Sorry, She's Not Going to "Anglicize" a Damn Thing

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Professor Put on Leave After Demanding Student 'Anglicize' Her Name
Matthew Hubbard, a mathematics professor at Laney College in Oakland, has been placed on administrative leave after emailing a Vietnamese student and instructing her to "anglicize" her name against her wishes. A series of emails between the professor and student shared on social media reveals that Hubbard reached out to a student named Phuc Bui Diem Nguyen, and wrote, "Could you Anglicize your name. Phuc Bui sounds like an insult in English." In a response, Nguyen stated Hubbard's request "feels discriminatory" and warned the professor she would file a complaint if he refuses to refer to her by her given birth name. Hubbard doubled down and repeated the request. The email chain went viral, and Laney College announced Thursday that Hubbard has been placed on administrative leave while the school investigates the incident.

* * *


Racist "Kill Chinese Virus" Flyers Found at University of Delaware
Last weekend at the University of Delaware, residents at several apartment complexes found flyers stating "Kill Chinese Virus" distributed on their doorsteps and vehicles. In a letter to the university community, officials said the apartment complexes targeted by the flyers are all home to Asian and Asian American students. While the incident is being investigated by Newark Police, a spokesman says it "doesn't appear they constitute terroristic threatening or a similar offense." So... what is the crie? Littering? Because this stinks and feels like a hate crime.

* * *

Read an Exclusive Excerpt From Kevin Kwan's New Novel, Sex and Vanity
This deliciously modern update of A Room With a View features drama, diamonds, and satire galore.

* * *

Pride Convos: The Movement Continues
Act to Change presents #PrideConvos, a chat about solidarity and the connection between Pride and #BlackLivesMatter, with panelists Angelica Ross, Esera Tuaolo, and Margaret Cho, and moderator Maulik Pancholy. Pride started with a revolution led by trans people of color. Today communities of color, transgender people and the #LGBTQ+ community are still under attack, and this conversation will address how all of us can support the movement for equality. It's happening Tuesday, June 23 at 10am / 1pm PT.

* * *

I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee
The world of K-Pop has never met a star like this. The new young adult novel I'll Be the One is being touted as a "deliciously fun, thoughtful rom-com celebrating confidence and body positivity" from debut author Lyla Lee.

Here's the synopsis: "Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn't dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn't call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she's about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her. She'll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she'll do it better than anyone else.

When Skye nails her audition, she's immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn't count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho. But Skye has her sights on becoming the world's first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition—without losing herself."

Available from:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Apple Books | Google Play

A Cartoonist Looks Inward Regarding Anti-Black Racism

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



'Black Lives Matter' to Me Because...
In the wake of protests over the murder of George Floyd, cartoonist Connie Sun has been looking inward and reckoning with her personal role in the context of anti-black racism as an Asian American. Recalling a painful memory from childhood, she drew this comic to start a dialogue. Read the rest of the comic here.

* * *

EVERYONE I HAD BLACK LIVES MATTER WRITTEN ON MY BACK WINDSHIELD. THIS MAN CAME TO THE HOUSE AND PROCEEDED SO SCREAM ALL OF THIS RACIST SHIT. IM FUCKING TERRIFIED. WAY TO GO SCV. #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/eWOKgKhgpq

— johnnie (@janaisevilla) June 4, 2020

"EVERYONE I HAD BLACK LIVES MATTER WRITTEN ON MY BACK WINDSHIELD."
Imagine being someone so offended by the sentiment that Black lives matter. This person caught an interaction with a neighbor who came knocking, incensed, because she had "Black Lives Matter" written on the back windshield of her car. Props to the friend who holds her ground. And no props to the asshole neighbor.

* * *

BAY RIDGE DOES NOT WELCOME RACISTS
You know those racist flyers that recently popped up in Brooklyn? The neighborhood has clapped back. After flyers declaring "CHINESE ARE DESTROYING BAY RIDGE" showed up on lamp posts in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, someone started posting flyers declaring equally emphatic capitalization, "BAY BRIDGE DOES NOT WELCOME RACISTS. BAY RIDGE LOVES ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS."

* * *


Investigation Launched Into Welfare of YouTuber's Adopted Son
Authorities launched an investigation into the welfare of Myka Stauffer's adopted son, Huxley, after the YouTuber announced that she and her husband, James Stauffer, had placed him with another family. "The Delaware County Sheriff's Office has received several inquiries regarding the welfare of a local 5-year-old child, who was recently given up for adoption. This child is not missing," the Ohio-based sheriff's office said in a press release. "Our primary concern is for the well-being of this child, as well as the other children in the household." Thankfully, the kid is not missing -- and hopefully, with a better family than with these crooks.

* * *

Wu-Tang’s RZA on the Influence of Bruce Lee
In celebration of the new 30 for 30 documentary Be Water premiering on ESPN, Wu-Tang Clan's RZA dropped a new track, "Be Like Water" -- his tribute to martial arts icon Bruce Lee.

An Open Letter Project on Anti-Blackness

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America



Letters for Black Lives
Letters for Black Lives is a set of crowdsourced, multilingual, and culturally-aware resources aimed at creating a space for open and honest conversations about racial justice, police violence, and anti-Blackness in our families and communities. It started as a group of Asian Americans and Canadians writing an intergenerational letter to voice their concerns and support for the Black community. They've since grown to include other immigrant groups and communities of color. The goal is to listen, support, and amplify the message of Black Lives Matter within our communities.

* * *

CHINESE ARE DESTROYING BAY RIDGE
This racist flyer, proclaiming "CHINESE ARE DESTROYING BAY RIDGE," was spotted in Brooklyn's Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights neighborhoods this week. The flyers claim, among other things, that Chinese locals are driving away white homeowners, blame Chinese residents for spreading COVID-19, and describe Chinese-owned restaurants as "dirty." By the way, this is a hate crime. Imagine being the hateful, bored asshole designing this bullshit, printing it out on your little inkjet, and taping it up around your neighborhood -- thinking someone's actually going to listen to you. You are sad.

* * *


Omaha Mayor Calls Korean Woman a 'Troll Who Hides Behind symbols'
The mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, has apologized for calling a Korean American woman "a Facebook troll" and "a coward" because she displayed her name in Korean on social media. The woman, Soyeon Sohn, commented on Facebook this week after the city imposed a curfew in response to protests over the death of George Floyd. She used the symbols of the Korean alphabet for her name, prompting the racially insensitive response from Mayor Jean Stothert, who said, "A Facebook troll who hides behind symbols and doesn’t list their name, is a coward." She later apologized, saying she did not recognize the Korean alphabet.

* * *

The Dragon Kids · "Masked Kids" NPR Student Podcast Challenge

The Winners Of The NPR Student Podcast Challenge
Meet the grand prize winners of the 2020 NPR Student Podcast Challenge! In the Grades 5-8 category: "Masked Kids" by sixth-graders Leo Yu, Angelo Chen, Becky Liu, Si Chen Xu, Joyce Jiang, Zoe Jiang, Nicole Zheng and Amanda Chen of PS 126/Manhattan Academy of Technology in New York City. In their podcast, the students interviewed high schoolers about the harassment they felt as the coronavirus hit New York City. Along the way, the students taught listeners relevant words such as mask, sneeze and face in Mandarin.

* * *

Wish Dragon
Check out the trailer for Wish Dragon, the upcoming animated feature from Sony Pictures Animation. Described as "a genie-in-a-bottle retelling set in contemporary China," the film is a modern-day fairy tale about "the moral challenges that emerge from the encounter between a boy and a dragon who is able to make wishes come true." Directed by Chris Appelhans, Wish Dragon features the voices of Jackie Chan, Constance Wu, John Cho, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Will Yun Lee, Jimmy Wong, and Bobby Lee.

Do you have what it takes to play the young Bruce Lee?

Casting call seeks Chinese actor to play teenage Bruce in 'Little Dragon.'



I'm not sure how legit this is, but this flyer, recently spotted in a tea shop in Los Angeles' Chinatown, appears to be a casting call for the upcoming Bruce Lee biopic Little Dragon.

According to the flyer, Betty Mae Casting is searching a 16 to 18-year-old English-speaking Chinese actor "with a winning smile and wonderful sense of humor." Previous reporting stated that a worldwide search was underway to cast the role. If they're really posting flyers in tea shops, it looks like they're really are searching high and low to find the right guy to play the young Bruce Lee.

Here's the full flyer:

These kids made flyers to protest "Dr. Seuss Week" at school

Rockett, 11, and Zoe, 10, just wanted their classmates to know that Dr. Seuss was kind of racist.



Meet Rockett and Zoe, the wokest kids in class. Their elementary school is currently celebrating "Dr. Seuss Week" as a part of National Read Across America Day, which coincides with the popular children's book author's birthday on March 2. But, as many may be unaware, Dr. Seuss was kind of racist. So these super-conscious siblings decided to help their classmates get more aware.

While Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel, is best known for enduring, beloved books like The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, he began his career as an illustrator and cartoonist who drew racist political cartoons expressing, among other things, vehement anti-Japanese sentiment. Geisel apparently had absolutely no problem with the incarceration of innocent Japanese Americans during World War II, depicting them in caricature as invading hordes and latent traitors loyal to the enemy.

Racist flyers target "Job Stealing Ching Chongs"

"Get out and go back to Communist land."



We are now living in the time of racist bullshit perpetuated in the name of Donald Trump. Like, this is an everyday normal thing. For example... These signs were recently found placed on cars in a private parking lot in Arlington, Virginia. One of the recipients, who posted this photo on social media, says that whoever left them was clearly targeting Asian employees. You know, the "Job Stealing Ching Chongs."

Who the hell has time to design and print up this shit? Who the hell would waste precious ink -- printer cartridges are expensive, dude -- and the effort to go from car to car to distribute these damn things?

After the flyers were discovered, several employees understandably didn't feel safe walking to and from the parking lot. Flyers on cars is cowardly shit, but who knows? Thankfully, according to the original poster, management took steps to make sure people felt safe and the property's security measures were escalated.

The Trump Effect jumps over the border... into Canada

Richmond residents find racist pamphlets in their mailboxes.



Because America is not big enough to contain the current state of hate, it seems that the Trump Effect has hopped its way over the border... into Canada. This week in Richmond, which has a large Asian population, racist pamphlets taking aim at Chinese people were distributed to several homes.

Racist flyers turn up in Richmond mailboxes

The flyers, which declare "Step aside whitey, the Chinese are taking over," appear to be an attempt to draw white recipients to an "alt-right" website. The author's grievances include "being marginalized in the community your forefathers built" and living amongst "neighbors who refuse to speak your language." That would probably be Chinese people they're alluding to.

KKK flyers distributed to homes in Anaheim

Hate fliers found in front yards on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.



Well, that's a shitty thing to find on your lawn. Flyers purporting to be from the Ku Klux Klan were found in the front yards of at least twenty residences in Anaheim on Monday -- Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Some Anaheim Residents Disturbed By Fliers Linked To KKK

The flyers, which were placed in plastic bags along with a rock and a treat, such as a lollipop, contained a message from the KKK and a phone number (with a North Carolina area code) for the organization. Because everybody knows that a racist's most powerful recruiting tool is a sucker.

Here are some images of the flier, courtesy of OC Weekly:

Racist flyers found posted at University of Florida

Some giggling idiot's dog-eating joke



WTF, Florida? Specifically, the University of Florida, where a racist flyer was found posted around campus yesterday. It's basically some giggling idiot's dog-eating joke. Congratulations, you think you're funny. I imagine you squatting in nearby bushes, sadly admiring your handiwork.

Ignorant flyers found on Campus

Who needs social media when you've got good old-fashioned paper-and-ink racism? The flyer, brought to our attention by UF's Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs, was spotted by several students around campus, posted on billboards and the doors of buildings. Calling the phone number gets you a prank line.