AAPI misleading data overlooks the devastating toll on Filipino American health workers

By Carlos Irwin A. Oronce, MD, MPH

REPRINTED FROM THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (JAMA)

In the United States, Filipinxs are the third largest Asian subgroup and have represented a crucial part of the country’s health care workforce since the mid-20th century. Although the 2.9 million Filipinxs in the US represent about 1% of the population, approximately 1 of 4 Filipinx working adults are frontline health care workers. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacted a disproportionate toll on Filipinx communities in the US and on Filipinx health care workers, specifically. The absence of disaggregated race/ethnicity data for COVID-19 has masked how the pandemic has affected Filipinxs in the US. 

Policy makers and researchers must recognize that these disparities are not limited to COVID-19 but are a critical example of how data aggregation under a single Asian category has hidden the health needs of the Filipinx population.

Missing in the Data, Missing in Policy Discussions

Aggregate race/ethnicity data for COVID-19 cases and deaths mask the disproportionate burden on Asian subgroups, including Filipinxs in the US, leaving these disparities unrecognized and unaddressed. 

Asians comprise nearly 6% of the US population but only about 3% of COVID-19 cases and 4% of its deaths, suggesting that Asian Americans are not disproportionately affected by COVID-19. 

Yet a different picture has emerged for Filipinxs in Hawaii, the only state which publicly reports disaggregated Asian data: Filipinx residents comprise 16% of the population but 22% of COVID-19 deaths. Similar analyses are not possible nationally or in any other state. 

While some states may collect data on Filipinxs, these data are typically restricted and only available through public information requests. For example, Filipinxs comprise 42% of COVID-19 deaths among Asian adults (18-64 years) in California despite making up just 20% of the state’s nonelderly Asian adult population. No other Asian subgroup accounted for more than 15% of deaths.

Importantly, this disparate impact of COVID-19 would have remained undetected without the media, research, and advocacy efforts that exposed the higher burden on Filipinxs, especially among health care workers. The grassroots transnational organization, AF3IRM has a poignant online tribute to fallen Filipinx health care workers (https://www.kanlungan.net/). A report by National Nurses United5 showed that Filipinxs comprise an estimated 32% of COVID-19 deaths among nurses in the US despite representing only 4% of nurses nationally.

Moreover, the lack of disaggregated COVID-19 mortality data in public health surveillance systems hides the mortality burden among Filipinx health care workers. Researchers have undertaken “work-around” studies that use the conventional data available to corroborate inferences made by online tributes and ad hoc reports. One such work-around study by Escobedo and colleagues using data from the 2018 American Community Survey 5-year estimates showed that having a higher percentage of Filipinxs in a county’s health care workforce was significantly associated with a greater share of COVID-19 deaths among Asian Americans. In the conventional data surveillance infrastructure used to assess health disparities, the toll of COVID-19 among Filipinx communities has not been recognized.

The disproportionate mortality among Filipinx nurses is particularly alarming given the historical reasons that contributed to the high representation of Filipinxs in the health care workforce. US-sponsored nursing schools were established in the Philippines during the American colonial period (1898-1946), followed by a deliberate immigration policy that recruited health care workers from the Philippines to address US workforce shortages. 

Currently, nurses from the Philippines represent a majority of internationally educated nurses in the US and are more likely to work in inpatient and critical care units, thereby facing a higher risk of occupational exposure to COVID-19. 

Moreover, 18% of Asian Americans live in a household with at least one health care worker, the second highest percentage across all race/ethnicity groups. This proportion is even higher among Filipinx households, 38% of which are both multigenerational and include at least one health care worker. 

These data suggest that occupational and structural factors have contributed to a greater risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission among Filipinxs.

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Filipinx Share of COVID-19 Deaths Among Asians and Share of the Asian Population of California in 2020, by Single Race Non–Latino Asian Subgroup of Adults (18-64 Years)

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Data Aggregation as a Contributor to Filipinx Health Disparities

Data aggregation has not only obscured the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on specific racial/ethnic subgroups, but it has also hampered the ability to monitor for preexisting risk factors contributing to higher mortality among subgroups. Efforts to identify health disparities among Filipinxs often rely on data from the California Health Interview Survey because, to our knowledge, it is the only large-scale health survey in the US that disaggregates Filipinx data and therefore allows robust analyses. A study of this survey data by Adia and colleagues found that Filipinxs were three times more likely to have hypertension and 2 times more likely to have diabetes—both of which are risk factors for severe COVID-19 — compared with White individuals in California. 

The aggregation of Asian groups in most public health data has systematically obscured Filipinx disparities related to long-term conditions, limiting the ability to leverage official statistics to garner support for investment and interventions focused on addressing these disparities.

The idea that data disaggregation is imperative for identifying health disparities among individual Asian American groups, including Filipinxs, has long preceded the COVID-19 pandemic. While efforts by organizations in civil society have provided important signals regarding Filipinx health, these organizations do not have the same capacity as federal and state governments, which carry the ultimate responsibility for collecting data to guide public health response. The success of the California Health Interview Survey in drawing attention to health disparities for Asian subgroups, such as Filipinxs, illustrates that high quality race/ethnicity data can be collected feasibly.

Without disaggregated data for Asian subgroups, Filipinxs have been ignored in public health planning efforts, perpetuating health disparities within a community that has shouldered a disproportionate share of the frontline health care work. Therefore, the inaction of government and health care institutions to collect and report detailed race/ethnicity information must be reframed not as the default choice, but as an active choice that perpetuates preventable disparities.

Implications for COVID-19 and Beyond

While the increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines will provide an end to the pandemic, policy makers should take concrete steps to ensure an equitable recovery that will also prepare the country for a more equitable response to future health challenges. Public health surveillance and health care delivery systems must adequately capture granular self-reported race and ethnicity data. 

The routine collection of these data would be consistent with the proposed data collection standards issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services for population surveys. Adoption of such policies are important first steps toward keeping an equity focus during the post–COVID-19 recovery, particularly for Filipinx health care workers and Filipinx communities in the U.S.

Carlos Irwin A. Oronce, MD, MPH, National Clinician Scholars Program, University of California Los Angeles, These contents are the authors’ own and do not represent the views of any author’s employer or institution, including the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the US Government.

TOKYO OLYMPICS: Volleyball bonds Shoji brothers aiming for another medal

USA VOLLEYBALL

Eric, left, and Kawiki Shoji two of six AAPI members of US Men's Volleyball team.

With one win already under its belt, the U.S. men's volleyball team will face the always dangerous Russian Olympic Committee team this Sunday, July 26.

Team USA upset the favored team from France in three sets Friday, going 25-18, 25-18, 25-22 in its first match of Pool B play. Team USA entered the Olympics at No. 5 in the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball rankings, while France ranked No. 4.

With eight returning Olympians on the roster, Team USA is looking to win a medal for the second straight Games and claim its first Olympic gold since 2008.. Six members of the team are Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders, including the Kawika and Eric Shoji, two of the veterans who won a bronze medal in Rio.

"An interesting thing to know about volleyball is that it's huge in the Asian American and Pacific Islander culture," said Eric Shoji in an interview with NPR. "Growing up in Hawaii, where we are the majority, I would say, it's huge. And I know it's huge all over Polynesia. I know it's all - it's huge all over Asia. So if I wasn't born and raised in that community, I'm not sure if I would have this love for volleyball like I do. But I know that the culture aspect of it was huge in my development and my love for the game."

Volleyball is in the family DNA.  The brothers' passion for the game came from their father, Dave Shoji, who was the coach for the University of Hawaii women's volleyball team for 42 years. He is the winningest coach in NCAA Div. 1 women's volleyball. The brother's mother played basketball for the University of Hawaii.

After winning Olympic bronze medals together at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the brothers are very much looking forward to the opportunity to represent Team USA again at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

“I think that there is definitely motivation because it is a city and country that is special to us and to volleyball,” Kawika said. “They are big volleyball fans in Japan. They have a great history and culture of volleyball. So it’s just a great place to play.”

USA VOLLEYBALL

AAPI players heavily represented on the U.S. Men's Volleyball taam

A third of the 19-member Team USA is of Asian American or Pacific Islander heritage. "So I think that's awesome," says Eric Shoji. "We have great representation on our team in a sport that isn't necessarily known for diversity. So I love that, you know, young, aspiring volleyball players or young kids out there who might be Asian American or Pacific Islander can look at our team and say, hey, I look like that guy."

Besides the Shoji brothers, graduates of Stanford University and now playing professionally in Europe, other AAPI members of Team USA are:

• Joseh Tuaniga, Long Beach State, member of the national team since 2016, plays professionally in Poland;
• Garrett Muagututia, UCLA, member of the national team since 2011, played professionally for a number of European teams;
• Micah Ma'a, UCLA, member of the national team since 2018. Both his parents played professional volleyball; and
• Micah Christenson, USC, member of the national team since 2013, both parents were athletes at U. of Hawaii.

While Erik hopes to also compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Kawika says the Tokyo Games will likely be his last. He is working on his master’s degree in sports psychology and considering going into coaching or mental coaching in sports. He also eventually wants to move back to Hawaii at some point.

The team hopes to improve on the bronze medal that it earned in Rio. Next up for the Americans is a matchup against the Russian Olympic Committee at 10:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. ROC won its first game over Argentina in four sets.

“We had a heartbreaking match in the semifinals and then came back and regrouped and fought through a really tough bronze-medal match, and just showed a lot of who we were as a team,” Kawika said. “But then we left something on the table. We knew that we were probably the best team in that tournament and at the end we came up a little short. We were satisfied with the medal but a little disappointed as well.”

AAPI leaders urge Congress members to think about the impact on Asian Americans when talking about China

GRAPHIC BY NIELSEN

Amid an historic surge in anti-Asian violence that shows no signs of fading and a heightened political focus on China, leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) have issued guidance to their fellow members of Congress urging them to “avoid xenophobic rhetoric that exacerbates the bigotry and racism facing Asian Americans.” 

The guidance urges members of Congress to be specific in their criticisms of the Chinese Community Party and their actions in order to avoid spreading vague fears which have been proven to lead to bigoted violence and loss of life in the past.

"While there are valid reasons to critique the policies and actions of the CCP, history has taught us that using vague and broad anti-China statements too often conflate people with a political party," suggests the guidelines.

"When the language we use to refer to the actions of the CCP is not nuanced enough, or when we single out China for criticism even if other countries may be part of the problem as well, we run the risk of fueling a backlash against the entire Asian American community."

“History has shown us that heightened xenophobic speech creates a cycle which leads to violence,” said the CAPAC leaders in the guidance. Recent examples were cited:

• Within two months of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066 was signed into law. The belief that Japanese Americans were untrustworthy and dangerous because of the conflict with Japan led to one of the darkest chapters in our country’s history, the mass imprisonment of American citizens, including children, in prison camps. 

• Again, in the 1980s, anti-Japanese sentiment fueled by economic competition and rising unemployment culminated in the brutal murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man who was scapegoated by two unemployed autoworkers. 

• In the aftermath of 9/11, hate crimes against South Asians, Sikh Americans, and American Muslims spiked dramatically - and have continued into the present day - due to faulty associations with the individuals who participated in the attacks on September 11, 2001.”

Specific criticisms of specific policies, how they threaten US interests, and what solutions are available will help Americans understand the legitimate threats from the Chinese Communist Party and their leaders without relying on xenophobia that puts all Chinese Americans at risk. 

For example, instead of making broad generalizations that include all the people of China or Chinese Americans, be specific on the action was taken by the CCP or a specific Chinese leader and specify the action taken.

The CAPAC leaders continued, “This guidance is not to discourage criticism of the policies and actions of the CCP, but rather to encourage specific criticisms that do not paint Chinese people as threats to America.”

The text of the guidance is available online here 

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to deport Chinese

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene , R-Ga., wants Chinese Americans and Chinese visitors in the U.S. deported because of China’s links to COVID-19.

Greene, who believes in QAnon conspiracy theories, told Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon on his "War Room" program Wednesday, “The Chinese understand one thing and that is money. If I was in charge and I had my way, I would come down on China so hard. 

“I would put tariffs back in place and they would be more strict than [former] President [Donald] Trump’s because those tariffs worked.” 

“I would kick out every Chinese in this country who is loyal to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party)" said the radical conservative. “China tried to kill us, and did kill us, this past year” with COVID-19. “If I had my way, I would come down on China so hard.”

In an earlier interview, she called COVID-19 a "bioweapon."

One of QAnon's baseless conspiracy theories one of which   is that China, where COVID-19 first emerged, deliberately created COVID-19 to kill Americans.

It is not the first time Greene espoused her theories about the pandemic and the links to China. "Through a Chinese made bio weapon, America and the world came to a halt," Greene tweeted.

In a speech speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, she urged the US to stop sending aid overseas, listing the countries receiving U.S. aid, including the U.S. territory of Guam.

"I'm a regular, normal person. And I wanted to take my regular – normal person, normal, everyday American values, which is: we love our country. We believe our hard-earned tax dollars should just go for America – not for what, China, Russia, the Middle East, Guam – whatever, wherever," Greene said.

She is also an outspoken critic of the vaccinations against COVID-19 even tough when questioned she would not give a direct response.

Her comments about the Chinese plays on the inbred racist trope that "others" Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners.

Green has voted against certifying Biden's election and against an investigation against the 1/6 Insurrection. She consistently courts controversy and even renewed calls for her expulsion for comparing opponents and their policies to the Nazis and the Holocaust.

Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic torch. Let the Games begin

One of the dramatic moments of the Olympic opening ceremonies Friday is guessing who will have the honor of lighting the Olympic torch. When the single spotlight turned on, it focused on Naomi Osaka.

Four time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who lives and trains in the United States, climbs up the stairs after taking the flame, which came from the last Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

... the long, long stairs ...

Osaka had dual citizenship but under Japanese law was technically required to choose one nationality when she turned 22. The international tennis star lights the cauldron to end the opening ceremonies on Friday, July 23 ...

The 23-year old, whose mother is from Japan and father from Haiti, stands before the Olympic flame, which will remain lit for the duration of the Games.

Osaka later tweets:

Let the Games begin.

Tokyo Olympics: U.S. fencing team has a point to prove

Gerek Meinhardt scores a point in foil.

Three Taiwanese Americans and a Filipino American are members of the United States Olympic Fencing Team. All of them will represent the U.S. in foil.

The U.S. fencing team had one of its best Olympic showings in Rio five years ago. Team USA brought home four medals, including bronze in men’s foil and women’s saber and individual medals in men’s foil and men’s saber.

With 18 competitors nnd six replacements, the U.S. sending its largest fencing team to Tokyo. Four of the AAPI members are expected to win medals.

Following are the four AAPI fencers:

Gerek Meinhardt, Men's Foil

Taiwanese American Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif. / Massialas Foundation / Notre Dame) was one of five athletes who earned his qualification spot for Tokyo prior to the yearlong shutdown of competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The youngest male fencer to represent Team USA in history, Meinhardt was just 18 years old when he competed at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. He went on to compete at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, earning bronze in the team event in Rio. The only U.S. man to win two individual medals at the Senior World Championships (bronze in 2010 and 2015), Meinhardt also was a member of the team that won its first-ever Senior World Championship gold in 2019 as well as the squads that earned three silvers in 2013, 2017 and 2018. Meinhardt qualified for his fourth Olympic Team in 2020 after winning his second international medal of the season with gold at the Torino Grand Prix. In the first tournament after the COVID-19 shutdown, Meinhardt won gold at the Doha Grand Prix in March and is now ranked No. 2 in the world. Meinhardt will fence in Tokyo with his wife, foil fencer Lee Kiefer (See below). Both Meinhardt and Kiefer also are students at the University of Kentucky Medical School where Kiefer is in her third year and Meinhardt his first.

Alexander Massialas, Men's Foil

The reigning individual silver medalist from the 2016 Olympic Games, Taiwanese American Alexander Massialas (San Francisco, Calif. / Massialas Foundation / Stanford) secured his position on his third straight Olympic Team with a silver medal finish at the Torino Grand Prix in 2020, followed by a bronze medal win in Cairo. Now ranked No. 5 in the world, Massialas won individual silver at the 2015 Senior World Championships and holds four Senior World medals in the team events, including gold in 2019. Three members of the Massialas family will be represented on Team USA with three-time Olympian Greg Massialas serving as the men’s foil team coach and Alexander’s sister, Sabrina Massialas (See below), who will travel as the replacement athlete for the women’s foil team.

Lee Kiefer, Women's Foil

After winning bronze at the 2011 Senior World Championships as a 17-year-old, Filipino American Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Ky. / Bluegrass Fencers’ Club / Notre Dame) has gone on to become one of the most successful women’s foil fencers in history, winning 20 individual medals on the World Cup circuit and leading Team USA to three podium finishes at the Senior World Championships, including the squad’s first-ever gold in 2018. Ranked No. 5 in the world, Kiefer is in her third year of medical school at the University of Kentucky and is eyeing the ability to add both “doctor” and “Olympic medalist” to her long resume.

Sabrina Massialas, Women's Foil

The younger sister of Alexander, Sabrina Massialas (San Francisco, Calif. / Massialas Foundation / Notre Dame) followed in her brother’s footsteps with a successful junior career that included individual gold at the 2016 Junior World Championships and winning the 2014 Youth Olympic Games title. A 2017 Senior World Team member, Sabrina Massialas battled injuries throughout her career, but earned a position as the replacement athlete for the women’s foil team after a top-32 result in Doha.

The U.S. Olympic fencing roster will be the largest in history should all 24 athletes compete in Tokyo.

Women’s Sabre
Mariel Zagunis, Eliza Stone, Dagmara Wozniak, Francesca Russo

Men’s Sabre
Eli Dershwitz, Daryl Homer, Andrew Mackiewicz, Khalil Thompson

Women’s Foil
Lee Kiefer, Jackie Dubrovich, Nicole Ross, Sabrina Massialas

Men’s Foil
Gerek Meinhardt, Alexander Massialas, Nick Itkin, Race Imboden

Women’s Foil
Lee Kiefer, Jackie Dubrovich, Nicole Ross, Sabrina Massialas

Men’s Foil
Gerek Meinhardt, Alexander Massialas, Nick Itkin, Race Imboden

Women’s Epee
Courtney Hurley, Kelley Hurley, Katharine Holmes, Anna van Brummen

Men’s Epee
Jake Hoyle, Curtis McDowald, Yeisser Ramirez, Alen Hadzic

Tokyo Olympics: AAPI skateboarder rolling and jumping towards the gold

Heimana Reynolds will compete in the "Park" category of Olympic skateboarding.

Heimana Reynolds, a native Hawaiian who was born and raised on the island of Oahu, embodies the island culture. Reynolds, indicative of the growing diversity within the youngest generation of Americans, is of mixed Tahitian, Hawaiian, Filipino and Chinese heritage.

“Growing up in Hawaii, my family never let us forget our roots,” Reynolds told NBC News.

Currently, Reynolds is the top-ranked U.S. skateboarder in the park discipline (which means he skates in bowls as opposed to the street category, which replicates real-world terrain).

The 2021 Summer Olympics is the first time that skateboarding will be featured as an Olympic sport. It will have two disciplines: park and street.

Street skateboarders use rails, stairs and other elements you might find skating around a city. Park skaters use skateparks with elements like bowls and ramps to launch themselves in the air and do tricks. 

He started skating at the young age of 6 and in a short period of time has gained the recognition of skate industry as one to watch in the park and bowl disciplines with his style, speed and tenacity.

2019 proved to be a stand out year for Heimana as he secured the 2019 Park World Championship title and dominated nearly every international skateboarding event. He started establishing a name for himself in 2007 by winning high level amateur events and in 2012, he again proved he was a competitive force by securing the 1st Place win at the Dew Tour Free Flow Tour Skateboard Am event – he has continued to grow his competitive repertoire ever since.

He hopes that the Olympic competition will give skateboarding some respect.

“For people who know nothing about the sport,” says Reynolds, “all they know is that skateboarder is vandalizing that rail on the street right there. That skateboarder, all he does is hang out and does nothing at the skate park. There are always going to be those people (who think that).”

“I wake up and I train. I work out. I practice. I’ve worked my butt off, so I would definitely consider myself an athlete,” says Reynolds, who beams with enthusiasm non-stop as he talks about skateboarding.

“Once skateboarding is established in the Olympics and as a real sport it’s going to open it up to all these parents and people who want to have their kids skating,” he enthusiastically explains. His family operate a skateboard park in Hawaii.

When not competing professionally, Reynolds teaches kids skateboarding and hosts camps at his family’s skatepark, Proper Ride Shop, in Honolulu as well as tries to give back to the community that has given so much opportunities to. him.

“Of course I’m skating for Team USA but I’m also skating for my island,” Reynolds says. “It makes me feel excited and happy that I have this island that is backing me. It’s super cool to think that I did come from this little island and now I’m going to the Olympics.”

Meet the members of the U.S. Olympic skateboarding team.

USA SKATEBOARDING / ANTHONY ACOSTA

The 12-member U.S.Olympic Skateboard Team includes: (L to R) Cory Juneau (Park), Zion Wright (Park), Nyjah Huston (Street), Mariah Duran (Street), Jake Ilardi (Street), Brighton Zeuner (Park), Jagger Eaton (Street), Alexis Sablone (Street), Heimana Reynolds (Park), Alana Smith (Street), Bryce Wettstein (Park), Jordyn Barratt (Park)

Tokyo Olympics: Afro Filiipino fighting her way to medal podium in tae kwon do

Paige McPherson represents so much and so many at the Olympics.

Going to her third Olympics, Paige McPherson’s dream is still alive and kicking

McPherson, who is of Black and Filipino descent, has one of the most compelling stories among the athletes. She is competing in tae kwan do, seeking to improve on the bronze medal she won in London in 2012. The Tokyo Olympics is the third Games in which she represented the U.S. in the ancient sport.

With a bronze medal on her Olympic resume, McPherson was expecting to medal in Rio in 2016 but, to her dismay, she lost her first match.

“It was absolutely devastating,” McPherson told the Miami Herald. McPherson, an Afro Filipino, was born in Texas and raised in South Dakota as an adoptee in a multi-racial family. “That hardship in Rio made me realize how I needed to train, both physically and mentally, which propelled me to where I am today.

“I was numb for a very long time, went into a period of depression," the 30-year old said. "You’re finally there, representing Team USA, and in the smaller sports like ours, unlike swimming, gymnastics, track and field, the only way to get recognized is if you get the gold medal or at least make the final. To dedicate your life four years, finally get that moment and lose your first fight, knowing that nobody is going to see you on TV or know who you are, it’s really hard.”

She was adopted by the McPherson's when she was only four days old. Her young birth mother from the Philippines knew she could not take care of her newborn so she opted to have her adopted.

Upon meeting her birth mother, she told McPherson that she chose the McPherson's because they promised to do everything they could to help Paige achieve her dreams. The McPhersons also had already adopted several children of different ethnic backgrounds.

Along with her birth mother, she also met half-siblings Denise and Blake.

“It was surreal to meet people that look like me, all four of us have the gap between our front teeth,” McPherson said. “I know I’m Filipino and know I’m black but to be able to meet my Mom, who is Asian, it gave me comfort in my identity. Growing up in South Dakota, I had no opportunity to get to know my culture of being Filipino or even being African American. To actually meet my mom, ... I was like, `Wow.’”

“And here I am, going to my third Olympics,” McPherson told the Herald. “I attribute this to my parents who were willing to take me in and give me everything. I also have to thank my birth Mom for choosing my parents because I wouldn’t have this life had she had not sacrificed and given me up to have a better future.”

Though she grew up “essentially in a white culture” in South Dakota without the typical links to her ethnic roots, McPherson told NBC that her parents were open about the differences among their children and celebrates them. For her, tae kwon do was something she excelled in, but also felt like “an extension of (her) family.” 

Now as an adult living in the multicultural city of Miami, she’s embraced her Filipino side wholeheartedly and credits close family friends with nurturing her connection to the culture.

As an Afro Filipino, as a woman, as a South Dakotan, as an American, McPherson represents so many people and so much more. Speaking to USA Today, McPhreson said: "I am a person of action. I usually let my actions speak louder than my words." And, so it is time.

Tokyo Olympics: US shuttlers seek first medal in badminton

U.S.A. BADMINTON

Beiwen Zhang hopes to medal in Tokyo.

Like table tennis, Asian Americans make up the entire US Olympic badminton team.

The US has never won an Olympic medal in badminton since it became an Olympic sport in 1992. This year, the American badminton world may see the medal drought end.

Beiwen Zhang, the 12th-ranked eligible player in the Race to Tokyo rankings, has competed for the U.S. since 2013, and this will be her first opportunity to play on the biggest stage. She most recently secured a gold medal in women’s singles for the U.S. in Guatemala at the XXIV Pan Am Individual Championships 2021. She has beaten several of the highest ranked players in the world, including Olympic medal winners who she'll compete with in Tokyo.

Zhang's was born in 1990 in China, where she lived until the age of 13 when she moved to Singapore. For almost a decade, she played internationally for that nation.

In 2011, she moved to Las Vegas where she faced the shocking reality that her sport doesn't have the same level of popularity that it enjoys in Asia. 

Unlike top players from countries where badminton is widely popular, Zhang doesn’t have a national training facility where she regularly goes to practice. Badminton is a sport that major sponsors seeking endorsements for their product seem to overlook the swatters of the shuttlecock. Shoe manufacturers like Nike, Puma and Addidas and makers of sports equipment such as Under Armour and Wilson don't seek out badminton players.

It's understandable, Zhang and other members of the U.S. Olympic Badminton team  are not household names and ESPN gives more air time to the National Spelling Bee than to badminton.

The lack of badminton’s widespread popularity in the U.S. would make an Olympic medal mean even more to Zhang.

Zhang made headlines three years ago when she started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $5,500 to cover her travel expenses to the 2018 world championships after she qualified for the major tournament. She ended up surpassing her fundraising goal in less than a week.

In addition to not having a regular training site in the U.S., Zhang doesn’t have a coach who attends her matches and assesses her game. She has to determine on her own her strengths and those areas of her game that need improvement.

To maintain the competitive edge, the shuttler still trains in Singapore with Yonex and some sponsors in Hong Kong and her own funds being her only financial constants. Additionally, Asia is where she can play the world's top players compete in major tournaments.

Ryan, left, and Phillip Chew compete in men's doubles.

Zhang hopes a place on the Olympic podium will change the status of her sport in the U.S. Other members of the team are: Ryan and Phillip Chew in Men's Doubles and Timothy Kan in Men's Singles.

The Chew brothers are doubles partners in badminton, share Zhang's dream of medaling in Tokyo but they know that history and the odds are against them.

“We are definitely underdogs compared to Asia and many strong pairs in Europe coming out. But our goal is, of course, to medal. … And if not, hopefully in future Olympics to come, we can bring the sport to become a medal-winning sport as well,” Ryan says.

Naomi Osaka breaks barriers as she is featured on cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue

 

This seems to be Naomi Osaka's year. All that's missing is an Olympic medal and that may be remedied in a few days as the Tokyo Olympics gets underway Friday, July 23.

Named Woman Athlete of the Year by ESPN last week, an essay in TIME magazine, the debut of a 3-part Netflix special and the unveiling of a Naomi-lookalike Barbie doll, Osaka is used to breaking barriers.

This week, the four-time Grand Slam champion is one of three women who graces the coveted cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit edition. Also on the covers of the magaine are rapper Megan Thee Stallioin and transgender activist Leyna Bloom. 

“There’s no question that Naomi is one of the best athletes in the world, and a cover spot felt obvious. She’s spent her formative years racking up titles and is headed to the Olympics. But we celebrate Naomi for her passion, strength and power geared towards consistently breaking barriers when it comes to equality, social justice, and mental health,” says SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day.

More pointedly, Osaka is also the first Black woman athlete picked for the SI cover, even though there have been so many Black women athletes competing in any number of sports. 

"I wouldn't have thought that I would have been the first one," Osaka said of being the first Black female athlete on a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover in a video interview with Tyra Banks that accompanied the issue. Banks was the first Black woman to star on the cover of the magazine alone.

"I'm glad that this barrier is being broken," Osaka told Banks.

"I hope there are many, many more people to come and I'm sure there are going to be," said Osaka, who will be playing for Japan, where she was born, in the Olympics.

"I'm so proud to be the first Japanese and Haitian woman to grace one of the covers. I feel like that multi-cultural background is present in all of the things that I do. I try to incorporate it in everything, so hopefully, you see that," Osaka said in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. "My memories [of the magazine] kind of involves the people that I grew up admiring, so I remember Tyra Banks's issue, I remember Beyonce's. Just growing up and watching so many incredible women grace this cover, for me, it feels like a dream."

"For me, I feel like I've always been one to not want to use my voice" she continued in the video. "but then I feel like there's also a lot of things that have happened and over the past year I just feel like there has to be someone that speaks about uncomfortable things."

For the shoot, Asian American photographer Yu Tsai took photos of Osaka in Malibu, Calif. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition hits the stands on July 22, a day before the Olympics' opening ceremonies and Osaka begins her quest for an Olympic medal.

AAPI community cheers Julie Su's approval by U.S. Senate

Deputy Secretary of the Department of Labor Julie Su.

When Julie Su was approved last week to be the next Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, a collective cheer went up from the Asian American community that supported her nomination.

AAPI politicians and special interests lobbied hard to get Su for the post of Secretary of Labor in Biden's Cabinet. As Biden's Cabinet was being filled out, Su was the AAPI community's best hope to win a position in the Cabinet as the Labor Secretary. The  position was among the last Secretary-level post to get filled. It eventually went to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

The loudest cheer for Su's appointment came from Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a nonprofit legal advocacy coalition, where Su worked as the group's Litigation Director.

It was during her tenure at AAAJ that she won one of her best known cases. the Thai Garment Workers Case (Bureerong v. Uvawas). As a member of the legal team that filed a lawsuit on behalf of 102 Thai garment workers who had been exploited and enslaved by sweatshop operators. 

"Julie’s leadership expanded workers’ rights in the state of California and nationally," said AAAJ in a statement. "The suit challenged the sweatshop operators, as well as the retailers and manufacturers that profited off their labor. This was the first federal lawsuit of its kind, not only setting the precedent in holding manufacturers and retailers accountable for the conditions in which their clothes are made but leading to new federal laws protecting immigrants who are trafficked into the country." 

In May 1999, the case ended in settlements that exceeded $4 million from more than 10 manufacturers and private label retailers.

Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, led by Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, met with Biden's transition team and with President Biden and Vice President Harris to push the appointment of more AAPI to key positions throughout  the federal government.

“Not only is Julie Su highly qualified for this role, but as a woman of color, she brings a unique perspective that will help her as she works to make sure all Americans are represented in the policies crafted and implemented by President Biden’s Department of Labor," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

"Given her proven track-record supporting American workers, I have confidence that she will put workers’ rights first and do everything she can to expand fair labor practices." Duckworth pressured the Biden administration by protesting the lack of AAPI presence in his Cabinet by threatening to withhold her vote on the President's nominees unless he appointed more Asian Americans as key White House advisors.

"A daughter of Chinese immigrants and a lifelong advocate for working families, Julie brings a wealth of experience and perspective to the Department of Labor that will help advance justice for America’s workers," said Rep. Grace Meng, D-NY. 

"From her recent role as California’s Labor Secretary, to her background at Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ-LA), Julie brings the expertise and compassion needed to serve in this role. Her efforts as Deputy Secretary of Labor will also be critical in getting workers back on their feet, and ensuring protections for them, as our nation continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic."

Tokyo Olympics: Two Chinese American gymnasts quarantined after one tests positive for COVID-19

U.S. GYMNASTICS

United States gymnast Kayla Eaker tested positive for COVID-19.

Chinese American Kara Eaker, an alternate on the U.S. women's gymnastics team, tested positive for COVID-19.

Eighteen-year old Eaker tested positive after traveling to Japan with the rest of the team. In an interview on June 27, the Kansas City gymnast told KSHB 41 News she was vaccinated. 

“In a week she hasn't had contact with any of the six athletes and she only had brief contact with Leanne. As soon as that happened, they moved Leanne into another room. Leanne (Wong) and Kara are not even seeing each other," said Al Fong, one of the coaches accompanying the team. Wong tested negative but was quarantined out of caution.

Eaker's father said that his daughter was not exhibiting any symptoms. Under Olympic guidelines, both Fong and Wong could be released from quarantine after eight days if no symptoms occur.

Both of the athletes are two of the four alternates for the women's gymnastic team.  The others are Filipino American Emma Malabuyo and Kayla DiCello. 

There are 61 COVID-19 cases linked to the Olympic Games, according to Tokyo 2020 on Monday.

U.S. Gymnastics report that before Eaker's test results were announced, the teams had already arranged to move to separate training facilities, to prepare for the Olympics, which kick off this Friday

"I know she's disappointed, but at this point she says she's kind of bored because she's stuck in her room not being able to do anything, can't practice or anything like that. She says she's bored and just looking forward to coming home," Mark Eaker told KMBC. "The biggest disappointment is that this takes her out of it completely."

Tokyo Olympics: Pro-golfer Colin Morikawa flies to Tokyo after winning the British Open

U.S. GOLF

Collin Morikawa will shoot for a medal  for the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics.

Collin Morikawa is peaking at the right time. After winning the British Open Championship Sunday, he's flying to Tokyo where he will join Danielle Kang as Asian American members of the U.S. Olympic Golf Team.

Morikawa, 24, is just the eighth golfer to win two majors before his 25th birthday. He won his first major, the PGA Championship, last summer. He also became the first golfer to ever win two different major championships on his first attempt.

Morikawa, who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a four-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2020 PGA Championship in San Francisco and 2021 World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession. Morikawa has represented the U.S. as an amateur at the Arnold Palmer Cup (2017, 2018) and the Walker Cup (2017) but the upcoming Olympic Games will mark his first time representing the U.S. as a professional. Morikawa is a graduate of the University of California-Berkeley.

As of this writing, Morikawa is the fourth-ranked golfer in the world. The other U.S. men golfers competing in Tokyo — Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau — are ranked third, fifth and sixth, respectively.

The women on Team USA are all ranked also: Nelly Korda (No. 1), Danielle Kang (No. 5), Lexi Thompson (No. 9) and Jessica Korda (No. 13).

Korean American Danielle Kang is on the U.S. Olympic Golf Team.

Kang, 28, is a five-time LPGA Tour winner, with her first victory coming in major fashion at the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. In 2020, she won back-to-back events when the LPGA Tour returned to play following its pandemic-related hiatus, and she led the Tour in scoring at 70.08. She represented the United States at the Solheim Cup in 2017 and 2019. Kang attended Pepperdine University and is a two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion (2010, 2011).

"Team USA will again have the largest contingent of players in the Olympic golf competition with eight of golf's stars giving the United States a strong chance at reaching the podium," said USA GOLF Executive Director Andy Levinson.

The men’s competition will take place from July 29-August 1 with the women following from August 4-7 at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kasahata, Saitama, Japan.

“This may not have been a dream as a kid since golf was never in the Olympics," said Morikawa, "but it’s a dream come true now. Tokyo bound, let’s go Team USA.”