Race in America 🌎

According to investigators and Dallas police chief, the shooting at the Dallas hair salon on Wednesday was not a racially motivated hate crime. 

The hair salon was located in the Asian Trade District, which is also known as the city’s Koreatown.

The three Korean women shot at the scene are in stable condition, despite sustaining wounds in their extremities.

On Thursday, an arrest was made for disrupting a Stop Asian Hate rally in Los Angeles.

Last year, Steve Lee Dominguez, a 56 year-old from Diamond Bar, California was seen at a peaceful rally yelling "Go back to China" and other obscenities. Later that day he almost hit a 9 year-old as he intentionally drove through the crosswalk intersection, making an illegal u-turn to cut off the rally participants who were crossing. 

He has been charged with “two counts of bias-motivated interference with federal protected activities.”

In Other Asian News 🗞

As we move into the summer, climate change continues to harm communities across Asia.

A recent heatwave melted glaciers a lot faster than anticipated, washing away a historic bridge, the Hassanabad, which connected China and Pakistan. The flash flood also destroyed multiple homes and buildings while sweeping away two power plants.

In addition to infrastructure damage, the heat continues to kill dozens of individuals unable to find refuge in the scorching weather.

The temperature nearly reached 50 celsius (122 Farenheit) in cities across Pakistan.

On Thursday, the city of Jacobabad in the Sindh province hit 49.5 C (121F), and meteorologists estimate that this will continue until the rest of the week. Pakistan has been swallowed in a devastating heatwave, with the Pakistan Meterology Department (PMD) alerting citizens nationwide that temperatures were “6C (11F) and 9C (16F) above normal.”

The sweltering heat has also taken its toll on local resources. The Punjab province reported a 65% shrink in the Indus river, which is a key waterway in the nation. Local sheep herds have also experienced heavy heatstroke and dehydration.


 

Entertainment 📺

Naomi Osaka, the Haitian-Japanese tennis superstar is launching her own athlete management company named Evolve. 

With her longtime agent, Stuart Duguid, Osaka explains that this company will let athletes control their destinies, mirroring how Osaka pushed boundaries through her career. In their company, athletes will be partners instead of ambassadors, to support athletes doing things their own way.

The company will cover “brand partnerships, investing, creating athlete-owned business and philanthropy.”

 

What else is on our minds? 🧠

New Hmong words?
Minnesotan artist, SUNAH crafts new words for “queer” and other LGBTQ+ terms that do not exist in Hmong for members to positively identify with. SUNAH hopes to destigmatize LGBTQ+ identities and the negative language surrounding their community in Hmong through her art and performance. 

The Taliban is tightening gender segregation?
In the Western city of Herat, men and women are now prohibited from dining out together or taking strolls in parks. Even if a couple is married, men and women are separated in restaurants and there are designated days for park visitation depending on your gender. 

Biden plans a $150 million commitment to Asia?
To counter Chinese influence, President Biden and his administration is pledging $150 million to Southeast Asian nations to fund infrastructure, security, pandemic preparedness, and other efforts. While both Chinese and United States officials claim that they are only strengthening their relationships in the Indo-Pacific, tension over Chinese presence continues.