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 Dr. Michelle Au, who represents District 50 in the Georgia House of Representatives. She talks about her journey from medicine into politics -- from anesthesiologist to the first Asian American elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2020 -- how she's navigated some of the electoral shenanigans of her rapidly changing district, and the power of the Asian American vote in her swing state of Georgia during this extremely important and consequential presidential election.
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 law professor and California state senator Dave Min, who is running for U.S. Congress in California's 47th district. He talks about why he made the decision to step into this critical race, the unique characteristics and shifting demographics of his traditionally conservative district, and some of the blatant (and sadly, unsurprising) anti-Asian racism his campaign has faced. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of running for Congress.
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 Jay Chen, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in California’s congressional 45th district. He talks about why his Daily Show appearance from 2010 still weirdly remains relevant, his opponent’s increasingly shameless xenophobic and red-baiting attacks, and the benefit of running for congress in a super-Asian district that has so many incredible food options.
Raya and the Last Dragon Teaser Trailer
Holy moly. Disney has dropped the first teaser trailer for its upcoming animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon, and it looks amazing. Starring the Kelly Marie Tran, and written by Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen, Raya is an epic fantasy adventure inspired by Southeast Asian cultures. According to Disney's synopsis: "Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it's up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she'll learn that it'll take more than a dragon to save the world -- it's going to take trust and teamwork as well." Raya and the Last Dragon, originaly set to hit theaters next month, is now scheduled for release on March 12th, 2021.
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Study: People Blame Asian Americans for COVID-19 Because People Are Racist
According to a new study, a blend of racial prejudice, poor coping and partisan media viewing were found in Americans who stigmatized people of Asian descent during the COVID-19 pandemic. But it was prejudice against Asian Americans that was most strongly linked to beliefs that Asians were responsible for the pandemic and most at risk for spreading it, results showed. So... basically this study confirms what we already knew: people are racist.
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Asian Americans Could Play a Crucial Role in the 2020 Election
"Contrary to stereotype, the Asian American electorate is engaged, diverse, and spans the ideological spectrum. Some -- especially some first-generation Asian Americans, as well as some members of certain ethnic subgroups such as Vietnamese Americans and Hmong Americans -- are conservative-leaning. However, most Asian Americans, particularly younger, U.S.-born voters, are strikingly progressive on several issues including health care, the environment, and gun control."
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Why Asian Americans Face Extra Obstacles to Voting by Mail
As more Americans are encouraged to vote by mail amid the pandemic, Asian American voters, especially those who are new to the U.S. or who face language barriers, may encounter extra difficulties with that method of casting a ballot.
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I Will Vote
Today, the Democratic National Committee announced a new multilingual print, digital, and radio advertising campaign to reach 1 million AAPI voters in key battleground states and across the country. The ads will reach voters in Chinese, English, Hindi, Korean, Telugu and Urdu, and Vietnamese in national constituency media, including the Korea Times, Nguoi Viet, and World Journal, as well as local print, digital, and radio outlets in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
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.
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.
AAPI Data identifies key house races where AAPIs can make a difference.
Your vote counts. Every vote counts. But in some of the most competitive races, our community's vote could actually help tip the balance. With midterm elections quickly approaching, AAPI Data took a look at the numbers and identified the areas where Asian American and Pacific Islander voters can have maximum impact in 2018.
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, we welcome California State Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate John Chiang. He talks about his reputation as the so-called "no drama" candidate, how family tragedy informed his passion for public service, and the Good, Bad and WTF of running for Governor of California.
Video shows protestor calling the San Francisco supervisor a "skinny-ass rice-eating motherfucker."
In San Francisco, a mayoral candidate meet-and-greet ended abruptly when protestors interrupted the event and shouted racial slurs at Supervisor Jane Kim, calling her a "skinny-ass rice-eating motherfucker."
The incident, caught on Facebook Live video, occurred during a joint campaign event hosted by Kim and Mark Leno in the Fillmore district on Saturday. Kim had just finished speaking about affordable housing in the city when protestors -- apparently supporters of candidate London Breed -- crashed the proceedings.
The video shows an audience member interrupting the Q&A, demanding why Supervisor Breed wasn't invited to the event. Things quickly go off the rails as others join in the shouting, until that first gentleman (who appears to be chomping on some grapes?!) yells "You got this skinny-ass rice-eating motherfucker coming in here" -- referring, of course, to the Asian American candidate -- "what's she going to do in Fillmore?"
Yeah, I think this event is over. The shouting begins around the five-minute mark:
Supervisor throws her hat into the mayoral race after the passing of Ed Lee.
From SFGate: San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim signaled her intent to enter the 2018 mayoral race Wednesday, requesting nomination papers from the city’s Department of Elections.
Kim, a stalwart progressive as a supervisor, has long been rumored to be considering a bid for the mayor's office. She was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2010.
She and any other candidates eyeing a run for mayor have until Jan. 9 to file the necessary paperwork. Though any number of people may take out the papers to run, none of them are official candidates until those nomination papers are returned.
Hoboken city councilman emerges victorious after racist fliers called him a "terrorist."
The Jersey Journal
Awwww yeah. Take that, racists! The Hoboken councilman who was targeted with a racist flier calling him a "terrorist" has won the city's mayoral race, becoming the first Sikh mayor in the state of New Jersey.
Just days before the election, fliers attacking Ravi Bhalla were anonymously placed on car windshields in the mid-town area, warning "Don't let TERRORISM take over our Town!" above a picture of Bhalla, who is Indian American and wears a turban and unshorn beard in accordance with his Sikh faith.
The fliers appear to have been a modified version of a mailer previously sent by the campaign of mayoral opponent Michael DeFusco, claiming that Bhalla had an alleged conflict of interest. DeFusco denounced the fliers, saying his campaign had nothing to do with them. Whoever's responsible -- surprise, racists are anonymous cowards -- they were probably pretty disappointed with the election results.
On Tuesday, Bhalla emerged the historic winner atop a field of six candidates, garnering 34 percent of the vote. Congratulations to Ravi Bhalla, the first Sikh to be elected mayor of a New Jersey municipality. About time.
School board candidates Jerry Shi and Falguni Patel are not going anywhere.
Awwww yeah. Take that, racists! In New Jersey, the two school board candidates who were targeted with racist "Make Edison Great Again" mailers that made national headlines won seats in the election on Tuesday.
Last week, voters in Edison received postcards, mailed anonymously, warning "The Chinese and Indians are taking over our town!" and calling for the deportation of school board candidates Jerry Shi and Falguni Patel.
Shi and Patel, who respectively claimed their seats with 6,259 and 6,115 votes, will serve a three-year term on the Edison Township Public Schools board. So yeah, they're not going anywhere.
Racist flier attacks Sikh mayoral candidate in New Jersey.
What the hell, New Jersey? For the second time within a week, a racist flier attacking a local candidate has been circulated anonymously. The latest one targets a Sikh mayor candidate in Hoboken.
On Friday night, fliers attacking Hoboken councilman and mayor candidate Ravi Bhalla were anonymously placed on car windshields in the mid-town area. The fliers declare "Don't let TERRORISM take over our Town!" above a picture of Bhalla, who wears a turban and unshorn beard in accordance with his Sikh faith.
Bhalla shared the flier on Twitter, assuring supporters that "we won't let hate win."
Racist mailers sent to voters in Edison, New Jersey.
With an election just around the corner, you can always count on some underhanded racist campaigning. But it's still pretty shocking when it's this blatant. The above mailer, targeting Chinese American and Indian American school board candidates, was apparently sent to voters in Edison, New Jersey.
With the super-original slogan "Make Edison Great Again," the postcard implores voters to "Stop Jerry Shi & Falguni Patel From taking over our School Board," with a red "DEPORT" stamped under Shi and Patel's faces.
"The Chinese and Indians are taking over our town!" the anonymous mailer declares. "Chinese school! Indian school! Cricket fields! Enough is enough!" But wait, they're not done yet.
The reverse side says, "Stop the overcrowding! Stop taking over our sports fields! Stop the McMansions! Stop the multiple families living in the same house! Stop wasting school holidays! Stop the outsiders! Let's take back our Edison & our Schools."
In AALDEF's exit poll of 14,400 Asian American voters, Clinton favored over Trump by wide margin.
In the ongoing assessment of the whos and whats and whys and hows of Election Day, it looks like Asian American voters strongly favored Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a wide margin.
Preliminary exit poll findings released by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) from 14,400 Asian American voters reveal that Asian American voters in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia and Nevada strongly favored Clinton over Trump.
"The extreme anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and racist rhetoric in this election was deeply disturbing to Asian American voters, who wanted to support candidates who shared their values and hope for America," said Margaret Fung, Executive Director of AALDEF.
AALDEF collected surveys from Asian American voters at 91 polling places in 14 states with large or fast-growing Asian American populations. Based on Asian American voters polled on Election Day, 79% backed Hillary Clinton, 17% were for Donald Trump, and 3% voted for other candidates.
Don't you want that to be the headline in the news after Election Day? By APIAVote.
On Tuesday, millions of Americans are going to cast their ballots -- not just for the next President, but for our elected representatives from Congress to our city councils.
We want to make sure that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are going to make the headlines in the days after November 8th. You can help us by making a plan to vote -- and to remind your friends and family to vote too.
Guest Post by Glenn D. Magpantay, LGBTQ API Activist and Leader
I'm excited to vote for Hillary Clinton for President. Not because Donald Trump is dreadful. Not because it's a choice between "the lesser of two evils." Nor am I making an unqualified and absolute endorsement of her every character trait and position. I genuinely want to vote for Hillary. And I want to speak to the people who feel disillusioned about voting. Who are disappointed in the political campaign. And who may not vote at all. Here are my five reasons:
APIAVote PSA features Hudson Yang, Jessica Sanchez, Sonal Shah, Danny Pudi and Parvesh Cheena.
On Election Day, you have the power. So #PowerUp. Are you ready to get off your ass and vote? This PSA from APIA Vote and Rock the Vote features Hudson Yang, Jessica Sanchez, Sonal Shah, Danny Pudi and Parvesh Cheena coming together to urge you to #PowerUp the vote. Together, our voices and votes as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can make a lasting impact in 2016 and beyond.
Volunteers needed for 2016 Asian American exit poll and poll monitoring.
Do you want to help defend Asian American voting rights on Election Day? The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), along with other Asian American organizations, seeks volunteers to help monitor elections and conduct non-partisan voter surveys at poll sites in Asian American neighborhoods.
In past elections, Asian Americans have faced a series of barriers in exercising their right to vote. For example, poll workers were hostile and made racist remarks, poll sites had too few interpreters to assist Asian American voters, translated voting materials were missing or hidden from voters, and ballots were mistranslated listing Democratic candidates as Republicans, and vice versa.
Want to help with exit polling and poll monitoring on November 8? Sign up to volunteer. Attendance at one training session is required for all volunteers. All volunteers must be non-partisan and work a 3-hour shift. (CLE trainings are 90 minutes. Attorneys can receive 1.5 CLE credits including 0.5 ethics credit.)
Stars of Fresh Off The Boat, Wrecked and more urge you to get out and vote.
These kids might not be old enough to vote, but they've got an important message for you about getting to the polls. This PSA from Kore Asian Media, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Los Angeles Councilmember David Ryu gathers together the likes of Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler and Ian Chen of Fresh Off The Boat, Ally Maki and Asif Ali of Wrecked, Sydney Viengluang of Z-Nation and Jona Xiao of Keeping Up With the Joneses, to call on you to get out and vote in this super-important upcoming election.
