'Moana' passes test of cultural authenticity

Polynesian Moana and her erstwhile companion, the demigod Maui.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanksgiving hangover. Thinking of taking the family to a movie? Here's an offering you should consider.

By Louis Chan
REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

MY TWO 20-something children called Moana, which opened this Thanksgiving weekend, one of the best Disney movies ever.

That’s high praise from two kids who’s collection of animated Disney and Pixar movies is quite extensive. (can you still call two 20-somethings kids? Hell, yes, especially if they’re yours)

The Media Action Network of Asian Americans joined in that praise applauding Disney studios for hiring Pacific Islanders at multiple levels and reflecting accurately the values and culture of Pacific Islanders.

“Moana is the gold standard for how movies should be made,” says MANAA board member Rakshak Sahni. “If you are making a film about Pacific Islanders, it is a given that you should hire Pacific Islanders both in front of and behind the camera. Yet in the past and present we have seen studios creating stories about Asians and Pacific Islanders, but hiring White writers and White actors to perform or voice the roles.”

Moana tells the story of a girl drawn to the ocean and who defies her father, the chief of the island village, when she goes beyond the reef to save her people.

According to the Disney Examiner, an independent online magazine devoted to Disney, directors John Musker and Ron Clements met up with prominent cultural advisors in the region and immersed themselves in the culture during visits to Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, and New Zealand.

“The ocean is viewed as a living, breathing, powerful entity,” said Musker about what he learned. “There is immense respect and admiration for the ocean in this part of the world. We heard many times from the people we met during our trips to the Pacific Islands that the ocean doesn’t separate the islands, it connects them. Voyaging is real source of pride for the Pacific Islanders, a part of their identity. They were, and continue to be, some of the greatest explorers of all time. This wayfinding sense is not only quite sophisticated, it is miraculous.”

Members of MANAA had a chance to see an advanced screening of the movie. Some came away in tears.

“When many Pacific Islanders spoke up during a Q&A with ‘Moana’ producer Osnat Shurer, they were in tears,” said MANAA Vice President Miriam Nakamura-Quan. “They felt that Disney had somehow managed to combine three different cultures and values into one and present it accurately and authentically to a wider audience.”

According to MANAA co-founder Guy Aoki, there wasn’t a White person in the entire movie.

“Disney had confidence in their story that they didn’t have to compromise — as many filmmakers do — feeling they needed a White character for the audience to identify with,” he said. “We’re confident that children of all ages and backgrounds will identify with Moana.

Besides the lead voice roles of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and newcomer Auli’i Cravalho, the commitment of Disney to cultural sensitivity is impressive with all the Pacific Islander talent used in the movie.

Extra Hint: Watch the credits all the way to the end for an extra surprise scene.

Auli’i Cravalho as Moana

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Maui

Nicole Scherzinger as Sina

Rachel House as Gramma Tala

Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui

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TGIF FEATURE: Casting call for 'Crazy Rich Asians'

A LOT is riding on the success of the movie version of Crazy Rich Asians. 

The potential impact of the film that will feature an all-Asian cast goes beyond the diversity issues Hollywood is grappling with although that alone will make it a landmark in the history of movies.

Besides providing a response to the diversity issues brought forth by #OscarsSoWhite and #YellowFacedOut, the movie and the competitive studio bidding war for the rights of the film addressed the economic aspects of the business.

In addition, Warner Bros., which won the rights for the movie and the film's producers are being careful in how they cast the movie.

Based on the novel by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians tells the story of three wealthy Chinese families preparing for a big wedding in Singapore. The story spans London, Hong Kong and other locations, but is set mostly in Singapore. Kwan's characters are pan-Asian – Chinese, Korean, Singaporean and amalgams of those nationalities.

Director John Chu told Australia's SNS in an interview that he feels the pressure in casting the film – trying to hew as closely as possible to the ethnicities Kwan portrayed in his book, but also looking for the best possible actors. "We are looking at all these actors and (wonder) are we allowed to cast a Korean actor for a Chinese role? Are we allowed to hire a half-Chinese person for this other role?"

After demanding Hollywood to be more respectful to Asians and Asian Americans, Chu said he now feels a burden to make the most authentic film possible, while also looking for the most talented actors. "There are no rules written" for how to do that, he said.

Chu and his producers said they found that many Asian actors do not have talent representation. So they are on an international tour, with open castings around the world, to cast the film. "That's a lot different than most big studio films," said producer John Penotti.

It is very likely that the roles in the film will make stars out of whomever is cast. Besides the  Hollywood names Americans might be familiar with, actors, models and maybe the guy down the street are eligible to try out for the roles. All you have to do is to send a photo and resume to the email ttcasst@gmail.com.

A different perspective of Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving 1621, oil on canvas by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1899) depicts some common misconceptions taught in U.S. schools.

HISTORY should be the truth but too often it has been twisted to the advantage of whoever is telling it - to maintain status, to keep power, to stay on top.

Throughout school, we're taught the familiar story of Thanksgiving from the point of view of the Pilgrims, or rather the Eurocentric version, in which the Wampanoag, the People of the First Light, and the Plymouth Rock settlers supposedly feasted together to give thanks for the bounty provided by the land.

The Wampanoag had lived in the Massachusetts area for 12,000 years by the time the European immigrants came. By following the DNA trail and by archaeological evidence, it has been shown that the First Americans originated in Asia, crossing over to North America via a bridge of ice during one of the earth's ice ages.

RELATED:

• Columbus, hero of villain?
• 35 maps show we are a nation of immigrants

This morning (Nov. 28) Native Americans gathered on Alcatraz Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Alcatraz Occupation.

Nearly every part of the modern Thanksgiving myth that we celebrate today traces its roots to the 19th century, when American author Sarah Josepha Hale lobbied President Abraham Lincoln to designate it as a national holiday. The story is a bit more complicated, but suffice it to say, the feast that became Thanksgiving, was of a more political nature than having your neighbors over for dinner.

While most Americans gather around a food-laden table, the Wampanoag will keep their museum open to welcome visitors. "We really don't celebrate it." said John Brown, material culture specialist at the Plimoth Plantation. "We use (the day_ to remember the ones we lost in the past."

Half a continent away, another band of First Americans are bracing themselves as winter descends on Standing Rock. Since this summer, people there have been protesting the 1,170-mile Dakota Access Pipeline, which would transport 470,000 barrels of oil a day from North Dakota’s Bakken oil fields to other pipelines in Illinois.

The Standing Rock Sioux oppose the pipeline because they say it threatens drinking water on their nearby reservation and cultural sites. Pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners has said no sites have been disturbed and that the $3.8 billion pipeline will be safe.

UPDATED 11/27/2019: Over 380,000 gallons of oil spill from pipeline.

The protectors are being joined by sympathizers including college students and veterans. Up to 1200 people are staying in the demonstrators' makeshift village. At times, the private security guards and law enforcement have been a little heavy handed towards the "protectors," using fire hoses in subfreezing weather, rubber bullets and batons. 

Alli Joseph wrote in Salon: "If you grew up learning in school about the Pilgrims and the Indians being good, happy friends and have not yet read a retelling like Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States,” you might not realize that for American Indians, Thanksgiving is a reminder of the genocide of millions of our people, the quashing of our culture and traditions and the stealing of our virgin lands."

Enjoy this Thanksgiving. Anytime families get together and connections are renewed and strengthened - that's a tradition worth keeping, but the story taught to us by white historians that perpetuates the fairytale of harmony between the indigenous people and the interlopers from Europe. It's time we let that myth die. It allows European Americans feel good about the genocide, landgrabbing and broken treaties that followed.

First Americans have been protesting the oil pipeline at Standing Rock, North Dakota since the spring.

Asian/American picked for UN Ambassador post

Gov. Nikki Haley

REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

SOUTH CAROLINA Governor Nikki Haley has been chosen by President-elect Trump as an ambassador to the United Nations.

The daughter of Indian immigrants who spoke harshly about the rhetoric of Donald Trump, but later said she would vote for him, has accepted. The announcement was made this morning in a news release from the Republican Party.

“Our country faces enormous challenges here at home and internationally, and I am honored that the President-elect has asked me to join his team and serve the country we love as the next Ambassador to the United Nations,” said Governor Haley.

Haley is the first woman and first Asian/American appointed to a cabinet-level post by Trump.

RELATED:

• Ban on Confederate flag led by Haley
• Haley bets against Trump; endorses Rubio

Haley received kudos about how she got her state through the tragic shooting in Charleston last year that left nine people dead at the Enuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. She later successfully navigated a sensitive topic in her state by pushing for the removal of what many considered a racist symbol, the confederate flag, from state grounds.

“Governor Haley has a proven track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation to move critical policies forward for the betterment of her state and our country,” said President-elect Trump. “She is also a proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals. She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage.”

Haley announced her intentions in her Twitter account saying she regrets not finishing the remaining two years of her term as South Carolina's governor but she accepts her new position out of a sense of duty to the U.S.

She will remain governor until her nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate early next year. (Views from the Edge contributed to this report)

Maya Lin receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA awarded Presidential Medals of Freedom to 21 individuals  who have exemplified the best of America.

The majority of the medals, the highest award bestowed to non-military citizens, went to celebrities in sports and the arts, including artist Maya Li.

President Obama and Maya Lin

An artist, Lin is perhaps best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. 

Maya rose to fame when she was chosen as the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., now known as The Wall.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is composed of two walls spanning 246 feet in length that stand as a testament to human sacrifice. Etched upon it are the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who died or remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. It is one of the most poignant memorials in America.

At the time, the Vietnam War was the nation’s longest war and one of the most divisive. America was in search of healing and reconciliation. In 1980, a national design competition was launched. The winner was an unknown Maya Lin, a 21-year-old undergraduate student from Yale University. The design would be “a long, polished, black stone wall, emerging from and receding into the earth.”

After Maya Lin’s design was chosen, outrage ensued. Many were offended by its nontraditional design. Its color, black, was detested for its “sad” and “negative” connotation. It was referred to as a “black gash of shame” and a “degrading ditch.” Many also felt that an Asian-American should not be the designer.

Jim Knotts, CEO of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund released a statement on the President's recognition of Lin:

“The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will be forever grateful for Maya’s artistry. Her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was controversial when it was first introduced to the public, but 35 years later, her design has proven to be a remarkable piece of art that has changed the way a nation mourns. We continue to see Vietnam veterans start or continue their healing process when they stand in front of The Wall. And younger generations continue to be awed by the scope of the sacrifice as the walk the long walls and realize every name is a life cut short. They begin to learn what it means to serve our country. The Wall, through it’s simple but brilliant design, helped to heal a generation and our nation. The Wall began a body of work in both art and architecture that will continue to impact our country for generations to come. It is wholly appropriate that we recognize Maya Lin for her contributions with our nation’s highest civilian honor.”

The White House said, “A committed environmentalist, Lin is currently working on a multi-sited artwork/memorial, What is Missing?, bringing awareness to the planet’s loss of habitat and biodiversity.”

"I am so saddened by the stated goals of the incoming administration to dismantle the environmental protections that have made our water and our air and our communities safer and cleaner, and that (President-Elect Donald Trump) threatens to renege on the Paris Climate accord—which would be ... a disaster for us both ecologically and economically," she told NBC News.

The brilliance of Maya Lin's Vietnam Memorial: Visitors see themselves reflected in the black granite wall.

DOJ files suit vs. New Jersey township, for blocking construction of a mosque

The design of the mosque is intended to blend into the neighborhood.

THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE filed a lawsuit today (Nov. 22) against Bernards Township, New Jersey, alleging that the township violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) when it denied zoning approval to allow the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge to build a mosque on land it owns. 

At the time of the Islamic Society’s zoning request, the site for the proposed mosque permitted the construction of places of worship as a matter of right.

"Township officials kept moving the goalposts by using ever-changing local requirements to effectively deny this religious community the same access as other faiths,” said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman of the District of New Jersey. 

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, alleges that Bernards Township’s denial of approval for the mosque discriminated against the Islamic Society based on its religion and the religion of its members; applied standards and procedures on the Islamic Society that it had not applied to other religious and non-religious assemblies in the past; and imposed a substantial burden on the Islamic Society’s religious exercise. 

The complaint also alleges that the township violated RLUIPA by amending its zoning ordinance in a manner that imposes unreasonable limitations on all religious assemblies.

“Sixteen years ago, Congress passed RLUIPA unanimously – with diverse religious and ideological support – because it recognized the fundamental right of all religious communities to build places of worship free from discrimination,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. 

“No congregation or community should ever face unlawful barriers to practicing their religion and observing their faith,” said Gupta.

“As alleged in the complaint, Bernards Township has treated the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge differently than other houses of worship,” said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman of the District of New Jersey," said Fishman.

RLUIPA contains multiple provisions prohibiting religious discrimination and protecting against unjustified burdens on religious exercise. Persons who believe that they have been subjected to religious discrimination in land use or zoning may contact the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at (800) 896-7743.

U.S. Attorney General issues statement on hate crimes

Attorney General Loretta Lynch

ATTORNEY GENERAL Loretta E. Lynch released a statement Nov. 18 on the FBI’s newly announced 2015 hate crime statistics as well as on recent media reports of alleged hate crimes and harassment around the country. 

“Earlier this week, the FBI released its statistics on hate crimes committed in 2015," said Lynch. "These numbers should be deeply sobering for all Americans. Among other alarming trends, the report showed a 67 percent increase in hate crimes committed against Muslim Americans. It also showed increases in the number of hate crimes committed against Jewish people, African Americans, and LGBT individuals. 

When the administration of Donald Trump takes office, we can expect fewer statements and investigations of hate crimes and civil rights violations. Trump has named arch-conservative Sen. Jeff Sessions, who was once denied a judgeship because of his racist views, to become the new U.S. Attorney General.

RELATED:

• Jeff Sessions nomination is troubling to civil rights, immigration activists
• Hate crimes against Muslims spike
• Trump's America off to a scary start

The statement reminds individuals to report these incidents to both local law enforcement and the Justice Department in order to ensure that career investigators and prosecutors are able to enforce hate crime statutes at the local, state and federal level.

"Overall, the number of reported hate crimes increased six percent – a number that does not account for the many hate crimes that may go unreported out of shame or fear," said Lynch.

“Beyond these 2015 statistics, I know that many Americans are concerned by a spate of recent news reports about alleged hate crimes and harassment. Some of these incidents have happened in schools. Others have targeted houses of worship. And some have singled out individuals for attacks and intimidation. 

"The FBI is assessing, in conjunction with federal prosecutors, whether particular incidents constitute violations of federal law. We need you to continue to report these incidents to local law enforcement, as well as the Justice Department, so that our career investigators and prosecutors can take action to defend your rights. "

Information about federal hate crimes laws – and other civil rights laws that the department enforces, including protections for students in schools – on the Civil Rights Division’s website. The DOJ site also contains resources for communities working to prevent and respond to hate crimes.

“But despite the tremendous progress we have made," continued Lynch, "we cannot lose sight of how much remains to be done. Nearly two decades after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. were brutally murdered simply for being who they were, we still have a long way to go to ensure that every American can live free from the fear of violence or harassment based what they look like, how they worship, or whom they love.

“That work is not just about enforcing the law. It’s about staying true to our highest ideals and most cherished principles. It’s about making sure that all Americans receive the protection of the law. And it’s about giving real meaning to our shared belief that all people are created equal.

“Put simply, this work is the right – and just – thing to do. And I want the American people to know that as long as that work is necessary, the Department of Justice will continue to carry it forward. 

"We will continue to enforce our nation’s hate crimes laws to the fullest extent possible. We will continue to uphold our conviction that all men and women deserve to lead lives of safety and dignity. And we will continue to champion the values of diversity and inclusion that have always been the bedrock of our nation’s progress, and that point the way to a brighter future,” she concludes.

We'll miss you AG Lynch.

Immigrant quits dream job to work for compassion and openness

Dex Torricke-Barton

ONE OF THE bright stars of Silicon Valley has quit his dream job and will devote his time in bridging the gaps that has divided the country as a result of Donald Trump's campaign and election victory.

Like many Californians, Dex Torricke-Barton was surprised by the outcome of Nov. 8. Unlike many people complaining about Trump's election as POTUS, the Burmese/American techie wanted to go beyond the protests that have been held every day since Nov. 8. He wants to do something about it. He quit his job at Elon Musk's SpaceX, to form Onwards, to bridge the "growing gulf... between coastal elites and communities left behind by globalization."

"The only reason to leave my dream job was to go and fight a nightmare -- a future where the world is less open, less compassionate, more closed," he said in an interview. "Going to focus on grassroots change is how I feel I can make the biggest difference right now."

Torricke-Barton, whose father is from Burma, said he'll begin his new challenge with a "listening tour" to better understand why communities across America voted for Trump, how new technologies are impacting them and what they think needs to be changed.

He then hopes to pull together what he heard and come up with recommendations "that can be fed into the social movement" that opposes Trump, Torricke-Barton told CNNMoney. 

"As an immigrant and the son of a refugee, and as someone dedicated to advancing the interests of humanity, I don’t want to watch while the world slips backwards… From what I see, the world is becoming a less open and less compassionate place," he said.

"There is a need for all leaders across the industry to be more engaged with issues of social concern," said Torricke-Barton. "Staying silent or on the sidelines ... is not responsible."

###

Zayn Malik voted Top New Artist; fashion oops & downs at the American Music Awards

Zayn Malik receives his award as New Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards.

BRUNO MARS, the Filipino/American R&B singer from Hawaii, got the American Music Awards off to a rousing start with his performance of his hit "24K Magic," highlighted by his electrifying choreography, a combination of James Brown, Michael Jackson and a healthy dose of Jaberwockeez. the Asian/American dance team

RELATED: Bruno Mars has quite a night on '60 Minutes' & 'American Music Awards'

Other Asian/Americans had their moments in the spotlight last Sunday, (Oct. 20) as presenters and award recipients.

Teen-heartthrob Zayn Malik was named New Artist of the Year for his first solo album after leaving the popular  boy group One Direction. He gave special thanks to his Pakistani father when he received the award.

"Standing here is crazy. My mom, my dad, everybody in my family that's been supporting me the past year, especially my dad. Thank you, Dad. Also, big thank you to you guys. I didn't expect anybody to still vote for me. So thank you, and I"ll put it on my fireplace." In his album he included a song in which he sang some of the lyrics in Urdu, his father's native language.

Olivia Munn with Silicon Valley's T.J. Miller presented the award to Tim McGraw for Favorite Country Singer. As they introduced the singer, they did a hilarious bit mocking award show presenters. 

The Chinese/American actress also got some attention she didn't necessarily want when most fashionistas put her on their lists of "worst dressed" celebrities wearing a Reem Acra floral ensemble. Apparently, Munn broke a fashion rule, wearing a mini, showing off a lot of leg, and also showed a lot of cleavage. In the fashion world, the rule is one or the other, but not both. (I don't make the rules.)

SCREEN CAPTURE

Chrissy Teigen's risqué dress.

On the other end of the fashion spectrum was Chrissy Teigen, who wore a floor-length black dress with two side-slits that were dangerously high, confirming that the Thai/American model was not wearing underwear. At least one photographer caught the wardrobe malfunction as Teigen walked the Red Carpet.

A wave of tweets criticized her and she responded as only Teigen can:  “I was walking. It floated. It’s over. I can’t take it back. Here is a formal apology. What else would you like?”

Teigen, who's been known to speak her mind, introduced her husband, John Legend, but couldn't help but turn the introduction into a political statement.

“What can I say? I’m very inspiring,” she said, according to Billboard, continuing, “but his songs are bigger than either of us and on the heels of what’s been a really interesting interesting f**ked up election for all of us, I think we could all use a little love tonight.” The awards show censors blocked her statement at "interesting" leaving the home audience wondering what she said.

She didn't apologize for the introduction.

###

Bruno Mars night on '60 Minutes' and on the American Music Awards

'60 Minutes' reporter Laura Logan interviews Bruno Mars in Hawaii.

By Louis Chan
REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

BRUNO MARS dominated the airwaves Sunday night on broadcast television with his back story featured on 60 Minutes then an exclamation point with his scintillating performance the American Music Awards on another channel.

First he was featured in an extensive story on 60 Minutes where he talked about his early career at Little Elvis, his life living with his homeless family, the trouble he had establishing his career being half Filipino, one quarter Puerto Rican and one quarter Jewish, and the day his career turned around.

Then if you switched the channel in time, you caught him opening the American Music Awards with his electrifying performance of his new hit, 24K Magic.

At the end of the performance, co-host Pharoah offered up his best Donald Trump performance to compliment the singer. “I love Bruno Mars,” said Pharoah as Trump. “I don’t know what color he is so I can’t deport him.” He continued the impression, earning belly laughs from the audience by saying, as Trump, “I’m going to funk this country up bigly.”

The most revealing part of Mar’s 60 Minutes interview came when he took reporter Lara Logan to Paradise Park, a bird zoo in Hawaii where his dad worked and where he and his brother lived with their dad following the divorce from his mom. Watch that segment below.

They lived there for two years in a building that now has no roof and has plants growing in the middle of it. The three all shared one bed and despite the hardship, Bruno considers this time a happy memory.

“Yeah. We had it all, you know. We had each other and it never felt like it was the end of the world. “It’s alright we don’t got electric today. It’s alright. It’s temporary.” saying, “Well, we gonna figure this out. Maybe that’s why I have this mentality when it comes to the music. ‘Cause I know I’m gonna figure – I’m gonna figure it out, just give me some time.”

He also recalled the time he got fired from Motown and realized he just wasn’t ready.

“It’s simply I wasn’t ready yet. I think everybody don’t know what color I am. It’s like, “He’s not black enough. He’s not white enough. He’s got a Latin last name but he doesn’t have – he doesn’t speak Spanish. Who are we selling this to? Are you making urban music? Are you making pop music? What kind of music are you making?”

You can watch the entire interview on 60 Minutes. In the meantime, enjoy his dance moves and music from the American Music Awards on the video below.

###

California legislators vow to oppose Trump's plans vs. immiigrants & minorities

Protests against Donald Trump continues to be held in numerous California cities including San Francisco (above).

DONALD TRUMP'S presidential victory prompted demonstrations in dozens of U.S. cities, talk of California's secession from the United States and a stirring of a movement to counter the growing anti-minority and anti-immigrant acts of his supporters from the radical right.

The California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus issued a statement Nov. 17 condemning the stereotypes and outright bigotry that has been and continues to be vocalized by President-elect Trump.

"As leaders in California, we will stand up and not be complicit or complacent int he trampling rights and the destruction of families in our immigrant communities," said Assemblymember Rob Bonta, chair of the API Legislative Caucus.

"The rhetoric coming from President-elect Donald Trump and his inner circle cannot be tolerated. As president, his actions would tear families apart, destabilize communities and hurt our economy. As Californians, we will stand by our values and fight together to protect ante most vulnerable in our society," said Bonta. 

During the 18-month presidential campaign, Trump said he would deport some 11 million undocumented immigrants, build a wall between Mexico and the U.S., and curtail the immigration of Muslims, many of whom come from Asia.

Since the Nov. 8 election, there has been an increase an increase in reports of racism and hate crimes according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Communities of color are encountering race-based bullying attacks.

"We are part of one California," said Bonta, the only Filipino/American in the state legislature. "As the most diverse state in America, California is an example to the nation and the world of how public policies of inclusion and compassion foster stronger, safer and more prosperous communities."

A day after the election's surprising results, California Senate President pro Temper Kevin de Leon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, both Democrats, released a joint statement.

"Today, we woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land, because yesterday Americans expressed their views on a pluralistic and democratic society that are clearly inconsistent with the values of the people of California.

California voters - with the largest number of immigrants in the country - voted for Clinton over Trump almost two to one. San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose and Oakland said they would not cooperate with federal attempts to deport its residents.

"California is – and must always be – a refuge of justice and opportunity for people of all walks, talks, ages and aspirations – regardless of how you look, where you live, what language you speak, or who you love," continued the statement," read the joint statement.

"While Donald Trump may have won the presidency, he hasn’t changed our values. America is greater than any one man or party. We will not be dragged back into the past. We will lead the resistance to any effort that would shred our social fabric or our Constitution.


As the world's sixth largest economy, home to the country's entertainment industry and the center of innovation in Silicon Valley, provider of much of the country's produce, California lawmakers believe the state has some leverage even though Congress, the Supreme Court and the White House are controlled by the GOP.

"California was not a part of this nation when its history began, but we are clearly now the keeper of its future," concluded the statement from de Leon and Rendon.

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Trump interviews Michelle Rhee for Education Secretary

PRESIDENT ELECT DONALD TRUMP met with Michelle Rhee Saturday (Oct. 19), for the position of Education Secretary.

Rhee, of Sacramento, Calif., is the second Asian/American to be interviewed by the Trump for a possible position in his administration. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley visited Trump earlier. It was speculated that she was interviewed for the Secretary of State position.

Even though Rhee is a Democrat, her positions on education, particular her advocacy for charter schools, is in line with Trump, who said, “We need to fix our broken education system!,” during the campaign. He also said he would eliminate the Department of Education.

Rhee gained national prominence, appearing on the covers of both Time and Newsweek, as an education reformer, while she was chancellor of schools in Washington, D.C., from 2007-10.

She has been an advocate for charter schools and chairs the board of St. Hope Public Schools, a Sacramento-based charter school organization started by her husband,  Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who played  professional basketball for 12 years with the NBA's Phoenix Suns.

Even though Rhee is a Democrat, she broke with the party to support school-choice vouchers, one of the few education policies Trump has mentioned during his campaign.

Interviewing Rhee may just be a head fake to give the appearance of Trump seeking diversity in his administration. She is not given a great chance to becoming Education Secretary because Rhee supports the Common Core curriculum that Trump has pledged to dismantle.

'Crazy Rich Asians:' Extra effort in casting could break barriers

Director John Chu

REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

IN A WIDE-RANGING and extensive interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Jon Chu of Crazy Rich Asians talked about casting an all-Asian cast and his need to explore his Asian American identity.

“When I was finishing Now You See Me 2, I remember thinking about exploring the Asian/American identity side of my brain. I’ve never fully explored that as an artist. I went to Beijing several times to meet with companies to try to see, like, is there a story out there to explore that side of me?”

His sister had encouraged him to read Crazy Rich Asians. He found it to be a page turner, one he couldn’t put down. He knew right then and there, “he had to do this movie.”

“It’s a movie that speaks to my identity as an Asian and that struggle of figuring out who I am and where I belong, and it deals with what my family went through, what my mom and my dad from mainland China [went through], so all the struggles I’ve experienced are in this book in a fun way, not in some sort of lecturing way.”Now that he has the job as director, one of his tasks will be to finding an all-Asian cast and the all important male lead. He plans to search in the far corners of both Asia and the United States and go way beyond the traditional Hollywood casting call.

“We know that we’ve seen a lot of people who are working right now, we’ve seen a lot of overseas Chinese actors, but who are the people we are missing? Who are the unknowns, the undiscovered, that we need to find? Because there’s no structure for those people, and they haven’t had these kind of roles, so they may not even be represented yet. We’re trying to dig deeper and find that next round.

“A lot of the big agencies don’t necessarily know where to find the big, hunky Asian actor that could be (Crazy Rich Asians' male lead) Nick that has that charming, leading man thing. Maybe they’re in theater and haven’t crossed over yet. Maybe they’re doing commercials and haven’t crossed over yet.”

You can read about the extra time Warner Bros is willing to take to find the right actors, the lobbying effort Chu launched to get the job as director, and the discussions Chu had with Warner Bros. about diversity and Asian representation in the full interview with Chu in Entertainment Weekly.

Cast of Hamilton delivers a message of diversity to Mike Pence

THERE ARE some privileges to getting elected as Vice President. Gov. Mike Pence took advantage of his newly acquired position of influence by securing the-most-difficult-to-obtain tickets to the musical Hamilton.

I wonder if he got the message from the performance Friday night (Nov. 18).

For certain, he received the message from the cast. As the play ended, the actor who played Aaron Burr, Brandon Victor Dixon, acknowledged that Mr. Pence was in the audience, thanked him for attending and added, “We hope you will hear us out.” He then began to read the message written by the show's creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Vice-president elect Pence, who has also advocated for funding for gay conversion therapy, got booed by a significant number of audience members. 

I wonder if Pence — who has said "Congress should oppose any effort to put gay and lesbian relationships on an equal legal status with heterosexual marriage," and "Congress should oppose any effort to recognize homosexual’s (sic) as a 'discreet (sic) and insular minority' entitled to the protection of anti-discrimination laws" — knew that the cast was filled with queer people, people of color, immigrants and children of immigrants.

According to one audience member, the audience gave a standing ovation during the play at the line, “Immigrants, we get the job done,” one theatergoer, Christy Colburn, wrote on Twitter.

She added: “Crowd went NUTS at King George’s lines ‘when people say they hate you’ & ‘do you know how hard it is to lead?’ He had to stop the song.”

Upon hearing of the incident, President-elect Donald Trump couldn't hold back and had this to say on Twitter on the following day:

The cast was not "harassing" Pence. I thought they were very respectful. Dixon had this to say in response:

Pence listened to the message and was seen walking out of the theater smiling. But did he HEAR the message?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier versions of this post was in error. Javier Munoz did not read the message to Pence.

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Jeff Sessions nomination troubles civil rights and immigration activists

Senator Jeff Sessions

A SCHOOL OF THOUGHT  says that the newly elected President be given a grace period and that we all need to rally around him for the sake of the country ... yada, yada.

Both Hillary Clinton and President Obama have urged us to give Trump a chance to be our President. They tell us that the responsibilities of the office will force him to moderate his extreme positions.

In a little less than two weeks after the elections, Donald Trump's selection of his prospective cabinet clearly shows he is not going to change from the Donald Trump that we saw on the campaign trail - the misogynist, the racist, the bully, the anti-Muslim, the race-baiter.

The selection of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as the next Attorney General could undo all the gains made in the 1960s - the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Immigration Reform Act. 

He would also be the frontman for defending the sure-to-come challenges to the implementation of Trump's campaign promise to deport millions of immigrants and provide the legal reasoning (if any) for a Muslim Registry

In his 1986 confirmation hearing, witnesses testified that Sessions referred to a black attorney as “boy,” described the Voting Rights Act as “intrusive,” attacked the NAACP and ACLU as “un-American” for “forcing civil rights down the throats of people,” joked that he thought the Ku Klux Klan was OK until he found out they smoked marijuana, and referred to a white attorney who took on voting-rights cases as a “traitor to his race.”

During these same GOP-led hearings, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy explained his nay vote, saying Sessions demonstrated a 'clear and convincing case to gross insensitivity to the questions of race.'

If Sessions were to become the next U.S. Attorney General, he would be the country's top law enforcement officer and he would be in charge of enforcing Trump's views on deporting immigrants or Muslims, provide the legal argument for a Muslim registry and the "stop and frisk" strategy Trump espoused but the courts ruled were unconstitutional because it promoted racial profiling.

"If you have nostalgia for the days when blacks kept quiet, gays were in the closet, immigrants were invisible and women stayed in the kitchen, Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions is your man," wrote Luis Gutierrez in a statement. "No Senator has fought harder against the hopes and aspirations of Latinos, immigrants, and people of color than Sen. Sessions. He is a staunch opponent of legal immigration and someone who has blocked every effort to improve, modernize, and humanize our immigration system, which is two or three decades out-of-date. He ran for the Senate because he was deemed by the Senate Judiciary Committee as too racist to serve as a federal judge. He is the kind of person who will set back law enforcement, civil rights, the courts, and increase America’s mass incarceration industry and erase 50 years of progress."

Among other positions, Sessions opposed the Violence Against Women Act, the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” and the expansion of anti-hate legislation to include sexual orientation.

He would do all of this while waving the flag - the Confederate Stars & Bars - that he defended when states and colleges began to remove it from view.

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Asian American votes get short-changed by Electoral College

The  picture of the U.S. as weighted by the Electoral College

REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

THE OLD ADAGE one person, one vote doesn’t seem to apply in the presidential election for people of color.

An analysis by the Center for Economic and Policy Research has found Asian American votes are only worth 0.93 of 1 vote, Latinos 0.91, Blacks 0.95 and Whites 1.0

How can that be? Under the electoral college system, a candidate gets all the state’s electoral college votes whether they win by one vote or one million. Under the system, large states such as New York and California are underrepresented.

Minorities are clustered in those larger states. White voters tend to live where their votes count more.

In Wyoming, there’s an electoral vote for every 195,000 residents. North Dakotans get one electoral vote for every 252,000 residents and Rhode Island gets one vote for every 264,000 votes. As the Center for Economic and Policy Research “In the electoral college, White votes matter more.”

You may have heard that Donald Trump won the electoral college vote, but Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. Those votes are still being counted, but right now, Hillary Clinton leads by 947,579 votes.

This is the second time in the last five presidential election where the presidential winner failed to win the popular vote. That’s lead to calls to change the system.

The group National Popular Vote is urging states to pass legislation to give their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote. That can only happen if the states with a majority of electoral votes pass the same legislation.

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