asian americans
SF DA Jenkins to Asian Americans at town hall: ‘You are now seen and heard’
- San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins addressed a crowd on Tuesday night to discuss the recent attacks on older Asian Americans.
- “I come to you as a sign of change,” Jenkins was quoted as saying. “You’ve been struggling with feeling unheard and unseen... by the San Francisco D.A.’s Office. You are now seen, and you are now heard.”
- Jenkins, who was appointed to the position just over a month ago, is running for re-election in November.
- During her speech, Jenkins earned applause while pausing periodically to allow a translator to convey her message to those who do not speak English.
- According to Jenkins, she would send a message that “this type of conduct is no longer tolerated in San Francisco” by holding people accountable for crimes against Asian American residents.
- Police Chief Bill Scott acknowledged that attacks against Asian Americans in the city had been going on for over two-and-a-half years.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins earned several rounds of applause as she spoke out against the recent attacks on older Asian Americans during a town hall on Tuesday.
The town hall was organized so that concerned residents could speak and air their grievances directly to local officials in the wake of the latest wave of violence in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
New book reveals Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s fiery response to Biden’s concerns about her as possible VP pick
- A new book titled “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future” by New York Times political writers Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns details a conversation between Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and then-presidential candidate Joe Biden as he was considering her as his running mate.
- Although Duckworth was on a shortlist, Biden and his lawyers were apparently concerned that birther attackers would claim she was not a “natural-born citizen.”
- Duckworth was born in Thailand to a Thai Chinese mother and American father. She responded to the concerns by saying that she had “beaten every assh-le who's come after me with that.”
- Article II of the U.S. Constitution states only a “natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States” can be president. No definition is given for “natural born Citizen,” but many legal experts have accepted that being born to at least one American parent is sufficient to consider someone "natural born.”
A new book from New York Times political writers Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Bidden, and the Battle for America’s Future,” details exchanges between then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) about why she was nixed as his running mate.
Biden’s vice president search team initially considered Duckworth as a contender, but Biden and his lawyers apparently expressed concerns about her place of birth. Duckworth was born in Thailand to a Thai Chinese mother and American father, which they believed made her vulnerable to birther claims from the Trump campaign.
‘There’s no judgment’: NYT reporter defends writing Asian Americans are ‘overrepresented’ in figure skating
Amid a fiery backlash that included accusations of anti-Asian bias, New York Times sports reporter Andrew Keh has defended his use of the word “overrepresented” in describing the presence of Asian Americans in figure skating.
Keh, who is Asian American, found himself in hot water last weekend after writing an article published on Feb. 8 titled “The Asian American Pipeline in Figure Skating.” The story featured statements from prominent Asian American skaters, including Tiffany Chin, Kristi Yamaguchi, Naomi Nari Nam, Nathan Chen, Karen Chen, Alysa Liu and Vincent Zhou.
California’s Asian Republican congresswomen urge community to vote GOP to fight anti-Asian attacks
- In an op-ed for the Lunar New Year, California Reps. Michelle Steel (R-48) and Young Kim (R-39) addressed issues faced by the Asian American community under Democratic leadership.
- The pair of lawmakers cited the recent surge in reported hate crimes, purported discrimination in higher education institutions’ admissions policies and general increase in prices and taxes as reasons for Asian American communities to activate.
- They invited Asian Americans to their nearest Republican National Committee community centers, saying, “The time for action is now.”
California Reps. Michelle Steel (R-48) and Young Kim (R-39) are inviting Asian American voters to join the Republican Party as a means to solve current issues that have taken a toll on members of the community.
In a Lunar New Year op-ed published by The Hill, the lawmakers opened by honoring the Year of the Tiger and praising the animal for its qualities, which they say are embedded in the Asian American identity.
Asian American women are being used to ‘prove’ white male supremacy is a ‘myth’ — Here’s why that’s wrong
Editor’s Note: The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of NextShark.
Asian American women have a higher median income than white men, but one statistic can never provide enough context to make a point about race in the United States.
‘Asian Americans’ 5-Part Documentary Series Unanimously Chosen for Peabody Award
The Peabody Board of Jurors recently named the five-part documentary series “Asian Americans” as the recipient of the Peabody Award for the documentary category.
Prestigious award: “Asian Americans” received the award in a unanimous vote on June 21, according to Rafu Shimpo.
On Anti-Asian Hate Crimes: Who Is Our Real Enemy?
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Medium and reposted with permission.
In recent weeks, there have been over 20 attacks on Asian businesses and people, mostly elders, with little to no coverage from the mainstream news outlets. Videos documenting such attacks have been circulating, mostly through individual social media accounts of Asian activists, celebrities, and journalists (thank you Amanda Nguyen, Dion Lim, Dr. Kiona, Daniel Dae Kim, Benny Luo, Lisa Ling, and Daniel Wu for being among the first public figures to use your platform to mobilize others). They show a 91-year-old Chinese man being shoved to the ground in Oakland’s Chinatown on Sunday, January 31st, just two days before an 84-year-old Thai man, Vicha Ratanapakdee, was pushed and killed in San Francisco, and multiple accounts of robberies targeting Asian-owned businesses in Chinatowns. In New York, a 61-year-old Filipino man was slashed across the face from ear to ear on Feb 3rd, and on the same day, a 70-year-old Asian woman was assaulted and robbed in Oakland.
NY Congresswoman Introduces Bill to Ensure Students Learn Asian American History
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) introduced a bill on Tuesday that promotes the teaching and learning of Asian Pacific American history in schools.
The legislation’s announcement fell on the 42nd anniversary of President Jimmy Carter’s enactment of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Week, which President George H. W. Bush later extended to the month-long celebration we know today.
Asian American Students Who Don’t Get in Their First-Choice University End Up Just Fine, Study Says
A new study has contradicted claims that Asian American students are harmed if they fail to get into their first-choice college or university.
In 2015 and 2016, the Coalition of Asian American Associations (CAAA) and the Asian American Coalition for Education (AACE), respectively, lodged nearly identical legal complaints with the Department of Justice, arguing that these students suffer from lower academic achievement, reduced co-curricular activities and a lack of self-confidence, among other negative consequences.
‘Fight the Virus. Fight the Bias’ Campaign Seeks to End COVID-19 Racism Against Asian Americans
A campaign that aims to quash racism against Asian Americans amid the COVID-19 crisis has launched on the internet this week.
Produced by “Master of None” co-creator Alan Yang, “Fight the Virus. Fight the Bias” features Asian Americans from all walks of life, brought together by experiences of discrimination during the pandemic.
68% of Asian Americans in California Now Fear They are Targets of Racism, Surveys Reveal
A series of surveys revealed that members of the Asian American community are wary of both race relations and the COVID-19 situation in the United States.
What the surveys were about: A coalition of nonprofit organizations looked into viewpoints from different ethnic groups about the current pandemic, systemic racism, as well as the policies pertaining to them.
The Silence of Asian Americans on Black Injustice
We can’t breathe.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man died after having his neck crushed under the weight of white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin.
