6.28.2021

Suni Lee Earns a Spot at the Tokyo Olympics

18-year-old gymnast will be the first Hmong American athlete to compete at the Olympics.



On Sunday, 18-year-old gymnast Suni Lee placed second at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, automatically earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and qualifying for the Tokyo games. Lee, the three-time 2019 World Championships medalist who finished second to Simone Biles, is believed to be the first Hmong American athlete to complete at the Olympics.

6.27.2021

Read These Blogs



The Return of Han
After his killer was welcomed to the team with open arms in The Fate of the Furious, the ninth installment of the Fast franchise is once again bending the laws of nature to bring back fan favorite Han, played by Sung Kang.

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How 'F9' reunited the ‘'okyo Drift' crew — and what that could mean for the 'Fast' future
Tokyo Drift faithful, our time is now.

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A letter to my parents about depression and mental illness
"I'm sorry you’re reading this in the newspaper. I know you might fear the consequences of sharing my struggles so publicly. But now, at 33, I no longer believe my depression is something to be ashamed of."

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How hate incidents led to a reckoning of casual racism against Asian Americans
While Asian Americans have dealt with overt discrimination for centuries, experts say the recent attention on anti-Asian racism amid the pandemic has led many to reflect on the everyday, quiet, yet insidious forms of racism that Asian Americans often endure.

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I'm Grateful for the Hugs I Can Now Share–and Haunted by the Ones I Can't
"I don't remember our final hug itself because I thought I'd be back soon. I didn't know it was the last time I would ever see her."

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More Than 'Just Takeout'
A new generation of Chinese American chefs is celebrating the inventiveness, resourcefulness and deliciousness of American Chinese food with menus dedicated to the classics.

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The Best Way to Clean Your Ears: With a Spoon
Doctors strongly discourage people from scraping inside their ears. But knowing better and doing it anyway is part of what makes us human.

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Meet Amanda Gorman’s California successor as youth poet laureate: Alexandra Huynh
18-year-old Alexandra Huynh, an incoming first-year Stanford University student from Sacramento, is Amanda Gorman's successor as the national youth poet laureate.

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Margaret Cho forgives Jay Leno for his anti-Asian jokes
Comedian Margaret Cho, who currently stars in Netflix's Good on Paper, said Leno's apology was "meaningful."


6.25.2021

They Call Us Bruce 128: They Call Us Justin Lin

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.

In this episode, we welcome director Justin Lin, chief architect of the Fast & Furious film franchise. He talks about getting back behind the wheel for F9, #JusticeForHan, and The Good, The Bad and The WTF of bringing back a beloved character from the dead.


6.23.2021

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Walt Disney Animation Studios to partner for a "Week with Raya and the Last Dragon"

Sponsored Post
This week, Disney Animation Studios will celebrate the release of its movie Raya and the Last Dragon by working with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to spread joy through a series of virtual events for St. Jude patient families and its generous supporters.

Raya and the Last Dragon is an epic journey to the fantasy world of Kumandra where Raya learns that it takes more than a dragon to save the world. It takes trust and teamwork -- timeless themes reflected in the pioneering research and lifesaving treatment delivered at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for kids with childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Below is a snapshot of the fun offerings.

6.22.2021

The Monster Roars: On From Little Tokyo, With Love and Asian Girl Rage

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn

I have always had an explosive temper. As a kid, it felt too big for my body—a monster that lived inside of me, pounding against the walls of my chest, screaming to be released into the wild. My anger burned fast and fierce and bright, and I quickly learned that the only way for a girl to handle that monster was to put it in a cage. Shove it down into the depths of your body until you can't hear it scream anymore.

 

Little girls aren't supposed to let that anger spill out of them, to draw others into their messy maelstrom of chaos. And, as societal stereotypes constantly remind us, little Asian girls aren't supposed to even feel that anger in the first place. We're supposed to be sweet and small and dutiful. We're supposed to offer ourselves up for the consumption of others.

 

We're not supposed to let the monster roar.

 

Netflix to Adapt K-pop Rom-Com 'Somewhere Only We Know'

Maurene Goo's young adult novel is described as 'Roman Holiday' meets 'Before Sunrise.'
Netflix has picked up the film rights to Maurene Goo's young adult novel Somewhere Only We Know, a romantic comedy set in the world of K-pop. Adapted by writer Lana Cho, the story is described as Roman Holiday meets Before Sunrise, following a massive K-pop star and a tabloid photographer as they wander through the neon streets of Hong Kong, finding both adventure and love.

More here: K-Pop Rom-Com 'Somewhere Only We Know' Set at Netflix

Passenger Tells Uber Driver to "Go Back to Asia"

Stella can't stop her racist rant, much to the embarrassment of her friends.



In Charlotte, North Carolina, an unruly Uber passenger was caught on video verbally abusing an Asian American driver, cursing him out and telling him to "go back to Asia," much to the embarrassment of her friends. The altercation apparently started when the women gave the driver the wrong address. The driver kicked the passengers out of his car at a gas station after the woman, named Stella, cursed him out and called him a "chink." Even outside the car, Stella cannot stop, despite her friends pleading with her to shut the fuck up and get out of there. She threatens, for some reason, to call 9-1-1. The driver, understandably, has had it.


Billie Eilish Apologizes for Mouthing Racial Slur in Video

"I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word."
Billie Eilish has apologized after a video surfaced of her apparently mouthing along to a song as an anti-Asian racial slur is used. The singer posted a statement on her Instagram account addressing the edited compilation of videos, which was widely circulated on TikTok earlier this month. Eilish says the videos in question were recorded when she was 13 or 14 years old. In one clip, Eilish mouthed the word "chink" -- which she claims she didn't know was a slur at the time -- and in another video she apparently imitated an accent.

Seems like sooner or later, somebody always digs up some racist bullshit you did in your young past -- whether you knew it was racist or not. It's like a twisted celebrity rite of passage.

More here: Billie Eilish Says She Is Sorry After TikTok Video Shows Her Mouthing A Racist Slur


6.21.2021

Fund This: Koreatown Dreaming - A Photo Book

Chronicling the photos and stories of immigrant small business owners of Los Angeles' Koreatown.
Koreatown Dreaming, by photographer/filmmaker Emanuel Hahn, chronicles the photos and stories of Korean immigrant small business owners who helped build Los Angeles' Koreatown into the iconic neighborhood that it is today. According to the book's Kickstarter, the project was borne out of a sense of urgency around documenting the stories of Koreatown, in a time of rapid change and uncertainty. The book features 40 establishments across retail, services, community spaces and restaurants, with photography, poetry, and essays by Katherine Yungmee Kim, Lisa Kwon, Cathy Park and Dumbfoundead.

More here: Koreatown Dreaming - A Photo Book


6.20.2021

Read These Blogs



Viral images show people of color as anti-Asian perpetrators. That misses the big picture.
A new analysis reveals misconceptions about perpetrators, victims, and the general environment around anti-Asian hate incidents. These can have "long-term consequences for racial solidarity."

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The Asian American wealth gap, explained in a comic
The largest wealth gap in the country comes down to the history of Asian migration.

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I Started Going to Therapy When I Hit 40. Why Did It Take So Long?
Andrew Ti was taught therapy wasn’t for people like him. But reaching midlife during a pandemic—and rising racist violence—changed things.

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The Water in May
In a letter to his young son, the actor Ken Leung tells the story of his brother, who tragically drowned in Thailand, and the incredible journey it took to bring him home.

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Simu Liu on His Journey from Scared Asian Guy to Marvel Superhero
A conversation between comedian Ronny Chieng and Simu Liu on Liu’s acting career so far.

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SuChin Pak Is Processing Everything
The groundbreaking news anchor is still making sense of her MTV experience.

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F&W Game Changers: Sahra Nguyen
Nguyen Coffee Supply is bringing single-origin Vietnamese coffee to as many cups as possible.


6.13.2021

Read These Blogs



‘She Died Working for Us': Sons of Atlanta Victim Struggle to Move Forward
Randy and Eric Park's mother, Hyun Jung Grant, was among eight people killed in the Atlanta spa shootings. They have been largely left to navigate the world by themselves.

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My name is hard for Americans to pronounce. Don't tell me to change it.
"I used to wish I had a different, less ‘difficult' name. Now I treasure it."

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I had to travel 6,000 miles to learn this lesson about being Asian American
When Jean Trinh traveled to China to visit her distant relatives in China, she learned to let go of the internalized "American-born Chinese" shame she carried for so long.

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Watching Martial Arts Movies Amid Anti-Asian Violence Is Much-Needed Catharsis
Movies and TV shows like The Paper Tigers and Warrior show the beauty of Asian American survival.

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"You Have to See It to Be It": Michelle Zauner and Karen O in Conversation
Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O and Japanese Breakfast singer Michelle Zauner talk grief, growing up biracial, loving the '80s pop star Tiffany, and much more.

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St. Lenox's Songs From Indie Asian-America
Andrew Choi shares a playlist of his favorite Asian American peers' music ahead of the release of his fourth LP.

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Hollywood's New Crown Prince of Musicals
Jon M. Chu, the director of In the Heights and Wicked, is finding a new edge in an old genre.

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Wish Dragon star John Cho says his work is informed by a 'desire to please myself as a kid'
He's been to White Castle, the Final Frontier, and Over the Moon, but now John Cho is just trying to enter the spirit world in Netflix's Wish Dragon.

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Phillipa Soo talks recording her first audiobook, romance novel The Stand-In
You've heard her voice bringing inimitable life to Eliza Hamilton on the Hamilton soundtrack, But now Soo is putting her vocal talents to a new challenge, narrating a romance novel by Lily Chu.

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A Hip-Hop Dance Crew’s Frabjous Reign in Las Vegas
The Jabbawockeez, with their something-for-everyone approach, proved that an ensemble of anonymous, masked dancers could pull in crowds.


6.09.2021

They Call Us Bruce 127: They Call Us Jon M. Chu

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.

In this episode, we welcome back Jon M. Chu, who directed the new film adaptation of the hit musical In The Heights. He talks about bringing Lin-Manuel Miranda's vision to the screen, making sure you get the sauce right, and why this is the movie the world needs right now.


6.06.2021

Read These Blogs



The Beautiful, Flawed Fiction of 'Asian American'
"As long as the United States remains committed to aggressive capitalism domestically and aggressive militarism internationally, Asians and Asian Americans will continue to be scapegoats who embody threat and aspiration, an inhuman 'yellow peril' and a superhuman model minority."

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The Cost of Being an 'Interchangeable Asian'
At some top companies, Asian Americans are overrepresented in midlevel roles and underrepresented in leadership. The root of this workplace inequality could stem from the all-too-common experience of being confused for someone else.

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I am Asian American. No hyphen required
"Every time we call ourselves Asian American, we are making a powerful political statement that we are American, and we belong here."

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Verbal jiujitsu, disarming and other tips for dealing with microaggressions
Some common racial microaggressions that Asian Americans experience include people assuming they are foreigners and non-Asians explaining Asian culture to them.

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What Is Asian American Music, Really?
Seeking more than representation, a critic tries to make sense of a fragmented, disparate musical tradition.

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Why 'Kim's Convenience' Is 'Quietly Revolutionary'
In not explaining every detail of Korean food culture, the award-winning Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience speaks volumes.

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With 'In the Heights,' Jon M. Chu disrupts the movie musical. Here’s how he did it
Director Jon M. Chu makes his movie musical debut with In the Heights, nearly twenty years after he was predicted to transform the genre.

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Invincible's racebending makes the whole series deeper and smarter
In the animated superhero series Invincible, Mark Grayson's biracial heritage is a major theme of the story -- and now it isn't just subtext.

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Sung Kang on embracing 'rare' journey of Han, 'Hollywood story' return in F9
Sung Kang talks about reviving Han, his Fast & Furious character, back from the dead.


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