April 30, forty years ago.

The Vietnam Memorial rises from the depths as one of it's legs points towards the Washington Monument.

I COULDN'T let today, April 30, 2015, go by without mentioning the 40th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War Memorial is one of the most emotionally moving monuments in Washington D.C. Designed by Maya Lin, a 21-year old Chinese American student, the memorial design was initially criticized because critics thought it was making a negative political statement. Critics wanted something more heroic and patriotic.

The simplicity of the design belies the emotion welling up inside you as you descend one of the legs of the V-shaped memorial. You read the engraved names as you descend down the path -- one name, two, four, until you get to center of the V. There are so many names the columns of names of the dead are over your head. Then it hits you in the gut. The sheer number of names of those American servicemen who died in that war is overwhelming. Over 58,000 of them. I went to high school with some of them. Some are relatives.

You look up and amidst the engraved names, the polished black granite reflects an image of the visitor. Then you get a second jolt with the realization: All these soldiers, they died for you. A few were my high school classmates. I was related to two others.

No matter what your political beliefs are, you can't help but be moved. It took an effort to hold back the emotions welling up inside me.

Then visitors walk up the slope of the other leg of the V. Thousands of names, hundreds and finally a single name. You have come out of the wedge that divided our country;  away from the black granite with all those names; away from the depths. In the distance you can see the Washington Monument. You can see the horizon again

Located discreetly amongst the trees near the memorial was another monument. It was a more traditional statue dedicated to the women who served in that war. In that era, women were not allowed in combat units so most women served in support units, like the combat nurses depicted in the statue. At the base of the statue was a note that took my breath away.

"I can't remember your name but I just wanted to say thanks for saving my life." It was signed, "One of many."

The tears came forth.

Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: Meet Gail from the Bronx, who'll sing the Philippines' anthem

MEET 19-YEAR OLD Gail Banawis of the Bronx, New York. She will be singing the Philippine National Anthem at the Pacquiao-Mayweather extravaganza this May 2.

Gail Banawis meets her hero.

She will be accompanied by The Word Chorale, a group of singing pastors from General Santos City in the Philippines.

Banawis is studying speech pathology at Brooklyn College and has had extensive training in dance in its various forms: ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop. 

“I am going to be incredibly proud of this experience,” Banawis said In an interview with the Inquirer. “Being able to sing for the ‘People’s Champ’ has always been an aspiration of mine. 

"He brought light onto the identity of Filipinos all over the world. I remember having to explain what a Filipino is to people who are unfamiliar with the Philippines, but now, just mentioning that you’re Filipino, people automatically say, ‘Oh, like Pacquiao!’”

According to a report from 24 Oras published on Pep, Banawis said that Pacquiao personally told her that she will perform together with the Word Chorale. Gail has opened for a number of celebrities from the Philippines in their U.S. shows, including Gabby Concepcion, Billy Crawford, and K Brosas.

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Eddie Huang: Hollywood wants to tell ‘White stories with yellowface

Eddie Huang's memoirs gave birth to the television family, above,  on Fresh Off The Boat

EDDIE HUANG is no shrinking violet.

In an interview with Bill Maher, he didn't mince words when he told Maher what he thought of the TV show "Fresh Off The Boat," which was based on Huang's memoirs of growing up in Orlando, Florida.

"I don't care," if people watch FOtB. 

He's not happy with the way network television has watered down his take on his own life. No matter what, he told Maher, it doesn't matter if its black, white, Latino or Asian, the Hollywood process comes out with the same story from the same white perspective.

The Hollywood creative process almost mandates that programs want "to tell universal White stories with Yellow faces, Black faces, Brown faces, but they tell the same universal story."

Even before the show debuted in February, Huang had been critical of how his story was being interpreted for mainstream audiences. "I don't even recognize my life," he said.

In a New York Magazine essay, Huang called the Asian American executive producer, Melvin Mar, an Uncle Chan. He wrote:

"From the Chinese Exclusion Act to Yick Wo v. Hopkins to your favorite talking head’s favorite “ching chong” jokes, America never ran out of the shadows to defend the honor of their obedient Chinamen. Despite being the “man’s” preferred lapdog of color, everything Asian-American immigrants have was fought for. We still wake up spotting the man 10 points, walking with our heads down, apologizing for our FOB-y aunts and uncles as if aspiring to wash your shirt or do your taxes were really such an insidiously foreign idea. In a way, I accept that I have to be 10 points better; what I won’t accept are Melvins."

The celebrity chef said his book of the same name, is darker. He reveals that there was domestic abuse in his family. His grandmother had bound feet, he says.

Welcome to Hollywood, Eddie. Hollywood where unique ideas go to die.

Eddie Huang

The show - as presented  on ABC - was a little disappointing but I was willing to let any criticism slide because ... well ... how many shows on TV feature Asian Americans? Despite being an immigrant Taiwanese American family in Orlando, that unique perspective was not adequately explored. In that respect, Huang was right. Many of the stories could have been told in any ordinary family in a television sitcom. The first episode where a classmate called young Eddie a "chink," and the last episode when the family struggled with its identity, were perhaps the best looks at the immigrant factor of the Huang story.

Despite these imperfections and Huang's dissatisfaction, it cannot be denied that FOtB is still a watershed show. Admittedly, the Asian American audience - hell, let's just say, the American audience, deserves better, but until the networks deliver something better, we need to keep FOtB alive while it sharpens its focus. It is good enough for renewal, but it can be so much better if the writers stop trying to cater to a mass audience.

Ominously, despite having decent ratings in its Tuesday, 8 p.m. time slot, considering the strong competition on other channels, ABC hasn't decided whether the breakthrough show is going to be picked up for a second season.

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Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: Mind games days before the Big Fight

UNLESS you've been living under a rock the last few months, we're in the middle of Fight Week preceding the "fight of the century" between - arguably - two of this century's greatest fighters" Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Floyd "Money" Mayweather.

Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) and Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) face off in a highly anticipated 12-round welterweight unification Saturday night.

Pacquiao arrived in Las Vegas on Monday and his entourage is staying at the Mandalay Hotel. The MGM Grand, where the fight will be fought, is Mayweather territory.

The mind games between the two camps have been going even before the fight was announced last February. Their respective networks, HBO and SHOWTIME are rivals, the managers, trainers and promoters don't like each other.

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, is questioning the made-to-order-gloves that Mayweather will be using. His fighter uses off-the-rack gloves made by a major manufacturer. Roach wants to know what kind of padding will be used in Mayweather's gloves. You can be sure that he'll take a really good look at the gloves before the fight.

RELATED: Boxing's Superbowl, May 2

Meanwhile, The Money Team (TMT), came out with this t-shirt, Floyd Mayweather's image superimposed over the Philippine flag. Everyone who follows boxing knows Pacquiao's love for his people and his country. He even had an original song written about fighting for the Filipino people that he'll use for his entrance into the arena on May 2 in Las Vegas. The $45 shirt is sold out.

When informed about the shirt, Pacquiao said, "That's good."

"I like that, because he wants to join our team -- TMT, 'The Manny Team.'"

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How to help victims of the Nepal earthquake

AT LAST COUNT, the death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal a few days ago has topped 4000. Some media reports predict the death toll could reach 13,000. Most of the killed occurred in the capitol Kathmandu. The total of dead is sure to rise as rescuers and search teams are scrambling to reach the outer villages to assess the damage.

USA Today has published a list of the agencies to which you can donate aid or cash.

It's heartening to see how quickly aid agencies from around the world have responded to sending equipment, supplies and medical personnel to help the Nepalese dig out of the rubble.

The Nepalese need help immediately. Fast aid is essential, says Center for Global Development fellow Vijaya Ramachandran, who has drawn her conclusions from looking at the Haiti earthquake and other disasters. "The aid that comes in within the first weeks and even months is of a life-saving nature. That's the period when the local capacity is almost zero. So outside help is really important."

Here's a word of caution however in case you want to donate aid. There are some organizations that will take your money and devote the majority of it to administration.Even the best-intentioned organizations can fall into this trap. You want an agency that will put the money into direct assistance.

Survivors are still being found.

Nepalese shift through the rubble searching for survivors.

Larry Itliong Day passed by California Assembly

Larry Itliong, an unsung hero of the labor movement, described himself: "I'm a mean son of a bitch."

ONE OF THE UNSUNG heroes of the American labor movement is finally getting some recognition for his union organizing in California's farm fields. Oct. 25, the hero's birthday, is the day chosen when Calfiornia's school children may one day learn about Larry Itliong and the struggle of Filipino migrant workers.

Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) introduced a bill last winter to recognize the labor leader and have his story incorporated into the state's history textbooks and lesson plans. Assembly Bill 7 was passed by the Assembly on April 10 this year with no opposition. For the full text of AB7, click here.

“Larry Itliong was one of the greatest labor organizers and leaders in California history,” explained Bonta, who is the son of Filipino American farmworkers. “He was a hero not only to the Filipino American community, but to all Californians and Americans who fought and continue to fight for socioeconomic and racial justice in our state and nation. AB 7 properly honors his life’s work and legacy of fighting for justice, opportunity, and equity.”

Growing up in a trailer just a few hundred yards from César Chávez’s home, Bonta watched closely as his parents organized Filipino and Mexican American farm workers, infusing his formative years with first-hand experience of one of the greatest peaceful social, racial, and economic justice movements of all time.

Itliong led the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee which consisted of a majority of Filipino American farm workers. Itliong and many other Filipino American farm workers like Andy Imutan, Philip Vera Cruz, and several others spearheaded the Delano Grape Strike of 1965 in Delano, California, and organized protests against unfair conditions and wages.

As a result of the 1965 grape strike, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and the National Farm Workers Association led by Cesar Chavez merged and became known as the United Farm Workers.

After working alongside Chavez with the UFW movement, Itliong shifted his focus to fight for Filipino American retired farm workers' rights and was instrumental in finding funding for Delano's Agbayani (Heroes') Village, a retirement home for farmworkers. He died

In 2010, the City of Carson, Calfiornia became the first city in the U.S. to officially establish Larry Itliong Day. Other municipalities that have recognized Larry Itliong Day include Elk Grove and Los Angeles County.

Honoring Itliong highlights the collaborative efforts between the Latino and Filipino American communities that continues to this day in the fight for immigration reform.

AAPI Civil Rights Heroes - Larry Itliong from Advancing Justice - ALC on Vimeo.

The growing numbers of Mexican farm workers shifted the attention to Chavez, but there would be no UFW if not for Itliong and the Filipinos.

As veteran California labor writer Dick Meister wrote:

Chavez felt that his group, then called the National Farm Workers Association, wasn't ready to strike itself, but would honor the picket lines of the striking Filipinos. Yet if they were to honor the picket lines of Itliong's group, Chavez' members asked, Why not strike themselves? Why not? And so they did. That became the grape strike of 1965 that drew worldwide attention and support and ultimately led to the unionization, at long last, of California's farm workers. It was Larry Itliong and his Filipino members who started it all, and who played an indispensable role throughout the struggle.

Without them there could not have been a strike. Without them, there could not have been the victory of unionization, without them no right for the incredibly oppressed farm workers to bargain with their employers.

The two labor leaders complemented each other. Chavez was charming and charismatic, but Itliong was from the streets. Often seen chomping on his signature cigar, he lost three fingers in a cannery accident and gained the nickname "7 fingers."

"I have the ability to make that white man know I am just as mean as anybody in this world," he says on the tape to students in 1976, a year before he died at age 63. "I could make him think, and I could make them recognize that I'm a mean son of a bitch in terms of my direction fighting for the rights of Filipinos in this country. Because I feel we are just as good as any of them. I feel we have the same rights as any of them. Because in that Constitution, it said that everybody has equal rights and justice. You've got to make that come about. They are not going to give it to you."

RELATED: Larry Itliong's son honors his father 
A new generation of Filipino American politicians

TGIF FEATURE: Why you should get to know funnyman Mikey Bustos

Before he turned to comedy, Mikey Bustos was making a name as a singer.

MIKEY BUSTOS made it to the Top Seven - not in American Idol, it happened to be Canadian Idol in 2003; but, why quibble? 

Canadian Mikey Bustos finds fame
in the Philippines.

He was the favorite among the show's screaming teens, which carried him far into the singing competition. He did well enough to convince him to leave his banking job and become a full-time entertainer.

Although he grew up in Toronto, he is now in Manila co-hosting a television show. He's moved away from his singing to become more of a parodist. HIs skits and parodies of popular songs has gained him a YouTube channel of his own.

After making some recordings that did quite well in Canada, he toured the U.S. and Canada.

For the last year and a half, Bustos joined the cast of the morning radio show Good Times with Mo in Manila where his popularity has been soaring.

He's funny. Wacky in a lovable way. His parody of Frozen's "Let It Go" is hilarious.

Enjoy "Adobo" (below) and have a nice weekend!

George Takei is everywhere

Hollywood figures urge talent agencies to diversify

George Takei, actor and activist

GEORGE TAKEI is everywhere: He's rehearsing for the Broadway premier of his musical Allegiance; he's stepping in to stop the sale of artwork made by Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II; he's on the Internet in his new reality web series It Takes Two (See video below), and - most recently - he's in speaking up for increased representation of minorities in the movie and television industry.

A media coalition of multi-ethnic Hollywood watchdogs — including the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition, American Indians in Film and Television, NAACP Hollywood Bureau and National Hispanic Media Coalition — is calling on the entertainment world's  talent agencies to meet with the coalition and talk about how to inject more color into their lineups, not less.

“Although the major talent agencies are located in Los Angeles, the most diverse city in the world, they seem largely unaware of the amazing talent that exists in communities right under their noses," said Takei. "They should partner with these coalitions for their mutual benefit: more representation and jobs for Asian American and other actors of color, and more dollars for the agencies.”

The Asian Pacific American Media Coalition (APAMC) has agreements with ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC committing them to work to increase diversity on-screen and behind the camera. APAMC members include such organizations as the Asian American Justice Center, East West Players, Japanese American Citizens League, Media Action Network for Asian Americans, National Federation of Filipino American Associations, OCA, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Visual Communications.

The press conference was partially in reaction to an article in Deadline shortly after the Oscars this year when no person of color was nominated for any of the acting awards #OscarsSoWhite.

The Deadline article, citing anonymous talent agents, raised the question that the apparent increase in acting roles given to actors of color (ie. Fresh Off The Boat, Blackish, Empire, Cristela, Jane the Virgin, etc.) may be too much of a good thing because white actors were allegedly losing jobs because so many productions were seeking actors of color. The article was roundly criticized and Deadline had to issue an apology because, the drop-in-a-bucket increase of acting jobs for actors of color didn't affect the majority of roles which were still overwhelmingly white.

The media coalition's press release says that talent firms remain a major barrier to full inclusion of the nation’s diversity in television and film. According to the 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report by UCLA’s Bunche Center for African American Studies, “minority talent remained underrepresented on every front at the dominant agencies,” as directors, leads, creators, and writers in film and television.

That is a problem, given the “tremendous influence” major talent agencies wield, which continues to “shape the labor market of the film and television industry.” Without representation, especially in the top talent firms, people of color are denied a fair chance at advancing their careers in the entertainment industry.

You can find more episodes of It Takes Two on YouTube.

RELATED:

Will racially diverse emoji lead to a better world?

SMALL THINGS can lead to bigger and better things. Get enough small things going at the same time and suddenly you have momentum. Momentum can build and then you have a movement, Before you know it, that movement leads to progress.

Take emoji for example. You know what those are, right? They are further up the evolutionary scale from emoticons ;-) and happy faces, the yellow circle with two dots for eyes and a smile resembling a face.

In our text-happy-emailing-and-messaging-that-passes-off-as-communication world, they are symbols that add nuance to those electronic smoke-signals that can often result in misunderstandings or misinterpretations.

It's difficult to convey sarcasm or irony in your typical message, but add a smiley-face or ;-) and you are telling the recipient, don't take this too seriously, "I'm joking." Leave the emoji out, and you could lose a friend.

Apple, the maker of iPhones, iPads, etc., has introduced emoji-of-color to their lists. Why does this matter? Small steps, people. The video explains it all ... kinda. But you get the gist. At least we're no longer limited to choosing between extremely light beige (white) or extremely dark brown (black) anymore.

Apple recognizes that the world is more complex than black and white.

For those of us who are not of African American or European heritage, which is most of the word, there's finally a choice of beige and browns to choose from. For me, I chose the third from the right. 

Unfortunately, in some quarters of the Asian community, the bright yellow of the reputedly east Asian emoji is a sickly color. Jaundice? I can see what they mean. Unless you're a resident of Legoland, who's skin is actually that color?

Right now, only those with an iPhone with the latest update can access these emoji-of-color. Apple suggests that those who own smart phones of other brands to start asking for a similar array of emoji to choose from.

Actually, taking a second look at my chosen emoji, the hair should be black (if I had hair) but that's close enough for now. I would prefer a wider range to choose from. I trust some enterprising coder will come up with something else soon.

Who would have thought that emoji's could make a political point or a statement about one's own identity? The choice matters. It helps. Small steps ... small steps.