Justice Department meet with Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Arabs

The DOJ  met with leaders of community agencies from South Asian commuities.

Two days after a Texas man was charged with a federal hate crime and for making interstate threats against the employees of a Sikh nonprofit organization the US Justice Department took time to reassure that it is taking steps against the rising wave of violence against people from the Middle East and South Asia.

Bhushan Athale, 48, of Dallas, was charged June 5 by complaint with one count of interfering with federally protected activities through the threatened use of a dangerous weapon and one count of transmitting an interstate threat to injure another person.

Acording to the criminal complaint, on or about Sept. 17, 2022, Athale, an Indian American, called the main number of an organization that advocates for the civil rights of Sikh individuals within the United States. Over the next hour, Athale left seven voicemails expressing extreme hatred toward Sikh individuals working at this same organization and threatening to injure or kill these individuals with a razor. 

Athale’s voicemails, which were filled with violent imagery and obscenity, contained references to places, people and tenets that are particularly significant within the Sikh religion. 

Among other things, Athale stated his intention to “catch” the Sikhs at the organization, forcibly “shave” the “top and bottom hair” of these individuals, use a “razor” to forcibly “cut” these individuals’ hair and “make” them bald, forcibly “make” them smoke and eat tobacco and “show [them] the heaven.”

In March, Athale again called the same Sikh organization and left two more voicemails. In these voicemails, Athale again used violent imagery to express his hatred toward Sikhs as well as Muslims, suggesting, among other things, that the Indian Government and Mumbai Police should “catch them and beat their ass” and “f*ck these rascals’ mothers.”

The investigation reflects that Athale has a long history of making religious-based comments and threats, such as when he previously used a professional networking site to express to a former co-worker that he “hate[d] Pakistan” and “hate[d] Muslims,” and he told the co-worker “I hate you, I just don’t know how to kill your whole family including you? Tell me??? I will figure it out […] Probably I will hire a Jew, they will be most happy.”

If convicted, Athale faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for interfering with federally protected activities and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for transmitting an interstate threat. Both charges also carry a penalty of up to a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The charges leveled against Athele ppreceded a June  7 meeting the Department of Justice had with Muslim, Arab, Sikh, South Asian and Hindu community stakeholders. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division outlined relevant enforcement efforts across the Department and highlighted actions to prevent and combat discrimination and hate crimes.

Thie meeting, held quarterly,g occurrs at a time when hate and threats of violence against these communities remain concerningly high, particularly since Oct. 7, 2023.

FYI:  If you believe that you or someone else experienced religious or national origin discrimination, report a civil rights violation online at civilrights.justice.gov. If you believe you are a victim or a witness of a hate crime, report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip at tips.fbi.gov. Learn more about the department’s work on hate crimes here.

In the US, Siks is the second most targeted group for hate crimes based on religion, according
to the latest DOJ Hate Crimes report.

Representatives from the Civil Rights Division, FBI, Criminal Division, Community Relations Service, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties and Office of Community Oriented Policing Service heard from attending organizations about campus safety and civil rights protections for student protestors as well as concerns about employment discrimination. Representatives from other federal government agencies also participated, including Department of Homeland Security Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Departments of Education, Labor, Transportation and State.

Combating hate crimes and addressing discrimination claims are among the department’s top priorities.The June 7 meeting represents the department’s latest efforts to engage with organizations and stakeholders on issues affecting Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, Sikh, Hindu, and South Asian communities. 

In March, the department hosted a community safety briefing for Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian community stakeholders, during which the department released resource documents designed to help the public better understand federal civil rights laws, including laws that prohibit violence and discrimination on the basis of religion and national origin, discrimination in public accommodations, and protections afforded by the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).

Besides the Dallas case,the DOJ has also continued to aggressively investigate and prosecute hate crimes, including recent cases include:

• A Texas man who carried out a mass shooting targeting Muslims at a car repair shop in Dallas in which one person was killed, and four others were seriously injured; 

• A New Jersey man who broke into the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University during the Eid holiday and destroyed property, including prayer stones, items with inscriptions of the Quran, and a Palestinian flag; 

• A Florida man who assaulted a Muslim woman postal worker by pulling her out of her truck and grabbing her neck while attempting to pull off her hijab and threatening her; and a Florida man who threatened a Michigan-based Muslim civil rights nonprofit.

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

Filipino American father and daughter team up in Broadway's "Hadestown"

Jon Jon Briones and daughter Isa Briones share a moment during curtain call of Hadestown.

At a reent Tony-award winning Hadestown curtain call when the actors dropped their stage persona and became their real-worlds selves again, Isa Briones and Jon Jon Briones wound up in tears.

It was the first time the Filipino American father and daughter shared a stage.

“There’s just this pinch-me moment. I can’t believe I get to do this with a musical theater legend but also that legend is my father and also telling a beautiful, beautiful story,” Isa Briones tells the Associated Press.

Her father, Jon Jon Briones, the experienced professional, also succumbed to the emtional moment. “When we were rehearsing, I was crying watching Isa, and I would miss my cues because I was watching her,” he tells AP. “I’ve also learned to look relaxed for the cast because if one of their leads is nervous, that’s not good. But I lost it at curtain call. I lost it.”

Last March 19, Hadestown on Broadway added Olivier Award nominee Jon Jon Briones and daughter Isa Briones to the Broadway cast in the pivotal roles of ‘Hermes’ and ‘Eurydice,’ respectively. The father-daughter duo took over the roles played by Tony winner Lillias White and Lola Tung.

If you're anxious to see Filipino Americans on Broadway after the short-lived run of Here Lies Love with its all-Filipino cast, theatergoers will have a short chance of watching the Briones perform together beacuse the last performance for both father and daughter will be June 30.

Last seen on Broadway and in the West End as ‘The Engineer’ in Miss Saigon, and known for his various series regular roles on Ryan Murphy’s Ratched and Class of ’09, Jon Jon makes his return to Broadway. Isa, best known for her series regular roles on Star Trek: Picard and Goosebumps, makes her Broadway debut. 

Isa was. also in the natinoal touring company for Hamilton and off-Broadway prouction of Grease, but Hadestown is her debut on Broadway.

Written by Anaïs Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown is currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 W 48th Street).

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

Museum updates exhibit of the 1904 St. Louis World Fair putting Filipinos in human zoo

Igorots were required to perform native dances for visitors to the St. Louis World's Fair.

Onn April 30, 1904, the St. Louis World Fair opened its gates and fairgoers got their first glimpse of Filipinos.

The St. Louis History Museum is taking a new look at the exhibit that did irraparable twisted view of Filipinos that continues to thsi day.

While the 1904 World’s Fair is a celebrated moment in St. Louis history, it also highlighted America’s central inequalities and the era’s spectacles of colonialism—from controversies over the content of the displays to conflicts over who was permitted to attend the Fair at all. 

The new exhibit is the Missouri History Museum’s aims to tell a fuller, more complete version of the 1904 World’s Fair by including a broad spectrum of voices and perspectives.

Fairgoers' flock to the Filipino Reservation

Visitors learn more about the1,200 Filipinos brought to live on the Philippine Reservation of the fairgrounds just six years after Spain surrendered the islands to the US, bypassing and ignoring the independence sought by Filipino patriots.

The Philippine Reservation put Filipinos on display in a zoo-like habitat on full view to fairgoers, with different groups of people ranked on a scale between “civilized” and “savage”.

Sharon Smith, Curator of Civic and Personal Identity, underscores the way the artifacts collected and displayed from the 1904 World’s Fair help tell a story that is complex, 

“History is often told through stories illustrated in museums by artifacts, archival documents, and photographs. The stories we have chosen to tell in The 1904 World’s Fair evoke both the wonder and the complexities of the Fair.” Smith adds, 

“The new exhibit’s artifacts and stories will help visitors see the event for all that it was: an amusement park, a laboratory, a workplace, a stadium, and a place where America’s imperial ambitions were on display for the world to see.”

About 300 of Filipinos brought to the Midwest from different Filipino ethnic groups and tribes including the Igorot, Moro and Bagobo people. Fair planners put Indigenous people from all over the world in these racist exhibits, including Native Americans and tribes from central Africa. 

RELATED: 

•  The Smithsonian took a piece of a Filipina's brain
•  The legacy of 1904 St. Louis World's Fair

Ria Unson, whose great grandfather was one of the Filipinos brought to the US, said these kinds of exhibits intentionally displayed the Igorot as “savages” or “primitives.” Her story and the story of her ancestor is part of the museum exhibit.

Pamphlets that advertised the Philippine Reservation, which was the fair’s largest exhibit, referred to the Igorot as “barbarians.” For months, they were forced to live on a recreation of a village from the Philippines as part of the attraction.

“Scientists have declared that, with the proper training, they are susceptible to a high state of development, and unlike the American Indian, will accept, rather than defy, the advance of American civilization,” read the pamphlet, now in the Missouri History Museum’s collection.

An estimated 17 people died in the Philippine Village from pneumonia, malnutrition or suicide. At least one of the dead was a teenage girl whose brains were taken by the Smithsonian by a scientist who wanted to prove the superiority of Europeans over people of other races.

“120 years later, there’s still people who have perceptions of Filipinos as primitives,” Unson said. Part of the exhibit’s goal is helping visitors to explore why, she added.

The St. Louis World's Fair overview map is part of the history museum exhibit.

The rumor that some of the denizens of the Philippine Reservation ate dogs provided one of the most durable memories of the fair in St. Louis. To this day one of the neighborhoods near the long-gone exposition grounds is called Dogtown, because it is supposedly where the Filipinos got their dogs.

Human zoo fed into the myth of White superiority

The history museum's exhibit also includes the other peoples who were presented in the world's largest human zoo. An estimated ten thousand people were conscripted to play a role in the account of progress by the Anthropology Department.

Among the 10,000 in the human zoo were Ainu people from Japan, “Patagonians” from the Andes, and members of 51 of the First Nations of North America—including Chief Joseph of the massacred Nez Perce, the Comanche soldier Quanah Parker, and the Apache leader Geronimo. Geronimo was assigned to pose for nickel-apiece souvenir photographs with white visitors and play the part of the Sioux leader Sitting Bull in daily reenactments of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Elsewhere on the grounds lived Ota Benga, who was about 20 at the time of his sale as a slave He had had his teeth filed into sharp points as a child, and was exhibited at the fair as a “cannibal.” Benga and the other enslaved Africans sometimes danced and performed before as many as For a time after the fair, under the auspices of the white supremacist racial theorist Madison Grant, Benga was kept in a cage at the Bronx Zoo. After his release, Benga worked in a tobacco factory in Virginia, where he had his teeth capped. In March 1916, in Lynchburg, Virginia, Ota Benga built a large fire, danced, and then shot himself through the heart.

The only representation of African Americans on the fairgrounds was at the “Old Plantation,” where black actors tended a garden, staged a fake religious revival, sang minstrel songs, and cakewalked in an endless loop of white racial nostalgia.

That the Philippine Reservation was called a “reservation” in the first place reflected an important fact about the racial imagination of the fair organizers. In their view, America's expansion to Asia was a natural extension of an f American empire that began with the conquest of the American West and the displacement of Native Americans. The American emprie would put the US on par with the European countries with colonies in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

The 1904 exhibit, like many others, was supposed to demonstrate the indigenous way of life as savage and tje need to be ciivilized. But the underlying racist message of the fair was about the moral responsibility of the "superior" White race to civilize the world's "savages."

Painting indigenous people in this light helped justify American imperialism, colonization, and destruction of other lands. 

The museum's updated exhibit goes beyond celebrating the 1904 exhibit by including the racist exploitive aspects of the human zoos. “It can be a difficult thing, but what we find is that people are hungry for that,” says public historian Adam Kloppe. “People want to grapple with history. They want to get in the weeds, and we view the museum as the space where you can have those kinds of conversations and explorations in a civil way.”

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

Income disparity greatest among Chinese Americans compared to other Asian American communities

WIKI COMMONS

Shoppers crowd Chinatown in New York City

Among Asian Americans, the model minority stereotype is like an albatross weighing down fair representation and needed services to address the inequality that eists withn that community.

However, even within th Asian Americans, the differences and needs are greater for some than others. Among Asian Americans, Chinese households are among the lowest – and highest – earners

In 2022, Chinese American households near the top of the income ladder earned over 19 times as much as Chinese American households near the bottom of the ladder. This gap was the largest across Asian American households of different origins, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Income inequality is a measure of the income gap between highest- and lowest-earning households. It has long been a public concern in the United States, especially after the economic upheaval brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 2018 analysis by the Center found that income inequality is greater among Asian Americans than any other U.S. racial or ethnic group. In this new analysis, we explore income inequality within the origin groups that make up the Asian American population.

Indian Americans are frequently the highest-earning Asian origin group when looking at different steps on the income ladder. For example, they top the list when looking at those who belong to the lowest 10% of households and the top 10% of households by earning levels.

The story is different for Chinese Americans. 

At the lower end of the income distribution – the 10th percentile – Chinese Americans who belong to the lowest-earning households were among the poorest Asian origin groups in 2022, with annual earnings of $10,500. 

At the 50th percentile of the income distribution – the median – Chinese American households were among the Asian origin groups with the highest incomes, with earnings of $65,800. 

And at the 90th percentile, Chinese households earned $200,000 in 2022 – second only to Indian Americans. (Incomes are adjusted for household size and expressed in 2022 dollars.)

In other words, Chinese households in the 90th percentile of the income distribution earned 19.2 times as much as their counterparts in 10th percentile.

        FYI: For a more detailed analysis, click here.

Sri Lankan, Korean and Pakistani American households also had high levels of income inequality in 2022. 

By contrast, Burmese, Filipino, Nepalese and Hmong households had the lowest income gaps among U.S. Asians in 2022,

The Pew study also goes into other factors that may affect income levels, such as education, what part of the US they live and how long individuals have lived in the US.

It should be noted that the disparity exhibited by the Chinese American community is a reflection of the growing inequality between the rich and poor in the United States. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. 

Some of the reasons cited for the disparity can be attributed to globaliziation, education and ttechnological advances. However, one cannot that the  rich also benefit immensely from the tax code’s preferential treatment of income from investments.

Over the past four decades, the richest 1 percent of Americans have enjoyed by far the fastest income growth. The most rapid increase has occurred at the tippy top of the economic ladder. 

Between 1979 and 2020, the average income of the richest 0.01 percent of households, a group that today represents about 12,000 households, grew 17 times as fast as the income of the bottom 20 percent of earners. These Congressional Budget Office figures include income from labor and investments. They do not account for taxes and means-tested public assistance, such as food stamps and Medicaid.

Income disparities are now so pronounced that America’s richest 1 percent of households averaged 104 times as much income as the bottom 20 percent in 2020, according to the Congressional Budget Office

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

NY Times launches series on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Despite being in the US for centuries, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are nearly invisible in US society.

In a recent study, more than half of all Americans found it difficult naming a single prominent AAPI figure even though Vice President KamalaHarris is Inidan American, multiple Grammy winner Olivia Rodrigo is Filipino American and AAPI are prominent in the fields of medicine, business, science and high tech. 

Part of the problem of the erasure or oversight in school books and a lack of inclusion and coverage in mainstream media, which paints a picture of the country everyday by decisions made by journalists on what stories and personalities to cover. The lack of a presence in the media contributes to that invisibility in American society.

The New York Times, one of the most prominent and influential mainstream news organizations in the country, announced Monday a new series th at examines the increasing creative output of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in popular culture.

“At The Asian American Foundation, we believe that the best way to fight anti-Asian hate is to create belonging and there is no better way to do that than through storytelling,” said Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation, which conducted the sturdy. “This moment represents a departure from a long history of invisibility, stereotyping, and misrepresentation of our community. We look forward to The Times’s exploration of the influence of AAPI culture in our everyday lives.”

The project will include immersive articles that delve into the ways filmmakers, authors and other creators are depicting AAPI life. It will culminate with an event featuring prominent artists exploring the ways in which they are infusing stories about their experience into American pop culture.

Asian Americans are the fastest growing demographic in the US, with nearly 25 million Americans with heritage that connects to more than 20 countries throughout East Asia, Southeast Asia and the subcontinent of India. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders are the third fastest growing group in the US.

The new project also shows the long road the New York Times has traveled since its 2016 video "Conversations on Race," which surveyed members of the Asian American community. The newspaper came under strong criticism for focusing on East Asains, skipping over Stouth and Southeast Asians..

Veronica Chambers, an award-winning editor, will oversee the 2024 project. Her team are focused on producing series that demonstrate how moments in history impact modern society. Other work includes a series that excavates the Harlem Renaissance, an examination of love and money with the Modern Love team, and a series based on images uncovered in The Times’s photo archives.

This series will draw on talent across the newsroom, including Miya Lee, editor of Modern Love projects at The NY Times. Lee’s work builds on the experience she gained from helping to turn a 20-year-old print column into a compelling digital and multimedia brand. Outside of Modern Love, Lee has written articles about elements of Asian American and Pacific Islander culture.

“I’m thrilled to work on this series that examines this significant moment in American popular culture, when an increasing number of AAPI filmmakers, comedians, authors and others are breaking through and reaching wide audiences,” Lee said.

The first piece of the series, “Found in Translation: Asian Languages Onscreen,” is focused on the use of Asian languages in American movies and TV. The story features an innovative visual design by Alice Fang, a New York Times graphics editor.

This Times series is funded through a grant from The Asian American Foundation a nonprofit founded to serve the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in their pursuit of belonging and prosperity that is free from discrimination, slander and violence.

“Our team at The New York Times is dedicated to telling richly layered, visually vibrant pieces, leaning into innovative story formats. We’re excited to explore how Asian American and Pacific Islander artists are crafting new American narratives through music, food, literature, film and television,” said Chambers.

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

Filipino American makes history as the new Miss Philippines Universe

MISS UNIVERSE

Chelsea Manalo was named Miss Philippines Universe.

Filipino American Chelsea Anne Manalo made history by becoming the first Black woman to be crowned Miss Universe Philippines on May 22.

“As a woman of color, I have always faced challenges in my life. I was told that beauty has standards, actually,” she answeered a question in the final stage of the contest. She added  that she was taught to “believe in my mother, to always believe in yourself, uphold the vows that you have.”

“Because of these, I am already influencing a lot of women who are facing me right now,” she said, gazing out to the audience.

Representing the province of Bulacan where she was born and raised, the 24-year old model was raised by her mother and stepfather after the death of her African American father.

"I grew up having insecurities as I was always bullied because of my skin and my hair type,” she told Essence, crediting her friends and family for helping her “realize that I am beautiful in my own extraordinary way.”

Manalo's selection was seen as significant for shattering traditional beauty standards in the Philippines too often defined by European features.  

“I am more than a reflection of a woman who is very humble of having humble beginnings. And a sash that is really close to my heart because it reminds me of who I am, of the Philippines, of who we are.” she said. “And this will only transpire me to be more radiant because I am a woman of color but I am also a transformational woman that can really represent who we are as Filipinos.”

Manalo will represent the Philippines in the MIss Universe contest that will be held in Mexico in September.

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

Haley changes her tune and says she supports Trump

Nikki Haley

During her short time campaigning in the Republican primaries, campared to Trump loyalists, Nikki Haley sounded like a moderate. But, make o mistake, she is an ambitious, two-faced radical.

She made it clear where she comes down in the on the political scale when she endorsed Donald Trump, the man she had been campaigning against for months.

Haley made the announcement during a Q&A session at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, on May 22. They were the first public comments the Indian American and former Trump administration official had made since dropping out of the GOP presidential primary earlier this year. 

She made her endorsement after a speech hitting both Biden and those Republicans opposed to aiding Ukraine. Haley said she would support a candidate who aligned with her views on national security, border and fiscal issues.

“Trump has not been perfect on these policies,” Haley said. “I’ve made that clear, many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe. So, I will be voting for Trump.”

Haley, who Trump appointed United Nations ambassador, was not so forgiving on the campaign trail. SDuring her run for the GOP nomination, she called Trump dangerous and unstable, saying, “I feel no need to kiss the ring.”

The former South Carolina govenror also questioned Trump’s mental fitness, and made it a point to question the capabilities of Trump and Biden, both of whomwere approaching 80 years of age.

Haley was the last challenger to Trump and was seen as a moderate alternative for those Republicans abhorred by Trump's antics and radical policies. The support she received revealed that may Republicans were alooking for alternatives to Trump.

Even after she officially dropped out of the race, she still managed to garner votes from dissatisfied Republicans.

She won over moderate Republicans during her campaign even though during her campaign she said expressedd support for a national ban on abortions and favored making cuts to "entitlement" programs like social security and Medicare.

Haley tempered her support for Trump by saying: “Having said that, I stand by what I said in my suspension speech. Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me, and not assume that they’re just going to be with him.”

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

The former ambassador to the U.N. painted Trump as dangerous and unstable on the campaign trail, saying, “I feel no need to kiss the ring.”

 

The remarks drew swift condemnation from anti-Trump Republicans, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who called her support for the former president “pathetic.”

 

Less predictable will be the reaction from those voters who backed Haley in primaries even after she had dropped her challenge to Trump.

AANHPI nonprofits not getting their share of philantropic giving

While AANHPI Heritage Month focuses on the  heritage, history and contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, agencies erving tthose  communities are not getting the financial support from philantropic organizations.

Despite making up 7% of the U.S. population, AAPI organizations receive less than 0.2% of philanthropic giving from foundations and less than 1% of corporate giving, according to The Asian American Foundation. With charitable donations and philanthropic giving combined making up a nearly $500 billion industry, AAPI advocates and leaders say their communities remain underfunded and under-resourced.

“Philanthropy plays a key role in providing support and resources to the countless mission-driven organizations and groups doing incredible work across our country,” said Fontane Lo, deputy director of AAPI Data.

Give In May is an annual online fundraising campaign during Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month.

Give In May aims to increase both awareness and investment in nonprofit organizations across the country who are dedicated to addressing the needs of AAPI communities. This year’s Give In May campaign features 200+ nonprofit organizations that serve 25 states and nearly 100 cities. 

Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders In Philantropy released a report, is proud to release Seeking to Soar: Foundation Funding for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communitie that confirms the lack of funding given to AANHPI organizations.

The AAPIP report finds that foundation funding designated for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities only accounts for 0.20 percent of all U.S. grantmaking. This mirrors findings from AAPIP's 1992 report — from three decades ago — Invisible and in Need: Philanthropic Giving to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. As AAPI communities seek to soar and reach new heights, they continue to be hamstrung by an alarmingly low level of philanthropic investment.

The AAPIP report notes:

• While the AAPI population in the United States more than doubled in size, foundation funding for AAPI communities flatlined, totaling a mere $174 million in 2018 – even when overall philanthropic giving was rising.
• Put differently, for every $100 awarded by foundations for work in the United States, only 20 cents is designated for AAPI communities.
• As a percentage of overall grantmaking, funding designated specifically for AAPI communities has declined since peaking at 0.60 percent in 2002 and 2009.
• The funding is also heavily concentrated among a handful of foundations. The top five funders accounted for nearly 40 percent of all philanthropic support for AAPI communities. This creates instability where any shift can topple that lifeline

Give In May is hosted by Asian Pacific Community Fund, a philanthropic organization dedicated to serving the AANHPI community throughout Southern California, and AAPI Data, a leading national research and policy organization — with support from The Asian American Foundation.

Meanwhile, while philantropic orgazations appear to overlook AANHPI nonprofit agencies, a separate report from the Pew Research Center found that almost half of Asian Americans give measurable donations to US charities.

“At Asian Pacific Community Fund, we cultivate philanthropy and centralize giving power to invest in the AAPI community. During Give In May this AAPI Heritage Month, we invite everyone to empower AAPI nonprofits to continue supporting our community through the power of giving,” said Chun-Yen Chen, executive director of Asian Pacific Community Fund.

FYI: Visit giveinmay.org to learn more about the organizations participating in the campaign and donate to their causes during the month of May.

Give In May is a national online giving campaign to support nonprofits dedicated to addressing the needs of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The purpose of the month-long campaign is to raise awareness about issues AAPIs face which are often unseen. It is held in May in recognition of AAPI Heritage Month.

28+ AANHPI Populations & Ethnic Groups Served include:

Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Fijian, Filipino, Hawaiian, Himalayan, Hmong, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Maldivian, Mongolian, Nepalese, Pacific Islander, Pakistani, Samoan, Taiwanese, Thai, Tibetan, Uyghur, Tongan, Vietnamese, among others

There are 19+ Issue Areas and Causes including:

Anti-Hate & Anti-Racism, Arts & Culture, Civic Engagement, Developmental Disabilities, Domestic Violence, Education Access, Environment & Environmental Justice, Elderly Assistance, Food Security, Health & Well-Being, Housing, Immigration, Labor & Workforce Development, Legal Assistance, LGBT Services & Advocacy, Poverty & Safety Net, Research & Analysis, Women & Girls, Youth Development, among others

“Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander organizations achieve incredible feats under such limited constraints — now envision what a world would look like if our communities were invested in adequatly," added Lo.

"Give In May plays an important role in changing that narrative — and reality — by raising awareness and investment to our communities’ needs at a critical time.”

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

Survey surprise:Asian Americans' charitable giving andcivic involvement

Asian Americans are more concerned and involved in their communities than generally believed, according to a newly released survey. 

 Two-thirds of Asian American adults say they have volunteered or made a donation through a charitable organization in the United States, their Asian ancestral homeland or both places in the 12 months before the survey conducted by the Pew Research Center.

The results of the survey busts the stereotype of the tight-fisted Asian American who is only concerned about their immediate family and refrains from participating in US society.

Among thowse who toook part in the survey, it was found that:

• :46% say they have given to a charity only in the US.

• 17% say they have given to charities in both the US and their Asian country of origin.

• 3% say they have given to a charity only in their Asian country of origin.

        FYI: Read the entire Pew Research Center report.

Across the six largest Asian origin groups in the United States, majorities say they have given to a US charity.

About seven-in-ten Japanese (72%), Filipino (70%) and Indian (68%) adults say this. Somewhat smaller shares of Korean (65%), Vietnamese (61%) and Chinese (58%) adults say the same.

The survey also measured charitable giving and civic participation by Asian Americans was influenced by religion, education level and how long the respondents have lived in the US. In brief, nonChristians, better educated and long-time US residents were more ilikely to be nvolved in their community.

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

No folks. Zendaya has not been cast as the new Moana

Disney studios released a picture of an older Moana that will featured in a new animated musical.

Hold your horses. Calm down. Zendaya has not been cast as Pacific Islander princess Moana in the live-action remake. 

A trailer purported to be an "official" trailer for the live-action remake of the original Disney animated movie announcing that Zendaya has been cast in the title role is a fake. Cries of cultural appropriation exploded on the internet when the fake trailer first appeared. Zendaya is not of Pacific Islander descent.

“Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger. “And we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when Moana 2 comes to theaters in November."

What is true is that Disney is planning to retell the tale of Moana's search for a new island home with real actors. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who viced the demi-god Maui in the animated feature will reprise that role in the life-action version. However, the search for an actress to play Moana is underway.

Unfortunately, Aul'i Cravalho, who provided the original voice of Moana will not return for the live-action remake. 

FYI: Meet the actress playing Moana

Cravalho, who will be 23 years old when filming starts and in the Disney story, Moana is only 16. The actress, who is currently starring in the Broadway version of "Mean Girls," said in an Instagram post that she will keep her ties with the Moana franchise as an executive producer.

“I’m truly honored to pass this baton to the next woman of Pacific Island descent to honor our incredible Pacific peoples, cultures, and communities that help inspire her story, and I look forward to all the beautiful Pacific representation to come. Mahalo," Cravalho shared on Instagram.

Thomas Kail, the Tony Award-winning director of “Hamilton” on Broadway, will direct the movie. "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music for the original Moana, will do the same for the live-action musical.

Cinema Pro Studio published a concept trailer (See below) of Moana on its YouTube page, showing Zendaya and The Rock in the film.

"Here's our concept trailer for 'Moana Live Action,' an exhilarating cinematic journey that brings Zendaya's Moana and Dwayne Johnson's Maui to life in a captivating new adaptation,” says the description under the concept trailer.

A concept trailer featuring Zendaya alarmed Moana fans.

Cravalho, however, will provide the voice of the animated project, tentatively titled Moana 2, that will feature further adventures of the island princess.

Originally scheduled to start filming this year, the release of the live-action film was pushed back to mid 2025. Nevertheless, the fake trailer went viral an stirred up social media critics.

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical Moana 2 is not a remake but a continuation of Moana's adventures. It takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers.

Moana 2 takes place three years after the end of the original Moana. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.

The voice actors from the original Moana will be back, including:

• Auli’i Cravalho as Moana
• Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as Maui
• Nicole Scherzinger as Sina
• Temuera Morrison as Chief Tai

Johnson will provided the voice of the demi-god Maui in the original animated movie will repeat the role in the animated sequel and the live-action movie. He feels close to the role because of his own Samoan heritage. “As many of you know ... we found so much inspiration for Maui in the mana and the presence of my late grandfather, the legendary High Chief, Peter Maivia," Johnson shared.

Directed by Dave Derrick Jr. with music by Grammy® winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina, Moana 2 opens in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024.

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

Vice President Harris gets real with her no-nonsense advice to young AANHPI leaders

Vice President Kamala Harris was blunt and crossed over from proper political speech to the street vernacular in giving some unvarnished  advice to AANHPI young people.

"We have to know that sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes they won't, and then you need to kick that f‑‑‑ing door down,” Harris said at the annual Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Legislative Leadership summit held May 13.

The audeince made up of emerging AANHPI leaders broke into applause and cheers.

"Excuse my language," she added.

The vice president made her comments in a conversation at the annual Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Legislative Leadership Summit where she was being interviewed by Jimmy O. Yang. 

Conservative media like the NY Post, Washington Examiner jumped on her language as beneath the office. Some meainstream media also got sucked into the fray with headlines like: "Harris utters a profanity ...." or "Vice President drops the F-bomb."

Surprisingly, the White House didn't try to dance around Harris' advice and instead, embraced it.

“She’s passionate about what she fights for. She is. And I think it’s important to have someone who’s passionate about what they’re speaking about,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday,

Jean-Pierre also praised Harris as “someone who has broken glass ceilings,” adding she is “proud to have her as someone I look up to as vice president.” Harris has been scrutinized by critics who contend her language was unbefitting of her office.

In the interview, Harris, the first Asian AMerican Vice President, also talked about her upbringing that included visits to India and walks with her grandfather as major influences on her life.

"And I, as the eldest grandchild, had the honor among anyone in our family of being invited my — by my grandfather to take his morning walk with his retired buddies," continued Harris, who used to visit her family in India during the summers.

"And they would, every morning, gather — these, you know, old men, who were very smart and very knowledgeable, and they would take their walk. And I would hold my grandfather’s hand, and I was the one who was able to go on the walk with him.

"And my grandfather and his friends would passionately debate the importance of democracy and a government that treated people equally and with fairness and was — and a government that was not corrupt. And — and that’s — that influenced my life in more ways than I can ever explain, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. And all of that had an impact, then, on what I decided to do with my life.

"My mother — when she arrived in the United States, she automatically, given who my grandfather was and about the fight for independence in India, my grand- — my mother, then, of course — you might kno- — know this in retrospect took to the streets to march for civil rights in her sari (laughter)," she said.

"So, here’s the thing about breaking barriers. Breaking barriers does not mean you start on one side of the barrier and you end up on the other side. There’s breaking involved. And when you break things, you get cut and you may bleed. And it is worth it every time. Every time."

Harris went on: "And so, to especially the young people here, I say to you: When you walk in those rooms being the only one that looks like you, the only one with your background, you walk in those rooms chin up, shoulders back. Be it a meeting room, a boardroom, a courtroom, a hearing room, you walk in those rooms knowing that we are all in that room with you, applauding you on and expecting certain things from you, including that you will not be silent in those rooms and that we expect that from you because we also expect that you will internalize and know we’re there with you. And so, your voice can be strong."

Harris continued her underlying theme to go beyond words and social media and the need for postive action to institute change, sounding much like the late labor leader Larry Itliong, One of his famous quotes said: “The Constitution said that everybody has equal rights and justice. You have to make that come about. They are not going to give it to you.”

Harris continued: "I’ll talk about my lived experience. It — that also taught me that you have to fight for — for rights for everybody. And you have to be in the fight. You can’t — you can’t sit it out. Right?

"And that’s — that’s part of what I — that’s certainly how I was raised: You can’t sit it out and — because you know how inequity happens, you know what happens when systems create displaced power or when systems are — are suppressing the rights of other people. You know? And — and so, that’s part of how I was raised as well."

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