Congressman takes steps to make October designated as Hindu Heritage Month

Hindu Americans celebrate Diwali in Minnesota.

Illinois Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi  submitted a statement in the House of Representatives Sept. 30, 2021, on recognizing October as Hindu Heritage Month. 

The statement is now part of the U.S. Congressional Record, the official daily record of proceedings in Congress. (His statement can be found in the Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 172 of Oct. 1.)

“I believe this acknowledgment is especially timely, given the disturbing rise of prejudice and racism in this country, including Hinduphobia as manifested in hateful speech and violent acts perpetrated against Indian Americans and Hindu houses of worship,” said Krishnamoorth,

Krishnamoorthi said that Hindu Americans are guided by Swami Vivekananda’s call to service and respect for all religions and all people. He said the Hindu religion dates back millennia and has profoundly influenced both ancient and modern cultures.

"Its message of religious tolerance, non-violence, and the universality of the human experience was introduced to this country in 1893 by Swami Vivekananda in his landmark address at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Illinois," he said.

October holds a special significance as it is the birth month of Mahatma Gandhi and is often when Diwali is held. This resolution brings local awareness in recognizing and acknowledging the significant contributions made by Hindu Americans and seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the Hindu American community.

Several states including New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Minnesota, Virginia and Massachusetts have proclaimed October as Hindu Heritage Month, according to the website hindumonth.org, as have several cities like Dallas, TX, and La Palma, CA.

California has marked Hindu Heritage Month for several years. The bill being first passed in California recognizes that this is the state with the largest Hindu American population in the United States.

October holds a special significance as it is the birth month of Mahatma Gandhi and is often when Diwali is held. This resolution brings local awareness in recognizing and acknowledging the significant contributions made by Hindu Americans and seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the Hindu American community.

California has marked Hindu Heritage Month for several years.  The state  is home to the largest Hindu American community in the U.S.

Hindus are primarily an immigrant community and first started immigrating to California and the United States in the early 1900s, and came in increasing numbers after the lifting of the Asian Exclusion Act of 1924 in 1943 and the abolishment of quotas for immigrants based on national origin in 1965.

The first Hindu temple in the United States was built in San Francisco, and at the dedication of the temple on January 7,1906, it was proclaimed to be the “First Hindu Temple in the Whole Western World.” There are now over 120 Hindu temples, religious centers, and cultural centers throughout California, and the greater bay area is home to over 40 of those temples and centers.

Mural honoring Larry Itliong to be unveiled Oct. 25

 

Volunteers are seen working on a portion of a mural honoring labor leader Larry Itlion.

The finishing touches on a mural remembering Larry Itliong, the Filipino American labor leader, is being done at Morningside Elementary School in Delano.

"Larry Itliong: Road to Equality and Justice," the new mural wrapping around the exterior of the school library will depict scenes from Larry Itliong’s lifetime.

“That picture is significant, because it reminds me of my childhood, and what my dad taught me, to never give up,” said Patty Serda, Larry Itliong’s daughter, who has been the school's librarian for 21 years. 

RELATED: Why all Americans should know about Larry Itliong

“He came to America and found out people were not being treated fairly in the fields. He was the type of person who wanted to fight for the rights of humans,” she told KERO-TV, an ABC affiliate.

The artist behind the mural is Eliseo Art Silva, best known for the giant mural in Los Angeles Historic Filipinotown depicting Filipino American history.

The formal unveiling of the mural will occur on Oct. 25, Larry Itliong Day in California.

UCLA survey shows attitudes about politics and policy vary among racial groups

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have the most faith in efficacy of the coronavirus vaccines, according to a a new UCLA survey. The research also shows that AAPIs trust their government leaders more than Whites.

On broad national topics such as the pandemic, voting rights and abortion, Americans' attitudes vary broadly depending on race and ethnicity, says a survey by the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey.

The survey of 15,000 Asians, Blacks and Latinos (in various languages) tackled an expansive list of questions related to politics and policy, including some of the most-pressing issues of the day.

Political science professors Lorrie Frasure and Matt Barreto serve as co-principal investigators, along with Janelle Wong, professor of American studies, Asian American studies, and government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park, and Edward Vargas, assistant professor of transborder studies at Arizona State University. Researchers released their topline findings Oct. 5.

Highlights of the findings include:

• Members of the Asian American Pacific Islander, or AAPI, community exhibited the most trust in coronavirus vaccines. Nearly 79% of these respondents reported receiving the vaccine and only 4% of them reported distrust in it. By contrast, Black and white respondents practically mirrored each other with 17% and 19% reporting distrust in the vaccine. Among Latino respondents, 11% reported distrust in the vaccine.
• Belief in voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election varies widely by race, with white respondents showing the highest rate of belief that fraud occurred. More than 40% of Whites reported belief that there was some fraud in the election results, as compared to only 20% of AAPI respondents, 22% of Latino respondents and 17% of Black respondents.
• 67% of Black respondents said the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was a coordinated act of insurrection. Among Latino, AAPI and white respondents almost half of each group responding said the event was a protest gone too far.
• Overall, more than half of respondents said they support legal abortion. Opposition to abortion varies by race, with white and Latino respondents having the highest rates of opposition at 29% and 23% respectively.

“The results from our survey can send powerful signals about what Americans care about,” said Barreto, who co-led the survey with collegue Lorrie Frasure. “As politicians and policymakers confront and embrace the evolving demographics of our country, it will be increasingly important to take stock of differences in priorities and experiences in order to connect with voters and potential voters.”

Other key findings, include:

• The survey also captured a snapshot of the physical and mental health of Americans during these troubling times. On average, just less than half of respondents reported “very good” or “excellent” overall physical health. With only slight variances among the groups — 44% of Black respondents reported “very good” or “excellent” health compared to 50% of AAPI respondents, 49% of Latino and 48% of white.
• The financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been unevenly distributed among racial groups. While nearly 31% of Latino and 25% of Black respondents report someone in their household losing a job as a result of the pandemic, only 15% of white respondents said the same.
• Survey results also reveal a somewhat jaded view of government and politicians, with less than 10% of any racial group saying they trust the government in Washington, D.C., to “always do what is right.” All groups reported that they “agree” or “strongly agree” with the sentiment “politicians don’t listen to people like me.” According to the data, 72% of Blacks agreed or strongly agreed, 75% of Latinos, 74% of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and 82% of whites.

Find out more details about the survey here.

Editor's Note: For additional commentary, tips, raves and reviews from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed.

Correct count matters for AAPI health

By Andis Robezniek
American Medical Association

When grouped together, Asian Americans comprise the fastest-growing ethnic population in the U.S., going from 11.9 million in 2000 to 20.4 million in 2015—a rise of 71.4%.

The problem, however, is that grouping all Asian Americans together masks their diversity and tends to hide their particular challenges. This problem is exacerbated when data for Asian American and Pacific Islanders are aggregated under the “AAPI” banner, relegating many to become statistically invisible in the anonymous “other” data column.

Or, as it’s put in the AMA Center for Health Equity’s “AAPI Community Data Needed to Assess Better Health Outcomes” (PDF) report, “What is measured is what is valued; what is undercounted tends to be counted out.”

“The dearth of racially and ethnically disaggregated data reflecting the health of AAPI persons and families underlies the struggles of the physician community to fully attend to, and be attuned to, the unique needs of their AAPI patients,” the report states.

The need for this data is not just an academic debate—it leads to real-world deficits, said Ray Samoa, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at City of Hope Medical Center, in Duarte, California.“The public health cycle that I understand starts with data,” which then informs allocation of resources and programming, Dr. Samoa said. “Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Asian populations—we are invisible, so there is no data. So there's no way for us to even partake in any of the downstream benefits of that cycle.”

Dr. Samoa, who told Congress that, to his knowledge, he is “the only endocrinologist of Pacific Islander descent on the U.S. continent,” made his remarks during an episode of the AMA Prioritizing Equity video series, “COVID-19 and Asian American and Pacific Islander Voices.”

How disaggregation changes the picture

When all are assembled under the AAPI banner, differences in health issues are lost, said Anna Yap, MD, a fourth-year resident in University of California, Los Angeles-Ronald Reagan/Olive View emergency medicine program. She is also a delegate in the AMA Resident and Fellow Section.

With diabetes, for example, about 10% of the AAPI population has diabetes, compared with 8% of the overall U.S. population, Dr. Yap said.

“When you break that data down, it's actually 47% of American Samoans and 20% of native Hawaiians who have diabetes,” she said. “You wouldn't know this unless you disaggregated the data.”

Dr. Yap spoke during a recent episode of the "AMA Moving Medicine” podcast series on data disaggregation

Legacy of racist U.S. history

With the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), the Immigration Act (1917), the National Origins Act (1924), and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, Dr. Yap said discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders was codified into law and became “baked in policy” even after the laws were repealed.

Too little attention is paid to the U.S. history of racist, discriminatory actions against Asian Americans, leading to it getting “kind of erased,” Dr. Yap said.

Moreover, it’s too often assumed that all Asian Americans represent a so-called model minority, and that these historical wrongs don’t matter anymore.

But the impact is there. Dr. Yap’s family is from Malaysia and, as a child, she said other schoolchildren bullied her for speaking Chinese or for the lunch she brought to school.

“I was made fun of for having rice in a rice box that my dad so lovingly prepared,” she said.

Similarly, Dr. Yap spoke about hate directed at her and other Asians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I had a patient who initially was nice to me but, when he realized I was Chinese-appearing, started yelling at me about how my people were making everyone sick,” Dr. Yap said, adding that this man threw urine at her and a nurse.

“We've been working so hard to fight against this pandemic and it's really disheartening to be targeted and to be hated just for our race,” she added. “To carry that burden of being hated for what we look like while still trying to provide care has been particularly rough in the community.”

Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai students are ‘invisible’ victims of STEM inequality

 

By Marcene Robinson
University at Buffalo

Filipino students are nearly 60% less likely to major in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields than other Asian American students, according to the results of a UB study.

The research, which sought to identify disparities in the STEM pipeline and college selectivity rates among Asian Americans, also found that scores for Filipino, Vietnamese and Thai students were lower on average in 12th grade math courses than for other Asian American students, while Chinese, Indian and Sri Lankan students were the most likely to enroll in highly selective universities.

The findings, published in the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, highlight the need for higher education policymakers, administrators and instructors in the U.S. to understand the specific needs of a range of underrepresented Asian American ethnic subgroups and develop sustainable reform policies.

“The model minority stereotype — that Asian immigrants in the United States achieved upward social mobility through their own efforts without institutional support — renders particular Asian American subgroups invisible victims of racism and excludes them from the discussion on issues of justice and equality,” says co-author Hyunmyung Jo, PhD, postdoctoral researcher in the UB Graduate School of Education.

“While it is the case that Asian Americans are overrepresented in STEM fields relative to other non-white groups, the question remains, who are these Asian Americans who are overrepresented?” says Lois Weis, PhD, co-author and SUNY Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy.

Other investigators in the UB Graduate School of Education include first author Chungseo Kang, PhD, postdoctoral researcher; and Seong Won Han, PhD, associate professor of educational leadership and policy.

Debunking the model minority myth

Asian Americans — a term that includes more than 20 different ethnic subgroups with a broad range of languages, cultures and histories — are largely misrepresented as a homogenous racial group, says Jo.

The study analyzed the National Center for Education Statistics’ 2009 High School Longitudinal Study, which contains data on the achievements of more than 26,000 students during high school and through eight years after graduation. Asian American students included in the study were categorized into five ethnic subgroups: Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese and Thai, Indian and Sri Lankan, and Korean and Japanese.

Student academic performance was measured by 12th grade math scores, and college major selection was examined across both 4-year and 2-year colleges.

“The most socioeconomically and academically disadvantaged Asian subgroups — such as Burmese and Hmong, among others — were not included in the study due to their lack of inclusion in the original dataset,” says Han. “Representation in large-scale data is important for improving equity in access to educational opportunities and ensuring appropriate educational intervention programs reach Asian subgroup populations in need.”

Among the findings are:

• Filipino students were nearly 60% less likely to choose a STEM major than other Asian American subgroups;
• Female Asian American students were 46% less likely to major in STEM than their male counterparts;
• Vietnamese and Thai students were more likely to choose a STEM major when enrolled at a 2-year college, and those odds dramatically decreased when they enrolled at a 4-year school;
• Chinese, Indian and Sri Lankan students were more likely to enroll in highly selective 4-year colleges than other Asian American subgroups;
• Chinese, Indian, Sri Lankan, Korean and Japanese students earned, on average, higher 12th-grade math scores than Filipino, Vietnamese and Thai students.

The study also found that among Asian American students, high school math achievement is linked to pursuit of a STEM major. Immigrant generation status and high school type — defined as public versus private school — did not impact major selection.

“The analysis debunks the widespread perspective that Asian American students have uniformly high academic performance,” says Kang. “Further discussion is needed on the trajectories in the STEM job market for Filipino, Vietnamese and Thai students. Opportunities for relatively lower-paying STEM careers and access to 2-year colleges are predominantly offered to particular subgroups, by virtue of high school math and science course availability. This is in sharp contrast to the more demanding and advanced-level opportunities offered to other populations.”

Having parents with a graduate degree raised the odds of students selecting STEM majors, as well, according to the study. More than 70% of the parents of Chinese, Indian and Sri Lankan students attained a graduate degree, which was double the percentage of Vietnamese and Thai parents who received graduate education, says Kang.

Editor's Note: For additional news, commentary, tips and references from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed.

Larry Itliong, Ruth Asawa inducted into California Hall of Fame

Artist Ruth Asawa and labor activist Larry Itliong were among those included in the 14th class of the California Hall of Fame.

The two Asian American legends join the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, singer Richie Valens and LGBTQ activists Phyllis Lyon and Dorothy “Del” Martin, announced Gov Gavin Newsom Tuesday.

The California Hall of Fame was established in 2006 at the California Museum by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver to honor legendary people who embody California’s innovative spirit and have made their mark on history. 

Inductees come from all walks of life and have made distinguished achievements across a variety fields, including the arts, education, business and labor, science, sports, philanthropy and public service.

Ruth Asawa working on one of her artworks.

Ruth Asawa

Internationally recognized for her distinctive wire sculptures, pioneering artist Ruth Asawa left her mark on the landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area through her public commissions and on countless students through her activism on behalf of arts education.

Asawa’s artistic talent was evident from an early age, but she had little spare time for the art-making she enjoyed while working on her family’s farm and attending school. In 1942, her family was forced into detention, along with all other Japanese Americans on the West Coast. 

She got her first chance to study with professional artists while imprisoned at Santa Anita Racetrack and graduated from high school in an incarceration camp in Rohwer, Arkansas. Released to attend teacher’s college in 1943, she learned after three years that she would be denied a credential because of her Japanese ancestry. 

At the urging of close friends, she continued her education at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. There, her creativity blossomed as she studied under many of the leading lights of Modernism, including Josef Albers, Buckminster Fuller and Merce Cunningham. She also met architectural student Albert Lanier, whom she married in 1949.

In San Francisco, the couple raised six children and built their careers. Over the next half-century, Asawa produced sculptures and works on paper. Her innovative use of material and original form brought her growing acclaim. Her work has been exhibited widely since the early 1950s and is in the permanent collections of museums nationwide. She also is known for her public commissions throughout the Bay Area, including fountains in Ghirardelli Square and outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Francisco, and the Japanese American Internment Memorial in San Jose.

Asawa was devoted to expanding access to arts education, believing that when children make art, they make “history for themselves.” She co-founded the Alvarado Arts Workshop in 1968 and was instrumental in creating the first public arts high school in San Francisco in 1982, which was renamed in her honor in 2010.

View Online Exhibition

Labor leader Larry Itliong

Larry Itliong

Itliong was one of the most important civil rights leaders of the 20th century and a father of the West Coast labor movement.

Born in the Philippines, Itliong immigrated to the U.S in 1929, hoping to become a lawyer. Instead, he ended up working in the Alaskan fish canneries and along the West Coast as a farm laborer. During that time, he experienced how badly laborers were treated and saw the power they could gain by working together. He became an activist and organizer.

Following his service in the U.S. Army during World War II, Itliong became a U.S citizen and in 1954 moved to Stockton’s Little Manila, where he organized for the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC). He was so good at recruiting new members that union leaders asked him to move to Delano to organize Filipino grape workers. It was there that he helped change the history of farm labor.

On Sept. 8, 1965, he led AWOC members in walking off the grape vineyards to demand wages equal to federal minimum wage and better working conditions. But Itliong knew that for the strike to succeed, they needed members of the National Farm Workers Association to join. He approached NFWA’s leader, César Chávez, with the proposal. 

On Sept. 16, the AWOC and NFWA joined forces beginning the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott. It lasted five years and was one of the most important social justice and labor movements in American history, ending with victory for the farmworkers. In the meantime, the AWOC and NFWA merged in 1966 to become the United Farm Workers (UFW), with Chávez as director and Itliong as assistant director.

In 1971, Itliong left the UFW but continued to work for Filipino Americans until his death in 1977 at age 63. One of his major successes was securing funding for the construction of the Paulo Agbayani Retirement Village in Delano, which has provided housing and support for retired Filipino farmworkers since 1974.

View Online Exhibition

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, observations, tips and references from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed

Indigenous Peoples Day: Do you know whose lands you occupy?

Poster by Jackie Fawn

COMMENTARY

Today, on Indigenous Peoples Day, the very least all of us can do is acknowledge that we are on lands once occupied by the original Native American inhabitants.

For example, I live on land where the Chupcan band of the Miwok once lived, played,  hunted and nurtured.

"We acknowledge that the ACLU of Northern California exists on the occupied territory of over 100 tribes. This land has been stewarded by Indigenous people since time immemorial," starts a statement issued by the ACLU chapter.

"We recognize the painful history upon which the state of California was created, and how policies, systems, and structures continue to oppress and erase Indigenous peoples today," the statement continued.

"Beginning with the brutal Mission system during the Spanish colonial period, this history continued through genocide sanctioned and funded by the new state government as California entered the union. Laws and policies sought to erase Indigenous peoples altogether. These included the malignant 1850 “Act for the Governance and Protection of Indians,” termination and continued non-recognition of California tribes and tribal governments, and prohibition of traditional and cultural practices. For the past two centuries, tribal communities have been displaced from and dispossessed of their ancestral lands, sacred sites have been destroyed, and families and communities have been torn apart through residential boarding schools and relocation programs.

The ACLU commissioned a Filipino/Yorok/Washoe artist to create the accompanying poster. To download the poster, click here.

About the artist:

Jackie Fawn is a Yurok/Washoe/Filipino artist who currently resides in Mohawk territory, Akwesasne. She uses her art to address social and environmental issues in Native American communities

"This art is how I see the vast beauty and rich culture of Native California. From the ancient redwood giants to the concrete towers of the city, California (as the rest of the country) will always be Native Land. It is important to honor and recognize the land we stand upon.

This illustration is of a woman standing strong with the medicines our ancestors prayed with, a Two Spirit youth holding the drum and songs of our ancestors and wearing red for our MMIP (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Peoples), and of an elder, who has carried the knowledge of our ancestors for us to carry into future generations."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, tips, observations from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed.

Biden's Indigenous Peoples Day proclamation is history in the making

Native Americans across the nation observed Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day.

President Biden is the first U.S. President to proclaim Oct. 11 as Indigenous Peoples Day. He also signed a separate proclamation for Columbus Day.

On Friday, in both proclamations, he sought to walk a thin line to allow Italian Americans to celebrate one of their heroes but also to present American history within the context of today's perspective instead of glorifying Christopher Columbus' voyage in 1492 and the subsequent exploitation and destruction of native civilizations.

In the Columbus Day proclamation, he honored the contributions to America of Italian Americans, who have turned the day into a celebration of all things Italian even though Christopher Columbus' infamous voyage was under the flag of Spain,

RELATED: Christopher Columbus, hero or villan?

In proclaiming Indigenous Peoples Day, Biden fulfilled a campaign pledge to the original inhabitants of the United States.

"In the first week of my Administration, I issued a memorandum reaffirming our Nation’s solemn trust and treaty obligations to American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations and directed the heads of executive departments and agencies to engage in regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal officials," he said in his historic proclamation.

"Our country was conceived on a promise of equality and opportunity for all people — a promise that, despite the extraordinary progress we have made through the years, we have never fully lived up to. That is especially true when it comes to upholding the rights and dignity of the Indigenous people who were here long before colonization of the Americas began," said Biden. 

"For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures. Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society."

He tempered the Columbus Day proclamation by reminding the nation of the true impact of arrival of European explorers and settlers on the America's

“Today, we also acknowledge the painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities,” Biden wrote. “It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them,” Biden said.

  

At the same time he honored and acknowledged the contributions of Italian Americans to the United States.

The Indigenous Peoples Day proclamation included American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians. It continued, "We must never forget the centuries-long campaign of violence, displacement, assimilation, and terror wrought upon Native communities and Tribal Nations throughout our country."

In Hawaii, Discoverers' Day includes honoring the Polynesians who sailed to the island state.

Since the 1990s, a growing number of states have begun replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day — a holiday meant to honor the culture and history of Native Americans.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day has grown in popularity, either replacing or being celebrated along with Columbus Day in towns, cities, states and schools across the nation, according to the History Channel. 

In Hawaii, the day is observed as Discoverers' Day, “to honor all discoverers, including Pacific and Polynesian navigators.”

In much of Latin America, Columbus' arrival is known as Dia de la Raza.

With Deb Haaland, the first Native American Secretary of the Interior, by his side, Biden issued his proclamations on the same day the White House announced its plans to restore territory to two sprawling national monuments in Utah that Trump had stripped of protections from mining and fossil fuel interests. One, Bears Ears, is on land that Native American tribes consider sacred.

Native Americans and their supporters demonstrated in front of the White House today (Oct. 11) to protest oil pipelines transversing and endangering their reservations and water resources and to demand action on the climate crisis. Arrests were made when they disobeyed police orders to move on.

Following is Biden's Presidential Proclamation for Indigenous Peoples' Day:

Since time immemorial, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have built vibrant and diverse cultures — safeguarding land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition across the generations. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.

Our country was conceived on a promise of equality and opportunity for all people — a promise that, despite the extraordinary progress we have made through the years, we have never fully lived up to. That is especially true when it comes to upholding the rights and dignity of the Indigenous people who were here long before colonization of the Americas began. For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures. Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society. We also recommit to supporting a new, brighter future of promise and equity for Tribal Nations — a future grounded in Tribal sovereignty and respect for the human rights of Indigenous people in the Americas and around the world.

In the first week of my Administration, I issued a memorandum reaffirming our Nation’s solemn trust and treaty obligations to American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations and directed the heads of executive departments and agencies to engage in regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal officials. It is a priority of my Administration to make respect for Tribal sovereignty and self-governance the cornerstone of Federal Indian policy. History demonstrates that Native American people — and our Nation as a whole — are best served when Tribal governments are empowered to lead their communities and when Federal officials listen to and work together with Tribal leaders when formulating Federal policy that affects Tribal Nations.

The contributions that Indigenous peoples have made throughout history — in public service, entrepreneurship, scholarship, the arts, and countless other fields — are integral to our Nation, our culture, and our society. Indigenous peoples have served, and continue to serve, in the United States Armed Forces with distinction and honor — at one of the highest rates of any group — defending our security every day. And Native Americans have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, working essential jobs and carrying us through our gravest moments. Further, in recognition that the pandemic has harmed Indigenous peoples at an alarming and disproportionate rate, Native communities have led the way in connecting people with vaccination, boasting some of the highest rates of any racial or ethnic group.

The Federal Government has a solemn obligation to lift up and invest in the future of Indigenous people and empower Tribal Nations to govern their own communities and make their own decisions. We must never forget the centuries-long campaign of violence, displacement, assimilation, and terror wrought upon Native communities and Tribal Nations throughout our country. Today, we acknowledge the significant sacrifices made by Native peoples to this country — and recognize their many ongoing contributions to our Nation.

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today. I encourage everyone to celebrate and recognize the many Indigenous communities and cultures that make up our great country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2021, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of October, 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-sixth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, observations, tips and references, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed for news and views from an AAPI perspective.

California's new ethnic studies requirement for high school students will promote tolerance and academic performance

ALLISON SHELLEY FOR EDUIMAGES

California requires ethnic studies for high school students.

California high school students will need to take ethnic studies course in order to receive to graduate after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the mandate Friday.

"Students cannot have a full understanding of the history of our state and nation without the inclusion of the contributions and struggles of Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans,” said Assemblymember Jose Medina, author of AB 101.  "The signing of AB 101 today is one step in the long struggle for equal education for all students.”

After five years of studies, revisions and rewrites, California on Friday became the first state to make ethnic studies a required class for high school graduation to help all students understand the complete history of America, including the past and present struggles and contributions of Asian, Black Latino, Indigenous Americans and other groups whose histories and stories have been ignored or erased until now.

"America is shaped by our shared history, much of it painful and etched with woeful injustice. Students deserve to see themselves in their studies, and they must understand our nation's full history if we expect them to one day build a more just society," said the governor in a signing statement.

“Ethnic studies courses enable students to learn their own stories — and those of their classmates,” Newsom said. Ethnic studies will “help expand educational opportunities in schools, teach students about the diverse communities that comprise California. "A number of studies have shown that these courses boost student achievement over the long run - especially among students of color."

In today's schools, the only 22% of California's public school students are White. California is one of three states where Whites do not have a majority, according to the 2020 Census. More than three-quarters of California’s 6.2 million K-12 students are non-white: 55% Latino, 12% Asian or Pacific Islander and 5% African American.

RELATED: Telling the stories of California's students

The vast majority of California’s immigrants were born in Latin America (50%) or Asia (39%). However, among immigrants who arrived between 2010 and 2019, more than half (53%) were born in Asia, while only 31% were born in Latin America. according to the Public Policy Institute of California. The leading countries of origin are Mexico (3.9 million), the Philippines (859,000), China (796,000), Vietnam (539,000), and India (513,000). based on the 2019 American Communities Survey by the US Census.

From the 2020 US Census, we learn that Asians make up 15% of the state with more than 6 million people of Asian descent — more than the total population of most other states.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said that ethnic studies as a way to help students of color see themselves reflected in what they learn, and also to learn about their histories.

Under the new law, students in the Class of 2030, who will start high school in the fall of 2026, must pass at least a single one-semester course. And, by the fall of 2025, all public high schools will have to offer such a class.

Some California school districts, including Los Angeles and San Francisco school districts, have already launched their own ethnic studies requirements for years.

Enactment of AB 101 releases $50 million in this year’s state budget for all county offices of education, charter schools and school districts to develop ethnic studies curriculums. The money will be distributed to schools serving high school students, as a straight apportionment, according to the California Department of Education.

“There is no requirement for CDE or any other agency to manage the program,” said California Department of Education information officer Jonathan Mendick. “Districts must spend the money in accordance with the requirements of AB 101, which has myriad guardrails built in around curriculum that meets the graduation requirement.”

“At a time when some states are retreating from an accurate discussion of our history, I am proud that California continues to lead in its teaching of ethnic studies,” said Secretary of State Shirley Weber. “This subject not only has academic benefits, but also has the capacity to build character as students learn how people from their own or different backgrounds face challenges, overcome them and make contributes to American society. .. This is a great day for California.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, tips, raves and reviews with an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed.

Asian American journalists applaud Maria Ressa's Nobel Peace Prize

Beth Frondoso | Rappler

Filipino American Maria Ressa returned to the Philippines as the CNN bureau chief.

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 is being awarded to Filiipino American journalist Maria Ressa and Russia's Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.

Ressa and Muratov are receiving the Peace Prize for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia. At the same time, they are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions, says the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Ressa is the first Filipino to win a Nobel Prize. Born in the Philippines, Ressa immigrated to the U.S. in 1973 at the age of 10 with her mother. Her  family settled in New Jersey. She graduated cum laude from Princeton with a degree in English.

"Maria is an inspiration to journalists across the globe, and of every generation,” said Michelle Ye Hee Lee, president of the Asian American Journalists Association.

“The AAJA community is beyond proud and encouraged that her pioneering leadership in journalism and in championing press freedom, and the role that press freedom plays in holding governments accountable to the people they serve, have been recognized by the Nobel committee," said Lee. 

Her campaign to protect press freedom in the Philippines has garnered worldwide attention. She was named one of Time magazine's Person's of the Year for 2018 and last May was named the 2021 laureate of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

Ressa called the prize “a global recognition of the journalist’s role in repairing, fixing our broken world,” and said “it’s never been as hard to be a journalist as it is today.”

The last time the first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to journalists was in 1935 when Carl von Ossietzky won it for revealing Germany's secret post-war rearmament program.

“The AAJA community is beyond proud and encouraged that her pioneering leadership in journalism and in championing press freedom, and the role that press freedom plays in holding governments accountable to the people they serve, have been recognized by the Nobel committee. Maria is an inspiration to journalists across the globe, and of every generation,” said Michelle Ye Hee Lee, president of AAJA.

An AAJA-Asia statement expressed, “We thank the Nobel Prize committee for shining a light on freedom of expression and the role of journalists, particularly at a time when nearly all of the countries in Southeast Asia have fallen to the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index.”

The Nobel Peace Prize will be presented on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.

In selecting Ressa to share the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, the committee issued the following statement:

Maria Ressa uses freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country, the Philippines. In 2012, she co-founded Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism, which she still heads. As a journalist and the Rappler’s CEO, Ressa has shown herself to be a fearless defender of freedom of expression. Rappler has focused critical attention on the Duterte regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign. The number of deaths is so high that the campaign resembles a war waged against the country’s own population. Ms Ressa and Rappler have also documented how social media is being used to spread fake news, harass opponents and manipulate public discourse.

“This relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation against me and my fellow journalists in the Philippines is a stark example of a global trend,” the 58-year old Ressa told The Associated Press.

Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is convinced that freedom of expression and freedom of information help to ensure an informed public, notes the Nobel committee. These rights are crucial prerequisites for democracy and protect against war and conflict. The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov is intended to underscore the importance of protecting and defending these fundamental rights.

Without freedom of expression and freedom of the press, it will be difficult to successfully promote fraternity between nations, disarmament and a better world order to succeed in our time. This year’s award of the Nobel Peace Prize is therefore firmly anchored in the provisions of Alfred Nobel’s will, says the Nobel committee.

Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, described Ressa and co-winner Dmitriy Muratov as “representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions.”

For years, ahead of Congressionial hearings held last week that heard the testimony of a former Facebook employee who accused the social media platform of favored  divisiveness and agry discourse to encourage "hits," which helps the company's profits. Ressa accused social media giants like Facebook as a serious threat to democracy,  saying “they actually prioritized the spread of lies laced with anger and hate over facts.”

“I didn’t think that what we are going through would get that attention. But the fact that it did also shows you how important the battles we face are, right?” she said. “This is going to be what our elections are going to be like next year. It is a battle for facts. When you’re in a battle for facts, journalism is activism.”

AAJA expresses gratitude to Maria for inspiring AAPI journalists over the years. In 2019, Maria Ressa was the keynote speaker for AAJA’s annual convention gala dinner. Speaking on misinformation, “This is the battle of our generation. This battle for truth. A lie told a million times becomes a fact,” Ressa said.

"AAJA has stood by Ressa during her arrest and conviction on cyber libel charges, and we continue to proudly support her, fellow awardee Dmitriy Andreyvich Muratov, and all journalists who do the brave work of bringing the truth to their communities," the AAJA stated.

“As the first Filipina to win the Nobel Peace Prize and first woman to be honored this year (and only 18th woman in history), Maria is making and will continue to make history. We are grateful for her example and her constant support and encouragement throughout the years as AAJA continues to train up future generations of journalists as public servants,” said Naomi Tacuyan Underwood, executive director of AAJA.

Newest James Bond film is first to be directed by an Asian American: Cary Joji Fukunaga

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE

Director Cary Fukunaga goes over a scene with actor Daniel Craig.

The latest James Bond movie, No Time to Die, is the first in the franchise to be directed by an Asian American, Cary Joji Fukunaga.

The much anticipated film, supposedly the last Bond film for the British actor Daniel Craig is one of the most profitable and fabled movie franchises opens in theaters today (Oct. 8, 2021) after several postponed release dates due to COVID-19. 

He shared that his father, a Sansei born in an WWII internment camp, never talked about what it was like for his family during that dark period when Japanese Americans were incarcerated.

“I think it shaped me, that multigenerational struggle,” Fukunaga told the Hollywood Reporter. ”The psychological trauma inherited from [my father’s] childhood defines who I am, and I think that internment process was incredibly destabilizing for the entire Japanese American population.”

Like many Asian American children, classmates made fun of Fukunaga's last name. He received insults such as “commie” or “F*ck-anaga,” although they did not bother him much.

READ the entire article in the Hollywood Reporter.

The Japanese American filmmaker revealed in an interview with Hollywood Reporter that his growing up in a multiracial, blue-collar family household in Oakland shaped the global perspective in his filmmaking and helped him get the Bond directing job.

Growing up in the racially diverse Bay Area and having a Swedish mother gave Fukunaga an appreciation for different cultures which was critical for Bond producer Michael Wilson. 

Wilson called the 44-year old director “well-traveled and very cosmopolitan,” noting that, “He’s very much a global person.” Fukunaga is fluent in Spanish and French and able to converse in Portuguese and Italian.

After his parents divorced, his Japanese father married an Argentinian, while his Swedish mom married a Mexican American so he has multi-racial siblings as well. Fukunaga told the Inquirer that he experienced the duality of his heritage: As a teenager he identified Japanese; "But then, I lived in Japan for a while and realized I’m also pretty American."

“But I would like to think that I could adapt to many different places. I don’t know which culture I would say that I identify with more. When I meet people like me who has lived in many different places, with multicultural backgrounds, we identify with each other more than any other place or race.”

He said that what he had for sure was the work ethic of his immigrant ancestors. “Yeah, definitely. Our family members are all 20th-century immigrants to the United States, so they came with a strong work ethic. That has definitely affected the way I work and the discipline that I have with my work. 

"And also, my (paternal) grandparents who are farming-class Japanese, and also Imperial Buddhists, believe in humility over everything else. So you can never think that you are more important than anyone else. That is a good strategy for doing good work.”

Bretman Rock makes history on the cover of 'Playboy' magazine

Social media star Bretman Rock made history when Playboy featured the Filipino American on its digital cover in its October 2021 issue.

Rock is the first openly gay man to be on the cover of the iconic men's lifestyle  magazine wearing the prerequisite bunny ears, bustier and white collar and cuffs.

“I’m a @playboy bunny 🐰 DUHHHHHH,” tweeted Rock, receiving thousands of likes. Rock is a 23-year-old Filipino beauty influencer who has amassed nearly 9-million subscribers on YouTube.

Playboy shared a statement from the beauty influencer, "Just for Playboy to have a male on the cover is a huge deal for the LGBT community, for my brown people community, it’s surreal Like ‘is this even f—king happening right now? type of vibe. And I’m so pretty. So yea, everything happens for a reason and it proves that I’m a big ass witch. Weird flex but okay.” 

The Philippines-born Bretman Rock is his real name, but his full name is Bretman Rock Sacayanan.

Playboy, famous for its nude images of women, stopped publishing a print edition in March of 2020 as the pandemic took hold with the intention of resuming printing the quarterly magazine in 2021. However, the transformation to a digital format appears to be permanent.

Playboy has transformed its business model and stopped printing its famous magazine earlier this year. It now describes itself as a consumer products company that includes sexual wellness, clothing and gaming.

While most of the reaction to Rock's romp in Playboy has been positive, there have been too many that have been homophobic and/or racist; too many for the magazine's editors.

“Standing for freedom and equality is in the DNA of this brand," wrote the publishers. "Today, Playboy is much more than a magazine. Our digital covers are creative snapshots that drive and reflect the current dialogue around pleasure, sexuality, equality and culture. If a gay man feels sexy in a bunny costume, an iconic symbol of sexiness, why shouldn’t he be able to wear it proudly? Serving as a platform for representation and freedom of expression is and will always be what Playboy stand for.” 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, rips, raves and remembrances, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd

On the cover of 'Teen Vogue:' Olivia Rodrigo on being a role model and "representing"

OPINION

I don't know how it was for you when you were 18-years old For me, I was searching, excited to be looking towards college, finally leaving high school. Young enough to be drafted to fight in a war in Vietnam, but not old enough to vote. So many emotions swirling inside, yet people viewed me as calm, serious and thoughtful. If they only knew.

That's why I could relate to Olivia Rodrigo. What? you say? A young pop star who mingles with the rich and famous and just got invited to the White House to meet President Biden. What in the world could we have in common?

READ the entire Teen Vogue article "Olivia Rodrigo at the Crossroads.'

Even if she wasn't a Filipino American, I still enjoy listening to her songs: the irony, the agony, the ecstasy, the angst of being 18 being on the cover of Teen Vogue. The article accompanying the cover revealed the serious of a young megastar int he making and the swirling emotions she has been able to channel into song writing.

Eventually, the writer asks Olivia about being Filipino American. It wasn't the first time she was asked this question and it most likely won't be the last. But at least, she doesn't try to skirt around the question as if it doesn't matter to her because clearly she has given it some thought.

Comedian Bowen Yang interviewed her for V Magazine and asked her how she views her career as an Asian artist.

“I sometimes get DMs from little girls being like, ‘I’ve never seen someone who looked like me in your position.’ And I’m literally going to cry," she answered Yang. "Like, just thinking about it. I feel like I grew up never seeing that. Also, it was always like, ‘pop star’ — that’s a white girl.”

"Olivia grew up in the late 2000s and early 2010s, when nonwhite pop stars like Beyoncé, Rihanna, and more not only existed but were taking over the charts. To many, her words felt at best confusing, at worst like erasure," said the article in Teen Vogue.

"Olivia has seen this discourse, and thinking about it makes something like anguish cross her face. 'That was really sad for me to see,' she says. “I really feel like my words were taken so out of context ... What I was saying is that it was cool to see girls of Filipino heritage DM me and be like, ‘Oh, it’s so cool to see someone that looks like me, and that’s really empowering.’”

The same question in a Guardian interview prompted a clearer answer:

“It’s hard for anyone to grow up in this media where it feels like if you don’t have European features and blonde hair and blue eyes, you’re not traditionally pretty,” she said then. She’s still figuring out how to talk about race, ethnicity, and having a platform beyond a statement she repeats twice: 'I think representation is all about adding. I don’t think it’s about taking anything away from anyone.'”

As a young girl, (and we have to remember she's only 18) she tries so hard to please the adults around her, the perfect daughter, the teacher's pet. Oh, how I remember that quest for perfection, a trait I'm sure many readers can relate to: trying so hard to get straight A's, being respectful and quite as you are introduced to your titas and lolas.

The Teen Vogue article delves into other aspects of life of the young girl/woman: social media, bullying, other people's expectations and her music.

Olivia -- like other 18-year olds -- is still searching, trying to stay grounded amid the glamor and attention showered on someone so young and talented. I can't wait to see the young woman she is becoming because clearly, she has plenty to say about race and ethnicity and being a woman in today's society.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, observations, wit and references, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd