*

6.11.2023

Read These



What Reparations Actually Bought
In 1990, the U.S. government sent a letter of apology and a $20,000 to more than 82,000 Japanese Americans who, during World War II, were robbed of their homes, jobs, and rights, and incarcerated in camps. The redress program showed that the money matters. But it's not the only thing that matters.

* * *

How Asian Americans got wrapped up in the affirmative action debate — and why many want out
Asian American college applicants have been cast as victims of affirmative action, often unwillingly, by conservative anti-affirmative action politicians who are leaning into people's biases and stereotypes to advance their own agenda. Higher education researcher Oiyan Poon breaks it down for WBEZ.

* * *

Why I Don't Translate Non-English Words in My Writing
"We encounter the unfamiliar in all kinds of fiction, from historical epics to sci-fi to small-town Iowa realism. Yet there remains a particular insistence on maximum legibility when it comes to books set in worlds that aren't white, aren't Western, aren't lived in "standard" English."

* * *

How Spam Became a Staple of Asian Cuisine
American G.I.s fought abroad in wars in the 20th century and left behind an unlikely legacy: canned meat.

* * *

Tea Tea
Did you know that the word "chai" means "tea," so when you say "chai tea" you’re just saying "tea tea"?

* * *

American Born Chinese: VFX Supervisor Kaitlyn Yang Breaks Down How Diversity Unites Communities
Kaitlyn Yang, visual effects supervisor for American Born Chinese, breaks down the power of diverse experiences in modern media and the surprises of the show.

* * *

YouTube channel Wong Fu Productions reflects on 20 years of Asian American storytelling
Before there was Crazy Rich Asians or Everything Everywhere All at Once, there was a scrappy trio of college students making independent films that resonated with young Asian Americans.