Indian/American teen discovers cost effective method of making salt water drinkable

ASAM NEWS

AN INDIAN/AMERICAN high school student has recently discovered a novel, cost-effective way to turn salt water into fresh water in his high school lab in Portland, Oregon, reports KPTV.

Chaitanya Karamchedu is now attracting the attention of scientists across the country, as finding affordable ways to make ocean water drinkable has long been an unfruitful search.

“The real genesis of the idea was realizing that sea water is not fully saturated with salt,” said Karamchedu. A Jesuit High School senior, he began to experiment with a highly absorbent hydrogel polymer. “It’s not bonding with water molecules, it’s bonding to the salt.”

“People were concentrated on that 10 percent of water that’s bonded to the salt in the sea and no one looked at the 90 percent that was free,” notes Jesuit High School biology teacher Dr. Lara Shamieh. “Chai just looked at it and said if 10 percent is bonded and 90 percent is free, then why are we so focused on this 10 percent, let’s ignore it and focus on the 90.”

What distinguishes Karamchedu’s technique for removing salt from water is that it is potentially much cheaper and more easily implemented than previously developed techniques for desalination. It can revolutionize the world if researched more and further developed to work on a large scale, as many countries still do not have access to clean drinking water, even while they neighbor seas and oceans.

The US Agency for International Global Development awarded Karamchedu $10,000 at Intel’s International Science Fair; MIT and USAID’s TechCon 2016 awarded him second place and a monetary award for him to continue his research. He was also one of January’s 300 Regeneron Science Talent Search semifinalists.

Karamchedu is now even considering cancer cell research as well. “I can really see beauty in things that aren’t immediately applicable, and at the same time I want to do something to make a difference that’s not completely in the abstract,” he said. “It’s important what you do has an impact on people.”

This young Indian American is bound to make even larger leaps in the field of science with his creativity and commitment to the greater good.

Vote Against Hate: The AAPI Victory Fund presents a message to South Asian/Americans

MOST FIRST-GENERATION immigrants have a different view of America than those who have lived here for decades. The difference can be as marked as the difference perspectives between the immigrants who brought their families to America and their children, who have mostly grown up in this society

The hate-filled rhetoric coming out the 2016 presidential campaign worries Vijay Chattha, founder of a public relations company in San Francisco. He created a video featuring South Asian celebrities to get a message across to his parents and the first generation of immigrant parents. “All Americans should be worried about things like the economy tanking as soon as Trump gets elected, his ability to have access to nuclear weapons, [his effect on] international relations,” Chattha said. 

“I think South Asians specifically should be worried about trickle-down racism and hate crimes," says Chattha. "If (Donald Trump) wins a lot of people are going to feel emboldened to do whatever they want to. That’s scary. Anyone who is South Asian should remember 9/11 and how the community was perceived afterwards. It was a scary time.”

The video was produced by the AAPI Victory Fund – the first Super PAC of its kind – is focused on mobilizing Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) eligible voters during the campaign cycle and moving them to the ballot box by Nov. 8.

In recent weeks, the Trump campaign have been touting their support among South Asian/Americcans. The Republican Hindu Coalition hosted Trump at a charity event in mid-October. Last week, Trump released a Diwali ad in which he attempts to speak Hindi. The ad has reportedly been running on Indian-American television channels.

RELATED: 

• Trump, Clinton commercials target AAPI
• Trump's biggest Hindu.American supporter
• Merger of race and politics spells trouble for the future
• Asian/Americans lean to the left

Despite putting their supporters of color in the front row, that apparent support is thin. According to the 2016 National Asian American Survey AAPIs, Latinos, African/Americans and South Asians are overwhelmingly against Trump. 

The same survey said 70 percent of Asian Indian registered voters said they were either voting for or leaning towards voting for the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

###

President Obama becomes first President to light diya for Diwali

President Obama lights the die in the Oval Office with some White House staff.

By Louis Chan
REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA on Sunday (Oct. 30) became the first president ever to light a diya in the Oval Office.

The President joined Indian/American staff members in the White House for a small celebration.

“I wish you and your loved ones peace and happiness on this Diwali,” said the President in a message sent out on social media.

The post and picture generated 4,400 comments, 209,000 likes and 48,000 shares on Facebook.

Sreejith Vignesh wrote “Not sure the other U.S. presidents will honor us like this. On behalf of each and every Indian, I record here my sincere thanks.”

Nisha Graves said, “As an Indian-born American, I am truly honored! Thank you for acknowledging Diwali - you are a class act! Thank you for acknowledging diversity! Happy Diwali to you!”

Nana Thompson said “This is who we are, Americans! Respect and honor diversity, embrace the good in all faiths, all cultures, and shine the light!”

Obama became the first President ever to celebrate Diwali in 2009, but did not light a diya.

“We recognize that this holiday rejoices in the triumph of good over evil and knowledge over ignorance,” wrote the President in his Facebook post. 

“It also speaks to a broader truth about our shared American experience. It’s a reminder of what’s possible when we see beyond the differences that too often divide us. It’s a reflection of the hopes and dreams that bind us together. And it’s a time to renew our collective obligation to deepen those bonds, to stand in each other’s shoes and see the world through each other’s eyes, and to embrace each other as brothers and sisters – and as fellow Americans.”

###

Kamala Harris not polling well among Asian/American voters in California senate race

Atty. Gen Kamala Harris, left, and Rep. Loretta Sanchez seek the U.S. Senate seat for California.

By Louis Chan

REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

A POLL CONDUCTED of 1,106 Asian Americans in California found that support for Kamala Harris in her race against fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate is in no way guaranteed.

The National Asian American Survey found a whopping 49 percent of those surveyed are undecided with 25 percent saying they favor Harris to 15 percent for Sanchez.

If elected, Harris would be the first Indian American ever elected to the U.S. Senate and the first Asian American woman elected by California voters for the Senate.

Support for Harris is strongest among Indian/Americans. Harris leads 56 percent to 35 percent.

RELATED:

• Harris' career inspired by civil rights
• Kamala Harris wants to make history

But in all other Asian subgroups, it’s the undecideds who are in the lead.

Harris is currently the State Attorney General and Sanchez is a Congresswoman from Southern California.

In a recent Field Poll of the general electorate in California, Harris holds a 42 to 20 percent lead. Her lead is much narrower in a poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California. In that poll, Harris’ lead shrinks to 32 to 25 percent.

'I am ... what America looks like,' says Indian/American Sikh who led police to bombing suspect

Captured off a CNN video

Harinder Bains: 'I am ... what America looks like"

A SIKH/AMERICAN business owner is being hailed as a hero for helping police find and arrest Ahmad Khan Rahami, suspected for planting and exploding bombs in New Jersey and New York last weekend.

Harinder Bains, the bar owner in Linden, N.J., found Rahami sleeping in the doorway of his bar on Monday (Sept. 19) after being notified by Bains, owner of Merdie's Tavern.

Bains said he was watching CNN on his laptop from another business across the street. At first, he thought he was some "drunk guy" resting in the vestibule. 

"When I heard about the attacks and realised the suspect was sleeping in a doorway across the street, I did what any American would do. I called the police. I'm not a hero. The police are heroes; the EMTs are heroes; everyone who is working to bring New York and New Jersey together today is a hero," Bains told reporters

"I'm just a regular citizen doing what every citizen should do. Cops are the real heroes, law enforcement are the real heroes," Bains told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

When officers responded, Rahami pulled out a handgun and opened fire, striking an officer in the chest. A foot chase followed, during which Rahami shot at a police car, causing a bullet to graze another office in the face. The chase ended when Rahami was shot multiple times.

He was taken to a hospital for surgery. Rahami was not initially cooperative with police who tried to interview him, a law enforcement official said.

Bomb suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami

Federal prosecutors charged Rahami on Sept. 20 with use of weapons of mass destruction, bombing a place of public use, destruction of property by means of explosives, and use of a destructive device during and in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.

Rahami faces four counts in connection with the Sept. 17 bombing on West 23rd Street in the Chelsea section of Manhattan and the placement of a second explosive device a few blocks north on West 27th Street, according to the complaint.

A separate federal complaint, filed yesterday (Sept. 20) in New Jersey, charged Rahami with six counts — including two more for use of a weapon of mass destruction — related to the Sept. 17 morning bombing in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and the discovery of an explosive-laden package Sunday night near the Elizabeth, New Jersey, train station.

Authorities said the investigation surrounding Rahami continues saying they are seeking the whereabouts of his wife, who reportedly left the U.S. a few days before the bombings; and two men seen on video who removed the second bomb from the duffel bag it was in and left with the baggage. Authorities stress the two men are being sought as witnesses, not as bombing suspects.

Rahami first came to the United States in 1995 as a child, after his father arrived seeking asylum, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2011, according to a law enforcement official who reviewed his travel and immigration record.Rahami traveled for extended periods to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the last five years, officials said. While in Pakistan in July 2011, he married a Pakistani woman. Two years later, in April 2013, he went to Pakistan and remained there until March 2014, visiting Afghanistan before returning to the United States.

Bains said as a Sikh/American, he understand that "I could have been mistaken for the perpetrator. My faith teaches me justice and tolerance for all and I know that I'm lucky to live in a community that shares this view."

Bains, who had immigrated from Chandigarh in 1996, stressed that after any attack, Americans should target people based on evidence of their role in the crime and not because of their faith or their country of origin or their accent.

"I came to this country from India 20 years ago to create a better life for my family. I am a father of four and a proud American citizen. I am also what America looks like," he said to Newsday.

Bains said America is strongest when all Americans stand together in the face of violence "intended to divide us."

###

Race enters California's Senate campaign

President Barack Obama throws his support to California Attorney General Kamala Harris.

CALIFORNIA ATTY. GEN. Kamala Harriids' bid for the U.S. Senate got a major boost with the endorsement of  both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

Harris' opponent in the November election, Rep. Loretta Sanchez's first reaction seemed to imply that race was a factor in Obama's endorsement.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez

In an interview over with the Spanish-language Univision channel, Sanchez was asked her response to the signifiant endorsement. She said in Spanish that Obama and Harris are longtime friends, then added: “She is African/American. He is, too.”

Sanchez backtracked on her interview statement saying she never meant to say race was a factor in the endorsement. In a prepared statement released yesterday, the Orange County congressional representative said, “I would think the Leader of the Democratic Party would be focused on defeating Donald Trump and supporting Democratic Senate candidates against Republicans.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article90672302.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article91430872.html#storylink=cpy

Harris's mother is from India and her father is Jamaican/American. If elected, Harris would become the first Indian/American to win a Senate seat.

In his endorsement statement, Obama said:

Kamala’s experience has taught her that if you’re going to give everybody a fair shot, you’ve got to take on the special interests that too often stand in the way of progress. As Attorney General, she fought the big banks that took advantage of homeowners across the country – and she won. She cracked down on transnational gangs exploiting women and children – and she won. She took on big for-profit colleges that were swindling students and leaving them with a lifetime of debt and a worthless degree – and she won. She took on big oil companies to defend California’s beautiful coast and its landmark law to fight climate change – and she won. Her leadership helped ensure the right of all Americans to marry the person they love. And throughout her lifetime as a prosecutor, Kamala Harris has been a leading voice for criminal justice reform, challenging old dogma and insisting we be “smart on crime” by ending mass incarceration.

Harris led Obama's campaign effort in California in 2008 and was considered a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court to fill Antonin Scalia's seat after his death.

It is not the first time that Sanchez's statements have put the candidate in hot water.

After the San Bernardino shootings earlier this year, she said “anywhere between 5 and 20 percent” of Muslims “ have a desire for a caliphate,” and that they are “willing to use and they do use terrorism.” When Muslim American groups criticized the comments, Sanchez said she was speaking in global terms, not about U.S. Muslims. But she has stood by her statement.

Last Spring, while speaking to Indian/American Democrats, she commented that she though she would be speaking to Native Americans and during her speech she tapped her hand to her mouth to imitate the whooping sounds associated with the stereotype of Native Americans.

Recent polls indicate that Harris has a double-digit lead over Sanchez. Both are Democrats but Sanchez is hoping to woo Republicans who think that Harris is too liberal.

###

South Asian dominance continues in spelling bee; ends in a tie

Spelling bee co-champions Nihar Janga, left, and Jairam Hathwar. are friends off the stage as well.

GET READY for another slew of articles about South Asians and their prowess at spelling.

For the second year in a row,when the spelling was over, the Scripps National Spelling Bee named co-champions Thursday (May 26). And once again, the winners are Indian/American youngsters.

Co-champions Jairam Hathwar, 13 and Nihar Janga, 11, are the third consecutive set of co-champions at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, held this week in National Harbor, Maryland.

Nihar spelled "gesellschaft" correctly.

Jairam spelled "Feldenkrais" correctly.After the confetti fell, the pair talked about their victory.

"I'm just very proud of myself and the hard work paid off," Nihar said. "I felt nervous all the time."

Jairam, Nihar said, is one of his best spelling friends. He said he is happy to share the championship.

Jairam's brother, 2014 co-champion Sriram Hathwar, was cheering him on from the audience.

"I wasn't expecting this," said. Jairam. "I dreamed about winning this bee and it finally came true. It's just amazing."

Though Jairam was eligible to compete for another year, he said he wanted to treat this year like it was his last because it's hard to get back to this level of competition.

"It's just amazing," he said. "I can't even believe this is real."

The spellers will take home $45,000 each in cash, a trophy and other prizes.

The bee changed the rules this year to avoid what exactly what happened — a marathon championship round. Words given to finalists didn't come from a 25-word list predetermined by spelling officials, Paige Kimble, the bee's executive director, said. Instead, organizers had the option of using an expanded list of words from anywhere in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. Kimble called it “raising the standard.” But it didn't work.

As you can see, four of the five finalists were South Asian youngsters.

Last year, when another pair of South Asians, Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalam, won the bee, articles were written about why South Asians have been so successful in the spelling bee.

The dominance of South Asians in the spelling bee has given rise to speculation that bounces between the "model minority myth" and some of the racist notions that are not worth mentioning. There is no special gene giving South Asian youngsters an edge, just like there is no gene that East Asians have that make them so proficient in math and science.

It is not that south Asians are smarter than other ethnic groups. The difference, it appears, is persistence and that old axiom, "practice makes perfect." 

RELATED: Hard work and studies win the spelling bee

In the last 15 years, spelling contests have become ensconced in the South Asian/American community with regional contests to prime the kids for the bit Scripps bee. There is even a South Asian Spelling Bee with a $10,000 prize. Contests like these serve as the "minor leagues" prepare the youngsters for the pressure and intensity of the national contest.

“I think that the activity of spelling bees has grown in prestige among certain South Asian-American communities,” said Northwestern University professor Shalini Shankar, who has been studying South Asian dominance of spelling bee culture.

“I would say that it’s not a uniform phenomenon among South Asian/American communities, but among those that do value this activity, they’ve really taken to it and they compete year round in different spelling bee circuits.”

###

For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Officer seeks to clear his name after jury drops charges of excessive force vs. Indian elder

Sureshbhai Patel was partially paralyzed after the takedown by police officer Eric Parker. He is now able to walk.

Reprinted from AsAm News

A HEARING will be held to determine if an Alabama police officer should be able to keep his job following accusations he unnecessarily roughed up a South Asian grandfather and left him partially paralyzed, reports AL.com.

The case against Eric Parker gained national attention when the incident was caught on video (after a neighbor reported a "suspicious" man).

The Madison Police Chief has recommended that Parker be fired for his treatment of Sureshbhai Patel.

Two federal juries, however, were unable to reach a verdict in the bias case against him and last Thursday the state decided to drop misdemeanor charges against Parker.

“This decision illustrates how difficult it is to hold law enforcement officers accountable under the criminal laws for brutal acts that would send an ordinary citizen to jail,” wrote Hank Sherrod, Patel’s attorney, said in a statement.

“If the State will not even try to get a conviction when an act of police brutality is caught on video,” he asked, “what chance is there for other victims?”

RELATED: Alabama officer goes to trial for third time for abusing Indian elder

Parker is anxious to clear his name, although his attorney says he’s uncertain whether his client wants to return to the Madison Police Department. He described his client as relieved.

Meanwhile, the family is pursuing a civil lawsuit against Parker.

More than a year after the incident, Chirag Patel’s voice still cracks when discussing what happened to his father.

“Dad has improved alot, but still has a problem on the left leg,” said Chirag Patel during a recent Google Hangout organized by 18 Million Rising and South Asian Americans Leading Together. “He cannot pick up correctly. He has a tingling on his head or the tongue. He has a sleep problem, nose damage that occurred due to that incident. He is doing best that he can and he is improving. We are not looking at 100 percent recovery.”

Judge for yourself: View this dash cam video of the incident by clicking here.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google Plus
• Embed

The Mindy Project finally addresses Mindy's ethnicity and heritage

A scene from The Mindy Project's "Bernardo and Anita" episode that explores the character's immigrant roots.

IN THIS WEEK'S episode of “The Mindy Project,” our favorite OB-GYN, Mindy Lahiri, proclaims she is an Indian/American and refuses to acknowledge what her colleague thinks of her—an entitled white man.

It too four years, but with “Bernardo and Anita,” the 18th episode of the fourth season, producer and lead actor Mindy Kaling finally addresses the biggest issue and critique the show has gotten—her character doesn’t date Indian men, or men of ethnicity for that matter, and doesn’t really discuss her culture on the show (mainly because she doesn’t know much about it).

I won't go into too much detail about the plot line, but just let me tell you, she discovers that she's a coconut, you know, brown on the outside and white in the inside.

When The Mindy Project debuted on the Fox network, it was highly praised for having a person of color star in a sitcom on American TV.

But Indian/Americans - and other Asian/Americans - were soon disappointed because though the sitcom starred an Indian/American, it might as well have been a white woman because the show never addressed or acknowledged her ethnic roots. In fact, at times it seems that the show seemed to deliberately steer away from that topic. This episode will finally address that criticism.

In a 2013 interview with The New York Times, Kaling said that “I knew if I was going to have my own show, I’d have to do it myself. Because no one is going to write a show for a chubby brown woman. It’s hard enough to make it if you’re a thin, conventionally attractive woman. I also knew I was only going to be good at certain things… So I just thought: I’ll do it myself.” 

Despite that criticism about never being about an Indian/American woman - and the fact that her character only dated white men - The Mindy Project was an important landmark show for its groundbreaking star. Not only was she a thirtysomething woman running her own sitcom, starring herself, but she’s an Indian woman doing so. What’s so amazing about Kaling is how she took those differences, those ways she varies from convention, and steered them into the greatest assets of her show. She should only do so more. 

Perhaps, when the show was dropped by Fox and picked up by Hulu, Kaling has the latitude to be more adventuresome with her storylines.

RELATED: Mindy Kaling's show picked up by Hulu

This episode shows that the exploration of this side of Mindy’s status is valuable, and will hopefully offer more opportunities like this one, since her show has been renewed by Hulu for a fifth season.

The episode explores how immigrants raise their children and will no doubt draw comparisons to Aziz Ansari's Master of None episode about his immigrant parents. Let's not fall into that trap of which one is better at addressing the issues of immigrants and their children caught between two cultures as brown people in a culture dominated by European/Americans. Let's just welcome home the prodigal daughter.

###

For more news about Asian/Americans and Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Alabama officer to go on trial a third time in assault of elder from India

Reprinted from AsAm News

MADISON Police Officer Eric Parker will stand trial again for his rough handling in last year’s incident with Sureshbhai Patel who was visiting Alabama from India to see his grandson.

WHNT reports a trial date on the state charge has been scheduled for June 8.

Two separate federal trials against Parker have ended in hung juries and the judge eventually dismissed the charge of excessive force.

The state charge of misdemeanor assault carries a jail term of one year.

Parker also faces a civil lawsuit in the case which has been delayed pending the outcome of the criminal cases.

The defense expressed confidence the state charges would be defeated.

Patel remains partially paralyzed after a leg sweep by Parker sent the grandfather’s body hard into the concrete sidewalk. The case gained notoriety after a police video of the incident became public.

Earlier this week, North Alabama Police Chief Larry Muncey was placed on administrative leave after a federal judge found him in contempt of court, reports India West. Muncey and Capt. Terrell Cook were accused of questioning colleagues who testified in the first federal trial. 

Muncey was banned from the courtroom, but then assigned one of his sergeants to monitor the case. He also ordered officers who testified in the case to submit reports to him about their testimony within 24 hours.

“South Asian communities must continue to mobilize,” said South Asian Americans Leading Together. “We must lend support to the Movement for Black Lives, which has been calling us to action on the epidemic of police violence that disproportionately affects the lives of Black men, women, children and transgender people. This month’s small victory in the case must inspire us to stay vigilant,” SAALT said about the contempt of court charges.

Kamala Harris’ career choice inspired by civil rights giants

Atty. General Kamala Harris accepts the endorsement of California's Democratic Party.

KAMALA HARRIS, California's Attorney General, hopes to become the state's first Indian/American U.S. Senator. If she wins, she would also become the state's first African/American U.S. Senator. She's running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is retiring after 24 years in the Senate.

UPDATE: Earlier versions of this post incorrectly said Kamala Harris would become the first Asian/American Senator. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa served in the U.S. Senate, 1977-1983.

Of mixed parentage, the state's top law enforcement officer, also give her parents credit for her desire for justice and equity.

“My parents met when they were graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, while they were active in the civil-rights movement,” said Harris in an article by  public radio station KPCC.

Harris’ father is from Jamaica and taught economics at Stanford University. Her mother was an endocrinologist and breast cancer researcher from India.

"I grew up in a family where I had a strong sense of my culture and who I am, and I never felt insecure about that at all," she said.

RELATED: Kamala Harris seeks to make history

“My sister Maya and I, we joke that we grew up surrounded by a bunch of adults who spent full time marching and shouting for this thing called justice,” said Harris, who grew up in Oakland, California.

She said the people she looked up to were civil-rights icons: Thurgood Marshall, Charles Hamilton Houston and Constance Baker Motley. They were all lawyers, with Marshall eventually becoming a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Harris said their heroism inspired her to study law.

She went on to graduate from Howard University and received her law degree from Hastings College of Law of the University of California.Overwhelmingly endorsed by California's Democratic Party last month, Harris is ahead of all her rivals in the polls. Her top challenger is another Democratic, Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County, who - if not for Harris - likely would have been the Democrats' favorite.

Considered a rising star in California politics, her name was mentioned as a possible candidate for the vacant Supreme Court seat. Before President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, Harris withdrew her name for consideration so she could concentrate on her Senate bid.

###

For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Sikh/American soldier allowed to wear his beard and turban

In a precedent-setting ruling issued last week, Capt. Simratpal Singhwill be allowed to keep his beard and turban while serving in the U.S. Army.

A U.S. Army captain who sued the U.S. military for discrimination in March has won the right to continue serving on active duty while allowing him to continue wearing his turban and beard as required by his Sikh beliefs.

The U.S. Army released its decision on March 31 to grant Sikh/American Simratpal Singh “religious accommodation” to the rules against facial hair and headwear,

“My military service continues to fulfill a lifelong dream,” Singh, a West Point graduate who earned a Bronze Star in Afghanistan, said in a press release. “My faith, like many of the soldiers I work with, is an integral part of who I am. I am thankful that I no longer have to make the choice between faith and service to our nation.”

By all accounts, Capt. Singh is a model soldier: A West Point graduate, a Ranger, one of the Army's elite fighting units, and a recipient of the Bronze Star 

Starting in December, U.S. Army Captain Simratpal Singh received a series of temporary accommodations from the military to brandish a beard and turban — outward displays of faith worn by most Sikh men — through March 2016. Although the Army has granted dress code exceptions for off-duty Sikh officers since 1984, the accommodation marked the first time in 10 years the military has allowed an active-duty Sikh solider to grow a beard for religious reasons.

“In a political context where minorities are being marginalized and attacked routinely, it is critical that our nation’s largest institutions and employers — like the U.S. military — show the country that America embraces diversity,” Simran Jeet Singh, the Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition, told The Huffington Post.

The Army press release states that “the Army intends to gather information to develop uniform standards for religious accommodations” which will most likely affect a separate lawsuit filed last week by three other Sikh/American soldiers.

###

For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Sonika Vaid's 'American Idol' journey comes to an end

Sonika Vaid's bid to become the American Idol ended March 24.

By Louis Chan
Reprinted from AsAm News

SONIKA VAID made a brave attempt to go where no Asian/American has gone on American Idol -- to win the championship.

Her journey ended Thursday night (March 24) when Ryan Seacrest announced she had been eliminated from the Top 5 of the show’s final season.

The 20-year-old Indian/American from Martha’s Vineyard wowed both fans and the judges with her smooth ballads.

RELATED: Sonia Vaid saves herself by letting herself go

She received some of the strongest praise for her this season when judges lauded her for cutting loose last week with her performance of Idina Menzel’s "Let It Go" from Disney’s Frozen.

It wasn’t enough as fans voted her out of the Top 5 leaving just LaPorsha Renae, MacKenzie Bourg, Trent Harmo, and Dalton Rapattoni.

Sonika’s Top 5 finish was the best performance by an Asian/American contestant since Jessica Sanchez in Season 11. Sanchez finished first runner-up that season.

Indian/American running for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont

State Rep. Kesha Ram is running for Lt. Governor of Vermont

Reprinted from AsAm News

A WOMAN who got her first big break in politics from Bernie Sanders is the first woman of color to run for statewide office in Vermont.

Kesha Ram, 29, is the daughter of a father from India and a Jewish American mother. She was elected to the Vermont state House of Representatives at the age of 22 and is now running for Lieutenant Governor as a Democrat.

She ranks early education, higher education, high speed broadband access and affordable housing as high priorities which she feels can help stimulate the economy.

RELATED: Asian/Americans are hard to find in New Hampshire

"We need to invest in the things we know grow our economy at the same time we’re getting some foundation under Vermonters,” she said to the Deerfield Valley News. “The lieutenant governor can be the ‘connector-in-chief,’ building solutions and bringing folks together to help advance the agenda.”

She thinks the state should explore Bernie Sanders' idea of free public college education on its own as an investment in young people.

Sanders invited her to introduce both him and President Obama during Sanders first run at the Senate, a moment which she says helped shape her political career.

###

Sonika Vaid saves herself by letting herself go on 'American Idol'

Sonika Vaid from Massachusetts needs to wow the audiences to continue on 'American Idol.'

SONIKA VAID must like living on the edge.

For the second week in a row she found herself in the bottom two as American Idol contestants were whittled down to the final five.

Vaid's performance of "Let It Go' showing off her strong vocals edged out Tristan McIntosh, of Tennessee, for the final spot in the top five.

The 20-year old Indian/Ameican Vaid from Massachusetts joins MacKenzie Bourg, Trent Harmon, Dalton Rapattoni, and La’Porsha Renae to move on next week.

After the judges last week urged her to loosen up, to "let herself go," by breaking out of the ballad genre where she excels.

Harry Connick Jr., who is her strongest supporter among the three judges, thought it was a perfect song choice for Vaid because it showed off her big voice. Judge Keith Urban said that her performances are really starting to “come alive” and Jennifer Lopez called her as “fierce.” 

Her biggest problem though is not winning the judges' favor, it is connecting with the viewers who vote for their favorites every week.

Will Vaid be the Asian/American to break the curse of these reality shows? A few have come close, such as Jessica Sanchez who finished first runner-up three years ago on American Idol. No Asian/American performer has been able to win it all.

American Idol airs on Fox, Thursday at 8 p.m. Next week will be a special two-hour episode. Tune in and vote for Vaid to put her in the Top Four.

Watch Sonika give the performance that saved her for another week.

Indian/American in the top six of 'American Idol'

Sonika Vaid of Massachusettes has made it to the final six in 'American Idol.'

By Louis Chan
Reprinted from AsAm News

THE TIME for hype has ended and the day is near for fans to pick the next American Idol.

Indian/American Sonika Vaid, 20, who was labeled an early favorite from day one to win it all has advanced to the top six.

Her performance of Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing impressed the judge’s, but didn’t appear to overwhelm them.

Harry Connick Jr. was the most generous in his praise.

“That song has been sung six times since American Idol started and they’ve all been pretty darn good performances,” he said. “And I think of that song as one of those high risk, high reward performances because it’s so well known and its obviously an iconic performance by Whitney. For me, I love it.”

Keith Urban spent most of his time encouraging Vaid to let it all hang out whether she continues on the program or not.

“It’s a phenomenal song and your voice is gorgeous. All I ask is however this works out if you’re here next week, just continue to release and let go and show ... that stuff, because with that voice, amazing,” Urban advised.

Jennifer Lopez, who’s often a hype machine and the most encouraging, seemed to hold back a bit in her evaluation of Vaid’s performance.

“That’s probably my favorite Whitney Houston song ever. It’s just a hard song to sing and I think you did a good job with it,” Lopez said. “It’s so hard, so hard to judge those types of songs, but I think you did a good job. We have a hard decision to make right now.”

American Idol airs tonight, Thursday at 8 p.m. EST on the Fox network.

###

Priyanka Chopra challenges Jimmy Fallon in hot wings-eating contest

Priyanka Chopra will be back next season as FBI Agent Alex Parrish.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA is one of the most in-demand actresses around Hollywood after the success of her television series Quantico, which last week was approved for a second season.

The former Miss World won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Actress in a New TV Series last January. She was also picked as Best Newcomer for the Anna Awards.

RELATED: Another ass-kicking Asian woman in new series 

During her teenage years attending Robert F. Kennedy High School in Queens, New York City, she acquired a fondness for hot wings. Last week, the Bollywood actress challenged Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon to see how many hot wings doused in what she called "nuclear" sauce, each could eat in 20 seconds.

Watch the video to see who won the challenge.

Vanita Gupta: The criminalization of poverty

Vanita Gupta, an Indian/American, heads the civil rights division of the Department of Justice.

VANITA GUPTA, the head of the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, compared Flint, Michigan to Ferguson, Mo., in a speech she gave Friday (Feb. 19) at a two-day symposium on the criminalization of poverty held at the University of Michigan Law School.

"In communities across America today, from Ferguson, Mo., to Flint, Mich., too many people — especially young people and people of color – live trapped by the weight of poverty and injustice," said Gupta. "They suffer the disparate impact of policies driven by, at best, benign neglect, and at worst, deliberate indifference. And they see how discrimination stacks the deck against them."

Before he left office in 2014, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that Gupta, who at the time was deputy legal director for the ACLU, had “spent her entire career working to ensure that our nation lives up to its promise of equal justice for all.” He also praised her ability to work across the aisle.

“We come from a different side of spectrum than ACLU,” says Marc Levin, policy director for the conservative criminal justice reform organization Right on Crime. “But, I’ve found her interested in identifying areas where we can work together.”

The 41-year-old lawyer was born in Philadelphia to Indian/American immigrant parents and later went on to Yale University and New York University's Law School. 

Her most famous case was also one of her first. While working for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in 2003, Gupta successfully got a judge to overturn the convictions of 38 African Americans from Tulia, Texas after they were wrongfully arrested in a drug sting.

Gupta led the DOJ investigation of the Ferguson police department after a police officer fatally shot the unarmed Michael Brown, and African American teenager. The DOJ file suit on Feb. 10 against the City of Ferguson in order to force the city to institute reform in its policing policies.

The civil-rights lawsuit against Ferguson alleges the city routinely violated residents’ rights and misused law enforcement to generate revenue — a practice the government said was “ongoing and pervasive.”

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Ferguson’s decision to reject the agreement left the department no choice except to sue.

"As we discuss the inequality that pervades our criminal justice system – a defining civil rights challenge of the 21stcentury – we must also acknowledge the broader inequalities we face in other segments of society," she said at the symposium. 

RELATED: Read Vanita Gupta's complete speech

"Discrimination in so many areas – from the classroom, to the workforce, to the marketplace – perpetuates the inequality we see in our justice system. And for those already living paycheck-to-paycheck, a single incident – whether an arrest by the police or a fine by the court – can set off a downward spiral. It can lead to a cycle of profound problems that ruin lives and tear apart families. Problems like losing your health care, your job, your children or your home."

"Too many people grow up in our country and view justice as the provenance of the wealthy. They hear about the ideal of equal justice, but they find that in reality, it feels distant from the grasp of their community – far off and out of reach.

"Together," she concluded, "we must fulfill the fundamental promise of America – a promise that is written throughout our Constitution and woven into the fabric of our nation – so that we can make equal justice, equal opportunity and fundamental fairness a reality for all."

###

For more news about Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.