Hate crimes increase in US, but those targeting Asian Americans decreased in 2022, says FBI

Less anti-Asian rhetoric from the nation's leaders have had a beneficial effect in lowering the number of hate crimes against Asian Americans, as evidenced by the latest Hate Crimes Report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Anti-Asian hate crimes decreased 33% from 2021 to 2022, according to FBI's latest report released last week. The drop reverses the surge of anti-Asian crimes that since 2020, when the pandemic began and the Donald Trump administration began using using anti-Chinese slurs in blaming COVID-19 on China. Because the nation's supposed leader used racist rhetoric in referring to the pandemic, that gave those with racist tendencies to unleash their hidden racism against AANHPI.

Despite the drop in reported hate crimes, Asian American communities remain worried that the trend could reverse quickly depending on deepening tensions between the US and North Korea and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).

“Anti-Asian hate crimes … are often tied to national security or other kinds of U.S. foreign policy that heightened attention to Asian Americans in the U.S.,” Janelle Wong, senior researcher at the data and civic engagement nonprofit AAPI Data,tells NBC.

“We will expect them to go up again at some point, depending on what the national and international context is and the degree to which places in Asia are cast as a threat to the US.”

Despite the lower number of anti-Asian hate crimes, members of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities caution that the FBI data underreports the number of attacks against AANHPI.

One reason for the report is flawed is that law enforcement agencies are not required under the law to report hate crime data to the FBI. Only 14,660 of 18,888 participating law enforcement agencies in the country reported their data to the FBI with a population coverage of 91.7% submitting incident reports. In addition, many crimes are simply never reported to police, says the Southern Poverty Law Center which tracks hate incidents throughout the nation.

Though 46 states and the District of Columbia have hate crime laws, the laws vary widely. In addition, each jurisdiction has its own definition what constitutes a hate crime. Many of the smaller law agencies tend to underreport hate incidents because they don't want to taint the reputation of their community.

Nevertheless, the decrease from 746 to 499 hate incidents does suggest a trend. is attributed to several factors, including diminished opportunity for Covid-related scapegoating, less inflammatory rhetoric from leaders and reporting fatigue, experts say. But not every group saw similar drops.

These reports involved 11,634 criminal incidents and 13,337 related offenses as being motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity. There were over 11,000 single-bias hate crime incidents involving 13,278 victims and 346 multiple-bias hate crime incidents that involved 433 victims. In 2022, the top three bias categories in single-bias incidents were race/ethnicity/ancestry, religion, and sexual-orientation.

The top bias types within those bias categories by volume of reported hate crime incidents is anti-Black for race/ethnicity/ancestry bias, anti-Jewish for religious bias, and anti-Gay (male) for sexual-orientation bias.

The FBI report only counts those attacks that meet the legal definition of a hate crime, which is a minority of hate incidents that occur against AANHPI. It does not include the verbal and physical harassment, bullying and micro-aggressions that AANHPI have to endure almost daily.

Groups that monitor hate incidents note the increase of attacks against Muslims and South Asians since the start of the Israeli-Hamas War on Oct. 7.

The FBI reports that it “has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions” and said that “recent events have increased the possibility of potential attacks against individuals and institutions in response to developments in the Middle East.”

Jews, Palestinians and Muslims in the US told CNN they’re experiencing a growing fear about bigotry and hatred in the wake of the Hamas attack.

The Anti Defamation Lague reported to CNN that over 312 antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7-23, almost a five-fold increase over the same period in 2022.

At the same time, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it is collecting data and has seen an uptick in reports, but did not have numbers to release. “We haven’t had time to do tallies, but we are responding to incidents around the clock,” said CAIR Research Director Corey Saylor.

In a memo to law enforcement agencies in Washington, D.C., the Department of Homeland Security warned that the "escalations in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas almost certainly will increase the threat of terrorism and targeted violence" in the US.

Already, in addition to vandalism and other assorted aggressions against mosques and synagogues, the Middle East conflict likely motivated the stabbing death of a 6-year old Palestinian American boy, Wadea Al-Fayoume, in hicago and what appears to be the assassination of Samantha Woll, a Jewish American leader in Detroit.

"Last year’s data also shows that overall hate crime levels remained steady, and hate crimes targeting Asian Americans fell by 38% after I signed legislation to combat anti-Asian hate," said President Biden. "But there’s more to do when it comes to ending hate-fueled violence. That means coming together and speaking out against hate and bigotry in all its forms. All Americans deserve to live their lives with dignity, respect, and safety.

"The data is a reminder that hate never goes away, it only hides," said Biden in response to the FBI report. "Any hate crime is a stain on the soul of America."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

New media partnership to inform public about AANHPI positions on issues

A new media partnership will shine a spotlight on the Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, who make up  one of the most dynamic and increasingly influential communities in the United States.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and AAPI Data are launching a new survey series, the AAPI Data/AP-NORC survey starting in November 2023, and extending through 2024, that elevates the perspective of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations on some of society’s most pressing issues. The effort will address historic underrepresentation of AAPI communities in public opinion research.

“Comprehensive data that reflect the experiences and perspectives of all demographic groups are the foundation of high-quality public opinion polling and analyses,” said Jennifer Benz, deputy director of The AP-NORC Center. “With this partnership, we are amplifying the voices of AAPI populations to address the historic underrepresentation of AAPI communities in public opinion and news stories.”

The information about AANHPI communities could spur more stories about AANHPIs in the media hopefully dispelling some of the misinformation and stereotypes that fed the ignorance about one of the fastest growing in the United States.

By 2060, Asian Americans are projected to be the United States’ largest immigrant group, with their numbers estimated to surpass 46 million, or more than 10 percent of the total U.S. population. Asian Americans are already the fastest-growing racial/ethnic demographic in the country, with their size nearly doubling between 2000 and 2019. 

The upcoming series merges the partners’ research and journalistic expertise, cultural knowledge, and established community relationships to measure the views of AAPI populations. It will feature regular surveys on key issues, such as policy priorities, financial well-being, political views, and civic engagement. 

The first report, scheduled for release in November, will focus on the experiences of AANHPI communities with hate crimes and discrimination.

         FYI: The AAPI Data/AP-NORC series can be found here. 

The Amplify AAPI panel, from which the surveys will draw, is the first large survey panel of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders. Surveys will be conducted online and over the phone in English and in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Korean to cover the largest Asian American populations with limited English proficiency.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are two of the fastest growing racial groups in the United States and have historically been underrepresented in research due in part to inadequate data infrastructure, language barriers, and a lack of outreach to AAPI communities.

“The AAPI community is incredibly diverse. Fully appreciating and understanding that diversity is essential for effective polling as well as policy making,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and director of AAPI Data. “This collaboration aims to capture the breadth and depth of AAPI communities to better inform decision makers and the general public.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

California marks day honoring Filiipino American labor leader Larry Itliong

The late labor leader Larry Itliong's birthday is Oct. 25.

California is still the only state that marks the birth of Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong.

Governor Jerry Brown first signed the law creating Larry Itliong Day in 2015 and every year since, the state has officially recognized the day. Wednesday, Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis signed the proclamation since Gov. Gavin Newsom was on a trade mission in China.

The proclamation read, in part:

While working as a laborer in the fisheries and canneries of Alaska, Itliong helped found the Alaska Cannery Workers Union. His efforts helped secure a contract that gave workers an eight-hour workday with overtime. Following his service in the U.S. Army during World War II, Itliong settled in Stockton, California.

Itliong continued his work in the labor movement, emerging as a leader in the Filipino-American community of respected elders known as Manongs. He was involved in organizing the asparagus strike of 1948 – the first major agricultural strike after World War II – and in 1956, Itliong founded the Filipino Farm Labor Union in Stockton. Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, and Manong leaders helped create the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee.

            RELATED: Why all states should honor Larry Itliong

In the Spring of 1965, Itliong allied with grape workers in the Coachella Valley, fighting for increased pay. Following that victory, the Manongs voted in September 1965 to organize against grape growers in Delano who were exploiting workers toiling in their fields. The Manongs joined César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and the National Farmworkers Association to launch a nationwide boycott of grapes, ultimately delivering the first farmworker union contracts.

The UFW recognized the significance of Itliong and other Filipino American labor leaders in the formation of a union that joined Mexican and Filipino farmworkers.

"Both Larry Itliong and Cesar Chavez knew growers had defeated unions for 100 years by using one race to break the strikes of another. So from the outset of the walkouts, they insisted both Filipino and Latino strikers share the same picket lines and union hall, and eat in the same strike kitchen. The two unions merged in 1966, to form what today is the United Farm Workers of America. Solidarity between the races helped produce the first union contracts with table grape growers in 1970, and was a key factor in establishing the first enduring farm workers union in American history," read the UFW statement.

"Tough and courageous, Larry Itliong joined other Filipino American leaders such as Peter Velasco and Philip Vera Cruz who built the UFW alongside Cesar Chavez and his Latino colleagues such as Dolores Huerta and Gilbert Padilla," the statement concluded.

The historic five-year long Delano Grape Strike ended successfully with farmworkers receiving fair wages, benefits and better working conditions.

In 2014,  the overpass over Route 54, also known as the Filipino American Highway, in the City of San Diego was renamed the "Itliong-Vera Cruz Memorial Bridge.

In 2015 the Alvarado Middle School in Union City, California was officially renamed the Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School, after Itliong and his friend and fellow Filipino American labor leader, Philip Vera Cruz.

Itliong passed away on February 8, 1977 at the age of 63. He was survived by his wife and seven children. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Spurred by Israel-Hamas war, California AG Rob Bonta addresses spike in hate crimes against Muslims and Jews

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has made fighting hate crimes one of his top priorities.

Hate crimes against AANHPI went down in California for 2022, but the total of hate crimes went up.  2023 is expected to see an overall increase due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“There is no place for hate in California’s communities and cities,” said Rob Bonta, the state's first Filipino American Attorney General at a discussion in Irving, California on Monday, Oct. 23. “As our communities feel the ripple effects of the heart-wrenching violence in Israel and Palestine, we must recommit to standing united against hate, wherever it occurs in our state."

As part of a statewide effort to address hate, Bonta joined a roundtable discussion Monday  in Orange County where he was was joined by Irvine's mayor, Pakistan-born Farrah N. Khan, and other local elected and community leaders.

The roundtable in Irvine is the 13th in a series of meetings led by Bonta across the state to bring together local elected officials, law enforcement officers, and community leaders to discuss best practices in addressing hate crimes. The roundtables are broadly aimed at developing strategies to address bias and hate, increasing awareness around available resources for members of the public, and strengthening responses to hate crimes and incidents in California.

Although hate crime targeting Asians decreased by 43.3% from 247 in 2021 to 140 in 2022, there was a 20.2% increase in total reported hate crime events in California, according to a report on hate crimes released in the summer by the Attorney General. Although not captured in statewide hate crime statistics, it’s also important to remember that hate incidents — acts that do not meet the legal requirements of a crime — are also incredibly harmful and can leave lasting, negative impacts on targeted communities.

Even before the Mideast War began, the state report found that hate crimes against Jews increased 24.3% from 152 in 2021 to 189 and at the same time, anti-Muslim crimes rose from 18 in 2021 to 25 in 2022.

Blacks continue to be the community most targeted by hate in the state. Anti-Black incidents ncreased 27.1% from 513 in 2021 to 652 in 2022.

        FYI: The full 2022 Hate Crime in California report is available here.

Yulan Chung, CEO of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association, said when one person is affected by hate, the entire community feels it. She and other community members on the Orange County panel said they’d like to see more collaboration, accountability and funding go toward addressing anti-hate work.

Over the last five years, hate activity has been on the rise locally, according to the latest OC Hate Crimes Report. In Orange County, home to a large number of Asian Americans, the number of hate incidents against Asian Americans jumped 1,800% in 2020, according to the annual Orange County Hate Crime Report.

For 2022, hate crimes have increased by only 75%, and hate incidents – incidents  motivated by hateful bias that is not a crime – rose by 142%.

There were 450 reported hate crimes and incidents in Orange County in 2022, and more than half of those were motivated by race, ethnicity or national origin bias.

To counter the rise in anti-Asian incidents and attacks, the Anaheim Union High School District has launched this school year a first-of-its-kind high school ethnic studies course focused on the experiences of Korean Americans.

Although there are no hate crimes committed since the Middel East war began Oct. 7, the Jewish community was the most targeted religion in the county, and accounted for 20% of the total number of hate crimes and incidents.

Antisemitic incidents in the United States rose by about 400% in slightly over two weeks since war broke out in the Middle East, according to the advocacy group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said Wednesday.

In anticipation of a spike, case workers at the state's Civil Rights Department have been reaching out to mosques, synagogues, and cultural groups that serve Muslim or Arab-American Californians and are concerned about hate crimes, said Becky Monroe, a senior official at the California Civil Rights Department.

“Irvine is an incredibly diverse city,” Khan said. “However, we’ve not been immune to hate incidents or hate crimes in our city. We know this isn’t going away, and we have to do our part to make sure that our communities and our cities feel safe.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Asian American women find self affirmation in Olvia Rodrigo's new song: ‘all-american bitch’

Olivia Rodrigo screams in frustration in her song 'all-american bitch.'

Whether she intended to write an anthem for AANHPI women or not, some women are giving a deeper interpretation to Olivia Rodrigo's new hit, "All-American Bitch."

Upon initially hearing Rodrigo's lead song in her new album "Guts," it easy to understand that the song is against the ways women are expected to behave. But some Asian American women it is also a cry against the age-old stereotypes imposed on Asian women.

"It’s vital to remember that Rodrigo is, yes, sharing her experiences in girl- and womanhood, but she’s doing so from an intersectional perspective," writes Abby Sypniewski in Medium.

Sypniewski reminds us that 20-year old Rodrigo is Asian American, who grew up in California with a white mother and a Filipino American father. She is not the girl the Beachboys sing about classic ode "California Girls," because of her dual racial heritage.

When speaking to white journalists or a white audience, Rodrigo explains her song in more generic terms:

“I really love the song ‘All American Bitch,’” Rodrigo said in a recent interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I really love the lyrics of it and I think it expresses something that I’ve been trying to express since I was 15 years old, this repressed pressed anger and feeling of confusion or trying to be put into a box as a girl. So yeah, I think that that’s one of my favorite songs on the record."

In an interview with The Guardian, Rodrigo expands on the inspiration for "All-American Bitch." Despite her fame and fortune, like other people of mixed racial heritage, Rodrigo experiences  moment's of self-doubt and confusion while trying to navigate between and through two different worlds.

"I’ve experienced a lot of emotional turmoil over having all these feelings of rage and dissatisfaction that I felt like I couldn’t express, especially in my job. I’ve always felt like: you can never admit it, be so grateful all the time, so many people want this position," Rodrigo tells The Guardian. "And that causes a lot of repressed feelings. I’ve always struggled with wanting to be this perfect American girl and the reality of not feeling like that all the time."

 In an interview with The Guardian two years ago after her debut album exploded onto the music charts, she explained: “It’s hard for anyone to grow up in this media where it feels like if you don’t have European features and blonde hair and blue eyes, you’re not traditionally pretty,”

“The reason why I think the song ‘all american bitch’ by Olivia Rodrigo is so powerful is how it reclaims the phrase ‘all-American’ for Asian American women,” Hannah posted on Tik Tok. “When you think ‘all-American’ you think blonde hair, blue eyed, right? … Well, she doesn’t just reclaim it, she also comments on the fact that oftentimes Asian Americans aren’t seen as American. We’re seen as foreigners or outsiders.”

The verses' simple, sweet lightness with a simple acoustic guitar playing behind Rodrigo's lyrics, alternating with the loud, screaming, raging chorus musically emphasizes the contradictions imposed by society's expectations.

The discussion about the song is trending on Tik Tok.

“The way you can literally feel all the feminine rage infused into this,” wrote Sarah Lockwood. When she first heard Rodrigo’s song, Lockwood was reminded of America Ferrera’s monologue in Barbie about how hard it is to be a woman. “It’s this constant balancing act,” she tells Elle. “And if you fall off the balance beam or even wobble a little bit, you’re called ungrateful, you’re told you’re complaining, or that you’re a b*tch.  We’re constantly walking on eggshells.”  

The difference between rage and feminine rage is that feminine rage must hide itself behind a perfectly polished and polite veneer. Don't show that you're upset, or they'll call you sensitive. Don't react, or you'll be considered dramatic.

“All-american bitch encapsulates the Asian woman experience and the expectations put on a hyper-sexualized but demure community,” writes Zhou (@maggie_zhou) on Tik Tok. “Love to see Miss Rodrigo dismantle the model minority trope. Go queen.”

"all-american bitch" lyrics

[Verse 1]
I am light as a feather and as stiff as a board
I pay attention to things that most people ignore
And I’m alright with the movies that make jokes ‘bout senseless cruelty
That’s for sure
And I am built like a mother and a total machine
I feel for your every little issue, I know just what you mean
And I make light of the darkness
I’ve got sun in my motherfuckin’ pocket
Best believe, yeah, you know me

[Chorus]
I forgive and I forget
I know my age and I act like it
Got what you can’t resist
I’m a perfect all-American

Verse 2]
I am light as a feather, I’m as fresh as the air
Coca-Cola bottles that I only use to curl my hair
I got class and integrity just like a goddamn Kennedy, I swear
With love to spare

[Chorus]
Forgive and I forget
I know my age and I act like it
Got what you can’t resist
I’m a perfect all-American bitch

[Bridge]
With perfect all-American lips
And perfect all-American hips
I know my place, I know my place and this is it
I don’t get angry when I’m pissed, I’m the eternal optimist
I scream inside to deal with it, like, “Ah”
Like, “Ah” (Let’s fucking go)

[Outro]
All the time, I’m grateful all the time
I’m sexy and I’m kind, I’m pretty when I cry
Oh, all the time, I’m grateful all the time (All the fucking time)
I’m sexy and I’m kind, I’m pretty when I cry

Not included in the lyrics that reprinted above is Rodrigo's primal scream which perfectly expresses the extreme frustration of women and girls trying to fit the prim and proper feminine image foisted upon them. We're not one to censor any of the lyrics, here it is: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Use when necessary.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Beyond diversity: Hollywood AANHPI creatives finding hurdles to inclusion

Thanks to the box office success and critical acclaim of some Hollywood productions like Crazy Rich Asians and Everything, Everywhere All At Once, more studio doors are creaking open for AANHPI creatives but they are finding more hurdles to the next step of influence and decision-making.

One in five Asian American talent are looking at other careers in the entertainment industry, according to a new report, Red Light, Green Light: Overcoming Roadblocks to Asian American Creative Executive Success in the Entertainment Industry"

“We must ensure the pathways from entry-level positions to creative executive roles are supported and fortified through mentorship, leadership development and access to opportunity,” stated Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation, one of the partners of the report.

“To truly feel like we belong, we must see ourselves and our stories on screen. To do that, we must ensure that AANHPIs have the support to not only tell authentic narratives but also reach executive roles to greenlight those stories,” Chen continued.

        RELATED: Studios open gates for Asian American content

The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) today announced the findings of the study, which focused on the experience of Asian American creative executives, those who ultimately greenlight projects and shepherd them to screen, in the entertainment industry.

CAPE and TAAF revealed the results of the study last night at their inaugural Culture Change Salon: Greenlighting AANHPI Stories, the largest gathering of Asian American and Pacific Islander creative executives.

The report explores topics such as barriers to entry and promotions, day-to-day challenges, and factors that contribute to attrition and industry pivots for those at entry, mid, and senior levels of the entertainment industry. 

The report also shares recommendations on how to improve the experiences of Asian American creatives in the industry and foster an environment that will allow Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) creative executives to thrive.

A majority of the survey respondents described experiencing microaggressions, blatant racism, and tokenization. Moreover, 93.3% agree that representation on screen is similarly lacking. 

This first-of-its-kind study focuses on one of the most critical, but often overlooked, components of the creative story-telling ecosystem: creative executives. The purview of creative executives includes, among other duties, finding and acquiring intellectual property and other source material, hiring talent including writers and directors, casting, and ultimately wielding the power to greenlight projects and shepherd them to screen.

Both CAPE and TAAF are focused on leveraging this data to come up with strategies to strengthen pathways in all creative fields. CAPE has been fostering the next generation of senior creative executives since 2017 through the CAPE Leaders Fellowship, the only talent development program of its kind that builds leadership skills and creates networking opportunities for AANHPI creative executives in Hollywood.

The study shows that Asian American professionals working in entertainment are eager to greenlight more diverse projects helmed by AANHPI creatives. To address this, TAAF is also launching Lights, Camera, AANHPI! A Creative Development Directory, a centralized resource that supports and advances AANHPIs' careers and creative work in film and television. 

This directory currently hosts more than 200 talent development opportunities for creatives in front of and behind the camera, from fellowships and residencies to professional and script development programs to build sustainable pathways for talent. Moreover, CAPE's AANHPI talent database of working professionals in Hollywood is currently in beta.

Among the key Findings the "Red Light, Green Light" report:

• Respondents felt that their Asian American identity is a double-edged sword. Creative executives of Asian descent brought diversity and unique insights, but were also tokenized and seen as diversity hires.

• Asian American creative executives grappled with the expectations of fitting into Western norms or meeting high standards of Asian culture knowledge.

• Asian American women faced challenges in regards to the intersection of gender and ethnicity. This includes sexism, age-related biases, compensation disparities, and difficulties in career advancement, particularly for mothers.

• A majority of respondents across levels felt that they experienced different treatment because of their racial/cultural background or how they looked. Experiencing differential treatment because of how they look or their racial or cultural background was most acutely felt by entry (50%) and senior level (68%) staff.

• A majority (62%) of respondents across all ranks reported lack of mentorship as a challenge.Additionally, 88% of respondents expressed a desire to have mentors from their racial/ethnic background, echoing the adage: "You can't be what you can't see."

• Almost 1 out of 5 respondents across the industry expressed they were looking to pivot to a different capacity within the entertainment industry.Due to the all-consuming life of being in entertainment, stress, poor pay, slow growth, and resulting mental health considerations, respondents contemplated leaving or were forced to pivot for more work-life balance.

Among the recommendations are:

• Opportunities for senior-level executives: Establish paid internships, and full-time roles with benefits to attract more AANHPI talent and organize company-wide trainings on topics such as intersectionality, class, race, microaggressions, and racism.

• Opportunities for entry-, and mid-level staff: Proactively seek mentoring or advice even through cold calls and develop a personal voice rooted in their experiences and identity.

"Creative executives are critical in getting our stories greenlit and told with care. We must protect and support their upward trajectory into the upper echelons of power within the industry,"  said CAPE Executive Director Michelle K. Sugihara. "We must especially push for the hiring and promotion of more Pacific Islander creative executives whose numbers are currently extremely low, particularly in this time of upheaval and challenge for executives of color."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

History-making Kim Ng leaves her GM post with the Miami Marlins

History-making Kim Ng, former Marlins general manager, is looking for a job.

Kim Ng, the first female general manager in MLB history, is not returning to the Miami Marlins after three seasons with the baseball team.

Marlins chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman announced Ng's departure Monday. In a statement, Sherman said the Marlins exercised their side of a mutual option on Ng’s contract for the 2024 season but Ng declined her side of the option.

"Last week, Bruce and I discussed his plan to reshape the baseball operations department. In our discussions, it became apparent that we were not completely aligned on what that should look like," Ng told The Athletic on Monday. "I felt it best to step away. I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Marlins family and its fans for my time in South Florida. This year was a great step forward for the organization."

Sources told ESPN that the Marlin’s intention to hire a president of baseball operations over Ng led to her departure.

Ng's trades and late season acquisitions were largely credited for bringing the Marlins to the MLB post-season for the first time in two decades, The Marlins were swept by the Philadelphia Phillies, three games to none in a best of five series.

“We thank Kim for her contributions during her time with our organization and wish her and her family well,” the Marlins wrote in that statement. “We will immediately begin a thorough and extensive search for new leadership as we continue to invest in the Marlins organization on and off the field. We are committed to our fans and the South Florida community and look to build off the momentum of the great progress of this year.”

ESPN reports that other baseball executives around major league baseball were surprised at Ng's departure since she was largely credited through a series of trades and acquisitions, for bringing the Marlins to the playoffs this year.

Ng made history three years ago when she became the first woman -- the first Asian American woman, at that -- to become the GM of any men's professional sports franchise (MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA).

“I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Marlins family and its fans for my time in South Florida,” Ng told The Athletic. “This year was a great step forward for the organization, and I will miss working with Skip and his coaches as well as all of the dedicated staff in baseball operations and throughout the front office. They are a very talented group and I wish them great success in the future.”

Born and raised in New Jersey, Ng's baseball career began as a member of the University of Chicago's softball team. However, her involvement in professional sports began as an intern in 1990 for the White Sox. The White Sox hired her on a full-time basis in '91, and by '95 she was the club's assistant director of baseball operations. 

She remained with Chicago through '96, at which point she started working for the American League as director of waivers and records, approving transactions and helping with the application of rules.

In 1998, she broke another barrier when the Yankees hired her as their assistant general manager. At 29-years old, Ng became the youngest person in that role at the time. She worked for the Yankees through 2001, winning three World Series rings as an executive. The team made the playoffs in all four years that she worked there.

After the 2001 season, Ng joined the Dodgers organization as vice president and assistant general manager. She worked for the team through the '10 season,

In 2011, Ng joined Major League Baseball as senior vice president of baseball operations, reporting to chief baseball officer Joe Torre -- becoming the highest-ranking woman working in the Commissioner's Office. She worked there until the Marlins hired her in 2020 as the team's GM.

Ng did not mention what her future plans will be. Some sports analysts suggest she may have vaulted to the top of the list for front office positions with the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

A Filipino American's death inspires police reform in California

SCREEN CAPTURE / KTVU

Angelo Quinto's death spurred calls for police reform in responding to mental health crisis.

A Filipino American's death has prompted new laws that reforms police arrest procedures and mental health treatment.

Gov. Gavin Newsom made California the first state to ban the citation of “excited delirium” as a cause of death.

It was very empowering knowing that what we have done is making a real major impact,” Bella Collins, the sister of the late Angelo Quinto, told NBC Asian America. “But we also remember why we’re there. We remember that my brother is not coming back to life.”

Navy veteran Angelo Quinto’s death has been compared to the death of George FLoyd, the Black man who died while being arrested, and spurred nationwide calls for police reform. Quinto's death motivated Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson, Watts) to author AB 360, banning the controversial term “excited delirium.”

“This issue was brought to my attention through very tragic circumstances," said Gipson. In 2020, Angelo Quinto, who during a mental health crisis, stopped breathing while two Antioch police officers knelt on his back and neck.

Before he lost consciousness, his mother recalled, he pleaded for his life: “Please don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me.”

As emergency med-techs transferred him to an amublance, it was noticed that Quinto had turned purple. The ambulance team tried to revive him using CPR. Three days later, the local hopital pronounced him dead.

"Mr. Quinto’s official cause of death was determined to be excited delirium,” Gipson said. “That is absolutely absurd.”

As a new law, California’s coroners can no longer use "excited delierium," a catch-all term as a cause of death in autopsy reports, and law enforcement agencies cannot utilize it in incident reports to explain why a suspect died.

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against Antioch Police Department officers who restrained Quinto and held him facedown. His family had called police because the 30-year-old man was suffering a mental health crisis and needed help. A county pathologist concluded that Quinto died from “excited delirium.”

Quinto’s family later requested a private independent autopsy, and that autopsy concluded Quinto died from suffocation caused by restraint.

For years, the American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association has opposed using the term as a legitimate diagnosis.

“Excited delirium is not a reliable, independent medical or psychiatric diagnosis. There are no diagnostic guidelines, and it is not recognized in the DSM-5, which is the main diagnosis guide for mental health providers. The only place where this term is continuously used is to describe deaths that occur in police custody,” Gipson’s office wrote.

AB 360 defined “excited delirium” as a term used to describe “a person’s state of agitation, excitability, paranoia, extreme aggression, physical violence, and apparent immunity to pain that is not listed in the most current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”

It took a month after Quinto's death before the Antioch police issued an official report of the incident and only after it was pressed by local media.

After a prolonged investigation, the Contra Costa County District Attorney cleared the officers involved of any wrongdoing. The DA's findings provided motivation for the family and their growing number of supporters to continue their fight for accountability and police reform.

On Sept. 30, 2021, Newsom also signed into law the Gipson-sponsored Angelo Quinto Act, which bans all police restraint techniques that cause positional asphyxia, including the techniques used to restrain Quinto.

In May, 2023, the City of Antioch unveiled the Angelo Quinto Community Response Team, who in place of police, will respond to mental health incidents The Community Response Team is trained to calm chaotic situations like Quinto's, rather than suppress them by force.

“They’ve been there at every step of the legislative process,” Gipson said. “Even though the law won’t bring back Angelo, we want to make sure no family has to go through what his family has.”

For Collins, her brother's death also brings to light the need for the Asian American community to combat the cultural stigma mental illnesses. The AANHPI communities have been found less prone to employ mental health services or even to discuss it because of the public shame attached to the condition.

“My brother struggled with his mental health a lot and felt that he couldn’t express it because that might be a weakness,” she said. “As a society, we need to talk about it to normalize it and, in turn, decriminalize it.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Study: More anti-Asian bias likely in Republican-dominated states

It sounds so simple, familiarity tends to breed tolerance. There's new evidence to suggest that people are less likely to harbor anti-Asian bias once they get to know Asian Americans, according to a new study 

Racial biases against Asian Americans vary significantly across US states, influenced by such factors as the number of people of Asian descent and political leanings, say researchers at New York University.

Republican-majority and swing states showed indications of greater stereotyping of Asian-born and Asian Americans, with White Americans more likely to see them as foreign, said the study. Such states with high implicit bias included West Virginia, Iowa, South Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

At the same time, states with older median ages and greater percentages of Asians were associated with the less explicit bias against Asians and Asian Americans. These included Hawaii, the District of Columbia, California, Nevada, and Texas, according to the study.

“Our study shows that experiences of Asians and Asian Americans are likely to significantly differ depending on their state of residence, with residents of some states expressing more biased views that Asian Americans are not as ‘American’ as whites,” says Nari Yoo, a PhD candidate in the NYU Silver School of Social Work, who led the data-driven research, newly published by the American Sociological Assocition (ASA) journal Socius. 

The study is titled "Mapping Anti-Asian Xenophobia: State-level Variation in Implicit and Explicit Bias against Asian Americans across the United States." Coauthors include Professor Harvey Nicholson Jr. of the University of Toronto-St. George Campus, Professor Doris Chang of NYU Silver, and Professor Sumi Okazaki of NYU Steinhardt.

Violent assaults and verbal abuse against Asian Americans climbed during the peak of the COVID pandemic, bringing heightened attention as well as research to the problem. In order to improve understanding of Asian Americans’ diverse experiences of racism, Yoo and her coauthors in this study looked at state-level variations in implicit and explicit bias, as well as macro-level factors, such as racial density, political climate, and socioeconomic conditions that have been shown to influence racial attitudes.

A study finds that Republican-majority and swing states showed indications of greater stereotyping of Asian-born and Asian Americans, with White Americans more likely to see them as foreign. Click here for more details.

The specific factors that can contribute to high levels of bias at the state level are not fully known. “In some cases, under certain conditions” the study read, “growing diversity may increase bias due to perceptions of threat and competition, which may be amplified through anti-immigrant sentiment.”

That finding is consistent with a previously documented link between higher bias levels and the percentage of foreign-born Asian adults within a given state. 

In terms of the higher implicit bias in Republican and swing states, Yoo explains, “While our study is exploratory, one possible explanation is that anti-Asian bias is connected to xenophobic racial attitudes held more strongly among the political right.

 

"In some states, due to residential patterns, people may have fewer opportunities to have meaningful intergroup interactions to learn about the experiences of racial and ethnic minorities,” Yoo continued.

“Mapping Anti-Asian Xenpphobia” was conducted as part of the NYU ABRA (Asian and Black Americans, Racism, and Allyship) project whose primary investigators are Professors Chang and Okazaki. The project is funded by NYU Silver’s Constance and Martin Silver Center on Data Science and Social Equity, where Nari is a predoctoral fellow.

 “These insights should guide future research and interventions to address biases effectively at the state level,” says Yoo.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Hamas attacks force Bruno Mars to cancel concert and evacuate from Israel

Bruno Mars was looking forward to his second Tel Aviv concert when the Hamas attacks occurred.

Bruno Mars fans can breathe a little easier. Mars and his band are safe after being forced to evacuate from Israel because of attacks by the terrorist group Hamas.

Because of the Saturday surprise attacks killing thousands of people, the Filipino American performer, his band and an entourage of 60, were forced to cancel a scheduled concert in Tel Aviv and flew to Athens.

Days earlier, Mars' performed in front of a sold-out concert at Tel Aviv's Park HaYarkonn stadium. He was set to return to another sold-out crowd on Oct. 7.

After Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a declaration of war after the surprise attack early Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, Live Nation Israel, organizers of the concerts, issued a statement that the concert was canceled for safety concerns. 

Ticket holders to the canceled concert will be refunded, according to a statement from Live Nation Israel.

The evaduation happened so quickly that Mars reportedly left his band equipment behind in Israel forcing the cancellation of the upcoming concert in Doha, Qatar.

The expert showman didn't disappoint in his first first-ever concert in Israel. 

“Tel Aviv!” he shouted out to the exuberant crowd of more than 60,000 packed into Yarkon Park to see the performer’s first-ever show in the Jewish state. “The Hooligans (his band) have made it to Israel.”

“We’ve heard stories about this place, we heard that you sweat and we heard that you dance… we’ve been waiting a long time to play for you,” he declared as the crowd roared their approval. From that moment on, he had the Israeli audience in the palms of his hands.

The biggest surprise of the night came toward the end of the evening, when Mars took a brief break offstage and his keyboardist, John Fossit, played an instrumental version of the very timely classic Israeli children’s song, “Shlomit Bona Sukkah,” (Shlomit builds a sukkah) by Naomi Shemer, as the surprised and delighted crowd sang along, reports The Times of Israel.

After the trip to the Middle East, Mars is scheduled to return to the US for concerts in Florida followed by a run in Las Vegas where he'll perform through New Year's Eve. Mars, who just celebrated his 37th birthday, continues his world tour in January 2024 with seven concerts in Tokyo.

        FYI: Click here for updates on the war between Israel and Hamas

The current conflict has claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis. Dozens of Israeli citizens were kidnapped and are being held hostage by Hamas, an extremist group that controls the terretories known as the Gaza Strip and West Bank where Palestinians are allowed to reside.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Initiative offers reduced tickets for 'Here Lies Love' during Filipino American HIstory Month

Jose Llana plays Ferdinand Marcos in 'Here Lies Love.'

In partnership with The Gold House and The Asian American Foundation, the producers of Here Lies Love have launched an initiative to make tickets more affordable for students frontline workers and community advocates for the rest of October, Filipino American Heritage Month.

The initiative, "Democracy In Action," hopes to raise $1 million in tax deductible donations to subsidize 33% on tickets to the show during October. Normal ticket prices begin at $56 for balcony seats.

“We are extremely proud of this initiative and grateful to our colleagues at Gold House and TAAF (The Asian American Foundation) for recognizing the unique opportunity Here Lies Love creates to broaden the demographics of Broadway audiences,” said the show’s producers Jose Antonio Vargas, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna, Clint Ramos, Kevin Connor and Hal Luftig. 

“This fund will work alongside the creatives and storytellers striving to diversify the narratives offered on our stages,” they said in a statement.

Attendees supported by the effort include high school and college students, health care, service and municipal workers, community centers and other nonprofits. 

 FYI: Groups eligible to apply for blocks of tickets  can visit                 www.HereLiesLoveBroadway.com/DIATI.

“The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) is proud to partner with the producers of Here Lies Love to make Broadway accessible to all audiences,” said Norman Chen, CEO of TAAF. “When authentic stories like these take space on a stage as big as Broadway, they have the power to impact the hearts and minds of people everywhere.”

The history-making musical from Tony-award winning David Byrne and Fatboy Slim took 10 years to get on Broadway.

The musical, the first to feature an all-Filipino cast on Broadway, follows the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, the wife of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, from the bright lights of New York discoes to the darkness of the conjugal dictatorship when the couple ruled the Philippines for 20 years.

The production immerses the audience into the show where the theater-goers are taken for a ride as they are transformed from giddy fans to angry protestors.

It stars Broadway veterans Arielle Jacobs (Alladin) as Imelda Marcos, Jose Lllana (The King and I) as Ferdinand Marcos, Conrad Rocamora (How to Get Away With Murder, Soft Power) as Benigno Aquino and an all-Filipino ensemble.

“With Broadway’s first all-Filipino cast, Here Lies Love provides an unprecedented immersive opportunity to acknowledge, critique and progress beyond our own histories,” says Bing Chen, CEO and co-founder of Gold House. “Democracy in Action will provide students and community members an impactful opportunity to learn more about that history through the power of art.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

President Biden proclaims Oct. 9 as Indigenous Peoples Day

October 9 is officially Indigenous Peoples Day.

You can tell President Biden had a special place in his heart in proclaiming today as  Indigenous Peoples Day last week. One of his first appointments as President was to name Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior.

She became the first Native American to be placed in charge of the federal agency  that oversees the United States' tribal nations, long ignored and shunted aside by too many previous administrations.

The lionization of Christopher Columbus has drawn a significant amount of criticism for his attitude toward the people who were already here. The "discovery" of the new world (He though it was India)  triggered the decimation of civilizations and millions of native people.

However, making Columbus a hero is not as big a sin as the centuries of the erasure of Native American history and culture and making European expansionism and the focal point of so-called "progress" and the manifestation of racial expansionism and colonialism.

Many of today's problems, including the surge of anti-Asian hate and the growth of the white supremacist movement, stem from this warping of history.

Indigenous Peoples Day is one attempt to course-correct the telling of history towards the truth.

        RELATED: Christopher Columbus, hero or villain?

President Biden also issued the following proclaiming Oct. 9 a federal holiday to observe Indigenous Peoples Day:

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the perseverance and courage of Indigenous peoples, show our gratitude for the myriad contributions they have made to our world, and renew our commitment to respect Tribal sovereignty and self-determination.

The story of America’s Indigenous peoples is a story of their resilience and survival; of their persistent commitment to their right to self-governance; and of their determination to preserve cultures, identities, and ways of life. Long before European explorers sailed to this continent, Native American and Alaska Native Nations made this land their home, some for thousands of years before the United States was founded. They built many Nations that created powerful, prosperous, and diverse cultures, and they developed knowledge and practices that still benefit us today.

But throughout our Nation’s history, Indigenous peoples have faced violence and devastation that has tested their limits. For generations, it was the shameful policy of our Nation to remove Indigenous peoples from their homelands; force them to assimilate; and ban them from speaking their own languages, passing down ancient traditions, and performing sacred ceremonies. Countless lives were lost, precious lands were taken, and their way of life was forever changed. In spite of unimaginable loss and seemingly insurmountable odds, Indigenous peoples have persisted. They survived. And they continue to be an integral part of the fabric of the United States.

Today, Indigenous peoples are a beacon of resilience, strength, and perseverance as well as a source of incredible contributions. Indigenous peoples and Tribal Nations continue to practice their cultures, remember their heritages, and pass down their histories from generation to generation. They steward this country’s lands and waters and grow crops that feed all of us. They serve in the United States military at a higher rate than any other ethnic group. They challenge all of us to celebrate the good, confront the bad, and tell the whole truth of our history. And as innovators, educators, engineers, scientists, artists, and leaders in every sector of society, Indigenous peoples contribute to our shared prosperity. Their diverse cultures and communities today are a testament to the unshakable and unbreakable commitment of many generations to preserve their cultures, identities, and rights to self-governance. That is why, despite centuries of devastation and turmoil, Tribal Nations continue to thrive and lead in countless ways.

When I came into office, I was determined to usher in a new era in the relationship between the Federal Government and Tribal Nations and to honor the solemn promises the United States made to fulfill our trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations. That work began by appointing Native Americans to lead on the frontlines of my Administration — from the first Native American Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and dozens of Senate-confirmed Native American officials to the over 80 Native American appointees serving across my Administration and in the Federal courts. I restored the White House Council on Native American Affairs to improve interagency coordination and decision-making as well as the White House Tribal Nations Summit to bring together key members of my Administration and the leaders of hundreds of Tribal Nations.

Last year, I signed a new Presidential Memorandum that creates uniform standards for consultation between the Federal Government and Tribal Nations. And together, we are making historic investments in Indian Country. That includes $32 billion from the American Rescue Plan, the largest one-time direct investment in Indian Country in American history; more than $13 billion to rebuild infrastructure, the single largest investment in Indian Country infrastructure in history; and the biggest investment ever to combat the existential threat of climate change, including $700 million dedicated to climate change response in Native communities.

We are also working to improve public health and safety for Native Americans. That is why I signed an Executive Order that helps us respond more effectively to the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples. And when we reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act last year, I was proud to include historic provisions that reaffirm Tribal sovereignty and restore Tribal jurisdiction. I have also requested a $9.1 billion infusion for Indian Health Services and asked the Congress to make that funding a mandatory part of the Federal budget for the first time in our history.

My Administration will also continue using all the authority available to it, including the Antiquities Act, to protect sacred Tribal lands. We have already restored protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument in New England. I have declared new national monuments at the Camp Hale-Continental Divide in Colorado, Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada, and Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni in Arizona to protect lands that are sacred to so many Tribes. My Administration has also signed at least 20 new co-stewardship agreements with Tribes, and we are working on many more.

As we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, may we renew the enduring soul of our Nation-to-Nation relationships — a spirit of friendship, stewardship, and respect.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2023, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.