San Jose Was Once Home to Five Chinatowns. But Then Racism.

San Jose officially apologizes to Chinese immigrants and their descendants.



Did you know that San Jose, California was once home to five Chinatowns? And then it was home to zero Chinatowns. Because racists burned them down and/or displaced and drove out the city's Chinese residents.

If you know anything about Asian American history -- and honestly, it wouldn't be a surprise if your textbooks conveniently left it out -- this kind of racist violence was a fair.ly common occurrence up and down the west coast during the mid-to-late 1800s. Anti-Chinese sentiment became institutionalized

This week, the city of San Jose unanimously approved a resolution officially apologizing to Chinese immigrants and their descendants, acknowledging its role in nearly a century of violence and discrimination, including the dismantling and destruction of the city's Chinatowns. Yeah, file this one under Too Little Too Late.

More here: San Jose Apologizes for Decades of Discrimination Against Chinese

Steve Harvey tweets something resembling an apology

"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":

New York lawmakers ask Obama for official U.S. apology for Chinese Exclusion Act

"To Chinese Americans, their descendants, and all whose lives were affected by the Chinese Exclusion Act."


A soap advertisement from the 1880s, sub-titled 'The Chinese Must Go'
In New York, a group of state lawmakers have sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to issue a government apology for the passage and enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which specifically targeted and barred Chinese immigrants from entering or becoming citizens of the United States.

Signed into federal law by President Chester A. Arthur in 1882, and fueled by widespread anti-Chinese sentiment, the Chinese Exclusion Act was one of the most significant restrictions on free immigration in U.S. history, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. It was the first law implemented to prevent a specific ethnic group from immigrating to the United States, and lasted for over sixty years.

The letter, written by state Assemblyman Ron Kim and signed by twenty other state legislators, calls for the President to issue an official apology on behalf of the United States Government "to Chinese Americans, their descendants, and all whose lives were affected by the Chinese Exclusion Act."

Academy apologizes, realizes it's a terrible apology, agrees to meet with Asian members

"It certainly was never the Academy's intent to offend anyone."



After issuing an apology, then perhaps realizing their apology was insufficient, the leadership of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has decided to meet with the two dozen members of Asian descent who signed a letter protesting the racist jokes that aired during last month's Oscars broadcast.

After Failed Apology, Academy Agrees To Meet With Members On Treatment Of Asians During Oscars

To recap: Oscar night featured a couple of blatant off-color references to Asians, including a skit in which host Chris Rock introduced three Asian children as accountants (because we're great at math!), and a joke by presenter Sacha Baron Cohen (as Ali G) about "hard-working, little yellow people with tiny dongs."

This week, twenty-five members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences who are of Asian descent -- including director Ang Lee and several other Oscar winners -- sent a letter to the organization protesting the telecast's "tasteless" Asian jokes and its "perpetuation of racist stereotypes."

Roanoke Mayor apologizes for remarks on Japanese American internment

David Bowers clearly did not understand how the internet works.



On Friday, the mayor of Roanoke, Virginia apologized for his statement about Syrian refugees in which he invoked the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II as model policy.

Roanoke Mayor Apologizes for Japanese Internment Remarks

After basically getting his ass kicked with widespread backlash over what can at best be described as a piss-poor of one of U.S. government's greatest injustices, Mayor David Bowers apologized for his remarks.

"I apologize to all those offended by my remarks," Bowers said at a special meeting of the Roanoke City Council. "No one else is to be blamed but me."

Seattle City Council expresses regret for anti-Chinese laws

And sorry for that time a mob forced all the Chinese to get the hell out of town.



On Monday, the Seattle City Council approved a resolution expressing regret for legislation passed by the Washington Territory and previous City Councils in 1800s that discriminated against Chinese immigrants.

Seattle issues gesture of regret over 1800s anti-Chinese laws

The resolution is an acknowledgement of the city's racist past. As a result of discriminatory laws adopted by the Washington Territory, which became Washington state in 1889, Chinese people were denied the right to vote, prohibited from giving evidence in the courts in cases involving Caucasians, and denied the right to own land.

Cop "apologizes" for viral roadside tirade

NYPD detective Patrick Cherry was caught on camera losing his shit on an Uber driver.



The cop who was caught on video screaming and cursing at an Uber driver in an abusive, xenophobic roadside tirade has apologized for his actions -- after the video went viral -- though in this interview with NBC4 New York, he also comes up with a lot of weak excuses for his behavior. It's not much of an apology.

Cop in Viral Uber Rant Video Apologizes, Says Emotions Got the Better of Him

The video, recorded and uploaded to YouTube by passenger Sanjay Seth, shows NYPD detective Patrick Cherry cursing at the driver and screaming, "How long have you been in this country?" He has been subsequently stripped of his badge and gun and transferred out of the FBI's elite Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Bloomingdale's apologizes for Lunar New Year "hat" display

"The use of hats was in no way intended to be disrespectful or insensitive to the Asian culture..."



The other day I posted a photo of some mannequins spotted at the Bloomingdale's at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. In celebration of the Lunar New Year, they were decked out in some questionable headwear.

Many of you were not cool with this display, and were quick to contact the folks at Bloomingdale's to let them know how you felt. The hats were reportedly removed from the display immediately.

In fact, I received this message from the store's public relations representatives, with an apology:

Sorry we called you "chink." Sincerely, City of Pasadena.

City apologizes to resident after using racial slur on parking ticket paperwork.



The city of Pasadena, California is issuing a formal apology to one of its residents after he received documentation for a parking ticket that changed his last name to a racial slur: chink.

Pasadena Apologizes To Resident After Parking Ticket Paperwork Uses Racial Slur

Pasadena resident Sean Ching, who grew up in the area, received paperwork regarding a parking ticket that he was trying to fight in December 2013. The letter upheld the citation, but what upset Mr. Ching even more was that his name on the documentation had been changed to "SEAN CHINKS."

This Harvard Business School professor messed with the wrong restaurant. The internet does not approve.

Ben Edelman apologizes. Also, this apparently isn't the first time he's pulled this shit.



On Tuesday, Boston.com published a ridiculous exchange of emails instigated by Harvard Business School professor Ben Edelman, in which he took a local Chinese restaurant to task because of an apparent overcharge of $4 for a recent takeout order. Each email seems to turn up the asshole factor, piling on the legalese and general jerkosity. The internet reacted, and did not approve. It really did not approve.

On Wednesday, Professor Edelman posted an apology on his website:

Fox News guest apologizes for comments about internment

"I want to issue a sincere apology for my remarks... which I believe were unfortunately misinterpreted."



Hear that? It's squeaky, clunky sound of a backpedal. Over the weekend, Fox News guest Jonathan Hoenig apologized for comments he made citing the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II as an example of measures that led to the United States winning the war -- an argument he made on Cashin' In in support of the profiling of Muslim Americans today as a measure to combat terrorism.

Fox News Guest Apologizes for Internment Camp Comments

Hoenig's remarks on the matter are full of all kinds of bullshit, and sparked a fairly fiery response from a number of Asian American and Japanese American politicians and community organizations -- representing the community that, you know, actually had to endure the injustice of internment. Congressman Mike Honda called Hoenig's comments nothing less than "inexcuseabe" and "idiotic and insensitive."

On Saturday, Cashin' In took a moment for Hoenig to offer an on-air apology for his comments:

Newspaper employee fired for "Chinky Winky" and "Dinky Doo"

Philadelphia Public Record issues apology for printing racial slurs



In case you missed it, last week's edition of the Philadelphia Public Record ran a photo of Asian American community members with a caption that included racist made-up names, including "Chinky Winky" and "Dinky Doo." The paper has since issued an apology, and the editor responsible for the slurs has been fired.

Canadian sitcom producer apologizes for offensive tweets

"In my hasty attempt to be funny I carelessly hurt many in the Asian community."

The cast of Spun Out
The latest in Twitter racism, coming out of Canada... In Toronto, a television producer has apologized for a series of racially insensitive tweets directed at fellow Chinese travelers during a recent flight.

Spun Out producer's tweets anger Asian community

Brent Piaskoski, executive producer of the Canadian sitcom Spun Out was traveling over the weekend when he became increasingly irritated by fellow plane passengers -- particularly those annoying Asian ones who were talking too loudly, lining up aggressively and eating too vigorously for his liking.

So, of course, he took to Twitter to express his frustrations. The July 12 tweets have since been deleted, but the Toronto Star reproduced some of Piakoski's best gems:

California resolution apologizes for anti-Chinese legislation

State Senate calls on U.S. Congress to formally apologize for Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882



Well, isn't it about time? Last week, the California State Senate unanimously passed resolutions calling upon U.S. Congress to formally apologize for the enactment of the discriminatory Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and formally apologizing for past California anti-Chinese legislation.

California Resolution for Apology to Chinese Americans Passes Unanimously

Senate Joint Resolution 23, as amended, is a request by the California Legislature to the Congress for the adoption of resolutions of apology to the Chinese American community for enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and other similar Chinese Exclusion Laws.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 122 is a formal apology of the California State Legislature for the enactment of past discriminatory laws and anti-Chinese constitutional provisions that resulted increased restrictions and hardships on the Chinese living in California.

Both resolutions were unanimously by the State Senate on Thursday.

British Columbia apologizes for historical anti-Chinese laws

Premier Christy Clark issues formal apology for racist and discriminatory past policies



News from the north! B.C. says sorry. Last week, the Chinese community in British Columbia received a formal apology from the provincial government for racist past policies that targeted immigrants and residents.

Chinese community gets apology from B.C. for historical wrongs

On Thursday, British Columbia's premier Christy Clark issued the apology, aiming to make amends for more than a hundred historical laws, regulations and policies that discriminated against people of Chinese descent since the 1870s, such as denying immigrants the right to vote and charging them a head tax to immigrate.

There was no individual compensation offered as part of the apology, but it was announced that the government would put $1 million into a legacy fund that would be used to fund educational initiatives.

Here is the full text of the motion:

After ten years, publisher apologizes for Rickshaw Rally

LifeWay offers an apology for racist religious curriculum. It only took a decade.

Long time readers might remember the Rickshaw Rally controversy.

In 2003, LifeWay Christian Resources published an Asian-themed Vacation Bible School curriculum called "Far Out Rickshaw Rally - Racing Towards the Son." Fraught with racist, stereotypical imagery, the materials were criticized by Asian American Christian leaders, who led a campaign to get LifeWay to halt use of the curriculum, which was designed for children. You can still see the old Reconsidering Rickshaw Rally website archived on Geocities.ws.

For the most part, LifeWay didn't give a crap and the issue pretty much died off. Until this week.

The company is apparently under new management. On Wednesday -- ten years after the controversy -- LifeWay president and CEO Thom S. Rainier apologized for Rickshaw Rally via video message at the Mosaix conference in Long Beach, California, a gathering of about 1,000 multiethnic church leaders.

You can watch the video of Rainier's apology here. And here's the transcript:

Australia's A Current Affair apologizes for racist "All Asian Mall" story

The segment claimed a Sydney shopping center was being overtaken by Asians.

News of racist television from down under... In Australia, Channel Nine's A Current Affair issued an on-air apology for a racist, incendiary segment that claimed a Sydney shopping center was overtaken by Asian retailers: A Current Affair breached code with 'All-Asian Mall' story.

The story, "All-Asian Mall," which aired last November, used inflammatory language and negative misinformation to drive home the impression that Asian shopkeepers were "taking over" a shopping center in Castle Hill, Sydney. The segment also included commentary from controversial former politician Pauline Hanson, who once warned of Australia being "swamped by Asians."

The Australian Communications and Media Authority ruled that the story related inaccurate factual material, placed "gratuitous emphasis" on ethnic origin," and provoked "serious contempt" of someone's ethnic origin. In other words, it was racist bullshit.

Here's the perfunctory on-air apology:

Market receives cash and letter apologizing for robbery

"I hope you will accept this money and find forgiveness."



This is pretty cool... You hope it never happens, but groceries and convenience stores have to face the reality that getting robbed is a possibility. It happens. But you never expect the robber to come back, apologize, and return the money: Apology letter begins, 'I am a drug addict,' seeks forgiveness for robbery.

About twelve years ago, the owners of the InterAsian Market Deli in Nashville were robbed at gunpoint. The robber threatened them with a handgun and made off with all the cash in the register, but nobody was hurt.

Last week, Somboon Wu and his father Keosavanh Xayarath, who were working at the store on the night of the robbery, were handed one hell of a surprise: an envelope with $400 cash and an apology letter, dropped off by an anonymous man -- an apparent attempt to make amends for the 12-year-old robbery:

Punched "Me Love You Long Time" comedian speaks out

Star of the smackdown heard around the 'net.



Standup comedian Brett Eidman, now best known as the guy who got punched out on stage for doing his dumbass "me love you long time" Asian schtick, is no doubt feeling the negative effects of his notoriety, and appears in this interview in order to clear things up about his act and what went down in the video, aka the smackdown heard around the 'net:

Tufts student apologizes for racist incident

Daniel Foster admits to calling racial slurs and threatening to kill a group of Korean students.

Some interesting new developments in the hate incident directed towards Korean American students that occurred a couple of weeks ago at Tufts University...

Daniel Foster, the drunk idiot student who previously denied any wrongdoing has now admitted to "making racial slurs toward, threatening to kill and spitting at a group of Korean students" on April 9.

Freshman admits to racial incident with KSA members.

Foster admitted and apologized as part of an agreement he reached with the 13 members of the Korean Students Association whom he accosted. The agreement was made over the past week outside of university channels, although the Dean of Student Affairs largely accepted the terms of the deal.

Here's the Foster's letter of apology: