Elderly woman dies after being shoved into train

• 

• DANDAN FAMILY
• Corazon Dandan was shoved into an oncoming train.

It was 11 p.m. and Corazon Dandan had just finished her shift at a downtown San Francisco hotel and was waiting for a train to take her home to Dally City. ThenTevor Belmont, a man she did not know, decided to push her into an oncoming train. 

The 74-year old Dandan's head hit the moving train and she fell to the platform. Onlookers and the police rushed to her aid. She was taken to San Francisco General Hospital where she died.

Police of the Bay Area Rapid Transis District quickly responded and arrested the alleged assailant, Trevor Belmont, who was still on the boarding platform. He was booked into jail Tuesday morning on charges of murder and elder abuse. BART polce say he is a homeless man known in the area.

“It is a tragic way of passing away, that is the most painful part,” nephew Dr. Alvin Dandan told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Although the family tried to get Corazon Dandan to retire from her job she held for 40 years, she enjoyed her job as a telephone operator at a San Francisco hotel and the people she worked with.

Hate attacks against Asian Americans have risen dramatically since the pandemic and although the threat of COVID19 has lessened, theunprovoked  hate incidents continue especially against Asian elderly who are perceived as easy targets and less likely to fight back.

Local authorities have been criticized for not doing enough to ensure the safety of San Francisco residents and workers. That belief led to the recall of the former District Attorney and is a major criticism of current Mayor London Breed, who is facing challenges in the November election.

"The nature of this incident at Powell Street BART Station was tragic and truly shocking. I would like to express my deepest condolences to the victim’s family, friends and colleagues. Unprovoked attacks, especially on our most vulnerable, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated," said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

"San Francisco residents, workers, and visitors should be able to freely move about and utilize our public transportation systems without fear. My office will now do everything in our power to ensure that there is justice in this case," Jenkins added.The elder Dandan “took the same route every day” to and from work, Dr. Dandan told the Chronicle. 

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

Filipino American scientist named Miss New York

Brains and beauty is a tough combination to beat.

Californian Marizza Delgado Hit the big time in New York City. She was crowned Miss New York USA on 30 June 2024 and will represent New York at the Miss USA 2024 pageant in Hollywood, California.

The Filipino American pageant winner balances a modeling career with her day job as a scientist in high technology industry.. She worked as a data scientist for Etsy for two years and recently started working in a similar capacity for Rent the Runway. She is also a mentor at Girls Who Code, an organization that supports the entry of college students into careers in tech.

"My mother is from Pampanga, my dad is from Manila, and they immigrated to San Jose, California, where I was born and raised," says the 24-year old Delgado.

The new Miss New York  has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Technology Administration and Management from the University of California at Santa Cruz and is pursuing a Master of Science in Analytics from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Some fun facts about Marizza:

• For the past 6 years, she’s been modelling professionally and has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Seventeen Magazine, while also walking for New York Fashion Week. She has also modelled for the likes of L’Oréal, H&M, The North Face, and more.
• A seasoned pageant queen, Marizza was crowned 3rd runner-up at Miss New York USA 2022!
• She’s been vegan for the past 4.5 years! She loves to “vegan-ize” Filipino dishes like lechon kawali, sinigang, and adobo.

"I just started as a Data Scientist for Etsy on their Product Analytics team, and I'm a huge advocate for women representation in STEM," says Delgado. "I'm really fortunate to be working for such a socially, economically, and environmentally responsible company for my first job out of college," 

"Although modeling has taken a backseat, I try to balance both of my hustles by taking PTO (Paid Time Off) whenever I'm shooting a campaign. Props to all the multi-faceted Women in Tech who balance their side hustles with their full-time hustle!

"My ultimate goals as a model is to shoot a huge Sephora campaign, be featured on Times Square, and to represent Filipina beauty in the industry," she says. "If I left the industry with more inclusiveness and diversity, then I've left my legacy."

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

Celebrate America! Steven Yeun, Maria Resssa among 10 Asian American immigrants honored

Carnegie Corp. names 24 outstanding immigrants

Three of the four registered nurses who took care of me during a recent hospital stay were immigrants. Just saying.

As the Republican Party continues to demonize immigrants as "the enemy,, :terrrists,: "rapists" and gang members, we often forget that the United States is a nation of immigrants. Immigrants aspiring to th American dream is what pumps up the nation in an everlasting bursts of optimism, bravado and belief that this country provides the opportunity to better oneself and provide a better future for our famlies and communities.

FYI: Learn more about the 2024 Great Immigrants honorees here.

Every Fourth of July, Carnegie Corporation of New York celebrates remarkable Americans — all naturalized citizens — who have enriched and strengthened our democracy through their actions and contributions.

The 2024 Class of Great Immigrants is comprised of naturalized citizens from 16 countries. Ten of the 24 Americans are immigrants from Asia.

The honorees represent a wide range of backgrounds and are recognized for their work in public service, education, health, journalism, the arts, and business, among other fields. They include three Nobel laureates, memoirist Leila Ahmed, rap musician Abbas (Bas) Hamad, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang, industrial designer Sir Jonathan (Jony) Ive, DC president Jim Lee, investigative journalist Maria Ressa, and Emmy winner Steven Yeun.

“The 24 Americans honored today serve as a reminder of the economic and societal benefits that each new generation of immigrants brings to our country and the richness of talent, skills, and achievements they contribute to our democracy,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York and a naturalized American citizen, born in Ireland. 

The 10 Asian Americans are:

• Mohammed Amer (Kuwait) Born to Palestinian parents, Amer is an award-winning writer and stand-up comedian who promotes understanding between diverse cultures.
• Abhijit Banerjee (India) The Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT, Banerjee won the Nobel Prize in economics.
• Jensen Huang (Taiwan) Founder and CEO, NVIDIA
• Dr. Ashish Kumar Jha (India) Dean, School of Public Health, Brown University
• Jim Lee (South Korea) President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer, DC
• Maria Ressa (Philippines) Investigative Reporter and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
• Eboo Patel (India) Founder and President, Interfaith America
• Premal Shah (India) Social Entrepreneur and Cofounder, Kiva which seeks to alleviate social problems.
• Ocean Vuong (Vietnam) Poet, Novelist, and Essayist
• Steven Yeun (South Korea) Emmy-Winning and Academy Award–Nominated Actor

The Corporation’s Strengthening U.S. Democracy program supports immigrant rights, integration, and naturalization for eligible residents. More than a decade ago, the Corporation helped establish the New Americans Campaign, a national collaborative of funders devoted to assisting in the naturalization process — about nine million lawful permanent residents or green card holders are currently eligible.

Led by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, the campaign and its network of nonprofit partners have provided low-cost resources, including legal services, to more than 638,000 aspiring citizens.

Since 2006, the Corporation has named more than 740 Great Immigrants, forming one of the largest online resources of its type. The 2024 honorees, the 19th class in the program, will be recognized with a full-page public service announcement in the New York Times on the Fourth of July and through tributes on social media. Please join the celebration by sharing via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter) using the hashtag #GreatImmigrants.

GOP candidate Trump attacks immigrants every chance he gets and has it a central part of his presidntial campaign hoping to stir up anger among his followers.

With the nation's birthday only days away, it is important to remind ourselves of our  immigrant heritage and the dependence we have on the newcomers, from the techies in Sililcon Valley to the farm workers in California's Central Valley, from the researchers in our universities to the workers in our service industries.

The RNs , including the thre immigrants, who took care of me were caring, professional and thorough. They are part of the immigrant workforce US hospitals depends on to bolster the nurshing shortage. 

“In honor of our founder, Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, we celebrate these extraordinary individuals who have made notable contributions to American society,” says Richardson.

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