January 9, 2023

Hello, Everyone!

Erika López Prater, an adjunct professor at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, lost her teaching position after showing a 14th-century painting of Islam's founder, the Prophet Muhammad, in a global art history class.

López Prater had taken precautions to avoid offending students, including warning in the syllabus that holy figures would be depicted and allowing students to leave before showing the painting. However, after the image was shown, a senior in the class complained and other Muslim students who were not in the course supported the student, saying the class was an attack on their religion. Officials at the university told López Prater her services were no longer needed and labeled the incident "Islamophobic."

The incident has sparked a national controversy, with some advocates of academic freedom and free speech defending López Prater, and others, including Muslim students and the university's president, Fayneese S. Miller, arguing that respect for Muslim students "should have superseded academic freedom." Miller said in a statement, "To look upon an image of the Prophet Muhammad, for many Muslims, is against their faith... It was important that our Muslim students, as well as all other students, feel safe, supported and respected both in and out of our classrooms."
 

López Prater's situation has also brought attention to the status of adjunct professors who are paid little and often lack the workplace protections of tenured faculty. Todd H. Green, who has written about Islamophobia, said the situation "highlights the precariousness of the adjunct professoriate and the lack of due process that exists for these folks."

• King Phojanakong, a chef who brought Filipino cuisine to the American mainstream with his restaurant Kuma Inn in the 2000s, died at the age of 54 of complications from encephalitis, a rare disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. He was born to a Filipino mother and Thai father, and after studying at the Culinary Institute of America and working at several top New York restaurants, he opened Kuma Inn in 2003, which was only the second sit-down Filipino restaurant in Manhattan. The restaurant was known for its small plates of Filipino favorites.

• More schools, no merit: Two more high schools based in Fairfax, Virginia have come under fire for not submitting and notifying parents of their children’s merit commendations. Langley High School and Westfield High School received their notifications just this past weekend. These incidents come shortly after Thomas Jefferson High School and Technology were caught withholding merit scholarship opportunities. This has led to an investigation into whether changes to the admissions policy at the school have violated state law. Some parents and students have claimed that the lack of notification was motivated by racial bias against Asian American students. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has requested that the investigation be expanded, alleging that the schools may have violated the Virginia Human Rights Act.

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• Sikh judge in Houston: Manpreet Monica Singh has become the first female Sikh judge in the nation. Born and raised in Houston, Singh took her ceremonial oath of office in a packed courtroom with Judge Ravi Sandill, the state's first South Asian judge, presiding over the ceremony. Singh said she is happy to be able to represent Houston and to be a role model for kids who may not have previously seen a possibility for certain professions. There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the U.S. with approximately 20,000 in the Houston area. Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world.

• Pious parade: On Sunday, thousands of Catholic devotees in the Philippines, many wearing masks and carrying candles, participated in a night procession through downtown Manila to honor a black statue of Jesus Christ. The procession, known as the "Walk of Faith," was nearly 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long and was attended by around 80,000 people, a fraction of the more than one million who typically participate in the annual event. In previous years, the Black Nazarene statue was paraded through the streets on a carriage, with devotees trying to touch it in a display of piety. This year, however, the statue was not paraded and devotees were prohibited from kissing it due to COVID-19 concerns. Police were on alert and deployed thousands of personnel to secure the event and remind attendees to maintain social distance.

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• Ma’s move: Jack Ma, the founder of Chinese fintech company Ant Group, will no longer control the firm after it underwent a governance structure change. Under the new structure, Ma will hold just over 6% of the company, compared to more than 50% previously. Ant Group, which operates Alipay, China's primary online payment system, had its planned $37 billion stock market flotation abruptly halted in November 2020 after Ma publicly criticized China's financial sector. The move was seen by some analysts as an attempt by the Chinese government to rein in a company and individual that had become too influential. Ant Group is also expected to be hit with a fine of more than $1 billion as part of a regulatory crackdown on China's tech giants.

• Osaka pulls back: Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open set to take place in Melbourne on Jan. 15. This marks the latest development in a tumultuous career for Osaka who has struggled to regain her form since taking two lengthy breaks from competition in 2021. Osaka has not played in a tournament since September when she withdrew from a match in Japan due to abdominal pain. Despite her limited play and a ranking that sunk to 85th in the world last February, Osaka remains one of the highest-earning athletes in the world with endorsement deals totaling over $50 million annually, according to Forbes.

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• Yeoh wins at Palm Springs: Michelle Yeoh spoke on representation during her acceptance speech at the 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) on Thursday. She wore Schiaparelli’s Fall 2022 couture collection and was the recipient of the International Star Award for her role in A24’s 2022 film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” “Representation matters,” Yeoh stated. “By your choices over the years, you demanded that attention must be paid to other cultures and a larger world of talent. I thank you for that.” The award highlights Yeoh as “one of the greatest and most successful actresses from the East,” the Palm Springs International Film Society wrote.

• A 3-year-old boy discovered a secret aspect of the Ghibli Museum’s entrance over 20 years after its opening in 2001.
   
• Actor Dave Bautista shared that he got his tattoos of Manny Pacquiao covered due to Pacquaio’s anti-gay statements. 
   
• Squishmallow Pikachu and Gengar plushes will soon return in the Spring. 
   
• Dr. Martens has some Lunar New Year-inspired kicks. 
   
• Mixed martial arts up-and-comer Victoria Lee died on Dec. 26, 2022 at age 18. No reason has been given.