On this day, Philippines' national hero Jose Rizal was executed

The Philippines hero Jose Rizal was executed by firing squad in 1896.

Jose Rizal did not lead an army or bear arms against Spain. In fact, he believed the Filipinos were not well equipped for a revolution and an armed rebellion was doomed to fail, not because the Filipinos were not brave enough or deserved their freedom, but because they did not have the enough weapons or military training necessary for success.

Nevertheless, his political writings inspired other men of action and struck fear in the hearts of the Spanish authorities and Catholic Church.

For the ideas he espoused, he was accused of sedition and executed by firing squad on Dec. 30, 1896.

Today, the field where he was executed has been turned into a park and Dec. 30 has been designated as Rizal Day, a national holiday in the Philippines.

His words and execution are largely credited with inspiring Filipinos to rise up against the Spanish colonizers.

Scholars may debate the significance of his role as the Philippines sought freedom from Spain's  300-year rule, but his sacrifice cannot be questioned. His martyrdom has been ingrained into the Filipino psyche, no matter where they might reside in the world.

'I have believed that autonomy was bound to come little by little, and independence after a lapse of years," Rizal said, believing the Spanish would eventually see the righteousness of freedom for the Filipinos.

His writings still resonate with Filipinos and Filipino Americans today: “Like most of you, I was brought up ignorant of our country's past … (so) if [my work on Philippine history] awakens your consciousness of our past, already erased from your memory, and corrects what has been falsified and slandered, then I have not worked in vain.”

Written on small piece of paper during his last hours, he wrote Mi Ultimo Adios. The poem was smuggled out of his jail cell in a gas stove that he gave to his sister.

The poem was originally written in Spanish. Following is an English translation.

Mi Ultimo Adios

Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun caressed,
Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,
With gladness I give you my Life, sad and repressed;
And were it more brilliant, more fresh and at its best,
I would still give it to you for your welfare at most.

On the fields of battle, in the fury of fight,
Others give you their lives without pain or hesitancy,
The place does not matter: cypress laurel, lily white,
Scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom's site,
It is the same if asked by home and Country.

I die as I see tints on the sky b'gin to show
And at last announce the day, after a gloomy night;
If you need a hue to dye your matutinal glow,
Pour my blood and at the right moment spread it so,
And gild it with a reflection of your nascent light!

My dreams, when scarcely a lad adolescent,
My dreams when already a youth, full of vigor to attain,
Were to see you, gem of the sea of the Orient,
Your dark eyes dry, smooth brow held to a high plane
Without frown, without wrinkles and of shame without stain.

My life's fancy, my ardent, passionate desire,
Hail! Cries out the soul to you, that will soon part from thee;
Hail! How sweet 'tis to fall that fullness you may acquire;
To die to give you life, 'neath your skies to expire,
And in your mystic land to sleep through eternity !

If over my tomb some day, you would see blow,
A simple humble flow'r amidst thick grasses,
Bring it up to your lips and kiss my soul so,
And under the cold tomb, I may feel on my brow,
Warmth of your breath, a whiff of your tenderness.

Let the moon with soft, gentle light me descry,
Let the dawn send forth its fleeting, brilliant light,
In murmurs grave allow the wind to sigh,
And should a bird descend on my cross and alight,
Let the bird intone a song of peace o'er my site.

Let the burning sun the raindrops vaporize
And with my clamor behind return pure to the sky;
Let a friend shed tears over my early demise;
And on quiet afternoons when one prays for me on high,
Pray too, oh, my Motherland, that in God may rest I.

Pray thee for all the hapless who have died,
For all those who unequalled torments have undergone;
For our poor mothers who in bitterness have cried;
For orphans, widows and captives to tortures were shied,
And pray too that you may see you own redemption.

And when the dark night wraps the cemet'ry
And only the dead to vigil there are left alone,
Don't disturb their repose, don't disturb the mystery:
If you hear the sounds of cithern or psaltery,
It is I, dear Country, who, a song t'you intone.

And when my grave by all is no more remembered,
With neither cross nor stone to mark its place,
Let it be plowed by man, with spade let it be scattered
And my ashes ere to nothingness are restored,
Let them turn to dust to cover your earthly space.

Then it doesn't matter that you should forget me:
Your atmosphere, your skies, your vales I'll sweep;
Vibrant and clear note to your ears I shall be:
Aroma, light, hues, murmur, song, moanings deep,
Constantly repeating the essence of the faith I keep.

My idolized Country, for whom I most gravely pine,
Dear Philippines, to my last goodbye, oh, harken
There I leave all: my parents, loves of mine,
I'll go where there are no slaves, tyrants or hangmen
Where faith does not kill and where God alone does reign.

Farewell, parents, brothers, beloved by me,
Friends of my childhood, in the home distressed;
Give thanks that now I rest from the wearisome day;
Farewell, sweet stranger, my friend, who brightened my way;
Farewell, to all I love. To die is to rest.

As part of her classroom assignment, my niece, who was in high school, read the poem aloud to her class. It drove her teacher to tears.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Biden signs omnibus appropriations bill providing over $1-billion for AANHPI communities

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Rep. Judy Chu praises passage of huge funding bill.

The omnibus funding bill appropriates over a billion dollars directly benefitting AANHPI communities.

President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which provides $1.7 trillion to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2023 (FY23). In the bill, over a billion will be spent on aiding the AANHPI communities fight hate, reducing health disparities, assist businesses and education.

AANHPI communities "continue to be impacted by anti-Asian hate, economic difficulties, and disparities in the nation’s health care and education systems," said Chair Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA.

A large chunk, $832 million, will go to the Office of English Language Acquisition, which assists English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and meet college and career learning standard.

All but two Asian American members of Congress voted for the bill's passage. Republican Asian American House members Young Kim and Michelle Steel, both representing districts in Southern California, voted along the majority of the GOP in voting against the funding bill. Nine other Republicans joined the Democrats in approving the bill. 

The House of Representatives passed the Senate amended bill on Dec. 22 and President Biden singed the appropriations act on Friday, Dec. 23.

"This funding bill includes many of CAPAC’s legislative priorities and meets many of our communities’ short- and long-term needs," said Chu.

“This bill addresses domestic violence against AANHPI women, including Native Hawaiian women, as well as the rise of anti-Asian hate. Compounding factors—including cultural stigmas on speaking out, poverty, and immigration status—make it difficult for many AANHPI women to seek justice against violent perpetrators, but today’s legislation provides critical funding that is culturally- and linguistically-specific. 

"This bill also provides funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, which houses the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), a crucial initiative that elevates AANHPI issues throughout the federal government. I also applaud the historic increases in funding for AANHPI education and the steps this legislation takes in securing economic and housing justice for AANHPIs.

“Let me be clear – this bill does not address all our Caucus’ priorities, such as a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and reducing the unacceptable and inhumane immigration backlog," Chu concluded.

Highlights in the omnibus for AANHPI communities include: 

• $10 million for the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act (double the funding from FY22), which was introduced by CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu and Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), and creates grants that improve the collection, investigation, and reporting of hate crimes data;

• $10 million to fund community-based approaches to advancing justice, which include culturally-competent and linguistically-appropriate education campaigns on hate crime reporting and in-language support for victims and surviving families of hate crimes;

• $11 million to fund grants for culturally specific community-based organizations to address the critical needs of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking victims;

• $74.8 million for the Office of Minority Health, which develops health policies and programs to eliminate health disparities experienced among minority populations, including AANHPIs, who are disproportionately affected by certain diseases such as hepatitis B and diabetes;

• $27 million to fund the Native Hawaiian Health Care Program, which addresses health conditions unique to Native Hawaiian communities, such as chronic obstructive lung disease, breast cancer mortality rates, and infant mortality rates;

• $18.6 million in grants to support AANHPI students at Asian American and Native American Pacific-Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), ($8 million more than the FY22 funding level);

• $832 million to the Office of English Language Acquisition, which assists English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and meet college and career learning standards;

• $2.56 million into Asian Pacific American initiatives and outreach led by the Smithsonian Institute to better educate the American public on AANHPI history and contributions to our country;

• $70 million in funding for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), which is one of the only federal agencies that specifically promotes the growth of AANHPI and other minority-owned businesses;

• $22.3 million to the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program to meet the housing and community development needs of low-income Native Hawaiian communities; and

• $4.6 million to fund the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act, which was introduced by CAPAC Executive Members Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-6), and supports restoring and maintaining the sites where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.

Among the funding bill’s other provisions : Nearly $45 billion in aid for Ukraine; bipartisan election reforms intended to prevent another Jan. 6 attack; a ban on the Chinese-owned app TikTok on government devices; and new incentives for retirement savings.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Dave Bautista diisplays his #pinoypride for all to see

It is hard to miss Dave Bautista's newest tattoo.

There's a scene in the just released movie Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery when  Dave Bautista takes off his shirt revealing his tattoos. Instead of covering up the body art with makeup, director Rian Johnson allowed the tattoos become part of the character portrayed by Bautista.

Smack dab in the middle of the sizable chest of the former pro-wrestling champion is his newest tattoo, the Philippine sun found on that nation's flag.

When the Filipino Greek American actor first unveiled his newest tattoo on Instagram he captioned it: "I've officially crossed the line. Oh well! I gotta be me!" He used the hashtags #barbarianmode, #dreamchaser and #pinoypride.

He already has a Philippine sun and a Greek flag tatooed on his left arm.

Bautista was born on January 18, 1969 to Donna Raye and David Michael Bautista. On his mother’s side, the family is of Greek heritage. His father, David, is the son of Filipino immigrants.

But in his latest movie, the Philippine sun is hard to miss with its eight rays representing the eight provinces. The symbol within the sun appears to be an Eye of Providence, most commonly associated with dollar bills and Illuminati conspiracists.

The last is in reference to Bautista's Filipino heritage, reflected in the new tattoo, an eight-pointed sun as seen in the flag of the Philippines (which he also has etched on his left bicep). The symbol within the sun appears to be an Eye of Providence, most commonly associated with dollar bills and Illuminati conspiracists.

Glass Onion was released in theaters Nov. 23 and a month later it became available for streaming on Netflix.

The other Philippines-related tattoo that has garnered recent attention is the one he had erased.

He had a tattoo of pugilist Manny Pacquiao, who for a time was the symbol of Filipino pride when he reigned over the boxing world as a champion. However, when the boxer made some homophobic remarks, Bautista had the tattoo removed.

“It used to be a team logo,” Bautista said in a clip posted on social media. “I was part of a team of a person I considered a friend and someone I really looked up to. And then, he later came out publicly with some anti-gay statements and turned out to be an extreme homophobe,” he added.

“So, I had a huge issue with it. It’s a personal issue with me. My mom’s a lesbian. And I just could no longer call him a friend. So, I had it covered up,” Bautista added.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Immigrants account for US population growth

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

After a historically low rate of change between 2020 and 2021, the U.S. resident population increased by 0.4%, or 1,256,003, to 333,287,557 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2022 national and state population estimates and components of change released Dec. 22.

Immigrants appears to have driven much of the growth reversing a trend that began at the beginning of the pandemic.

"There was a sizeable uptick in population growth last year compared to the prior year’s historically low increase,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau. “A rebound in net international migration, coupled with the largest year-over-year increase in total births since 2007, is behind this increase.”

Net international migration — the number of people moving in and out of the country — added 1,010,923 people between 2021 and 2022 and was the primary driver of growth. This represents 168.8% growth over 2021 totals of 376,029 – an indication that migration patterns are returning to pre-pandemic levels. Positive natural change (births minus deaths) increased the population by 245,080.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia saw positive net international migration with California (125,715), Florida (125,629) and Texas (118,614) having the largest gains.

For the third straight year, California shows a decline in population created mainly by domestic migration; people leaving the state to other states. 

Between July 2021 and July 2022, the number of Californians dropped from 39,142,991 to 39,029,342 — a loss of about 114,000 people, the new data shows. There were more births than deaths in the state, and 125,715 immigrants made their homes here in that one-year span. Most of the population decline was explained by the 343,230 people who moved to other U.S. states.

Florida was the fastest growing state with a population increase of 1.9% to 22,244,823 between 2021 and 2022.

Despite the population decline, California is still the most populous state with 39,029,342 residents, far more than the second most populous state, Texas, which has only 30,029,572.

Although the Census Bureau did not state the countries of origin for 2022's immigrants, according to Pew Research Center estimates, Asia is the second-largest region of birth for U.S. immigrants, after the Americas, and since 2013 India and China have been the leading origin countries, displacing Mexico. Looking forward, arrivals from Asia are projected to comprise a greater share of all immigrants, becoming the largest foreign-born group by 2055. 

During 2023, the Census Bureau will release estimates of the 2022 population for counties, cities and towns, and metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, as well as national, state and county population estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Report: Increase of immigrants on on TV tilted towards crime

Asian American and Black immigrant representation has doubled since 2020, but when the starting point is nearly zero, they are still severely underrepresented on US television, according to a new study released last week.

This fall, US television had a record number of programs and offerings that had Asian American leads and themes, but were they reflective of the AANHPI communities?

Define American released groundbreaking new research last week with the USC Norman Lear Center's Media Impact Project analyzing how often and how well immigrant characters are represented in scripted television and streaming networks. The report, Change the Narrative, Change the World 2022: The Power of Immigrant Representation on Television, shows improvements, but some depictions of immigrant stories on television continue to be at odds with reality.

"When you look at the outsized impact of television – where audiences are forming their first impressions about whole groups of people – it becomes absolutely imperative to show these viewers more than one hyper-criminalized, stereotypical story," said Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Founder of Define American.

The depiction of most immigrants on US television presented a picture that immigrants are associated with criminal activity, found the report.

"While there is much to celebrate in recent shifts on television, there is also more work to be done in Hollywood to fully capture the details and nuance of immigrant communities at large," stated the report.

FYI: Download the full report here

Combining a content analysis of all immigrant characters across two seasons of television with an audience survey, the research highlights the power of nuanced portrayals to shift audiences' attitudes, beliefs, and actions toward immigrant communities in real life. 

Among the shows analyzed were: Netflix's Never Have I Ever (winner of the 2022 People's Choice Award for Best Comedy), The CW's Roswell, New Mexico, FOX's The Cleaning Lady and CBS's Bob Hearts Abishola.

Key findings show that while representation of Black and Asian American immigrants has doubled since 2020, representation of Latine immigrant characters has plummeted, dropping from 50% in 2020 to 34% in 2022. Pacific Islander representation is also lacking.

The research highlights the power of nuanced immigrant characters to create meaningful connections with captive audiences.

Viewers of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever – about a teenage girl navigating high school and love triangles and living with her immigrant mother, grandmother and cousin – also felt a parasocial connection to the mother character, Nalini, which led to an increased likelihood to support increased U.S. immigration, even when they had limited real-life experiences with immigrants, according to the report.

"Define American's research is showing how characters like Nalini - who I play in Never Have I Ever - can actually help people to be more understanding toward immigrant experiences," said actor Poorna Jagannathan, who portrays Nalini. 

"Audiences are creating relationships with these characters that are then informing how they're interacting with immigrants in real life. There is more empathy, understanding and nuance to these interactions, and that is such a powerful thing."

While there has been some positive improvement in representation, immigrant characters on television are also more likely to be associated with crime than at any point since this research began.

"More representation of immigrants is not necessarily better," said Erica Rosenthal, Director of Research at the Norman Lear Center. "If characters convey inaccurate stereotypes, for example, about immigrants and crime, this may contribute to real-life prejudice."

NETFLIX

Devi and Paxton, as portrayed by

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

 and Darren Barnetl, respectively, in "Never Have I Ever." which presents immigrants in a non-criminal setting.

With its work at large, Define American is helping the entertainment industry develop authentic portrayals of immigrant characters on screen, with the goal of creating positive and long-lasting cultural change.

"Define American is partnering with the Lear Center to pioneer a model of research in Hollywood that is unprecedented," said Sarah E. Lowe, Director of Research and Evaluation at Define American.

Define American stated in its press release, "we believe that entertainment and pop culture are often the lenses through which we see the world,"

While there is much to celebrate in recent shifts on television, there is also more work to be done in Hollywood to fully capture the details and nuance of immigrant communities at large.

Among the key findings of the report, are:

40% of immigrant characters were associated with crime.

The number of immigrant characters associated with crime is at an all-time high. In 2020, we celebrated a dramatic drop in depictions of immigrant characters associated with crime. Unfortunately, the trend did not continue. In 2022, six times as many immigrant characters were featured in crime shows and procedurals when compared to 2020.

27% of immigrants on TV were AAPI.

Representation of AANHPI immigrant characters on television has more than doubled since our 2020 study. These gains are a step forward for Asian American representation; however, specifically Pacific Islander, or Pasifika, representation is lacking and is often erased from broader AAPI discourse.

2x as many Black immigrant characters were on television as there were in2020.

The growing representation of Black immigrant characters is in large part due to one  sitcom, "Bob Hearts Abishola," from creator Gina Yashere. The television landscape also saw the inclusion of three Black undocumented characters, whereas previous research found no representation.

34% of immigrants on TV were Latine, dropping from 50% in 2020.

Representation of Latine immigrant characters has plummeted since 2020, dropping from 50% in 2020 to 34% in 2022 – even though in reality, Latine immigrants comprise 44% of all U.S. immigrants.

Television has the power to change hearts and minds, said Charlene Joy Jimenez, Director of Entertainment Partnerships & Advocacy at Define American. "We hope our research encourages the entertainment industry to lean into more nuanced storytelling, and ultimately create a deeper understanding of immigrant experiences in the United States," she said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's Asian accusers react to mixed verdict

Three Asian women victims of Harvey Weinstein were satisfied with verdicts after a Los Angeles jury convicted former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein Monday of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault.

After deliberating 10 days, the Los Angeles jury failed to reach verdicts on the rape and oral copulation charges related to Jennifer Seibel Newsom, the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the sexual battery by restraint charge involving writer Lauren Young. Mistrials were declared in Newsom's and Young's cases.

Weinstein was also acquitted of one count of sexual battery Jane Doe 3, a massage therapist.

Filipino American Young and Ambra Gutierrez, a Filipino Italian model, testified during the trial. Rowena Chiu, who was was also assaulted by Weinstein, had mixed feelings about the verdict. “I’m thankful that it’s not a complete acquittal across the board,” she says.

Young, referred to during the trial as Jane Doe 2, told her attorney Gloria Allred by phone she was happy Weinstein was convicted on some counts despite there being a mistrial on her own count, Allred said in a news conference after the verdict.

“I am relieved that Harvey Weinstein has been convicted because he deserves to be punished for the crimes that he committed, and he can no longer use his power to intimidate and sexually assault more women,” Young said in a statement read by Allred.

Allred said after the verdict that her client was “100 percent committed to testifying again if she was asked to do so.”

During the trial, Young gave tearful testimony about her how she was sexually assaulted by Weinstein in a Beverly Hills hotel bathroom in 2013 while repeatedly telling him “no.”

Young said she was paralyzed by fear when Harvey Weinstein blocked her from leaving the bathroom, masturbated in front of her and groped her breasts.

In early 2013, Young was a model who was aspiring to be an actress and screenwriter, and through Weinstein’s assistant, who had become a friend, she set up a meeting with him at the Montage Hotel on the night of Feb. 19, 2013, about a script she was working on.

During the meeting, Weinstein told her she should accompany him to his room to continue the talk while he got ready for an event.

Young said Weinstein led her into the room and then the bathroom, and his assistant shut the door behind them and left them alone. That's when she was groped and he masturbated.

“I was scared of Harvey Weinstein — that he would hurt me, or send someone to hurt me, or ruin my career, or make my life hell,” Young testified.

She said she was stunned as he quickly shed his suit and got briefly in the shower, then stepped out and blocked her from leaving when she went for the door.

Prosecutor's used Gutierrez's testimony to show a pattern of behavior but none of the charges Weinstein is facing in Los Angeles stem from her allegations.

She was at the center of a NYPD sting operation in 2015 when she had cooperated with police to wear a wire and record Weinstein, following her allegations that he had groped her breasts and put his hand up her skirt during a casting meeting. 

The investigation and the publicity surrounding the investigation led to more witnesses to come forth to testify about their Weinstein encounters.

Gutierrez’s audio recording became a smoking gun when it was later published in Ronan Farrow’s Weinstein exposé in The New Yorker in October 2017.

In 2020, Weinstein was convicted in New York of committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree and third-degree rape. He was sentenced to 23 years in state prison. The conviction energized the #MeToo movement, which sparked a worldwide reckoning on sexual assault and harassment more than two years ago.

A New York judge this week granted an appeal of the conviction.

"In 2015, when I worked with the police, they were able to put it on tape and had him saying what he did to me," Gutierrez said on "CBS Mornings" Tuesday. "It was recorded, and there was video footage on security cameras."

Gutierrez said at the time, police tried to help her but Weinstein was able to avoid charges at the time.

"The police tried to help me, they tried to do as much as they could," she said. "But he was so powerful, he was able to just make me not believable."

Of the Los Angeles verdict, Gutierrez told CBS Morning's hosts, "It's a feeling of being powerful again," she said.

Harvey Weinstein

Rowena Chiu, who worked for Weinstein in London in the 1990s, said, “Our worst nightmare was that he would get acquitted in L.A. and use that to support his appeal in N.Y.”

But the verdicts on Jane Does 2, 3 and 4 left Chiu “staggered,” she says. Chiu, who has alleged that Weinstein attempted to rape her at the Venice Film Festival in 1998, had originally been scheduled to be a supporting witness in the L.A. trial, but ultimately was not called.

“I see desperate failings in the legal system,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I feel that it’s very personal. My reaction was almost a visceral anger at how much these women had been put through to take the stand. The fact that the legal system puts such a burden on the witness, challenges the survivor’s credibility. It is a horrifying and brutal process. What sort of signal does that give women of the #MeToo movement who are really struggling? A staggering percentage of rape victims know they’re not going to be believed.”

More than 90 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct including rape, unwanted touching and harassment. Allegations and convictions against the formerly  influential Hollywood producers prompted the #MeToo movement. 

Throughout the New York and Los Angeles trials, Weinstein has professed his innocence and claims some of the sexual encounters were consensual.

The L.A. jury convicted Weinstein only on the charges leveled by Jane Doe 1, an Italian model and actress. A juror, who did not want his name used, told reporters that because Jane Doe 1 never contacted Weinstein again after she was assaulted lent more credibility to her charges. The other Jane Does follow-up calls and emails to the producer weakened their accusations, he said.

Newsom, identified in the trial as Jane Doe 3, testified against Weinstein and disclosed that she was harassed by the producer, shared a statement on Twitter in response to the verdict. The tweet read, "Harvey Weinstein will never be able to rape another woman. He will spend the rest of his life behind bars where he belongs. Harvey Weinstein is a serial predator and what he did was rape."

"Throughout the trial, Weinstein’s lawyers used sexism, misogyny, and bullying tactics to intimate, demean and ridicule us survivors," Jennifer added. "This trail was a stark reminder that we as a society have work to do. To all survivors out there — I see you, I hear you, and I stand with you."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Pew Report: Asian American immigrants tell their stories of overcoming language barriers

Imagine being in a classroom, a hospital ER or a government office. People are talking and you can't understand a word. You feel frustrated, confused and ashamed That's the way life is for many new immigrants.

“There are a lot of obstacles … we can’t communicate … it is difficult … particularly [when] going to see a doctor. Sometimes we want to talk about our conditions or our health conditions, but we don’t know the words in English, especially my parents … sometimes, I have to go with them and don’t know how to explain things to the doctor.”

–Immigrant woman of Cambodian origin in mid-20s

A new study by the Pew Research Center emphasied the language and cultural obstacles that impact Asian immigrants to the US who arrive with little to no proficiency in English. But navigating life in America also impacts English-speaking immigrants as they adjust to life in a new country with its own unique linguistic and cultural quirks. Monday, (Dec. 19), the PRC released a new analysis highlighting Asian immigrants’ experiences navigating language barriers in the U.S., based on focus group interviews conducted in 2021.

The study found a little over half of Asian Americans (54%) were born outside the United States, including about seven-in-ten Asian American adults (68%). While many arrived in the U.S. within the last five years, a majority (71%) arrived in the U.S. over 10 years ago. Overall, 53% of Asian immigrants ages 5 and older who have been in the U.S. for five years or less say they speak English proficiently, a share that rises to 60% among those who have been in the country more than a decade.

    FYI: Read the entire Pew Research Center report

New immigrant arrivals to the United States face many challenges and obstacles when navigating their daily lives. For Asian immigrants, these include language and cultural obstacles that impact those who arrive with little to no proficiency in English. But navigating life in America also impacts English-speaking immigrants as they adjust to life in a new country with its own unique linguistic and cultural quirks.

A majority of Asian Americans (54%) were born outside the United States, including about seven-in-ten Asian American adults (68%). While many Asian immigrants arrived in the United States in recent years, a majority arrived in the U.S. over 10 years ago. 

The story of Asian immigration to the US. is over a century old, and today’s Asian immigrants arrived in the country at different times and through different pathways. They also trace their roots, culture and language to more than 20 countries in Asia, including the Indian subcontinent.

Focus group participants talked about daily challenges communicating in English while getting medical care, accessing government services, learning in school and finding employment. They also mentioned the obstacles they faced understanding US culture in daily life situations, sharing their frustration, stress and at times sadness because of the barriers they encountered. 

Some participants talked about their challenges while learning English, as well as the times they received words of support and encouragement from others to overcome these language barriers.

“When I just came here and had to go to government offices for various procedures, it was easier to understand if there was a Japanese person who could explain in Japanese, but if they explained in English, I didn’t understand English and had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do.”

–Immigrant woman of Japanese origin in mid-40s

There were participants who recalled feelings of fear at school, not only because they did not know the language but because they did not understand how American society and schools functioned. One immigrant woman of Vietnamese origin recalled not knowing whom to ask for help because no one in her family understood American culture.

“When I came to the U.S. … I went to high school immediately … my parents went to work to earn money, so I had to go to school. … But at that time, I felt very scared. I didn’t understand what people talked [about] in school at all. It was not only English, but also culture and other things, everything was different in school. Coming home, I didn’t know who to ask; no one in my family knew. Because my family came here under the sponsorship. … There were many things I didn’t understand about the culture here. I didn’t know; I didn’t dare to ask.”

–Immigrant woman of Vietnamese origin in early 40

A portion of focus groups participants came to the United States in their teenage years. These participants recalled challenging situations at school regarding their English skills. Some participants knew no English and reported having to take hours of English as a second language (ESL) classes, which left them behind in other classes in high school.

“I was already old when I first came because I was 14. I attended ninth grade but failed. I moved down to seventh grade because I could not do it. In seventh and eighth grade, it was challenging because I could not keep up with others in any of the classes in high school. I moved to ESL to learn the English language. I attended two, three hours and then I joined others again. It was a waste.”

–Immigrant woman of Laotian origin in early 50s

Among Asian Americans ages 5 and older, 58% of immigrants speak English proficiently, compared with nearly all of the U.S. born who say the same (94%).

There is language diversity among Asian immigrants living in the US. The vast majority (86%) of Asian immigrants 5 and older say they speak a language other than English at home, while 14% say they speak only English in their homes. 

The most spoken non-English language among Asian immigrants is Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese (20%). Hindi (18%) is the second most commonly spoken non-English language among Asian immigrants (this figure includes Urdu, Bengali and other Indo-Iranian and Indo-European languages), followed by Tagalog and other Filipino languages (13%) and Vietnamese (9%). 

This reflects the languages of the four largest Asian origin groups (Chinese, Indian, Filipino and Vietnamese) living in the US But overall, many other languages are spoken at home by Asian immigrants. (See above chart.)

The Pew study was conducted in 2021 with 49 focus groups with Asian immigrants to understand the challenges they faced, if any, after arriving in the country. The focus groups consisted of 18 distinct Asian origins and were conducted in 17 Asian languages.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Jan. 6 Committee: First Vietnamese American Congresswoman goes out with a bang

US Rep. Stephanie Murphy from Florida will be leaving Congress in January.

The last vote in Congress cast by US Rep. Stephanie Murphy may be the one that goes down in the history books.

The Vietnamese American Congressmember capped off her political career by voting with the eight other House Jan. 6 Committee members to recommend the prosecution of Donald Trump. The bipartisan committee was formed to investigate the attempted insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

“Trump turned to his supporters, those who believed his lies about a stolen election‚” Murphy, D-Winter Park, said Monday during the committee’s last hearing. “He summoned a crowd to the nation’s Capitol on January 6, hoping that they would pressure Congress to do what he could not do on his own.”

In the committee's final hearing, Murphy’s described the fourth and final of the committee’s findings of potential criminal charges, that Trump violated a federal statute against inciting, assisting, or engaging in insurrection or giving aid or comfort to an insurrection.

“Despite having knowledge of the threats of violence presented by the crowd gathered on Jan. 6, President Trump gave an incendiary speech, declaring without basis that the election had been stolen and encouraging his supporters to ‘fight like hell’,” she said.

“The President’s December 19 tweet galvanized domestic violent extremists, including members of the Oathkeepers, the Proud Boys and organized militia groups,” Murphy said. “These individuals began organizing to come to the Capitol in large numbers with the specific intent to use violence to disrupt the certification of the election during the joint session.”

The committee referred Trump to the DOJ on at least four criminal charges, while saying Monday it had evidence of possible charges of conspiring to injure or impede an officer and seditious conspiracy.

The action does not require the Justice Department to act although Attorney General Merrick Garland has already appointed a special counsel, Jack Smith, to take on two probes related to Trump, including the January 6 investigation.

The full report will be released Wednesday. The sheer volume of this material can't be overstated. The panel took testimony from more than 1,000 witnesses. Many of these interviews were videotaped, which means the panel has hundreds of hours of footage.

After serving three terms in Congress, Murphy decided to retire this year to spend more time with her family.

Murphy became the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress in 2016 when she upset 12-term Republican incumbent John Mica to represent Florida’s 7th Congressional District.

“I’m proud of our Congress in this country because we are a citizen Congress,” Murphy said. “It’s about average people getting an opportunity to represent their community. To the Central Florida community, I just have to say a heartfelt thank you. Thank you for allowing me to serve you. It’s been the opportunity of my life.”

Republican Cory Mills defeated his Democratic opponent by 17 points in this year’s midterm election to be the new Congressional representative for the 7th district, which was gerrymandered by the GOP-controlled legislature to include more Republicans. 

In her final term, Murphy was elected leader of the 18-member House Blue Dogs, which have a longstanding policy focus of fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, and a what they believe is a more pragmatic approach to governance but also put them at odds with their fellow Democrats.

Asked what’s next for her, Murphy told News 6 in late November that she’s looking forward to spending time with her family and a “more sane pace of life.” But, she added, “I believe in public service. I always have. And I’m sure I’ll find ways to serve my community and my country.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Despite some progress, Asian American attorneys find barriers to the top

A PORTRAIT OF ASIAN AMERICANS IN THE LAW 2.0

Asian American attorneys are finding greater satisfaction with helping their ethnic communities but they are encountering  difficulties in reaching the top tiers of the legal profession. 

According to a new study about Asian Americans in the legal profession, there are signs of progress in federal courts, in-house legal departments and law school enrollment for the altruistic attorneys.

“In terms of representation, I think we’ve seen some interesting progress,” said California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu during the Monday announcement of A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law 2.0, a collaborative study by the American Bar Foundation, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and several law schools

“But across the broader range of the profession, we still see a lot of disparities and gaps — law clerks, law firm partners, state judges and top prosecutors,” Liu continued.

The study finds a curious discrepancy: While climbing the corporate ladder has been difficult for a number of reasons, the percentage of active federal judges who are Asian American has risen from 3.4% in 2016 to 6% today.

In the private sector, the number of Asian American general counsel at Fortune 1000 companies went to 45 in 2020 from 19 in 2009.

After hitting a 20-year low in 2017, the number of Asian American and Pacific Islander enrolling in law schools has been ticking up.

But progress has been slow or non-existent in other areas. Asian Americans comprise 13% of associates at major law firms, but just 4% of equity partners — the lowest ratio among minority groups, the report notes.

Outside of the increases on the judicial bench, representation in the public sector has been just as bad. Only one of the current 93 Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorneys is Asian American, and their representation among law clerks has been stagnant for the past 25 years.

One hopeful trend for the AANHPI community is that Asian American attorneys are increasingly involved in improving the social and political status of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

"We find it notable that although relatively few Asian Americans are motivated to pursue law in order to enter government or politics or to become influential, 46% of 2022 Survey respondents said a key reason they went to law school was to change or improve society.," cites the study.

The study's findings "suggest that recent events have invigorated Asian American attorneys’ commitment to racial justice, their sense of racial or ethnic identity, and their determination to protect our communities," according tot he report. 

The study attributes that current trend to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the pandemic, the Trump-inspired immigration fiasco, and the growing alliance with other communities of color and the impact of social and political inequities that became more apparent  after the 2020 killing of George Floyd. 

Five years ago, a similar study titled "A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law" found that “Asian Americans have penetrated virtually every sector of the legal profession, but they were significantly underrepresented in the leadership ranks of law firms, government, and academia.”  

Since then, the Asian American community has been significantly affected by major events, including a disturbing rise in anti-Asian hate and violence. One in six Asian Americans reported experiencing a hate incident in 2021, up from one in eight in 2020.2 The past five years have also seen a growing movement to address anti-Black racism as well as myriad challenges posed by a global pandemic.

In this new context, "A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law 2.0: Identity and Action in Challenging Times," updated the environment of the legal profession.  This study again canvasses Asian American attorneys for insights into law school enrollment, career advancement, and political participation.

Asian American attorneys indicated greater engagement with social and political issues, along with a desire to change and improve society.

• In contrast to five years ago, 2022 Survey respondents seeking to change practice settings ranked a desire to advance issues or values important to them among their most significant reasons for doing so. This was ranked among the least significant reasons five years ago.

• The second most common motivation for attending law school among 2022 Survey respondents was the desire to change or improve society, with 46% identifying it as one of their top three motivations. This motivation was identified more frequently than in the first Portrait Project survey (2016 Survey), where it was the fourth most common. Societal events since the previous survey may have influenced both recent law school graduates and more senior lawyers to foreground this motivation for attending law school.

• Among 2022 Survey respondents, 44% reported having become more involved in Asian American bar associations or other attorney organizations in response to events of the last five years, and 47% reported having become more involved in Asian American community organizations. First-generation immigrants in particular have reported increasing their participation in public protests or other forms of advocacy by or for Asian Americans: 43% of first-generation immigrants have increased their participation, compared to 26% of all other generations of immigrants.

• Almost as many survey respondents increased their participation in public protests or other forms of advocacy for issues important to Black Americans (26%) as for issues important to Asian Americans (27%) in the past five years.

Underrepresentation of Asian Americans in the top ranks of the legal profession persists. But there has been notable progress in the appointment of federal judges and in the ranks of general counsel, and law school enrollment has rebounded somewhat from a 20-year low.

"Compared to their numbers within the overall law firm population, Asian Americans are less represented than other groups at the management level. Although Asian Americans comprised 7.8% of all attorneys in the Vault/MCCA survey data for 2019, they held 4.1% of seats on executive management committees," cites the report. 

"African American/ Black and Hispanic/Latinx attorneys were better represented in these leadership roles relative to their respective numbers in the overall firm population. African American/Black attorneys made up 3.7% of all attorneys and 3.7% of management-level committee members, while Hispanic/Latinx attorneys made up 4.4% of all attorneys and 3.0% of management-level committee members."

• After Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) enrollment in law school declined during the Great Recession to a 20-year low in 2017, it increased by 14.5% from 2017 to 2021.

• The number of Asian American federal judges has increased over the past five years, comprising 6.0% of active federal judges compared to 3.4% in 2016.

• The proportion of law clerks who are Asian American has changed little over the past quarter century. In 1995, 6.4% of federal clerks and 4.5% of state clerks were Asian American. In 2021, those numbers were 5.8% for federal clerks and 6.3% for state clerks.

• In 2020, Asian Americans entered law firms upon graduating from law school at a higher rate than any other racial group, with 65.0% doing so. They entered government (7.5%), public interest (6.4%), and clerkships (7.2%) at the lowest rate of any racial group.

• Asian Americans continue to be the largest minority group at major law firms, but they continue to experience the highest attrition. They made up 7.8% of attorneys overall in 2019 but 10.4% of attorneys who left their firms that year. And they have the lowest ratio of partners to associates, as they did five years ago. Only 4.3% of equity partners at major firms in 2020 were Asian American; almost 90% were White.

• Only eight out of 2,396 elected prosecutors in the United States identified as Asian American in 2019, and only one Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney identifies as Asian American.

• In 2020, there were 45 AAPI general counsel of Fortune 1000 companies, up from 19 in 2009.

Greater institutional support would likely reduce barriers to advancement and improve the professional lives of Asian American attorneys.

• As this study found five years ago, Asian Americans who had two or more mentors in law school were more likely to obtain a judicial clerkship. But one-third of 2022 Survey respondents indicated that they had no mentors in law school. Those who are the first in their families to attend law school were especially likely to report being unaware of the importance of mentorship to their careers.

• The obstacles to career advancement that 2022 Survey respondents identified most frequently remain the same as five years ago: a lack of formal leadership training programs, inadequate access to mentors and contacts, and a lack of recognition for their work.

• More 2022 Survey respondents, compared to 2016 Survey respondents, reported perceiving overt (41% versus 32%) and implicit (64% versus 58%) discrimination in the workplace because of their race.

• Almost 80% of 2022 Survey respondents reported experiencing anxiety since entering the legal profession, and 55% reported experiencing depression. Nearly half of the respondents who sought professional help for mental health problems reported skepticism about mental health providers’ competency to address cultural needs.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

FBI's annual report seriously flawed, shows a drop in hate crimes.

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBS

You might as well throw out this year's FBI annual report on hate crimes. The agency is under heavy criticism for issuing a flawed report that reported a drop in hate crimes in 2021.

In its annual report, the FBI said there were 7,262 hate crime incidents in the United States in 2021. By comparison, 2020 saw 8,263 bias-motivated criminal acts.

“While the FBI’s annual Hate Crime report has been the nation’s best available snapshot of hate violence in America, this year’s data is woefully incomplete, inaccurate and simply cannot be trusted – certainly not to compare to previous years. Victims and communities affected by hate crimes deserve better," said Margaret Huang, the Southern Poverty Law Center’s President and CEO, said in a statement. 

"Although the hate crime statistics reported to us are lower in 2021, hate crime statistics overall are not decreasing, meaning of the agencies that are reporting to us, they are reporting an increase in hate crime," an FBI official said during a press call ahead of the report's release.

The latest numbers fail to capture the scope of the problem even more miserably than in previous years.

“Some jurisdictions fail to report hate crime statistics, while others claim there are no hate crimes in their community – a fact that would be welcome, if true,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a congressional hearing last month.

The voluntary nature of the program has resulted in reporting that has been consistently inconsistent. For example, about 3,500 agencies did not report any data to the FBI in the report – including 10 cities with populations over 100,000. And another 60 police departments in cities with populations over 100,000 affirmatively reported zero hate crimes.

The annual report on hate crime statistics is mandated under the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990 (HCSA) and compiled from the voluntary submissions of the 18,000 federal, state, university, city and tribal law enforcement authorities across the country.

The 2021 HCSA data is even more drastically incomplete than previous years’ data, to the extent that any comparisons between last year and previous years are almost meaningless.

The lack of compliance by law enforcement agencies is more significant than in past years because 2021 was the first year that the FBI required every agency to report all crime, including hate crimes, through its National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

Aware of the FBI reports shortcomings, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta issued a statement."The FBI's 2021 Hate Crimes Statistics are a reminder of the need to continue our vigorous efforts to address this pervasive issue in America.

"The Justice Department continues to work with the nation's law enforcement agencies to increase the reporting of hate crime statistics to the FBI to ensure we have the data to help accurately identify and prevent hate crimes," she said.

Although the FBI provided a five-year transition period and technical assistance, many jurisdictions were either unable or unwilling to report through the new system. This noncompliance has resulted in dramatically incomplete reporting: There are 3,300 fewer participating agencies than in 2020, including agencies in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix and, essentially, the entire states of Florida and California. Ninety million fewer Americans than in 2020 are covered in the 2021 report.

With nearly one-third of law enforcement agencies not submitting any data last year, "This is the most incomplete reporting going back to the beginning of the hate crime data collection program decades ago," said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino and an expert on hate crimes.

For example, "The FBI counted only 73 hate crimes from California using 15 out of 740 agencies," said Levin.

Back in June, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a surge of 1,763 hate crimes in 2021 in his state.

Earlier this year, the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism published their own report that showed a 20% increase in hate crimes in 2021, with a 224% increase in anti-Asian crime.

“We were looking at a record year for anti-Asian hate crimes,” Levin said. “We counted more anti-Asian hate crimes in just 21 cities than the FBI counted nationwide.”

The FBI report's incomplete statistics could give the impression that hate crimes are down when data from other sources indicate a rise in hate crimes based on ethnicity. The misleading conclusion could hamper ongoing efforts to stem the incidents of hate by reducing funding and educational efforts by media, businesses and institutions.

“The failure of thousands of police agencies across the country to participate in this report is devastating for the individuals and communities harmed by these crimes and to our ability to understand and prevent them,” said SPLC's Huang.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.