Pixar’s 'Wind' is a Korean grandmother’s legacy

PIXAR

A scene from 'Wind.'

ASAM NEWS

The story of Wind, the latest short film from Pixar’s Sparkshort program, is the inspiration of director Edwin Chang.
Meaww reports Chang created an underground world where a grandmother and grandson are trapped. They can’t get out and are forced to live on rocks. No rock is their permanent home as the wind keeps the rocks floating and forces them to move from boulder to boulder. They are determined to get out.

“It’s a metaphor for Korea, a metaphor for immigration, but personally it was inspired by my grandmother,” Chang explains to ABC7. “She was a single mother after the Korean War, and it’s inspired by everything she did to take care of her kids and my dad, feed them, educate them and eventually sending them all the way to the U.S. for a new life.”

Fiction yes, but definitely based on reality

“This makes it feel real. This really has consequences. It’s a real place,” he said.

Unfortunately Chang’s grandmother never got to see her grandson’s finished product. She died before the film could be completed, but she remains vivid through Wind and in Chang’s mind.

Meaww reports the film will leave you teary-eyed. Wind can be seen on the Disney Plus streaming service.

Wind and Float, another short Pixar animated film featuring Asian American characters, are part of an initiative called SparkShorts. 

“The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows," said Pixar president Jim Morris. "These films are unlike anything we’ve ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than our normal fare.”

Wind and Float can be viewed on the Disney+ streaming network.

Crazy Rich Asians Jon Chu proposes a Rose Tico series

The mini-revolt by Star Wars fans is still bubbling after the latest episode of the 9-movie space saga was released 10 days ago spilling into a huge PR problem for Disney Studios.

At the center of the controversy is the virtual disappearance of Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran. Tico was one of main heroes of the previous episode, The Last Jedi, but in the latest chapter, The Rise of Skywalker, she is onscreen only 1 minute and 16 seconds.

Tico's prominence in The Last Jedi was hailed by Asian Americans as the long-awaited arrival of Asians in "the galaxy far, far away," where the storyline takes place. 

Movie director Jon Chu has joined the fray by offering to direct a TV series featuring Rose Tico.

On Friday (Dec 27), the Crazy Rich Asians director took to Twitter to mamke his proposal: “Ok @disneyplus. Put me in coach. Let’s make this series happen. #RoseTicoDeservedBetter @starwars.”

It's ironic it took so long for the franchise to pay some recognition that the series owe so much of its lore and initial storyline to the popular samurai movies of the 1960s. Creator George Lucas admits that he was inspired by Jajpanese director Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortrress and the style of sword-fighting from the samurai in Kurosawa's period flicks.

Disney Plus is the studio's pay-for-view streaming network which already features a Star Wars spinoff, The Mandalorian and have plans for  a Rogue One prequel series and an Obi-Wan-centered series, both of which feature original Star Wars film actors returning to their roles.

Chu didn't offer any further details but an offer by one of Hollywood's in-demand directors should be taken seriously. Besides the groundbreaking Crazy Rich Asians, his latest project, In the Heights, looks to be another hit. Also among his credits are the moneymaking franchises, G.I. Joe Retaliation, Step up and Now You See Me.

Tico's character was heavily criticized by a small segment of Star War fans who didn't like an Asian woman playing such an important role in a franchise they somehow believe should be populated by strong, white men and princesses that need rescuing. They mounted an intense social media campaign infused with hate and racism forcing Tran to shut down her social media account at one point.

So when Tico's role was seriously reduced in the ninth and final chapter of the space saga, it appeared to fans that the producers and studio were caving to the unwarranted criticism.

In such a diverse universe, one would think there would be room for an Asian or two considering much of the lore for the initial Star Wars movies were co-opted from Japanese samurai movies, from the use of The Force, costumes and style of swordfighting. George Lucas, who created the Star Wars story, admitted that he stole from Japanese director Akira Kurosawa and his Japanese period film The Hidden Fortress and other samurai films popular in the 1960s.

Chris Terrio, co-screenplay writer of The Rise of Skywalker, tried to temper the rising controversy by responding to the Rose Tico defenders in interviews with several publications. 

Well, first of all, J.J. and I adore Kelly Marie Tran. One of the reasons that Rose has a few less scenes than we would like her to have has to do with the difficulty of using Carrie’s footage in the way we wanted to. We wanted Rose to be the anchor at the rebel base who was with Leia. We thought we couldn’t leave Leia at the base without any of the principals who we love, so Leia and Rose were working together. As the process evolved, a few scenes we’d written with Rose and Leia turned out to not meet the standard of photorealism that we’d hoped for. Those scenes unfortunately fell out of the film. The last thing we were doing was deliberately trying to sideline Rose. We adore the character, and we adore Kelly – so much so that we anchored her with our favorite person in this galaxy, General Leia.

Terrio's explanation doesn't seem adequate enough considering the high level of special effects used in the movie, but it is the only explanation so far. If a studio can create  a universe where all kinds of aliens can co-exist and travel to distant planets in minutes, it seems that it could overcome this technical glitch.

Neither Disney Studios or J.J. Abrams, director for The Rise of Skywalker, has responded to all the hoopla surrounding the Rose Tico controversy. If Disney though the fanboys' trolling was intense, they would be wise to not anger the Asian American online army.

Filipina American entrepreneur sells Care.com for $500,000

CARE.COM

Entrepreneur Sheila Lirio Marcelo sells the company she founded.

ASAM NEWS

The company behind Expedia and Match.com is buying the child and adult care referral site, Care.com, for $500 million dollars, reports the Inquirer.
Sheila Lirio Marcelo founded Care.com in 2007 after expressing frustration about the difficulty in finding child care as well as for her ailing father.

“Since our founding 13 years ago, we’ve delivered on our mission to help millions of people find affordable, high-quality care and caregivers find meaningful work,” Marcelo said in a statement.

Marcelo took her company public in 2014, becoming part of a select group of women CEOs to do so. Just 3 percent of companies which went public between 1996 and 2013 have been headed by women.

Tim Allen, an executive at IAC, was named to succeed Marcelo as CEO.

“Since our founding 13 years ago, we’ve delivered on our mission to help millions of people find affordable, high-quality care and caregivers find meaningful work,” Marcelo said in a statement.

According to the Motley Fool, Care.com hit a high of over $25 a share in March, but the stock dipped to a low of $7.61 in August following a negative report from the Wall Street Journal. The report questioned whether Care.com had been doing enough to screen care providers who used the site to find new clients. The newspaper reported several criminals used the site to find new business and to commit crimes against both children and the elderly.

With more than 1.5 million successful matches made since its inception and 374,000 paying families as of Q3 2019, Care.com is the leading global platform for matching families with caregivers in the rapidly growing but highly fragmented market for family care, sized in excess of $300 billion in the U.S. alone.

“Family care is exciting new territory for us — and an accelerating market as demand for both child and senior care intensifies worldwide,” said IAC CEO Joey Levin in a statement. “The Care.com team has built a trusted brand and marketplace for families all over the world. We like marketplace businesses and this is one in a category we think has incredible potential.”

“Now, we’re bringing together the world’s largest marketplace for care with the leader in scaling and growing marketplace businesses.," added in her statement. "We are excited to work with Tim and IAC’s leadership and believe this transaction will deliver value to all our stakeholders.”

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

Sunday Read: Who are the Andrew Yang supporters?

Korean American Steven Yeun on Thursday (Dec. 26) endorsed entrepreneur Andrew Yang in the Democratic presidential primary.

The New York-born Yang was said he was "thirlled" to have the actor join the Yang Gang.because he said he and his wife are fans of the long-running series that takes place in a zombie apocalyptic world. And there, in a nutshell -- is Yang's relatability. A normal guy who fanboys "The Walking Dead."

What other candidate has admitted that they love a TV show watched by millions of ordinary citizens. It is not a high-brow symphony or elitist Broadway play. The Walking Dead is everyman's show.

“The Walking Dead” star said Yang’s position as a political outsider would help him in serving the country.

“After meeting and speaking with Andrew Yang several times, I didn’t see a traditional politician; I saw a real human being who is authentic and genuinely cares deeply about everyday people and our country," Yeun said in a statement shared by the campaign.

“I think he is rising to the challenge of a new world and he’s uniquely thinking about the future and the life we will leave for our children and further generations," he continued.

Yeun immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea with his family when he was young. He was raised in Troy, Mich.

“His story is a true testament to the American Dream that immigrants from around the world come to this country to pursue,” Yang said.

Yang's presence in the campaign while more experienced candidates with name recognition and wide backing have dropped out -- read Kamala Harris -- speaks volumns about his appeal.

According to fivethirtyeight.com, "Yang’s strength comes primarily from voters under the age of 45, especially those between the ages of 18-to-29."

FIVE THIRTY-EGHT

As someone outside of the political mainstream, he is perceived as an unpolitical candidate, considering how tyupical politicians are disliked and distrusted by the American public, especially the young voters who are more open to choose outsiders over insiders. In this demographic, he is drawing more support than Bernie Sanders, who draws much of his support from this same group.

Yang has without question run an internet-savvy campaign, leaning into the meme culture popular among his supporters online, writes 538. "Yang also hasn’t shied away from discussing the dark underbelly of technology. That’s an issue that resonates with many young people, who have grown up in an era where tech giants like Amazon, Facebook and Google have dominated the marketplace and are helping alter the future of work." 

His call for a Secretary of Technology makes sense for a generation that spends all their waking hours staring at a screen at work and then staring at their mobile device after work.

His emphasis on new technology -- both the good and bad -- has made him a favorite among young men who see him as a fellow nerd. Yeun's endorsement and recent support from Donald Glover (Little Gambino) and Noah Centeneo (To All the Boys I've Ever Loved) should widen his appeal to the cool guys.

FIVE THIRTY-EIGHT

It's hard to figure out why, but an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics in November found that Yang's appeal hasn't garnered young women. Women were less likely than men to contribute to his campaign — only 29 percent of Yang’s itemized contributions have come from female donors so far, according to CRP's analysis.

Despite Yang's outgoing nature, dry sense of humor and the very fact that he's dared to run for the highest office in the land as evidence his image is counter to the Asian male stereotype, its hard to shake the centuries-old lingering racist stereotype of Asan men that describes them as less appealing as a romantic partner. Dating sites have done research that shows the strong tendency for women of all races to swipe left when presented with an Asian prospect.

A recent survey showed that Asian Americans are starting to shift their donations to Yang's campaign. With the withdrawal of Indian American Kamala Harris and the faltering campaign of Samoan American Tulsi Gabbard, many AAPI donors perhaps partially out of ethnic pride are taking a serious look at Yang's unconventional candidacy.

As a result, Yang has been the chief beneficiary of AAPI political contributions. According to AAPI Data, he has raised $1,420,000, far surpassing Joe Biden, who raised $846,000.

Yang's popularity among AAPI communities is on the rise despite some doubts from activist groups who believe his jokes about Asians loving math, or knowing a lot of doctors  reinforces Asian American stereotypes.

In his own way, by being out there banging heads with the white frontrunners, he is also showing a more aggressive facet of an Asian American man. That's why even if some Asian Americans may disagree with his style or even with his policies, it is important that he be taken seriously and treated with the same sort of respect given to any other black, white,  Latino or female candidate.

Yang has been able to draw from those voters who hate traditional politicians and the grid-lock in Washington. His outsider status attracts younger voters, who feel that career politicians don't "get" them.

That may also explain why the bulk of his donors are small sums, less than $200, the largest percentage than any other candidate. Several candidates, such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, have touted the support of the small donors, but their treasuries also have substantial support from large donations from individuals and bundlers. Yang can clearly claim that he depends on small donations. In the 3rd Quarter, he was able to raise $10 million, which should carry him through the first few primaries and caucuses.

 The most recent Morning Consult survey says that he has moved into 4th place, ahead of Pete Buttigieg, in terms of favorability among potential voters.

Despite his unexpected rise, Yang still lags far behind the top tier of candidates. In nationwide polls, he hasn't been able to rise above the low single-digits. At some point, he's got to appeal to segments of the electorate beyond the enthusiastic Yang Gang.

In that regard, Saturday (Dec. 28), Yang has ended his feud with MSNBC. He boycotted MSNBC after the November debate when he received the shortest amount of speaking time on top several other slights by the network. He failed to get the on-air apology he asked for but the network did apologize privately and via social media.

“I am sitting down for a remote interview with Chris Hayes from South Carolina tonight,” he said before the appearance..”Chris, and other MSNBC journalists, have reached out to me and the team in the past days. I decided that I’d prefer to speak to as many Americans as possible — our message is too important.”

The centerpiece of his campaign the Freedom Dividend and how to pay for it, sounds almost too good to be true but people seem to be attracted to the idea. He has the youth vote and is doing well among Asians. In order to bring in a larger portion of voters, he needs to find a way to get women, college-educated suburbanites and African Americans to vote for him but in order to do that, he still needs to overcome the huge challenge of overcoming the stereotypes placed on Asian American men. 

Edited Dec. 29 for clarification.

Author battles racism in the romance novel iindustry

The ugly truth: There's a reason there are relatively few romance novels featuring people of color.

ASAM NEWS &
VIEWS FROM THE EDGE

This story has the makings of a soap opera, albeit not a romantic one.
Best selling romance novelist Courtney Milan, a Chinese American, has been suspended from the Romance Writers of America after she accused other romance novelists of racism.

She was suspended and the RWA had second thoughts and she received an apology ... while they wait for a legal opinion.

According to TheWrap, Milan accused fellow authors Suzan Tisdale and Kathryn Lynn Davis of racism. One tweet called Davis’ 1999 romance novel "Somewhere Lies the Moon" a “f—ing racist mess.”

The RWA unanimously suspended Milan , a former board member, after Tisdale and Davis filed formal complaints. That sparked a backlash and the hashtag #IStandWithCourtney.

Writer Hillary Monahan summed up the debacle: “Chinese American author critiques white woman’s portrayal of Chinese Americans, white woman calls her a neo-nazi for it, RWA backs white woman and censures author, -BACKLASH-, RWA rescinds censure, everyone eats a giant holiday meal, RWA roils in own vomit. Missing anything?”

Some supporters of Milan went so far as to resign their memberships from the Romance Writers of America, reported the New York Post.

“I resigned from RWA,” author Alyssa Day tweeted on Christmas Eve. “Allowing racists to weaponize RWA’s Code of Ethics against someone calling out that racism goes against everything a code of ethics stands for, and this result is appallingly and profoundly wrongheaded. I’m done.”

COURTNEY MILAN

“I’m sure RWA thought delivering this news right before the holidays would blunt its reach and it’s like SURPRISE BITCHES WE CAN BE MAD AND WRAP, ” Alisha Rai added.

The Post is now reporting that RWA is now appearing to back off from its decision, sending this letter to Milan: “Dear Courtney, at a meeting today that identified a gap between policy and progress, RWA’s Board of Directors rescinded its vote accepting the findings of the Ethics Committee report and its consequent penalties against Courtney Milan pending a legal opinion. RWA reiterates its support for diversity, inclusivity and equity and its commitment to provide an open environment for all members.”

The decision appears to be temporary pending a legal opinion. Stand by for the next chapter into this saga.

The racism in the romance novel industry runs deeper than a few authors. According to Milan, racism is structural.

In 2016, she pointed out in her blog that romance novels with minority characters or written by authors of color do not get reviewed by Kirkus Reviews. She wrote:

"On January 15, 2016, a post went up on Kirkus Reviews blog. That post was about celebrating diversity. It also contained this extremely troubling claim: “I rarely get romances to review that are written by or include characters of color. So even when I actually buy a book, or a publisher sends me an author I really want to read, I usually don’t have time—reading that book takes me away from titles I get paid to read.” Let me translate if you’re not seeing what’s wrong with this: This says that Kirkus and NPR (the entities this author works for) by and large do not review books by diverse authors. The author of that post vowed to read more diverse romances in her spare time, but did not say anything about trying to change the conversation at her institutions."

"These are major review sources. Librarians and book sellers rely on these publications to decide who to purchase. Not being reviewed by these sources, ever, makes it materially difficult for an author to have a break out career in traditional publishing."

"Kirkus Reviews admitted this was their policy without any explanation. "Underrepresented people are systematically being excluded from benefits that are extended to white, straight authors. Kirkus Reviews published a piece admitting that, with only a tiny number of exceptions, they don’t review romances except those written by white authors," her blog post continued.

"You don’t have to put yourself in personal danger today to stand against injustice. You just have to say that happily ever afters belong to everyone. To say that every author deserves a chance at a career. To stand up and shout that an author’s book should have a chance to be judged based on the quality of her writing, and not on the color of her skin."

Weekend Reading: Nisei vets, Chinese restaurants closing & reality of workplace diversity

Nisei veterans share stories of the lives they built in Hawai‘i after WWII

The world knows these nisei veterans as heroes. But to many of us in Hawai‘i, they’re that and more: They are our grandpas, dads, husbands, uncles and friends. My grandpa returned home from WWII, got married, raised my mom and auntie, and worked as a meat cutter and all-around handyman at our family market, Mō‘ili‘ili Store. Others graduated from college and became politicians, lawyers, professors and blue-collar workers.

Jayna Omaya, writing for Honolulu Magazine, wanted to get to know these men who helped shape Hawai‘i’s course. And while the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II isn’t until next year, we needed to capture as many of their stories as we could, now, before it’s too late.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

Chinese restaurants are closing cross the country & owners are glad their children won’t be taking over

Across the country, owners of Chinese American restaurants are ready to retire but have no one to pass the business to. Their children, educated and raised in America, are pursuing professional careers that do not demand the same grueling labor as food service.

According to new data from the restaurant reviewing website Yelp, the share of Chinese restaurants in the top 20 metropolitan areas has been consistently falling. Five years ago, an average of 7.3 percent of all restaurants in these areas were Chinese, compared with 6.5 percent today. That reflects 1,200 fewer Chinese restaurants at a time when these 20 places added more than 15,000 restaurants over all.

Amelia Nierenberg and Quoctrung Bui of the New York Times look into this phenomenon that signals the success first generation immigrants have in seeking a better life for their children.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

A new platform can tell you what it’s like to be a minority at the world’s largest companies

As an underrepresented minority (URM) within your organization, you may worry that your experiences as “the only” may not be positive. There are several accounts of URMs feeling excluded and tokenized within their companies. For new and prospective employees entering into a workplace where they will be considered an URM, there may be growing concerns about how the organization will foster a sense of inclusion and belonging to make employees feel valued, safe and appreciated. How will your experience be as the only woman of color in this particular company? 

Fortune Magazine looks at a new platform that gives you an idea what it might be like to work for some os America's largest companies.

While everyone’s experiences are unique and different, being able to learn more about the experiences of other URM can give you greater insight and clarity regarding whether you will be a good fit within a particular organization. If you find out a company fosters an inclusive environment for the differently abled, this will help you better understand how your experiences will be at the organization. Similarly, if you learn that Asian American employees within an organization have been marginalized and treated inequitably, you could possibly save yourself a world of heartache, pain and anguish.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

TGIF Feature: Internee Chiura Obata's exhibit part of America's story

Chiura Obata, 1885-1975. Seven decades of his work are on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

There's a lot of significance to an exhibit of the work of a Japanese American artist being exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum instead of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. 

Until recently, East Coast bias and dismissal of immigrant and minority artists like Chiura Obata whose paintings are American works of art which belong in that ever evolving diverse spectrum, not shuffled off to a separate token corner. 

OBATA

Evening Glow at Mono Lake, from Mono Mills, woodcut 1930

His exhibit expands the definition of who and what is American beyond the traditional Eurocentric fallback to include impactful black,Latin, Native American and Asian experiences.

A new show, up through May at the Smithsonian, finally acknowledges Obata’s chapter in 
the “American story,” says his family.

Obata (1885–1975) ranks among the most significant California-based artists and Japanese American cultural leaders of the last century. Born in Okayama, Japan, Obata immigrated to San Francisco in 1903. 

Obata’s seemingly effortless synthesis of different art traditions defies the usual division between “East” and “West.” The exhibit presents the most comprehensive survey of his rich and varied body of work to date, from bold California landscape paintings to intimate drawings of his experiences of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Today Obata is best known for majestic views of the American West, sketches based on hiking trips to capture what he called “Great Nature.” Every work is grounded in close observation, rendered with calligraphic brushstrokes and washes of color.

Teaching and community engagement are Obata’s second legacy for American art. As a professor at University of California, Berkeley, and a founder of the East West Art Society, a Bay Area artists’ collective, he facilitated cross-cultural dialogue, despite widespread prejudice against Asian Americans. 

In 1942, when World War II fears and Executive Order 9066 forced Obata and more than 100,000 West Coast Japanese Americans into incarceration camps scattered across the US, he created art schools in the camps to help fellow prisoners cope with their displacement and loss.

Inside the camps, art was a force that worked differently.

Photographs, paintings and other forms of art were not used to depict the horrors of incarceration. Rather, these forms of art were used to “make violence beautiful,” said Professor Jason Weems of the Department of History at UC-Riverside . They were coping mechanisms in which the incarcerated Japanese normalized their experiences, so as to have normal boundaries for their families to reside in.

OBATA

Moonlight Over Tapaz 1942

"Moonlight Over Topaz" (1942), illuminated the same normalization of life within the camps. Weems explained, the imprisoned Japanese American artist painted in order to keep the hope for freedom alive amongst the community enclosed by barbed wire.

After the war, Obata returned to his callings as a painter, teacher, and cultural ambassador with scars that brought new emotional force to his work. The works in this retrospective take us on an epic journey in which peaks, valleys, storms, and sunlight may reflect universal challenges to becoming a successful artist as well as the particular struggles and dreams of America’s minority and immigrant communities.

"Chiura Obata: American Modern" presents more than 150 paintings and personal effects, many on public display for the first time in this tour.  His art will be on display through Asian Pacific American Heritage month until May 25, 2020.

OBATA

Topaz Moon

AAPI communities putting their money in support of Andrew Yang

With the departure of Kamala Harris from the presidential race earlier last month and Hawaii's Rep. Tulsi Gabbard fading fast, Andrew Yang's support from the AAPI community appears to be growing.

Data compiled by AAPI Data shows that in terms of financial support from AAPI donnors, Yang has shot to the top among all of the Democratic hopefuls with $1,419,644 in donations.

A distant second is former Vice President Joe Biden who raised $845,671 from AAPI donors; followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warner with $738,089 and South Bend. Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, $674,599.

The last time AAPI Data released information where AAPI political donors in the first quarter of 2019, Sen. Cory Booker was the top fundraiser with his strong base of  Asian Americans from his home state of New Jersey. Second was Gabbard with an initial contributions from the Hindu community.

In the third quarter, Booker is now seventh in fundraising from Asian Americans. Gabbard has sunk to 11th among the remaining candidates.

Yang's support is chiefly from small donors, according to the BBC. The big donors -- corporations , political action committees (PACs) and people with high incomes have gravitated to moderates Biden, Buttigieg and N Booker. Harris, before she dropped out of the race, also attracted a good portion of her funds from big donations.

Despite winning the hearts and minds of more voters, especially in the third quarter, Yang is still far behind in fundraising. Overall, he is sixth in fundraising compared to the other top candidates. 

Asian Americans appear to currently favor Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren when it comes to the Democratic presidential candidates, according to a recent informal survey by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Nevertheless, it has been a good week for Yang, who seems to be outdistancing the more politically experienced Gabbard in raising funds from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

BBC

Yang also increased his favorability ratings according to the Morning Consult poll by seven points after the Dec. 19 Democratic debate. According to that sampling, he now ranks fourth in the race, ahead of Buttigieg and just behind frontrunners, Biden, Warren and Bernie Sanders.

The candidates are beginning to look beyond Iowa and New Hampshire, traditionally the first and second states to cast their votes in a caucus or primary, respectively, and look towards more diverse states such as Nevada and South Carolina and target March 3, Super Tuesday, where California and Texas will hold their voter-rich primaries. Biden, Warren, Sanders, Booker and Buttigieg have created special outreach strategies to increase AAPI awareness and supporters.

Donations from the AAPI community could continue to rise for the New York-born Yang despite some criticism coming from progressive elements of the community concerning  his jokes perpetuating the Asian stereotype. He believes his jokes take away the sting of the stereotypes about being good at math and a tendency to become doctors and continues to use them in front of non-Asian audiences.


Since Harris left the race, the door is wide open for Yang's unconventional campaign to increase his support among AAPI electorate and the South Asian community, especially for the  Feb. 22 Nevada Caucus and California's March 3 primary, where AAPI political agencies have been busy registering new voters.

Once the butt of late night hosts' jokes, described a long shot, and called an odd ball, Yang is definitely in the mix among the Democratic candidates running for president. For the sake of of our country's future and for voters who have not made up their mind, Yang's policies and proposals deserve to be examined more closely beyond the universal basic income, the so-called Freedom Dividend of $1000 for every adult citizen. 

Yang has earned the right to be judged by the voters based on his merits and policies that he proposes. He should no longer be ignored, tokenized or marginalized by mainstream media.

Muslim woman settles lawsuit after being forced to remove her hijab

SCREEN CAPTURE /KTSP

Aida Shyef Al-Kadi 

ASAM NEWS

Aida Shyef Al-Kadi received $120,000 to settle her lawsuit after deputies allegedly forced her to strip and remove her hijab in front of male officers, the Guardian reported.
The Minnesota Muslim woman missed a court hearing for a traffic offense because she took her daughter to the hospital, according to the Star Tribune.

After she turned herself in, she said deputies ordered her to remove her hijab and abaya — a long, loose garment — in front of male jailers. Upon her refusal, Al-Kadi, 57, claimed officers yanked her into a holding cell and forced her to remove her clothing.

She said she only initially agreed to remove her headscarf after officers told her the booking photo wouldn’t be released to the public. But the Huffington Post reported that the photo became public record and available upon request, and Al-Kadi saw her photo on a third-party website months later.

Al-Kadi called the August 2013 incident at the Ramsey County jail “one of the most humiliating and harmful experiences of her life.”

She alleged the event violated her constitutional and religious rights, and approached the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for help. CAIR attorneys filed discrimination charges through the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which were deemed unfounded, according to the Star Tribune. But Al-Kadi took matters into her own hands, studying at the Ramsey County Law Library to file a federal lawsuit pro se — on her own behalf.

Al-Kadi made it clear that her case was about “looking forward and standing up not only for herself, but for the broader Muslim community,” Caitlinrose Fisher, one of the attorneys who represented Al-Kadi, said. “Standing up for the broader Muslim community is precisely what Ms. Al-Kadi did.”

Fisher noted that the case “had the potential to strengthen the protections for detained women that are Muslim across Ramsey County, Minnesota and the United States.“

Alongside the $120,000, the settlement also requires the jail to have specific rules in treating inmates with religious headwear when taking booking photos, and the Sheriff’s Office to train its corrections officers on policies concerning inmates’ religious accommodations. The county further agreed to destroy all hard copies and electronic versions of Al-Kadi’s booking photo.

County Board Chairman Jim McDonough told the Star Tribune that the terms were “fair and in the best interests of our citizens.”

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR in Minnesota, applauded Al-Kadi’s six years of courage and determination.

“[She] has fought not only for herself, but for Muslim women to be dignified and treated with respect when they encounter law enforcement,” he said.

The sweeping changes for how female Muslim inmates are treated in Minnesota are exactly what Al-Kadi had hoped for.

“I knew that I did not want any other Muslim woman to experience what I did,” she said.

Andrew Yang's favoribility ratings move him ahead of Buttigieg

The latest poll numbers after the Dec. 18 debate among the top seven Democratic candidates running for president shows that Andrew Yang has edged ahead of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

According to the Morning Consult survey released  late Monday (Dec. 23), Yang's favorability rose 7 percentage points among likely Democratic primary or caucus voters compared to a pre-debate poll conducted Dec. 9-15, with 47 percent expressing favorable views and 13 percent expressing unfavorable views.

That would put the tech businessman into fourth place, a few points above Buttigieg, who has benefitted from a ton of free mainstream media coverage.

In contrast, Yang, who has always had the tagline "long-shot" attached to his name, has struggled n getting equal coverage. In the beginning, it was difficult for his quest to be taken seriously by mainstream media. His campaign has called out MSNBC for leaving him out of their charts and even misidentifying him in one broadcast. The most egregious example of media bias, according Yang's supporters, called the Yang Gang, is that their candidate has received the least amount of air time in the June and November debates when MSNBC moderated

However, in the most recent debate in Los Angeles hosted by Politico and PBS, Yang still came out with shortest amount of speaking time compared to the other six candidates onstage.

The survey showed that the lower tier candidates of Yang, Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer gained support. Their gains apparently came from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both of whom poll numbers declined. Former Vice President Joe Biden  stayed steady.

According to the poll, the only other AAPI candidate, Hawaii's Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has suffered the most since she voted "present" -- neither yes or no -- on the important vote on impeachment of Donald Trump. According to Morning Consult, Gabbard dropped 11 points after that vote, the only abstention among all House members.

"With an unfavorable rating of 30 percent and 18 percent expressing positive views of her, Gabbard is clearly the most-disliked candidate in the field," reports Newweek.

State prison allows ICE to detain of Cambodian American released from prison

TWITTER

Tith Ton supporters blocks an entrance to ICE offices in San Francisco on Dec. 17.

Tith Ton won't be able to spend the holidays with his family after being released from prison.

After serving his sentence for 22 years, the Cambodian American refugee was released on parole Dec. 23 from California's San Quinten State Penetentiary, right into the arms of Immigration, Customs and Enforcement officers.

TITH TON

A 2017 California law bars local and state agencies from cooperating with immigration authorities involving cases against those who have committed certain crimes, mostly misdemeanors. The immigration rights groups say it also applies to the state prison system.

“It’s deeply disappointing that the governor is choosing to work with ICE,” said Anoop Prasad, an attorney with the Asian Law Caucus. “It’s an unjust and illogical practice that is tearing apart communities in California.”

Ton was in prison for the murder of a rival gang member. Supporters say he had turned his life around and became a licensed substance abuse counselor while serving his sentence. He also received his GED and mentored other inmates while assisting with ethnic studies classes and supporting his family from behind bars.

The governor's office didn’t comment other than to confirm that he had allowed the parole. Supporters presented a petition with 40,000 signatures asking for Ton's parole.

“We followed normal procedure,” corrections department spokesman Jeffrey Callison said of Ton’s release.

Pleas to Gov. Gavin Newsom fell on deaf ears. The week prior to Ton's parole, his family and supporters demonstrated at the state capitol and in front or ICE offices in San Francisco.

Immigrant rights advocates want Newsom to end a California Rehabilitation Department of Corrections policy of notifying ICE of impending releases after the immigration agents file detainers or present an arrest warrant.

A 2017 California law bars local and state agencies from cooperating with immigration authorities involving cases against those who have committed certain crimes, mostly misdemeanors. The rights groups say the law should also apply to the CRDC.

Store clerk kills would-be robber

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Clerk Mark Kasbrowicz survived the attack during a robbery.

ASAM NEWS

A store clerk who struggled with a robbery suspect Sunday night before shooting and killing him is back at work near San Francisco after receiving stitches for his head injury.

Military veteran Mark Kasbrowicz described himself as “in shock” to ABC7 after seeing surveillance video of him wrestling with the suspect as he stuck his hand into the cash drawer and seeing the suspect pistol whip him over the head.

NBC Bay Area reports at one point during the struggle the suspect’s gun went off. At that point the suspect got up and ran along with a second suspect who had been holding another employee at the back of the store at gun point. Kasbrowicz said he grabbed his gun and fired a single round.

It happened at Kam’s Market in Bay Point.

“I just looked around, and he was running, and just by instinct, I let go a shot,” Kasprowicz said to NBC Bay Area. “I managed to squeeze off one round, and apparently after the fact I found out that I actually hit him.”

Kasprowicz said it was all about self preservation.

“I don’t know if it was fear and adrenaline kicked in together, but I tried to protect myself a little. He forced me onto the ground, he held me down,” said Kasbrowicz to ABC7.

“Sure he is deceased now but then again I’m lucky to be alive, I am lucky my co-worker is alive.”