Tina Maharath is the first Lao American state senator in the United States.
Another close race, another historic election win. On Tuesday in Ohio, Democratic candidate Tina Maharath was officially declared the winner over state Rep. Anne Gonzalez in the State Senate race for District 3.
Maharath's victory not only makes her Ohio's first Asian American state senator and first Asian American woman in the general assembly, she is the first Lao American state senator in the United States.
She was, by most accounts, a political underdog. Maharath, a 27-year-old financial analyst with no prior campaign experience, was up against a veteran Republican lawmaker for a GOP-held Senate seat. But after all the provisional and absentee ballots were counted, Maharath edged out Gonzalez by just 705 votes.
"I am spending a lifetime still trying to figure it out."
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 Chantal Thuy.
The 116th U.S. Congress will include 20 AAPI members -- the most ever.
More than three weeks after election day, we have a winner.
In California's 21st Congressional District, TJ Cox defeated three-term Republican Rep. David Valadao on Wednesday, giving Democrats a gain of seven House seats in the state and 40 nationwide.
Cox is only one of two Filipino Americans currently elected to the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, in New Jersey's 3rd District, Andy Kim became only the second ever Korean American elected to the House. Their victories, along with Michael San Nicolas' victory for Guam's delegate representative, solidifies a historic number of AAPI members in Congress.
The 116th United States Congress will include 20 AAPI members -- the most ever.
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. (Almost) 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.
On this episode, recorded live during Asian American Culture Con at Pacific Media Expo, we welcome animation storytellers Daniel Chong (We Bare Bears), Victor Cook (Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters), Dan Santat (The Replacements) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (Ralph Breaks the Internet).
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. (Almost) 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.
On this episode, recorded live during Asian American Culture Con at Pacific Media Expo, we welcome actors Keiko Agena (The First), Jake Choi (Single Parents) and Ryan Potter (Titans) to talk about The Good, The Bad and the WTF of being Asians on TV.
Decades After Clashing With The Klan, A Thriving Vietnamese Community In Texas
When Vietnamese refugees first settled in the coastal town of Seadrift, Texas, they encountered prejudice and resentment from some of the locals, culminating on November 25, 1979, when the Ku Klux Klan came to the fishing village. Four decades later, the Vietnamese are now a fixture along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The App at the Heart of the Movement to End Affirmative Action
While most Asian Americans support affirmative action, a vocal group of Asian Americans -- mostly Chinese American -- against affirmative action can be found effectively organizing on WeChat.
Full Q&A: ‘Dear America’ author Jose Antonio Vargas on Recode Decode
When he was 16, Jose Antonio Vargas found out that he is an undocumented immigrant -- and after years of secrecy, he decided to "come out." On Recode Decode with Kara Swisher, he talks about his new memoir Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen.
I Love America. That's Why I Have to Tell the Truth About It
"In claiming that defiant Vietnamese self, one that disregards anyone else's definition, I claim my American self too. Against all those who say “love it or leave it," who offer only one way to be American, I insist on the America that allows me to be Vietnamese and is enriched by the love of others."
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Feeling Conflicted on Thanksgiving
Viet Thanh Nguyen ponders the meaning of Thanksgiving as a Vietnamese refugee and a father of a young son.
Lost and Found With Hansol Jung
With plays like Wild Goose Dreams -- currently at the Public Theater in New York -- Korean playwright Hansol Jung is making a splash on American stages with stories of displacement and hope.
Henry the First Crazy Rich Asians wasn't supposed to be the biggest rom-com of the past decade. Henry Golding was never supposed to be an actor. So what expectation is he going to shatter next?
Hello, internet! You know what time it is. 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 Bao Tran.
Bao Tran's indie feature 'The Paper Tigers' is an underdog story about three out-of-shape kung fu fighters.
This one's for the underdogs. The Paper Tigers is an upcoming martial arts action movie about three out-of-shape kung fu fighters who have to avenge their master... except they've got day jobs and kids to feed. The debut feature from writer/director Bao Tran, this cool-looking indie project is currently raising production funds.
A dead-beat dad, an insurance scammer, and an MMA coach find themselves in the middle of a gang war when they must avenge their kung fu master's death. But first... they need to call in sick at their 9-to-5 jobs. This is a story about family, both born into and adopted, and what you owe to keep those families together.
"Imagine Bruce Lee in his 40s, out of shape and divorced, estranged from his kids, trying to figure out his place in the world," Tran says. "Then imagine that same Bruce Lee's comeback. Family, career, and life might have consumed us, but there will always be a part of us that is dying to do a few spin kicks in the backyard. This movie is dedicated to those who are one kick away from pulling their hamstrings... one lap away from a smoke break."
Here's Bao and producer Al'n Duong with the more information about the film::
Valerie Soe is making a documentary about the legendary Taiwanese cultural program, aka "Love Boat."
Here's a film project that could use your help... It's the final fundraising stretch for Love Boat: Taiwan, a documentary that looks at the allure of the Taiwan Love Boat, one of the longest running summer programs in the world, where young Taiwanese Americans get closer to their history, their culture and each other.
In the late 1960s, Taiwan's government established the Study Tour to Taiwan as an outreach program to college-aged Taiwanese Americans and Chinese Americans, to increase their awareness and support for Taiwan. Since then, young people from all over the world have attended this program.
Although it was advertised as a cultural enrichment program -- Mandarin language, martial arts, brush painting, etc. -- the Study Tour's popularity came from another source: its (somewhat notorious) reputation as an excellent place to find romance. Thus earning its more widely known nickname: Taiwan Love Boat.
Director Valerie Soe, who attended the Taiwan Love Boat as a college student in the 1980s, has been working on a documentary chronicling this important part of our community's history.
Why Do Asian Americans Remain Largely Unseen in Film and Television
There have been recent gains in Asian American representation in film and television, but Thessaly La Force thinks that Hollywood can do more. Bonus: classic movie casts re-imagined with Asian American actors.
The War Inside 7-Eleven
7-11, the world's largest convenience store chain, has been battling its store owners for years over franchise matters. The company seems to have found a new tool: U.S. immigration authorities.
Virginia Tech recently printed up a promotional flyer urging international students to complete an upcoming survey to help make the campus better for international students. The flyer, posted around campus, featured a photo of smiling Asian students at Virginia Tech. You know, international students. Cool, right?
There's just one problem: none of the students in the photo are international students.
If you're wondering what the problem is, it looks like these students just got inadvertently smacked in the face with the perpetual foreigner stereotype -- the idea that no matter how long or how much or how far Asian Americans make our way in this country, we'll always be perceived as foreign -- never quite enough American.
In this case, whoever put together this flyer saw a photo of a bunch of Asians kids at Virginia Tech and erroneously assumed they must be international students. Not the kind from "here."
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.
On this episode, recorded live at the Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance Summit, Jeff -- flying solo without me -- talks to Sharmila Sen, author of the book Not Quite Not White: Losing and Finding Race in America.
If Asian Voter Turnout in the Midterm Elections Is Strong, Everything Could Change
"In an election year when we’re constantly being reminded of the importance of voting, Asian-Americans have the chance to fulfill our potential as a 'sleeping political giant.' With our booming population and growing presence in strategic battleground states like Nevada, Arizona, and North Carolina, we stand to make a critical difference across the electoral board."
The false narrative driving the Harvard affirmative action case
"In suggesting that the admit rate for Asian Americans applying to Harvard would increase with the end of affirmative action, Blum is selling a narrative to Asian Americans that is shockingly similar to the one sold by President Trump to white Americans feeling the pinch of their (perceived) declining status."
The Joy Luck Club
You don't see many Asian leads in Western cinema, that's why The Joy Luck Club's all-Asian cast was so radical. Its portrayal of complicated mother-daughter relationships and the immigrant experience spoke to Amy Choi as a child -- and again as a mother.
There’s a secret about Burning that only Steven Yeun knows
Steven Yeun on his approach to creating his fascinating character in Burning, as well as his own experience moving between different mediums, cultures, and languages as an actor and Korean American.
"I am all about staying at home and taking care of my plants."
Hey, folks! You know what time it is. 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 Sylvia Kwan.
Our annual gallery of reader-submitted Halloween costume photos.
How was your Halloween? As you put away your pumpkin decor and tumble down from your candy-induced sugar high, let's look at how everybody dressed up. In what has become a really fun and popular tradition, we put the call out to you, the good readers of this blog, for photos of your totally awesome, culturally-appropriate, non-asshole Halloween costumes to feature in our annual gallery. As usual, you answered the call.
Above, we have Alexa as the littlest Cobra Kai. Thank you to everyone who sent in photos! If you'd like to submit one, send yours in and we'll add it to the gallery. Cute kid photos are always super-welcome.
