Race, religion, and the New York City mayoral race

SCREEN CCAPTURE

In an emotional speech, Zohran Mamdani defends his faith against "racist and baseless" attacks.

It was inevitable that in the 2025 New York City mayoral contest, race has become a significant and controversial factor, fueled by rhetoric from opponents of Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, who is Indian American and a Muslim.

The controversy grew more heated after Indian American Mamdani's used the word "auntie" emerged from his emotional speech on October 25, in which he spoke out against what he described as anti-Islamic attacks on his campaign.

In his speech, Mamdani described the discrimination he faced while growing up in the shadow of 9/11, including how his name could be misconstrued and his family's fears. He recalled how one of his "aunties" was so frightened that she stopped taking the subway while wearing her hijab, "as if her existence itself was a provocation".

In Asian Indian culture, the term "auntie" is used as a broad term of respect for any older woman with whom one has a social or familial connection, not only a blood relative. The use of "auntie" can extend to neighbors, close family friends, and distant relatives, making it a culturally accepted and affectionate honorific.

His critics, hoping to catch Mamdani in a. le, criticized him for referring to his father's cousin as his "aunt," which was misinterpreted as a lie by some in the Western media and public. In his clarification, Mamdani explained that using "aunt" for a family cousin was a natural part of his South Asian upbringing. Vice President JD Vance. Vance issued a social media post mocking Mamdani for the anecdote.

Cultural norms around kinship terms vary globally. In some cultures, particularly in South Asia, terms like "auntie" and "uncle" are used more broadly than in some Western cultures. This can be a sign of respect for older individuals or reflect a sense of extended family connection.

Mamdani, who is a New York Assemblymember, described the attacks as "racist, baseless" and designed to paint him as an "other" and frighten voters.

The incident has become a focal point in the election, with Mamdani arguing that the attacks on his story are a sign of how unfamiliar right-wing media and opponents are with the realities of Islamophobia. His campaign has also garnered interest from the South Asian and Muslim communities in New York City and beyond. Backlash:
Some critics, including Republican politicians, have used Mamdani's comments to question his credibility.

Mamdani's defense

Mamdani has defended his use of the term "aunt," stating it is how he has always referred to her. He has also accused his opponents of using the issue to distract from his message and to make him appear "soft on terrorism".

A headline from the New York Post hoping
to catch Zohran Mamdani in a lie.

The incident has become a focal point in the election, with Mamdani arguing that the attacks on his story are a sign of how unfamiliar right-wing media and opponents are with the realities of Islamophobia. His campaign has also garnered interest from the South Asian and Muslim communities in New York City and beyond.

Mamdani's campaign condemned Vance's response. Mamdani described the attacks as "racist, baseless" and designed to paint him as an "other" and frighten voters. Beyond the "auntie" comment, opponents have repeatedly used divisive rhetoric centering on Mamdani's race and faith

Divisive "wedge" tactics

Andrew Cuomo, the former governor, running as an independent, made controversial remarks during an interview with a conservative radio host. When asked about a "God forbid, another 9/11" scenario with Mamdani in office, Cuomo responded with a comment that many, including Mamdani, viewed as having anti-Muslim undertones.

Eric Adams: Weeks after dropping his re-election bid, then-Mayor Eric Adams endorsed Cuomo and referred to "Islamic extremists" who were "destroying communities".

In response to the accusations of stoking Islamophobia, Cuomo accused Mamdani of using divisive political tactics, describing the situation as "the oldest, dirtiest political trick in the book".

Instead of scaring away supporters, the racist innuendoes appears to have galvanized Mamdani's base: Mamdani's campaign has rallied supporters around his identity as the city's first potential Muslim mayor, a position that resonates with younger, more progressive, and South Asian New Yorkers.

Observers note that the focus on identity-based attacks against Mamdani follows a pattern of political discourse that has become more coarse and polarized.

Some see the attacks as an attempt to leverage the unfamiliarity of Mamdani's background to sow distrust among voters.

Mamdani is of Indian/Ugandan descent, born in Uganda to an Indian Ugandan father,  author and professor Mahmood Mamdani, and an Indian American mother, filmmaker Mira Nair.

Because he was born in Africa, on his college applications he identified himself as African and Asian, which has sometimes been a point of controversy. He has stated that he does not consider himself African American in the typical US sense (descendants of enslaved Africans), but rather as an American who was born in Africa.

Asian American support

Mamdani’s success in engaging Asian communities in New York City is a key part of his winning coalition and is part of what gave him such a commanding lead over Cuomo.

It was not surprising that he did really well among South Asians but he was also able to win over a good portion of East Asians, especially among younger voters who showed up on election day during the primary.

Some credit Mamdani's extensive canvassing, multilingual mail and viral social media videos and a ground game that included volunteers who were able to speak in Asian languages for winning over Asian American electorate. “When you talk to people in the languages that they speak, literally and proverbially, about issues that they care about, they respond,” said Democratic strategist Amit Singh Bagga . “And when you don’t, they don’t.”

Despite the attacks on his faith and complicated racial heritage, as of today, Mamdani is polling ahead of Cuomo. The Assembly member who is well positioned to become New York City’s first Asian American mayor won with the support of the rapidly growing AAPI electorate. Election day is Nov. 4 but voting by mail is underway.

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

2020 US Census: Asian Indians now the largest Asian-alone group in US

Ongoing immigration from Asian countries, which outpaces immigration from Latin America, is continuing to change the United States in so many ways -- culturally, sociologically, economically and racially -- and reshaping the popular image of what an American looks like.

One of the surprising findings of the US Census is that the Asian Indian alone population has surpassed all other Asian groups. 

It makes sense because immigration from India is a relatively recent phenomenon compared to the older Asian communities which experienced surges in the late 20th century. As a largely first-generation immigrant community, Asian Indians have had less time to integrate, or intermarry, into the wider American population.

The finding underlines the complex diversity within the Asian American communities  beyond the most popular East Asian image that most non-Asians have of Asians and the limitation and danger of lumping all the Asian ethnicities and nationalities under one group.

The Census released a report issued today (Sept. 21) highlights some of the bureau's findings based on the 2020 US Census. The press release follows:

The Asian Indian alone population became the nation’s largest Asian alone population group in 2020, growing by over 50% to 4,397,737 between 2010 and 2020.

The nation’s most populous Asian alone or in any combination group in 2020 was the Chinese, except Taiwanese population with 5.2 million, an increase of 37.2% since 2010.

2020 Census demographic characteristics on 41 detailed Asian groups released today show that the Nepalese population increased over 250% and was the fastest growing Asian alone and Asian alone or in any combination group among those with populations of 50,000 or more in 2010 (Table 1).

The Nepalese alone population increased 295.5% from 51,907 in 2010 to 205,297 in 2020. The Nepalese alone or in any combination population grew from 59,490 to 219,503, a 269.0% increase over the decade.

        FYI: For the complete US Census report on race and ethnicities, click here.

In this article, we present data from the race question on detailed race alone and race alone or in any combination populations.

The race alone population includes respondents who reported one response, such as Filipino. The race alone or in any combination population includes respondents who reported one response, such as Filipino, and it also includes respondents who reported more than one, such as Filipino and Asian Indian or Filipino and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. The race alone or in any combination population represents the maximum number of people who identified as that detailed group.

As our country becomes much more diverse and multiracial, this information is important to frame the discussion of racial and ethnic composition and help us understand our country’s changing demographics.

Largest Asian Alone Groups in 2020

The Asian Indian alone population increased 54.7% to 4,397,737 between 2010 and 2020 to become the most populous Asian alone group in the nation.

The next largest Asian alone groups and their population change from 2010 to 2020:

• Chinese, except Taiwanese alone, 4,128,718 (up 31.6%).
• Filipino alone, 3,076,108 (up 20.4%).
• Vietnamese alone, 1,951,746 (up 26.0%).
• Korean alone, 1,508,575 (up 6.0%).
• Japanese alone, 741,544 (down 3.2%)

The Asian Indian alone or in any combination population increased 49.8% to 4,768,846 and was the second largest group in 2020.

The next four largest Asian alone or in any combination groups and their population growth from 2010 to 2020:

• Filipino alone or in any combination, 4,436,992 (up 29.9%).
• Vietnamese alone or in any combination, 2,293,392 (up 32.0%).
• Korean alone or in any combination, 1,989,519 (up 16.6%).
• Japanese alone or in any combination, 1,586,652 (up 20.6%).

To learn more about the 2020 population size of all detailed Asian alone and Asian alone or in any combination groups for the nation, states, and counties, including less populous groups such as Laotian, Sikh, Hmong, Bhutanese, and more, explore the Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census data visualization.

States With Highest Shares of Largest Asian Groups

Of the six largest detailed Asian alone or in any combination groups, the largest share of each group (more than 18%) lived in California in 2020.

New York had the second largest proportions of the Chinese, except Taiwanese (15.9%) and Korean (8.1%) alone or in any combination populations in 2020.

Texas was the state with the second largest proportions of Asian Indian (10.6%) and Vietnamese (14.2%) alone or in any combination populations in 2020.

Hawaii had the second largest proportions of the Filipino (8.6%) and Japanese (19.7%) alone or in any combination populations in 2020.

Washington became an increasingly popular place of residence and is now in the top five home states for all but the Asian Indian alone or in any combination population. That’s a change from 2010 [PDF 2.6 MB] when Washington was in the top five only for the Filipino, Japanese and Vietnamese alone or in any combination populations.

Washington has now surpassed New Jersey to become the state with the fifth largest proportion of the Chinese, except Taiwanese alone or in any combination population and has surpassed Virginia as the state with the fifth largest proportion of the Korean alone or in any combination population.

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.

Hepatitis B: The virus that silently haunts Asian Americans

There is a virus that may affect immigrants born in Asia that can be undiscovered for years - even decades - until a cancer develops in the liver. By then, it can be fatal.

Asian Americans make up 6% of the total population in the United States, but account for 58% of the 862,000 Americans living with chronic Hepatitis B. Prevalence is also high among Pacific Islanders living in the United States. 

If discovered early, it can be treated but because of cultural and institutional barriers, AANHPI often don't discover the virus until later in life. 

Therein is the problem. A person can have Hepatitis B and not show any symptoms, except, perhaps, a general tiredness. Many people who don't know they have Hepatitis B often just learn to accept and  consider that condition as "normal." 

How is Hepatitis B spread? 

Hepatitis B is spread when someone comes in contact with blood from a person who has the disease. Most people born in Asian countries who have Hepatitis B were infected as infants or young children. Hepatitis B can be passed from an infected mother to her baby at birth or from a family member to young children. 

Considering that 70% of the AANHPI are first-generation immigrants, according to the US Census, and that they can inadvertently spread the virus to the next generation born in the US, it is may affect a good portion of the AANHPI population

It is important to know that Hepatitis B is not a genetic disease. People also do not get Hepatitis B from sharing meals, bowls or utensils with someone who has the disease. Hepatitis B is not spread through breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. 

The following is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Hepatitis B disproportionately affects Asian Americans

Hepatitis B is common worldwide, especially in many parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands. In the United States, hepatitis B disproportionately affects Asian Americans. While Asian Americans make up 6% of the US population, they account for more than 60% of Americans living with hepatitis B.

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Hepatitis B is serious, but treatments are available

Left untreated, nearly 1 in 4 people living with hepatitis B develop serious liver problems, even liver cancer. In fact, hepatitis B-related liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths among Asian Americans. Getting tested for hepatitis B can help many people access lifesaving treatments that can prevent serious liver damage.

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2 in 3 Asian Americans with Hepatitis B don’t know they are infected

People can live with hepatitis B for decades without having any symptoms or feeling sick. hepatitis B is usually spread when someone comes into contact with blood from someone who has the virus, and many people living with hepatitis B got infected as infants or young children. Testing is the only way to know if someone has hepatitis B.

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Who should get tested for Hepatitis B?

• Anyone born regions of the world where hepatitis B is common, including Asia, the Pacific Islands and Africa
• Anyone born in the United States, who was not vaccinated at birth, and has at least one parent born in regions of the world with high rate of hepatitis B, including East or Southeast Asia the Pacific Islands (except New Zealand and Australia) and Sub-Saharan Africa
• Hepatitis B testing identifies people living with hepatitis B so they can get medical care to help prevent serious liver damage. Talk to a doctor about getting tested for Hepatitis B.

What should be done when a family member has Hepatitis B? 

Doctors will want to test all family members of people with Hepatitis B. This includes adults and children living in the same house. The test involves a simple blood test that takes only a small amount of blood from a person’s arm. Testing family members is important. Family members who have Hepatitis B should get medical treatment. Other family members who do not have the disease should get the Hepatitis B vaccine. This protects them from getting the disease. 

Hepatitis B test results will be kept confidential. People with Hepatitis B cannot be forced to leave the United States. They also cannot be fired from a job, or forced to leave school. 

CDC has developed resources, such as fact sheets and community mobilization toolkits, to help educate people born in these countries about the importance of hepatitis B testing.

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

Online news outlets stumble on the question: Are Filipino Americans Asian enough?

R'Bonney Gabriel, a proud Filipino American, was crowned Miss Universe.

OPINION

I found it deeply troubling that major online news outlets don't consider Filipino Americans to be part of the Asian American community.

The question arises: Is R'Bonney Gabriel, a Filipino American who just won the Miss Universe title, Asian enough?

Apple News didn't think that the Filipino American Miss Universe was not worthy
to include under the Asian American banner (top). However, the story was the top story on
the search for Filipino American news (bottom).

I don't mean to be a nitpicker, but today (Jan. 19, 2022), I did online searches on Google News, Apple News and NBC under "Asian Americans" and there was no mention of R'Bonney Gabriel, the current Miss USA  also winning the title of Miss Universe Saturday night. It is odd because Gabriel made sure to mention her Filipino heritage in the interviews after winning the crown.

I checked the online news sources under "Filipino Americans" and Gabriel's historic feat of being the first Filipino American to be named Miss Universe was the top story for Google and Apple. I scrolled down to the bottom and  the Gabriel's accomplishment was not included at all.

Apparently NBC doesn't separate the different AANHPI communities. and include all of them under the title of "Asian America." However, NBC did include Gabriel's victory among its main news stories but, curiously, did not include the story in its "Asian America" page.

The Google News page for Filipino Americans had the Miss Universe winner as its top story (top photo) but the Asian American page (bottom) omitted the accomplishment entirely.

I'm not sure why, but Filipino Americans have always been difficult for East Asians to accept as Asian American because they often don't fit the East Asian stereotype: Filipinos are the second or third largest Asian subgroup in the United States, depending on your source; Filipino are predominantly Roman Catholic; English is practically a second national language; their government is modeled after the United States since it was US's only Asian colony.

And there has always been that annoying question: "Are Filipinos Asian or are they Pacific Islanders?"

I'm being generous because I'm the forgiving-sort-of-guy, but maybe its the weekend crews working during the Martin Luther King Holiday. The holiday shift has always been given to those with the least seniority. They might not be as sensitive or knowledgeable as the regular crew about the AANHPI communities and the groups that fall under that umbrella. 

Or, it could be the news editors over the weekend didn't think a pageant title is worthy of news coverage. Sure the Miss Universe contest is not life-changing or violent as some of the other news stories. I can understand that rationale, but it might not be worthy of being the top story, but it surely should be second or third. When an Asian American breaks a racial barrier, even if it's just a pageant title, the historic event deserves some attention.

When a Filipino nurse goes on strike, or a Filipino singer wins a Grammy, or a Filipino wins a Nobel Prize, or a Filipino American is elected California's Attorney General, or a Filipino wins the Miss Universe title; all of those stories should not be limited to Filipino Americans, and other Asian Americans should recognize the barrier-shattering significance of that accomplishment.

For those who make those news judgements, their definition of who are Asian Americans need to be expanded beyond East Asians. While Filipino Americans generally don't like being confused with other Asians, there is the political and social aspect of living as minorities in this country that should unite us with other Asian American ethnicities and nationalities. Filipino Americans are Americans, but they are Asian Americans, too. To think otherwise, is an insult.

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

In the year of the dual pandemics of the coronavirus and hate, Biden proclaims Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2021

The year of hate directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders was noted in this year's Presidential Proclamation making May as Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which was issued today (April 30, 2021).

Besides extolling the contributions of the AAPI community have made and continuing to make in this country, the proclamation was couched in the context of trying to undo the ignorance and misdirection of the previous administration that fertilized the latent bias so embedded in our institutions and culture that it is not recognized as such.

"In spite of the strength shown and successes achieved, the American dream remains out of reach for far too many AANHPI families. AANHPI communities face systemic barriers to economic justice, health equity, educational attainment, and personal safety.  These challenges are compounded by stark gaps in Federal data, which too often fails to reflect the diversity of AANHPI communities and the particular barriers that Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian, and South Asian communities in the United States continue to face," reads the proclamation

Biden continues, "My Administration also recognizes the heightened fear felt by many Asian American communities in the wake of increasing rates of anti-Asian harassment and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasingly observable layers of hate now directed toward women and elders of Asian descent in particular.  Our Nation continues to grieve the senseless killings of six women of Asian descent in Atlanta, and the unconscionable acts of violence victimizing our beloved Asian American seniors in cities across the country.

Biden repeated a statement that he has said several times since he took office 100 days ago. "Acts of anti-Asian bias are wrong, they are un-American, and they must stop."

Recognizing that the current surge of hate crimes against AANHPI is not a recent phenomenon, the proclamation continued: 

"Present-day inequities faced by AANHPI communities are rooted in our Nation’s history of exclusion, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia against Asian Americans.  Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have endured a long history of injustice — including the Page Act of 1875, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the incarceration of Japanese American citizens during World War II, the murder of Vincent Chin, the mass shooting of Southeast Asian refugee children in 1989, and the targeting of South Asian Americans, especially those who are Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh, after the national tragedy of 9/11.  

Addressing the erasure of Asian Americans in U.S. history and the acceptance of the discrimination that has faced the community for centuries, Biden said: "It is long past time for Federal leadership to advance inclusion, belonging, and acceptance for all AANHPI communities.  My Administration is committed to a whole-of-government effort to advance equity, root out racial injustices in our Federal institutions, and finally deliver the promise of America for all Americans."

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

The President began the proclamation by pointing out his historic decision to make Kamala Harris his Vice President.

"During this year’s Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our Nation celebrates the achievements of Vice President Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to hold the Office of the Vice President," the proclamation says. "Vice President Harris has blazed a trail and set an example for young people across the country to aspire to follow, including members of AANHPI communities and AANHPI women in particular. "

The proclamation makes particular note the role AANHPI healthcare workers are playing in battling the coronavirus pandemic, a disease that will go down in the history books as one of the deadliest and the impact it had on the entire country affecting almost every aspect of life.

"We also celebrate and honor the invaluable contributions the AANHPI communities have made to our Nation’s culture and the arts, law, science and technology, sports and public service — including the courageous AANHPIs who have served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic as health care providers, first responders, teachers, and other essential workers," the proclamation says.

 

This May, during Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we recognize the history and achievements of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) across our Nation.  In the midst of a difficult year of pain and fear, we reflect on the tradition of leadership, resilience, and courage shown by AANHPI communities, and recommit to the struggle for AANHPI equity.

Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders make our Nation more vibrant through diversity of cultures, languages, and religions.  There is no single story of the AANHPI experience, but rather a diversity of contributions that enrich America’s culture and society and strengthen the United States’ role as a global leader.  The American story as we know it would be impossible without the strength, contributions, and legacies of AANHPIs who have helped build and unite this country in each successive generation.  From laying railroad tracks, tilling fields, and starting businesses, to caring for our loved ones and honorably serving our Nation in uniform, AANHPI communities are deeply rooted in the history of the United States.

We also celebrate and honor the invaluable contributions the AANHPI communities have made to our Nation’s culture and the arts, law, science and technology, sports and public service — including the courageous AANHPIs who have served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic as health care providers, first responders, teachers, and other essential workers.

During this year’s Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our Nation celebrates the achievements of Vice President Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to hold the Office of the Vice President.  Vice President Harris has blazed a trail and set an example for young people across the country to aspire to follow, including members of AANHPI communities and AANHPI women in particular. 

In spite of the strength shown and successes achieved, the American dream remains out of reach for far too many AANHPI families. AANHPI communities face systemic barriers to economic justice, health equity, educational attainment, and personal safety.  These challenges are compounded by stark gaps in Federal data, which too often fails to reflect the diversity of AANHPI communities and the particular barriers that Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian, and South Asian communities in the United States continue to face.

My Administration also recognizes the heightened fear felt by many Asian American communities in the wake of increasing rates of anti-Asian harassment and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasingly observable layers of hate now directed toward women and elders of Asian descent in particular.  Our Nation continues to grieve the senseless killings of six women of Asian descent in Atlanta, and the unconscionable acts of violence victimizing our beloved Asian American seniors in cities across the country.

Acts of anti-Asian bias are wrong, they are un-American, and they must stop.  My Administration will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with AANHPI communities in condemning, denouncing, and preventing these acts of violence.  We will continue to look for opportunities to heal together and fight against the racism and xenophobia that still exists in this country.

Present-day inequities faced by AANHPI communities are rooted in our Nation’s history of exclusion, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia against Asian Americans.  Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have endured a long history of injustice — including the Page Act of 1875, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the incarceration of Japanese American citizens during World War II, the murder of Vincent Chin, the mass shooting of Southeast Asian refugee children in 1989, and the targeting of South Asian Americans, especially those who are Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh, after the national tragedy of 9/11.  It is long past time for Federal leadership to advance inclusion, belonging, and acceptance for all AANHPI communities.  My Administration is committed to a whole-of-government effort to advance equity, root out racial injustices in our Federal institutions, and finally deliver the promise of America for all Americans.

Vice President Harris and I affirm that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders make our Nation stronger.  I urge my fellow Americans to join us this month in celebrating AANHPI history, people, and cultures.

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 May 2021 as Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  I call upon the people of the United States to learn more about the history of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Miami Marlins new general manager breaks glass cieling for women

Kim Ng makes history as the Miami Marlins news General lManager.

If the new general manager of the Miami Marlins was a man, the news of the person filling the GM position would only be of interest to sports buffs and Marlins fans.

But the Marlin's new General Manager Kim Ng is making history as the first Asian American woman GM in Major League Baseball.

At 52, Ng has paid her dues with a 30-year career with the MLB, including 21 in the front offices of the White Sox, Yankees and Dodgers.

“All of us at Major League Baseball are thrilled for Kim and the opportunity she has earned with the Marlins," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. 

"Kim’s appointment makes history in all of professional sports and sets a significant example for the millions of women and girls who love baseball and softball," he continued. "The hard work, leadership, and record of achievement throughout her long career in the National Pastime led to this outcome, and we wish Kim all the best as she begins her career with the Marlins.”

"I entered Major League Baseball as an intern and, after decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins as their next General Manager," Ng said in a press release. 

Ng, a native of Indianapolis, is the second Asian American to lead an MLB franchise. Pakistani American Farhan Zaidi became the Los Angeles Dodgers GM in 2014 until 2018 when he became the  president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants.

“This challenge is one I don’t take lightly," Ng said. "When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a Major League team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals. My goal is now to bring championship baseball to Miami. I am both humbled and eager to continue building the winning culture our fans expect and deserve.”

Sunday Read: Pulitzer Prize author ponders Tou Thao and the place Asian Americans hold in the U.S.

I'm taking a break from usual weekly attempt at relevance by linking the reader to another site. Sorry, about that.

Many of us here on social media rarely take the time to read OG "content creators" such as Time magazine and local newspapers. I found the Time magazine essay -- Asian Americans Are Still Caught in the Trap of the ‘Model Minority’ Stereotype. And It Creates Inequality for All -- so thoughtful that I want to share it with you.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, who won the 2016 Pulitzer for Fiction for his novel "The Sympathizer," is just a damn good writer. In the July 6 edition of Time, a couple of days after Independence Day, he writes:

"The face of Tou Thao haunts me. The Hmong-American police officer stood with his back turned to Derek Chauvin, his partner, as Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and murdered him.

"In the video that I saw, Tou Thao is in the foreground and Chauvin is partly visible in the background, George Floyd’s head pressed to the ground. Bystanders beg Tou Thao to do something, because George Floyd was not moving, and as he himself said, he could not breathe.

"The face of Tou Thao is like mine and not like mine, although the face of George Floyd is like mine and not like mine too. Racism makes us focus on the differences in our faces rather than our similarities, and in the alchemical experiment of the U.S., racial difference mixes with labor exploitation to produce an explosive mix of profit and atrocity. In response to endemic American racism, those of us who have been racially stigmatized cohere around our racial difference. We take what white people hate about us, and we convert stigmata into pride, community and power. So it is that Tou Thao and I are “Asian Americans,” because we are both “Asian,” which is better than being an “Oriental” or a “gook.” If being an Oriental gets us mocked and being a gook can get us killed, being an Asian American might save us. Our strength in numbers, in solidarity across our many differences of language, ethnicity, culture, religion, national ancestry and more, is the basis of being Asian American.

He continues, writing about his immigrant parents and their struggles to attain what they believed was the American dream in San Jose, which before the rise of Silicon Valley, was like many urban downtowns, was a downtrodden ghost town devoid of live and entrepreneurial activity. 

Nguyen was able to bring together all the political, social and economic viruses creating havoc through our country 

"If we are dissatisfied with our country’s failures and limitations, revealed to us in stark clarity during the time of coronavirus, then now is our time to change our country for the better. If you think America is in trouble, blame shareholders, not immigrants; look at CEOs, not foreigners; resent corporations, not minorities; yell at politicians of both parties, not the weak, who have little in the way of power or wealth to share."

He goes on to write about our Asian American identity, the model minority and where we fit in the melange of a multi-hued America.

It's a damn good read and one that we can spend a many hours pondering. If you want to read the entire essay, click here.

Excellent writer that he is, Nguyen doesn't give a nice answer neatly wrapped with a bow to the questions he raises. That answer lies within each of us.

More coverage of AAPI needed but journalists need to move beyond the 'model minority'

AAJA - MICHIGAN / INSTAGRAM

By Denise-Marie Ordway

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 'JOURNALIST'S RESOURCE'

August 17, 2020

With more than 11 million Asian Americans eligible to vote this year, journalists reporting on the 2020 elections should focus some of their coverage on this fast-growing minority group, which has more than doubled in size since 2000.

Asian Americans tend to receive relatively little media attention compared with white Americans, Black Americans and Latinos, research suggests. It’s difficult, though, to know how often news articles and broadcast programs feature Asian Americans because of a general lack of empirical data. Numerous academic studies that examine how the media portray Asian Americans describe them using terms such as “unseen” and “absent.”

Some scholars have criticized the lack of coverage of Asian American people, including voters, arguing that decision-makers and the public rely on the news media for information about who’s participating in politics and how. Andrew Yang has said his being Asian American might have played a role in the lack of news coverage his presidential campaign received.

“Just as decision-makers may ignore groups that do not vote, they may not pay attention to groups that are rendered invisible in the media, or that are portrayed as foreign non-participants in politics, irrespective of actual participation,” write Rebecca Hamlin, an associate professor of legal studies and political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and her colleagues in a paper that appeared in the journal Politics, Groups, and Identities in 2016.

“Recent research suggests that a lack of civic presence can shut immigrant groups out of urban planning, marginalize them in local decision-making, and hurt their ability to access municipal social service grants,” Hamlin and her colleagues explain.

When the media include Asian Americans in stories and broadcasts, they’re sometimes depicted as “model minorities” — more financially successful and academically talented than other racial and ethnic minority groups. The stereotype fails to accurately represent the lived experiences of a U.S. population consisting of people from more than 40 Asian countries.

Asian American groups vary, sometimes widely, in terms of their education and income levels, English proficiency and other characteristics. For example, median U.S. annual income in 2015 ranged from $36,000 for Burmese households and $43,500 for Nepalese households to $80,000 for Filipinos and $100,000 for Indians, according to a 2019 report from Pew Research Center.

A special edition of the Asian American Journal of Psychology in 2017 focuses on the model minority trope.

“One of the most insidious consequences of the model minority stereotype is in its mythic properties,” writes a group of researchers, led by Wake Forest University psychology professor Lisa Kiang. “As a result, not only might some members of the group struggle and remain unnoticed, but the wrongful notion that Americans with Asian ancestry are all the same is perpetuated, which masks intraethnic diversity.”

By studying research on how newsrooms portray Asian Americans, journalists can gain insights into news media habits and their consequences. 

Below, we’ve summarized four studies we think journalists should read. They cover topics such as how Asian immigrants are portrayed in political news stories, media coverage of discrimination against Asian Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic and how news outlets report on Asian female Olympic athletes.

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Political Stories: Media Narratives of Political Participation by Asian Immigrants in the U.S. and Canada
Rebecca Hamlin, Irene Bloemraad and Els de Graauw. Politics, Groups, and Identities, 2016.

This study focuses on how journalists portrayed members of two Asian immigrant groups — Indian and Vietnamese immigrants — in newspaper articles about politics over a 21-year period ending in 2005. The researchers, led by Rebecca Hamlin of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, analyzed 224 articles published in major mainstream newspapers in four metro areas within the U.S. and Canada: Boston, San Jose, Toronto and Vancouver.

Each metro area’s Vietnamese and Indian populations differed in size. For example, in San Jose, California, 6.4% of the local population was Vietnamese and 4.2% of the population was Indian. Meanwhile, Vietnamese residents made up 0.6% of the Boston metro area. Indian residents made up 0.9%.

Hamlin and her colleagues learned that the news outlets depicted the two immigrant groups quite differently. Some examples:

• In general, news coverage depicted Vietnamese Americans as having a high level of “civic presence,” the researchers write. In California, political reporting by the San Jose Mercury News “presented an overwhelmingly sympathetic and positive image of the Vietnamese community, portraying them as allied aliens to whom the U.S. owed support, and in many cases, emphasizing their Christianity.” The researchers also write that “Vietnamese Americans’ political participation, whether through the electoral system or protest politics, was portrayed as an appreciation of freedom, not as a threat.”
• Like the San Jose Mercury News, the Boston Globe showed the Vietnamese “as a group shifting from homeland to domestic political issues and relied on Vietnamese American community leaders as news sources.” The analysis finds that Boston news stories also “suggest a broader national narrative in which Vietnamese American inclusion in U.S. politics is normal and positive. It evolved from protest about homeland concerns to protest about local conditions and, finally, more influence over local electoral politics.”
• The Boston Globe’s coverage of the Indian community primarily focused on religion and culture, with 4% of political news stories involving Indian immigrants.
• “In contrast to the Vietnamese American narrative of evolving political mobilization and engagement, neither American paper portrayed the Indian community as developing a political voice over time. Rather, political coverage of the Indo-American community was scattered, indicative of a more episodic approach to reporting.” Coverage often mentioned Indo-Americans’ relative lack of political involvement in U.S. politics.

News Accounts of COVID-19 Discrimination 2/9-3/7/20
Russell Jeung, Sarah Gowing and Kara Takasaki. Report for the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council and Chinese for Affirmative Action, 2020.

The chairman of the Asian American Studies department at San Francisco State University, Russell Jeung, led this study, which tracks a substantial rise in U.S. news media reports about coronavirus-related discrimination against Asian people.

Jeung and his co-authors examined 216 news articles published in the four weeks between Feb. 7, 2020 and March 9, 2020. They discovered a 50% increase in the number of articles about discrimination against Asians over that period and that 17% of stories studied featured cases of Asian Americans being harassed, attacked or bullied, according to their paper. In total, 471 cases related to xenophobia or discrimination were reported — 16 per day, on average.

News outlets also covered Asian Americans rallying to support Asian-owned businesses and denounce racism, the authors write. “Government and health officials, as well as Asian Americans themselves, made news in speaking out against the continued, high rates of coronavirus discrimination,” they write. “By week 4, 29% of news articles reported these anti-racism efforts.”

The findings in the report prompted San Francisco State University to team up with the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council and Chinese for Affirmative Action to create the Stop AAPI Hate Center website, according to the university. The site aggregates incidents against Asian Americans amid the pandemic and has received more than 100 reports a day since its launch in mid-March.

Racial Ideology, Model Minorities, and the “Not-So-Silent Partner:” Stereotyping of Asian Americans in U.S. Magazine Advertising
Hye Jin Paek and Hemant Shah. "The Howard Journal of Communications," 2003.

Asian Americans tended to be portrayed in ads in three top news magazines as successful, affluent, tech savvy and academically talented, this study from 2003 finds. It also demonstrates how news advertising — described as “the media’s not-so-silent partner’’– can be “an apparatus that fosters stereotypes of racial minorities, including the Asian American model minority stereotype.”

The authors examined 10 issues each of Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report after randomly selecting issues from 10 randomly selected months from calendar year 2000. A total of 526 ads were analyzed, 54 of which feature Asian American people.

Researchers discovered the news ads portray Asian Americans differently than other racial and ethnic minorities. For example, Asian models tend to be shown in the workplace, but Black and Latino models are shown in a variety of settings, including the outdoors and in places of leisure. While older Asian Americans are depicted as wealthy and financially successful, older African Americans are portrayed as unhealthy and financially insecure, note the authors, Hye Jin Paek of Hanyang University in South Korea and Hemant Shah of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“This apparent racial hierarchy applies not only to the elderly,” they write. “In an ad for digital cameras, a young Asian American boy is precocious and can use advanced digital technology to invent ‘’extraordinary things,’ whereas a young African American child sits in front of a computer screen with a frustrated look, obviously unable to solve some problem.”

The two researchers explain that seeing Asian Americans as model minorities “masks the diversity that exists within Asian America. Despite the fact that a large number of Asian Americans are successful, many Asian Americans are also poor.” The news ads also fail to represent the diversity of people within Asian America.

“South Asians and Southeast Asians seem to be less visible in the ads, whereas many other nationalities often included in the Asian American category, such as Afghanis, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Malaysians, and Indonesians, are invisible,” the authors write.

A Content Analysis of News Coverage of Asian Female Olympic Athletes
Chia-Chen Yu, "International Review for the Sociology of Sport," 2009.

This study, which looks at how journalists report on Asian female Olympic athletes, finds that English-language news outlets focus much more on athletes’ performance, achievements and psychological characteristics during the Olympic competition than their romances and marital status. A key reason for the study had been to gauge whether journalists commonly emphasize female characteristics more when they cover female athletes who compete in certain sports.

The findings indicate sports such as diving and marathon running are more likely to be covered even though Asian female Olympic athletes have been successful in other sports.

Chia-Chen Yu, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, reviewed stories about Asian female Olympic athletes published by English-language news outlets between Jan. 1, 2000 and Aug. 31, 2008. A total of 266 articles were examined. Yu writes that because journalists tend to give more coverage to female athletes who compete in individual sports than those involved in team sports, she chose to focus on Asian female Olympic athletes in individual sports.

Some of her key findings:

• Diving, marathon running and weightlifting were the top three sports in which Asian female Olympic athletes competed that the news media covered. More than 15% of the news coverage examined focuses on diving while 13% is devoted to marathon running and almost 12% features weightlifting. “The reporters did not devote entire stories to medalists from the following sports: cycling, track, fencing, freestyle skiing, speed skating, and trampoline, even though the athletes won medals during the Olympic Games,” the author writes.
• Journalists gave less coverage to Asian female judo and taekwondo athletes even though they had outstanding performances at the Olympics, the author writes, explaining this might be because “these sports are generally classified as ‘gender-inappropriate’ in Western and Asian cultures due to the features of the body moving heavy objects and physical opposition.”
• Journalists often highlight nationalism in their Olympics coverage, especially when they report on athletes from their same country.