Sharkbites Newsletter

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SEPTEMBER 10, 2022


Hello, everyone!

In Orange County, California, Taiwanese American and Navy veteran Jay Chen is running against Korean American Republican Representative Michelle Steel for the state’s 45th district.


Both campaigns have been concentrating their efforts in areas of Orange County that harbor high populations of Asian American voters, vying for their support as those votes can bring a stable victory. As the district  carries strong Republican and Democratic populations, candidates have been hard at work to rally more supporters to their side. 

Chen and Steel’s central issues focus around safety and inflation, which bring them on common ground; however, during previous events, both have been accused by the other of unsavory behavior. Chen has accused Steel of painting him as a sympathizer to the Chinese authoritarian government. In turn, Steel has accused Chen of mocking her accent after he said that people need “an interpreter to figure out exactly what she’s saying” at a rally in April. 

Representative Michelle Steel (left), Jay Chen (right)
Image:
CBS Los Angeles

Spotlight đź’ˇ

On Wednesday, Ken Kitajima, one of the last survivors of Camp Amache, a Japanese internment camp in Grenada, Colorado, passed away at 91.


He was imprisoned at the camp when he was in his teens, but as an adult, he was part of the campaign that transformed the camp into a federal historic site. In March, President Biden signed the Amache National Historic Site Act into law, which will preserve the area and space to “provide places for people to learn about and reflect upon the historic events that occurred there.” 

For Kitajima, he never thought that his story would have been memorialized or that he would “see
an America that cared.”

Race in America 🌎

In St. Paul, Minnesota, celebrations continue to uplift Asian American artists, shining light on creativity and small businesses across the state through free community events.


Suyao Tian, a Chinese American immigrant, independent curator, designer, and adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, is unveiling her inaugural show, “Before and After.” The event features her work as well as those of two other professional artists and several festivities including outdoor vendors with food and drinks from Groundswell, Master Noodle and Pho Pasteur; a professional cello player; and a children’s activity organized by Art Buddies, a nonprofit organization that works to mentor after-school youth in creative arts.

Another event, the “Solidarity Street Gallery” festival, will take place on Friday night and all-day Saturday to showcase the resilience of Southeast Asian immigrants along with other immigrant communities of color living in the area. In addition to the art, the event will also feature 20 outdoor vendors and live dance and art performances put together by more than 50 artists, mostly of Hmong and Karen heritage.

Suyao Tian (left)
Image:
Sandra Fele Art

San Francisco’s efforts to fight back against racism and hate crimes manifested in different programs and groups that continue to support its Chinatown community to this day.

One of these local programs, United Peace Collective, is a volunteer service dedicated to patrolling the Chinatown area. First founded in March 2020 by Leanna Louie, the service now operates seven days a week and also works to remove graffiti tags from roll-up doors and rooftops. Delta Chinatown Initiative, is another group that also popped up due to rising violence during the pandemic. The organization, founded by Lily Ho, works to set up rallies and town halls to inform the public and allocate funding to install security cameras in laneways along Grant Avenue.

In Other Asian News đź—ž

On Thursday, North Korea established a new law dictating the right to use preemptive nuclear strikes for national defense.


The new law replaces its predecessor from 2013 which allowed the government to use nuclear weapons to repel invasions or attacks and make retaliatory strikes against a hostile nuclear state. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un explained that, “The utmost significance of legislating nuclear weapons policy is to draw an irretrievable line so that there can be no bargaining over our nuclear weapons,” outlining the continued passion and stance on nuclear programming within the country.

In efforts to maintain its autonomy over such weaponry despite pushback from international bodies like the U.N., the new law now pushes the former legislative lines, authorizing nuclear weapon use if the country detects an imminent attack of any weapons aimed at its leadership.

 

...


A court in Hong Kong found five speech therapists guilty of sedition for books featuring wolves and sheep. This is the first case of seditious publication since the 2019 protests in Hong Kong.

Prosecutors in the case argued that all three picture books, created by Lorie Lai, Melody Yeung, Sidney Ng, Samuel Chan and Marco Fong, detailed separatist and hateful rhetoric against the Chinese government. The books, “The Guardians of Sheep Village,” “The 12 Heroes of Sheep Village,” and “The Garbage Collectors of Sheep Village,” all contain plotlines featuring sheep defending their homes from wolves. The plotlines relate to the recent history within Hong Kong’s democracy movement including the 2019 protests, the failed attempt of 12 protestors to flee to Taiwan by speedboat, and the strike held by local healthcare workers calling for the border between mainland China and the city to be sealed.

District Court Judge Kwok Wai Kin wrote that the intended audience of these books, children between the ages of four and seven, “will be told that in fact, they are the sheep, and the wolves who are trying to harm them are the PRC (People’s Republic of China) Government and the Hong Kong Government.” The five defendants will be sentenced on Saturday.

Fashion and Culture đź“ş

South Asian New York Fashion Week began on September 8.


The event was created by fashion entrepreneur Shipra Sharma. During the kick off for the event, Sharma said, “Lehengas turned into co-ord sets. Sarees turned into gowns with drapes. Palazzo pants became wide legged pants. We want to reclaim that narrative and introduce the world to the origins of these silhouettes and designs.”


...


Whether it is from friends after the passing of a loved one, politicians to their constituents, or businesses to hardworking employees, telegrams are a beloved communication form still widely used in Japan.

According to Kaoru Matsuda, a political consultant in Japan, telegrams convey a “more polite impression.” More than four million telegrams were delivered in Japan in 2020.

What else is on our minds? 🧠
 

  • A mosque in Minnesota was vandalized, causing more than $50,000 in damages. 

  • A Japanese BBQ sauce company is looking real tasty to an investment firm that just gave it $13 million. 

  • Comedian Jenny Yang is leading a food campaign to educate others and ask lifestyle brand Goop to change its messaging around MSG. 

  • According to a new study 30% of Asian American employees reported feeling that their race made it difficult to feel included at the workplace. 

  • U.S. Rep. Grace Meng announced a new initiative to foster a safer environment for Asian American Pacific Islander business owners in Queens, New York. 

Jenny Yang
Image:
Hulu

What are your favorite sauces?

Daniel likes sriracha, xo sauce, Italian red sauce, gochujang, burger sauce, good-quality soy sauce, fish sauce and chili oil. I like soy sauce, honey barbeque, sesame and yuzu.

Sincerely, Mya Sato and Daniel Anderson 

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