These pages were recently updated:
Close Contests: 3/24/13
Asian-American Candidates: 5/5/13
2012 Election Results: 1/27/13
Presidential Election: 2/25/12
Obama on Asian American Issues: 4/21/13
APA Vote in Presidential
Elections: 1/20/13
Agenda for America: 5/12/13
Affirmative Action Backfires: 12/16/12
Asian American Charter Schools:
1/16/12
Asian American Faculty: 5/5/13
Asian Americans in California:
1/20/13
Colleges: 2012: 9/16/12
Colleges: 2013: 4/21/13
Districts with Most Asian Americans: 6/26/11
Free the North Koreans: 5/5/13
Hall of Shame: TV
Medical Shows (Bigots for the Left:
Asian American men do not exist): 5/12/13
Hate Crimes: 1/27/13
Law Firms 2010: 9/11/11
Law Firms 2010 by state: 9/11/11
Law Firms 2009: 10/16/11
Law Firms 2009 by state: 10/29/11
Law Schools: 5/1/11
Law Schools 2010: 2/12/12
Law Schools 2012: 4/14/13
Laws Against Asian Americans:
10/21/12
Links: 3/3/13
Medical Schools: 1/16/13
Medical Schools 2010: 3/20/11
Medical Schools 2007: 12/5/10
Medical Schools 2004: 2/13/11
News: 5/12/13
Statistics: 5/5/13
Statistics on Reverse Discrimination: 4/13/13
Stop Being a Sap: 6/26/11
Veterans: 3/10/13
Voting Records: 1/16/13
Bigots
for the Left who cast Asian American men as doctors in TV medical shows: only
two in 50+ years:
"Three Rivers": Daniel Henney as Dr. David Lee; “House, M.D.”: Kai Penn as Dr. Lawrence Kutner;
Kenneth
Choi as obstetrician
in first season, episode “Maternity” which aired December 7, 2004, and
anonymous Asian American men who appeared on the hospital’s board of directors and disciplinary
board.
See
Hall of
Shame: TV Medical Shows
Evil corporations which feature Asian Americans in commercials:
Asian
American men: AT&T, Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser), Bank of America, Barclays Global Investors,
Capital One, Careerbuilder.com, Circuit City, Cisco, Citibank,
Comcast, CSX, Dodge, Domino's,
Edward
Jones (stock brokerage), eHarmony, ESPN, FedEx, Gillette, GlaxoSmithKline, Hillshire Farm,
HughesNet, Intel, Kashi (health foods), Mars (candy),
McDonald's, NFL Network, Nortel,
Procter & Gamble
(Bounce sheets), Range Rover,
Schick, Solvay Pharmaceuticals (Trilipix), State Farm, Subway restaurants,
UBS, UPS, U.S.
Postal Service, Verizon
Wireless, Volkswagen, Wendy’s
Asian American women:
American Express, Audi, Bank of America, Bausch & Lomb, Best Buy, Brittoni,
Cisco, Cort, CVS pharmacy, Dunkin’ Donuts, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Franklin Templeton,
Geico,
General Motors (Cadillac), Hyundai, IBM,
Ikea, Intel, Kellogg, Kraft, Lowe's, Marriott, MassMutual,
McDonald's, MFS Investment Management, Michelin, Microsoft, New York Times,
Pfizer, Quiznos,
SAP (software),
S.C. Johnson, State
Farm, Target, TD Waterhouse, U.S. Trust, Visa, Volvo, Wells Fargo
Both: American Express, Boeing, Citigroup, Disney, Geico,
Hartford, Hilton, Lowe's, Olay, Priceline,
Samsung, Shell
For
current news about Asian Americans, go to www.google.com,
click on "news" and type "Asian American"
or "Chinese American" or "Japanese American" etc.
5/10/13 Los Angeles Weekly: "Geisha Video That Disrespects Asian Americans Made With L.A. Tax Money"
By Dennis Romero
CBS Los Angeles' David Goldstein this week uncovered a video in which a man dresses as a geisha
and speaks with a fake Japanese accent as two others perv on him/her:
Amazingly, the video, made to tout the city's use of recycled water at a Japanese garden, is part of
a series of almost nonsensical clips that cost taxpayers $48,000 a year to make.
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2013/05/geisha_video_la_city_public_works.php
5/10/13 Hyphen Magazine: "Fixin’ to Go Mainstream -- Asian Americans on the Rise in Southern Politics"
by Ngoc Nguyen
The Southern crop of Asian American leaders, which includes politicians and political activists, are in
many ways unique compared with their peers in other parts of the country. For one, they are relatively
young. Many were born after the civil rights movement and have never experienced barriers to voting
or Jim Crow laws. Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley, Indian American governors of Louisiana and South
Carolina, respectively, were both elected in their 30s. The same holds true for state and local leaders
like Ramey Ko, who at 32, is the youngest municipal judge in Austin, TX
http://newamericamedia.org/2013/05/fixin-to-go-mainstream----asian-americans-on-the-rise-in-southern-politics.php
5/9/13 scpr.org: Take Two: "Why are there so few Asian Americans in LA politics?"
by A Martínez with Leo Duran
When L.A. voters go to the polls later this month, they could be making history. That's because, if
he's elected, candidate John Choi could be the first Asian-American elected to the city council in
20 years. But even then, he'd only be the second ever to hold a seat on the council.
In a city where 1 in 8 people are Asian-American, why is it hard for them to have a permanent
place at LA's political table?
http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/05/09/31710/why-are-there-so-few-asian-americans-in-la-politic/
5/9/13 racebending.com: "Star Trek: Into Whiteness"
If there’s one thing that most fans of Star Trek will agree on, it’s the fact that Gene Roddenberry’s
vision for the show — and, more optimistically, for human society — was predicated on the idea that
all life is valuable, and that the worth of a person should not be judged by their appearance. Much of
this was done through the old sci-fi trope of using aliens to stand in for oppressed groups, but Star
Trek didn’t rely on the metaphor; it had characters who were part of the ensemble, important and
beloved members of the Enterprise crew, who were people of colour. It had background characters
who were people of colour. And, here and there, it had anti-heroes and villains who were people of
colour … one of whom, Khan Noonian Singh, became well-nigh iconic.
And who is now being played by white actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the new JJ Abrams reboot
movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness.
http://www.racebending.com/v4/featured/star-trek-whiteness/
5/8/13 Washington Post: "How Asian Americans became a key White House constituency"
by Juliet Eilperin
The growing influence of Asian Americans in U.S. politics will be on full display Wednesday, as
President Obama met with 15 Asian American leaders this afternoon, and Vice President Biden
addresses the Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies gala tonight.
How did Asian Americans get to be such a key political constituency? Both their votes and their
donations have made a difference, especially in Obama’s reelection bid.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/05/08/how-asian-americans-became-a-key-white-house-constituency/
5/7/13 New York Daily News: "Taking on Sen. Chuck Schumer, House member says immigration
bill's family visa changes would hurt Asian-Americans; Freshman Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) is
upset that visas would no longer be offered for sibling reunification. Also, the age limit for adult
children seeking visas to reunite with their parents would be capped at 31. Asians make up a large
percentage of foreign-born Americans."
By Dan Friedman
Washington — The most junior member of New York’s delegation is taking on the state’s most
powerful lawmaker on the racial impact of an immigration bill.
Freshman Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) wrote Sen. Chuck Schumer on Tuesday, arguing that
an immigration overhaul he helped author “contains a number of provisions that are disadvantageous
to the Asian American community and detrimental” to the nation.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/immigration-bill-reviled-harmful-asians-article-1.1337663
5/7/13 Medill Reports: "Most Asian-Americans live in mixed neighborhoods, but exceptions abound,
experts say"
by Jayna Omaye
Asian-Americans are not only the best educated and fastest growing racial group in this country,
they are also more likely than any other race or ethnicity to live in racially diverse neighborhoods,
according to a recent Pew study.
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=221074
5/5/13 New York Times: "Foreign Bride as a Fetish and a Person"
By Mike Hale
Steven is a 60-year-old parking-garage attendant who lives in a small apartment above a store
in the Northern California suburbs. He’s white, which is significant because he has what is politely
known as an Asian fetish and popularly known as yellow fever. “They’re all so beautiful,” he says,
looking at a display of thumbnail images of prospective Asian brides.
http://tv.nytimes.com/2013/05/06/arts/television/seeking-asian-female-on-pbs-shows-an-internet-order-bride.html?hp&_r=0
5/4/13 libertyunyielding.com: "SC Dem: Let’s send ‘Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from’"
by Howard Portnoy
The party of tolerance and civility strikes again. Mail Online reports that on Friday, Dick Harpootlian,
South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman, told a gathering we’ll send “Nikki Haley back to wherever
the hell she came from.”
Somehow one gets the distinct sense that he was not referring to the town of Bamberg, S.C., where
the current governor of South Carolina was born in 1972 to a couple who had emigrated to the U.S.
from India. Rather, it appears he was casting aspersions on Haley’s heritage.
http://libertyunyielding.com/2013/05/04/sc-dem-lets-send-nikki-haley-back-to-wherever-the-hell-she-came-from/
5/4/13 WUSA9: "Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Why We're Proud"
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Census data shows Asians are now the fastest growing
racial group in the U.S. Locally, both Fairfax and Montgomery Counties saw near 15% increases in the
Asian American population in the last decade. Based on state planning info, the largest demographics
within the region are Chinese, Indian and Korean (in that order). We asked representatives in our newsroom
to talk about taking pride in their identities.
http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/257824/158/Asian-Pacific-American-Heritage-Month-Why-Were-Proud
5/3/13 Los Angeles Times: "Asian Americans had higher poverty rate than whites in 2011, study says,"
by Shan Li
Contrary to popular perception, not all Asian Americans are basking in financial security and working
high-income jobs after years of intensive schooling.
The official poverty rate of Asian Americans in 2011 actually exceeded that of whites by 2.5 percentage
points, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-asian-american-poverty-20130502,0,7842601.story
5/3/13 Smithsonian Magazine: "From the Civil War to Civil Rights: The Many Ways Asian Americans
Have Shaped the Country"
In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, a new traveling show developed by by the
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American
Center seeks to provide a more complete story of Asian American history. Now on view at the American
History Museum, the exhibition “I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story” begins
with the pre-Columbian years and spans the centuries, to tell of the Asian experience with a series of
posters featuring archival images and beautiful illustrations that eventually will travel the country.
A condensed set of exhibition materials will also be distributed to 10,000 schools nationwide as teaching
tools.
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/aroundthemall/2013/05/from-the-civil-war-to-civil-rights-the-many-ways-asian-americans-have-shaped-the-country/
Spring 2013 Bucknell Magazine: "The Forgotten Story of the "First Chinese
American":
A Bucknell Alumnus Led the Fight for Chinese Enfranchisement in the 19th Century."
By Scott D. Seligman
Wong Chin Foo (1847–98), who studied in 1869–70 at what was then the University at Lewisburg, never
accepted as inevitable the lowly position Chinese were compelled to occupy in American society.
He struggled to secure a more central place at the American table. He was the first to employ the term
"Chinese American." He published New York's first Chinese-language newspaper. He established
America's first association of Chinese voters and was probably the first Chinese ever to testify before
Congress. In his three decades in the United States, the outspoken Wong fought tirelessly for the rights
he felt his compatriots deserved. Although little remembered today, he was arguably the most famous
Chinese in the nation during his lifetime.
https://www.bucknell.edu/x81224.xml
5/2/13 Associated Press: "North Korea sentences American to 15 years' labor"
By Sam Kim
Seoul, South Korea (AP) — A Korean American detained for six months in North Korea has been
sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for "hostile acts" against the state, the North's media said Thursday —
a move that could trigger a visit by a high-profile American if history is any guide.
Kenneth Bae, a Washington state man described by friends as a devout Christian and a tour operator,
is at least the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009. The others eventually were deported
or released without serving out their terms, some after trips to Pyongyang by prominent Americans,
including former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-sentences-american-15-years-labor-035931247.html
5/1/13 New York Law Journal: "Asian Americans Find a Voice Within the Law"
by Mike Huang
Although great strides have been made in achieving equality, inequality continues to exist within our
very own profession. As the president of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY),
I have encountered people who are surprised that a minority bar association dedicated to advancing
the interests of Asian Americans within the legal profession exists at all and who have asked about
the necessity for such an organization. This reaction reflects the attitude of mainstream society toward
Asian Americans. When people think of equality, they often think of gender equality, or equality for
minorities, but Asian Americans are not among the minorities about whom society is concerned.
The indifference toward Asian American equality is a result of our having been classified under the
rubric of the "model minority" and thus viewed as achieving success by keeping our heads down and
working hard. But Asian Americans have not achieved the success and equality that we are perceived
to have reached, particularly in the legal profession.
http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/PubArticleNY.jsp?id=1202598045654&Asian_Americans_Find_a_Voice_Within_the_Law&slreturn=20130401073306
5/1/13 Chronicle of Higher Education: "Are Asian Americans Held Back by
Stereotypes? Though Asian-
Americans and Pacific Islanders occupy a higher percentage of full-time, tenured faculty positions than
do other racial-minority groups, they represent a small percentage of the top leadership positions in
higher education."
by Nick DeSantis
Though Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders occupy a higher percentage of full-time, tenured faculty
positions than do other racial-minority groups, they represent a small percentage of the top leadership
positions in higher education, according to a report released on Wednesday by the American Council on
Education.
According to the council’s data, 1.5 percent of college and university presidents are Asian-Americans
and Pacific Islanders. Though that group accounts for 7 percent of full-time, tenured faculty members,
Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders make up just 2 percent of chief academic officers and 3 percent
of academic deans.
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/study-finds-few-asian-americans-and-pacific-islanders-among-college-leaders/59539?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
4/28/13 New York Times: "New Suburban Dream Born of Asia and Southern California"
By Jennifer Medina
San Marino, Calif. — Beneath the palm trees that line Huntington Drive, named for the railroad
magnate who founded this Southern California city, hang signs to honor families who have helped
sponsor the centennial celebration here this year. There are names like Dryden, Crowley and Telleen,
families that have lived here for generations. But there are newer names as well: Sun, Koo and Shi.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/us/asians-now-largest-immigrant-group-in-southern-california.html?hp&_r=1&&pagewanted=all
4/28/13 Diverse Education: "Asian Pacific Americans Still Battling Stereotype of Not Being Assertive Enough to Lead"
by Lydia Lum
San Francisco — Although both of Dr. Lori Adrian’s parents were educators in their native Philippines,
she still describes her college presidency as an accident of sorts. Consider her life and career path:
http://diverseeducation.com/article/52943/#
4/26/2013 Huffington Post: "Lu Lingzi's America"
I can't get Lu Lingzi, the young Chinese student killed during last Monday's Boston Marathon bombing,
out of my head. I feel deeply for all the victims, but for some reason it's Lu's face, ethereal and half-smiling,
hand poised to eat a strawberry sundae, haunting me.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kaitlin-solimine/lu-lingzis-america_b_3155047.html
4/26/13 Tampa Bay Times: "As America's fastest-growing immigrant group, Asians find a growing voice"
by Alex Leary, Times Washington Bureau Chief
Annandale, Va.- It is the fastest-growing immigrant group in the United States, sweeping in cultural,
political and demographic changes. Hispanics? No. The wave flows from China, Vietnam, South Korea,
the Philippines and India — Asians who are asserting themselves economically, scrambling elections
and have much at stake as Congress begins to tackle immigration reform. "It's been building for years
but we have a place at the table," said Shekar Narasimhan, an Indian-American entrepreneur in the
Virginia suburbs of Washington. "We can't be ignored anymore. It feels terrific."
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/as-americas-fastest-growing-immigrant-group-asians-find-a-growing-voice/2117633
4/25/2013 Boston Globe: "Carjack victim recounts his harrowing night"
By Eric Moskowitz
The 26-year-old Chinese entrepreneur had just pulled his new Mercedes to the curb on Brighton
Avenue to answer a text when an old sedan swerved behind him, slamming on the brakes. A man in
dark clothes got out and approached the passenger window. It was nearly 11 p.m. last Thursday.
The man rapped on the glass, speaking quickly. Danny, unable to hear him, lowered the window --
and the man reached an arm through, unlocked the door, and climbed in, brandishing a silver handgun.
“Don’t be stupid,” he told Danny. He asked if he had followed the news about Monday’s Boston
Marathon bombings. Danny had, down to the release of the grainy suspect photos less than six hours
earlier.
“I did that,” said the man, who would later be identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev. “And I just killed a
policeman in Cambridge.”
He ordered Danny to drive -- right on Fordham Road, right again on Commonwealth Avenue --
the beginning of an achingly slow odyssey last Thursday night and Friday morning in which Danny
felt the possibility of death pressing on him like a vise.
http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/04/25/carjack-victim-recounts-his-harrowing-night/BhQWGzarWee8MZ6KtMHJNN/story.html
4/24/2013 San Jose Mercury News: "Glass ceiling: Asian Americans still under-represented in
Silicon Valley leadership"
by Buck Gee, Denise Peck and Vish Mishra
While the proportion of Asian American high tech workers in Silicon Valley has grown from 38
percent in 2000 to over 50 percent in 2010, their representation on senior executive teams is only
11 percent. In board rooms, their presence has declined from 8.8 percent to 8.3 percent. And even
though Chinese Americans constitute the largest Asian group, their board representation has
dropped from 5 percent to 3 percent.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_23100254/glass-ceiling-asian-americans-still-under-represented-silicon
4/24/13 The Careerist: "Big Law's Bamboo Ceiling—Is It Finally Broken?"
by Vivia Chen
Have Asian Americans broken the racial barriers when it comes to career success? You'd think so,
judging by the recent Pew survey, which I reported on a few days ago, that finds Asian Americans
to be better educated, wealthier, and happier than most Americans. In fact, a sizable percentage of
Asian Americans no longer regard discrimination as a major issue in their own lives (over 80 percent
say it's a "minor" problem or "not a problem").
http://thecareerist.typepad.com/thecareerist/2013/04/generational-divide-among-asian-americans.html#.UXkcMwywc_Q.facebook
4/23/13 The Daily Mail: "Chinese carjack victim of Boston bombers only escaped when they stopped for
Red Bull... and they didn't kill him because he 'wasn't American'"
By Paul Thompson
Close call: The victim was able to jump out of the car and flee while Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, pictured,
looked to buy cans of Red Bull and chocolate bars
A man taken hostage by the alleged Boston bombers after he was car jacked was able to escape after
they stopped to buy cans of Red Bull at a gas station, MailOnline can reveal.
The carjacking victim, whose name has not been revealed, has told authorities that being Chinese
almost certainly saved his life, saying that the brothers told him they would not kill him because he was
'not American.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2313333/Boston-Marathon-bombings-Carjack-victim-spared-suspects-wasnt-American.html
4/22/13 Bloomberg BNA
Q&A: Implicit Bias Effect on Asian American Workers
by Lydell C. Bridgeford
Marita Etcubañez, director of programs at the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), discusses how
implicit bias and stereotypes of Asian Americans can hinder their career advancement in the workplace.
http://www.bna.com/qa-implicit-bias-b17179873498/
4/18/2013 The Huffington Post: "'Chinese In Hollywood' To Shine A Light On Forgotten Chinese
Contributions To Entertainment"
By Anna Almendrala
Have you ever heard of Esther Eng, a trailblazing Chinese-American filmmaker? By the time she
was 35, she had directed 10 feature films. Notably, she was also the one who gave Bruce Lee his
first-ever starring role, in her film "Golden Gate Girl" (1941).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/18/chinese-in-hollywood-indi_n_3103513.html#slide=more292642
4/18/13 Boston University: "BU Scholarship to Honor LU Lingzi: In response to worldwide outpouring,
trustees launch fund with $560,000"
by Susan Seligson
BU has created a scholarship fund in memory of LU Lingzi (GRS’14), the graduate student who was
killed in the bomb blast near the Boston Marathon finish line.
http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/bu-scholarship-will-honor-lu-lingzi/
Contribute to the LU Lingzi Memorial Scholarship Fund here.
https://www.bu.edu/alumni-forms/forms/lu-lingzi-fund/
4/18/13 Asian Journal: "Asian American leaders call for more inclusive immigration
bill: Senate
legislation is step in right direction, but excludes needs of many immigrants"
Washington – The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), a coalition of 30 national
Asian Pacific American organizations, released the following statement Wednesday regarding the
introduction of an immigration reform bill in the U.S. Senate:
http://www.asianjournal.com/community/community-news/20151-asian-american-leaders-call-for-more-inclusive-immigration-billn.html
4/18/2013 San Jose Mercury News: "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders left out of immigration debate"
By Paul Fong and Mayra Cruz
For the first time in history, the influx of Asians moving to the United States has surpassed that of
Latinos, and although Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders make up only 5 percent of the U.S.
population, they account for 12 percent or 1.5 million of the 12 million aspiring Americans in the country.
This means that more than 10 percent of this community is undocumented.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_23054577/common-cause-voters-can-help-reverse-citizens-united
4/18/13 Bloomberg: "How Republicans Can Win Over Asian-Americans"
By Lanhee Chen
I am the son of Taiwanese immigrants who came to the U.S. in the 1970s seeking opportunity for
themselves and the chance for their children to grow up in a more prosperous society. My story is not
unusual among Asian-Americans. It’s also a profile that is tailor-made for the Republican Party, which
stands for enhancing opportunity. Yet Asian-Americans from my generation (and others) are finding less
and less appeal in the Republican Party.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-18/how-republicans-can-win-over-asian-americans.html
4/15/13 Time: "The Thin-Envelope Crisis"
By Fareed Zakaria
In an essay in the American Conservative, Ron Unz uses a
mountain of data to charge that America's
top colleges and universities have over the past two decades maintained a
quota--an upper limit--of
about 16.5% for Asian Americans, despite their exploding applicant numbers and
high achievements.
Some of Unz's data is bad. His numbers do not account for the many Asian mixed-race students and
others who refuse to divulge their race (largely from fears that they will be rejected because of a quota).
Two Ivy League admissions officers estimated to me that Asian Americans probably make up more
than 20% of their entering classes. Even so, institutions that are highly selective but rely on more
objective measures for admission have found that their Asian-American populations have risen much
more sharply over the past two decades. Caltech and the University of California, Berkeley, are now
about 40% Asian. New York City's Stuyvesant High School admits about 1,000 students out of the
30,000 who take a math and reading test (and thus is twice as selective as Harvard). It is now 72%
Asian American. The U.S. math and science olympiad winners are more than 70% Asian American.
In this context, for the U.S.'s top colleges and universities to be at 20% is, at the least, worth some
reflection.
Test scores are only one measure of a student's achievement, and other qualities must be taken
into account. But it's worth keeping in mind that the arguments for such subjective criteria are precisely
those that were made in the 1930s to justify quotas for Jews. In fact, in his book The Chosen: The
Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale and Princeton, scholar Jerome Karabel
exhaustively documented how nonobjective admissions criteria such as interviews and extracurriculars
were put in place by Ivy League schools in large measure to keep Jewish admissions from rising.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2140209,00.html
4/14/13 Crain's New York Business: "The city comptroller takes on Jamie Dimon
despite—
or because of—his own trouble."
Liu on the Chase
City Comptroller John Liu, a Democratic mayoral candidate, is using his power as a trustee of
public pensions with investments in JPMorgan Chase & Co. to strip CEO Jamie Dimon of his role
as chairman in light of the $6 billion "London whale" trading loss. While Mr. Liu flexes his office's
muscle, his former campaign treasurer is set to face trial over an alleged donation scheme.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130414/POLITICS/304149974
4/11/13 USA Today: "GOP sees need to woo Asian-American voters"
by Martha T. Moore
Asian Americans used to vote heavily Republican, but they have swung to Democrats.
They are a small but fast-growing demographic
Republicans try to gear outreach to Asian Americans
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/04/11/republicans-asian-americans/2066389/
4/11/13 Northwest Asian Weekly: "More than just the money — Asian American NFL agent seeks
character in clients"
By Jason J. Cruz
“Show me the money!” That line made famous by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the movie “Jerry Maguire”
exemplifies the greed of sports management.
Eugene Lee, professional sports agent, is seeking to go beyond this. As the NFL Draft takes place on
April 20, Lee will be tending to the needs of his players, as they hope to realize their dreams of finally
making it to the National Football League.
http://nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/32_16/sports_agent1.JPG
4/10/2013 Huffington Post: "We Are Not Newcomers or Bystanders: Asian Americans and the
Struggle for Immigration Reform"
by Deepa Iyer (Executive Director, South Asian Americans Leading Together)
Taking part in the immigrant rights rally in Washington D.C. on April 10th is significant for me, not
only as an immigrant and an advocate for racial justice, but as an Asian American. Despite common
perceptions, Asian Americans are neither newcomers nor bystanders in the struggle for equality of
immigrants in the United States. We are inheritors of a history of restrictive and racist immigration
policies, from the Chinese Exclusion Act to quotas limiting migration from Asian countries to the
post 9/11 program called NSEERS (National Security Entry/Exit Registration System). We are also
the beneficiaries of the courageous acts of people such as Takao Ozawa, Bhagat Singh Thind and
many others who challenged unfair immigration policies at the beginning of the 20th century. This
history of resilience and struggle continues today, as Asian American DREAMers, exploited workers,
detained immigrants and separated family members share stories of hardship and mistreatment,
and call for changes to our country's broken immigration system.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepa-iyer/asian-americans-immigration-reform_b_3051950.html
4/10/13 Hyphen Magazine: "Hot Asian American Guys Are Taking Over My TV (Finally)"
by Theresa Celebra
I'm thirty years old and have been watching TV for a pretty long time, and I feel fully confident in
saying this has the best season of all time for hot Asian American men. To complement Dianne's
Hyphen TV column, I made a short list of favorites. This season I've religiously watched three shows
in particular, and all of them have featured pretty attractive Asian American guys -- all getting the girl.
http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2013/04/hot-asian-american-guys-are-taking-over-my-tv-finally
4/9/13 Los Angeles Times:
"Republicans reach out to Asian American voters with new hires"
By Maeve Reston
As the 168 members of the Republican National Committee head to Los Angeles for their spring
meeting — a visit meant to illustrate the party’s commitment to broadening its reach even in the bluest of
states — Chairman Reince Priebus announced two new hires who will focus on stepping up the party’s
efforts to engage voters in Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
The hirings of Stephen Fong as a national field director and Jason Chung as a national communications
director are the first in a series of changes that will be announced this week as the party’s members
debate actions intended to reverse their losses in the 2012 presidential race.
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-75290059/
4/9/13 Capital New York: "A candidate forum touching on John Liu, the 7 line and 'Asian massage therapy'"
By Azi Paybarah
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/04/8528917/candidate-forum-touching-john-liu-7-line-and-asian-massage-therapy
4/9/13 The American Spectator: "Tests and Tiger Moms"
By Thomas Sowell
Recent statistics on the students who passed the examination to get into Stuyvesant High School raise
troubling questions that are unlikely to receive the kind of serious answers they deserve.
These successful applicants included 9 black students, 24 Latino students, 177 white students and
620 Asian Americans.
http://spectator.org/archives/2013/04/09/tests-and-tiger-moms/print
4/8/13 CNN: "Caught in the middle: Asian immigrants struggle to stay in America"
By Sudip Bhattacharya
Washington (CNN) -- It should have been a happy day for Raymond Jose: He had been accepted to
college, with scholarships to help pay for it.
But when he told his parents, his mother started to cry.
"I was puzzled why she was crying after hearing such great news," said Jose, who was to attend
Montgomery College in Maryland. "That was when she started to explain to me we were undocumented,
that we had overstayed our tourist visas."
Jose's family had come to the United States from the Philippines in 2000, when Jose was 9. They first
lived in the Tampa Bay, Florida, area but moved four years later to Maryland.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/08/politics/asian-american-immigration/
4/7/13 Crains New York: "Big trouble, little Chinatown bank: DA's charges against Abacus Federal:
Financial fraud or Asia-U.S. culture clash?"
by Dave Lindorff
When Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. invited local media last May to watch 19
employees of Chinatown's Abacus Federal Savings Bank being led together in chains out of the
bank for arraignment, he no doubt failed to imagine that the spectacle would remind more than a
few city residents of a Chinese road gang in the U.S. over a century ago.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130407/FINANCE/304079977
4/6/13 News Track India: "Asian-American basketball player says 'ethnicity' reason behind
NBA, college snub"
New York (ANI): American professional basketball player Jeremy Lin has revealed in an
interview that he was not drafted by any National Basketball Association (NBA) club or get a
major college scholarship because of his ethnicity.
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2013/04/06/212-Asian-American-basketball-player-says-ethnicity-reason-behind-NBA-college-snub.html
4/5/13 New American Media: "Roger Ebert Defended Asian-American Cinema"
by Suzanne Joe Kai
I will remember Roger Ebert not only for his reviews and commentary, but also for his
advocacy of Asian American cinema.
http://newamericamedia.org/2013/04/roger-ebert-defended-asian-american-cinema.php
4/5/2013 Washington Post: "McLean’s John Tran named first Asian-American judge in
Virginia history, to join Fairfax bench"
By Tom Jackman
McLean resident John M. Tran, a former federal and Alexandria city prosecutor, was elected
early Thursday to the Fairfax County Circuit Court by the Virginia General Assembly. Tran,
remarkably, will become the first Asian-American ever to serve as a judge in the
Commonwealth of Virginia.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/mcleans-john-tran-named-first-asian-american-judge-in-virginia-history-to-join-fairfax-bench/2013/04/04/d9863634-9d68-11e2-a2db-efc5298a95e1_blog.html
4/4/13 Huffington Post: "Pew Research vs Asian Americans"
Recently, some legitimate questions have been raised about The Pew Internet and
American Life Project's new "Demographics of Social Media Users" study for failing
to include Asian-Americans. Unfortunately, Pew's response has only highlighted the glaring
problem that for 20 years Asians have been regularly excluded from all of their research
studies, not just this latest one on digital aptitude.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julia-huang/pew-vs-asian-americans_b_3017428.html?view=print&comm_ref=false
4/4/13 Nonprofit Quarterly: "Harvard “Reject” to Establish Asian American University"
by Erwin de Leon
Before long, Asian American students may have an alternative to Harvard and other top colleges.
Hun Loo Gong, a self-made tech billionaire and Harvard reject, is reportedly establishing a university
in California for students he calls “vengeful rejects” of elite institutions, “students who want to let
Harvard and Berkeley and Stanford know the schools made a great, big mistake.”
http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/22076-harvard-reject-to-establish-asian-american-university.html
3/31/13
diverseeducation.com: "Rejected Asian Americans Start New “Historical
Asian American
College and University” Movement"
by Emil Guillermo
Hun Loo “Lincoln” Gong, a self-made billionaire who
designed the first chip that enabled laptops to
automatically read both Apple and PC software in Chinese and English, was
rejected from Harvard in 1981.
He has never forgotten that, nor the fact that it’s
impossibly difficult for Asian Americans to get beyond
the limitations of top institutions with increasingly high percentages of Asian
American students.
Gong knew of other high level executives in the tech field
who were Asian immigrants, now naturalized
citizens, but were rejected from their top choices like Harvard, UC Berkeley,
and Stanford. Last month,
during a poker night in San Jose, Calif., Gong got his millionaire buddies to
pool close to $1 billion dollars
to create a full-fledged university based in California, that would cater to
what he called the “vengeful rejects.”
Then they will set up a virtual online university that will
give opportunities to Asian immigrants abroad
to receive American degrees, as well as Asian Americans who got rejected from
the top schools.
http://diverseeducation.com/article/52302/#
3/28/13 Rafu Shimpo: LA Daily Japanese News: "Into the Next Stage: ‘Olympus Has Fallen’:
Not Even One Asian American Face? Really?"
By Guy Aoki
For years, I worried about the impact of the “Red Dawn” remake, where North Koreans invade
Seattle and take over the country. I should’ve paid more attention to another movie just released
by the same company, Film District, “Olympus Has Fallen.” . . . . .
2. It doesn’t feature one Asian American face — let alone someone who speaks any lines —
to offset the vicious North Korean terrorists.
http://www.rafu.com/2013/03/into-the-next-stage-olympus-has-fallen-not-even-one-asian-american-face-really/
3/21/13 Inside Higher Ed:
"Academics born in India see growth in presidential ranks,"
by Kevin Kiley
Asians and Asian Americans make up 5.4 percent of all undergraduate teaching faculty in the country,
according to a 2011 survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California
Los Angeles. In a survey of presidents and chancellors by the American Council on Education also
released in 2011, Asian and Asian-Americans only made up 1.5 percent of those individuals.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/03/21/academics-born-india-see-growth-presidential-ranks
3/20/13 New America
Media: "Proof-of-Citizenship Laws 'Disenfranchise' Asian Americans"
Op-ed, by Glenn Magpantay
After the 2012 elections, political leaders across the country recognized the Asian Pacific Islander
community and its ability to influence local, state and national races. Yet in several states, legislatures
have adopted laws that effectively disenfranchise members of these communities.
Arizona, Alabama, Kansas, Tennessee, and Georgia – home to sizable and growing API and Latino
communities -- now require voters to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. At least twelve
other states are considering passing similar laws.
http://newamericamedia.org/2013/03/proof-of-citizenship-laws-disenfranchise-asian-americans.php
3/17/13 Washington Post: "Comptroller launches bid to become NYC’s first Asian-American mayor,
while ex-aides face trial"
By Associated Press
New York — City Comptroller John Liu embarked Sunday on a mayoral bid that illuminates the
political rise of New York City’s Asian-American population but has been shadowed by a
fundraising-
conspiracy case against two former aides.
Already the first person of Asian descent to be elected citywide in New York, Liu, a Democrat,
hopes to become its first Asian-American mayor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/comptroller-launches-bid-to-become-nycs-first-asian-american-mayor-while-ex-aides-face-trial/2013/03/17/7c7d4096-8f4d-11e2-9173-7f87cda73b49_print.html
3/17/13 Los Angeles Times: "Another side of illegal immigration: Unlike their parents, who generally
remain silent and live in fear and shame, young Asians and Pacific Islanders are joining to advocate
immigration reform."
by Steve Lopez
Denise Panaligan, 19, confessed to me that she was nervous.
Why?
Because she had never stood up in public and admitted that she and her family had moved here a
decade ago from the Philippines without papers. Like many of her peers who came to the United States
as children, Panaligan had no idea she was undocumented until she was ready to apply for college and
needed a Social Security number.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0317-lopez-asianimmigrants-20130317,0,1762627.column
3/15/13 Patheos: "Asian and Asian American Catholicism"
By Jerry Park
St. Basil’s is one of the main Catholic churches for Los Angelenos and is well-positioned for
walking from Koreatown. During my two days there, I witnessed specific Korean prayers and even
modes of prayer that I had not seen in my years growing up in mixed-ethnic Catholic churches in
New Jersey and Philadelphia. Three years later, I’m reminded of how significant Catholicism is
for many Korean immigrants and many Koreans.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/blackwhiteandgray/2013/03/asian-and-asian-american-catholicism/
3/14/13 Rafu Shimpo (Los Angeles Japanese Daily News): "Into The Next Stage: The Politics
Behind Getting an Asian American Star in ‘21 and Over’"
By Guy Aoki
It was encouraging to see trailers for “21 and Over” because it focused on two white friends
trying to help their best friend (Justin Chon) celebrate his 21st birthday. It’s rare that Asian
American characters get to be that prominent in a film. The names of the actors playing his friends
Casey (Skylar Astin) and Miller (Miles Teller), come first in the credits with Chon in the third slot.
http://www.rafu.com/2013/03/into-the-next-stage-the-politics-behind-getting-an-asian-american-star-in-21-and-over/
3/13/13 Schoolbook.org: "Debate of Single-Test Admissions Policy Divides on Access and Race"
By Beth Fertig
The multiple-choice test that determines admission to the city’s specialized high schools,
the Specialized High School Admissions Test, is at the center of a legal complaint as well as a
vast and lucrative business of test-prep tutoring.
Each fall, about 30,000 kids take the test in the hope of landing one of the 6,000 available spots.
Out of nearly 28,000 students who applied for the 2012-13 school year, only 5 percent of black
students received offers and 6.7 percent of Latinos while 30.6 percent of white and 35 percent of
Asians received offers.
Asian students currently account for 60 percent of the students attending the highly competitive
schools.
http://www.schoolbook.org/2013/03/13/city-faces-scrutiny-about-exam-for-its-specialized-high-schools/
3/13/13 AsianScientist: "Asian American Engineers Honored For Their Contributions To
U.S. Research"
AsianScientist (Mar. 13, 2013) – At the recent Asian American Engineer of the Year (AAEOY)
Awards ceremony, 19 senior and upcoming engineers were recognized for their contributions to
U.S. research.
http://www.asianscientist.com/topnews/asian-american-engineer-year-award-2013/
3/12/13 Gothamist: "NY's First Asian American Assemblyman Gets A Month In Jail For Bribery,"
By Garth Johnston
Jimmy Meng was the first Asian American to be elected to the New York State legislature in
2004 and today he became the first Asian American former Assemblyman to be sent to jail on
bribery charges. Meng, the father of New York's first Asian American Congresswoman Grace
Meng, was sentenced today to one month in jail and fined $30,000 for his role in an $80,000 in
a fruit basket bribery scheme.
http://gothamist.com/2013/03/12/nys_first_asian_american_assemblyma.php
3/11/13 WBUR Boston: "Discrimination Against Asians In College Admissions; College
acceptance letters are coming. A call to accept more qualified Asian
students"
Carolyn Chen: “At the end of this month, high school seniors will submit their college
applications and begin waiting to hear where they will spend the next four years of their lives.
More than they might realize, the outcome will depend on race. If you are Asian, your chances of
getting into the most selective colleges and universities will almost certainly be lower than if you
are white.”
Carolyn Chen, director in Asian American Studies at Northwestern University, where she is
also professor of sociology. In December she wrote an op-ed in the New York Times titled,
“Asians: Too Smart for Their Own Good?”
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/03/11/asian-discrimination
3/9/13 New York Times: "The Leading Liberal Against Affirmative Action
By David Leonhardt
Perhaps the most prominent self-described progressive with doubts about the current version of
affirmative action is Richard D. Kahlenberg, of the Century Foundation. Mr. Kahlenberg argues that
a race-focused version of affirmative action can be unfair, is inconsistent with many of the program’s
original goals and has lost the support of the public. Today’s affirmative action, he says, helps
perpetuate privilege, by helping to fill elite-college campuses with an ethnically diverse mix of affluent
students.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/the-leading-liberal-against-affirmative-action/
3/9/13 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Asian Americans say the faced voting problems"
By Dan Klepal
Asian American voters in Georgia had a range of problems during the 2012 presidential
election, including being improperly asked to show proof of citizenship at the polls, not having access
to translators or interpreters when reviewing ballots, and having their names misspelled on voter rolls.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/asian-americans-say-the-faced-voting-problems/nWmtH/
3/7/13 Fronteras: "Asian-Americans Have Their Own Priorities For Immigration Reform"
by Charles Castaldi
Many observers on Capitol Hill believe that after the sequestration showdown, the White House and
Congress will actually make an effort to compromise and pass immigration reform laws this year. And
among the voices wanting to make themselves heard in the immigration debate are some who are
definitely not speaking Spanish.
The variety of those voices can be heard at the downtown L.A. headquarters of the Asian Pacific
American Legal Center (APALC). Inside their offices, a multitude of languages are spoken: Korean,
Vietnamese, Tagalog, Mandarin, Cantonese, Khmer, Thai, Hindi, Punjabi. It’s a long list that reflects
the changing demographics of the L.A. area.
http://www.fronterasdesk.org/news/2013/mar/07/asian-americans-have-their-own-priorities-immigrat/
3/7/13 PolicyMic: "Why Are Asian Americans Fleeing the GOP?"
by Yumi Araki
Not too long ago, the Republican Party was successful in appealing to Asian Americans; a cohort
that seems to embody the conservative identity better than any other non-white group in America.
As the highest earning ethnic group with the highest number of degree-holders, Asian Americans are
also the most likely to embark on conservative-leaning professions. On paper, Asian Americans fit
the GOP bill. So then why did 73% of them vote for Obama?
http://www.policymic.com/articles/28996/why-are-asian-americans-fleeing-the-gop
3/4/13 Gallup.com: "Asian-Americans Solidly Prefer Democrats; Sixty-one percent of young adult
Asian-Americans identify as/lean Democratic"
by Andrew Dugan
Washington, D.C. -- Asian-Americans -- who were a key part, if sometimes overlooked, of President
Barack Obama's 2012 electoral coalition -- solidly back the Democratic Party, with 57% identifying as
or leaning Democratic, compared with 28% identifying as or leaning Republican. Thirteen percent are
"pure" independents. However, the data suggest that a substantial portion of Asian-Americans are not
entirely wedded to either of the major political parties: 46% first describe themselves as independent
or other, and only when asked if they "lean" Republican or Democratic does the Democratic Party
garner its majority support within this group.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/160775/asian-americans-solidly-prefer-democrats.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=syndication
3/3/13
Associated Press: "McConnell takes on group for criticizing wife
Elaine Chao"
By Roger Alford
Winchester, Ky. (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell lambasted a liberal group on
Saturday for criticizing the Asian heritage of his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, calling its
Twitter messages "racial slurs" and "the ultimate outrage."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/03/mcconnell-takes-on-group-for-criticizing-wife-digs-in-for-tough-reelection/
3/3/12 Asian Fortune News: "Asian American Students Top U.S. Graduation Rates"
By Jhee Yoon
Washington, D.C.—Asian/Pacific Islanders have the highest high school graduation rates of any ethnic
groups in America, according to the U.S. Department of Education. 93.5% of Asian and
Pacific Islander
students received diplomas at the end of the 2009-2010 school year, the focus of a study from DOE’s
National Center for Education Statistics.
AAPI students are followed by white student graduates (83.0 percent), Hispanics (71.4 percent),
American Indian/Alaska Natives (69.1 percent), and African Americans (66.1 percent).
Asian Americans also do best at the other end of the spectrum, having the lowest calculated dropout
rate of 1.9 %, followed by white students, who have a 2.3 percent dropout rate. The dropout rate for
Hispanics students is 5.0%, followed by African Americans at 5.5%, and American Indian/Alaska Natives
at 6.7%.
The overall on-time high school graduation rate is at 78.2%, a rise of 2.7%.
78.2% ls the highest level
since 1974.
http://www.asianfortunenews.com/article_0313.php?article_id=4
3/2/13 Asian Journal: "4 Asian Americans vying for LA City Council seats,"
by Joseph Pimentel
Los Angeles – A historic four Asian Americans are vying for a seat in the LA City Council -- a place
they have not had representation since the mid-1980s and early 1990s.
Korean Americans John Choi and Emile Mack; and Filipino-American Alex De Ocampo, are among
the 12 competitors aiming to replace mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti in the 13th Council District.
Japanese American LAPD Deputy Chief Terry Hara is running for the 9th Council District seat in the
March 5 primary election.
http://www.asianjournal.com/dateline-usa/15-dateline-usa/19629-4-asian-americans-vying-for-la-city-council-seats.html
2/28/13 Associated Press: "First Asian-American studio chief brings hard work, humor to Warner
Bros:
From eggs to film: A Japanese-American studio head"
By Ryan Nakashima
There isn't much "Hollywood" about Kevin Tsujihara.
He spends most of his time in back-room meetings, away from the red carpets and spotlights for
which the city is known. There are few photos of him online, and a few weeks ago, someone created
the first page for him on Wikipedia.
http://www.newser.com/article/da4nsnmg1/first-asian-american-studio-chief-brings-hard-work-humor-to-warner-bros.html
2/28/13 Hyphen Magazine: "21 and Over: Making Jokes and Breaking Stereotypes"
by Nam Le
I’m going to review this movie twice, from two angles. Neither view is particularly more important than
the other -- but both are inseparable from how I feel about 21 and Over.
Part I: Reviewing the Movie as an Avid Movie-watcher and Armchair Critic
Part II: Reviewing the Movie as an Asian American Studies Minor
http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2013/02/21-and-over-making-jokes-and-breaking-stereotypes
2/28/13 The Detroit News: "Survey highlights challenges for Metro Detroit's Asian-Americans,"
By Shawn D. Lewis
Metro Detroit's Asian-American community faces bullying in schools, barriers to career advancement
and high unemployment, according to an assessment that will be delivered to state lawmakers Thursday.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130228/METRO/302280392/1409/metro/Survey-highlights-challenges-Metro-Detroit-s-Asian-Americans
2/27/13 Houston Chronicle: "Is Texas’ Asian-American political voice at risk?"
As the U.S. Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of Section 5, a key provision of the landmark
Voting Rights Act of 1965, this week in Shelby Co. v. Holder, the need to protect Asian-American voters’
rights has never been greater.
http://blog.chron.com/intheloop/2013/02/is-texas-asian-american-political-voice-at-risk/
2/26/13 The Daily Beast: "Why Asian-Americans Have Turned Their Backs on the Republican Party"
by Lloyd Green
As recently as the 1990s, the fast-growing group leaned right. Lloyd Green on what changed.
The Republican Party’s problems with Latino voters are well documented, but its poor performance
with Asian-Americans should be giving the party even greater pause. By and large, Asian-Americans are
affluent, well educated, and disproportionately absent from the dreaded 47 percent. Moreover, they once
had a history of voting Republican. In 1992, Asian-Americans favored George H. W. Bush over Bill
Clinton, and four years later they went for Bob Dole.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/26/why-asian-americans-have-turned-their-backs-on-the-republican-party.html
2/24/13 New York Times: "Chinese Moving to East Harlem in a Quiet Shift From Downtown"
By J. David Goodman
For 10 days last month, a robbery pattern in East Harlem drew the heightened attention of the Police
Department, which flooded the area with patrol officers and papered storefronts with wanted posters.
There was nothing unusual in the robber’s methods — stalking victims into elevators, beating them with
fists and making off with wallets, purses and cellphones — but his choice of victims added an alarming and,
for Spanish Harlem, perhaps unexpected demographic twist: all were Chinese.
The pattern of robberies, eight in all, brought unique challenges for the uptown precincts and forced the
Police Department to draw from its well of 149 Chinese-speaking officers, some of whom were reassigned
to East Harlem from Chinatown.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/nyregion/chinese-moving-to-east-harlem-some-from-chinatown.html?smid=fb-share
February 2013 Texas Monthly: "Found in Translation: Activist Glenda Joe on the immigrant experience
in Houston"
by Erica Grieder
One of Houston’s most touted attributes is its diversity. Just last year sociologists at Rice University
reported that the city had become the most ethnically diverse large metropolitan area in the United States.
Though Latinos saw the largest increase, the group with the fastest rate of growth was Asians, who now
make up 6.5 percent of the Houston metro population, up from 3.4 percent in 1990. Among the latter
community’s longtime activists is Glenda Joe, who embarked on a career in cross-cultural
communication in the seventies when she saw firsthand how the city’s diversity was contributing to both
its economic development and racial tensions. The 59-year-old has worked with everyone from Ku Klux
Klan members and Vietnamese fishermen to Korean grocers and black, white, and Latino high school
students; this month she will produce the 2013 Lunar New Year festival for some 50,000 people.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/found-translation
2/20/13 CNN: "Opinion: Asian-American men can be sexy, too
By Michael Hung
Michael Hung is a chef and writer living in San Francisco.
(CNN) - I've had three long-term relationships in my life, all with Asian-American women.
It was never a conscious decision to date solely within my race. In most ways, those relationships
were serendipitous. I'd met intelligent, loving, beautiful girls who happened to look like me. But this
idea of happy coincidence, in retrospect, was only partially true.
http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/20/holdopinion-asian-american-men-can-be-sexy-too/?hpt=hp_t2
2/12/13 The Hill: "Asian American priorities for immigration reform"
By Reps. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Michael Honda (D-Calif.) -
When Woodrow Wilson established the annual State of the Union address a hundred years ago,
the United States had a strict policy forbidding Asian immigrants from even setting foot on our
shores. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the law of the land, and it remains the only federal law to
ever exclude an entire group of people from immigration solely because of their race.
Moving forward, it is crucial that we also recognize the impact of our broken immigration system
on Asian Pacific Americans, a community that is often overlooked in this debate.
Today, Asians make up the largest group of new immigrants coming to the U.S. with nearly three
quarters of all Asian American adults being foreign born. Asian Americans are also the fastest
growing racial group in the country. Yet it’s somehow still rare to hear our community mentioned in
discussions around immigration.
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the leading voice for the Asian Pacific
American community in Congress, recently unveiled five central priorities for immigration reform.
With Asians making up ten percent of all unauthorized immigrants, the first among these is the
need for a roadmap to citizenship. In addition, the caucus has endorsed proposals to strengthen
our economy and workforce, promote integration for new Americans, and establish smarter, more
effective enforcement.
Finally, we support family unity and reducing immigration backlogs. Families should not be
divided across continents when we know that our society benefits by keeping them together.
Jerry Yang, the founder of Yahoo! is a perfect example. His mother brought him from Taiwan to
America when he was ten years old on a family visa. Despite knowing only one English word –
“shoe” – upon arrival, Yang went on to master the language and thrive in his new home, ultimately
founding one of the world’s largest internet companies. He created thousands of American jobs
and provides a service that allows millions of Americans to be more productive. Unfortunately,
many immigrants are not as lucky as Jerry, and some have been forced to wait as long as 23
years to be reunited with their families in the United States.
We are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, and it is time for us to reconcile these facts
with a workable process for people who want to move here. These people share the same
aspirations as past generations of newcomers who helped build this country. Their spirit and talent
is not a threat to our nation’s prosperity – if anything, it’s been the secret to our success. And as
our nation has benefited from diversity, so too will our immigration debate. Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders bring a unique perspective to this discussion, and without our input, the next stage
in this great American experiment will be incomplete.
Chu is chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and a member of the
House Judiciary Committee. Honda is CAPAC chairman emeritus and chairs CAPAC’s Immigration
Taskforce.
2/12/13 The American Prospect: "Why Asian Americans Are So Democratic—In Three Charts"
by Jamelle Bouie
It's ideology, and then some.
Apropos of this morning’s post on the Democratic Party’s overwhelming strength with Asian
Americans, it’s worth looking at why Asians are so supportive of Democrats in general, and
President Obama in particular.
http://prospect.org/article/why-asian-americans-are-so-democratic%E2%80%94-three-charts
2/12/13 The American Prospect: "The GOP's Big Asian-American Problem"
by Jamelle Bouie
A recent survey shows how damaged the Republican brand is with Asian Americans.
Still overlooked in the immigration discussion are Asian Americans, who are the fastest growing
demographic group in the country—and one of the most diverse.
http://prospect.org/article/gops-big-asian-american-problem
2/5/13 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio: "How much disparity is there among Asian Americans? Plenty"
by Leslie Berestein Rojas
The details in a newly issued report on the disparities within California's Asian American population are an eye-opening antidote to the "model minority" myth. They depict a diverse population that's deeply divided along lines of social class, educational attainment, language and more.
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/multiamerican/2013/02/05/12411/how-much-disparity-there-among-asian-americans-ple/
1/31/13 press release: "OCA Supports Policy Framework Presented on Immigration Reform"
Washington, D.C. – OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the political, social, and
economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), is encouraged by the policy framework that
has been presented by the U.S. Senate and President Barack Obama regarding comprehensive
immigration reform.
In the Senate’s bi-partisan policy proposal, individuals who have unlawful residency status can
receive probationary legal status by passing a background check and paying fines and back taxes.
In addition, a new employment verification system and agriculture worker program is set to be
established to regulate policies that have been widely unchecked. President Obama has also
expressed strong support for family reunification, an issue that has separated families for decades,
as well as provisions that extend LGBT families privileges on par with heterosexual families.
“While the framework that has been presented is very broad and does not include specific
details, it does seem to provide a solid foundation toward immigration reform which attempts
to address key human rights issues,” says Sharon M. Wong, OCA National President. “There is
no time like the present to put forth much needed policy solutions that reunifies families, grants
a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented individuals already here, and focus on
growing the country’s economy.”
In addition, the Senate’s initial proposal provides a solution to the immigration “brain-drain”,
a phenomenon where non-citizens are educated under the United States’ education system,
but must return to their country of origin due to restricted issuance of work visas. The new
immigration proposal will award a green card to immigrants who have received a PhD or
Master’s Degree in science, technology, engineering, or math from an American university.
As the legislation will be presented in the coming weeks, specific details will be determined.
It is important to ensure that significant portions of the APA community don’t slip through the
cracks. While agriculture and low-skilled workers have a separate path to citizenship, many
other occupations held by APA immigrants must be included in ensuring a fair and reasonable plan.
“Timely and adequate reform requires strong support from broad segments of our society as well
as a level of creativity that addresses key economic and political priorities of our country,” notes
Tom Hayashi, OCA Executive Director. “We look forward to working with Congressional leaders
on fair and realistic legislation that ensures a competent and humane immigration system for
everyone.”
Contact: Tom Hayashi, Executive Director
1/31/13 NPR: "For Asian-Americans, Immigration Backlogs Are A Major Hurdle"
by Gene Demby
Although the national conversation about immigration policy tends to focus on Latinos, it is
Asian-
Americans who encounter some of the knottiest challenges facing immigrants and immigration
reformers.
Of the five countries with the longest backlogs for visas, four are in Asia.
According to a report from the National Asian American Survey released earlier this week,
Asian-
Americans boast the highest proportion of foreign-born United States residents of any group — about
3 in 4 Asian-American adults were born outside the country — and Asia now accounts for the largest
share of immigration to the U.S. What's more: There are an estimated 1.3 million unauthorized Asian
immigrants in the U.S.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/01/31/170744897/for-asian-americans-immigration-backlogs-are-becoming-a-major-hurdle
1/30/13 New York Post: "Race, the UFT & NYC’s top schools"
By Mark Schulte
The late Al Shanker, the legendary leader of the United Federation of Teachers, must be rolling over
in his grave: The union’s delegate assembly voted last month to support a lawsuit that would destroy
New York City’s top academic high schools.
The suit by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund aims to throw out the Specialized High Schools
Admissions Test, which it claims discriminates against Hispanic and black students.
The test is the sole benchmark for admission into eight city high schools: Stuyvesant, Bronx Science,
Brooklyn Tech, Staten Island Tech, Brooklyn Latin, Queens HS for Sciences, HS of American Studies
and HS for Math, Science and Engineering.
Shanker, a Stuyvesant grad, fought hard against racialist nonsense that harmed education. Yet now
the union he built is joining in.
Before the vote, according to the UFT’s New York Teacher, Janella Hinds, the union’s new vice
president for academic high schools, “argued that fewer than 10 percent of the students admitted to
these schools are black or Latino.”
In fact, during the 2010-11 school year, 2,043 of the 13,988 students at the eight high
schools—or
15 percent — were black or Hispanic. Even the lawsuit, filed last September with the US Department
of Education, cites that stat.
The suit does raise a distressing issue: Black enrollment has fallen at the “Big Three” schools since
the 1990s. In the 2010-11 school year, it was down to 3 percent at Bronx Science, 1 percent at
Stuyvesant and 10 percent at Brooklyn Tech.
But this tells us that the Legal Defense Fund’s gripe isn’t really with the test — the LDF had no
problem with it nearly two decades ago, when black and Hispanic students were succeeding on it.
It’s only now, after Asian New Yorkers have come to trounce their black,
Hispanic and white peers,
that the LDF imagines bias in the test.
For the record, in the 2010-11 school year, these eight schools had 8,240 Asian students
(59 percent), 3,675 whites (26 percent), 1,065 Hispanics (8 percent) and 978 blacks (7 percent).
(For comparison, the public-school system had 985,000 students — 40 percent Hispanic, 30 percent
black and 15 percent each white and Asian.)
But at five of the schools, the black-Hispanic share was pretty good, ranging from 19 percent at
Brooklyn Tech to 51 percent at Brooklyn Latin. The gripe is really just with Stuyvesant (4 percent),
Staten Island Tech (7 percent) and Bronx Science (11 percent).
But what to do about the “underrepresentation” of black and Hispanic students at these three
schools?
I don’t think the problem is the test. My decades of teaching in the city schools tell me that a big
reason Asian kids are doing so well is family support (and “Tiger Mom”-style pressure). The answer
is to provide more support to black and Hispanic kids in the years before they take the test.
Why doesn’t the LDF (and the main NAACP, for that matter), perhaps with UFT volunteers, look
to set up a tutoring program to help these kids be ready to take the admissions test?
This private program could draw on the tens of thousands of successful minority graduates of
the city’s public schools — people like Gen. Colin Powell, former Surgeon General Richard
Carmona, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), writer-actress Esmeralda Santiago, Essence
Communications CEO Edward Lewis, federal Judge Dora Irizarry, Harvard Law’s Lani Guinier,
Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew and Neil de Grasse Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium.
Tutoring programs in all five boroughs would start preparing minority fourth-graders for the test.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the Asian and white fourth-graders
in the city’s public schools are two years ahead of their black and Hispanic classmates in reading
and math. By eighth grade, these gaps are even larger.
The Big Three specialized high schools — Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, Bronx Science — have
been educating the city’s brightest teens for a collective 275 years. For the UFT’s current leadership
to so cavalierly discard this unrivaled success demonstrates educational malpractice that Al Shanker
would have certainly not allowed if he were still directing the union’s affairs.
Mark Schulte is a retired New York City public-school teacher.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/race_the_uft_nyc_top_schools_PiNVPFXpYdu3v4lbMl6CUP#ixzz2JZKPyuEc
1/29/13 www.wbez.org: "Asian-Americans hopeful on immigration reform; Many see their community’s
unique concerns included in discussions"
By: Odette Yousef
Asians are about 10 percent of the 11.5 million undocumented immigrants, according to a 2011
estimate from the U.S. Office of Immigration Statistics. They come primarily from China, the
Philippines, India, Korea, and Vietnam. Mexicans, by contrast, account for nearly 60 percent of the
total. It is not known how many Asian immigrants in Illinois are undocumented, but Asian-Americans
are one of the state’s fastest-growing racial groups.
http://www.wbez.org/asian-americans-hopeful-immigration-reform-105203
1/28/13 Los Angeles Times: "Kevin Tsujihara is named CEO of Warner Bros.;
He has been president of Warner Bros.' home entertainment unit and will become the first
Asian American to run a major Hollywood studio."
By Meg James and Ben Fritz
In a bold bet on the digital future of entertainment, Time Warner Inc. has named Kevin Tsujihara as
chief executive of its Warner Bros. studio — ending a fiercely fought battle for one of the most
powerful jobs in Hollywood.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-warner-chief-20130129,0,3394071,full.story
1/28/2013 San Francisco Chronicle: "Asian-American women's suicide rate tops other racial,
ethnic groups"
by Stephanie M. Lee
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Asian American women ages 65
and older had a higher suicide rate -- 6.5 per 100,000 -- than any other racial or ethnic group
between 2004 and 2007. White women had the next highest suicide rate: 4.3 per 100,000.
http://www.kypost.com/dpps/lifestyle/asian-american-womens-suicide-rate-tops-other-racial-ethnic-groups_8201424
1/26/13 MyFoxNY.com: "Police search for suspect in attacks on Asian-Americans"
by Glenn Wilburn
New York - The NYPD continues the search for the man suspected of attacking Asian-Americans in
East Harlem and parts of the Upper East Side since January 17th.
Authorities say over the past week, the suspect has been assaulting six Asian-American residents
by repeatedly by punching them in the face and head and forcefully removing their property in elevators.
The latest incident took place on Friday when two Asian-American residents were assaulted.
Police say the suspect is described as a light skinned male black or male Hispanic, 6'0"- 6'2",
200 - 230 lbs and wears a black jacket and a black doo-rag or skull cap.
Crime Stoppers is currently offering up to $2,000 in cash for information leading to the arrest and
indictment of the person responsible for these crimes.
Anyone with information can call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/20715005/police-search-for-suspect-in-attacks-on-asian-americans
1/24/2013 Huffington Post: "Chiune Sugihara, Japan Diplomat Who Saved 6,000 Jews During
Holocaust, Remembered"
by Jaweed Kaleem
Most Americans know of Oskar Schindler, the German businessman who saved more than
1,200 lives during the Holocaust by hiring Jews to work in his factories and fought Nazi efforts
to remove them.
But fewer know about Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat who disobeyed his government's
orders and issued visas that allowed 6,000 Jews to escape from Nazi-occupied territories via Japan.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/chiune-sugihara-japanese--jews-holocaust_n_2528666.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl28|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D262198
1/24/13: The College Fix: "Polls Find Disdain for Race-Based College Admission Preferences"
by Danielle Charette - Swarthmore College
A Supreme Court decision on whether universities can use race as an admissions factor is expected
by June, however the court of public opinion has already weighed in on the matter – and Americans of
all stripes stand largely against affirmative action, according to a variety of recent polls.
In those surveys, at least half if not more of those polled voiced opposition to race-based preferences.
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/12482
1/19/13 Washington Post: "Hispanics and Asian Americans celebrate new electoral clout with
inaugural galas, wish lists"
By Pamela Constable and Luz Lazo
Dave Kumar, a District lawyer whose parents immigrated from India before he was born, and
Mauricio Martinez, a Salvadoran refugee who cooks for a catering service in Virginia, have one
important thing in common. Both are part of the historic surge in electoral participation and
activism by immigrant groups, who turned out for President Obama in record numbers last year
and put the country on notice that their votes and voices count.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/inauguration/hispanics-and-asian-americanscelebrate-their-electoral-clout-with-galas-and-legislative-wish-lists/2013/01/19/6e603146-60ca-11e2-9940-6fc488f3fecd_story.html
1/18/13 National Journal: "10 Surprising Statistics on the Political Leanings of Asian-American Voters"
By Doris Nhan
73 percent of Asian-Americans voters supported President Obama in his
reelection, an 11-percentage-
point jump from 2008.
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund conducted an in-depth exit poll of 9,096
Asian-
American voters from 14 states and the District of Columbia.
Geographically, their political leanings were consistent with
how the states eventually swung. The largest
groups of Asian-American voters who voted for Republican contender Mitt Romney were from Louisiana,
Texas and Georgia. All three states went to the former governor. In contrast, an overwhelming majority of
Asians cast their vote for Obama in the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and New York, which went blue
in 2012.
79% of respondents were foreign-born, naturalized citizens. The plurality, 45 percent, were naturalized
more than 10 years ago.
76% of respondents were formally educated in the U.S., with the plurality (40 percent) achieving a college
or university degree. Close to one-quarter of those who were educated in the U.S. have an advanced degree.
57% identified as Democrats. The next largest group, 27 percent, were not registered with a party.
Just 14 percent were Republicans.
37% of Vietnamese-Americans were registered Republicans, the largest percentage for any ethnic group.
The next largest were Filipinos, 26 percent of whom were Republicans, and Koreans at 14 percent.
84% of Indo-Caribbeans were registered as Democrats, the largest percentage of all ethnic groups,
followed by Arabs (80 percent) and Bangladeshi (79 percent).
81% of Asian-Americans in Louisiana voted for Mitt Romney. In contrast, just 2 percent of
Asian-
Americans in the District of Columbia voted red.
53% of respondents said the economy and jobs were the most important factors when voting for president.
That’s followed by health care at 35 percent and education at 27 percent.
65% of respondents showed some or strong support for comprehensive immigration reform. About 21
percent strongly opposed reform or didn’t know.
99% of ethnic Tagalog respondents said they knew English very well or moderately, the largest ethnic
group to say so. The largest ethnic groups that did not know English well or at all were Vietnamese and
Chinese at 30 percent. The majority of Asian-Americans, 84 percent, said they know English very well or
moderately.
82% of first-time voters went for Obama. Just 16 percent of first-time voters supported Romney.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/politics/10-surprising-statistics-on-the-political-leanings-of-asian-american-voters-20130118
1/16/2013 Milpitas Post: "Editorial: New focus on Asian-American achievements reveals inequities;
Company executive suites, elite universities fail to keep up"
by Milpitas Post Staff
Important efforts including research projects highlight the special situation affecting Asian-Americans
at the workplaces in Silicon Valley, and a parallel circumstance relating to admissions at some of our
best public and private institutions of higher learning. Raising the issue takes courage and being a bit
out of step with cultural norms, but unless there is a public awareness about what is happening, these
kinds of conditions remain hidden and become accepted.
Take for example, the executive ranks and board rooms of the major companies we glory in here in
our valley. The Asian-American workforce now accounts for about 50 percent of high-tech employment.
That's up from 39 percent back in the year 2000. The big name high-tech firms, however, only have
about 12 percent of the executive cadre and only 8 percent of the board membership who are of Asian
background.
There are some dramatic exceptions obviously. Solectron CEO Koishi Nishimura is one, Vinod
Khosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems is another; Nvidia's Jen Hsun Huang and Adobe's Shantanu
Narayan are there as well. Everyone can probably add others, but the total percentages tell a far different
story.
Buck Gee, a former Cisco Systems vice president, and Vish Mishra, a major venture capitalist, are
especially aware of this, citing surveys which show that 70 to 80 percent of Asian-Americans polled feel
disadvantaged in workplace promotion.
They are busy developing leadership training at Stanford's Business School. Another reason all of us
should be concerned is that many brilliant Asian-Americans now head back to their original homelands
to start ventures that could help our economy.
The problem also goes to college admissions at some of our top public and private universities
highlighted in a 2012 study by political activist Ron Unz. In 1980, only 5 percent of the Harvard student
body was Asian-American. It climbed steadily until it hit 20 percent in 1993. Subtle changes in admission
practices soon brought that down to 16 percent even though the number of highly qualified Asian
admission candidates continued to rise. The "magical" 16 percent seems to have been rigidly evident
for the past 15 years. The implication that must be drawn is that a quota system of sorts has been
imposed but never admitted. Admissions officers instead use subjective criteria like "uniqueness" or
"individuality" so that the total class will be wide-ranging and not just high achievers in hard sciences
and math.
The U.S. Supreme Court has been placing restraints on universities who attempted to impose quota
systems that tried to bring more African-American and Latino students onto the campus. It would seem
that the current approach to limiting Asian-Americans is simply the other side of the same coin.
Carolyn Chen, a professor at Northwestern, recently wrote a thought-provoking piece in the New York
Times. It was headlined "Asians: too smart for their own good?" Her thesis is that the kinds of implicit
quota systems pursued by the universities influence what kind of America we will become. If our most
renowned schools set quota limits on high achieving Asian-American high school graduates, we are
sending a message that hard work and good grades may be a fool's errand.
Chen's message also emphasized that we still do need affirmative action for minorities, who are
under represented at our best schools. But when it comes to white and Asian-American students the
playing field should be level.
And really, would it be so wrong if we actually did have a meritocracy in college admissions as well
as in later life and careers?
http://www.mercurynews.com/milpitas/ci_22388232/editorial-new-focus-asian-american-achievements-reveals-inequities
1/11/13 kvue.com: "Austin home to growing Asian-American population,"
by Quita Culpepper
Austin - In Travis County, the Asian population stands at 6.8 percent. That's far more than the
national 4.2 percent.
http://www.kvue.com/news/Austin-home-for-Asian-American-population-186553821.html
1/8/13 New York Times: "As Asian-Americans’ Numbers Grow, So Does Their Philanthropy;
A new class of affluent Asian-Americans is making a mark on philanthropy in the United
States"
by Kirk Semple
About 800 people gathered in November in a ballroom in Midtown Manhattan for one of the year’s
more elegant galas. They dined on beef tenderloin with truffle butter, bid on ski and golf vacations in
a charity auction, and gave more than $1 million to a nonprofit group based in New York.
But this was not an old-money event. The donors were largely Korean immigrants and their children.
Members of a new class of affluent Asian-Americans, many of whom have benefited from booms
in finance and technology, are making their mark on philanthropy in the United States. They are
donating large sums to groups focused on their own diasporas or their homelands, like the
organization that held the fund-raiser, the Korean American Community Foundation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/nyregion/as-asian-americans-numbers-grow-so-does-their-philanthropy.html?hp&_r=1&
1/8/13 Washington Examiner: "Shawn Steel: Republicans can win over Asian voters, if they try"
Shawn Steel, California's National Republican Committeeman, and a former chairman of the
California Republican Party writes:
In the wake of Mitt Romney's narrow loss to President Obama, much has been said about improving
Republican outreach to Hispanic voters. While that is true and necessary, there is another neglected voter
demographic with whom the GOP can make more immediate and significant headway: Asian-Pacific
Islanders.
In a national election decided by 4 points or less, tiny pools of voters are crucial. Asians are
America's fastest-growing immigrant community, and Asian voters constitute 2 percent to 7 percent of
registered voters in half of the traditional 10 swing states. This isn't exactly classified information, yet
Team Romney seemed oblivious to it.
Shared conservative values make Asians the best potential citizens for rapid integration into
the
Republican Party.
For example:
Economic achievement makes Asians the immigrant group most rapidly assimilated into the middle
class in U.S. history.
Asian-Americans enjoy longer marriages and have fewer children out of wedlock, and their families are
more intact than the general population's.
First-generation Asian-American voters generally distrust government due to experience in their
homelands, where bribery was the local currency for getting permits and permission. Generally speaking,
they frown on government regulation of their businesses. The GOP is the middle-class party, and Asians
would feel more welcome if properly engaged.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/republicans-can-win-over-asian-voters-if-they-try/article/2515666
1/5/13
Dear Friends, Distinguished Members of the Higher Education Media and Equal Rights Groups,
I am writing to you regarding the serious violation of equal protection, injustice, and discrimination
inflicted by racial preference policies, in particular affirmative action in college admissions, which almost
every college-bound Asian American student is confronted with today. They need your help!
America is poised to become a majority-minority nation. In fact, several states have crossed that line.
Based on the current demographic shift shown in Census data, by 2043 or sooner, it’s projected the
whole country will become a majority-minority nation. Furthermore, the changing national demographics
helped President Obama win two elections. Nobody could argue that President Obama’s 2008 win is an
anomaly. Today, not only do minorities hold key positions in all 3 branches of the Federal government but
also many of them are successful leaders in business, sports, academia, and news media. (Deval Patrick
is the governor of my state and Setti Warren is the major of my city – enough said.) The critical mass is
reached.
As minorities gain in population and political power nationally, racial preferences given to particular
groups are likely to come under fire and scrutiny from public opinions and the judicial courts, if not already.
Increasingly, racial preference affirmative action is an inadequate tool against inequality and in fact is now
causing more injustice and inequality problems than it is intended to solve. Can you imagine a race-based
preference for Asian athletes in the NBA or the NFL? (See article “What If the NBA Had Quotas”)
It is unfortunate that many American universities and colleges, including prestigious private and public
institutions that educate our future leaders, are doing exactly that - secretly and illegally practicing social
engineering using racial preference, quota, or race-based point system in their admission process.
The evidence of these widespread practices and the discrimination against Asian American students is
overwhelming and has been extensively documented (more on this later). Moreover, historical college
admission data and comparative statistical analyses clearly show that discrimination against Asian
American students is systematic and institutionalized in most Ivy League universities, including Harvard,
Princeton, and Yale, as well as many public universities, including Univ. of Texas, Univ. of Michigan,
Univ. of Oklahoma, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Univ. of Nebraska, Univ. of Arizona, Arizona State Univ.,
Miami Univ., and Ohio State Univ. As a result, numerous lawsuits and complaints were filed against
many of these universities by students of several races in the past decades.
College and university admission process is complex and multifaceted. And nobody doubts there are
many criteria to assess a student’s aptitude, capabilities, and characters across many dimensions, such
as academic merits, socioeconomic status, community service, personal drive and aspiration, citizenship,
etc. But, in this day and age, we should not believe that race is one. A student’s race has nothing to do
with his or her qualifications. Race conscious affirmative action is nothing but a form of racial discrimination
and self-righteous social engineering.
Inspired by a powerful research paper (See article “The Myth of American Meritocracy”), and at the
same time, disappointed by the silence of many rights groups and the lack of voice in Asian American
community concerning the hardship and discrimination faced by many Asian American students, I started
a virtual community on Facebook - Asian Americans Against Affirmative Action (AAAAA). AAAAA intends
to promote racial equality and social justice through equal access, personal responsibilities, and
colorblind or race-neutral policies. AAAAA is against race-based admission policy which is now widely
adopted in many higher institutions.
The AAAAA Facebook page has a wealth of information on the topic of affirmative action including
an exhaustive collection of historic events, important court cases, interviews of intellectuals, reviews,
debates, articles by subject matter experts, books by prominent scholars, reports, commentaries,
op-eds, and many links to blogs, videos. I hope you find it resourceful and informative.
If you don’t want to live a society where our children are afraid of telling their race or ethnicity to
colleges (See article “I am not Asian”), if you don’t want to live in a society where racial preference is
given to one group or groups over others, if you don’t want to live in a society where our nation’s most
prestigious universities consciously social-engineer our future, then race-based affirmative action must
be defeated and outlawed by the highest court and by every state. In fact, 7 states - Arizona, California,
Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Washington - have banned racial preferences in
college admissions.
I encourage to you speak out and write more on this subject. Also please support the initiative by
visiting and liking the AAAAA Facebook page and forwarding this message to your friends, colleagues,
family members and ask them to support as well.
We invite people of all races, not just Asian Americans, to join the fight for racial equality and justice.
Together, we can raise the public awareness, influence policy makers, and work towards abolishing
the race-based affirmative action policy once and for all.
Best Regards,
Asian Americans Against Affirmative Action (AAAAA)
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/AgainstAA
1/3/13 press release: "Civil Rights Organization Files Brief Asking Supreme
Court to Uphold Equality:
New Civil Rights Org - Founded by Jennifer Gratz - Fights to Uphold Michigan Civil Rights Initiative"
National – Over six years ago Michigan voters overwhelmingly passed the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative
(MCRI) and made it unconstitutional for the state to discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to,
any group or individual on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. On Nov. 15, 2012, in a
ruling that defied logic, eight federal judges on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals struck the initiative down
- claiming equality violates the 14th (XIV) Amendment of the Constitution.
Immediately following the ruling Jennifer Gratz co-founded the XIV Foundation to continue to fight for
equality for all people.
“Much progress has been made over the past 15 years in challenging the discriminatory policies that
are errantly described as ‘affirmative action’ policies,” Gratz stated. “Eight judges put this progress at
risk when they decided to overturn MCRI and the will of over 2.1 million Michigan voters who chose
equality over discrimination.”
XIV has taken the lead in coordinating MCRI’s legal defense and amicus filings at the U.S. Supreme
Court. The organization recently filed an amicus brief (attached) supporting Michigan Attorney General
Bill Schuette's request that the U.S. Supreme Court reverse the 6th Circuit's decision.
Signatories to the amicus include:
• Larry Arnn - President, Hillsdale College; Founding Chairman, California Civil Rights Initiative
• Glynn Custred – Author, California Civil Rights Initiative
• Rachel Alexander – Chairman, Arizona Civil Rights Initiative
• Marc Schniederjans – Chairman, Nebraska Civil Rights Initiative
• Leon Drolet – Chairman, Michigan Civil Rights Initiative
• Representative Gary Hopper – State Representative, New Hampshire; Sponsor of the New
Hampshire Civil Rights Initiative
• Representative Pete Lund – State Representative, Michigan
• Senator Joe Hune – State Senator, Michigan
• Senator Dave Robertson – State Senator, Michigan
In light of the fact that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has twice upheld a constitutional amendment
in California that has the exact same language as MCRI, the XIV brief argues that “lower courts need
firm, clear direction” on this issue. “Without such clarity,” XIV insists, “States and federal courts will
continue to struggle with race and gender equity and, in so doing, stymie citizen-led progress toward
racial equality.”
In addition to defending MCRI, the XIV Foundation is dedicated to teaching the personal and
societal advantages of fair and equal treatment by telling the untold, personal stories of those
harmed by discriminatory policies.
Contact: Jennifer Gratz
Phone: 517-281-6738
E-mail: jgratz@xivfoundation.org
1/3/13 Northwest Asian Weekly: "The Top 10 Outstanding Asian American Achievements of 2012,"
By Nina Huang
Each year, certain people are recognized for the extraordinary things that they have accomplished
in the Asian American communities. Here are 10 of those people from 2012.
http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2013/01/the-top-10-outstanding-asian-american-achievements-of-2012/
1/3/13 Asian Fortune News: "Why Don’t Asian Americans Own Guns?"
by Mary Tablante
Falls Church, VA—After the Newtown tragedy last month, Mai Le, a petite 52-year-old originally
from Vietnam, was frightened. Now living in Springfield, Va, she never felt threatened by gun violence
before, but suddenly felt an urgent need to learn to defend herself.
http://www.asianfortunenews.com/article_0113.php?article_id=61
1/2/13 Nature: "Asian researchers and engineers are too rarely made US science leaders,"
by Lilian Gomory Wu & Wei Jing
In 2009, Asians — defined as people from the Far East, southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent —
made up 78% of doctoral recipients with temporary visas who were planning to work in the United
States.
Across all sectors, Asians in US science, technology, engineering and
math (STEM) careers are not
reaching leadership positions at the same rate as white people, or even as members of other
underrepresented groups.
In academia, just 42% of Asian men are tenured, compared with 58% of white men, 49% of black men
and 50% of Hispanic men. Just 21% of Asian women in academia are tenured, the lowest proportion for
any ethnicity or gender. They are also least likely to be promoted to full professor.
The industrial and federal workforces reflect similar numbers. Asian men are doing better than Asian
women in reaching managerial positions in industry, but their numbers are lower than those for men of
other races and ethnicities. Just 4% of Asian women in industry and 28% in the federal workforce hold
managerial positions, again the smallest percentage for any ethnicity or gender.
Asians are almost absent at the very top of US companies. The company Leadership Education for
Asian Pacifics, based in Los Angeles, California, reported in 2010 that there were just ten Asians or
Pacific Islanders among the chairs, presidents and chief executives of the 500 biggest US firms; only
three of them were women.
Why the disparity? It may be down to cultural behaviors, and Western interpretation of these
behaviors.
Asians are often stereotyped as a 'model minority': hardworking and patient, family oriented, good at
math and science and having a strong work ethic, but also humble, non-confrontational and lacking the
passion to be charismatic leaders. Worse yet, a work group of the US government's Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission reports that Asians are often perceived as 'forever foreign', which can affect
how others assess their ability to communicate, their competence and, more importantly, their
trustworthiness.
Good leadership has a cultural dimension. In east Asia, for example, effective leadership is measured
by what managers do rather than by what they say, no matter how passionately they speak. A manager
in charge of bringing out a product there would work day and night to get it out on time and free of defects.
Communication skills are generally less important in this model. The idea in the United States that east
Asians lack passion and opinions comes from cultural perceptions of their
behavior: in discussions,
east Asians tend to respond slowly, taking time to listen to what is being said and thus giving the
appearance to Americans that they are not engaged, are passive and have no opinion. These differences
can easily lead to unintended biases.
The problem may go beyond verbal communication. Grant applications to the US National Science
Foundation from Asian principal investigators between 2004 and 2011 have been consistently funded
in lower proportions than those from black, Hispanic and white principal
investigators, which suggests
that differences in writing styles may lead to biases. For example, east Asians' humble
demeanor could
cause them to describe the implications of their research in modest terms, which might bring them lower
ratings from reviewers.
For full story, see
http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7430-125a?WT.ec_id=NATUREjobs-20130103
1/2/13 Philadelphia Inquirer: "ICYMI: Do Asian Americans count as "diverse"?"
by Matt Katz
In Case You Missed It, in today's paper I looked at how the definition of "diversity" among segments of
the Democratic base is now limited to Latinos and African Americans -- at least when it comes to Christie's
Supreme Court picks:
New Jersey Democrats have long argued that they would approve only "diverse" nominees to the state
Supreme Court. But now, as liberal opposition builds against Gov. Christie's most recent picks, the
definition of diverse appears to be changing.
One of the two nominees, Monmouth County Superior Court Judge David Bauman, was born in Japan to
a Japanese mother and would be the first Asian American on the high court.
Yet the Legislature's black caucus, the state Latino Action Network, and a broad coalition of more than
50 groups, including teachers' unions and Planned Parenthood, are opposing Bauman and the other
nominee, Robert Hanna, who is white, primarily because they would not make the court more diverse -
and specifically, because they're not African American or Latino.
www.philly.com/philly/blogs/christie_chronicles/ICYMI-Do-Asian-Americans-count-as-diverse.html
1/2/13 Los Angeles Times: "New rule makes residency easier for immigrants with U.S. kin;
An Obama
administration executive order makes it easier for illegal immigrants to obtain permanent residency
if they have immediate relatives who are U.S. citizens,"
by Brian Bennett
Washington — Illegal immigrants who are immediate relatives of American citizens will have an easier
path to permanent residency under a new Obama administration rule that could affect as many as 1 million
of the estimated 11 million people unlawfully in the United States.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immigration-families-20130103,0,1743073.story
1/1/13 Daily Mail: "Asian-American teen sues 'racist' police after being locked in a freezing van for
15 hours without food and water"
A teenage boy who was locked in a police van along with four friends for 15 hours without food or
water is suing the Fort Lee Police Department in Newark, including its chief and 19 police officers.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255897/Asian-American-teen-sues-racist-police-locked-freezing-van-15-hours-food-water.html
12/22/12 Washington Monthly: "Discrimination against Asian American students in Ivy League admissions"
By Kathleen Geier
The New York Times has been having an interesting debate about the issue of anti-Asian quotas in
the Ivy League. There was this op-ed earlier in the week, as well as a series of essays arguing various
sides of the question as part of the Times’ “Room for Debate” feature.
Participants mostly debated whether quotas limiting Asian students in the Ivies really exist. But of that
there can be little doubt. While the Harvard guy in the “Room for Debate” forum predictably swears up
and down that their admissions committee “does not use quotas of any kind,” that appears to be almost
statistically impossible.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_12/discrimination_against_asian_a041954.php#
12/22/12 patheos.com: "Still Retreating from Race: Asian Americans in the Ivy League,"
By Jerry Park
“…claims that Asian American students were as well qualified but less likely than whites to gain entry to
the elite schools set in motion a tedious debate over the definition of ‘excellence,’ ‘merit,’ and ‘diversity.’”
When do you think this was written? Would you believe it was 1992 when this first appeared in Dr. Dana
Takagi’s Retreat From Race: Asian American Admissions and Racial Politics (p. 176)? This award-winning
work chronicled the affirmative action and racial preference debates taking place at the elite level of higher
education (the schools that are usually around the top 15 or 25 research university schools listed in US
News and World Report).
In it, Takagi shows that the political groups and actors involved in these arguments back in the 1980s
and 1990s grew more and more mixed in their views on the merits of affirmative action and better
alternatives to it (assuming it was not ameliorating social inequalities). As she states:
“Both conservatives and liberals support equal opportunity and abhor discrimination—but they disagree
over how to achieve the former and how to discourage the latter. In the battleground over policy, the two
leading strategies for achieving equal opportunity—racial preferences and color-blind policies—do not
neatly correspond to conservative or liberal politics.” (184).
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/blackwhiteandgray/2012/12/affirmative-action-and-asian-americans-in-the-ivy-league/
12/21/12 The Atlantic: "Is the Ivy League Fair to Asian Americans? An admission officer's uncomfortable
explanation for why they don't get in as often as their test scores would predict suggests it's not."
By Conor Friedersdorf
Are Ivy League institutions discriminating against Asian Americans by limiting how many are admitted?
That's the subject of a debate published this week in the New York Times. Let's start with the folks who
believe that there's effectively a race-based quota limiting Asian Americans.
Ron Unz makes the most powerful argument for that proposition. "After the Justice Department closed
an investigation in the early 1990s into charges that Harvard University discriminated against
Asian-
American applicants, Harvard's reported enrollment of Asian-Americans began gradually declining,
falling from 20.6 percent in 1993 to about 16.5 percent over most of the last decade," he writes.
"This decline might seem small. But these same years brought a huge increase in America's college-age
Asian population, which roughly doubled between 1992 and 2011, while non-Hispanic white numbers
remained almost unchanged. Thus, according to official statistics, the percentage of Asian-Americans
enrolled at Harvard fell by more than 50 percent over the last two decades, while the percentage of whites
changed little. This decline in relative Asian-American enrollment was actually larger than the impact of
Harvard's 1925 Jewish quota, which reduced Jewish freshmen from 27.6 percent to 15 percent."
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/12/is-the-ivy-league-fair-to-asian-americans/266538/
12/20/12 New York Times: "Statistics Indicate an Ivy League Asian
Quota,"
Ron Unz is a software developer and publisher of The American Conservative,
where he elaborated
on these thoughts in a recent article . He is a graduate of Harvard University.
Just as their predecessors of the 1920s always denied the
existence of “Jewish quotas,” top officials
at Harvard, Yale, Princeton and the other Ivy League schools today strongly deny
the existence of “
Asian quotas.” But there exists powerful statistical evidence to the contrary.
Each year, American universities provide their racial enrollment data to the National Center for
Education Statistics, which makes this information available online. After the Justice Department
closed an investigation in the early 1990s into charges that Harvard University discriminated against
Asian-American applicants, Harvard’s reported enrollment of Asian-Americans began gradually
declining, falling from 20.6 percent in 1993 to about 16.5 percent over most of the last decade.
This decline might seem small. But these same years brought a huge increase in America’s
college-age Asian population, which roughly doubled between 1992 and 2011, while non-Hispanic
white numbers remained almost unchanged. Thus, according to official statistics, the percentage of
Asian-Americans enrolled at Harvard fell by more than 50 percent over the last two decades, while
the percentage of whites changed little. This decline in relative Asian-American enrollment was
actually larger than the impact of Harvard’s 1925 Jewish quota, which reduced Jewish freshmen
from 27.6 percent to 15 percent.
The percentages of college-age Asian-Americans enrolled at most of the other Ivy League schools
also fell during this same period, and over the last few years Asian enrollments across these different
universities have converged to a very similar level and remained static over time. This raises
suspicions of a joint Ivy League policy to restrict Asian-American numbers to a particular percentage.
Meanwhile, the California Institute of Technology follows a highly selective but strictly race-neutral
admissions policy, and its enrollment of Asian-Americans has grown almost exactly in line with the
growth of the Asian-American population.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/12/19/fears-of-an-asian-quota-in-the-ivy-league/statistics-indicate-an-ivy-league-asian-quota
12/20/2012 Huffington Post: "An Asian-American Moment in U.S. Politics,"
by Raymond Smith
The death of Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii has deprived the nation not only of its longest-seated
senator, but also the highest-ranking Asian American in history. As president pro tempore of the
Senate since 2010, Inouye held one of just five positions created directly by the constitution, and was
third in the line of succession to the presidency.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raymond-a-smith-phd/an-asianamerican-moment-i_b_2332701.html
12/19/12 New York Times: "Asians: Too Smart for Their Own Good?"
By Carolyn Chen
AT the end of this month, high school seniors will submit their college applications and begin waiting
to hear where they will spend the next four years of their lives. More than they might realize, the outcome
will depend on race. If you are Asian, your chances of getting into the most selective colleges and
universities will almost certainly be lower than if you are white.
Asian-Americans constitute 5.6 percent of the nation’s population but 12 to 18 percent of the student
body at Ivy League schools. But if judged on their merits — grades, test scores, academic honors and
extracurricular activities — Asian-Americans are underrepresented at these schools. Consider that
Asians make up anywhere from 40 to 70 percent of the student population at top public high schools
like Stuyvesant and Bronx Science in New York City, Lowell in San Francisco and Thomas Jefferson
in Alexandria, Va., where admissions are largely based on exams and grades.
In a 2009 study of more than 9,000 students who applied to selective universities, the sociologists
Thomas J. Espenshade and Alexandria Walton Radford found that white students were three times
more likely to be admitted than Asians with the same academic record.
Sound familiar? In the 1920s, as high-achieving Jews began to compete with WASP prep schoolers,
Ivy League schools started asking about family background and sought vague qualities like “character,”
“vigor,” “manliness” and “leadership” to cap Jewish enrollment. These unofficial Jewish quotas weren’t
lifted until the early 1960s, as the sociologist Jerome Karabel found in his 2005 history of admissions
practices at Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
In the 1920s, people asked: will Harvard still be Harvard with so many Jews? Today we ask: will
Harvard still be Harvard with so many Asians? Yale’s student population is 58 percent white and
18 percent Asian. Would it be such a calamity if those numbers were reversed?
As the journalist Daniel Golden revealed in his 2006 book “The Price of Admission,” far more
attention has been devoted to race-conscious affirmative action at public universities (which the
Supreme Court has scaled back and might soon eliminate altogether) than to the special preferences
elite universities afford to the children of (overwhelmingly white) donors and alumni.
The way we treat these children will influence the America we become. If our most renowned
schools set implicit quotas for high-achieving Asian-Americans, we are sending a message to all
students that hard work and good grades may be a fool’s errand.
Carolyn Chen is an associate professor of sociology and director of the Asian American
Studies Program at Northwestern.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/opinion/asians-too-smart-for-their-own-good.html?_r=0
12/17/12 Sampan: "Behind the Numbers: Post-Election Survey of Asian American Voters in 2012,"
by Ling-Mei Wong
The Asian American electorate has been steadily growing with each presidential election and
is projected to be close to 3% of all votes cast in the 2012 election.
71% of Asian Americans voters in 2012 cast their ballot for President Barack
Obama, and
28% voted for Governor Mitt Romney.
About 3.2 million Asian Americans cast ballots in November 2012, with about 2.3 million for
Barack Obama and 900,000 thousand for Mitt Romney.
http://sampan.org/2012/12/behind-the-numbers-post-election-survey-of-asian-american-voters-in-2012/
12/17/12 Reuters: "U.S. Army soldier faces discharge after Asian-American soldier's hazing,"
By Colleen Jenkins
The leader of a platoon whose members were accused of hazing an Asian-American soldier who killed
himself in Afghanistan has been punished and will be discharged from the U.S. Army, officials said on
Monday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/18/us-usa-military-hazing-idUSBRE8BH00I20121218
12/15/12 The Economist: "All together now: Do “Asian-Americans” exist?"
But is the term “Asian-American” anything more than a convenient shorthand? The ancestral lands
of the people it covers are home to most of the world’s population. Unlike the vast bulk of Latinos,
Asian-Americans speak different languages and worship different deities from one another. Almost
two-thirds of Latinos are of Mexican ancestry. But the biggest Asian subgroup, Chinese-Americans,
make up just 23% of Asian-Americans.
http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21568419-do-asian-americans-exist-all-together-now
12/12/12 Politico: "Poll: Obama won 71% of
Asian vote"
By Bobby Cervantes
Asian American voters came out in droves for President Barack
Obama over GOP challenger
Mitt Romney, but the country’s fastest growing
ethnic group is not wedded to either party, according
to a new poll out
Wednesday.
Obama won an estimated 2.3 million of their votes to
Romney’s estimated 900,000 votes, or
71 percent to 28 percent, according to
the survey by the Asian American Justice Center,
Asian & Pacific Islander
American Vote and the National Asian American Survey.
http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/poll-obama-won-71-of-asian-vote-85013.html
12/12/12 Arizona Daily Star: "Why luring Asian-American voters is tough for GOP,"
by Jonah Goldberg
In the scramble to make the GOP more diverse, a lot of people are looking at Asian-Americans,
whom many believe are a natural constituency for the party. I would love it if Asian-Americans
converted en masse to the Republican Party, but the challenge for Republicans is harder than
many appreciate.
http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/why-luring-asian-american-voters-is-tough-for-gop/article_accbdaef-1b37-5f90-89a1-9ce457e59c6e.html
12/11/12 The Hill: "Political shift of Asian Americans,"
By Mark Mellman
While there is less polling than in some other communities, Professors Karthick Ramakrishnan and
Taeku Lee’s National Asian American Survey provides useful insight into a group that gave 73 percent
of its votes to President Obama, according to exit polling. Indeed, support for the president grew more
among Asian Americans than in any other segment of the electorate, and Democrats have improved
their showing each cycle for 20 years.
http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/mark-mellman/272401-political-shift-of-asian-americans
12/11/12 Los Angeles Times: "Op-Ed: Goldberg: The GOP -- not a club for Christians; Perhaps the most
common explanation for the Republican Party's problem with Asian Americans is its pronounced embrace
of Christianity,"
by Jonah Goldberg
In the scramble to make the GOP more diverse, a lot of people are looking at Asian Americans, whom
many believe are a natural constituency for the party. I would love it if Asian Americans converted en
masse to the Republican Party, but the challenge for Republicans is harder than many appreciate.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goldberg-gop-asian-americans-20121211,0,6660326.column
12/7/12 San Jose Mercury News: "Asian-American citizens hold slight edge over non-citizen Asians
in Bay Area tech jobs,"
by Dan Nakaso
The total jobs Asians hold in tech workplaces are almost evenly split between Asian-American citizens
and non-citizen Asians, according to an analysis of the latest Census Bureau data by this newspaper.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22147394/citizen-asians-hold-slight-edge-over-non-citizen
12/6/12 Amarillo Globe News: "Roberts: GOP losing Asian-American vote,"
By Cokie and Steve Roberts
“When so many GOP federal and state electeds ... engage in dog-whistle racism, these are always
personal attacks equally on me. If Obama is not an American and does not legitimately belong, then they’re
saying the same about me. I imagine I’m not alone, that people of color across the board see what I see,
and the election results confirm this.”
That voter, writing for the liberal blog Talking Points Memo, got it exactly right. Other “people of color”
shared his view and voted the same way for the same reasons. But he is not an African-American or
Hispanic, the two groups that received most of the attention this election cycle. He is of Indian origins,
born and raised in Iowa, and he’s part of a critical shift in American politics: the enormous surge of
Asian-Americans into the Democratic column.
http://amarillo.com/opinion/opinion-columnist/weekly-opinion-columnist/2012-12-06/roberts-gop-losing-asian-american-vote
12/5/12 Asian Fortune News: "20% of Montgomery County AAPIs Live in Poverty,"
By Michelle Phipps-Evans
But poverty among Asians is more common than people realize, reaching about 12 percent of the
approximately 17.3 million residents of Asian descent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2011,
the census Bureau says the AAPI community made up 5.6 percent of the population (including those
classifying themselves as Asian and one or more races.) The Bureau breaks down the overall poverty
rate for all Asians at about 12 percent, and 8.7 percent for AAPI families. This number increases to
20 percent for female-headed households and decreases to 6.7 percent when it’s a couple.
http://www.asianfortunenews.com/article_1212.php?article_id=40
12/5/12 Asian Fortune News: "Why Asian Americans Voted Democratic,"
By Glenn Magpantay, Democracy Program Director at the Asian American Legal Defense and
Education Fund (AALDEF)
Nationally, a whopping 73% of Asian Americans voted for President Obama, according to the exit polls.
In the swing state of Virginia, Obama captured 66% of our vote. Asian Americans were a driving force
in Virginia’s hotly contested U.S. Senate race. Preliminary data from AALDEF’s exit polls reveal that
71.9% of the APPI vote went to Democratic candidate Tim Kaine, the winner.
So what drove nearly 3 out of 4 Asian Americans to cast Democratic votes? It wasn’t outreach by the
political parties. The majority (51%) of Asian Americans nationally said they were never contacted by a
campaign, political party, or community group to register to vote or to vote.
Moreover, Asian Americans are still struggling for equal access to the ballot, and Virginia was no
exception. A polling place in Annandale, Virginia was the site of what we characterize as one of the most
egregious incidents of racial discrimination against Asian American voters, as reported by AALDEF poll
monitors.
A group of elderly Korean Americans trying to vote in Annandale were discriminated against by poll
workers and asked to stand in a separate line. After those voters presented proper ID, authorities
demanded that they say their names and home addresses out loud in English, which was difficult and
embarrassing for those with limited English proficiency. The poll workers grew frustrated that the seniors
didn’t understand the instructions, and then issued this order: “Korean people stand in a separate line.”
The poll workers began talking to white voters, while the Korean Americans had to wait.
Nonetheless, Asian Americans made their voices heard – and they were driven to vote Democratic
because of the issues themselves. Nationally, the vast majority of Asian American voters (58%) said
that fixing the economy and creating more jobs was the most important issue. 45% of Asian Americans
supported a combination of tax increases and spending cuts, with 26% stating that taxes on the wealthy
should be increased. Only 14% of Asian Americans supported spending cuts alone to reduce the deficit.
Which party does that sound like?
Additionally, 60% of Asian American voters supported the federal government’s role in ensuring
access to health insurance, and 57% of our community’s voters supported comprehensive immigration
reform, including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently in the United States.
Among U.S. born Asian American citizens, AALDEF’s poll show support was as high as 73% for basics
of the DREAM Act.
Asian American voters’ position on issues aligned strongly with the Democrats in this election, and
in swing states like Virginia, this fact made them a driving force in both the U.S. Senate and Presidential
election. As the Asian American population is the fastest growing demographic nationally, politicians
and parties should take note.
http://www.asianfortunenews.com/article_1212.php?article_id=51
12/4/12 Examiner: "Chinese-American restaurant agrees to tough settlement"
By Bert Eljera
A San Francisco Chinese-American restaurant employing mostly Asian-Americans agreed to settle
a case involving unpaid overtime and minimum wages.
The Xue's Restaurant, Inc. and Liu's Restaurant, Inc. dba Tsing Tao Restaurant agreed to pay a total
of $340,000 to the employees who brought the complaint.
http://www.examiner.com/article/chinese-american-restaurant-agrees-to-tough-settlement
12/3/12 National Journal: "Opinion: Dissecting the Powerful Asian-American Progressives,"
By Angeline Vuong
While most pundits are talking about how President Obama overwhelmingly won the Latino vote, another
big story from Election Day is the Asian-American community’s overwhelming support for the president.
Asian-Americans appear to have mobilized at a higher turnout in 2012 than 2008, distinctly voting for a
progressive, Democratic platform. Asian-Americans delivered 73 percent of their votes to reelect the
president, the highest ever percentage of Asian-American votes for any single candidate. A community
that regards a collective social safety net and educational opportunity as important principles, this often
overlooked voting demographic supported a progressive platform based on shared values.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/politics/opinion-dissecting-the-powerful-asian-american-progressives-20121203
12/3/12 Huffington Post: "Why Do Asian Americans Vote for Democrats?"
by Caroline Chen
73 percent of Asian American voters cast their ballots for Obama this fall, according to exit polls.
Data also shows that Asian Americans have shifted more to the left since 2008 than any other minority
group.
Asian Americans, an oft-neglected voting group, represent only 3 percent of the national voting
population. However, they are also the fastest growing demographic in the United States, and are also
beginning to move out of traditionally blue states (like California, Hawaii, New York and New Jersey) into
swing states like Virginia and North Carolina, making them an increasingly important demographic for
politicians to pay attention to.
But why are Asian Americans so solidly Democratic?
One of the biggest reasons is that Asian Americans align more closely with the Democratic party on
key issues, including preferring a bigger government that provides more services than a smaller
government with fewer services (55 percent to 36 percent), according to Pew study conducted in June
this year.
Asian Americans also support health care reform (about 50 percent in favor, 15-18 percent against),
according the National Asian American Survey conducted this September.
Around 18.1 percent of the Asian American population doesn't have health insurance, compared to
the national average of 16.3 percent, according to the American Community Survey. Among Korean
Americans, one in four are without health insurance.
Asian Americans also support raising taxes on high earners, even though they are among the
highest-income racial groups in the U.S.
Sixty-two percent of high-earning Asian Americans supported raising taxes on
themselves.
An overwhelming majority of Asian Americans surveyed also approve of affirmative action
(78 percent in favor, 13 percent against), an issue which Democrats have traditionally supported.
There are around 1 million undocumented Asian American immigrants in the U.S. today, notes
Christine Chen, executive director of APIAVote, a national nonpartisan organization that seeks to
mobilize the Asian American and Pacific Islander voting population, so immigration continues to be
an important issue, even if it is not the highest ranking.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caroline-chen/asian-american-voters_b_2231418.html
11/29/12 The
Brown Daily Herald: "Poll: Most students opposed to use of race in
admissions,"
by Adam Toobin
Just more than 58 percent of students oppose the
University’s consideration of race in student
admissions decisions, while over 34 percent of students said they supported the
policy, according
to a recent Herald poll. Of the students who are opposed to the consideration of
race, more than half
support the consideration of an applicant’s socioeconomic status. Just over a
quarter of students
oppose the consideration of race, socioeconomic status or any other demographic
factor in
admission decisions.
Most students said their answers were tied to their beliefs
about the University’s race-based
affirmative action policy. Currently, the University considers an applicant’s
race as a single factor
among many — including grades, test scores and extracurricular activities —
and does not weigh
socioeconomic status in determining whether the applicant should be admitted to
Brown.
Students who oppose the use of race in admission decisions
but support using socioeconomic
status as a factor in admission usually said race no longer plays a large enough
part in American
society to warrant the policy. Many of these students told The Herald they
support nurturing a
student body with diverse backgrounds, opinions and world views and that using
socioeconomic
status as an admission criterion would adequately serve this purpose.
Supporters of race-based affirmative action often pointed to
the University’s preferential
treatment of legacy applicants and recruited athletes as real violations of its
merit-based
admissions process.
Only 16 percent of Asian students said they favored the use
of race in admissions decisions —
the least of any demographic group. But almost half favored consideration of
socioeconomic
status instead of race. The percent of Asian students who oppose the use of both
race and
socioeconomic status was only slightly higher than average, at 30 percent.
These demographic breakdowns loosely correlate to affirmative
action’s reported effects on
each group. A study from the University of California at Los Angeles found that
when affirmative
action policies were suspended at public universities, admission rates rose for
Asian students
but fell for white, black and Hispanic students, The Herald reported in 2008.
http://www.browndailyherald.com/poll-most-students-opposed-to-use-of-race-in-admissions-1.2798318
11/29/12 National Journal: "Opinion: Asian-Americans Are an Emerging Force in U.S. Politics,"
By Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais
In the countless commentaries focusing on the demographic factors shaping the outcome of the 2012
election, there has been virtually nothing said about the contribution of Asian-Americans to the electorate
and to Barack Obama’s reelection. It will be hard to ignore this growing group of voters much longer.
Since at least 2009, the number of Asian immigrants entering the United States has exceeded that of
Hispanics, and in 2012 Asian-Americans cast a higher percentage of their ballots for Obama than did
Hispanics (73 percent to 71 percent). Members of this very diverse community accounted for about
3 percent of the electorate on Nov. 6. Since Asians continue to migrate to the U.S. in large numbers,
and because about 30 percent of Asian-Americans in the country now are not yet citizens but are likely
to become so in the future, their share of the electorate should keep growing.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/demographics/opinion-asian-americans-are-an-emerging-force-in-u-s-politics-20121129
11/29/12 Rafu Shimpo: "INTO THE NEXT STAGE: Is ‘Red Dawn’ Encouraging Hatred Toward Asian Americans?"
By Guy Aoki
It seems that once every decade, there’s a big-budget film about Asian foreigners invading or
attacking the United States. And each time, Asian Americans worry if there’ll be a backlash against
them for looking like the enemy.
There was 1993’s “Rising Sun,” 2001’s “Pearl Harbor,” and now, the remake of 1984’s “Red Dawn.”
In each case, the filmmakers have been irresponsible in not preventing racial animosity toward anyone
looking like the Asian enemy by showing enough Asian American good guys.
http://www.rafu.com/2012/11/into-the-next-stage-is-red-dawn-encouraging-hatred-toward-asian-americans/
11/29/2012 San Jose Mercury News: "Asian workers now dominate Silicon Valley tech jobs,"
By Dan Nakaso
Asian-Americans make up half of the Bay Area's technology workforce, and their double-digit
employment gains came from jobs lost among white tech workers, according to an analysis by this
newspaper of Census Bureau data released Thursday.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_22094415?source=rss
11/28/12 The American Conservative: "The Myth of American Meritocracy:
How corrupt are Ivy League admissions?"
By Ron Unz
There certainly does seem considerable anecdotal evidence
that many Asians perceive their chances of
elite admission as being drastically reduced by their racial origins.17 For
example, our national newspapers
have revealed that students of part-Asian background have regularly attempted to
conceal the non-white
side of their ancestry when applying to Harvard and other elite universities out
of concern it would greatly
reduce their chances of admission.18 Indeed, widespread perceptions of racial
discrimination are almost
certainly the primary factor behind the huge growth in the number of students
refusing to reveal their racial
background at top universities, with the percentage of Harvard students
classified as “race unknown”
having risen from almost nothing to a regular 5–15 percent of all
undergraduates over the last twenty years,
with similar levels reached at other elite schools.
Such fears that checking the “Asian” box on an admissions
application may lead to rejection are hardly
unreasonable, given that studies have documented a large gap between the average
test scores of whites
and Asians successfully admitted to elite universities. Princeton sociologist
Thomas J. Espenshade and
his colleagues have demonstrated that among undergraduates at highly selective
schools such as the Ivy
League, white students have mean scores 310 points higher on the 1600 SAT scale
than their black
classmates, but Asian students average 140 points above whites.19 The former gap
is an automatic
consequence of officially acknowledged affirmative action policies, while the
latter appears somewhat
mysterious.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-myth-of-american-meritocracy/
11/27/12 Rafu Shimpo: "Asian American Candidates Win in S.F. Elections"
San Francisco — Six Asian American candidates won their respective races in the City and County
of San Francisco, including one who declared victory nine days after the election.
http://www.rafu.com/2012/11/asian-american-candidates-win-in-s-f-elections/
11/26/12 Slate: "Why Did Asian Americans Mostly Vote for President Obama?
Democrats court them, Republicans may alienate them."
By Richard A. Posner
According to exit polls in the Nov. 6 election, Asian American voters favored Obama over Romney
by a ratio of more than 3-to-1 (76 percent versus 23 percent). This has puzzled a number of Republicans.
Asian Americans, more than any other group, including white suburbanites, who are a backbone of
Republican support, have demographic characteristics that would seem to make them support low
taxes, fiscal austerity, conventional family values, and hostility to affirmative action (especially in higher
education)—all policies strongly associated with today’s Republican Party.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/view_from_chicago/2012/11/why_did_asian_americans_vote_for_president_obama.html
11/26/12 The Arizona Republic: "Asian-American says Latinos not only ones hit by Ariz. immigration law"
by Daniel Gonzalez
Phoenix -- Jim Shee says he never experienced discrimination, let alone racial profiling, until his 70th
birthday.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2012/11/26/arizona-immigration-asian-americans/1726535/
11/24/12 New York Daily News: "White, Asian students dominate city's top middle schools with black,
Latino students left out. The revelation comes on the heels of an NAACP complaint filed last month over
racial disparities at elite city high schools, such as Stuyvesant and Bronx Science. They have just a tiny
percentage of black and Latino students."
BY Rachel Monahan
Across the New York City, the vast majority of middle school students — just over 70% — are black or
Latino. But elite schools only have a tiny percentage of black and Latino students.
They're the best public middle schools in the city — and they’re overwhelmingly and increasingly white
and Asian, an exclusive Daily News analysis found.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/white-asian-students-dominate-city-top-middle-schools-article-1.1207233
11/24/12 asianjournal.com: "Asian American buying power growing – Nielsen"
by Joseph Pimentel
Los Angeles – Asian American buying power has grown considerably over the decades so much so
that experts say that traditional businesses, marketers, and advertisers that sells goods and services
should begin or foster their relationship with the once neglected community.
http://www.asianjournal.com/community/community-news/18360-asian-american-buying-power-growing-nielsen.html
11/24/12 Huffington Post: "Chinese-Mexicans Celebrate Return To Mexico"
By Olga R. Rodriguez
Mexico City — Juan Chiu Trujillo was 5 years old when he left his native Mexico for a visit to his father's
hometown in southern China. He was 35 when he returned.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/24/chinese-mexicans_n_2184646.html?ref=topbar
11/23/12 San Francisco Chronicle: "Asian American voters' influence grows
by Drew Joseph
Republicans have been rallying around a drive to adopt positions that appeal to Latinos since their
defeat in this month's presidential contest. But the GOP is also having problems attracting the votes
of an even faster growing group: Asian Americans.
http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Asian-American-voters-influence-grows-4062991.php
11/21/12 WBUR (Boston): "Asian-Americans Face Dilemma In Debate Over Affirmative Action"
by Andrea Hsu
It's been an eventful couple of months for those following the debate over affirmative action.
Six weeks ago, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Fisher v. University of
Texas at Austin, a case that challenges the consideration of race in college admissions. On Nov. 6,
voters in Oklahoma approved a measure banning the use of affirmative action in state employment,
education and contracting. Then, just over a week later, a federal appeals court ruled that a similar
ban in Michigan was unconstitutional, raising the prospect of a Supreme Court review.
Among those paying close attention to these developments are Asian-Americans, who have had
somewhat of a prominent role in the Fisher v. Texas case. In petitioner Abigail Fisher's main brief,
Asian-Americans are mentioned 22 times. The brief asserts that the university's use of race in
admissions discriminates against Asian-Americans, who are deemed to be "over-represented."
Asian-American civil rights organizations filed briefs on both sides of the case.
http://www.wbur.org/npr/165654268/as-talk-of-affirmative-action-heats-up-asians-contemplate-their-position
11/19/12 Los Angeles Times: "Asian Americans enjoy greater representation in Congress;
The next House of Representatives will have a dozen members of Asian American and Pacific
Islander descent, the largest such caucus in history."
By Anh Do
In the days after the election, inner-city schoolteacher Mark Takano flew to Washington, picked up his
laptop, office key, voting ID and posed for photos with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — all part
of the orientation drill for an incoming member of the 113th Congress.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/19/local/la-me-asians-congress-20121120
11/15/12 Asian Journal: "Asian Americans Could Be As Important As Jewish Americans In
Future Presidential Elections"
by Faith Bautista and Mia Martinez
For the first time in American history, presidential candidates actually considered courting and
including Asian Americans in their agendas for the future. But, in large measure, 18 million Asian
Americans were overlooked. It is our expectation that this will never occur again if all Asian American
communities put aside their small differences and unite on our large common goals.
http://www.asianjournal.com/op-ed/faith-bautista/18198-asian-americans-could-be-as-important-as-jewish-americans-in-future-presidential-elections.html
11/15/12 ABC News: "Are Asians The New Latino Conundrum for the GOP?"
By Cristina Costantini
If the Republican Party wants to win elections in the future, it should consider appealing to the fastest
growing racial group in the United States. No, not Latinos. Asians. . . . .
But a growing group of Asian Republicans believe that Asian voters should be natural political allies
for some of the very reasons that Reagan thought Hispanics would also fit in well.
http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/asians-latinos-gop/story?id=17726479
11/14/12 Wall Street Journal: "Barack Obama's Persuasion Army;
The president has finally made the permanent campaign a reality"
By Daniel Henninger
Two days after the election, a friend told me that because he has an Asian surname, he was inundated
for months with emails from liberal Asian groups urging him to vote for Barack Obama. I asked what
reason the emails gave for Asians to support Mr. Obama. Their main message: Barack Obama is
"better for minorities."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323551004578117420761844996.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_emailed
11/13/12 Medill Reports Chicago: "Many Asian American voters are foreign born, have limited
command of English -- and pack an increasing punch at the polls"
by Mariam Khan
Asian Americans, the fastest growing ethnic group in Illinois, made themselves heard in this year’s
election, even if some of them needed a bit of help with the language.
Over 80 percent of Asian Americans who voted this year were foreign born and spoke English as a
second language, according to exit poll research conducted by the Asian American Institute and
South Asian American Policy and Research Institute.
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=210634
11/13/12 Los Angeles Times: "Op-Ed. CA to GOP: Adios. The demographics of California's
congressional delegation tell it all: a broad ethnic and racial mix for the Democrats, and solid white
male for the Republicans."
By Harold Meyerson
There are many ways to illustrate the descent of the California Republican Party into oblivion.
A starting point is the demographic breakdown of the members of Congress elected last week in the state.
Assuming the leaders in the few remaining close races hold their leads, there will be 38 Democrats and
15 Republicans representing California in Congress come January. Of those 38 Democrats, 18 are
women, nine are Latinos, five are Asian Americans, three are African Americans, four are Jews and at
least one is gay. Just 12 are white men. Of the 15 Republicans, on the other hand, all are white men —
not a woman, let alone a member of a racial minority or a Jew, among them.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-meyerson-california-electorate-20121113,0,5979693.story
11/12/12 The Hill: "Unmarried voters, gays and Asian-Americans gave Obama edge"
By Ron Faucheux, president, Clarus Research Group
Since Election Day, there has been abundant chatter about the new American electorate, one that is
less traditional, less white and more diverse. No doubt, the Obama campaign's ability to deliver victory
by surfing the waves of changing demographics -- we used to call this "identity politics" -- was impressive.
. . . . .
Asian Americans are a rapidly growing component of the U.S. population. They have the highest level
of educational attainment and median household income of any racial group in the nation. Four years ago,
they represented 2 percent of the voting public. This year, it was 3 percent -- which translates to 3.6 million
votes cast. Over time, Democratic support within this group has dramatically increased. In 1992, Democrat
Bill Clinton lost Asian Americans to Republican George H. W. Bush by a hefty 24 points. This year,
Democrat Obama beat Republican Romney by a whopping 47 points among Asian Americans, a margin
representing 1.7 million votes.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/presidential-campaign/267355-the-changing-electorate
11/12/12 Asbury Park Press: "Asian-Americans make historic gains in Congress"
Washington — A record number of Asian-Americans will serve in the next Congress, and several
achieved groundbreaking firsts in last week’s elections.
http://www.app.com/viewart/20121112/NJNEWS18/311120021/Asian-Americans-make-historic-gains-Congress?odyssey=nav|head
11/10/2012 San Jose Mercury News: "Asian-American voters show growing clout, leftward turn,"
By Matt O'Brien
A historic Latino turnout helped turn America's electoral tide toward the re-election of President Barack
Obama, but Republicans also have another fast-growing group of voters to worry about in future elections:
Asian-Americans.
Exit polls are showing at least 70 percent of Asian-American voters chose Obama, a sign that the
nation's fastest-growing and most politically undecided electorate is leaning increasingly Democratic.
http://www.mercurynews.com/census/ci_21965877/asian-american-voters-show-growing-clout-leftward-turn
11/10/12 The Hartford Guardian: "Increasingly, New Face of Asian American Electorate is a Democrat,"
by Ngoc Nguyen
After the election, media noted that Latino voters helped buoy President Barack Obama to a second term.
Largely ignored, however, was the Asian American vote, which exit polls show trumped even Latino support
for the president.
National exit polls show that more than 70 percent of Asian American voters broke for Obama, and that
this voting bloc may have also played a pivotal role in swing states such as Nevada. The Asian American
vote in Tuesday’s election underscores a key trend born out in a number of recent pre-election polls: The
Asian American vote is changing, shifting more Democratic, even across subgroups.
http://www.thehartfordguardian.com/2012/11/10/increasingly-new-face-of-asian-american-electorate-is-a-democrat/
11/10/12 Chicago Tribune: "Duckworth the first Asian-American from Illinois in Congress,"
by Duaa Eldeib
Tammy Duckworth watched election night returns roll in from her hotel room, not quite ready to declare
victory. Downstairs, a campaign aide told a packed room of supporters that a win would carry extra
significance.
"We are making history tonight," campaign treasurer Nancy Chen said.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-tammy-duckworth-asian-vote-20121110,0,7595402.story
11/10/12 Wall Street Journal India: "U.S. Election: The South Asian Factor,"
by Visi R. Tilak
Considering that South Asian Americans overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama in the U.S.
presidential election, were they instrumental in the win?
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/11/10/u-s-election-the-south-asian-factor/
11/8/12 Los Angeles Times: "Asian Americans overwhelmingly backed Obama, Democrats,"
By Kim Geiger
Exit polls show that 73% of Asian Americans backed Obama, an 11-point increase since 2008. Asian
Americans came out in such force for Obama that they topped Latinos as his second-most supportive
ethnic group, behind African Americans.
Latinos, who made up 10% of the electorate, went 67% for Obama, 5 points higher than in 2008.
While Asians accounted for just 3% of the electorate – up from 2% in 2008 – their overwhelming
support made them a key component of the Obama coalition, especially in swing states like Virginia,
Florida and Colorado.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-asian-americans-obama-election-20121108,0,2086805.story
11/8/12 Voice of America: "Indian-American Candidates Fare Poorly at Polls,"
While Asian-Americans make up the fastest growing bloc of voters in the United States, that didn’t
translate into victories for the six Indian-American candidates running for Congress.
http://www.voanews.com/content/indian_americans_fare-poorly_polls/1542181.html
11/8/12 New York Times: "The Party of Work,"
by David Brooks
But, each year, there are more Americans whose cultural roots lie elsewhere. Each year, there are more
people from different cultures, with different attitudes toward authority, different attitudes about individualism,
different ideas about what makes people enterprising.
More important, people in these groups are facing problems not captured by the fundamental Republican
equation: more government = less vitality.
The Pew Research Center does excellent research on Asian-American and Hispanic values. Two findings
jump out. First, people in these groups have an awesome commitment to work. By most measures, members
of these groups value industriousness more than whites.
Second, they are also tremendously appreciative of government. In survey after survey, they embrace the
idea that some government programs can incite hard work, not undermine it; enhance opportunity, not crush
it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/opinion/brooks-the-party-of-work.html?ref=davidbrooks&pagewanted=print&_r=0
11/7/12 Rafu Shimpo (LA Japanese Daily News): "CAPAC Welcomes Newly Elected Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders to Congress,"
Washinton — Tuesday’s election will send new Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) to the
U.S. Congress, all of whom will be setting historic firsts when they are officially sworn in.
One new AAPI candidate was elected to serve in the U.S. Senate, four in the House of Representatives,
and a fifth House candidate is currently in the lead with the race too close to call.
http://rafu.com/news/2012/11/capac-welcomes-newly-elected-asian-americans-and-pacific-islanders-to-congress/
11/7/2012 San Jose Mercury News: "Hawaii sends nation's first Asian American woman to Senate,"
by Adrienne LaFrance
New York - Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, on Tuesday became the first Asian American woman elected
to the U.S. Senate. She'll also be Hawaii's first female U.S. senator, after defeating former Gov. Linda
Lingle.
http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_21947729
11/7/12 New York Daily News: "Grace Meng ‘flattered’ to be N.Y.’s first Asian-American in Congress,"
By Lisa L. Colangelo
Grace Meng broke barriers on Tuesday night when she won a seat in Congress.
But the Queens-born state legislator said on Wednesday that she is more focused on getting help to
her storm-damaged district and looking to the future than thinking about her historic victory.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/winning-grace-article-1.1198438
11/7/12 National Review: "Another Ballot Ray of Sunshine,"
By Roger Clegg
Yesterday Oklahoma passed a ballot initiative banning preferences and discrimination on the basis of
race, ethnicity, and sex in state and local government contracting, employment, and education (including
public universities) — a.k.a. affirmative action — by an overwhelming margin, 59 to 41 percent. It joins
California, Washington, Michigan, Nebraska, and Arizona — the other states that have passed these
measures. In Oklahoma, as in the other states, Ward Connerly played the key role (with an assist from the
Center for Equal Opportunity).
Note that our fastest growing racial group — Asians — is frequently discriminated against in public
university admissions by “affirmative action,” and that our largest ethnic minority group — Latinos — has
recently been discriminated against in government contracting by such programs.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/332893/another-ballot-ray-sunshine-roger-clegg
11/7/12 Asia Society: "Giving Gap? Connecting Asian-American Philanthropy and Community Needs,"
On October 30, leading foundation and fundraising experts gathered to discuss new trends in
Asian-
American philanthropy and whether there is a “giving gap,” where the community is giving less than it could
or should. The panel was moderated by Buck Gee, an ASNC board member and Co-Founder of the
Chinese American Community Foundation.
http://asiasociety.org/northern-california/giving-gap-connecting-asian-american-philanthropy-and-community-needs
11/7/12 New York Times: "The Man Who Can Make Bruce Lee Talk,"
By Alex Witchel
On a late summer morning, in a room far west on 42nd Street, Bruce Lee, who has yet to become
the greatest martial artist of all time, is putting the moves on a young Japanese-American dancer.
“Cannot fight the qi force,” Bruce informs her. “Energy. Between man and woman. Very powerful. So
must allow the flow, the qi force to —”
She interrupts him. “You’re using ancient Chinese philosophy? To get into my pants?”
“Philosophy,” he says, “it should be practical.”
The line got its laugh from the small group in attendance, including David Henry Hwang, who wrote it.
As he listened to the first 70 pages of his new play, “Kung Fu,” his face softened. The brashness of the
Bruce Lee he is creating tickled him. The only thing that betrayed his anxiety was his right hand, clamped
so firmly over his mouth that it seemed to become his center of gravity. He learned long ago not to reveal
his feelings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/magazine/david-henry-hwang-the-man-who-can-make-bruce-lee-talk.html?hpw
11/6/12 San Jose Mercury News: "Some say Asian American vote overlooked in 2012 elections,"
by Adrienne LaFrance
New York - Even in an election year that focused heavily on the demographics of minority voters, the role
of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in American politics was largely overlooked, say many observers.
http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_21937783
11/5/12 GlobalPost.com: "US election: Chinese-Americans react to China-bashing:
What do the more
than 3 million Chinese-Americans think about China being called a "cheater"?"
by James Miller
Boston — It is no secret that “China bashing” has featured prominently in this election, as both presidential
candidates challenge each other to gauge who is tougher on China.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/121105/chinese-americans-react-china-bashing-election
11/2/12 Politico.com: "Why Asian-Americans should back Mitt Romney,"
By: Lanhee Chen
Asian-American voters face a big choice in the election this November. Like all voters, we care deeply
about the state of our nation’s economy and our country’s unemployment crisis. And after four years of
sky-high jobless rates, declining incomes and rising costs for health care, gasoline and food, it’s clear that
America can’t afford another four years like the last four years. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to take
our country in a new direction by electing Mitt Romney as president of the United States.
www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83177.html
11/3/12 Politico.com: "Obama's commitment to Asian-Americans,"
By: Rep. Judy Chu
President Obama knows that America is and always will be a Pacific nation and that, in the 21st century,
it is more important than ever that the United States play a role in shaping the future of the Asia-Pacific
region. No other U.S. President in history has had such a deep understanding of the vibrancy of Asia. But
that’s no surprise. As he said earlier this year: “When I think about Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders,
I think about my family.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83240.html
11/2/12 Reuters: "The power of the AAPI voting bloc,"
by Rep. Mike Honda and Rep. Judy Chu
The Asian-American and Pacific Islander vote could very likely be the margin of victory on Tuesday.
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/11/02/the-power-of-the-aapi-voting-bloc/
11/2/12 WBAY (Green Bay, WI): "Studies Show Asian Americans Among Least Likely to Vote,"
by Bao Vang
A University of California-Los Angeles report titled Asian American College Students and Civic
Engagement shows Asian-Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 are among the least likely to vote.
http://www.wbay.com/story/19990391/2012/11/02/studies-show-asian-americans-among-least-likely-to-vote
11/1/12 New York Times: "Asian-Americans in the Argument,"
By Ethan Bronner
Ethnic politics is a touchy topic under any circumstances, but the issue here has a sharper edge as the
United States Supreme Court examines whether the University of Texas is violating the Constitution by
including race and ethnicity in admissions decisions. On Oct. 10, it heard oral arguments in Fisher v.
University of Texas, in which Abigail Fisher, a white Texan, says she was denied admission to the
flagship campus while less qualified Latinos and African-Americans were allowed in.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/education/edlife/affirmative-action-a-complicated-issue-for-asian-americans.html?pagewanted=all
11/1/12 Associated Press: "Asian American group raises Georgia election concerns,"
Atlanta — Georgia election officials say they’ve been asked to look into concerns by a group representing
Asian Americans that hundreds of new voters are facing obstacles that could keep them from voting.
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-11-01/asian-american-group-raises-georgia-election-concerns
10/31/12 Inside Higher Ed: "'Holistic' Controversy"
By Scott Jaschik
The current debate was sparked by a report issued last week by a law professor at UCLA who
provided what he said was evidence that UCLA was interpreting holistic admissions in ways that
resulted in the admission of black students with significantly lower scores (not just based on grades
and test scores, but on the holistic factors as well) than those of students in other groups.
The professor says this shows that race is being considered at UCLA, despite protestations to the
contrary. The report (and coverage and commentary about it in the student newspaper) infuriated
minority student leaders at UCLA (not to mention admissions officials). The administrators reacted,
among other reasons, because they are in effect being accused of violating the law. And minority
students said that the suggestion was that they didn't deserve to be at UCLA -- a suggestion that
is particularly distressing to black students because their numbers have been so low since the
state barred its public universities from considering race and ethnicity in admissions.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/10/31/debate-over-admissions-and-race-ucla
10/31/2012 Huffington Post: "'The Orphan Of Zhao' Controversy: East Asian Actors Demand Apology
From Royal Shakespeare Company,"
The "Orphan of Zhao," a story of a boy who realizes his adopted father killed his entire clan, is often
referred to as "Chinese Hamlet." So when a recent casting of the piece by the Royal Shakespeare
Company hired only three east Asian actors in a cast of 17, the decision raised quite a few eyebrows
in the UK.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/east-asian-actors-adress-_n_2050353.html
10/30/12 New York Observer: "The New Jews?"
By The Editors
The strong Asian-American presence at New York’s elite public high schools has been years in the
making. Now, however, comes the backlash: parents are complaining, in essence, that schools like
Stuyvesant and Bronx Science are, you know, too Asian.
http://observer.com/2012/10/the-new-jews/
10/30/12 Las Vegas Sun: "Asian-Americans one of greatest untapped voting blocs this year,"
By Karoun Demirjian
At almost 10 percent of the population, Nevada’s Asian-American community easily has the numbers
to bridge the narrow gap of votes that likely will determine whom the Silver State selects as president
and in many of the congressional races.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/oct/30/asian-americans-one-greatest-untapped-voting-blocs/
10/30/12 KDFW channel 4 (Dallas, TX): "Thieves targeting Indian Asian American community,"
By: Fil Alvarado
Irving, Texas - Some North Texans in the Indian Asian American community say they are being
targeted by thieves who are going after their gold.
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/19958271/thieves-targeting-indian-asian-american-community
10/29/12 National Journal: "Undecided Asian-Americans Prove to be Powerful Voting Bloc:
Long an ignored slice of the electorate, Asian-Americans are increasingly flexing their political muscles
this year, as candidates and constituents,"
By Shane Goldmacher
Falls Church, Va.—The silken scarves that Ben and Josh Romney wore as they toured a suburban
shopping mall of Vietnamese businesses this month were bright yellow, with thin red stripes. They weren’t
fashion statements; they were political accessories. As the Romneys pitched their father’s presidential
bid, the scarves epitomized the kind of granular attention to detail that campaigns now pay to
Asian-
American voters: The vibrant colors identified their opposition to Vietnamese communism and their
support for the local Vietnamese-American community.
Asian-Americans constitute only about 6 percent of Virginia’s population, but they have become a
coveted constituency in a state at the center of the battle for the presidency and the Senate. And the
Eden Center shopping mall in the Washington suburbs has become something of a ground zero in the
battle for their votes.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/politics/undecided-asian-americans-prove-to-be-powerful-voting-bloc-20121029
10/29/12 AFP: "In tight US race, Asian Americans could be kingmakers,"
By Shaun Tandon
Falls Church, Virginia — From the stall where he sells newspapers and scarves in the colors of the
former South Vietnam, Tony Nguyen has been watching the tight US presidential election play out
before his eyes.
Representatives for President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney have been
frequent visitors to the Vietnamese restaurants and beauty salons here in Washington's Virginia
suburbs, seeking what could be critical votes in a neck-and-neck race.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iundZMxgf8KtEZJwSXVkVs3lWa_A?docId=CNG.46afd8853527bc04fff7aee92b0429e1.481
10/29/12 Huffington Post: "Vietnamese-Americans try to save elders' stories,"
by Amy Taxin
Irvine, CA — The knock came at night more than 30 years ago. Hugo Van, then a young man, had
a chance to flee newly communist Vietnam and walk to freedom.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121029/us-vietnamese-refugees/
10/29/12 Wall Street Journal: "‘Survivor’ Star on Asian American Success Stories,"
By Yul Kwon
Lee Siegel’s essay, “Rise of the Tiger Nation,” will undoubtedly provoke sharp reactions both
within and outside the Asian American community. The fact that I was mentioned as an example
of Asian American success (I won “Survivor” during the controversial thirteenth season when the
contestants were divided by race), combined with the shirtless photo of me that accompanied the
article, has already caused me some consternation. As soon as it was published, my wife sent me
a text demanding to know why I no longer look like I did in the photo (My lame response:
“Er…
I’m married with kids?)”
http://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2012/10/29/survivor-star-on-asian-american-success-stories/
10/29/12 The Daily Californian: "Tracking UC Berkeley’s former chancellor Chang-Lin Tien:
FBI documents, interviews show nation's first Asian American chancellor fell victim to United States'
fear of China,"
by Soumya Kar;amangla
Editor’s Note: This project was a collaboration between the Investigative Reporting Program at
UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and The Daily Californian.
For a moment in 1996, a political milestone for Asian Americans was within Chang-Lin Tien’s reach.
Former president Bill Clinton had placed him on the shortlist to be Secretary of Energy, and the chance
to be the first Asian American to serve on a U.S. Cabinet was almost his.
But just days before Clinton’s official announcement, the White House called to tell Tien, then
chancellor of UC Berkeley, that the president had removed him from the running. A breaking campaign
finance scandal had evoked fear nationwide that China had influenced the election. Suddenly, Tien’s
appointment became politically impossible.
“He didn’t try to blame anybody,” said Tien’s former chief of staff John Cummins, who added that
Tien — in typical fashion — took the loss with “great magnanimity.”
Tien had gotten caught up in something larger than himself. UC Berkeley’s beloved chancellor had
become, not for the first or last time, a token of the geopolitical tension between the United States and
China.
Today, 10 years after Tien’s death, recently obtained FBI documents and interviews with some of
his family and closest associates show that though Tien opened doors for minorities with his
enormous success as a scientist and an educator, he was nevertheless a lightning rod for a fear of
China that consumed the United States in the latter half of the 20th century.
http://www.dailycal.org/2012/10/29/tracking-uc-berkeleys-former-chancellor-chang-lin-tien/
10/27/12 Wall Street Journal: "Rise of the Tiger Nation: Asian-Americans are now the country's
best-
educated, highest-earning and fastest-growing racial group. They share with American Jews both the
distinction and the occasional burden of immigrant success,"
by Lee Siegel
Last March, an interviewer archly asked President Barack Obama whether he was aware that he had
been "surpassed" by basketball phenomenon Jeremy Lin "as the most famous Harvard graduate." The
question was misformulated. If there was any surpassing going on, it was that Mr. Lin had become, briefly,
more famous than Mr. Obama as the country's most exemplary figure from a hitherto marginalized minority.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204076204578076613986930932.html
[Bigots for the Left at universities: "We have too many Asians.
Ignore their test scores and admit the
blacks and Hispanics with lower scores. Wink, wink. Keep the number
of Jews the same. All animals
are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Stop
investing in the ponzi scheme.
Stop donating to universities.]
10/26/12 New York Times: "For Asians, School Tests Are Vital Steppingstones,"
By Kyle Spencer
Ting Shi said his first two years in the United States were wretched. He slept in a bunk bed in the same
room with his grandparents and a cousin in Chinatown, while his parents lived on East 89th Street, near
a laundromat where they endured 12-hour shifts. He saw them only on Sundays.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/27/education/a-grueling-admissions-test-highlights-a-racial-divide.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&pagewanted=all
10/26/12 WNYC: "Asian American Assemblywoman Vies to Make History in Queens Congressional Race,"
By Colby Hamilton
If elected to Congress, Grace Meng would be the first Asian American in Congress from a state east
of the Pacific coast. But to win, she has to overcome Dan Halloran, a Republican with ties to the district
that date back a century.
http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/oct/26/asian-america-assemblywoman-vies/
10/26/12 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio: "2 candidates vie in San Gabriel Valley for state's
first Asian-American district,"
By Alice Walton |
Two candidates in the San Gabriel Valley are fighting to represent the state Assembly’s first
Asian-
American majority district.
Matthew Lin, a physician, and engineer Edwin Chau will face each other in the Nov. 6 election.
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2012/10/26/10699/two-candidates-hope-lead-state-assemblys-first-asi/
[Who runs Hollywood? Conservatives or Bigots for the Left?]
10/25/2012 Contra Costa Times: "People: 'Cloud Atlas' filmmakers blasted by Asian-American groups,"
by Randy McMullen
"Cloud Atlas," the ambitious new film directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer that
spans several centuries and has actors playing characters of more than one race, age and gender, has
come under fire by the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans (MANAA).
http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_21855013/people-cloud-atlas-filmmakers-blasted-by-asian-american
10/25/12 Ricochet.com: "Independent Study Shows UCLA is Cheating on Admissions,"
by Tim Groseclose
In September, 2007, after seeing a significant drop in its African-American enrollment, UCLA adopted
a new “holistic” admissions system.
As no one will dispute, the purpose of the system was to increase the admission rate of underrepresented
minorities, especially African-Americans. Although it did little to increase the admission rates of Latinos,
Chicanos, and American Indians, somehow it was spectacular at increasing the African-American
admission rate, which increased to 16.5% during the first year of the holistic system, from 11.5% during
the last year of the prior system.
http://ricochet.com/main-feed/Independent-Study-Shows-UCLA-is-Cheating-on-Admissions?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
10/23/12 Los Angeles Times: "Voting campaign targets Asian Americans; Community groups are urging
Asians, who constitute 10% of the state's registered voters, to take part in the upcoming election,"
By Anh Do
Michael Wahl is aware that he has a choice — President Obama or Mitt Romney. "It's either this guy or
that guy," the Cal Poly Pomona sophomore says.
But he didn't know about the candidates lower on the ballot, or the measures that could shape California's
future — until volunteers came to his ethnic studies class one evening with a video aimed at convincing
Asian Americans to turn out on election day.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-asian-vote-20121023,0,3637712.story
10/23/12 Wall Street Journal: "The Hidden Campus Crisis: Placing unprepared students in challenging
academic environments derails their lives and careers,"
By Trevor Butterworth
Few issues at the crossroads of constitutional law and policy are quite as fraught with cultural and racial
tension as affirmative action, which is why it is important to stress that "Mismatch" isn't about intelligence
or IQ or even, in a sense, academic ability; it is about academic preparation, the Achilles' heel of American
education.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444734804578063650361070668.html
10/23/12 Examiner.com: "Dr. Santa Ono named University of Cincinnati's 28th president,"
by: Marc Hoover
Santa Ono has been named the 28th president of the University of Cincinnati after former president
Greg Williams abruptly resigned. Williams left the university after several disagreements with the
U.C. Board of Trustees.
http://www.examiner.com/article/dr-santa-ono-named-university-of-cincinnati-s-28th-president
10/22/12 Wall Street Journal: "Asians Rally in N.J. Race,"
By Heather Haddon
A New Jersey congressional race between a state assemblyman and a congressman—both of whom
most Americans have never heard of—has turned into a tough political fight drawing campaign
contributions from across the U.S., thanks to a keenly interested ethnic group: Southeast Asians.
In his uphill effort to unseat Rep. Leonard Lance—a two-term Republican and heir to a state political
dynasty—Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula is trying to become the first Southeast Asian to serve in
Congress from a state east of the Mississippi River.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203630604578073133164628390.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
10/19/12 Yale Daily News: "The Madama Butterfly Effect"
By Larissa Pham
I have never been more Asian than I am when here at Yale. Or maybe I should say, the fact that I’m
Asian has never been so remarked-upon as it has been here — particularly in the context of my sex life.
But this story doesn’t really begin with me.
“There’s a long history of exoticism: of seeing Asian women as eroticized, see
ing them as passive
and compliant.”
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2012/oct/19/madama-butterfly-effect/
10/18/12 Asian Journal: "GOP Asian Americans make statement after 2nd Debate: ‘Romney is The Man
for the Presidency’"
by Mico Letargo
Los Angeles—In a statement to the press after the second of presidential debates, Governor Mitt Romney
is once again affirmed by Republican Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) as ‘the right man for the presidency’.
http://www.asianjournal.com/dateline-usa/15-dateline-usa/17805-gop-asian-americans-make-statement-after-2nd-debate-romney-is-the-man-for-the-presidency.html
10/18/12 New York Times: Forgotten Hero of Labor Fight; His Son’s Lonely Quest
by Patricia Leigh Brown
Delano, Calif. — It is the obscurity of his father’s grave, not far from the once-tumultuous grape fields
where farmworker history was made, that most troubles Johnny Itliong, a chef from Los Angeles.
“Larry deserves better,” Mr. Itliong said of his father, Larry Itliong, the fiercely determined, polyglot Filipino
labor leader whose pivotal role in the farm labor movement continues to reside in history’s shadows.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/19/us/larry-itliong-forgotten-filipino-labor-leader.html
10/16/2012 press release: JusticeforAsianAmerican: "Anti-Asian Sentiment Allegedly Takes Place
in San Francisco, Lawsuit Filed"
A group of six Asian Americans including three Chinese Americans, one Japanese American, one
Asian Indian female, and one Asian Pacific Islander female from San Francisco Juvenile Probation
Department jointly filed a lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco for alleged Civil Rights
violations involving discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and retaliation based upon their race and
ethnicity. According to court document: The causes of action include, but are not limited to, alleged
supervisor demanding sexual favors in exchange for job security or promotional opportunities from Asian
female employees, alleged commanding Asian employees to clean up human feces, outside their job
description and in contravention of corporate policy, rather than using existing and available trained
janitorial waste technicians, alleged retaliation against Asian whistleblowers complaining of racial
discrimination, alleged filing wrongful and/or false allegations against many Asian American employees
making them essentially unqualified to be promoted or advanced within their employment positions,
being stigmatized in the work force, etc.
[Source: U.S. District Court, Northern California (SF-Oakland) #CV08-04702 (10/10/2008);
Ninth Circuit Court #12-16349 (6/12/2012)]
http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2012/10/15/justiceforasianamerican_20121015105414.html
10/15/12 City Watch Los Angeles: "Supremes Affirmative-Action Debate Spotlights UC’s Shabby History,"
by Chris Reed
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Fisher v. the University of Texas, the latest
big affirmative-action case to reach SCOTUS. Conservative justices used their questions to establish how
intentionally slippery and vague UT officials are in explaining how race is included as a factor in deciding
admissions to their first-rate public university.
To students of California politics and academia, what should be especially interesting is how the justices
deal with the claim that fuzzy, “holistic” judgments that lead to less-qualified minority students being admitted
over much more-qualified white or Asian students are somehow less objectionable than hard quotas.
In California, this “holistic” approach to college admissions was long ago revealed as an explicit attempt
to game Proposition 209, the 1996 state law which bans racial quotas in state government.
And which journalistic outlet made this point best? The New York Times! Economics columnist David
Leonhardt wrote a long piece in the Sunday magazine on Sept. 30, 2007, explaining how the UC system,
especially UCLA, used fuzzy talk to advance a clearly racial agenda — one with far more benefits for
the kids of affluent blacks and Hispanics than poor Asians (or poor whites).
Here was my take then:
“One of the aspects of the University of California system/affirmative action debate that consistently gets
short shrift in media coverage is that in the old quota system, African-American and Latino students with
less impressive scholastic records weren’t bumping white students, they were bumping Asian-American
students. So Asian-Americans paid the biggest price for a policy that has as its central rationale the need
to remedy the dominant white culture’s historic discrimination against minorities. Huh?
Leonhardt mentioned the following pretty much in passing:
“Even as the number of low-income black freshmen [at UCLA] soared this year, the overall number of
low-income freshmen fell somewhat. The rise in low-income black students was accompanied by a fall in
low-income Asian students — not a decline in well-off students. So under the old quota system,
Asian-
American students in general paid the price for society’s attempts to atone for white racism. Now under
the new surreptitious affirmative-action program, poor Asian-American students are paying the highest
price. If this is social justice, count me out.”
This crucial detail in how affirmative action, disguised or otherwise, works was a focus of Justice Alito
in Wednesday’s questioning:
“JUSTICE ALITO: Well, I thought that the whole purpose of affirmative action was to help students who
come from underprivileged backgrounds, but you make a very different argument that I don’t think I’ve
ever seen before. The top 10 percent plan admits lots of African Americans — lots of Hispanics and a
fair number of African Americans.
“But you say, well, it’s — it’s faulty, because it doesn’t admit enough African Americans and Hispanics
who come from privileged backgrounds. And you specifically have the example of the child of successful
professionals in Dallas. Now, that’s your argument?
“If you have -¬you have an applicant whose parents are — let’s say they’re — one of them is a partner
in your law firm in Texas, another one is a part — is another corporate lawyer. They have income that
puts them in the top 1 percent of earners in the country, and they have -¬parents both have graduate
degrees. They deserve a leg-up against, let’s say, an Asian or a white applicant whose parents are
absolutely average in terms of education and income?”
By a quarter-century ago, it was apparent that innocent Asian-Americans were the victims of affirmative
action in UC admissions, not historically oppressive whites. This is from a September 1987 Los Angeles
Times story:
“There may be a parallel between what is happening to Asian-Americans now and what happened to
Jews in the 1920s and 1930s at some Ivy League schools. … And, like Jews before them, the members
of the new model minority contend that they have begun to bump up against artificial barriers to their
advancement.
“Casual inspection of the Berkeley campus … makes any suggestion of anti-Asian bias seem
implausible. Asians represent 6.7% of California’s population, but they account for 25.5% of the Berkeley
student body. …
“But … the percentage of Asians in the student body might be even higher, the critics contend, if
admissions were still based strictly on merit. Since the mid-1970s, both Americans of Asian descent
and immigrants from Asia have so outperformed Caucasian, black and Latino students in high schools
that universities have manipulated admissions criteria to hold back the Asian influx, say the critics.
“‘As soon as the percentages of Asian students began reaching double digits at some universities,
suddenly a red light went on,’ said Ling-Chi Wang, a peppery Chinese-born professor of ethnic studies
at Berkeley and one of the university’s severest critics. ‘Since then, Asian-American admissions rates
have either stabilized or declined … university officials see the prevalence of Asians as a problem.’”
For the complete article, see http://www.citywatchla.com/component/content/article/317-8box-right/3922-supremes-affirmative-action-debate-spotlights-ucs-shabby-history
10/14/12 NPR; All Things Considered: "More Asian-Americans Seeking Higher Political Office,"
by Reema Khrais
More Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders are running for Congress than ever before. A total of 36,
including incumbents, launched campaigns this year — more than double the number from a record set
just two years ago
Of those, a record 21 contenders — 18 Democrats and three Republicans — claimed victories in their
primaries and are now vying to represent districts across the nation.
http://www.npr.org/2012/10/14/162881272/more-asian-americans-seeking-higher-political-office
10/12/12 Inside Higher Ed: "Think Outside 'The Box'"
by Kevin Kiley
Denver – Don’t check the box.
It’s the advice that’s given to Asian-American students by friends, family members, guidance counselors,
even teachers, in the college application process. “The box” in question (actually more of a circle these days)
refers to the selection of “Asian” when college applications ask students how they identify themselves.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/10/12/asian-american-students-perceive-bias-university-admissions-and-counselors-want
10/11/12 Politico: "Alito speaks up for Asian Americans,"
By Josh Gerstein
When the Supreme Court took up the issue of affirmative
action in higher education Wednesday for the
first time in nearly a decade, Justice Samuel Alito seemed to be particularly focused on the program's
impact on Asian Americans.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2012/10/alito-speaks-up-for-asian-americans-138099.html?hp=r2_b1
10/11/12 Fairfax County Times: "Candidates focus on Asian American voters,"
by Holly Hobbs
With less than a month left before the presidential election, candidates are seeking support of minority
groups to boost their winning chances in swing states such as Virginia. This strategy puts Northern Virginia
localities, the most diverse in the state, on the campaigns’ priority lists.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/candidates-focus-on-asian-american-voters/2012/10/11/84a4bf3e-1193-11e2-a16b-2c110031514a_story.html
10/11/12 Falls Church News Press: "Guest Commentary: NoVa’s Asian American Pacific Islander Vote
Is Critical,"
by Michael Honda
The Northern Virginian Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) vote is, and will be, the margin of victory
in this year's presidential election and the critical vote to re-elect President Obama and move this country
forward.
http://www.fcnp.com/commentary/local/12764-guest-commentary-novas-asian-american-pacific-islander-vote-is-critical-.html
10/12/12 Examiner: "U.S. Senate hopeful bats for Filipino veterans,"
by Bert Eljera
U.S. Senate candidate Shelley Berkley touted her long advocacy on behalf of the Asian American and
Pacific Islander community in Las Vegas as she sought their support again for the November elections.
http://www.examiner.com/article/u-s-senate-hopeful-bats-for-filipino-veterans
10/10/12 Portland Tribune: "Asian youth role models hard to find,"
by Peter Korn
Quick, name role models for a black child or teen. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Barack Obama?
Oprah Winfrey?
How about for a Latino youth? Portland has a street named for one — Caesar Chavez. Supreme Court
Justice Sonia Sotomayor is another.
Now, how about some nationally recognizable Asian-American role models? Not so easy. And that,
says Pepperdine University sociologist Rebecca Kim, reveals a big problem. If Asian-Americans are
the models of success so many believe them to be, Kim says, there ought to be public figures to inspire
Asian youth to become involved in public life.
http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/116726-asian-youth-role-models-hard-to-find
10/5/12 NBC: "Asian-Americans could impact presidential race,"
By Richard Lui
There are plenty of different voter groups for campaigns to court during this presidential election and,
this year, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders could impact the outcome in a significant way. In what
has been a tight race, a relatively minor investment in these voters could pay large dividends for President
Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/06/14261183-asian-americans-could-impact-presidential-race?lite
10/4/12 Seattle Times: "Op-ed: Asian Americans could be the ultimate swing vote: This could be the first
year Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders swing the race for the White House,"
By Richard Lui
This could be the first year Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders swing the race for the White House.
They have reached tipping-point population levels in battleground states.
http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2019345533_guestrichardluiasianvotersxml.html
10/4/12 Wall Street Journal: "Race and the Law at the Supreme Court: With Fisher v. University of Texas,
the court has a chance to do the right thing—end the use of racial
preferences,"
By Gerald Walpin
On Oct. 10, the Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of granting racial preferences to
African-American and Hispanic college applicants over whites and Asian-Americans. The defendant is
the University of Texas at Austin. The plaintiff, Abigail Fisher, a white woman, was denied admission in
2008 and filed suit (along with another plaintiff who has since dropped out) alleging that the university
discriminated against her on the basis of race.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443759504577627460056905918.html
9/30/12 Brockton (MA) Enterprise: "Brockton area has only one minority legislator,"
By Maria Papadopoulos
Lakeville — State Rep. Keiko Orrall, R-Lakeville, is the only minority member of an otherwise all-white
legislative delegation from the Greater Brockton region.
She is among eight women in the 24-member local delegation and one of only three Asian-Americans
in the 200-member state Legislature.
http://www.enterprisenews.com/answerbook/brockton/x1913819650/Diversity-at-the-State-House
9/29/12 Uinted Press International: "One-third of Asian-Americans undecided,"
Riverside, CA (UPI) -- One-third of Asian-American voters are undecided on the U.S. presidential race,
and are getting "considerable" attention from the campaigns, a researcher said.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/09/29/One-third-of-Asian-Americans-undecided/UPI-13621348945521/?spt=hs&or=tn
9/28/12 North Andover (MA) Citizen: "Women, minorities underrepresented on Beacon Hill,"
By David Riley
Medford — Do your state lawmakers look like you?
For white men in Massachusetts, the answer usually is yes. Minorities and women are far less likely to find
a familiar face on the floor of the House or Senate, even as the state becomes more diverse.
Asian-Americans are more than 5 percent of the state population, but there only are three lawmakers of
Asian descent on Beacon Hill. Two are just completing their first terms.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/northandover/news/x1925498929/Women-minorities-underrepresented-on-Beacon-Hill
9/28/12 Chicago Tribune: "Chicago's burgeoning, diverse Asian-American community faces challenges:
Many immigrants find road to success hindered by a stagnant economy and their lack of proficiency in
English,"
By Dahleen Glanton and Michael Holtz
Devon Avenue on Chicago's North Side is vastly different from the coastal city in India that Sam Varghese
left two years ago. Yet, in this growing population of old and new Asian-American immigrants, he has found
his life's work registering them to vote.
www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-asians-diversity-20120928,0,6500876.story
9/27/12 Washington Post: "Familiar ad trope: Pairing white men and Asian American women,"
By Paul Farhi
Balding hipster-nerd brings his demure girlfriend to his boys’-night-out poker game. Girlfriend looks like
an easy mark. But as the game unfolds, she’s not what she seems. Shedding her prim blouse and headband
for a tight tank top, sunglasses and headphones, she turns out to be a smooth operator. “Bah-zing!” she says
triumphantly at the end of the spot, laying down a hand that wipes the guys out.
This scenario, from a new TV spot for Ruffles Ultimate chips, amusingly busts one stereotype (women can’t
beat men at poker) but subtly reinforces another familiar ad trope. The boyfriend: Ordinary looking —
and Caucasian. The girlfriend: Beautiful — and Asian American.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/familiar-ad-trope-pairing-white-men-and-asian-american-women/2012/09/27/a959bc84-feb1-11e1-a31e-804fccb658f9_story.html
9/27/12 India West: "Coalition Releases Policy Paper on Key AAPI Concerns,"
by Richard Springer
A coalition of 31 Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian organizations Sept. 20 released
a list of policy recommendations to improve the lives of Asian Americans and other Pacific Islander groups
throughout the U.S. in the areas of civil rights, education, health, housing, economic justice and immigration.
http://indiawest.com/news/6789-coalition-releases-policy-paper-on-key-aapi-concerns.html
9/26/12 New York Daily News: NAACP complains there are too many Asian Americans
at city's elite
high schools. [original headline: NAACP claims discriminatory admission practices at city's elite high
schools]
by Ben Chapman
The NAACP alleges schools like Stuyvesant High School have discriminatory admission practices.
Only 1 percent of students at Stuy High are African American.
The city’s Specialized High Schools Admissions Test is the only method that is used to judge students for
admission to the eight elite high schools.
The NAACP believes the grueling exam is unfair to black and Latino students because they are denied
admission “at rates far higher than other racial groups.” Nearly 31% of white students and 35% of Asian
students who take the test are offered seats at the top schools, compared with just 5% of black students
and 6.7% of Latinos.
Education officials hit back against the NAACP’s complaint, arguing the test is color-blind.
Asian and white students, who account for about 31% of the city’s overall student body, occupy more
than 85% of the seats in the elite high schools.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/naacp-claims-discriminatory-admission-practices-city-elite-high-schools-article-1.1169240?print
9/25/12 The Daily Pennsylvanian: "Seeking: Attractive Asian male:
Why you’ll never find the above on Craiglist"
http://www.thedp.com/article/2012/09/jy-lee-seeking-attractive-asian-male
9/25/12 press release: "New survey outlines political views of Asian Americans,"
By Public Affairs, UC Berkeley
Washington, DC — Asian Americans likely to vote in November strongly prefer Barack Obama over
Mitt Romney, but a large portion of voters – nearly one-third – remain undecided and could play a crucial
role in battleground states, according to two reports released today by the National Asian American Survey.
The reports’ authors are Taeku Lee, professor and chair of political science and professor of law at the
University of California, Berkeley, and Karthick Ramakrishnan, associate professor of political science at
the University of California, Riverside, and director of the National Asian American Survey (NAAS).
Drawn from a nationally representative sample of more than 3,300 interviews, the reports (available online)
offer the most comprehensive portrait of Asian American political views. Among the fastest growing groups
in America, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders exceeded the 5 percent threshold in roughly one in four
Congressional districts in 2010, and a record number of Asian Americans are running for Congress this
year.
“Asian American voters are getting a considerable amount of attention from the presidential campaigns
this year, particularly in the battleground states of Nevada, North Carolina, and Virginia,” said Ramakrishnan.
“When compared to the general electorate, and even the Latino electorate, the Asian American vote is very
much up for grabs at this late stage in the presidential campaign.”
Indeed, the survey data show that 32 percent of likely Asian American voters remain undecided after the
presidential nominating conventions, much higher than the estimated 7 percent rate among the general
population. Moreover, one in six Asian Americans lives in a battleground state during the 2012 presidential
election.
“Uncertainty is also a defining characteristic of party identification,” noted Lee. “Given the high proportion
of immigrants among the Asian American electorate, we find a much higher proportion of non-partisans
than the national average.” Lee is a principal investigator of the survey and co-author of a book (with Zoltan
Hajnal), “Why Americans Don’t Join The Party.”
The data also show that:
• Among likely voters, 43 percent of Asian Americans support Barack Obama, while 24 percent prefer
Romney. There are considerable differences by ethnic group: Indian Americans show the strongest support
for Obama (68 percent), and Samoans and Filipinos show strongest support for Romney (39 percent and
38 percent, respectively).
• Democrats have a 33 percent to 14 percent advantage among Asian Americans, but a majority of Asian
Americans (51 percent) are Independent or do not identify with the U.S. party system. This figure is higher
than the average for the national population (40 percent).
• Hmong, Indian and Korean Americans most strongly identify with the Democratic Party. In a significant
shift, Filipino Americans now have the strongest identification with the Republican Party, a designation that
has previously consistently belonged to Vietnamese Americans.
• The issues most important to Asian American and Pacific Islanders are similar to those of the rest of the
country: the economy and jobs, followed by health care and education.
• Asian Americans largely support both health care reform and affirmative action. On health care reform,
support remains high regardless of whether the law is referred to as the Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare.”
The survey was conducted by professors Ramakrishnan and Lee, who together have written 7 books and
dozens of articles on racial/ethnic politics, and have conducted 17 surveys, eight of which have included
multiple language support for Asian Americans.
Project partners on the report include National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) and
Asian American Justice Center (AAJC). “Most national polls do not feature the voices of Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders,” said Miriam Yeung, executive director of NAPAWF. “A survey like this, with the
number of respondents and questions relevant to our community are vitally important.”
“Public officials need to take note of our growing communities, nationally and in various states,” Mee
Moua, president and executive director of AAJC, also noted. “The need to engage the AAPI population,
on issues they are concerned about and in a culturally competent manner, is more important than ever.”
9/21/12 Stanford Report: "Stanford scholars search for documents from the Chinese workers who built
the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad; With help from the public, the Stanford-led project will give a voice to
the Chinese migrants whose labor on the Transcontinental Railroad helped to shape the physical and
social landscape of the American West,"
by Corrie Goldman
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/september/chinese-railroad-project-092112.html
9/19/12 NPR: Tell Me More: "Unique Obstacles For Asian Americans In Voting,"
There's been a lot of attention on how voter ID laws might affect minority groups like
African-
Americans and Latinos. But some observers say that Asian Americans may also be affected.
Host Michel Martin discusses the potential impact with Glenn Magpantay of the Asian American
Legal Defense and Education Fund.
http://www.npr.org/2012/09/19/161414284/unique-obstacles-for-asian-americans-in-voting
9/18/12 Los Angeles Times: "Filipino nurses win language discrimination settlement,"
by Anh Do
At $975,000, it's believed to be the largest language discrimination settlement in the U.S. healthcare
industry. Officials at Delano Regional Medical Center say they did nothing wrong and settled only because
it made financial sense.
A group of Filipino nurses who claimed they were mocked for their accents and ordered to speak
"English only" won a nearly $1-million settlement against a Central California hospital where bosses and
co-workers were allegedly urged to eavesdrop on the immigrant workers.
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-english-only-20120918,0,7143293.story
9/18/12 The College Fix: "Asians, the ‘New Jews’ of Academia,"
by Charles C. Johnson - Claremont McKenna College
Last month the Anti-Defamation League filed an amicus curiae brief defending racial preferences
at the University of Texas ahead of an upcoming Supreme Court decision. In so doing, the nation’s most
prominent Jewish civil liberties group has shamefully betrayed its longstanding commitment to equal
treatment for all. It has also ignored the very long tradition of discrimination in academia against
the “new Jews,” Asian-Americans.
http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/11673
9/17/12 The Korea Times: "Korean-American voters for Obama,"
by Jane Han
New York ― With less than 50 days left till the U.S. presidential
election, it’s unclear how swing
voters and swing states will tilt the vote in a remarkably stable, yet tight race. But it seems as if
Korean-Americans have generally decided which candidate they’re going to stand behind come
November.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2012/09/137_120174.html
9/13/12 The Washington Examiner: "Romney courts Asians in Northern Virginia,"
by Steve Contorno
Fairfax, VA -- Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney reached out to Northern Virginia's
fast-
growing Asian-American population during a campaign stop here Thursday as he looks to lure more
voters under his party's tent to help him get over the finish line in a state he badly needs to win this November.
Romney invited five women to speak before him, including three Asian-Americans, who represent a
population in Virginia that ballooned by 72 percent in the last decade and now make up 6.5 percent of the
state's 8 million residents. It's a demographic that Romney is actively courting to offset President Obama's
advantage among black and Hispanic voters, and it could help even the score in Democratic-leaning
Northern Virginia.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/romney-courts-asians-in-northern-virginia/article/2507956
9/13/2012 Forbes: "The Changing Geography of Asian America: To The South
And The Suburbs,"
by Joel Kotkin
“There’s nothing wrong with New York that a million Chinese couldn’t cure,” the urban geographer
George Sternlieb once quipped. It may be an exaggeration, but rising Asian immigration has indeed been
a boon to many communities and economies across the country.
Over the past 30 years the number of Asians in America has quadrupled to 18 million, or roughly 6% of
the total U.S. population. But their economic impact is much greater. They are far more likely to be involved
in technology jobs than other ethnic groups, constituting over 20% of employees in the nation’s leading
technology companies, four times their share of the overall U.S. workforce. And then there’s the line of
connections to the most dynamic economies on the globe: India, South Korea, Singapore and, of course,
China.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2012/09/13/the-changing-geography-of-asian-america-to-the-south-and-the-suburbs/
9/13/12 Wall Street Journal: "More Asian Models on Fashion's Big Stages:
Change Comes to Runways as Brands Look to China for Growth,"
By Ray A. Smith
Prabal Gurung made waves with his sophisticated dresses at New York Fashion Week. Less noticed
was the fact that he showcased five Asian models, two more than he featured in his February show.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444426404577647651939481504.html
9/12/12 NBC 4 New York: "Korean American Sues Queens Hooters Over Slur on Receipt:
A server printed the word "Chinx" on a receipt for a Korean-American couple,"
A Korean-American man is suing a Hooters restaurant in Queens after a worker there identified him
and his girlfriend on a receipt using a slur referring to Asians, they allege.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Hooters-Fresh-Meadows-Chinx-Receipt-Korean-Asian-Couple-169387036.html
9/10/12 New York Times: U.S. Authorities Began Wiretapping New York City Comptroller in 2010
By Benjamin Weiser and David W. Chen
Federal authorities investigating the fund-raising operation of the New York City comptroller, John C. Liu,
had sought judicial approval to obtain and continue secret wiretaps specifically targeting the comptroller
himself, according to a court filing on Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/nyregion/us-authorities-began-wiretapping-new-york-city-comptroller-in-2010.html
9/8/12 Front Page Mag: Obamacare Discriminates against Asian American Applicants
to Medical Schools
by Daniel Greenfield
Under Obamacare, if a medical or dental school wants to increase its chances of receiving many different
kinds of grants and contracts from the federal government, it should “have a record of
training individuals
who are from underrepresented minority groups” or “from underrepresented minorities.”
http://times247.com/articles/obamacare-bakes-in-racial-quotas
9/7/12 Alhambra Source: "Calling all Asian Americans: Go vote"
by Nasrin Aboulhosn
Asian elected officials took the stage Wednesday morning at the Democratic National Convention,
New America Media reports. The overall message to their fellow Asian Americans: Go vote.
http://www.alhambrasource.org/news/calling-all-asian-americans-go-vote
9/7/12 Hyphen: "What the Democratic & Republican Platforms Say to Asian Americans,"
by Lin Yang
It’s convention time, and with glorious speeches, political star-power, and overly-enthusiastic party
supporters gracing our television screens every night, public policy somehow gets lost in the rhetoric.
http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/09/what-democratic-republican-platforms-say-asian-americans
9/6/12 New York Daily News: "Asian-American vote could be key in battle for 16th State Senate District seat,
Toby Ann Stavisky faces aggressive Democratic primary challenge by John Messer,"
By Lisa L. Colangelo
The reconfigured 16th State Senate District now represents a population in Queens that is more than half
Asian.
While neither Democrat running for that seat — incumbent Toby Ann Stavisky or John Messer — is Asian,
they both know that community could hold the key to success in the Sept. 13 primary.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/asian-american-vote-key-battle-16th-state-senate-district-seat-article-1.1152701
9/4/12 China Daily: "Dems bank on Asian American vote in election,"
By Tan Yingzi
With their candidate, US President Barack Obama, locked in a tight race against Republican nominee
Mitt Romney, Democrats are counting on Asian-American voters to push them to victory in November, the
party's national chairwoman said Monday.
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/2012-09/04/content_15731823.htm
9/3/12 Los Angeles Times "DNC: Asian American leaders tout political progress,"
by Hector Becerra
Charlotte, N.C. — They may be the fastest-growing and best-educated racial group, boasting the highest
average income in the country, but when it comes to politics, Asian Americans have historically spent little
time in the political spotlight of either the Democrats or Republicans.
But on Monday, a group of leaders at the Asian American and Pacific Islander caucus meeting at the
Democratic National Convention said they see signs of that changing, with some touting the group’s
importance in an election year when the margin of victory could be sliver-thin.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-dnc-asian-americans-20120903,0,3227426.story
9/2/12 Los Angeles Times: "With Asian immigration rising, candidates seek national
office:
Sukhee Kang, mayor of Irvine, is among 17 candidates of Asian heritage who are running for Congress.
Their numbers indicate a growing political confidence,"
by Anh Do
Brutal, burning images inspired Sukhee Kang to jump into politics.
In 1992, as he watched televised footage of immigrant shops and dreams crumble to the ground
during the Los Angeles riots, he knew he "had to do something — to make connections — to people,
with people, across different groups."
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/02/local/la-me-asian-candidates-20120903-1
8/31/12 FoxNews.com: "The Asian-American dream and the Republican Party,"
By Michelle Mai Selesky
Senator Rand Paul in his speech to the Republican National Convention Wednesday night
highlighted the personal stories of Southeast Asian immigrants, including the Taing family from
Cambodia and Vietnamese brothers Hung and Thuan Trinh, who risked their lives to sail to America
on a boat from Vietnam. He told us about the risk they took to flee their war-torn countries – a risk
often unimaginable to many of us born in the United States – to find freedom, peace and opportunity
in the country we call home.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/31/asian-american-dream-and-republican-party/
8/31/12 Voice of America: "Deferred Action gives Hope to Asian Immigrants,"
by Matthew Hilburn
A new program that will allow certain undocumented immigrants to live and work in the United States
has shed light on the plight of the many Asians who consider themselves Americans but don't have
legal documentation.
http://www.voanews.com/content/deferred_action_asian_american/1499289.html
8/31/12 Seattle Times: "Op-ed: Why Asian Americans don't get leading movie roles,"
Guest columnist Derek Ting writes that the challenge of getting Asian Americans cast in Hollywood
leading roles is a math problem.
By Derek Ting
This summer we flocked to "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Avengers," "The Amazing Spider-Man," but
none of those films cast an Asian American in a lead role. What's the last blockbuster you can remember
that had an Asian American in a starring role?
http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2019041450_guestderektingxml.html
8/30/12 Southern California Public Radio: "Romney’s top policy advisor is a rising star from the
San Gabriel Valley,"
By Frank Stoltze
Have you read Mitt Romney’s 59-point position paper on the economy?
As Romney's campaign policy director, Lanhee Chen is largely responsible for the 172-page document.
He also likely played a role in crafting Romney's speech at the Republican National Convention here in
Tampa.
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2012/08/30/9639/romneys-top-policy-advisor-grew-san-gabriel-valley/
8/29/12 Asian Journal: "Reid urges Las Vegas AAPIs to be involved in campaign,"
by Dymphna Calica-La Putt
Recognizing the group’s power as a voting bloc, US Sen Harry Reid urged Asian American and Pacific
Islanders (AAPIs) in Nevada to be more involved in the campaign and election this year.
http://www.asianjournal.com/community/community-news/17129-reid-urges-las-vegas-aapis-to-be-involved-in-campaign.html
8/29/12 Asian Republican Network: "Live From Tampa: Asian-Republican Summit A Huge Success,"
by Shawn Steel
After several busy weeks and literally hundreds of e-mails, the first Asian-American Republican Summit
attracted a huge crowd at the stately St. Petersburg Lyceum. Board of Equalization Member Michelle Steel,
Steven Fong, Susie and Joel Angeles were heroes!
http://www.flashreport.org/blog/author/shawn-steel/
8/29/12 wbez.org: "Asian-American men less likely to date interacially;
Inter-ethnic Asian marriage is on the rise,"
by Niala Boodhoo
Who you date - as well as who you marry - is one of the most intensely personal decisions someone
makes. So it’s easy to overlook the broader role society, culture and yes, even race plays in that decision.
Hardy Kim is a second generation Korean-American. He grew up in Gross Pointe, Michigan, and now
lives in Oak Park. From an early age, he was told he needed to marry a Korean woman. So naturally,
he rebelled.
http://www.wbez.org/series/race-out-loud/asian-american-men-less-likely-date-interacially-102033
8/23/12 rafu.com: "Into the Next Stage: ‘Cloud Atlas’ — Is Yellowface OK If There’s Also Blackface
and Whiteface?
by Guy Aoki
With the La Jolla Playhouse’s “Nightingale” still upsetting community activists and the white-washed
movies “21″ and “The Last Airbender” still fresh in our minds, it was annoying to learn that Jim Sturgess
was once again going to play an Asian character. This time, with Asian make up. Yep, in yellowface.
http://rafu.com/news/2012/08/into-the-next-stage-cloud-atlas-is-yellowface-ok-if-theres-also-blackface-and-whiteface/
8/19/12 Houston Chronicle: "UT affirmative action case divides Asian-Americans,"
by Monica Rhor
On its surface, the case of Abigail Noel Fisher v. University of Texas revolves around whether the
school's consideration of race in admissions led to the rejection of a white student.
But as the case nears the Supreme Court's fall docket, it is also stirring a debate about the impact of
affirmative action policies on Asian-American students and casting a spotlight on the stereotype of
Asian-Americans as "the model minority."
On one side, Fisher and her supporters, including the 80-20 National Asian American Educational
Foundation, argue that the race-conscious admissions policies discriminate against qualified
Asian-American students in favor of less-qualified African-American and Latino students.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Will-UT-affirmative-action-case-hurt-or-help-3798797.php
8/14/12 Harvard Crimson: "GSAS Appoints Xiao-Li Meng as New Dean,"
By Laya Anasu
Xiao-Li Meng, who as chair of the statistics department increased the concentration’s popularity
among undergraduates and raised the profile of its graduate students, has been appointed dean of the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/8/14/meng-gsas-dean-statistics/
8/14/12 Chicago Tribune: "Asian-American rift over Supreme Court affirmative action case,"
by Terry Baynes
(Reuters) - On Monday, dozens of Asian-American organizations filed amicus briefs at the
U.S. Supreme Court arguing that universities should be allowed to consider race in admissions
decisions. Five Asian-American groups were not among them.
That's because those groups already filed their briefs in the closely watched University of Texas
case -- on the other side. They argued in May that the school's race-conscious admissions policies
hurt Asian-Americans by giving less qualified candidates a leg up on admissions.
The dueling briefs provide stark evidence of a growing rift within the Asian-American community
over the role race should play in college admissions. This split could have implications for how the
court resolves one of the hottest cases on its docket this term, which begins in October.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-supreme-court-fisherbre87d10v-20120814,0,5260122,full.story
8/13/12 New York Daily News: "Soldier on trial in Pvt. Danny Chen case pleads guilty, booted from Army,"
by Daniel Beekman
The second soldier to go on trial for driving New York Pvt. Danny Chen to suicide was sentenced
Monday to six months in prison — and booted from the Army on a bad-conduct discharge.
A military judge handed down the ruling at Fort Bragg, N.C. after Spc. Ryan Offutt pleaded guilty to
hazing and maltreatment for mocking Chen, who shot himself last year in Afghanistan.
Offutt, 32, was accused of calling Chen "chink," "gook," "squint eyes," "egg roll" and "fortune cookie,"
and kicking and throwing rocks at the slender Chinatown native.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/soldier-trial-pvt-danny-chen-case-pleads-guilty-article-1.1135317
8/13/12 Discriminations: "Jewish Organizations: What Was Good For The Jews Is Not Good For The Asians,"
by John Rosenberg
Asian-Americans are often described as the “new Jews.” With equal accuracy it would appear that
Jews can be described as “new WASPS,” as Alan Dershowitz did a decade ago in explaining why Jewish
organizations that had long opposed affirmative action reversed their position and came to embrace
“diversity” - justified discrimination. Attempting to explain why the American Jewish Committee had, with
his help, supported Alan Bakke’s lawsuit against the University of California but supported the University
of Michigan’s defense of race preferences in Gratz and Grutter, he wrote a decade ago that “fears of a
new ‘Jewish quota’ were not borne out after Bakke.”
http://www.discriminations.us/2012/08/jewish-organizations-what-was-good-for-the-jews-is-not-good-for-the-asians/
8/7/12 Wall Street Journal India: "Sikh Americans Reflect on Oak Creek Tragedy,"
by Amol Sharma
Sunday’s shooting at a Sikh gurudwara, or temple, in Wisconsin left seven people, including the
attacker, dead and spawned an outpouring of emotions from Sikhs in the U.S. – in emails, essays,
blog posts, Tweets and phone calls. There was outrage. There was fear. There was shock, despair
and resolve. India Real Time gathered some reflections from the Sikh community.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/08/07/sikh-americans-reflect-on-oak-creek-tragedy/
8/7/12 press release: "OCA Deeply Saddened and Concerned Following Attack on Sikh
Community by Gunman,"
Washington, D.C. – OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the political, social,
and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), is deeply saddened and concerned
following the tragic shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin on Sunday August 5, 2012.
"We are deeply concerned and saddened by this most recent unfortunate act of violence against
the Asian Pacific American community," said OCA Executive Director Tom Hayashi. "Simply, an
attack on any member of the Sikh community is an attack on America…we stand in solidarity with
our Sikh brothers and sisters during this difficult time."
On Sunday morning, a gunman entered the Sikh Gurdwara and began shooting worshipers,
killing six individuals and wounding three others, in what law enforcement are calling a domestic
act of terrorism. According to officials, the assailant was shot and killed by law enforcement.
While the nation is baffled by this senseless act of domestic terrorism, local and federal
investigators are not ruling out racialized motivation by the assailant.
In the days and years after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Sikhs continue to be tragically profiled
in this country as being affiliated with the Taliban or other terrorist organizations targeted for
hate crimes that include but are not limited to: vandalism, verbal taunting, and physical assaults
at home, work, and places of worship—in a number of incidents resulting in serious injury and
death. Possibility of persecution based on cultural ignorance and bias has long been a concern
for the civil rights community. For many years, OCA has heavily invested in educating hundreds
of community advocates and organizations on hate crimes. We urge continued vigilance of
proactive monitoring and reporting by our members, chapters, and affiliates.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families of the tragic Oak Creek
shootings," says OCA President Ken Lee. "We must come together as a country to provide
comfort and support to all who are affected by this horrific tragedy."
OCA, together with national membership based civil rights organizations, will be establishing
a fund to support the victims and their families in the coming days. In the meantime, donations
can be sent to: OCA National Center, 1322 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036,
Attention: Oak Creek Sikh Community Fund or for on-line donations go to the
www.ocanational.org dontion page and indicate your gift to be designated to the Oak Creek
Sikh Community Fund under the campaign field.
8/6/12 Huffington Post: "Wisconsin Temple Shooting: How To Help Victims, Families,"
After a mass shooting at a Wisconsin Sikh temple Sunday left seven people dead, numerous
individuals and organizations have stepped in to support victims and families.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/06/wisconsin-temple-shooting-how-to-help_n_1749104.html?utm_hp_ref=impact%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8
8/6/12 Chicago Sun-Times: "Comer surgeon drowns trying to save kids in Lake Michigan,"
by Kim Janssen
He devoted his professional life to saving the lives of thousands of kids.
But one of Chicago’s most highly-regarded doctors was off duty and enjoying a weekend at the beach
when he died trying to save the lives of two children Sunday morning.
Dr. Donald Liu, surgeon-in-chief and professor of surgery and pediatrics at Comer Children’s Hospital,
drowned in Lake Michigan in the effort to save two boys struggling in choppy waters off Lakeside, Michigan,
relatives and colleagues said.
http://www.suntimes.com/14266404-761/surgeon-drowns-trying-to-save-kids.html
8/6/12 The Improper.com: "NYT Reporter Elizabeth A. Harris: Asian Americans Don’t Count: 'Exposé'
on Racism Falls Back on Racist Clichés,"
by Samantha Chang
Hear ye, hear ye: Let the celebration begin! According to New York Times reporter Elizabeth A. Harris,
Asian-Americans are not minorities in the U.S., and even if they were, they’re so marginal a group they
don’t count anyway.
http://www.theimproper.com/44247/frizzy-haired-nyt-reporter-elizabeth-a-harris-asian-americans-count
8/6/12 The Daily Star: "The Asian American rise to leadership positions is a myth,"
By Vishakha N. Desai
The Pew Center’s recent report “The Rise of Asian Americans,” which shows that Asians, not Latinos,
comprise the largest group of immigrant arrivals in the United States, took many people by surprise.
The data also show that Asian Americans have the highest levels of education as well as per capita income.
Together with low reported discrimination, the report paints a portrait of American success. On the face of
these findings, which are now already three years old, Asian Americans should expect to have a bigger
voice in American politics and, indeed, in American society. In fact, Asian Americans remain a relatively
rare sight in leadership positions, even in the corporate world, where one would assume that their education
and ambition would be most beneficial. If hard work was all it took to rise into the upper echelons of power
in corporate America, one would expect to see many Asian American faces at the top, perhaps especially
in financial services, accounting, technology and health care.
Study after study shows the reverse to be true.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2012/Aug-06/183544-the-asian-american-rise-to-leadership-positions-is-a-myth.ashx
8/5/12 New York Daily News: "Opinion: The perils Asian politicians face: John Liu and Grace Meng
have had their ascents slowed,"
by Jeff Yang
The headlines have a triumphalist feel. The Daily Beast: “Asian-Americans seize political spotlight in
2012.” CNN: “The growing clout of Asian-Americans.” Salon: “Will Asian voters swing the election?”
Reading such stories, you’d think that Asian-Americans had emerged as power brokers in American
politics, with the ability to make and break campaigns and influence policy at will.
The truth is much more complicated — and far more sobering, as we’ve discovered in the wake of
recent scandals surrounding a pair of local pols, city Controller John Liu and state Assemblywoman
Grace Meng.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/perils-asian-politicians-face-article-1.1128666#ixzz22mTzRIc1
8/5/12 NPR: "All Things Considered: Could 2012 Be The Year Of The Asian Voter?"
by NPR Staff
There's a man in Virginia who could quite possibly hold the key to a Mitt Romney victory in November.
His name? Peter Su.
http://www.npr.org/2012/08/05/158168493/could-2012-be-the-year-of-the-asian-voter
8/3/12 New York Times: "Military Hazing Has Got to Stop,"
by Judy Chu
Last fall, at an outpost in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Danny Chen, a 19-year-old Army private, was singled
out for hazing by Sgt. Adam Holcomb and five other soldiers, all of whom were senior in rank to their victim.
They believed Danny was a weak soldier, someone who fell asleep on guard duty, who forgot his helmet.
So for six weeks, they dispensed “corrective training” that violated Army policy. When he failed to turn off
the water pump in the shower, he was dragged across a gravel yard on his back until it bled. They threw
rocks at him to simulate artillery. They called him “dragon lady,” “gook” and “chink.”
Finally, Danny could take it no longer. He put the barrel of his rifle to his chin and pulled the trigger.
The pain was over.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/04/opinion/military-hazing-has-to-stop.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120804
8/3/12 The Hindu: "Romney ropes in Indian to reach out to Asia-Americans,"
Indian-American Akshay Desai has been roped in by Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney for
his outreach to Asian-American community ahead of the crucial November 6, 2012 U.S. Presidential
elections.
Florida-based Mr. Desai, CEO of Universal Healthcare, has been made one of the seven national
co-chairs of the Asian-Americans and the Pacific Islanders for Romney community.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3721111.ece
8/2/12 Sikh News Network: "Presidential Campaigns Address Sikh American Issues,"
by Avneet Kaur
Washington - Representatives of the presidential campaigns last month addressed Sikh, Asian and
Pacific Islander American issues at a town hall in Washington.
http://www.sikhnn.com/headlines/1879/presidential-campaigns-address-sikh-american-issues
8/2/12 NBC DFW: "First Asian American Olympian to Win Gold Turns 92, Recounts Practicing
Diving into Sand Pit,"
by Gordon Tokumatsu and Mary Harris
SoCal Olympic diver Sammy Lee had to be trained in a sand pit because minorities were not
allowed in public pools. Despite the cultural tensions at the time, Lee became the first Asian
American to win an Olympic gold medal in 1948.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/Sammy-Lee-London-Olympics-First-Asian-American-Win-Gold-Medal--164679416.html
8/2/12 press release: "Asian American Civil Rights Groups Angered by Acquittal and Lenient
Sentence in Military Hazing Case,"
Washington, D.C. – OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the political, social, and
economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), is deeply angered and concerned with the
acquittal and lenient sentence in the military hazing case against Sergeant Adam M. Holcomb, one of
the eight soldiers charged in the hazing and death of Private Danny Chen.
In May 2012, OCA and the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), a member of the Asian
American Center for Advancing Justice, partnered together to seek justice for Private Chen. The
current scope of work is divided between the organizations as follows:
• The OCA-New York chapter leads the grassroots advocacy efforts related to the Danny Chen case
as well as the larger reforms that requires pressuring Congress and Department of Defense,
specifically with the Army.
• OCA National Center leads on the efforts to engage with the Department of Defense, specifically
with the Army, as well as the development of broader coalition efforts.
• AAJC seeks to develop legislative strategies to push for policy reforms.
On Monday, a jury acquitted Sergeant Adam M. Holcomb—one of eight soldiers charged in the hazing
and death of Pvt. Danny Chen—of negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, communicating a threat
and violations of a military statute that prohibits hazing. Based on the jury’s recommendation, Sgt. Holcomb,
who was convicted of two counts of maltreatment and one count of assault consummated by battery, may
only receive a sentence of 30 days in prison, reduction of one rank, to specialist, and a fine of $1,181.55.
Mee Moua, President and Executive Director of the Asian American Justice Center, a member of the
Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, Tom Hayashi, Executive Director of OCA, and Elizabeth
OuYang, OCA-NY President, issued the following statement.
“The verdict and sentencing recommendation in this case fly in the face of civil and human rights. It is
absolutely appalling that following a campaign of humiliation due to anti-Asian bias by Sgt. Holcomb and
others that led to Pvt. Chen’s death last October, the jury would not only acquit Sgt. Holcomb of these
serious charges, but recommend such a lenient sentence for his actions against Pvt. Chen. And it is
quite disturbing that despite his conviction for maltreatment and assault, Sgt. Holcomb will be able
to continue to serve honorably in the military, an honor he does not deserve.
Today’s verdict is reminiscent of the Vincent Chin case more than 30 years ago, in which his killers
served no jail time and merely received a fine for taking Chin’s life. There was no justice for Chin and today
there was no justice for Pvt. Chen, Lance Cpl. Harry Lew or the many other victims of military hazing.
The slap on the wrist for Sgt. Holcomb clearly demonstrates that these types of actions are acceptable
in the military culture. As long as there is no clear definition of hazing that is punishable under military
regulations, there will be future miscarriages of justice for victims like Pvt. Chen.
As a nation, we must come together and demand that Congress and all branches of the military adopt
stronger policies to deter and address all forms of hazing, harassment and abuse in our military. There
must be a zero-tolerance policy.
• A clear definition of “hazing” that is punishable under military regulations.
• Stronger accountability up and down the chain of command.
• Stiffer punishment for failure to report harassment and abuse.
• Protections for victims and whistle blowers of harassment and abuse.
• Mandatory diversity training and inclusion practices to promote more diversity within leadership positions.
• A comprehensive record-keeping system on reports of harassment and abuse.
Six more trials and one more sentencing remain. We fully expect appropriate punishment that reflects
that Pvt. Chen’s life was not in vain. We will continue to fight for justice and work to ensure protection for
our military members.”
# # #
The Asian American Justice Center (www.advancingequality.org), a member of Asian American Center
for Advancing Justice, works closely with its affiliate organizations - the Asian American Institute in Chicago
(www.aaichicago.org), the Asian Law Caucus (www.asianlawcaucus.org) in San Francisco and the Asian
Pacific American Legal Center (www.apalc.org) in Los Angeles - to promote a fair and equitable society
for all by working for civil and human rights and empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and
other underserved communities.
OCA is a national organization dedicated to advancing the political, social and economic well-being of
Asian Pacific Americans (APAs).
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Romney
mittromney.com/coalitions/asian-americans-and-pacific-islanders-for-romney
7/31/12 PBS: "Overlooked Asian-American Vote Could Factor in Nevada, Other Battleground States,"
Transcript
Gwen Ifill: Next to the presidential campaign. Asian-Americans, the nation's fastest-growing minority,
surpassed Latinos last year as the largest group of new immigrants. And politicians are beginning
to pay attention.
Hari Sreenivasan reports from the battleground state of Nevada.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec12/nevada_07-31.html
7/31/12 Associated Press: "Army sergeant sentenced for abuse of Asian-American soldier who
later killed himself,"
Fayetteville, N.C. — An Army sergeant was sentenced Tuesday to 30 days in prison, a demotion and
docked a month’s pay for his role in the alleged racial hazing of a fellow soldier who later committed suicide.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/army-sergeant-convicted-of-maltreatment-and-battery-sentenced-to-30-days-in-prison-demoted/2012/07/31/gJQAl2O1MX_story.html
7/31/12 Washington Times: "Liberal hate engulfs Yamaguchi for Romney plug,"
by: Morgan Chalfant
Olympic Gold Medalist Figure Skater Kristi Yamaguchi is getting a lot of hate for her endorsement of
Mitt Romney in a recent Romney campaign video in which she praises Romney for the success of the
2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Angry liberals are taking to Twitter to slam Yamaguchi with inappropriate personal attacks, Twitchy
has reported.
On July 30, John Gravener (@johngravener) wrote, “So @kristiyamaguchi hates women, poor people,
and gays.” Another slam, this time by Twitter user @tcita, stated: “I assume all the Olympic coverage
reminding her that she’s a has been drove Kristi Yamaguchi to make this commercial.” Marcus
Garza (@Marcus_Garza) even suggested stripping her of her Olympic accomplishments, stating,
“Can we take her medals away?”
7/28/12 Washington Examiner: "Romney must win over Asian voters,"
by Shawn Steel
If Mitt Romney wants to reach 270 electoral votes, and win the presidency, he must aggressively
target Asian-American voters.
Asians -- Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Filipinos, Vietnamese and Koreans -- are the nation's
wealthiest, most highly educated and most aspirational voting demographic. Their numbers have
grown by more than 40 percent in the last decade, and they are concentrated in key electoral
battleground states like Nevada, Michigan, Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/romney-must-win-over-asian-voters/article/2503341
7/28/12 Politico: "Asian-American vote key for both parties,"
By: Juana Summers and Katie Glueck
Fairfax, Va. — Four years ago, Barack Obama captured 62 percent of the Asian-American vote.
But in the 2012 cycle, Mitt Romney’s campaign may have found the formula to chip away at that margin,
and in swing states with booming Asian populations like Virginia, Nevada and Florida, that could
make all the difference.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/79073.html
7/25/12 Reuters: "Asian-American soldier who shot himself said to endure racial taunts,"
By Colleen Jenkins
Fort Bragg, N.C. - Some U.S. Army soldiers testified on Wednesday that they heard a
Chinese-
American soldier called racially derogatory names by a superior, but said they never saw signs
Private Danny Chen was suicidal.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/us-usa-military-hazing-idUSBRE86O1HH20120725
7/24/12 New York Post: "FBI busts Jimmy Meng, 1st Asian-American to serve in NY
legislature,
for bribery,"
by Mitchel Maddux
The first Asian-American in history of Empire state politics to serve in New York's legislature
was arrested today by FBI agents and charged with bribery.
Jimmy Meng, 68, a former state Assemblyman, touted his prowess as a deal broker and
promised that he could bribe Manhattan assistant district attorneys pursuing a tax fraud case
against an associate, officials said today.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/fbi_arrests_jimmy_meng_legistlature_6iWxo2VTdwEYVyYkgzKGgI
7/22/12 press release from APIA Vote: "New Poll Finds Major Political
Parties Ignore Asian Americans,
Huge Gaps and Opportunities for Engagement Remain Untapped: Close Elections in Important States like
Florida, Nevada and Virginia Could Turn to Candidates who Best Engage Nation’s Fastest Growing Racial
Group,"
“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are on the rise. They’re gaining popularity and strength,
institutional capacity and political sophistication. They’re enjoying an expanded coalition and witnessing
an exciting new generation of leaders who are transforming America’s political debate, putting forward
new priorities to fix our troubled economy. There’s an unprecedented amount of political activity happening
within the community and outside the formal campaigns. Activists are building a movement to force changes
that might otherwise never take place.” --Toby Chaudhuri, board chair, APIAVote
Washington – Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters are still largely untapped by presidential
candidates and their parties even though they are expected to vote in record numbers this fall, according to
a major new poll conducted by Lake Research Partners. The first-ever poll of AAPI voter attitudes shows that
close elections in important states like Florida, Nevada and Virginia could go to the candidates who best
engage AAPIs, a demographic with increasing political clout.
The poll marks the first time voting trends among the nation’s fastest growing racial group – how they will
vote this year and their views on a range of issues – have been examined. The effort surveyed more than
1,100 AAPI voters across the country last month and was released today by the Asian American Justice
Center and APIAVote to bring attention to this crucial voting bloc.
“Presidential candidates and political parties ignore Asian American voters at their own peril,” said
pollster Celinda Lake. “While Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders seem to prefer Democratic candidates,
many don’t really know the differences between Democrats and Republicans, because they haven’t been
engaged by either party. There’s a real opportunity there to define the debate.”
AAPIs identified overwhelmingly as Democrats in the poll – more than three times more than Republican –
but less than a third were contacted by the Democratic Party in the last two years, while 37 percent of
Republicans said they heard a great deal from their party over the same period. Independents barely heard
from either party even though they are usually prime targets.
The poll’s most dramatic findings were around AAPI’s views about the presumptive GOP presidential
nominee. Nearly 3 in 10 said they have no opinion of Mitt Romney, leaving a lot of room to define him in this
group. Although Asian Americans overwhelmingly like President Obama, with nearly three-quarters viewing
him favorably, they feel much less so when it comes to his job performance. On the issues, Asian Americans
aren’t happy with the economic situation, but believe the country is moving in the right direction.
An overwhelming majority of Asian Americans surveyed – nearly five out of six – said they will vote this
November and half of them are more enthusiastic than ever to vote, a trend that has continued from the last
few presidential elections, Lake said.
“Taking these voters for granted in the short-run will have a big impact in the long-run because they’re on
a fast rise and they’re very loyal,” said Mee Moua, president of the Asian American Justice Center and a
former state legislator. “They’re looking for leaders who will stand up for them and address their issues.
You can ask Pete Hoekstra and George Allen all about that.”
Michigan senate candidate and former Rep. Pete Hoekstra aired a very expensive, anti-Asian ad during
the Super Bowl this year, attacking his opponent Sen. Debbie Stabenow. The ad featured an Asian American
woman wearing a straw hat and speaking broken English. Following its airing, Asian Americans contributed
to Sen. Stabenow’s campaign in large numbers, outpacing ordinary fundraising levels. Similarly, former
Virginia Sen. George Allen infamously derided an Indian American campaign aide who was working for his
opponent Sen. Jim Webb several years ago. Outrage among Asian Americans propelled Sen. Webb's
come-from-behind victory in that election, where he won by only 7,231 votes.
Moua noted that political attacks like those reveal the parties’ isolation from AAPI groups and could spell
trouble for candidates with these voters. Asian Americans surveyed said they would turn strongly against a
candidate who expresses anti-Asian views, even if they agree on other issues. The number was more split
if a candidate expressed only an anti-immigrant view that isn’t clearly anti-Asian.
Most importantly, Moua said, if candidates address the community’s issues, there’s a lasting benefit
because AAPI voters are younger than the general population and have roots spread across the country.
Citing their stances on value and fairness, Moua said AAPI voters are looking for candidates who will stand
up for the middle class and treat all Americans fairly, and that the most important issues to them are the
economy, health care, education and immigration.
APIAVote acting executive director Christine Chen said Asian American and Pacific Islander support in
important states like Florida, Nevada and Virginia could make a difference in the outcome of the presidential
elections and that community groups are working hard to mobilize them.
“Every vote counts, especially in a tight election. If AAPIs vote at the same level they did last time, it could
mean increasing margins for the party they prefer -- 47,000 more votes in Virginia than last election, 33,000
more in Florida and 9,000 more in Nevada,” said Chen. “Political leaders must engage this rapidly growing
voting bloc in the conversation. We’re working with dozens of community based groups to get AAPIs involved
in the process, but locally we’ve barely been contacted by either party.”
Most AAPIs said they voted last time because they believed the country needed a change in direction and
it was their civic duty or they liked a particular candidate, but Chen noted that a third are undecided about
who they’ll vote for this year pointing to the poll. A generic ballot at the congressional level also shows a lot
of room for persuasion.
Chen also pointed to language assistance as an avenue to break barriers and increase participation this
year. Three quarters of the AAPI voters surveyed said they speak another language at home and more than
a fifth of them said they’d be more likely to vote if they had in-language assistance. AAPI voters tend to speak
another language at home while most were born outside the country, immigrating to America as adults,
according to the poll. Two-thirds of those who were born in the U.S. have parents born outside the country.
Links to data:
•National Report/Presentation
•Chinese, Indian, Filipino
•Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese
•Fla., Va., Nev., Ill.
•Calif.
•Banner Book
http://tobiko.us/AAPI/Site/AAPI_Voter_Poll_2012.html
7/20/12 Chicago Now: "Asian Americans push for greater political clout in Illinois, nationally"
By Nick Moroni
Seventy-eight percent of Asian American voters in Illinois said they would almost certainly
be voting in the November election, according to a poll of 130 statewide voters--part of survey
of more than 1,000 voters nationally. But 50 percent of the interviewees said they had never
been contacted by Democrats running for office, while 63 percent claimed no Republican
candidates had ever contacted them.
http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-muckrakers/2012/07/asian-americans-push-for-greater-political-clout-in-illinois-nationally/
7/20/12 GQ: "The Jeremy Lin Debate No One Wants to Have,"
by Devin Gordon
The New York Knicks letting Jeremy Lin walk out the door—for nothing—was the dumbest
decision in the history of professional sports.
http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2012/07/the-jeremy-lin-debate-no-one-wants-to-have.html#ixzz21AJ6nnLs
7/18/12 Las Vegas Sun: "Asian-American vote cannot be ignored,"
By Jon Ralston
The last time The Forgotten Minority made any difference in Nevada politics was when the marvelous
Sharron Angle told a group of Hispanic students, “Some of you look a little more Asian to me"
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/jul/18/asian-american-vote-cannot-be-ignored/
7/17/12 Raleigh NC News & Observe: "Martinez: Americans we can all admire,"
By Rick Martinez
If you’re looking for an American who embraces hard work both in the classroom and on the job,
believes marriage is the foundation of society and feels a personal obligation to raise productive and
respectful children, then look for an Asian.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/07/17/2204078/martinez-americans-we-can-all.html
7/15/12 CNN: "With surging numbers, Asian-Americans look for congressional gains,"
By Jeffrey Stein
(CNN) -- Three times as many Asian-Americans have been running for Congress in 2012 than in
the past two elections, a nonpartisan political group says, and it's a development that portends
greater changes in demographic trends and reflects the recent political awakening of a minority
group long confined to the margins of American society.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/15/politics/asian-americans-congress/index.html
7/12/12 Las Vegas Asian-American Politics Examiner "An emerging power in the ballot box:
Filipino-Americans"
By: Bert Eljera
Las Vegas - When Rhigel Tan arrived here nearly 20 years ago, he could count on his fingers
the places he could go to find something Filipino.
http://www.examiner.com/article/an-emerging-power-the-ballot-box
7/10/12 Hornell Evening Tribune: "Controversy swirls around Nojay radio segment,"
Officials from Nate Shinagawa's Congressional campaign kept remarks brief Monday when
discussing possible insulting comments made about the Democrat on a Friday radio show.
http://www.eveningtribune.com/features/x1062470325/Controversy-swirls-around-Nojay-radio-segment
7/8/12 Ithaca Indy: "Is Reed Inviting Racism Into the 23rd District U.S. House Campaign?"
Rochester — WYSL radio broadcasters are being blasted for comments made about an
Asian-
American Democrat running against Republican incumbent Tom Reed for the newly-created 23rd
House District in New York. In a July 6 broadcast, Bill Nojay and Bob Savage reportedly tell listeners
Nathan Shinagawa is from the “People’s Republic” and is “not from around here.”
http://www.ithacaindy.com/is-reed-inviting-racism-into-the-23rd-district-u-s-house-campaign/1367/
7/6/12 San Jose Mercury News: "Asian-American voters could become game-changers in presidential
election"
By Josh Richman
Add Asian-Americans to the list of voting blocs that candidates and political parties ignore at their own
peril. Just as "soccer moms" proved to be a crucial swing vote in 1996 and Latinos have become a
much-sought-after constituency, the Asian-American electorate is now emerging as a game-changer.
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_21022397/asian-american-voters-could-become-game-changers-presidential
7/5/12 Wall Street Journal: "Asians Start Flexing Political Muscle,"
By Andrew Grossman
A dozen years ago, not a single Asian-American held elected office in New York City, even though
they accounted for almost one in 10 of its residents.
Now, two Asian-Americans serve on the City Council. One, Comptroller John Liu, holds citywide
office. Another, Grace Meng, holds a seat in the Assembly and won the June 26 primary for a
congressional seat in Queens. She is favored to win the general election in November.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304550004577509082609460166.html?mod=googlenews_wsj&_nocache=1342398596996&user=welcome
7/5/12 New York Times: "Chinatown Gambling Raid May Reveal Cultural Divide,"
By Kirk Semple and Jeffrey E. Singer
Dozens of federal and local law enforcement officers recently descended on a six-story commercial
building in Chinatown, wielding weapons and search warrants. They arrested seven people in what they
called a crackdown on a hive of criminality
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/nyregion/gambling-raid-in-chinatown-reveals-a-difference-in-cultures.html?pagewanted=all
7/1/12 South Florida Sun Sentinel: "South Florida's Chinese-Jamaicans embrace dual heritage,"
When they cook the foods of their heritage, it is as likely to be Chinese roast pork as it is jerk chicken.
And when they speak patois, it frequently prompts stares because they look Asian, not Jamaican.
But they are both.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/topic/fl-jamaican-chinese-20120701,0,3956270.story
6/28/12 Organization of Chinese Americans (Seattle chapter): "Washington State University
Settles Discrimination Lawsuit,"
This week, Washington State University disclosed terms to
settle a racial discrimination
lawsuit brought by two former employees of Chinese descent:
WSU agreed to pay $650,000 to settle the discrimination lawsuit.
Dr. Ying Li and her husband Lizhong Yang alleged that while working in WSU’s Laboratory
for Bioanalysis and Biotechnology over the course of several years, they were subjected to
overt discrimination by the lab supervisor based on their race and national origin.
Both resigned when the discriminatory conduct did not stop.
They said they were precluded from speaking Chinese at work and during breaks. After
complaining, they said, they were segregated into seating arrangements with other non-white
employees and excluded from numerous lab meetings.
“Dr. Li and Mr. Yang came to America from China expecting to live the American dream,
not expecting to see bias and prejudice at a progressive institution like WSU,” said their attorney,
Scott Blankenship of Seattle.
The lab supervisor accused of discrimination is “in the process of separating from the
university,” WSU said in a news release.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission concluded there was reasonable cause
to believe that Li, Yang, and other Asian employees of the lab were subjected to a hostile work
environment because of their race and national origin.
In addition to a $325,000 settlement for each plaintiff, the school will enact mandatory,
university-
wide policies and training programs to prevent future discrimination.
6/27/12 The Hill: "Overlooked Asian-American voters could tip scales in November election,"
By Debbie Siegelbaum
Politicians predict 2012 will be the “tipping point” year for Asian-Americans, as this
once-
marginalized demographic overtakes Hispanics as the fastest-growing racial group in the United
States, and offers a cache of independent votes for the taking.
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/234957-overlooked-asian-american-voters-could-tip-scales-in-november-election
6/27/12 New York Times: "Woman in the News | Grace Meng: A Breakthrough Candidate and Potential Star"
By David W. Chen
“Who are you?” blurted one of the camp counselors, noticing a few reporters trailing Ms. Meng.
It is a question that more people are likely to ask of Ms. Meng, a little-known state legislator from Flushing
who is poised to become the biggest political star from New York City’s fastest-growing demographic group.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/nyregion/grace-meng-is-rising-star-for-asian-new-yorkers.html?hp
6/23/12 Reuters: "New York Asian-American Congress candidate seeks to make history,"
By Edith Honan
(Reuters) - All politics is local, but in Queens, New York City's most ethnically diverse borough,
local politics can also be international.
In a newly drawn congressional district here that is now 40 percent Asian, state Assemblywoman
Grace Meng is running to be the first Asian-American member of New York's congressional delegation.
Her main rival in the Democratic primary, Assemblyman Rory Lancman, has made support for Israel a
central issue.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/23/us-usa-campaign-asianamerican-newyork-idUSBRE85M0IW20120623
6/22/12 New York Times: "Why Vincent Chin Matters,"
by Frank H. Wu
On June 23, 1982, in Detroit, a young man named Vincent Chin
died. Four nights earlier, he had
been enjoying his bachelor party with friends at a local bar when they were
accosted by two white
men, who blamed them for the success of Japan’s auto industry. “It’s
because of you we’re out of
work,” they were said to have shouted, adding a word that can’t be printed
here. The men
bludgeoned Mr. Chin, 27, with a baseball bat until his head cracked open.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/opinion/why-vincent-chin-matters.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120623
6/22/12 AALDEF blog: "Ronald Ebens, the man who killed Vincent Chin, apologizes 30 years later,"
by Emil Guillermo
Ronald Ebens says he's sorry for the beating death of Vincent Chin on June 19, 1982, 30 years ago
in Detroit. But for many Asian Americans, he can't say sorry enough.
For the 30th anniversary, after writing about the case for years, I just wanted to hear him express his
regret, so that I could put the case behind me.
So I called him up. And he talked to me.
http://aaldef.org/blog/ronald-ebens-the-man-who-killed-vincent-chin-apologizes-30-years-later.html
6/20/12 NPR: "Asian-Americans On The Rise,"
On Tuesday, the Pew Research Center released a study that found Asian-Americans have surpassed
Hispanics as the fastest growing racial group in the U.S. Plus, the report showed that they're the highest
earning and best-educated. Host Michel Martin discusses the findings and the implications of these
demographic changes with three experts.
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/20/155431944/asian-americans-on-the-rise
6/14/12 Huntington News (WV): "`Teens' Attack Whites, Asian-Americans in Chicago,"
by David M. Kinchen
As the temperatures rise in Chicago, the nation's third largest city, attacks by black '"teens"
are on the rise, although you wouldn't know it from the politically correct news reports. The attacks
follow the patterns of last year's "wildings" in Philadelphia, Milwaukee and at the Wisconsin State Fair, with
mobs of young blacks attacking whites and others.
If you read the CBS News report (http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/06/13/surveillance-pictures-released-in-mob-attack-on-cta-red-line/)
you'll have to look far down in the story to discover that the "teens" are black and the victims are whites or
Asian-Americans -- typical of the politically correct newswriting and editing practiced by the liberal media.
http://www.huntingtonnews.net/35664
6/13/12 Wall Street Journal: "Migrants Keep Small-Business Faith: Newcomers to the U.S. Are Increasingly
Opening Firms Beyond Major Cities, Energizing Local Economies,"
By Miriam Jordan
Immigrants are more inclined to own small businesses than native-born Americans and are increasingly
opening shop in areas beyond the major cities in which they have traditionally settled, a trend that is
energizing local economies and reshaping communities.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303410404577464853249366254.html
6/13/12 Asia Society press release: "Despite $509B in Annual Buying Power, Asian Pacific Americans
Often Overlooked By Marketers,"
New York -- New data from Asia Society on Asian Pacific Americans in the workplace indicates they
are also often overlooked in Corporate America
Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) are among the most influential and important sectors of U.S. society
often overlooked by marketers and major corporations, business leaders and experts, said at Asia
Society's fourth annual Diversity Leadership Forum, hosted by Time Warner, on Monday.
Even with annual "purchasing power of $509 billion," Asian Americans don't always get consideration
by marketers, said Saul Gitlin, Executive Vice President of Strategic Services at Kang & Lee Advertising,
which was ranked the #1 Asian Multicultural Agency by Advertising Age in April 2012.
"They're amongst the most attractive 'kids in the house' who for some reason aren't getting invited out,"
Gitlin told a packed crowd. "We're constantly trying to shine a spotlight on the Asian-American demographic."
The comments were reiterated by actor Sendhil Ramamurthy of Heroes fame, who said a tendency
to ignore Asian-Americans permeates into the entertainment industry. The general lack of Asian faces in
popular culture highlights their invisibility in all aspects of society beyond certain stereotypical roles, he said.
"Asians play certain characters," Ramamurthy said. "They play the doctor, or they play the smart guy.
That's very much still the case."
Asia Society's 2012 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey, released at the forum, picked up on
similar issues in the workplace. Just 49% of APA employees feel they "belong" in the companies that
employ them.
Coupled with the lack of APA senior leaders and role models, this indicates that companies are
overlooking APAs both inside and outside their corporate walls. The survey, available on Amazon.com,
explores many other facets of the APA employee experience.
The event culminated in an awards ceremony honoring companies at the forefront of promoting APA
leaders and global diversity, with KPMG LLP winning the top honor of "Overall Best Employer for Asian
Pacific Americans."
Besides the award winners, one additional company was recognized for Distinguished Practice in
each category.
To get a copy of the survey or a passcode to watch the conference on FORA.tv please contact Public
Relations at pr at asiasociety.org or 212-327-9271.
"Overall Best Employer for Asian Pacific Americans" Award Winner: KPMG LLP
"Best Company for APAs to Develop Workforce Skills" Award Winner:
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE CO.
"Best Company in Promoting APAs into Senior Leadership Positions" Award
Winner: FREDDIE MAC
"Best Company for Support of the APA Community" Award Winner: NEW YORK
LIFE
"Best Company for Mentoring" Award Winner:
IBM
"Best Company with the Most Innovative Practices" Award Winner:
GE
6/11/12 The Weekly Standard: "The New Jews: They're Asian Americans,"
by Ethan Epstein
Like many colleges and universities, Princeton professes its devotion to “institutional equity and diversity.”
The university’s website claims that the school “actively seek[s] students, faculty, and staff of exceptional
ability and promise who "will bring a diversity of viewpoints and cultures,” before explaining that “examples
of personal characteristics that confer diversity of viewpoint and culture include but are not limited to gender,
sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin,” etc.
The U.S. Department of Education may beg to differ. Since 2008, according to a spokesman, its Office
for Civil Rights has been investigating whether the school “discriminates against Asians, on the basis of
race or national origin, in its admissions process”—that is, whether students of Asian descent are being
penalized for their background when applying to the school. Princeton, for its part, said through a
spokesman, “We treat each application individually and we don’t discriminate on the basis of race or
national origin . . . We evaluate applications in a holistic manner, and no particular factor in the admission
process is assigned a fixed weight. There is no formula for weighing the various aspects of the application.”
One could be forgiven for wondering how the claim that the school “does not discriminate on the basis of
race or national origin” does not contradict its mission to “actively seek students” who “bring a diversity of
viewpoints and cultures,” though. After all, doesn’t trying to foster a diverse student body necessitate some
form of race-based decision making?
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/new-jews_646422.html
6/9/12 FilAm Star: "2 Fil-Ams win primaries for California Assembly,"
East Bay, Bay Area, California—Filipino Americans Rob Bonta and Jennifer Ong scored convincing
victories Tuesday in the California primary elections as the two bring the state’s Filipino community closer
to having not one, but two, ‘kababayan’ in the California Assembly.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/39501/2-fil-ams-win-primaries-for-california-assembly
6/8/2012 NY1: "Asian-American Community Struggles With Long-Term Unemployment,"
by: Erin Billups
A study released by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington D.C. highlights a anomaly in the
Asian-
American community that has been largely overlooked. 50 percent of unemployed Asian-Americans are
unemployed long term, the largest share of any ethnic group.
http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/political_news/162767/asian-american-community-struggles-with-long-term-unemployment
6/8/12 newsworks.org: "Police disturbed by crimes targeting Asian-American business owners,"
By Elizabeth Fiedler
Police are investigating the latest home invasion that involves an Asian-American business owner.
There has been a string of similar crimes against Asian business owners in the Philadelphia suburbs in
recent years. Now Radnor police are trying to get to the bottom of the latest attack.
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/39708
6/7/12 Minding the Campus: "Affirmative Action Starts to Unravel."
By John S. Rosenberg
Listen closely and you can hear the sound of "diversity" crumbling, this week mixed with laughter
over the news that the City University of New York has created two more official diversity
groups--
"white/Jewish" and "Italian-Americans."
Critics of the new Jewish category claim that "the creation of a label for Jewish professors could
be used to limit their job opportunities." So, what else is new? Creating labels for blacks, Hispanics,
Italians, etc., also no doubt limits job opportunities for Jews.
Actually, CUNY's newly-minted effort to include Jews (but not Muslims, Irish,
Pentecostal-
Americans, etc.) has a close relationship with the issues being presented to the Supreme Court in
Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin--and not simply because the CUNY policy reveals so glaringly
the incoherence at the core of the "diversity" justification for preferential treatment.
Fifteen amicus briefs here support Abigail Fisher's claim that Texas's racial preference policy is
unconstitutional, and the two of them that have generated the most attention in the past few days were
filed on behalf of Asian-American groups likening their treatment under affirmative action to the early
20th Century Jewish quotas in the Ivy League.
http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2012/06/affirmative_action_starts_to_unravel.html
6/3/12 NBCDFW.com: "Race In DFW: Targeting Asian-Americans; Asian-Americans report being
bullied in schools more than any other ethnic group,"
by Reginald Hardwick and Christine Lee
Asian-Americans are the top targets for bullies in US public schools and the US military.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Race-In-DFW-Targeting-Asian-American-Students-156608985.html
6/1/12 Chronicle of Higher Education: "Asian Americans and Affirmative Action,"
By Richard Kahlenberg
The amicus briefs for those challenging affirmative-action policies at the University of Texas were due to
the Supreme Court earlier this week, and among the most talked about are those filed by Asian-American
groups. Traditionally, most Asian-American organizations have supported affirmative action, but as Peter
Schmidt notes in the Chronicle, the decision of three major Indian-American organizations to oppose
affirmative-action policies this week “reflects a marked departure from the position most other
Asian-
American groups have taken on the issue.” The Indian-American groups joined the Asian American Legal
Foundation, which has long opposed affirmative action, in filing amicus briefs calling for an end to racial
preferences.
http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/asian-americans-and-affirmative-action/32649?sid=pm&utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en
6/1/12: As a flight attendant on American Airlines flight 11, Betty Ann Ong was the first person
who notified
the authorities of the first of four hijackings on 9/11.
Recently, the recreation center in San Francisco's Chinatown was renamed
the Betty Ann Ong Chinese
Recreation Center. The recreation center is finishing its renovation, but needs funding for equipment, etc.
The Betty Ann Ong Foundation is assisting in raising money. The Betty Ann Ong Chinese Recreation
Center in San Francisco will have its grand opening in mid-July.
Betty Ann Ong Foundation P.O. Box 221178 Sacramento, CA 95822
5/31/12 The Daily Beast: "Texas Teenager Diane Tran Jailed for Working Hard,"
A judge threw an Asian-American high-school student in jail because the multiple jobs she works
to support her family made her late to class. Joie Chen on what her outrageous punishment tells us about
the treatment of a misunderstood minority.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/31/texas-teenager-diane-tran-jailed-for-working-hard.html
5/30/12 Inside Higher Education: "Asians and Affirmative Action,"
by Scott Jaschik
Washington -- A brief filed Tuesday with the U.S. Supreme Court seeks to shake up the legal and political
calculus of a case that could determine the constitutionality of programs in which colleges consider the race
or ethnicity of applicants. In the brief, four Asian-American organizations call on the justices to bar all
race-
conscious admissions decisions, arguing that race-neutral policies are the only way for Asian-American
applicants to get a fair shake.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/30/asian-american-group-urges-supreme-court-bar-race-conscious-admissions
80-20 Educational Foundation amicus brief in Fisher v. University of Texas at
Austin
http://www.80-20educationalfoundation.org/pdf/amicus-brief.pdf
Asian American Legal Foundation amicus brief in Fisher v. University of Texas at
Austin
http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/11-345-tsac-AsianAmericanLegalFoundation.pdf
5/30/12 The Chronicle of Higher Education: "Indian-American Groups Urge Supreme Court to End
Race-
Conscious Admissions,"
by Peter Schmidt
A national federation of more than 200 Indian-American groups has joined two other prominent Indian
organizations in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to end race-conscious college admissions in a case
involving the University of Texas at Austin.
http://chronicle.com/article/Indian-American-Groups-Urge/132037/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
5/30/12: 80-20 Educational Foundation conducted a nation-wide survey of Asian Americans
regarding
college admission policies. The 47,000+ participants selected a "race-neutral" policy by a ratio of 52 to 1.
http://www.80-20educationalfoundation.org/projects/colleges.asp
to see the survey itself, its methodology,
and the 50,000+ survey takers' names, cities and states.
5/28/12 Hyphen Magazine: "The 80-20 Initiative: Critiques and Controversies,"
by Ivan V. Natividad
During the 2008 Presidential Election, the Huffington Post dubbed the 80-20 Initiative as the nation’s
“largest Asian American PAC,” describing the group as a non-partisan organization that represents the
AAPI community's “interests as a whole.”
But while members of the organization boast a political success unrivaled by other AAPI groups,
critics refer to them as an exclusive organization that is out of touch with the broader AAPI community.
http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/05/80-20-initiative-critiques-and-controversies
5/24/12 New York Post: "Meeting CUNY’s mandate,"
When is ethnic diversity not real ethnic diversity? Apparently, when it involves Asian-Americans.
That seems to be the conclusion of a new Community Service Society study, which notes with
some concern that the percentage of black and Hispanic enrollment at CUNY’s five senior colleges
has declined.
The percentage of Asian students, on the other hand, has skyrocketed.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/meeting_cuny_mandate_0xhMp2IDPgYkMgIjcF67MI
5/19/12 Washington Examiner: "Va. campaigns look to gain Asian support,"
by Steve Contorno
Virginia's fast-growing Asian-American population has become one of the state's most sought-after
voting blocs, with Democrats and Republicans vying for the community's support to help swing a critical
U.S. Senate race and possibly a presidential election.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/virginia-news/2012/05/va-campaigns-look-gain-asian-support/627856
5/17/12 Press Release: "Asian American Vote Could Determine Where Nevada Goes In The Presidential
Election: First Results Of Poll On Asian Americans,"
Submitted by National Asian American Coalition First Presidential Poll of Asian Americans Illustrates
Importance of Asian American Vote in Key Swing States
San Bruno, CA - The National Asian American Coalition, a nonpartisan nonprofit headquartered in
California (with a Washington, D.C. regulatory and congressional liaison office), issued the results of what
it believes is the first Asian American presidential poll of the 2012 campaign.
The in-person survey of one hundred fifty Pan-Asian Americans indicates that the Asian American vote,
unlike other minority votes, is up for grabs between Romney and Obama. Most importantly, the survey
indicates the Asian American vote could substantially affect many swing states such as Virginia and
Nevada. (The difference between the Asian American and other minority votes may in part be explained
by the fact that the Asian American population has far more college graduates and significantly higher
incomes than the national average.)
Because of the difficulty of Gallup and other national pollsters in determining Asian American
presidential preferences, the NAAC conducted an in-person survey (rather than a phone poll) that was
geared to a Pan-Asian audience attending the Asian Cultural Festival in San Diego.
The attendees were
from Southern California.
The survey showed that Asian Americans, who were registered voters, preferred Romney by 56% to 44%.
In contrast, in the latest New York Times/CBS poll, 46% preferred Romney and 43% President
Obama.
Most significantly, the Asian American vote, unlike the Latino vote (which appears to be 2:1 for Obama)
or the Black vote (which appears to be more than 9:1 for Obama) is clearly up for grabs.
The other question asked in this simple in-person survey was, “Which U.S. presidential candidate do
you believe will be more likely to create jobs and promote the economy over the next four years?”
Of those with an opinion, 53% believe Romney would be more likely and 47% believe that the President
would be more likely to create jobs. 4% of the sample had no opinion.
Virginia is a key swing state where the Asian American population has doubled, according to the census,
from 2000 to 2010. Almost 7% of the total population (6.5%) is Asian Americans. If Asian Americans voted
similarly to Hispanics or even slightly in favor of President Obama, Virginia could, under many
circumstances, be a swing state that the President could win.
In Nevada, which is another key swing state, the Asian American population has almost tripled from 2000
to 2010. The type of campaigning by the presidential candidates could clearly affect the outcome in this
state.
Other swing states where the Asian American vote could affect the outcome in a close race are:
Colorado (3.7%), Pennsylvania (3.2%), Florida (3%), North Carolina (2.6%), Iowa (2.1%) and Ohio (2.1%).
Attached are essentially identical letters to President Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney
describing the results and the methodology.
Faith Bautista, the President/CEO of the nonpartisan National Asian American Coalition, said, “For too
long Asian Americans have been ignored. But, today we are eighteen million strong. We could affect the
outcomes of the presidential elections in key swing states such as Virginia and Nevada, and possibly in
the swing states of Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, Iowa and Ohio, where Asian
Americans represent more than 2% of the population.”
“In our letters to President Obama and presidential candidate Romney, we urge them to conduct vigorous
campaigns courting the Asian American vote in eight swing states. We will also be inviting the presidential
candidates to forums that we will hold with other Asian American groups in the swing states of Virginia and
Nevada.”
“We are also urging that both presidential candidates campaign in California among other Asian
Americans since California’s Asian Americans are often the opinion leaders for the Asian American
community nationwide.”
5/11/12 89.3 KPCC:"Candidate would be Los Angeles' first Asian-American councilman in 20 years"
By Alice Walton with Frank Stoltze
The general manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment filed papers today to run for the
Los Angeles City Council’s Thirteenth District, where a victory would make him the first Asian-American
councilman in 20 years.
BongHwan Kim joins a crowded field in a district that includes parts of Hollywood, Silver Lake,
Filipinotown and Thai Town. Kim, who lives in Glassell Park, will have to move into the district as the
redistricting process kicked the neighborhood out of CD13.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/05/11/32390/korean-american-files-papers-run-la-city-council/
5/11/12 Voice of America: "Asian-American Vote Could Impact US Election; Fast growing group could
provide key votes in crucial states in the 2012 election,'
by Matt Hilburn
Asian-Americans have largely been ignored by U.S. politicians, but they could provide a valuable edge
in the upcoming presidential election, says new polling data.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Asian-American-Vote-could-Impact-Election-151126515.html
5/8/12 Remarks by the President at the 18th Annual Gala for the Asian Pacific American Institute for
Congressional Studies
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/08/remarks-president-18th-annual-gala-asian-pacific-american-institute-cong
5/7/12 Press Trust of India: "Record number of Indian-Americans in race for US Congress,"
Washington: A record number of Indian Americans - at least 12 - are in the fray for the November 2012
polls vying for a place in the House of Representative, reflecting the serious effort of the fastest growing
ethnic community in the US to politically empower itself. Cutting across party lines, these Indian-American
candidates are spread all over the country with two each from California and Michigan.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/record-number-of-indianamericans-in-race-for-us-cong/255325-3.html
5/7/12 Las Vegas Sun: "Jacqueline H. Nguyen becomes first Asian-American woman to sit on
federal appellate court,"
By Lisa Mascaro
Washington — The Senate confirmed Jacqueline H. Nguyen of Los Angeles to the 9th U.S.
Circuit
Court of Appeals on Monday, making her the first Asian-American woman to sit on a federal appellate court.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/05/07/148068/jacqueline-h-nguyen-becomes-first.html
5/4/12 www.apiavote.org/newsroom press release: "New Poll Finds Major Political Parties Ignore Asian
Americans, Huge Gaps and Opportunities for Engagement Remain Untapped; Close Elections in
Important States like Florida, Nevada and Virginia Could Turn to Candidates who Best Engage Nation's
Fastest Growing Racial Group"
Washington – Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters are the nation's fastest growing
racial group and are expected to vote in record numbers this fall. However, a major new poll conducted
by Lake Research Partners finds that Asian Americans are still largely untapped by candidates for office
and their political parties. The first-ever poll of Asian American voter attitudes shows that close elections
in states with significant numbers of Asian American voters like California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada and
Virginia could go to the candidates who best engage Asian Americans, a demographic with increasing
political clout.
The poll marks the first time voting trends among Asian Americans – how they will vote this year and
their views on a range of issues – have been examined. The effort surveyed more than 1,100 Asian
American and Pacific Islander voters across the country last month and was released today by the
Asian American Justice Center and the Asian American Institute, members of the Asian American
Center for Advancing Justice, and APIAVote to bring attention to this crucial, but often overlooked,
voting bloc at the start of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The poll results suggest that Asian
American voters should not be ignored by any candidates, political parties, and organizations working
to achieve a democratic process that ensures equal access to the political process for all voters.
An overwhelming majority of Asian Americans surveyed – nearly five out of six – said they will vote
this November and half of them are more enthusiastic than ever to vote, a trend that has continued from
the last few presidential elections.
"Taking these voters for granted in the short-run will have a big impact in the long-run because they're
on a fast rise and they're very loyal," said Mee Moua, president and executive director of the Asian
American Justice Center and a former state legislator. "They're looking for leaders who will stand up
for them and address their issues."
Most AAPIs polled said they voted last time because they believed the country needed a change in
direction and it was their civic duty or they liked a particular candidate, but according to the poll a third
are undecided about who they'll vote for this year. A generic ballot at the congressional level also shows
a lot of room for persuasion.
Moua also pointed to language assistance as an avenue to break barriers and increase participation
this year. Three quarters of the AAPI voters surveyed said they speak another language at home and
more than a fifth of them said they'd be more likely to vote if they had in-language assistance. AAPI
voters tend to speak another language at home and most were born outside the country, immigrating
to America as adults, according to the poll. Two-thirds of those who were born in the U.S. have parents
born outside the country.
The poll found that anti-Asian political attacks could spell trouble for candidates with these voters.
Asian Americans surveyed said they would turn strongly against a candidate who expresses anti-Asian
views, even if they agree on other issues. The number was more split if a candidate expressed only an
anti-immigrant view that isn't clearly anti-Asian.
"Every vote counts, especially in a tight election. If AAPIs vote at the same level as they did in 2008,
it could mean increasing margins for the party they prefer -- 47,000 more votes in Virginia, 33,000 more
in Florida and 9,000 more in Nevada," said Chen, acting executive director at APIAVote. "Political
leaders must engage this rapidly growing voting bloc in the conversation. We're working with dozens
of community-based groups to get AAPIs more civically engaged, but locally we've barely been
contacted by either party."
Most importantly, if candidates address the community's issues, there's a lasting benefit because
AAPI voters are younger than the general population and have roots spread across the country. In asking
about stances on values and fairness, the poll found AAPI voters are looking for candidates who will
stand up for the middle class and treat all Americans fairly, and that the most important issues to them
are the economy, health care, education and immigration.
"Candidates for office and political parties ignore Asian American voters at their own peril," said
pollster Celinda Lake. "Many Asian Americans don't really know the differences between the two leading
political parties, because they haven't been engaged by either Democrats or Republicans. There's a real
opportunity there to define the debate."
AAPIs identified overwhelmingly as Democrat in the poll – more than three times more than Republican
and 31 percent identified as Independent. Yet, less than a third were contacted by the Democratic Party
in the last two years, while 37 percent of Republicans said they heard a great deal from their party over
the same period. Similarly, Independents barely heard from either party even though they are usually
prime targets for political parties and candidates.
The poll's most dramatic findings were around AAPIs' views about the presumptive GOP presidential
nominee. Nearly three in 10 said they have no opinion of Mitt Romney, leaving a lot of room to define him
in this group. Although Asian Americans overwhelmingly like President Obama, with nearly three-quarters
viewing him favorably, they feel much less so when it comes to his job performance. Results such as these
suggest how important it is for all candidates to engage Asian American voters.
On the issues, Asian Americans aren't happy with the economic situation, but believe the country is
moving in the right direction, views similar to the rest of the country.
Contact:
Leonie Campbell-Williams, 202-492-4591
Toby Chaudhuri, 978-884-8626
5/4/12
To: University of Cincinnati Community
From: Michael Cureton
Chief of Police, Director of Public Safety
University of Cincinnati Police are investigating a hate crime that occurred on campus on the south
concourse of Nippert Stadium.
The incident occurred at 4 p.m., May 2, 2012, when a female Asian student who was walking in that area
was struck in the face with a rock by an unknown person in a group numbering five to seven male and female
black juveniles. The suspects are further described as wearing khaki pants and black and/or blue shirts.
The victim states that the group of juveniles began to laugh and make ethnic slurs towards her after she
was struck. The victim did not require medical treatment as a result of this assault.
During a follow-up investigation by UCPD, the victim states that she was aware of another person who
experienced a similar event at the same location. This person did not make a report to police.
If anyone has information about this, or any other crimes, please call Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
Crime Stoppers offers rewards for information leading to the arrest of suspects in crimes, and you can
remain anonymous.
Crime alerts, as required by federal law, provide information to University community members about
incidents that occur on or within close proximity of the campus and may present a danger to other community
members. This information may be helpful in avoiding similar incidents, as well as soliciting any information
that may be available concerning these crimes. To track crimes in the campus area, go to
http://www.crimereports.com and enter an address or any local ZIP code.
https://listserv.uc.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind1205&L=SAFETYNOTICE&D=0&H=0&O=T&T=0&P=801&F=P
5/3/12 Huffington Post: "Asian American Fishermen Sue BP for Racial Discrimination,"
by Susan Buchanan
Vietnamese and Cambodian fishermen in Village L'est and Versailles in New Orleans East were among
the first residents to return after Katrina, only to see their livelihoods crushed a few years later by the BP
spill. In early April, 41 Asian-American fishermen sued BP in U.S. Eastern District of Louisiana court in New
Orleans, claiming discrimination in the company's Vessels of Opportunity program. Other groups of
fishermen have also sued over treatment in the VOO, which hired boats to remove spilled oil.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-buchanan/bp-oil-lawsuit_b_1471786.html
5/2/12 NPR: "Are Asian-Americans An Untapped Voting Block?"
Asian-Americans are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the country, according to the
U.S. Census Bureau. A poll released Tuesday shows that a third identify as independents. Host Michel
Martin explores whether this group is an untapped voting block.
http://www.npr.org/2012/05/02/151856875/are-asian-americans-an-untapped-voting-block
5/1/12
Oakland Tribune: "Oakland Mayor Jean Quan recall effort appearing to sputter,"
by Matthew Artz
Oakland -- The group seen as having the best chance to oust Mayor Jean Quan now appears short on
cash, volunteers and signatures just weeks before a self-imposed deadline to put a recall vote on the
November ballot.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_20525644/oakland-mayor-jean-quan-recall-effort-appearing-sputter?source=most_emailed
5/1/12
Chicago Tribune: "Political parties ignore Asian Americans: poll,"
Washington (Reuters) - The fast-growing Asian American community is largely untapped by the
presidential candidates and their political parties even though they are expected to vote in record
numbers this fall, an opinion poll showed on Tuesday.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-campaign-asiansbre8401g5-20120501,0,3190368.story
5/1/12 The Atlantic: "Asian Americans: 2012's Stealth Swing Vote?"
By Molly Ball
A new poll finds both parties have the potential to make inroads with this fast-growing bloc -- but neither is
doing enough to engage them.
A large proportion of the Asian American vote is up for grabs in the
2012 election, according to a new poll.
While President Obama leads Republican Mitt Romney by a wide margin -- 59 percent to 13 percent --
impressions of Romney remain largely unformed, and both Democrats and Republicans have work to do
with this potentially important but often overlooked voting demographic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/asian-americans-2012s-stealth-swing-vote/256567/
5/1/12: New! Liberty in North Korea blog: www.blog.linkglobal.org
4/30/12 The New York Times: "Cheers for the Comptroller Despite a Federal Inquiry,"
By David W. Chen
John C. Liu is going through such a political slump that he jokes that his new name is
“the embattled comptroller.” After all, his former campaign treasurer and a top fund-raiser have been
indicted as part of an expanding federal investigation into Mr. Liu’s fund-raising practices. But for one
night at least, Mr. Liu heard nothing but cheers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/nyregion/liu-supporters-rally-despite-inquiry-on-fund-raising.html?ref=nyregion
4/25/12 Asian Journal: The Filipino American Community Newspaper
"Fil-Am and AAPI community leaders condemn DC Councilman’s racist remarks,"
by Joseph Pimentel (AJPress Los Angeles)
Los Angeles – Filipino American, Asian American and Pacific Islander community leaders have banded
together to demand an apology and condemn the racist remarks made by Washington DC Councilmember
Marion Barry.
http://www.asianjournal.com/fil-am-news/3-filamnews/15637-fil-am-and-aapi-community-leaders-condemn-dc-councilmans-racist-remarks.html
4/24/12 Organization of Chinese Americans: "Marion Barry's Xenophobic Rhetoric Threatens
Race Relations Casting Asian Pacific Americans as Perpetual Foreigners and a Threat to
Economic Opportunities"
Washington, D.C. – OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the political, social,
and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), urges Washington DC Council
Member Marion Barry to immediately apologize for xenophobic comment arguing for greater
access to educational opportunities and jobs in health care for people of color communities.
We call on Mr. Barry to engage with the broader community to uphold his oath as an elected
official to represent and respect the interests of every member of his constituency.
At a hearing in regards to the University of District of Columbia in April 23, 2012, he has
observed that immigrant healthcare workers are dominating the field: "In fact, it's so bad, that
if you go to the hospital now, you find a number of immigrants who are nurses, particularly from
the Philippines.”
Barry went on to say, “And no offense, but let's grow our own teachers, let's grow our own
nurses -- and so that we don't have to be scrounging around in our community clinics and other
kinds of places -- having to hire people from somewhere else."
This type of equally inflammatory messaging on the heels of similarly framed rhetoric issued
during a campaign victory speech on April 2, 2012 against Asian owned businesses in Ward 8,
his home district, is now setting a pattern of unacceptable public policy critique stereotypically
casting APAs as being a perpetual foreigner.
Anti-Asian sentiments within often unfounded economic context have in the past have gravely
influenced antagonistic sentiments resulting in the Los Angeles civil unrest of 1992, violent and
fatal attack on Vincent Chin, in 1982, and the 1871 massacre of Chinese immigrants in California
to name a few.
OCA as a national civil rights organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates urges all elected
officials and political organizations, when addressing their audience to be respectful of the
multi-
ethnic fabric of America. APAs in their own right are and continue to be strong social, economic,
and political contributors and leaders of all ideological persuasion and affiliations.
Demonizing a specific class of people using fear tactics based on broad political and economic
generalizations should not be tolerated by the community at-large. We call on the following actions
to squarely address this problem:
1. A meaningful apology to be immediately issued for the statement against Asian business
owners in his campaign victory speech on April 3, 2012 and his recent statement against Asian
Pacific Islander healthcare workers in April 23, 2012.
2. Mr. Barry to meet with APA community advocacy organizations and other people of color
advocacy groups to jointly address public policy strategies for educational and economic equity
and equality within 30 days.
His speech indicates consistent difficulty to conduct himself in a decent and reasonable manner
commensurate with his duties as an elected official. Absent of these initial steps, confidence in his
ability to represent and respect the interests of every member of his constituency is highly suspect.
OCA will continue to monitor this matter and be readily available to engage in a process of
addressing this issue with APA and other communities of color advocacy colleagues in resolved
solidarity to ensure that we all move forward together as allies and Americans.
CONTACT
Tom Hayashi | Executive Director
202 223 5500
4/24/12 Crain's New York: "John Liu's campaign treasurer indicted,"
(Bloomberg) New York City Comptroller John Liu's campaign treasurer, Jia “Jenny” Hou, already
accused of fraud and obstruction, was named in an indictment with Liu fundraiser Xing Wu “Oliver” Pan.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120427/POLITICS/120429898
4/19/12 Rafu Shimpo: LA Japanese Daily News: "Into the Next Stage: Korean Americans 20 Years
After the Riots,"
by Guy Aoki
With the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots almost upon us, I’ve done several interviews with
various outlets interested in hearing my recollections of the time and perspective on how Korean
Americans were impacted by it (a documentary, directed by Christine Choy of “Who Killed Vincent Chin?”
fame, is scheduled to air April 29 on the Korean Broadcasting System).
http://rafu.com/news/2012/04/into-the-next-stage-korean-americans-20-years-after-the-riots/
4/18/12 New American Media: "Helping Asian American girls and women navigate a crossroads
of stereotypes and expectations,"
By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
My twelve-year-old daughter was recently backed up against a wall at school by someone much
taller and heavier than her—that classic pose with one hand against the wall behind her head, body
leaning into her as he talked, running his other hand through his hair, acting so cool. She did not
feel like she was in any danger, but she did not like the feeling of being trapped there.
http://ethnoblog.newamericamedia.org/2012/04/helping-asian-american-girls-and-women-navigate-a-crossroads-of-stereotypes-and-expectations.php
4/11/12 New York Times: "Any Trial in Soldier’s Death Would Be at Fort Bragg,"
By Kirk Semple
Trials of the service members implicated in the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, the soldier from Manhattan
who apparently killed himself last fall in Afghanistan, will be held at Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, if senior
military officials decide courts-martial are warranted, the American military said Wednesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/nyregion/any-trials-in-pvt-danny-chens-death-will-be-in-us-military-says.html?_r=1
4/11/12 San Francisco Chronicle: "Getting away with racism in our nation’s capital:
Modern racism has evolved with the eruption of D.C. Councilman Marion Barry."
by Emil Guillermo
Can one still say overtly racist things about Asian Americans and get away with it?
Sure you can. And Barry’s exhibit A.
As he celebrated yet another landslide primary victory with supporters last week, Barry’s made a few
campaign pledges, including one about Asian-owned businesses in his predominantly African American
ward.
Said Barry: “We got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty
shops…They ought to go, I’m going to say that right now. But we need African American businesspeople
to be able to take their places, too.”
http://blog.sfgate.com/eguillermo/2012/04/11/getting-away-with-racism-in-our-nations-capital/
4/9/12 www.delmarvanow.com: "Michelle
Malkin: The left vs. Asian entrepreneurs,"
Marion Barry's mouth set him up. The disgraced former mayor of Washington, D.C., who was caught
on tape in a 1987 crack cocaine sting, made an even bigger disgrace of himself and his city Tuesday.
Celebrating a Democratic primary victory, the city councilman attacked small businesses owned by
"Asians" in his district. Then the race-baiting clown doubled down.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120409/OPINION01/204090318/Michelle-Malkin-left-vs-Asian-entrepreneurs?odyssey=nav|head
4/8/12 Wall Street Journal: "Districts Blur Ethnic Lines,"
By Andrew Grossman
In her bid to be New York's first Asian-American in Congress from the state's first district with a plurality of
Asians, Assemblywoman Grace Meng stopped by a Flushing law office last week for an important
endorsement from the Italian-American Political Action Committee.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303815404577331953228497914.html?mod=googlenews_wsj&_nocache=1333971282548&user=welcome
4/7/12 Washington Post: "In shop visit, Barry fails to mend ties with ‘good Asian’,"
By Robert McCartney
Wearing a blue track suit and green campaign cap, Marion Barry walked slowly into Peter Cho’s busy
grocery shop in the heart of Anacostia on Friday afternoon to try to mend relations with a man whom he
then called, to his face, “a good Asian.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/in-shop-visit-barry-fails-to-mend-ties-with-good-asian/2012/04/07/gIQA6vjM2S_story.html
4/6/2012 Washington Post: "Lessons from Marion Barry’s anti-Asian comments,"
By Mike DeBonis
In case you missed it: Barry (D-Ward 8) made comments late Tuesday at his primary night victory party
suggesting that the Asian-American owners of businesses in his ward run “dirty shops” that “ought to go.”
I’m happy to give some space here to Mark L. Keam, a Democrat who represents a portion of Fairfax
County in the Virginia House of Delegates. He’s the first Korean-American and the first Asian-born
immigrant elected to serve in that body, and he has valuable experience bridging the longstanding divide
between Asian businesses and their black customers. Here’s what he has to share:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/mike-debonis/post/lessons-from-marion-barrys-anti-asian-comments/2012/04/06/gIQAzS33zS_blog.html
4/4/12 Philadelphia Inquirer: "Colleges resist Asian Americans' success,"
By Jonathan Zimmerman
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/146010045.html
In 1966, the American Jewish Committee reported that less than 1 percent of American college and
university presidents were Jewish. Since the end of World War II, about 1,000 presidencies had been
filled, and only one - that's right, one - went to a Jew.
It wasn't for want of good candidates. Most institutions had removed long-standing quotas on Jews,
who made up 10 to 12 percent of American college students and faculty. But when it came to choosing
leaders, the committee concluded, "bias is at work."
It still is. Today, however, it has a different target: Asian Americans. Like Jews in the 1960s, they hold
just 1 percent of higher-education presidencies. Dartmouth's Jim Yong Kim is the only Asian American
who has ever led an Ivy League institution. And President Obama recently nominated him to head the
World Bank.
But Asian Americans also continue to face a form of discrimination in university admissions. And until
we change that, we probably won't get more Asian American college leaders, either.
According to Princeton sociologist Thomas J. Espenshade, Asian Americans have to score about
140 points higher than whites on the SAT, all other things being equal, to get into elite colleges. Everyone
knows that blacks and Hispanics get a leg up in the admissions sweepstakes. But how many realize that
whites enjoy affirmative action when they go head-to-head with Asians?
That just doesn't make any sense. African Americans and Hispanics have suffered discrimination
across our history; whites haven't. But if we make whites compete on a level playing field with Asians,
some argue, our colleges and universities will become, well, too Asian.
That's exactly what American university leaders said about Jews in the early 20th century, when elite
institutions decided to limit Jewish admissions. But first they had to figure out who was Jewish. So
Harvard asked applicants to provide their mother's maiden names. It even inquired, "What change,
if any, has been made since birth in your own name or that of your father?" And most colleges started
to require the submission of photographs, which would allegedly reveal what a Dartmouth official called
"Hebrew physiognomy."
The student quotas started to be lifted in the late 1950s and early '60s, as did similar limits on Jewish
faculty. Restrictions against Jewish college presidents lasted a little longer, as the 1966 report confirmed.
But the following year, the University of Chicago appointed Edward H. Levi, the son of a rabbi, as its
president. By 1971, Penn and Dartmouth both had Jewish presidents. Today, all but one of the eight Ivy
League schools has been led by a Jew.
Meanwhile, other underrepresented groups have also gained entry into the halls of university power.
By 2009, 5.9 percent of university presidents were African American and 4.6 percent were Hispanic.
But you can still count the number of Asian American presidents of four-year colleges on two hands.
Here in the Delaware Valley, Ursinus' Bobby Fong is the only one.
You can't explain that without thinking about admissions. Almost every elite institution is trying to recruit
more blacks and Hispanics, so hiring a president from one of those groups makes sense. But an Asian
American president might stamp the institution as "too" Asian, which is what universities are trying to avoid.
We need to ask why. After California forbade state universities from considering race in admissions,
the Asian American share of the student body at the University of California, Berkeley, jumped from
20 percent to 40 percent. At the California Institute of Technology, which doesn't consider race either,
about a third of the students are now Asian.
Both institutions have benefited from an infusion of talented students, many of whom would not get
into other elite universities simply because of their race. The people who lose out are less-qualified
whites, who would fare better in a system that limits Asian admissions.
And maybe that's the real story here: Beneath all the rhetoric, we're simply afraid of a minority that
has done too well. That's why Jews were so threatening for so many years, and why Asians are now.
Shame on us for making the same mistake twice.
Jonathan Zimmerman teaches history at New York University and lives in Narberth. He is the author
of "Small Wonder: The Little Red Schoolhouse in History and Memory" (Yale University Press).
4/1/12 NJ Star Ledger: Bigots for the Left smear NJ Supreme Court nominee Philip Kwon
(original headline: "Chris Christie's Supreme Court nominee Philip Kwon suffered political smear")
By Kevin J. O’Toole, guest columnist
As a proud member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I firmly believe the New Jersey Constitution
empowers the governor, “with the advice and consent of the Senate,” to nominate qualified attorneys to the
Supreme Court of New Jersey. In seeking to create an independent judiciary, not subject to political whims,
the drafters of the constitution and people of New Jersey presumed that the Senate would conduct itself
with dignity and statesmanship while professionally probing a nominees’ qualifications, intellect, demeanor
and judicial philosophy.
All of that changed in February when, for the first time in the history of the Senate, a Supreme Court
nominee’s confidential questionnaire was leaked to the media. It concluded 10 days ago with the spectacle
that was Phillip Kwon’s nomination hearing to be an associate justice to the state Supreme Court.
http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2012/04/chris_christies_supreme_court.html
3/28/12 KOLO TV: "Reno Lawyer Becomes First Asian-American on NV Fed Bench,"
Carson City, Nev. (AP) - A Reno lawyer will become the first Asian-American to serve on the federal
bench in Nevada, continuing a life's journey that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said proved the
"American dream is alive and well."
The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Miranda Du, who was recommended by Reid, D-Nev.,
and nominated by President Barack Obama.
http://www.kolotv.com/localnews/headlines/Reno_Lawyer_Becomes_First_Asian-American_144727925.html
3/26/12 CNN: "In North Korea, a brutal
choice,"
by Madison Park, CNN
Washington, D.C. (CNN) -- During a sleepless night, Song Ee
Han agonized over a decision:
Was she willing to leave her youngest child behind while she and her daughters
escaped North Korea?
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/24/us/north-korean-refugees/index.html
3/26/12 Associated Press: "Amid woes, NY comptroller talking like candidate,"
By Samantha Gross
New York (AP) — City Comptroller John Liu knows that plenty of people are predicting his political
breakdown, saying that with his campaign finances under federal investigation there's no way he can
become the next mayor of the nation's largest city.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSxYQavUnTbIWvhtj_fRDGJoCpPg?docId=c990955784cc46d990be226cb1abe21a
3/19/12 Wall Street Journal: "Queens Race Gets Historic Candidate,"
By Andrew Grossman
A three-way Democratic primary that could result in New York electing its first Asian-American to the
House of Representatives has quickly taken shape in a new congressional district in Queens.
On Monday morning, the Queens County Democratic organization said it would back Flushing
Assemblywoman Grace Meng, a 36-year-old daughter of Chinese immigrants, in the June 26 primary.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304636404577291942836738970.html
2/24/12 Chicago City Hall Examiner: Anne Shaw running for Chicago First Ward
http://www.examiner.com/city-hall-in-chicago/anne-shaw-and-linsanity-have-strking-similarities-the-1st-ward-race
3/12/12 Chronicle of Higher Education: "Survey Finds a Drop in Minority Presidents Leading Colleges,"
By Jack Stripling
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
In a troublingly stagnant portrait, the latest national survey of college presidents finds a profession
dominated by white men who have hardly changed in more than a quarter century. They're just older.
http://chronicle.com/article/Who-Are-College-Presidents-/131138/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
3/8/12 Village Voice: "Asian-American Advocacy Groups: New Congressional Maps Are Pretty Good,"
by Sam Levin
Asian Americans in New York City may actually have the voting power they deserve in Congress if the
lines drawn this week by a judge become reality, advocates said today.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/03/asian-american.php
3/6/12 Medscape: "'Linsanity' in Surgical Oncology? Asian American Bias Under Scrutiny"
by Nick Mulcahy
There are many Asian Americans in academic departments of surgery in the United States, but only a
scant few have achieved the top leadership position of department chair, according to a study published
in the March issue of the Annals of Surgery.
Of 383 academic departments of surgery, 8 are chaired by Asian Americans (2.1%), reports study
author Don Nakayama, MD, MBA, chair of the Department of Surgery at the Mercer University School of
Medicine in Macon, Georgia.
This is a low percentage given the fact that Asian Americans comprise 10.8% to 12.2% of all surgical
faculty members, and that Asian Americans have shown great talent in the field; they are the principal
investigators of nearly 20% of all National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported grants in surgery, according
to the study.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/759734
2/29/12 Washington Post: "Carolyn Hax: Tired of being asked, ‘No, where are you really from?’"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/carolyn-hax-tired-of-being-asked-no-where-are-you-really-from/2012/02/15/gIQAihTpgR_story.html?tid=pm_lifestyle_pop
2/28/12 The Frisky.com: "“Linsanity” & Our Squicky Relationship With Asian-American Male Sexuality"
by Jessica Wakeman
Jeremy Lin is not just the basketball player who has launched a thousand bad “Lin” puns — and
prompted a refresher course on why the word “chink” is unacceptable for an ESPN headline.
His sudden emergence in pop culture has also underscored how strangely acceptable it is in America
to make make racial comments about Asians, whether they are considered complimentary (like “all
Asians are good at math” or “all Asian women are hot”) or insulting (like “Asian men are not sexy.”)
The thing is, if you’ve never seen an attractive, sexy Asian man, you probably ought to check either
your eyes or your prejudices — like all hot men, they’ve been all around us all along.
http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-02-28/linsanity-our-squicky-relationship-with-asian-american-male-sexuality/
2/24/12 Asian Journal: "Growing API influence to be highlighted by Asian American Republican elected officials,"
http://www.asianjournal.com/community/community-news/14990-growing-api-influence-to-be-highlighted-by-asian-american-republican-elected-officials.html
2/19/12 New York Times: "Media Hype for Lin Stumbles on Race,"
By David Carr
Jeremy Lin, a 23-year-old, undrafted, unheralded, twice-cut player, has delighted the fans and led the
Knicks to big wins.
The suddenly celebrated Lin is a four-fer: a God-fearing, Asian-American, Ivy League benchwarmer
who has changed the fortunes of the New York Knicks. That’s a lot of glorious idiosyncrasy in one
camera-ready package, especially in a town teeming with copy-hungry journalists.
Add in the fact that he is an actual team player wearing a Knicks uniform and it’s like spotting a unicorn
playing point guard at Madison Square Garden.
Since cracking the starting lineup because of an injury and other unusual circumstances, Lin, a
23-year-old, undrafted, unheralded, twice-cut player, has torn up the league, setting records for a
first-time starter.
Unfortunately for Lin and the rest of us, the over-the-top coverage that followed ended over the line,
exposing underlying racist tropes that still lurk in the id of American sports journalism, and by extension,
the rest of us.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/business/media/jeremy-lin-media-hype-stumbles-on-race.html?hp=&pagewanted=all
2/18/12 San Francisco Chronicle: "Asian-American Student Withdraws Bias Complaint Against Harvard,"
by Daniel Golden (Bloomberg News)
(Bloomberg) -- An Asian-American student withdrew federal complaints that Harvard University and
Princeton University rejected him for their current freshman classes because of his race, according to
the universities.
The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights notified Harvard on Feb. 15 that it had closed
the case because the complaint was withdrawn.
The Office for Civil Rights also informed Princeton that the complaint against it had been
dropped.
Complaints on the applicant's behalf were filed in August 2011 against the universities. The student,
whose family originally came from India, was among the top performers in his California high school
class, according to his father, who declined to be identified. The student and his father didn't respond
to messages asking why the complaints were withdrawn.
The complaints fed the longstanding debate about whether elite universities hold Asian-Americans
to a higher standard in college admissions. Asian-Americans made up 16 percent of Harvard
undergraduates in the 2010-2011 academic year, down from 18 percent in 2005-2006, according to
the university's website. The proportion of Asian-Americans among Princeton undergraduates
increased to 17.7 percent this year from 14.1 percent in 2007- 2008.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/02/17/bloomberg_articlesLZJZCA0UQVI901-LZK1Q.DTL
2/18/12 Variety: "Fewer Asian-American roles on Rialto:
Thesp org sponsors revealing Gotham survey,"
By Gordon Cox
The current theater season brought us not one but two plays
-- "Chinglish" and "Outside People" --
about expats in China. But a detailed employment analysis of New York actors
over the past five
seasons has revealed that thesps of Asian descent were the only minority group
to see a decline
in total gigs during that period.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118050461?refCatId=15
2/17/12 The Huffington Post: "Asian-American Super PAC Launches To Hit Back Against
Pete Hoekstra's China Ad,"
by Amanda Terkel (Senior Political Reporter)
Washington -- A new super PAC has formed to support allies of the Asian Pacific Islander
community after GOP Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra aired a controversial ad that was widely
criticized for furthering negative stereotypes of Asian Americans.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/17/asian-american-super-pac-pete-hoekstra-china_n_1284636.html
2/17/12 San Francisco Chronicle:
"Reaction to Lin's success shows underlying racism,"
by Gwen Knapp
When Yao Ming made his first visit to the Warriors nearly 10 years ago, I was assigned to write a
column about him and his transition from Shanghai superstar to No. 1 draft pick in the NBA. I thought it
was far too early to predict that he would rule the game in the U.S.
But in the pregame news conference, Yao's off-court potential became abundantly clear. He had star
quality and a gentle wit that transcended language barriers. Although female sportswriters are never
supposed to say as much, I wrote what seemed plain to me: Yao had the makings of a teen heartthrob
and a Madison Avenue icon.
Some of the reaction was predictable. I knew I'd be chided for commenting on an athlete's sex
appeal, or for appearing to lust after a man many years my junior. What I did not expect was how
many men of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese descent would thank me for breaking the
media's habit of treating Asian men as asexual.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/17/SP0S1N8N52.DTL
2/17/12 Boston Herald: "Newt Gingrich speaks to Asian American and Jewish groups in L.A.,"
By Robin Abcarian (Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles — Wilshire Boulevard, which collides with many enclaves as it wends through
Los Angeles, is the perfect thoroughfare for a presidential aspirant looking to woo niche voters.
Newt Gingrich made his pitch Thursday to two distinctly different groups along Wilshire: Asian
American business leaders in Koreatown, and Jewish voters who paid to lunch and pose for photos
with the former House speaker in an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills.
http://bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20120217newt_gingrich_speaks_to_asian_american_and_jewish_groups_in_la
2/17/12 Inside Higher Ed: "The New MCAT,"
By Scott Jaschik
New sections on the social sciences and on critical thinking will be added to the Medical College
Admission Test in 2015, representing the first major revision in the exam since 1991 and one of
the largest ever since it was introduced in 1928.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) runs the
MCAT.
The AAMC has been encouraging medical colleges to admit more underrepresented minority
students, and has been making modest progress in this regard. But large gaps remain in the MCAT
averages of different groups. In 2010, the median scores were 26.0 for white students, 25.7 for Asian
students, 21.3 for Latino students and 19.7 for black students.
2/17/12 Connecticut The Day: "Connecticut candidate is lone Asian-American in lower 48 seeking
seat in U.S. Senate,"
By Susan Haigh
Hartford - As a U.S. Senate candidate from Connecticut, William Tong doesn't have major,
statewide name recognition like his two main rivals for the Democratic nomination. But the son of
Chinese immigrants has picked up supporters from across the country as the only Asian-American
candidate for Senate this year in the continental U.S.
http://www.theday.com/article/20120217/NWS12/302179922/1019&town=
2/16/12 Yahoo News: "Jeremy Lin: His Impact On Changing The Perception Of The
Asian American Male,"
by Victor Chi
About 10 years ago, RadioShack ran a series of commercials that featured celebrity pairings
of different ethnicities. Howie Long and Teri Hatcher were the Caucasians, Ving Rhames and
Vanessa Williams were the African Americans, Alex Rodriguez and Daisy Fuentes were the
Latinos.
There was no Asian edition, and for good reason. While Lucy Liu, who was starring in
"Ally McBeal" at the time, or skating champ Michelle Kwan would have been no-brainers to cast
in the female role, who exactly was available to be the male star? RadioShack could have gone
for an overseas action hero like Jackie Chan or Jet Li, but there were no viable Asian-American
men in sports or pop culture that the general population would've been able to pick out of a
police lineup.
http://www.thepostgame.com/commentary/201202/jeremy-lin-asian-american-male-sports-pop-culture-nba-hollywood-bruce-lee
2/16/12 Harvard Gazette: "A life reborn, a story now told: Escaping Cambodia, Aun Em built
a new life at Harvard Medical School,"
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/02/a-life-reborn-a-story-now-told/#.T0zns-iz1QY.facebook
2/15/12 New York Times:
"An Odd Game a Grandmother Can Appreciate:
Jeremy Lin's surprising star turn with the Knicks has created legions of basketball fans in Taiwan,
including his grandmother Lin Chu A Muen"
By Keith Bradsher
TaipeiI, Taiwan — Long before Jeremy Lin began winning games in spectacular style for the Knicks,
his Taiwanese grandmother, Lin Chu A Muen, came to the United States to look after him as a young
child while his parents worked. She diapered and fed him and, as he grew up, cooked big batches of
fried rice with dried turnips and egg, a Taiwanese favorite.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/16/sports/basketball/jeremy-lins-grandmother-watches-along-with-taiwan.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22
2/15/12 New York Daily News: "Opinion: Will Lin-sanity tame Tiger Moms?
He's more like Dr. J than a real doctor"
BY Jeff Yang
I suppose it was unavoidable: In the wake of newly minted Knicks starting point guard
Jeremy Lin’s surge to superstardom, the questions almost immediately turned to how his parents
managed to raise a child who’s so — uh, Lin-credible at sports.
After all, we live now in the shadow of the stereotypical Asian Tiger Mom, who, through
uncompromising demands and unforgiving discipline, drives her kids to excel at academics, music
and the like — often to the exclusion of more frivolous exploits like basketball.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/lin-sanity-tame-tiger-moms-article-1.1022557
2/14/12 The New York Times: "Advocates Ask: Why Do Asian-Americans Go Uncast in
New York Theater?"
By Patrick Healy
Over the past five theater seasons Asian-American actors were cast in 2 percent of the roles
in Broadway and major Off Broadway productions, while 80 percent of the roles went to white
performers, 13 percent to black actors, and 4 percent to Hispanic artists, according to data
compiled by an advocacy group for Asian-American performers. Over those seasons, 2006-07
to 2010-11, Asian-Americans were found to be the only minority group whose share of
New York acting roles declined slightly, and they were also the least likely to be chosen for
characters that would traditionally be played by white actors.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/advocates-ask-why-do-asian-americans-go-uncast-in-new-york-theater/#comments
2/13/12 Washington Times: "Michigan political ad pulled but source still feeling heat,"
Lansing, Mich. — Republican Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra has pulled a Super Bowl ad
that had some Asian-Americans and political analysts crying foul, but one rival, seeking traction
ahead of an August primary, is seizing upon the Chinaad campaign as “demeaning.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/13/michigan-political-ad-pulled-but-source-still-feel/?page=all#pagebreak
2/11/12 Medical School Acceptance Rates Reflect Preferences for Preferred Minority Groups
1. For those students applying to medical school with average GPAs (3.40 to 3.59) and average
MCAT scores (27-29), black applicants were almost three times more likely to be admitted than their
Asian counterparts (85.9% vs. 30%), and 2.4 times more likely than their white counterparts
(85.9% vs. 35.9%). Likewise, Hispanic students with average GPAs and average MCAT scores
were about twice as likely to be accepted as white applicants (68.7% vs. 35.9%), and more than
twice as likely as Asian applicants (68.7% vs. 30%).
2. For students applying to medical school with slightly below average GPAs of 3.20-3.39 and
slightly below average MCAT scores of 24-26 (first column in the table), black applicants were more
than 8 times as likely to be admitted as Asians (67.3% vs. 7.7%), and more than 5 times as likely
as whites.
http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/02/do-medical-school-acceptance-rates-from.html
2/7/12 New Yorker: "How Did Hoekstra Get So Much Wrong?"
by Evan Osnos
Michigan Republican Pete Hoekstra’s anti-China ad has arrived in China, and instead of inspiring
outrage it is being greeted by guffaws, pity for his math and language skills, and puzzlement that his
propagandists—and this country knows a thing or two about propagandists—appear to have made
rookie mistakes, including borrowing a backdrop that looks more like Vietnam or Laos.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2012/02/hoekstras-ad-full-of-mistakes.html
2/7/12 press release: OCA Urges Hoekstra to Apologize for the Xenophobic Recently Aired
Campaign Advertisement
Contact: Tom Hayashi, Interim Executive Director, 202 223 5500, thayashi at
ocanational.org
Washington, D.C. – OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political and
economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), urges Mr. Pete Hoekstra to apologize for
the “Debbie-spend-it-now” advertisement recently aired widely during the Super Bowl on February 5,
2012 and discontinuance of other inflammatory messaging.
Anti-Asian sentiments within often unfounded economic context have in the past gravely influenced
antagonistic sentiments resulting in violent and fatal attack on such individuals as Vincent Chin, in the
home state of Mr. Hoekstra in the 1980s and the massacre of Chinese immigrants in California
during the 1800s to name a few.
According to 02/06/12 AP article by Kathy Barks Hoffman titled “Critics worry Senate ad will revive
Asian-bashing,” a GOP consultant Mike Murphy tweeted that it was “really, really dumb…” Foreign
Policy magazine managing editor Blake Hounshell called the ad “despicable.”
OCA as a national civil rights organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates urges all candidates
and political organizations, when addressing their audience to be respectful of the multi-ethnic fabric
of America. To this end, APAs in their own right are and continue to be strong social, economic, and
political contributors and leaders of all ideological persuasion and affiliations. The debate should be
issue-focused without resorting to unfair and inaccurate comparisons. Demonizing a specific class
of people using fear tactics based on broad political and economic generalizations or predictions
should not be tolerated by the community at-large.
Our non-partisan position stands (originally issued on November 1, 2010):
Statements and electoral campaign tactics from public officials and political candidates that malign
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as well as other communities of color have emerged and
continue in the months leading up to the elections. Such messaging has harmfully impacted our
communities and the undersigned organizations urge all candidates, political parties, and those who
attain office to ensure that civility and inclusion return to the national political discourse.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have experienced an extended history of treatment as
“perpetual foreigners.” This stereotype has unfortunately manifested itself in the political realm where
the community has repeatedly been portrayed as disloyal and threatening, particularly in the years
following 9/11; often cast as outsiders seeking to “steal American jobs”; looked at with suspicion and
fear; and painted as aliens within a country we have long called home. This election year, candidates
of Asian American or Pacific Islander descent have been called racial epithets and accused of being
unable to relate to voters because of accents or “foreign” last names. Other remarks have alluded to
fears of immigrant, including Muslim, “invasions.” Concerns about the economy have also
exacerbated the scapegoating of minorities. For example, in numerous political advertisements
blaming trade and outsourcing to China as a reason for the country’s current economic distress,
the faces of Asian Americans are conflated with the idea of threatening foreign powers.
Inserting xenophobic rhetoric and imagery within political discourse has wide-ranging
consequences affecting how members of certain groups are viewed by the public and treated by the
government. The combined impact of xenophobic rhetoric used by politicians and candidates has
already reached a critical stage, most recently in the aftermath of statements made by candidates
against the Park51 Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan. Ahmed Sharif, a
Bangladeshi-
American cab driver who has lived in the United States for 25 years was brutally stabbed by a
passenger who asked if he was Muslim, and a turbaned Sikh convenience store clerk in Seattle
was punched in the head after being called “Al-Qaeda.” Such hate crimes show that the use of racist
and xenophobic rhetoric has real-life consequences.
As Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders become more involved in civic life, we call upon political
parties to promote an environment that welcomes the inclusion of diverse perspectives and
experiences. In the final day before this year’s elections, we urge political candidates to refrain from
using xenophobic language and imagery. We also urge those elected into office to support policies
that address the discrimination and bias that our community members continue to face.
Disclaimer: The signatory organizations are non-profit, non-partisan organizations and neither
support nor oppose any political party or candidate running for public office.
Endorsing Organizations
OCA – Embracing the Hopes and Aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans
Asian American Justice Center (AAJC)
Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA)
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)
Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)
Laotian American National Alliance (LANA)
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
2/6/12
Taking Points Memo: "Asian-American Elected GOPer Turns On Hoekstra After Ad,"
by Evan McMorris-Santoro
Washtenaw County, Michigan Commissioner Alicia Ping (R) says she was leaning toward endorsing
former Rep. Pete Hoekstra in the Republican primary for Senate. But that’s all over now. On Monday,
Ping donated money to Clark Durant, Hoekstra’s longshot rival in the primary. She told me she’d
publicly endorse him if Durant asks her to.
Why the change of heart? Hoekstra’s controversial Super Bowl ad, which the Chinese-American
Ping called “demeaning”, is a part of it.
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/asian-american-elected-goper-turns-on-hoekstra-after-ad.php
2/6/12 Associated Press: "Critics worry Senate ad will revive Asian-bashing,"
Lansing, Mich. – Criticism of a Senate campaign ad featuring a young Asian woman talking in
broken English about China taking away American jobs grew Monday as some warned it could
revive discrimination against Asian-Americans.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/06/critics-worry-senate-ad-will-revive-asian-bashing/
2/5/12 Washington Post: "Hoekstra Super Bowl ad raises racial sensitivity questions with language,
references to China
by Associated Press
Lansing, Mich. — The portrayal of a young Asian woman speaking broken English in a Super Bowl ad
being run by U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra against Michigan incumbent Debbie Stabenow is
bringing charges of racial insensitivity.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/hoekstra-super-bowl-ad-raises-racial-sensitivity-questions-with-language-references-to-china/2012/02/05/gIQAabZNsQ_story.html
2/3/12 San Francisco Chronicle: "What Harvard Owes Its Top Asian-American
Applicants"
by Stephen Hsu
Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- It's a common belief among Asian- American families that their children are held
to higher academic standards than college applicants from other ethnic groups. Such practices were openly
acknowledged after investigations at universities like Berkeley and Stanford in the 1980s and 1990s.
Have they been corrected?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/02/03/bloomberg_articlesLYSL8I07SXKY01-LYSL8.DTL
2/3/12 Inside Higher Ed:
"Is It Bias? Is It Legal?"
By Scott Jaschik
One applicant who came to Michele Hernandez this fall for
help getting into college had two academic
passions – science and Latin – and great grades, too. With report after
report calling on colleges to attract
more talent to STEM fields, and jobs going unfilled for lack of science and
technology expertise, perhaps
play up the science? Not for this applicant. Hernandez, the author of A Is for
Admission and the founder of a
high-end private counseling service, said she steered the applicant in the other
direction. He is an Asian
American.
"I told him Latin was way better to stress, and that
helped him a ton," she said. (He is already in to his first
choice institution.) If, as an Asian American, you apply, "as another
biology major, as another pre-med, you
are doomed," Hernandez said.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/02/03/federal-probe-raises-new-questions-discrimination-against-asian-american-applicants
2/3/12 Philadelphia Inquirer: "Ursinus' Fong a rare Asian American college president,"
By Jeff Gammage
Ursinus College made a highly unusual move when it named Bobby Fong its president last year.
Not because of his qualifications - he's brilliant, educated at Harvard, editor of a volume of poetry, a world
authority on Oscar Wilde.
It was unusual because Fong is Chinese American. And in the United States, Asians rarely get to be
college presidents.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/138617734.html?viewAll=y
2/2/12 Bloomberg Business Week: "Harvard Targeted in U.S. Asian-American Discrimination Probe,"
By Daniel Golden
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Education Department is probing complaints that Harvard University and
Princeton University discriminate against Asian-Americans in undergraduate admissions.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-02/harvard-targeted-in-u-s-asian-american-discrimination-probe.html
2/2/12 biggovernment.com: "Did Top Liberal Arts College Falsify SAT Data to Legitimize Racial
Preferences?"
by Charles C. Johnson
Claremont McKenna College, a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, has earned international
infamy for fraudulently misreporting its SAT scores to game the U.S. News & World Report rankings.
Richard Vos, dean of admissions since 1987, resigned in disgrace Monday, starting a nationwide debate
about the role of SATs in higher education and the integrity of Claremont’s admission process. But absent
from any analysis is this: Vos began falsifying SAT scores in 2005, right around the time Claremont began
to institutionalize racial preferences. An investigation of the data since released suggests that Claremont
manipulated the school’s scores to cover up admittance of under-qualified minority students.
http://biggovernment.com/cjohnson/2012/02/01/did-top-liberal-arts-college-falsify-sat-data-to-legitimize-racial-preferences/#more-420532
2/1/12 Chronicle of Higher Education: "Inflated SAT Scores Reveal ‘Elasticity of Admissions Data’"
By Eric Hoover
In the Wild West of college admissions, there is no Data Sheriff.
The latest reminder arrived on Monday when Claremont McKenna College announced that a senior
administrator had resigned after admitting to falsely reporting SAT statistics since 2005. In an e-mail to the
campus, Pamela B. Gann, the college’s president, said an internal review found that scores for each fall’s
freshman class had been “generally inflated by an average of 10-20 points each.” The apparent perpetrator
was Richard C. Vos, long the college’s dean of admissions and financial aid, who has resigned from the
college.
http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/inflated-sat-scores-reveal-elasticity-of-admissions-data/29575?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
2/1/12 The North Jersey Record: "Rally for first Asian-American state Supreme Court
nominee draws
supporters to Hackensack,"
BY Monsy Alvarado
Hackensack — Leaders of North Jersey’s Korean community and elected officials from both parties
rallied Tuesday in support of Phillip Kwon, the first Asian-American nominee to the state Supreme Court.
Kwon, 44, has been under increased scrutiny this week following revelations that a liquor store that his
family owns in Mount Vernon, N.Y., forfeited nearly $160,000 to settle a civil lawsuit
alleging that it illegally
“structured” 222 cash deposits so they were below the $10,000 threshold that would have required the
filing of currency transaction reports with federal authorities.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/Rally_for_first_AsianAmerican_state_Supreme_Court_nominee_draws_supporters_to_Hackensack.html?page=all
1/31/12 MSNBC: "Marine gets 30 days in hazing case linked to suicide"
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii — A Marine accused of hazing a colleague who later committed suicide in
Afghanistan was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail and a reduction in rank.
Navy Capt. Carrie Stephens, the judge in Lance Cpl. Jacob Jacoby's special court-martial, handed
down the sentence after Jacoby pleaded guilty to assault.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46199903/ns/us_news-security/t/marine-gets-days-hazing-case-linked-suicide/#.UBpsxo43TZY
1/31/12 Crains New York: "Asian-Americans missing from Broadway, study finds:
Minorities' share of
stage roles in prominent city productions has grown, but Asians are stuck at 2%, despite comprising
13% of the population."
By Miriam Kreinin Souccar
Despite record numbers of new productions being mounted on Broadway in recent years, some
minority performers feel left out in the cold.
A report released Tuesday by the Asian American Performers Action Coalition shows that the
number of Asian-Americans cast in productions on Broadway and by the 16 largest not-for-profit
theaters in the city is dropping.
Though Asian-Americans comprise 12.9% of New York City, Asian-American actors accounted
for only 1.6% of available roles in new productions on Broadway, 3.2% of roles at nonprofit
companies and 2.3% of the roles industry-wide. Already minuscule, the number of Asian-Americans
on stage is below what it was five years ago—making them the only minority group not experiencing
an increase.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120131/ARTS/120139974&utm_source=Daily%2BAlert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletters
1/30/12 New York Daily News: "New plan creates Brooklyn’s first Asian-majority legislative district;
other pols’ territories reshaped: Redistricting plan would form a 51% Asian Assembly district, and
a heavily Orthodox Jewish Senate district,"
By Erin Durkin
Brooklyn would get its first Asian-majority legislative district under the state Legislature’s redistricting plan.
The newly-drawn maps create a state Assembly district that is 51% Asian in Sunset Park, Dyker Heights,
and Bensonhurst.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/plan-creates-brooklyn-asian-majority-legislative-district-pols-territories-reshaped-article-1.1013689?localLinksEnabled=false
1/27/12 Albany Times Union "Asian-American legal defense fund weighs in on LATFOR"
by Casey Seiler, Capitol bureau chief
The Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund has put out its comments on LATFOR’s
proposed maps for the state Senate and Assembly. The group’s response is of special interest
considering that Republican Sen. Mike Nozzolio has been deploying the argument that the
phenomenon of three pairs of Senate Dems being placed in competitive districts was necessitated
by the creation of a majority Asian-American 16th District in Queens.
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/110192/asian-american-legal-defense-fund-weighs-in-on-latfor/
1/26/12 Wall Street Journal: "NY's contorted redistricting protects majorities,"
Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York Senate's Republican majority proposed a
legislative redistricting plan Thursday that contorted what are supposed to be compact election
districts into some odd shapes to connect dwindling Republican pockets in the blue state.
http://online.wsj.com/article/APd7001b70299e460f85fd69e694101a64.html
1/23/12 lawjobs.com: "The Model Minority Is Grumpy,"
by Vivia Chen
It's the start of Chinese New Year—the Year of the Dragon—but Asian Pacific Americans lawyers might
not be in a mood to celebrate. According to The American Lawyer's 2011 midlevel minority associates
survey APAs are not happy campers.
http://thecareerist.typepad.com/thecareerist/2012/01/minority-report-on-asso.html
1/20/12 Sun Sentinel: Broward's first Asian-American judge formally sworn in
By Paula McMahon
Fort Lauderdale, FL — Broward County's first Asian-American judge was formally sworn in on Friday
during a judicial robing ceremony at the state courthouse.
Circuit Judge Raag Singhal, whose parents emigrated from India to the U.S. in 1960, three years
before he was born, is only the third Asian-American judge in the state.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-01-20/news/fl-first-asian-american-judge-broward-20120120_1_asian-american-judge-black-robe-broward-lawyer
1/19/12 Washington Post: "As Asian-Americans move to suburbs in record numbers, signs of
decline in historic Chinatowns,"
America’s historic Chinatowns, home for a century to immigrants seeking social support and refuge
from racism, are mostly fading as rising city costs, jobs elsewhere and a desire for wider spaces lure
Asian-Americans more than ever to the suburbs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-asian-americans-move-to-suburbs-in-record-numbers-signs-of-decline-in-historic-chinatowns/2012/01/19/gIQAZePWBQ_story_1.html.
1/14/12 Wall Street Journal: "Asian Groups Respond on Liu,"
by Sumathi Reddy
A number of prominent Asian-American organizations and civic leaders have joined forces to address
community concerns that have surfaced since the criminal investigation into city Comptroller John Liu's
campaign financing.
Called the Asian American Civic Alliance, the group intends to start a legal referral hotline for individuals
or businesses contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation or other government agencies in
connection with the continuing investigation into Mr. Liu's fund-raising operation.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204542404577159261685492898.html
1/13/12 CNN: "Is Hollywood 'whitewashing' Asian roles?"
By Stephanie Siek
America’s embrace of Japanese pop culture, particularly manga and anime, hasn’t resulted in an
embrace of Asian and Asian-American actors when those storylines go to Hollywood.
Two upcoming feature films based on Japanese material are already stirring controversy after rumors
that white American actors will be cast as characters originally written as Japanese.
http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/13/is-hollywood-whitewashing-asian-roles/
1/13/12 Brooklyn Ink: "Asian-Americans Push for District of Their Own,"
by Tiffany Ap
Asian-American civic groups are pushing for redistricting in Brooklyn that would give growing Asian
ethnic groups a district and representation of their own.
Claiming that the Asian vote is too diluted across many districts, the groups are hoping to splice
together sections of Sunset Park, Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights in a new district that would have a
majority population of Chinese immigrants and their descendants.
http://thebrooklynink.com/2012/01/13/40176-asian-americans-push-for-district-of-their-own/
1/11/11 Dallas Morning News: "Asian Indian population booming in Dallas-Fort Worth,"
By Ananda Boardman
A strong Asian Indian community is nothing new to North Texas — but the growth of the past 10 years
is unprecedented.
Census numbers show that from 2000 to 2010, the population more than doubled, going from 49,181
to 106,964 for Collin, Dallas, Denton, Rockwall and Tarrant counties.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20120111-asian-indian-population-booming-in-dallas-fort-worth.ece?action=reregister
1/6/12 Newsday: "Magpantay: Wanted: equal political access,"
BY Glenn D. Magpantay
Glenn D. Magpantay is director of the Democracy Program at the Asian American Legal Defense
and Education Fund.
There are 1.4 million Asian-Americans who now live in New York. In New York City alone, our
community grew 32 percent over the past decade, to over 1 million people. Half a million
Asian-
Americans live in Queens, where the Asian-American population grew 300 times faster than the
rest of the population.
So if you're new to New York's redistricting process, you may be surprised to learn that only one
state Assembly district in New York has a majority of Asian-American voters -- and not a single
State Senate district has an Asian-American majority.
www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/magpantay-wanted-equal-political-access-1.3434145
1/5/12 NY1.com: "Asian-American Community Struggles With Liu Controversy,"
by Courtney Gross
Many Asian-Americans across the city are expressing the same sentiment when it comes to the
campaign finance controversy surrounding Comptroller John Liu.
“No one knows what the facts are,” says Wellington Chen of the Chinatown Partnership.
http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/political_news/153694/asian-american-community-struggles-with-liu-controversy
1/5/12 Salt Lake Tribune: "Huntsman to Paul: Disavow ‘manchurian candidate’ ad with Chinese daughter,"
Jon Huntsman's campaign is asking Rep. Ron Paul to disavow a YouTube spot posted by a supporter
that questions whether the former Utah governor is loyal to the United States or China and features shots
of his adopted Chinese daughter, Gracie Mei, and an image of Huntsman superimposed wearing a
Communist uniform.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsoutofcontext/53242110-64/huntsman-paul-chinese-campaign.html.csp
1/4/12 Chronicle of Higher Education: "New Hampshire Ends Affirmative-Action Preferences at Colleges,"
By Peter Schmidt
Public colleges in New Hampshire are precluded from using affirmative-action preferences in hiring or
admissions decisions under a new law that took effect on January 1 after being passed by the state's
legislature last year with relatively little public opposition.
http://chronicle.com/article/New-Hampshire-Ends/130196/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
1/3/12 New York Times: "Gordon Hirabayashi, World War II Internment Opponent, Dies at 93,"
by Richard Goldstein
Gordon Hirabayashi, who was imprisoned for defying the federal government’s internment of
Japanese-
Americans during World War II but was vindicated four decades later when his conviction was overturned,
died on Monday in Edmonton, Alberta. He was 93.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/us/gordon-hirabayashi-wwii-internment-opponent-dies-at-93.html?_r=1&hpw
