Casting Call Seeks Actress to Play Anna May Wong

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



"Must be able to carry a tune."
I've been seeing this casting call passed around, looking for someone to play screen icon Anna May Wong in the upcoming Paramount Pictures film Babylon: "ANNA MAY WONG: aged 30-40's; Chinese-American; based on the real person, Anna May is a dynamic singer/actress in the 1920s who moves in the top Hollywood circles but still struggles against racial stereotypes in the roles she is asked to play. Must be able to carry a tune. Shooting will begin approx. June/July 2020 in Los Angles. To be directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Brad Pitt and Emma Stone. If you are interested in pursuing, please send your picture/resume to Francine Maisler Casting at FMCselftapes@gmail.com." Good luck.

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A new virus stirs up ancient hatred
"This coronavirus is new. But the diseases of xenophobia and racism are not. And as history has shown, outbreaks of the latter are potentially harder to contain, and far more lethal."

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Berkeley Law School Drops Boalt Name Over Racist Legacy
The name "Boalt Hall" was removed from the University of California Berkeley's law school after a yearslong process that determined, in essence, that the school should no longer honor a man whose most notable work was rooted in racist views -- views that were instrumental in legitimizing anti-Chinese racism and in catalyzing support for passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Good riddance.

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Why The Green Hornet is ripe for a return
A new movie version of The Green Hornet may soon be in the works. Indie film/TV production company Amasia Entertainment has secured the film franchise rights to the superhero property. First debuting as a radio serial in 1936, The Green Hornet follows the adventures of Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher by day who fights crime by night as the titular masked vigilante, alongside his trusty aide Kato. As we all know, in the short-lived 1960s TV version of The Green Hornet, Kato was famously played by Bruce Lee in one of his first Hollywood screen roles. Wherever this goes, here's hoping a movie reboot of The Green Hornet does Kato right.

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Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha
Robin Ha's Almost American Girl is a powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life. Robin, who grew up as the daughter of a single mother in Seoul, finds her life turned upside down when a vacation to Huntsville, Alabama unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation -- and her mom gets married. She struggles with extreme culture shock and isolation, until she discovers her passion for comic arts.

Serve the People: Making Asian America in the Long 60s with Karen L. Ishizuka

Sunday, April 3 at UC Berkeley's Multicultural Center



If you're in the Bay Area this weekend, here's a cool book event... Karen L. Ishizuka, author of the new book Serve the People: Making Asian American in the Long Sixties, will be giving a keynote presentation as part of the Asian Pacific Islanders Issues Series 2016 conference. The talk will be followed by a panel discussion and signing. It's happening Sunday, April 3 at UC Berkeley's Multicultural Center.

Here are some more details:

Man wanted in sexual assaults targeting Asian women

Police have released video of a suspect linked to three assaults in the last week near UC Berkeley.



In Berkeley, police have issued a warning and released images of a suspect linked to three sexual assaults in the last week. All of the victims have been Asian women assaulted near UC Berkeley.

Berkeley Police Release Video of Possible Suspect in Series of Sexual Assaults

On Thursday, the Berkeley Police Department released video of a man identified as a possible suspect in three sexual assault cases targeting college-aged Asian women. In one of the assaults, the suspect violently knocked the woman to the ground and forcibly grabbed her from behind.

Here are two versions of the surveillance video, at regular speed and slowed down:

Missing: 22-year-old Shuqin Zhang, last seen Thursday

UC Berkeley graduate student's belongings were found near Point Reyes Lighthouse.



In the Bay Area, search crews are looking for a missing UC Berkeley graduate student, last seen Thursday, after her car and some of her belongings were found near Point Reyes Lighthouse in Marin County.

Belongings of missing UC graduate student found on cliff near Point Reyes

22-year-old Shuqin Zhang, who reportedly suffered from depression, was last seen on Thursday at around 1:30 am in Berkeley and was believed to be headed to Bodega Bay two hours later.

According to Berkeley police, park rangers found her car near the lighthouse at Point Reyes on Saturday morning, and searchers later found some of her belongings on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Stompin' at the Pauley Ballroom

Online gallery collects dance bids from the Bay Area's era of 1970s Asian American soul bands.


"Together We Have Strength"
Got this passed along to me from Elmer Jan, one of our longtime readers, and it's really cool.

In the 1970s, UC Berkeley's Pauley Ballroom (as well as other venues in the San Francisco Bay Area) hosted dances that attracted largely Asian American audiences and featured dozens of Asian American garage bands playing covers of soul hits of the time. This San Francisco Chronicle article by Annie Nakao, written in 2004, looked back at this fun era of the Bay Area's musical history.

Elmer, who was apparently a regular attendee of these gatherings, has put together an online gallery, entitled Stompin' at the Pauley Ballroom, displaying a bunch of the dance announcements that he collected and preserved from the era. They make for some very cool Asian American community memorabilia.

"We called them 'dance bids' back in the day," Elmer says. "Finding a way to share them had been on my mind for years and I've finally finished this modest project."

Here some images from the gallery:

Volunteer for the UC Berkeley SASC Summer Institute

Mentorship program for Southeast Asian high school students, June 18-22


This summer, UC Berkeley's Southeast Asian Student Coalition will be hosting its 2014 Summer Institute, a five-day educational and mentorship program for Southeast Asian high school youth to engage in workshops, dialogues, and a variety of peer-bonding activities promoting higher education, cultural awareness, and other subjects. The all-expense paid program runs June 18-22 at Cal.

SASC is currently looking for volunteers to help run the program. Duties may include (but are not limited to) driving and picking up mentees, cooking, cleaning, setting up, etc. They need your help to get this thing running smoothly and make it a rewarding experience for all participants.

Here's some more information about volunteering for the SASC Summer Institute: