JULY 19, 2022

Hello, everyone!

Universities are largely removing their standardized test requirements, but for Asian households that pride themselves on academic achievement, what will this mean for future applicants?

As data has shown, Asian students are beginning to significantly outperform their white counterparts in more ways than one, academically anyway. However, with standardized test requirements dropped, Opinion Writer Jay Caspian Kang asks: is it possible instead that the move toward greater diversity and away from academic competition might also be a way to ensure that students from white, wealthy families can still compete with high-achieving Asian American students?
 

Wealthy Chinese and Indian families are moving into whiter neighborhoods, showcasing the evolving class lines in the U.S., but it also shows a need for Asian American students to branch out from regular academic success. With the Supreme Court reviewing the lawsuit against Harvard and its affirmative action policies, many are reminded of the University’s application process, which assumed many Asian students were bland for more mainstream career pursuits. 

There is a growing demand for children to become even more exceptional, meaning more extra-curricular and more stress on the children. But it’s not Asian kids that feel the most pressure. When surveyed, Dr. Natashsa Warikoo, a sociology professor at Tufts University, found that out of all the students, Black kids felt the most pressure to perform well in school. For Asian families that have found success through academic excellence, this is just the way of things — so what happens when the established pattern of excellence no longer revolves around numbers? 

Race in America 🌎

In Brooklyn, New York, redistricting is creating a major AAPI hub, bringing new political potential to the district.

The New York City Redistricting Commission is proposing a new plan called the “Asian Opportunity District,” which could pit current incumbents of two neighboring districts against each other. The plan hopes to combine parts of Sunset Park, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst. In a joint statement, 43rd C.D. Councilmember Justin Brannan and 38th C.D. Councilmember Alexa Aviles questioned the move, wondering why creating an AAPI-majority seat would dissolve and divide Red Hook and Sunset Park. 

Hearings regarding these issues will take place in August.
 

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In downtown Los Angeles, Mary Wang, a 74-year-old businesswoman who owns the JadeE gift shop, is navigating a changing Chinatown by utilizing social media and the internet.

With larger, modern corporations setting up shop (literally) in Chinatown, along with other economic factors, smaller mom-and-pop shops and community businesses are undergoing more financial strain and closures. To make up for the lack of profit, Wang began to market virtually, drawing in customers from the internet that ordered in bulk, to her surprise. 



In Other Asian News 🗞

In India, lawmakers are beginning their election for the nation’s new president. They are projecting Draupadi Murmu to win, and if she does, she will become the nation’s first tribal woman to sit as president.

Although the position is largely ceremonial, it can also act as a tie-breaker position in many parliamentary situations. Murmu, who was previously the governor of Jharkhand state, is backed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She is expected to win because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s influence, but other regional parties are also projected to support her.

Murmu will represent poor tribal communities that lack healthcare and educational facilities in remote regions.
 

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In Nepal, 27-year-old Chanira Bajracharya spoke out about her experience as a former Hindu living goddess, a Kumari.

Young girls who are chosen as goddesses are treated as divine beings and are often not able to receive an education. Bajracharya, however, is one of the few former Kumaris who received a formal education and went on to secure a corporate position. Her service as a Kumari, like many before and after her, was focused on listening to the people who came to her, attending religious ceremonies and acting as a religious link between Hinduism and Buddhism.

Bajracharya’s advocacy focuses on encouraging access and the pursuit of education for Kumaris, which would help expand their future prospects as well as provide an avenue for the religious practice to continue by improving conditions for these young girls.

Sport and Film 📺

A teaser trailer for the HBO Max drama series “The Idol” dropped today, showcasing several appearances from Blackpink’s Jennie Kim. The show sees The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, playing a club owner and secret cult leader who develops a complicated romantic relationship with a pop singer played by Lilly-Rose Depp. In typical HBO fashion, the trailer doesn’t shy away from sleazy scenes of wild parties, drugs and other forms of debauchery.

It is the first major Hollywood acting project for Jennie, who seems to have more than just a cameo in the show, possibly playing a recurring role as one of the cult followers. No official announcement of her involvement has been given by YG Entertainment yet, but it is a new milestone for the K-pop idol singer and rapper. 

Professional Japanese golfer Miroku Suto is zeroing in on her 12th sponsor; not bad for a 10-year-old. Some of her sponsors are worth six figures annually with contracts lasting ten years. Suto has won consecutive titles in the six and under age group at the Junior World Golf Championships back in 2017-2018. 

Suto, who is home schooled, has won other tournaments like the US Kids Championship last year and titles in Malaysia and Europe. She says it is “very difficult” and would like to rival Tiger Woods’ six junior world titles.  

What else is on our minds? 🧠
 

• The Utoro Peace Memorial Museum in Japan is aiming to bring ethnic Koreans and Japanese together to reconcile scars from racism and a legacy of war. 
• An examination of the legacy and impact of Tsang Tsou-choi, the “King of Kowloon” known for his graffiti art in the city of Hong Kong, is leaving a powerful political impression as his art fades from the streets. 
• Indians in Fiji face losing what little land they occupy to encroaching Chinese businesses. 
• As Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr steps into his position as President in the Philippines, Filipinos abroad are hoarding history books about his father in an effort to learn and preserve understanding of the dictator.
• South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi met in Tokyo on Monday to discuss historical disputes, aiming to mend strained ties.