This Sunday I'm reading: A WWI hero; fighting sexual stereotypes of Asian American men and women

Here I am again, in my quiet back yard, sitting on my deck reading in the shade of a big-ol' tree that I planted decades ago. It's early morning before the breezes pick up but you can tell it's going to be a warm day. It's quiet except for the Vietnamese music being played by neighbor as he enjoys his back yard. 

Funny, I'm reading a piece about a line in Full Metal Jacket (1987) by Stanley Kubrick, that has become a rallying point for Asian American women about the Yellow Fever held by some American men's way they view AAPI women. "Me love you long time." is one of the lingering after-effects of the Vietnam War where Americans viewed the Vietnamese people as "others" in their own country. By calling them "gooks," (a word originating from the Philippine American War) thus making them less than human, it became easier to kill them: men, women, elderly, children.

Thuc Nguyen writes in Flaunt Magazine, "'Me love you long time:' Sticks around a long, long time," a phrase from the movie uttered by a Vietnamese prostitute to an American GI.  

"Over time, the phrase has entered various areas of pop culture, school yards and the music and apparel industries, often called out by people who know that it's racist and sexist. It's used to reduce Asian and Asian American women to sex objects. "

A scene from 'Full Metal Jacket.'

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The last line in Stevie Wonder's song “Black Man,” asks: “Who was the soldier of Company G who won high honors for his courage and heroism in World War I?" The answer is Lau Sing Kee. He was an American hero from World War I, but he was also mocked as a “Chinese boy” in his California home town. He was a civic leader, but he also became a convicted criminal for skirting anti-Chinese immigration laws. The New York Times has an article about this unsung (Until Stevie) war hero entitled: Overlooked No More: Lau Sing Kee, War Hero Jailed for Helping Immigrants."

Lau Sing KeeL from war hero to immigrants' advocate.

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"If you were an Asian guy, there was nothing out there to look up to. Nothing. Until Bruce Lee. It was like growing up in a dry, empty desert, then one day you walk over a hill ― and there’s the Pacific Ocean. That was Bruce. He was the ocean." -- KWONG LEE, Be Like Water

As an Asian guy, I took umbrage at the recent depiction of Bruce Lee in the Quentin Tarantino movie, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.

Lee was not a perfect human being but he was one of very few role models for Asian Americans that wasn't weak, asexual and the "best friend" of the white lead role.

One screen and off, he defied the old stereotypes and spent a lifetime trying to change the image of Asian males. So when Tarantino presented him as arrogant, a punk, really and unable to convincingly beat an aging white stunt man, naturally Asian men were upset. Certainly, Tarantino could have achieved his cinematic point in some other creative way without taking down one of the few "heroes" of a generation of Asian American men.

Brittany Wong writes a thoughtful piece for HuffPost: "The Radical Way Bruce Lee Redefined Asian American Masculinity."

For those who are interested, here's my some of my own thoughts on the Legend.

In the movie, ' Way of The Dragon," Bruce Lee fights another martial arts legend, Chuck Norris.

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Gemma Chan cast in major role in Marvel's 'The Eternals'

Sersi, left, as depicted by Marvel Comics, is Gemma Chan's character in upcoming movie, The Eternals.

As Marvel launches it's next phalanx of superheroes for Disney Studios, Crazy Rich Asians co-star Gemma Chan joins the cast of The Eternals, as Sersi. The announcement was made during Disney's D23 Expo when the studio revealed details about their upcoming projects.

It is the second Marvel character played by the Chinese Brit. Chan played the blue-skinned villain, Minn-Erva, in Captain Marvel.

She joins a star-laden cast, including A-listers Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden and Salma Hayek. Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) who will play Kingo, one of the Eternals, a race of powerful beings are thousands of years old and who have influenced the course of human history.

On its webpage, Marvel describes the character Sersi:

Sersi is a member of the Eternals, a species diverted from humanity by experiments conducted by the Celestials one million years ago. She is at least 5,000 years old and became legendary around 1,300 B.C., when the Greek hero Odysseus and his crew, fresh from the Trojan War, came to her island Aeaea. Sersi transformed Odysseus' crewmen into pigs for attempting to menace her. Odysseus, however, managed to ward her off with the aid of the goddess Athena, and Sersi turned his men back to normal. Odysseus spent a year on Aeaea; she also encountered Odysseus' son Telemachus when he came following his father's path. Centuries later, Sersi still considered Telemachus to be the love of her life.

Over the centuries Sersi often interacted with humans, visiting Rome during the reign of Nero, helping Merlin expose an impostor (Merlin Demonspawn) in Camelot, visiting France during the French Revolution, and befriending the English poet Thomas Chatterton.

In recent years, the Celestials returned to Earth to judge humanity, the Eternals, and their other creation, the Deviants. Sersi became involved in the struggle, enjoying the adventure, but caring little for combat. By this time, Sersi had become a famous entertainer in New York, hosting parties at her loft for film stars, super heroes and other influential people. She often entertained with her powers, which her normal human guests believed to be stage magic. Sersi's super-hero friendships eventually led her to join the Avengers in search of adventure and romance, first pursuing Captain America and later the Black Knight. Sersi was a sublime yet powerful teammate until she was driven insane by Proctor, an alternate-reality Black Knight whose Earth had been destroyed by his world's Sersi. Sersi eventually slew Proctor and left the Avengers, operating in the extra-dimensional Ultraverse for a time before returning home and regaining her sanity. She continues to live in New York, occasionally aiding the Avengers and her people against their foes, but preferring her life as a socialite.

The Black Knight mentioned prominently in Sersi's bio is being played by none other than Kit Harrington, fresh off Game of Thrones, so expect sparks to fly between those too.

Sersi's role iis central n the storyline. The Hollywood Reporter reports that "one aspect to the story involves the love story between Ikaris, a man fueled by cosmic energy, and Sersi, who relishes moving amongst humans." 

The Eternals will be directed Asian American Chloe Zhao, whose previous movies have been indies, The Rider and Songs My Brother Taught Me. The superhero movie is set to hit the screens in November, 2020.

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12-year old golfer is the youngest player to compete in Canadian women's open

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBC

Vancouver's Michelle Liu expects to perform better next year.

After two days competing at the Canadian Professional Women's Open in Toronto, Michelle Liu missed the cut. That shouldn't be too surprising since she's only 12 years old.

Michelle was the the youngest to compete in the 47-year history of Canada’s national women’s championship is that she will be breaking the mark set by Brooke Henderson, who was 14 when she first played in the event in 2012.

“Definitely wasn't my best performance, I would say,” Michelle said after opening with a 9-over-par 81. “My chipping wasn't where it needed to be.”

She earned an exemption into the field as the top Canadian finisher at the Canadian Women’s Amateur last month. She tied for 12th at 1-over for the 72-hole tournament.

Despite her disappointing finishing, the youngster was in a good mood.

“It definitely makes me think,” Michelle told the Sun. “I'm happy that so many people are supporting me. I'm really glad I'm able to experience this sort of support.”

Her caddie and coach, Rob Houlding, who is based in British Columbia and has worked with other PGA Tour pros told the Toronto Sun that the 6,600-yard Magna course was just a bit too much for his star pupil, who missed the cut at 19-over par.

“The course is just a little too long for her to score like she’s used to, and it’s frustrating for her,” Houlding said.

“What mattered to her was that she felt it was below her potential, that’s her mindset.”

Michelle will have a year to practice for the next Open, which will be held on her home turf in Vancouver.

When a reporters asked the young golf star what’s next, the youngster looked into the television cameras and crowd of media microphones and said, “School is going on a camping trip to start the grade off,” she said.

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Ming Na Wen wins role in new Star Wars series 'The Mandalorian'

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE

Ming Na Wen was named a Disney Legend by studio head Bob Iger.

The veteran actress Ming Na Wen is jumping from the Marvel Universe to a universe far, far away.

During the D23 Expo Saturday, during which Disney previewed upcoming projects, it was announced that Ming Na Wen, Agent May of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is cast in The Mandalorian, a spinoff inspired by the Star Wars franchise.

The series will debut Nov. 12 on Disney's new streaming channel. (Yep, that disturbing trend of pay-to-watch).

The Mandalorian is described as a bounty hunter operating in the frontiers of the universe. Think wild west meets Sanjuro in the same time line as the Resistance vs. the Federation  iyears of the 9-movie sagacreated by George Lucas.

Pedro Pascal (best known for playing Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones) will take on the title role: a lone Mandalorian gunfighter operating in the outer reaches of the galaxy. Besides Wen, whose character went undescribed during the Expo, other cast members include Carl Weathers, Gina Carano, Nick Nolte and Giancarlo Esposito.

During the Expo, Wen was one of the honorees for the annual Disney Legends honors, which this year also went to Wing Chao, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, James Earl Jones, Bette Midler, Kenny Ortega, Barnette Ricci, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer and Hans Zimmer.

Wen will be wrapping up the seventh and last season of Agents of SHIELD before starting The Mandalorian, which already is slated for a second season.

Some of the series' directors include AAPI directors Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), and Deborah How, (Jessica Jones).

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Priyanka Chopra Jonas steps into India-Pakistan dispute

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Priyanka Chopra Jones speaks her mind about the dispute between India and Pakistan.

ASAM NEWS

Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas is embroiled in a controversy after statements she made concerning the current dispute between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region, long a hotspot of contention between the two countries.

The Bollywood actress is currently under fire, as Pakistan just launched an official complaint with the United Nations to remove her as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, according to Al Jazeera.

The move comes in response to Chopra Jonas’s supposed endorsement of the Indian national government’s lockdown and revocation of autonomy in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced it would strip autonomy from the state of Jammu and Kashmir -- its part of the Himalayan region. India imposed curfews and a communication blackout.

Chopra Jonas can be seen in the following video from earlier this month responding to someone who confronted her about a February tweet in which she allegedly encouraged war against Pakistan:


“Her jingoism and support for violations by the Modi government of international conventions and UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir, as well as support for war, including a nuclear war, undermines the credibility of the UN position to which she been elevated,” Pakistan’s human rights minister Shireen Mazari said in a letter to UNICEF. “Unless she is removed immediately, the very idea of a UN goodwill ambassador for peace becomes a mockery globally.”

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday (Aug. 22): "When UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors speak in their personal capacity, they retain the right to speak about issues that interest or concern them."

The Indian-born actress' Twitter account is currently quiet on the matter.

Chopra Jonas will be starring in We Can Be Heroes, a new Netflix film about a team of superhero children who have to save the world after aliens abduct their hero parents, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Fresh Off The Boat’s Dylan Henry Lau and The Fast and the Furious actor Sung Kang have also been announced as part of the We Can Be Heroes cast, reports Deadline.Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Spy Kids, and Alita: Battle Angel) will be writing, directing, and producing the movie.

Chopra Jonas is the second actress who has drawn the wrath of fans in recent weeks for making controversial statements about political situations in Asia.

Chinese and Asian American supporters of the pro-Democracy protests in Hong Kong called for a boycott the upcoming live-action Mulan movie when its star Crystal Yifei Liu used social media to express her support for the Hong Kong police.

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NFL player Patrick Chung suspended for cocaine use

The New England Patriots' Patrick Chung

ASAM NEWS

New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung is making headlines after documents released Thursday show he was indicted in New Hampshire for cocaine possession.

Sportswriter Jim Murray explained that an alarm went off in Chung’s Meredith, New Hampshire residence, which called police to the home on a checkup for breaking and entering. He said authorities then found cocaine in the home; the quantity and whether Chung was present is unknown, according to NBC Sports.

“During the course of the call, the police obtained evidence which has led to the current charges being filed,” authorities stated.

Chung was not arrested at the time of the incident, which took place June 25; he was indicted August 8 and his arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, August 28.

While some neighbors were stunned, neighbor Karin Itrato said, “He has had many people here renovating the house over the past year. And I am sort of surprised that nobody thought of that to begin with.”

Itrato described Chung as the “nicest guy in the world.” Chung's father is Chinese Jamaican.

How Chung will be disciplined under the NFL’s substance-abuse policy is currently unknown.

“We will monitor developments in the law enforcement matter,” read an NFL statement.

The New England Patriots made the following statement, declining to comment further.

“Pat is a great guy,” said Chung’s teammate Duron Harmon, according to NESN. “A leader. A captain. A great father. I can’t talk (enough) about all the good things about Pat. All I can say right now is — obviously it’s an ongoing investigation — and all I can say is we’re rooting for Pat. We love Pat. We’re going to do everything we can to rally behind Pat and make sure he gets through this.”

Throughout his nine seasons with the Patriots, Chung has won three Super Bowls.

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Asian Americans struggle against popular perception of an 'Amercan'

BY ZAID JILANI

REPRINTED FROM GREATER GOOD MAGAZINE 

Are Asian Americans really American?

Consciously and unconsciously, many people don’t think so. Despite being on track to become America’s largest immigrant group, research has shown that Asian Americans are often unconsciously seen as less American than those of European descent, more so than other minorities. This implicit relationship between being white and being American is particularly challenging in an increasingly diverse country.

What factors are at work in shaping perceptions of how much Asian Americans belong in the United States? In a paper published this past spring, two San Diego State University psychologists—Thierry Devos and Melody Sadler—delved into this question. Their key finding should actually give us hope that our definition of American is expanding to include many different kinds of people—but so far this change is concentrated only in certain areas of the country.

Sadler and Devos used data from the Asian-European American Implicit Association Test (administered by Harvard University’s Project Implicit), looking at results from 304 metropolitan areas. Almost half of the over quarter million participants were white and a majority were young adults. In this study, the researchers were looking specifically for how quick people were to associate Asian Americans with symbols of America, under the research-tested understanding that this would reveal levels of implicit bias. Then, they compared the results of this test to three different indicators of diversity in each city: minority representation, variety, and integration.

Their key question: What characteristics seemed to shape bias in a city?

The answer is not that surprising, given what we know about contact between groups. In many cities, Americans still tend to equate America with whiteness. However, as the number of Asian-Americans in the area rose, prejudice fell.

But the presence and integration of Asian Americans alone didn’t increase acceptance. In fact, any level of regional diversity seemed to broaden conceptions of who can be American. “This is happening in areas that might be perceived as more multicultural, meaning that they have a larger representation of people not only from Asian-American background, but also from Latino in particular, and then as well from African-American backgrounds,” says Devos. In other words, in diverse cities, Americans are starting to be able to associate non-white Americans with American identity.

“So, in these environments, it seems to be the case that as groups are more evenly represented, the idea that ‘American’ has to mean white is being diluted because people are seeing that ‘American’ is really a lot more than European,” says Devos.

This kind of result is predicted by intergroup contact theory. In the mid 20th century, Harvard psychologist Gordon Allport theorized that one of the most effective ways to break down prejudice and build understanding between different groups of people was to have them interact with each other—although only under certain conditions, such as having the support of legitimate authorities. (In other words, leaders who express anti-Asian or anti-immigrant sentiment are going to spoil the benefits of intergroup contact.)

We know that intergroup contact was a key component of the success of the gay rights movement. From political activists encouraging everyday gay and lesbian Americans to “come out” to their friends and family to television networks that took risks to expose Americans to gay and lesbian characters in primetime programming, greater exposure to Americans of different sexual orientations helped increase the public’s acceptance of them.

Devos suggests, however, that simple intergroup contact is not the entire explanation for why communities with larger Asian American representation see less of an implicit association between being American and being white. It’s not just meeting people of Asian-American backgrounds, but seeing them in positions of power that people typically associate with people from European descent.

“You’re seeing people on councils, businesses that are owned by folks of different descents, you’re seeing cultural events,” says Devos. “All of these are coming into a more complex representation of what ‘American’ means.”

So, how is it we can all start to see that breadth of the American identity so that we can associate people who are non-white with being Americans, too?

Devos suggests that when communities come together to commemorate American identity—such as during a July 4th celebration—they make sure that a broad group of people are represented at these events. By doing so, they can actively associate American identity with a range of ethnic groups, so that Americans don’t associate it only with white people.

Through actions like that one, she argues, we can learn to embrace on both conscious and unconscious levels that Americans can come with “many different backgrounds and ideas and values.”

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The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being, and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.

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Toronto hosts largest Filipino food festival in North America

SCREEN CAPTURE /TFC

The Taste of Manila stretched out for 12 blocks in Toronto.

The numbers are in for the Taste of Manila food festival in Toronto and they're impressive. Held last weekend, the two-day celebration of Filipino cuisine brought 400,000 to the North York neighborhood known as Little Manila, making it the largest Filipino food festival in North America.

“I’ve been here so many years. Every year keeps getting bigger and better and as a Member of Parliament for York Southwestern who has a large Filipino-Canadian community, it gives me a special honour to join the community here to celebrate the Taste of Manila!,” said Minister of Immigration, Ahmed Hussen.

In the short 6-year history of the festival, even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has visited the event.

Visitors feasted on traditional cuisine freshly roasted lechon, different styles of pancit and adobo, lumpia, sisig fries and stews, favorite street food including grilled anything on a stick and balut, the boiled duck egg containing a 18-da fetus.

Impromptu dancing broke out amonth the crowd as they listened to the music of local performers. The festival-goers were entertained by performances of TFC's Kapamilya stars Randy Santiago, Sheryn Regis, Jugs and Teddy, Inigo Pascual and Billy Crawford.

With a population of over 300,000 Filipinos, Toronto is home to largest community of Filipinos in Canada.

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'The Rock' solid as the highest paid actor

SCREEN CAPTURE / HBO

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson stars in 'Ballers' of HBO.

ASAM NEWS

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson comes out on top above five Avengers stars on the 2019 Forbes list of the world’s highest paid male actors, having earned $89.4 million in a single year, according to Forbes.
Two other Asian American and Pacific Islander stars also made the list: Jackie Chan and Indian Canadian actor Akshay Kumar earned $58 million and $65 million, respectively.

Here’s the Forbes official ranking:

1. Dwayne Johnson: $89.4 million2. Chris Hemsworth: $76.4 million3. Robert Downey Jr.: $66 million4. Akshay Kumar: $65 million5. Jackie Chan: $58 million6. Bradley Cooper: $57 million (tie)6. Adam Sandler: $57 million (tie)8. Chris Evans: $43.5 million9. Paul Rudd: $41 million10. Will Smith: $35 million

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, starring Samoan American Johnson and Jason Statham as its titular characters, came to theaters earlier this month and has grossed over $440 million worldwide so far, according to Box Office Mojo.

The 47-year-old star pulls far ahead of the others due to his endeavors outside of Hollywood as well, according to Closer Weekly. Johnson has a popular collaboration line with Under Armour, and his hit HBO comedy drama Ballers, for which he gets paid $700,000 an episode, is already coming out with its fifth and final season on Sunday, (August 25).

Johnson will be starring in Jumanji: The Next Level, which is set to release December 13 this year. It serves as the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which grossed over $962 million worldwide, the 49th highest-grossing film of all time. Catch the sequel’s trailer below.

Johnson definitely seems to be doing pretty well for himself, considering he also just married his longtime love Lauren Hashian in a Hawaii ceremony over the weekend.

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Democrats prodded to include an AAPI debate moderator

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBS

Elaine Quijano was the lone moderator for the Vice Presidential Debate.

While AAPI candidates for POTUS have had an impact in the Democrat's debates, Asian Americans have been absent among the moderators for any of the debates for the POTUS candidates for the Democrats.

“It is now time for the DNC to take their commitment (to diversity) even further by ensuring that Asian Americans are represented among moderators on the debate stage,” wrote Rep. Grace Meng, who is Chair of ASPIRE, said. The New York congresswoman is also vice chair of the DNC.

ASPIRE, the political arm of Asian American and Pacific Islander Members of Congress, sent a letter last week to declared candidates for the Democratic nomination for President encouraging them to prioritize AAPI communities in their outreach, hiring, and campaign materials.

AAPI voters’ participation in the 2018 midterm elections increased more than any other racial group, according to a letter sent by ASPIRE,

Meng said she was hopeful that the DNC would appoint an Asian American or Pacific Islander as a debate moderator. “[I] look forward to Chairman Perez responding to our request,” she said. “I am confident that host networks will not have trouble finding qualified and talented AAPIs to include in their moderator panels.”

Apparently, the PAC's letter fell on deaf ears. ABC announced Wednesday (Aug. 21) the four moderators: ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir, ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis and Univision anchor Jorge Ramos.

The Democrats have staged two debates hosted by NBC and CNN and no Asian American journalist have been among the panelists questioning the candidates although they featured female, Hispanic and African American moderators.

CBS journalist Elaine Quijano, a Filipino American, was the first Asian American to moderate a general election debate when she performed the chore for the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate between Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence. She performed professionally and acted as the adult in the room while trying to corral the argumentative candidates clamoring for attention.

Two of the 10 candidates who have qualified for the September debate thus far -- Sen. Kamala Harris and businessman Andrew IYang -- are Asian Americans. A third, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, has until Aug. 28 to meet the requirements for the debate.

If Gabbard qualifies - she is currently serving her stint in the Hawaii Army National Guard -- ABC will move to a two-night debate format with assignments given to the candidates by random draw.

“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing population in our country, and we are already an important constituency in key electoral states such as California, Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. It’s crucial that candidates seeking the Democratic nomination pay attention to Asian American and Pacific Islander voters across the country,” said Meng in the letter also sent to the various campaigns.

Besides Meng, the letter from ASPIRE was signed by Representatives Ami Bera (CA-07), Judy Chu (CA-27),  TJ Cox (CA-21), C Pramila Jayapal (WA-07),  Ro Khanna (CA-17),  Andy Kim (NJ-03), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08),  Ted Lieu (CA-33), Doris Matsui (CA-06),  Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (CNMI), Michael San Nicholas (GU),  Bobby Scott (VA-03), and Mark Takano (CA-41), all of whom are Democrats.

The DNC has already committed to ensuring that at least one woman and one person of color serves as a moderator at each of its primary debates for the 2020 cycle.

"The DNC is committed to an inclusive and fair debate process," DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill told Refinery29 in May. "That means that all 12 DNC-sanctioned debates will feature a diverse group of moderators and panelists including women and people of color, ensuring that the conversations reflect the concerns of all Americans."

The 10 candidates who have qualified for the debate stage as of Aug. 22: 

• Former Vice President Joe Biden
• Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
• Sen. Kamala Harris of California
• Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
• South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
• Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas
• Andrew Yang, entrepreneur
• Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro

“We encourage you to keep Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in mind as your campaign makes hiring decisions and prioritizes outreach to different voting blocs as you campaign for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. History has shown us that we are stronger when all voices are represented at the decision-making table,” wrote the Aspire members.

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TGIF Feature: The Filipino Channel reaches out to Filipino Americans as it celebrates it's 25th anniversary

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A scene from the TFC-produced video #BeingFilipno.

In honor of their 25th anniversary, The Filipino Channel (TFC) launched a digital video series on social media platforms to highlight the diversity in the Filipino communities and their contributions to the US.

In #BeingFilipino, directed by filmmaker Marie Jamora, the series of videos feature three Filipinos — a teacher, doctor and a poet — and the impact they’ve made on the people in their lives. It will be debuting this month on YouTube and other digital platforms.

Olivia De Jesus, COO of ABS-CBN Global, said fthe media company always created content for Filipinos in the Philippines. targeting the Filipino immigrants who wanted entertainment content from the Philippines. However, the emerging Filipino American market, the second and third generation, has become large enough to deserve content aimed at their needs.

“Today, there are more native born Filipinos — those born in the U.S., in Canada and all over — and they identify more as Americans, Canadians and other nationalities because the countries their parents migrated to are the only ones they’ve ever known,” De Jesus told NBC. “And we feel like we have to be a part of it to let overseas Filipinos know that we are able to bring them a piece of home.”

A TFC-sponsored concert presented Aug. 3 in San Jose, Calif. , ASAP Natin 'To In the Bay Area  featuring performers from TFC's ASAP show. TFC brought in Filipino American entertainers including Youtube's AJ Rafael, Jej Vinson (The Voice), Jasmine Trias (American Idol) and Angelica Hale (America's Got Talent).

Last week, TFC released #BeingFilipino on social media platforms Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

De Jesus said while they have other projects planned for TFC in the near future, she hopes that #BeingFilipino can be the beginning of more digital content to come for not only TFC, but all their platforms.

“We have to help the younger generation appreciate the culture and heritage and values of their parents and grandparents,” De Jesus told NBC. “They have to understand that being Filipino isn’t just defined by the color of their skin, but by behavior and traits that were passed on from generation to generation, and guided by this knowledge, they can continue making a positive impact on the world.”

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Trump supporter arrested for threatening to kill Hispanics

Donald Trump has a history of inspiring hate and encouraging violence.

ASAM NEWS

Federal officials arrested a 35-year-old Maryland resident who was allegedly plotting a mass shooting targeting Hispanic people, reports HuffPost.
Eric Lin allegedly threatened to kill a Hispanic woman and her family in Florida, sending multiple threats via Facebook. According to the Department of Justice, he also threatened “to kill all Hispanics in Miami and other places.”

Lin, of Clarksburg, Maryland, was arrested on Friday, August 16, 2019, in Seattle, Washington, after being charged with Making Threatening Communications. Lin made his initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in Seattle.

His messages also included adoration for Adolf Hitler, racial and ethnic slurs, and threats of sexual violence.

ERIC LIN

Warning: the following messages contain detailed threats of violence.

“The time will come when Miami will burn to the ground — and every Latin man will be lined up against a wall and shot and every Latin woman raped or cut to pieces,” Lin allegedly wrote.

“I thank God everyday President Donald John Trump is president and that he will launch a racial war and crusade to keep the n*****s, s***s and Muslims and any dangerous non-White or ethnically or culturally foreign group ‘in line.’ By ‘in line’ it is meant they will either be sent to ‘concentration camps’ or dealt with ruthlessly and vigorously by the United States military.”

“I FOLLOW ONLY ADOLF HITLER AND THEN GOD,” he allegedly wrote, according to USA Today. “THEY ARE ONE AND THE SAME.”

According to NextShark, Lin was arrested after allegedly hiring a man to go to Miami and “beat up this s**c who insulted me.” The unidentified Florida woman claimed Lin was targeting her after he met her at a Miami restaurant where she worked.

“You don’t need to kill her. Hurt her. So at most you will be charged with kidnapping. Nothing will happen to you if you get the right lawyers. She’s a s**c who hates White Americans. I doubt the FBI would care much about her. I don’t care if I have to pay you $1 million or more I want this done.”

Authorities stated that Lin planned to have her kidnapped and transported to Seattle, where he was arrested.

Court records show that he changed his name from Zhaoyuan Cheng to Eric Lin in 2005. He has a number of cases under his belt, including various types of harassment in Maryland cities between 2008 and 2012. He was also arrested in 2010 for breaking into a house.

Lin is among an increasing number of young men who have been influenced by Trump's hateful rhetoric against immigrants and his critics.

His arrest comes after two successive mass shootings in Gilroy, Calif., El Paso, Texas and Daiyton, Ohio, were done by alleged supporters of Trump. While those acts raised concerns about the white supremacists, Trump's rhetoric and policies have inspired other people to perform acts of violence.

Cesar Sayoc, a Filipino American, was recently sentenced for sending mail bombs to Trump critics, including President Barack Obama and CNN headquarters in New York. 

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'Intersections' trailer: Untold stories of who Filipinos are becom...

Next Day Better, a Filipino American online platform dedicated to telling stories of peoples and communities spread across the globe, released a trailer for their next storytelling series: "Intersections."

“The global Filipino Diaspora is a hub and inspiration for world-changing ideas that pushes humanity forward.”, says Ryan Letada, NextDayBetter CEO and co-founder. “This global speaker and action series is designed to celebrate and amplify the impact of these ideas.”

The nonprofit brings together Filipinos from the business, sports, arts and food sector with the goal of empowering Filipinos around the world. As immigrants and children of immigrants, it's up to all of us to make a statement, say the creators of "Intersections," which is slated to launch next month

Starting with individual Filipinos in the diaspora, the series discovers their untold stories and the complexities of their identities taking shape. The series explores bold topics from shame-free sex education, LGBTQ acceptance in the Catholic Church, and allyship with Indigenous peoples. From Middle America to New York City, "Intersections" invites Filipinos to reimagine who they are, the challenges they face, and how their experiences -- as wide-ranging as they may be -- connects, rather than divides.

Filipinos are taking root across the world as immigrants and new citizens. In partnerships with The Filipino Channel (TFC), Next Day Better wants to tell stories that allow anyone from anywhere to discover their contributions to humanity.

"It is actually easy to find these world-changing people from our community that are leading the way in tech, in creativity, in different industries and we are contributing more, not just for the Philippines but for the entire world," Letada, himself a product of the disapora -- he was born in Kuwait, raised in the Bronx, 

To make the "next day better," these Filipinos believe that no matter the product or passion, each day can get even better when you can give back whether it’s within your own community or oceans away.

In describing the goals of "intersections," the website says, "We embrace the complex, evolving and intersectional identities of global Filipinos. From Middle America to Hong Kong, our IntersectionsTM stories invite us to reimagine who we are and how we can better ourselves and the communities around us."

The first episode of Intersections will be available on Sept. 3 featuring sex educator Andrea Barroca of Oakland, CA. New episodes will become available every two weeks until Nov. 12. 

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Asian Americans encouraged to purchase guns for protection

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE

San Francisco Mayoral candidate Ellen Lee Zhou

ASAM NEWS

After a series of attacks, the San Francisco Coalition for Good Neighbors is encouraging Asian Americans in San Francisco to arm themselves for protection, Fox KTVU reports.
The group is encouraging Asian Americans to arm themselves because of recent crimes against Asian Americans in the San Francisco area.

“I have not seen such outrageous crime that is targeting Asian people over and over,” Ellen Lee Zhou, a member of the coalition and a mayoral candidate said.

In her campaign, Zhou has argued that Asian Americans are targeted victims of crimes, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
Zhou said that gun ownership is the “right thing” for people feeling “scared and helpless.” She and other members of the organization are encouraging Asian Americans to attend gun safety and training classes.

Other Asian American disapprove of the coalition’s attempts to convince Asian Americans to arm themselves.

“America has too many guns. And there’s a lot of gun violence already,” said Marlene Tran of the Visitacion Valley Asian Alliance.

The coalition says gun training classes will be held next week in Alameda County. (San Francisco no longer has any gun stores.) Members of the group say several people have expressed interest in attending.

“We don’t want to encourage people to arm themselves, it’s too dangerous, it’s not in today’s society. We have to rely on the police to protect us, but we want them to do a better job,” Chinatown Neighborhood Associatin chair Pius Lee told the Examiner.