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JUNE 27, 2022
Hello, everyone!
Attwari is an indigenous holiday celebrated by the Tharu people of Nepal to foster love and unity among their community.
The holiday originates from the pain and struggle of displacement through persecution and inequity committed by the government. In the 1950s, when Nepal was eradicating malaria, many Tharu communities were forced to move out of their homes after others occupied their land.
After the ending of brutal civil war, the Comprehensive Peace Accord was signed in 2006. Tharu organizations that gained political power and wealth were able to negotiate an autonomous state within Nepalese territory. In 2015, Nepal adopted a new constitution that cemented and legitimized seven provinces within its borders, including Sudur Paschim Pradesh, which was home to a significant Tharu population.
In 2021 the Nepalese government declared June 27 a public holiday in the province, celebrating and acknowledging the history of the Tharu people.
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Race in America 🌎
On Saturday at the Unity March in Washington, D.C., people rallied for racial justice, and reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Around 2,000 people showed up to the event despite the extreme heat and flight cancellations. Organizers and attendees stood to support and protect their communities against anti-Asian hate, abortion bans and white supremacy. The crowd reiterated the need for solidarity between all racial, underrepresented and marginalized communities.
Anh Nguyen, a 17-year-old from a local Asian American advocacy group chapter, OCA-Greater Houston, said it best: “We’re here to be in solidarity with not only the Asian community, but with our Black brothers and sisters, our Indigenous brothers and sisters, and so many more who have been underrepresented.”
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A U.S. delegation is meeting with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss solutions to the country’s ongoing economic crisis.
The U.S. has pledged a combined $158.75 million for small to medium-sized businesses, the dairy industry and other humanitarian assistance for Sri Lanka. It is also planning on furthering its partnership with the nation to bring “a prosperous, secure and democratic future.”
U.S. Ambassador and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of State Kelly Keiderling, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Asia Robert Kaproth and the Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie J. Chung were part of the official delegation that met with the president and prime minister. However, due to the country’s diesel and oil shortages, Sri Lanka, which has remained neutral on the war in Ukraine, is still considering buying necessary resources from Russia.
In Other Asian News 🗞
In the UK, outdated health services are widening health inequities for their South Asian residents.
Like much of the immigrant community around the globe, many are vulnerable to heart disease, among other health concerns. For South Asian elders in the UK, dementia is a leading health issue. Compared to white British citizens receiving care for dementia, South Asian patients are struggling because of inadequate considerations. A report from Alzheimer’s Society discovered that many of these immigrants speak diverse languages that are not supported in the healthcare system and providers have also incorrectly assumed that these languages are interchangeable. Furthermore, in cognitive tests, many patients were asked questions about British history, but this proved a difficult task for many immigrants due to educational and demographic differences.
Without personalized and culturally appropriate tools, South Asian patients will receive limited care and late diagnoses, worsening their health.
In India-administered Kashmir, journalists find their freedom of expression hard-pressed toward criminalization.
Human Rights Watch has recorded 35 cases in Kashmir where journalists have dealt with “police interrogation, raids, threats, physical assault or criminal cases” since 2019.
Surrounded by a tense atmosphere, Kashmiri journalists find it hard to pursue their callings. Some have quit due to the overwhelming pressure from the Indian government. That same year, a six-month communication blackout to supposedly quell the protests and insurgency only hindered education, business opportunities and journalistic work. This forced many to look elsewhere for employment and many are not coming back to their old jobs out of fear.
Culture and Food 📺
Boy’s Love (BL) stories have often been the starting place for LGBTQ+ pop culture criticism and exploration. As a BL actor themself, Thai actor Copter Panuwat explains their own gender exploration as a proud non-binary individual working in the infamous industry.
Earlier this month, Copter released a series of tweets announcing their gender identity to the public. From there, an outpour of support from his friends and family pushed them forward in their continued advocacy. Copter understands the weight of their platform and how their identity creates visibility in the entertainment world. They admit that while the Thai BL industry was not focused on important LGBTQ+ issues at first, it has changed and will continue to change.
When it comes to gendered adjectives relating to beauty and attraction, Copter uses an approach that centers their humanity and learns “to love and respect others in their minds and heart, rather than simply stating that I have loved them because of their gender.”
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An ex-employee of Elon Musk is bringing robots to the pizza business. Say hello to automated pizza.
Chicago-born chef Ted Cizma is launching Stellar Pizza to bring pizzas seasoned with sci-fi realities. It’s not your regular delivery. Each truck has pizza-making technology installed to carry fresh pies to hungry homes, and yes, it will be driven to you by a human, don’t worry.
Stellar Pizza is not the first attempt from food-industry entrepreneurs to change the world. Cizma explains that this trend that combines tech with food shows the shifting playing field. He posits that “fractured supply chains, rising labor and food costs, as well as consumers’ increasing desire to obtain meals on their own terms, will drive the growth and development of technologically advanced food making machines and equipment.” So this might not be the first or last innovations you see on the future market.
What else is on our minds? 🧠
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