Monday, May 30, 2022

Memorial Day 2022: Time to right the wrongs of the past; rescind the Rescission Acts


After you've had your fill of barbecue, grand speeches and flag-waving on this three-day weekend, take some time to reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day, remembering and honoring the men and women who served in the defense of this country.

It is also a moment to righting the wrongs against veterans whose skin was brown but whose blood ran red, white and blue. Honor and dignity were not bestowed equally towards veterans. In the case of Filipino American WWII veterans, honor and dignity  were stripped away when Congress passed the ignominious Rescission Acts.

During World War II, more than 260,000 Filipino and Filipino American soldiers answered President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s call to defend the United States and the Philippines during World War II. The bravery and sacrifice of these soldiers were integral to American victory in the Pacific. Instead of being recognized for their wartime service and sacrifice, the Rescission Acts of 1947 revoked the US nationality status of 200,000 Filipino WWII soldiers and their promised compensation.

February 18, 1946 was an ugly stain in America’s history, begins the statement from the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project.

​Seventy-six years ago, after America’s victory in World War II and two months after Filipino soldiers completed their wartime service to the United States, Congress passed the first of two Rescission Acts stripping Filipino soldiers of their status as U.S. veterans and effectively denying them their rightful benefits.

​This unconscionable act of Congress, which has persisted for 75 years, amounted to discrimination and injustice against thousands of Filipinos who fought, died, and wounded for life under the American flag without compensation. It is time to repeal the Rescission Act.

​Although they were ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 25, 1941 as active members of the United States Army Forces of the Far East (USAFFE), the U.S. Congress rescinded the President’s Executive Order that promised them full U.S. veterans’ benefits. Titled “The Rescission Act of 1946,” the bill provided that “service in the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines should not be deemed to have been service in the military or naval forces of the United States.” In the view of Congress, the Philippine Commonwealth Government was to be granted independence on July 4, 1946. Thus, Filipino soldiers and recognized Guerrillas in the U.S. Army were expendable and were no longer the problem of the U.S. government.

​In signing the bill into law, however, President Harry Truman made it clear that the legislation “does not release the United States from its moral obligation to provide for the heroic Philippine veterans who sacrificed so much for the common cause during the war.” 

He stated further that “Philippine Army veterans are nationals of the United States and will continue in that status until July 4, 1946. They fought, as American nationals, under the American flag, and under the direction of our military leaders. Their official organization, the Army of the Philippine Commonwealth, was taken into the Armed forces of the United States by executive order of the President of the United States on July 26, 1941. That order has never been revoked or amended. I consider it a moral obligation of the United States to look after the welfare of Philippine Army veterans.”

​But the Rescission Act of 1946 reduced the obligation of the U.S. government to take care of its Filipino war veterans. On May 22, 1946, Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, as Resident Commissioner of the Philippines, spoke on the floor of the US House of Representatives and denounced the US Congress for its “act of discrimination” against Filipinos.

Service and sacrifice

From July 26, 1941 to December 31, 1946, Filipino Army soldiers and guerrillas fought and defended a sovereign territory of the United States, as part of the U.S. Armed Forces in the Far East, commanded by General Douglas MacArthur. Their courage, selfless sacrifice, and fierce determination defeated the Japanese Imperial Forces in Oct 1944, and in the liberation of the Philippines in August 1945.

During the entire Philippine War campaign, over 260,000 Filipino and American soldiers and guerrillas served. They suffered heavy losses in casualties, estimated at 57,000, in the now famous battles of Bataan and Corregidor. During the infamous Bataan Death March, about seventy thousand prisoners of war – both American and Filipino – marched 65 miles to Japanese internment camps, where they were imprisoned under inhuman conditions.

​Despite the essential role Filipino soldiers played in the United States victory in the Pacific during World War II, their contributions in defending democracy and liberty were totally ignored. Instead, the U.S. government denied them one important right given to everyone else who has served in the United States Military: the right to veterans’ benefits.

Of the 66 allied nations who fought with the U.S. in World War II, only the Philippines was singled out by the Rescission Act of 1946.

Blatant Discrimination Against Veteran Minority Groups

Filipino soldiers are the last of veteran minority groups that suffered outright discrimination from the U.S. African American soldiers were in segregated units led by white officers. On July 26, 1948, when President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, he directed the desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces to repudiate 170 years of sanctioned discrimination against African American troops.

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 and ordered the incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans who were held in 10 internment camps across the U.S. This executive order was enforced on March 21, 1942 when Roosevelt signed Public Law 503. In 1943, some 16,000 Japanese Americans or Nisei soldiers enlisted in the U.S. Army to prove their loyalty to the United States. 

In 1988, the Civil Liberties Act, Public Law 100-383, was passed by Congress that granted redress of $20,000 and a formal presidential apology to every Japanese American citizen who were incarcerated during World War II. The Nisei soldiers were awarded 21 Medals of Honor for their heroism and venerated for their uncommon courage and sacrifice in defense of their country.

Chinese Americans endured years of injustice under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. In 1943, Congress repealed this statute, which allowed Chinese Americans to become U.S. citizens. Congress also allowed over 20,000 to enlist in the Army, Navy, Marines, Army Air Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines during WWII.

For the Filipinos, the Rescission Act of 1946 has taken a lasting toll of indignation and betrayal of promise made by a country they vowed to defend and were later victorious against a brutal enemy. It is beyond their time of having experienced a lifetime of racial discrimination and social injustice above their duty to serve the United States in war and not receive the same equal care and treatment granted by Congress to the African American soldiers, Japanese American soldiers, and Chinese American soldiers.


Of the 66 allied nations who fought with the U.S. in World War II, only the Philippines was singled out by the Rescission Acts.


This is an insurmountable tragedy in American history. On July 22, 1998 at a Congressional Hearing, then Representative Nancy Pelosi (now Speaker of the House) stated: “I consider the Rescission Act of 1946 to be a scar on the historical record of the United States. In a time of war, we asked for and received the commitment of these Filipino soldiers to serve under the U.S. authority. While they were fighting for their country, they were also fighting for the Unites States. Having U.S. and Filipino soldiers under one centralized command structure was vital to the expeditious liberation of the Philippines and saved the lives of American lives.”

‘A moral obligation’

The late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), who championed the Filipino veterans’ struggle for justice and equity, criticized the 1946 Rescission Acts for their “anti-Filipino discriminatory intent.” He said the United States “made a solemn promise, and with hardly a hearing, we revoked it. This episode is a blight upon the character of the United States, and it must be cleansed.” Throughout his long service in Congress, Sen. Inouye, along with other champions of Filipino World War II veterans, sought to repeal the Rescission Act “as a moral obligation.”

Numerous Filipino American veterans and community organization sought for years to correct this grievous injustice by seeking to win these benefits back, but with little success. In the 1990s, Congress allowed thousands to immigrate under a limited quota basis to become U.S. citizens. Funeral and burial rights came a decade later, prompting some of them to conclude that old Filipino soldiers must die first before the U.S. government can repay them for their military services. 

In 2009, almost 63 years later, Congress eventually granted them one-time lump sum payments as financial compensation: $15,000 each for those who are US citizens and $9,000 each for non-US citizens. Only some 18,000 were granted these payments from the 48,000 who applied for redress of their wartime service. Thousands of veterans who were denied of their compensation have died waiting for their appeals to be heard in court proceedings.

But official recognition for their service and sacrifice came more than 70 years later. On November 30, 2016, Congress passed the Filipino World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015. In remarks made during the awards ceremony on Oct. 25, 2017, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said: “It is a mark of a confident and exceptional nation to look back on its history and say we made a grievous error, but we recognize it and pledge never to let it happen again.”

Through the years, Filipino veterans lobbied Congress and some benefits have been restored
bit by bit. Honor and dignity remain elusive.


A matter of honor and dignity

But the untold story of Filipino World War II veterans remains a dark chapter in U.S. history for as long as the 1946 Rescission Act remains in the books.

“It not only deprived Filipino soldiers combat pay and their rightful benefits. It stripped them of their honor and dignity,” says Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret), chairman of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP).

“They suffered severe humiliation and the shameful betrayal by a nation whom they served with loyalty and uncommon valor. For more than 70 years, our veterans endured these racially-motivated acts, which singled them out for discrimination and unfair treatment.”

In remarks made at a memorial the day before his inauguration, President Joe Biden reminded the American people that “to heal, we must remember. It’s hard sometimes to remember, but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation.” At his inauguration on January 20, he invited the American people to reflect on the nation’s past, again reminding them that “there’s much to repair, and much to restore.”

In calling on Congress to repeal the Rescission Act, Taguba affirms President Biden’s words with this call to action: “Let us never forget that our veterans endured a lifetime of injustice and indignation inflicted by a shameful act of Congress. It’s time we remove this ugly stain and close this dark chapter in our nation’s history.”

On behalf of the Filipino veterans who fought with valor, loyalty and duty to serve the United States alongside Americans in the Philippines during World War II, we respectfully ask Congress to act and repeal the Rescission Act of 1946, repudiate the injustice these veterans have suffered for 76 years, and heal the indignation, pain, and sorrow they endured over a lifetime.

Most of the Filipino WWII veterans have passed away, but the fight to restore the full honor and dignity they deserve falls on the shoulders of their families and the Filipino American community who have benefited from their sacrifices. To honor them, the United States' broken promise must be fulfilled.

Contact your Congressional representatives and the White House and tell them to repeal the Recession Acts.

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

Memorial Day 2022: Remembering the 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiment

US ARMY
Filipino American soldiers of the 1st Filipino Regiment were sworn in as U.S. citizens.

One of the United States' most famous WWII segregated units was the 442nd Regiment, composed of Japanese American soldiers. Their heroism and bravery fighting in Europe are well documented resulting in the 442nd becoming as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the US military.

Little known and receiving much less attention, was the unit made up of Filipino American soldiers -- the 1st and 2nd Filipino Regiments, which saw action in the Pacific and took part in the liberation of the Philippines.

Out of a sense of patriotic duty and love for their homeland, thousands of Filipinos residing in the U.S. responded to the call to arms. 

Following is the history of the 1st Filipino Regiment from the US Army Center of Military History: 

Following the Japanese attacks that destroyed U.S. airfields on Luzon on 8 December 1941, thousands of Filipinos fought side by side with U.S. Army soldiers in the defense of the Philippines. Yet at the same time stateside recruiters refused to enlist Filipino-American volunteers

Pertaining to the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934, Filipinos were stripped of their “U.S. National” status and were now considered “aliens.” As U.S. “aliens,” they were exempted from being drafted into the army and thus not legally required to serve for the United States. 

On December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Imperial Navy of Japan, Filipino Americans petitioned for the rights to serve in the U.S. Army leading President Franklin Roosevelt to revise the Selective Service Act allowing Filipinos in the U.S. to serve in the Second World War. 

To fight a world war, however, the nation needed to call upon all its available manpower. On December 21, 1941 Congress amended the Selective Service and Training Act to permit enlistment of citizens and “every other male person residing in the United States.” 

Thousands of Filipino American men volunteered to serve the United States.

As a result, on February 19, 1942, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson announced the creation of a Filipino battalion to enable Americans of Filipino ancestry as well as resident Filipinos to serve together in the U.S. Army.

On April 1, 1942 the War Department activated the 1st Filipino Battalion. Its existence proved short-lived. In July 1942 the soldiers transferred to the newly constituted 1st Filipino Regiment which replaced the battalion, and the new regiment activated on 13 July 1942 at Salinas, California. On 14 October 1942 the Army constituted a second regiment, designated as the 2d Filipino Regiment. The 1st Battalion, 2d Filipino Regiment, activated on October 22, 1942 at Fort Ord, California.

Shortly thereafter, the Office of The Adjutant General approved a coat of arms for the 1st Filipino Regiment. The red, white, and blue colors on the shield, representing the national colors of the Philippines and the United States, reflected the Filipino heritage of this U.S. Army regiment. The unit was granted the motto "Laging Una," which is “Always First” in Tagalog—a major native language of the Philippines. No records have surfaced to indicate that the Army ever authorized a coat of arms for the 2d Filipino Regiment.

On March 27, 1944 the 2d Filipino Regiment was disbanded, and the 1st Battalion was concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 2d Filipino Battalion (Separate). From Fort Ord, elements of the 1st Filipino Regiment and the 2d Filipino Battalion (Separate) moved to various training locations in California before embarking separately at San Francisco for a two-week voyage to the South Pacific.

Elements of the 1st Filipino Regiment arrived in New Guinea in April 1944 where they fought until moving to the Philippines (Leyte) in February 1945. There, some of the regiment’s companies provided security for Eighth Army General Headquarters, Far East Air Force, and Seventh Fleet Headquarters as well as at two airstrips, Tanauan and Tacloban. 

US ARMY
Filipino American soldiers used bolo knives while training in eskrima, a Philippine martial art.

For the remainder of the war, the 1st Filipino Regiment manned checkpoints, participated in mopping-up operations, and performed security and support operations in the Philippines.  Many of unit members were used as scouts and intelligence gatherers because they were able to blend in with the local population.

The unit returned to the United States in March 1946 and inactivated at Camp Stoneman, California, on April 10, 1946. The 1st Filipino Regiment earned battle honors for New Guinea, Leyte, and the Southern Philippines. The unit additionally earned the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.

The 2d Filipino Battalion (Separate) left the United States in June 1944 and arrived in New Guinea in July 1944. The battalion eventually moved to Manila, Philippine Islands, where it inactivated on December 21, 1945. The unit earned battle honors for New Guinea. It did not receive any decorations.

Unlike their fellow Filipino veterans who fought on the side the U.S. as members of the US forces, members of the 2st and 2nd Filipino Regiments were given U.S. citizenship. According to historian Barbara Posadas, 10,737 Filipinos who served in the U.S. Armed Forces were granted citizenship during and after World War II.

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

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Vietnamese American in runoff for Georgia Secretary of State

TWITTER / BEE NGUYEN
Bee Nguyen, candidate for Georgia Secretary of State, thanks her supporters on election night.


An Asian American rising star in Georgia politics won a runoff position after winning 44% of the primary vote last May 24.

Bee Nguyen won less than the 50% needed for an outright victory, but she garnered the most votes among Democrats running for Secretary of State. She will run off against the second-runner up, former state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler who won 19% of the Democrats' votes.

The winner of the Democrats' run-off on June 21 will face Republican incumbent Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Libertarian Ted Metz in the November general election.

A day after the primary, Nguyen garnered a key endorsement that pretty much wraps up the  support  of the Democratic mainstream.

“When Bee was elected to my former House seat, I knew my constituents would be well represented. Now, her record of advocacy and public service for Georgia voters speaks for itself,” said Stacey Abrams, who won her own primary election for governor. She will face off against incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Nguyen,40, is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. She grew up in Augusta, Georgia and graduated from a Georgia public high school.

After she moved to Atlanta to attend Georgia State University, she started a local nonprofit to educate and empower young women. She spent a decade in Georgia public high schools, where she learned how to organize with her community and demand change for her students.

Nguyen made history when she was elected as the first Asian American Democratic woman to the Georgia General Assembly in House District 89, the seat formerly held by Abrams. At the Georgia State Capitol, Nguyen  is a leading advocate for voting rights, public education, and criminal justice reform.


Nguyen's victory for Abram's seat in a runoff made her the first Asian American woman in the Georgia General Assembly. But Nguyen grabbed the national spotlight in December 2020 when a video of her methodical and public takedown of election fraud claims by Trump allies went viral.

In its endorsement of Nguen, the AAPI Victory Fund stated:

"At a time when democracy itself is under attack, there can be no more important priority than to ensure that every vote counts and that the people in charge of counting the votes do so with integrity. In this year’s midterm elections, our focus must be on critical Secretary of State races, especially in Georgia where a Republican governor has made clear his intention to limit access to the ballot as part of a craven attempt to win his own re-election.

“Representative Nguyen gained invaluable mentorship experience through a local non-profit she founded to educate and empower young women and, over the decade she spent in the Georgia public school system, knows firsthand the best practices to organize and spark change for her community. Throughout her career, Representative Nguyen has been a leading advocate for voting rights, public education and criminal justice reform. By the end of her first term on the Georgia General Assembly, Representative Nguyen successfully overturned the “exact match” voter registration law, which subsequently restored the right to vote for over 53,000 voters impacted by the restrictive voting policy. Georgia deserves a champion for democracy and ... will position the state of Georgia as a leader in our country for voting rights."


As Secretary of State, the winner will oversee Georgia's elections in the 2024 Presidential race. Georgia's votes were embroiled in controversy as Donald Trump tried to get Raffensperger to overturn the state's votes, which went to eventual winner Joe Biden, the first time the state voted for a Democrat in 30 years.

In the aftermath of Democratic victory, the Republican-controlled legislature passed sweeping changes to voting rules — actions that Nguyen and other critics say are aimed at dampening the record turnout from 2020 that helped turn Georgia blue.

"This race is about defending the freedom to vote," Nguyen said during a campaign stop. "It is about protecting the future of our democracy."

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

Survey: Racism touches 1 out of 3 Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander immigrant



A recent survey found that 1 in 3 Asian immigrants experienced more discrimination in 2021 than when the COVID-19 pandemic began and that many reported negative experiences due to their race or ethnicity, ranging from receiving poor service to being verbally or physically attacked.

The Kaiser Family Foundation survey 
of Asian American community health center patients found echoed similar findings by other reports on the surge of anti-Asian incidents since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago.

Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) people are a diverse and growing population in the United States. Asian people are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States, with their population increasing 81% from 10.5 million to 18.9 million between 2000 and 2019.

Given the diversity of the population, broad data on Asian and NHOPI people often mask underlying disparities among subgroups of the population. For example, there is a nearly 8-fold difference in uninsured rates among Asian and NHOPI subgroups, ranging from 4% for Japanese people to 32% for Mongolian people. Uninsured rates also vary by citizenship status among Asian and NHOPI people, with noncitizens more likely to lack coverage across groups.
RELATED: AANHPI elderly impacted by rise in hate
Data are also often missing to identify and address disparities. Enhancing data to better understand the experiences of Asian and NHOPI people is of particular importance at this time, given growing levels of racism and discrimination amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including a significant uptick in hate incidents against Asian and NHOPI people.

Other highlights of the report:
  • Nearly half (48%) say that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected their ability to pay for basic needs like housing, utilities, and food, four in ten (40%) report that it negatively affected their ability to do their job, and 43% say it has negatively impacted their mental health.
  • Nearly half (48%) say it has affected their sleep and 39% report changes in their appetite and eating (Figure 9). Others say it has led to frequent headaches or stomachaches (24%), increased difficulty controlling temper (15%), increased alcohol or drug use (10%), and worsened chronic conditions, like diabetes or high blood pressure (9%).
  • Over half (54%) of Asian health center respondents say they or another adult in their household lost their job or had their income or hours reduced due to the pandemic
  • Over half of parents (52%) say the pandemic has negatively affected their children’s education and 41% say it has had negative impacts on their ability to care for their children.
  • Three in ten (30%) Asian health center respondents say they put off or went without health care in the past 12 months and 37% of parents report doing so for their children.
  • One quarter (25%) of respondents say they or a member of their household decided not to apply for or stopped participating in a government program to help pay for health care, food, or housing in the past year due to immigration-related fears



While these findings are not representative of Asian immigrants or Asian health center patients overall, they provide new insight into and understanding of the experiences of Asian health center patients who are largely immigrants, a group for whom there remain very little data.

The findings illustrate the ways Asian immigrants experience racism and discrimination in their daily lives and indicate that these experiences have increased amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They also suggest that immigration-related fears are ongoing among the community and contributing to reluctance accessing government assistance programs for food, housing, and health care.

The findings further show the that the pandemic has taken a toll on mental health and well-being, finances, and access to health care for Asian immigrant families. This increased understanding can help inform COVID-19 response efforts as well as efforts to address health disparities more broadly.

Going forward, continued efforts to assess and understand the experiences of smaller population groups, including Asian immigrants, remain important as they are often invisible in public data sources.

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

Friday, May 27, 2022

Now on Hulu: 'Heritage Heroes' - a special telling the stories of unsung AANHPI heroes

 


Hulu, the streaming network, is airing Heritage Heroes, a special film that spotlights the stories of six unsung AANHPI heroes from across the country.

These heroes were nominated by family, friends, and fellow community members for their outstanding stories of resilience, service, and courage. Together, the individual heroes and their stories represent the diversity of AANHPI experiences today. 

The special was produced by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), Enfranchisement Productions, and FutureFriends and it premiered on Hulu Thursday, May 26, during Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month

“TAAF created this special by and for our communities — with a nearly all-AANHPI crew — to celebrate the stories of those who are often underrepresented on screen and behind the scenes in the arts and entertainment industry,” said Norman Chen, CEO of TAAF. 

Heritage Heroes was previewed at TAAF's Partner Summit in Washington D.C. last week where the six heroes were publicly announced. They are: Nurse-turned-chef Justin Foronda, Hawaii Police Major Mike Lambert, Paralympian Justin Phongsavanh, the high school students of Livingston Asian Youth Alliance (LAYA), Fisherman Thiện Nguyá»…n, and AAPI Activist Suki Terada Ports.

To help spotlight and pay tribute to each of the “Heroes,” the special will feature a celebrity cast including Daniel Dae Kim, Lisa Ling, Michelle Zauner, Simu Liu, Liza Koshy, Karrueche Tran, Jeannie Mai Jenkins, Gloria Steinem, Auli’i Cravalho, Ming-Na Wen, Jay Shetty, Chella Man, Chelsea Handler, Ella Jay Basco, Ian Alexander, Leo Sheng, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Manish Dayal, Miya Cech, Nathan Chen, Rain Valdez, Sherry Cola, and Sunita Mani.



Heritage Heroes was directed, edited, and produced almost entirely by AAPI creatives — including the film crew and production and editing staff. The special was produced by Executive Producers: Kristen Wong, Brad Jenkins, and Saj Patel and co-executive producers Melvin Mar, Neha Patel and Dan Mansour.

The special features six films spotlighting the “Heroes”, each directed by an AAPI director, including: Peter S. Lee, Julian Kim, Shruti Ganguli, Grace Evangelista, Jason Park, Alex Bocchieri, and Marion Hill.

As well as musical performances and guest appearances directed by Dyan Jong and Dan Mansour. And talent booking was led by Cultivated Entertainment’s Jen Proctor, Sophia Tayui-Lepore, and Abigail Parsons.

Additional information about the special is available on Hulu, and Heritage Heroes will be included in Hulu’s AAPI collection alongside other content focused on highlighting AAPI stories and experiences.


The Asian American Foundation is a convener, incubator, and funder committed to accelerating opportunity and prosperity for AANHPI communities. For additional information about TAAF, visit www.taaf.org.

“We are grateful for Hulu’s partnership in sharing this inaugural special with the world as we seek to create a greater sense of belonging for the millions of AAPIs living across America,” said Chen.

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

Thursday, May 26, 2022

K-pop's BTS to meet with President Biden

South Korean pop group BTS.



Worldwide music artists BTS will be paying a visit with President Biden May 31 to "discuss Asian inclusion and representation" and the alarming rise in anti-Asian attacks, according to the White House.

"President Biden and BTS will also discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and BTS’ platform as youth ambassadors who spread a message of hope and positivity across the world," the White House said.

The visit with the popular K-pop boy band will be in conjunction with the White House recognition of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month which concludes May 31. The group members are RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook,

“President Biden has previously spoken about his commitment to combating the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes and signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in May 2021 to provide law enforcement with resources to identify, investigate, and report hate crimes and ensure that hate crimes information is more accessible to AA (Asian-American) and NHPI (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) communities. President Biden and BTS will also discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and BTS’ platform as youth ambassadors who spread a message of hope and positivity across the world. Additional details to follow,” the statement continued.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, there have been over 11,000 hate incidents against AANHPI, according to Stop AAPI Hate, which began collecting reports of anti-Asian incidents in March 2020.

Anti-Asian American hate crimes rose 339% in 2021, according to the preliminary results from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

BTS, which popularized the music genre known as K-pop, is known for its philanthropic endeavors and its huge, rabid fan base known as The Army.

During the 2020 Presidential campaign, BTS fans used the power of social media to reduce attendance at some of Donald Trump rallies.

As the Atlanta spa shootings where six Asian women were killed in 2021, the group tweeted: "We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look," they added. "We were even asked why Asians spoke in English."

"We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason," the statement continues.

"Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks.

"But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away at our self-esteem."

The group concluded by offering their "deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones." 

It is not the first White House visit by music artists of Asian descent. Last year, pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, a Filipino American, visited Biden to help encourage her fans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

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


Census: Initial numbers of AANHPI communities reveals wide range of diversity


A data release from the 2020 Census reveals that the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities are incredibly diverse and complex. 

There are 20.6 million people who identify as Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone (not in combination with another race), making up 6.2% of the nation’s population, according to the 2020 Census. However, if you include people who are of mixed race, Asian and some other race, the total jumps to 24 million.

But it’s not until these numbers are broken down that the incredible diversity of this population becomes clear.

Using recently released data from both the 2020 Census and the American Community Survey’s (ACS) 5-year estimates, Census workers were able to detail the diversity of the racial and ethnic composition of this population and its geographic distribution.

RACE

The 2020 Census shows:

  • 19.9 million people identified as Asian alone and 4.1 million people identified as Asian in combination with another race.
  • Roughly 690,000 people identified as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) alone but almost 900,000 identified as NHPI in combination with another race.
  • Race and Hispanic origin are measured separately by the Census Bureau: 267,330 identified as both Asian alone (race) and Hispanic, and 67,948 people identified as both NHPI alone (race) and Hispanic
DIVERSITY

The Asian diaspora is extremely diverse. Using data from the 2016-2020 5-year ACS, the Census Bureau published data for 21 different detailed groups in the United States under the umbrella of Asian alone, including 4.2 million people reporting Chinese (excluding Taiwanese) and 3,526 people reporting Okinawan.


Among NHPI (alone or in combination) individuals, there were roughly 620,000 who identified as Native Hawaiian, 212,000 as Samoan, 156,000 as Chamorro, 65,000 as Tongan, and roughly 50,000 as Fijian.

In acknowledgement of the diversity of languages spoken in the United States, the Census Bureau disseminated materials for the 2020 Census in 59 different languages other than English, including 23 languages that originated in Asia: Bengali, Burmese, Chinese, Khmer, Gujarati, Hindi, Hmong, Ilocano, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Sinhala, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

WHERE THEY WERE BORN

The U.S. Asian and Pacific Islander populations have diverse backgrounds, according to the ACS’s most recent 5-year estimates:
WHERE THEY LIVE

The Asian and NHPI population was not evenly distributed across the United States, according to the 2020 Census:
  • Only three states — Hawaii, California, and New Jersey — had 10% or more of their population identify as Asian alone.
  • Hawaii, Alaska, and Utah were the only states where at least 1% of the population identified as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone.
  • Hawaii, Washington, and Nevada are the three states with the highest percentage of the population who identify as Asian in combination with another race.
  • Hawaii, Nevada, and Alaska are the three states with the highest percentage of the population who identify as NHPI in combination with another race.


The population profiles of major Metropolitan Statistical Areas (“metro areas”) across the country reflect the geographic dispersion of the Asian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander population. The 2016-2020 ACS 5-year shows:
More data on detailed Asian and NHPI groups from the 2020 Census will be released in the summer 2023.

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


Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Google & Gold House celebrate the 2022 star-studded and impactful A100 List




For a first-time event, the Gold House Gala was a star-studded affair honoring its list of A100 inductees in Los Angeles, last Saturday night.

Since this is L.A., the center of the movie-making industry, the affair had all the glitter and glamor of a Hollywood premiere featuring some of the biggest names in media,  entertainment, business and political worlds. Instead of the traditional red carpet, celebrities walked down a gold carpet showing off the creations of AAPI designers.

Although Gold House has been creating its list of the 100 for four years, this is the first time for the in-person Gold House Gala, after the nation has undergone two-years of pandemic-induced health restrictions which also saw a dramatic rise in anti-Asian attacks.

At the Gala with the theme of ushering in a New Gold Era for AANHPI communities, three Legends -- Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Yeoh and Mindy Kaling -- were honored for their lifelong dedication to advancing API excellence:

“I arrived here and saw the sea of amazing Asian beautiful faces and realized I’m not in Hong Kong, I’m not in Malaysia, I’m in freaking in Los Angeles, and we are celebrating each other,” Yeoh said as she was introduced by directors Jon M. Chu and Destin Daniel Cretton, and producer Jonathan Wang.

"We have so many stories to tell in our own way with our own voices. So I am so happy to see this. This is a long time coming," said Michelle Yeoh.

Yeoh, who stars in the recently released and critically acclaimed film, Everything, Everywhere All At Once, proved that she is as bold as some of the heroic roles that she has played.

“Science tells us women outlive men. But even with extra time, we have to get a lot more done,” Yeoh said in her acceptance speech for the SeeHer award at Gold House’s inaugural Gold Gala

“If you try to have a baby after the age of 35, science tells us that is a geriatric pregnancy. While men are just starting their lives” – Yeoh paused to give a playful nod to the three men who introduced her, directors Jon M. Chu and Destin Daniel Cretton and producer Jonathan Wang – “women are already starting the geriatric part of their lives. Hardly seems fair, right? Get down on your knees, boys.”

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, added: "Our differences are our greatest strengths, and recognizing representation in entertainment and amplifying the voices and contributions of our AAPI community is of the highest importance.

"I could not be more proud of my Black and Samoan heritage," Johnson continues, "and one of my greatest passions in life is enriching my daughters' lives with our people's history so they also understand the importance of our great ancestry and its meaning. 

"Both cultures represent love, respect and power that ignites the universal feeling of family, our mana, and nodding to those who paved the road before us so that the 'rough places are made plain' and we can pursue our dreams today. Let us embrace, celebrate and illuminate the Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and all people of color, who contribute to making this country great today and every day," he said.

After being introduced by “Never Have I Ever” star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who was discovered by Kaling, the actress/writer/producer said:

“I like to write about complex women and some people label complex women as ‘unlikable’ because it doesn’t align with their expectations of how a character on TV should be,” she said. “Audiences have gotten used to tired Asian stereotypes, and with that it can be disorienting.”

“You want the people to be presented with a young Indian female protagonist who is funny, unapologetic, ambitious and yes, sometimes angry.”

The outspoken and unapologetic Kaling vowed to continue improving representation for AANHPI actors and stories. “If I can be a leader of some of that change, that will be the honor of a lifetime. I’m still learning. I make mistakes, but once I know better, I do better,” she said.


A recent study found that the majority of Americans could not name a significant Asian American and Pacific Islander, not even the country's Vice President Kamala Harris.

Hoping to remedy the apparent invisibility of AANHPI, the Gold House list and gala honors the 100 Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders who have most significantly impacted American culture and society in the last year. 

Besides the aforementioned "Legends," this year's A100 honorees are:

Activism, Advocacy, & Politics

  • A1: Michelle Wu (Mayor of Boston)
  • A1: Aftab Pureval (Mayor of Cincinnati)
  • A1: Bruce Harrell (Mayor of Seattle)
  • Ai-Jen Poo (Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance)
  • Alice Wong (Activist, Writer)
  • Alliance for Asian American Justice
  • Andy Kim (US Congressman)
  • Chantale Y. Wong (US Ambassador and Executive Director to the Asian Development Bank)
  • Lina Khan (FTC Chair)
  • Maria Angelita Ressa (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2021)

Business, Technology, & Innovation

  • A1: Tony Xu (CEO & Co-Founder, DoorDash)
  • Amrapali Gan (CEO, OnlyFans)
  • Anne Raimondi (COO & Head of Business, Asana)
  • Changpeng Zhao (CEO, Binance)
  • David Chao (Co-Founder & General Partner, DCM)
  • Edward Kim (Co-founder & CTO, Gusto)
  • Emilie Choi (President & Chief Operating Officer, Coinbase)
  • Eric J. Kim (Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Goodwater Capital)
  • Hemant Taneja (Managing Partner, General Catalyst)
  • Howie Liu (Co-Founder & CEO, Airtable)
  • Ivan Zhao (CEO, Notion)
  • Joe Lau and Nikil Viswanathan (Co-Founder & CTO and Co-Founder & CEO, Alchemy)
  • Mak Azadi (COO, Discord)
  • Margaret Vo Schaus (Chief Financial Officer, NASA)
  • Matthew Huang (Crypto Investor, Paradigm)
  • Michael Chae (Chief Financial Officer, Blackstone)
  • Musa Tariq (Chief Marketing Officer, GoFundMe)
  • Parag Agrawal (CEO, Twitter)
  • Patrick Chun (Founder & Managing Partner, Juxtapose)
  • Roham Gharegozlou (Co-founder & CEO, Dapper Labs)
  • Rohan Seth (Co-founder and CTO, Clubhouse)
  • Sam Yam (Co-Founder & CTO, Patreon)
  • Shou Zi Chew (CEO, TikTok)
  • Susie Nam (CEO of the Americas, Droga5)
  • Teddy Park (CEO, The Black Label)
  • Tim Chen (Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, NerdWallet)
  • Todd Park (Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Devoted Health)

Entertainment

  • A1: Simu Liu (Actor & Writer)
  • Ashley Park (Tony and Grammy Nominated Actor)
  • Bella Poarch (Musician)
  • Bowen Yang (Actor & Comedian)
  • Bridgerton (Season 2) Stars (Simone Ashley & Charithra Chandran)
  • Chloé Zhao (Director)
  • Daniel Wu (Actor, Producer, Race Car Driver)
  • Destin Daniel Cretton (Director)
  • Domee Shi (Director)
  • Hailee Steinfeld (Actress, Singer, Producer)
  • Jason Momoa (Actor)
  • Ji-Young and Kathleen Kim (Muppet and Puppeteer, Sesame Street)
  • Jimmy O. Yang (Actor, Comedian, Writer, Producer)
  • Jo Koy (Comedian & Actor)
  • Kumail Nanjiani (Actor)
  • LISA (Musician)
  • Marian Lee (Chief Marketing Officer, Netflix)
  • Mary Margaret (Tech and Media Executive)
  • Never Have I Ever Stars (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Richa Moorjani, Poorna Jagannathan)
  • NIKI (Singer-Songwriter)
  • Olivia Rodrigo (Singer-Songwriter)
  • Pachinko Creators (Soo Hugh, Justin Chon, Kogonada, Theresa Kang-Lowe) and Stars (Min-Ha Kim, Lee Min Ho, Jin Ha)
  • Puja Patel (Editor-in-Chief, Pitchfork)
  • Ramsey Naito (President, Paramount Animation & Nickelodeon Animation)
  • Riz Ahmed (Actor, Writer, Producer, Musician & Activist)
  • Ronny Chieng (Comedian, Actor, and Writer)
  • Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Director)
  • Sean Miyashiro & Derek Hsu (CEO and President, 88Rising)
  • Silk Sonic (Musicians)
  • Squid Games Creator (Hwang Dong-Hyuk) and Stars (Lee Jung-jae, Hoyeon, Oh Yeong-su, Park Hae-soo)
  • Taika Waititi (Academy Award®-winning Writer, Director, and Actor)
  • Tan France (Television Star and Style Expert)
  • Youn Yuh-jung (Actress)

Lifestyle

  • A1: Payal Kadakia (ClassPass Founder, Artist, and Author of LifePass)
  • Bretman Rock (Digital Superstar)
  • Chella Man (Artist)
  • Emma Broyles (Miss America 2022)
  • Jay Shetty (NYT Best-Selling Author, Podcaster, Purpose Coach, Entrepreneur)
  • Kelly Huang (Founder, KCH Advisory)
  • Leena Nair (CEO, Chanel)
  • Michelle Zauner (Author, Musician)
  • Min Jin Lee (Author)
  • Nathaniel Ru (Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, Sweetgreen)
  • Rachell "Rae" Hofstetter (Content Creator & Streamer)
  • Rupi Kaur (Poet)
  • Roy Choi (Chef)
  • Sofia Chang (CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA)
  • Sarah Burke (Editor-in-Chief, Them)
  • Versha Rani Sharma (Editor-in-Chief, Teen Vogue)
  • Will Lee (COO, NPR)
  • Yoon Ahn (Founder & Designer, Ambush)

Sports

  • A1: Chloe Kim (Olympic Gold Medalist, Half-Pipe)
  • Carissa Moore (Olympic Gold Medalist, Surfing)
  • Collin Morikawa (Professional Golfer)
  • Emma Raducanu (U.S. Open Tennis Champion)
  • Jalen Green (Shooting Guard, Houston Rockets)
  • Jordan Clarkson (Shooting Guard / Point Guard, Utah Jazz)
  • Justine Wong-Orantes (Olympic Gold Medalist, Volleyball)
  • Lee Kiefer (Olympic Gold Medalist, Individual Foil)
  • Mina Mugil Kimes (NFL Analyst)
  • Shohei Ohtani (Designated Hitter and Pitcher, Los Angeles Angels)
  • Sunisa Lee (Olympic Gold Medalist)
  • Taylor Rapp (Safety, Los Angeles Rams)
  • Xander Schauffele (Olympic Gold Medalist, Individual Golf)

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

Time names AANHPI on its list of 100 Most Influential people.




Nineteen Asians and Asian Americans made Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People.

One of the covers the news magazine chose featured actor Simu Liu, whose portrayal of Marvel superhero Shang-Chi last year and his activism regarding representation of AANHPI in movies made him one of the most visible and outspoken AANHPI personalities in 2021.

“There is no caption that exists to articulate what I am feeling to be included among such legendary and exceptional people,” Liu wrote in his Instagram post.


“But what if this moment isn’t about me at all? What if I’m merely a conduit to a much more impactful discussion about a group of people who have struggled to feel seen, respected, and equal?” said Liu in the article about him written by fellow actor and Asian Canadian Sandra Oh.

“If I happen to be an instrument, a passing storm that changes the tides this particular year, then so be it. I will make as much thunder and lightning as I can while the clouds are here.”

Liu was among the 19 Asians and Asian Americans chosen to be on the annual list. Other actors included Michelle Yeoh, Keanu Reeves and Taiki Waititi . 

It was no surprise that included on the list were the expected political leaders Xi Jinping, President of the Peoples Republic of China and athletes such as Eileen Gu, the California snowboarder who competed for China in the Winter Olympics, but also  lesser known influencers Emmet Shelling, an advocate for trans rights in Texas; and Netflix’s head of global TV Bella Bajaria, the Indian American executive who helped diversify the streamer's content.

The list of 19 most influential AANHPI and Asians are: Simu Liu, Nathan Chen, Taiki Waititi, Bella Bajaria, Sevgil Musieva, Michelle Yeoh, Guatam Adani, Hwang Dong-Hyuk, Khurram Parvez, Xi Jinping, Yoon Suk-Yeol, Keanu Reeves, Karuna Nundy, Sun Chunlan, Maya Lin, Peng Shuai, Eileen Gu, Michelle Zauner and Emmet Schelling.

Most notable was who did not make this year's list. Not repeating this year was 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Maria Ressa, the embattled Filipino American journalist who made the list in 2019, and US Vice President Kamala Harris, the highest ranking AANHPI government official who made the list in 2021.

Time magazine will celebrate the 2022 Time100 list of the world's most influential people with the return of the annual Time100 Summit and Time100 Gala on June 7 and June 8 in New York City.


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