Thus, heavy Asians appear to be more "American."
The researchers also found that overweight Asian American men were less likely than those of a normal weight to be viewed as being in the country illegally. Skinny Asians, your citizenship status is questionable.
