8Books Review: My Diwali Light by Raakhee Mirchandani

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Lily

My Diwali Light by Raakhee Mirchandani, art by Supriya Kelkar is a lovely picture book about celebrating Diwali with family and friends. With Diwali just around the corner (it’s on Monday), this is a great read for this time of year.

Follow along with Devi, her parents and her Nani (grandmother), as she prepares for her favorite holiday and then shares it with her neighbors, going from house to house. Each celebration is a little different. You’ll be hungry by the time you’ve read through all the foods that Devi and her family have prepared and eaten throughout the day. And of course, there’s lessons from Nani on the meaning of Diwali, that will help little ones unfamiliar with the celebration learn more about it. Bright and colorful art accompanies the story — including pieces of fabric from the artist’s family members, which feels particularly apt and special.

Don’t miss the notes at the end from the author and illustrator, discussing how their own families celebrate Diwali and what making the book has meant to them. It’s another reminder — should you ever need one — that representation matters. Happy Diwali all!

Posted in 8Books, 8Series, Books, Entertainment, Family, Lifestyles, Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Daily Show: Ronny Chieng Teaches You About K-Pop

Posted on October 17, 2022 by John

Not sure why Ronny Chieng of The Daily Show decided to do a piece on K-pop recently:

The signature elements of K-Pop? Next level dance choreography and being Asian. Ronny Chieng digs into how K-Pop is used to boost Korea’s cultural profile and economy, and its worldwide impact today.

The 5 minute piece was actually more educational than funny in my opinion. I learned about the early days of Korean music pop culture. Amazingly enough, that the first breakthrough for Korean pop music in the United States was through the Kim Sisters, who appeared on the American TV on the Ed Sullivan Show more than 20 times during the 1960’s (one example here) and had albums in the US starting in 1959.  Chieng’s piece also covers Psy and eventually moves on to BTS.

Posted in Comedy, Entertainment, Music | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Asian American Commercial Watch: Creative Planning’s ‘Wealth-Changing Question’

Posted on October 14, 2022 by John

I was watching 60 Minutes recently and saw this commercial by Creative Planning:

“Is your advisor giving you incomplete advice? Besides investing, there’s also taxes, insurance, estate planning, and other elements that can be stressful to organize. At Creative Planning, we provide all the expertise, all the advice you need, all in-house. Ensuring all aspects of your wealth are working harder together. So you can enjoy your wealth—instead of worrying about it. Book your free meeting today at CreativePlanning.com. Creative Planning. A richer way to wealth.”

with Creative Planning advisor Tiya Lim explaining what her firm does. Looking on LinkedIn, Lim appears to be a real person, though I’m not sure if the women in the commercial is really Lim or an actress portraying the real person (assuming the LinkedIn profile is for real).

In any case, I had never heard of Creative Planning before this commercial, so the commercial definitely did its job. Typically, I would have thought about financial services firms such as Morgan Stanley advertising on ’60 Minutes’.

Creative Planning does have an office in the San Francisco Bay Area (where I live), but in Walnut Creek. You would think given all the wealth in the region, substantial parts of it owned by Asian Americans, there would be more offices, and at least in San Francisco and Silicon Valley (which I consider to range from Menlo Park to San Jose).

Posted in 8Series, Asian American Commercial Watch | Tagged | Leave a comment

NYC Theater Review: peerless at Primary Stages

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Lily

Sasha Diamond and Shannon Tyo in peerless at Primary Stages at 59E59. Photo by James Leynse

Jiehae Park’s dark comedy peerless about the high pressure stakes of elite college admissions is now playing at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters in New York City. This twist on Macbeth features twin Asian American sisters, M and L, who have moved to the middle of nowhere (geographic diversity!) with an exacting plan to get into The College (three guesses as to which one it might be). When another classmate gets “their spot,” the twins decide to protect their future . . . and let’s just say, it gets deadly. The show officially opened on Tuesday and will be up for a limited run until November 6.

The theater darkens and an envelope drops from the ceiling — *plop* — and a young man picks it up. Next scene, we meet M and L, so skillfully played by Sasha Diamond (Teenage Dick) and Shannon Tyo (The Chinese Lady). They are livid. How could he have gotten their spot?!? The dialogue is furiously paced as the twins alternate words and finish each other’s sentences at breakneck speed. Each year, we learn, The College takes one student — so L has stayed back a year, so that M can go this year and L can follow the next. But now their carefully laid our plans have fallen apart. It turns out, L reveals, that the young man who got in — D — is 1/16 Native American. The sisters hyperventilate and plot, and from there the play unfolds. It’s dark, it’s funny, and it’s intense.

I don’t want to give anything away, so let’s just say, the play builds and builds until the first domino falls and then whoosh, it tumbles forward as everything crumbles from there. It’s an 80 minute play with no intermission, but the time flies. Park takes the intense drive for success to its darkest end point (no, really, it’s funny and then it gets really dark) — what would you do to succeed?

Tickets to peerless begin at $25 and are available at 59e59.org/shows/show-detail/peerless. Performances are Tuesday – Saturday at 7:00pm and Saturday – Sunday at 2:00pm.

Posted in 8Series, Comedy, Education, Entertainment, Family, New York, Reviews, The Arts, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reporter David Louie retires after 50 years with ABC7

Posted on October 12, 2022 by John

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area in the last 50 years, you probably have seen local television reporter David Louie. After working at ABC7 News for over 50 years, he will be retiring in October:


After 50 and a half years in news, reporter David Louie has retired from ABC7. He joined ABC7 News in 1972, back when the program was called “Newsscene.”

Back in 1970, there weren’t that many Asian Americans. In fact, by my calculations from what I’ve found online, it was 0.75% of the overall U.S. population back then, about 1.5 million.

Louie was one of the first Asian American TV reporters in the Bay Area – and I have to imagine, in the nation – and certainly on the air the longest! Ironically, 10 years ago, I acknowledged that fact while noting his 40 years of service. Congratulations to Louie on his well deserved retirement and for him being a pioneer and inspiration to so many.

Posted in Local, San Francisco Bay Area, TV | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Senate Officially Confirms Michelle Kwan as US ambassador to Belize

Posted on October 10, 2022 by John

Back in July, I had blogged about Michelle Kwan being inducted into the U.S.Olympic Hall of Fame, as well as her being confirmed as Ambassador to Belize. Well, I was wrong – Michelle had her Senate confirmation hearing, but she hadn’t been confirmed officially until recently (Thursday, September 29th):

“The Senate on Thursday confirmed Michelle Kwan, a former Olympic figure skater and longtime Democratic activist, to serve as ambassador to Belize.

Kwan, who President Joe Biden tapped for the role in December, skated through the chamber’s confirmation process with a voice vote.

…

“Kwan’s extensive work experience at the U.S. State Department in public diplomacy and youth outreach and her work with non-profit organizations combined with her strong management and business skills make her a well-qualified candidate to be the U.S. Ambassador to Belize,” the State Department said.

The agency also highlighted Kwan’s education background, including her Master’s degree from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.”

Michelle was nominated in December of 2021, and it’s now already October. It makes me wonder why it takes so long for the confirmation to take so long! I’ve never been to Belize, but  my brother has for scuba diving. I should get my passport renewed and make a visit to Belize some in the near future!

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

’38 At The Garden’ Premieres October 11th on HBO Max

Posted on October 7, 2022 by John

https://youtu.be/JSU2j8FJi_M

38 at the Garden Jeremy Lin animation pictureBack in June, I had blogged about a community event about an upcoming documentary, ’38 At the Garden’ about Jeremy Lin’s performance against Kobe Bryant’s LA Lakers back on February 10th, 2012, its effects, and the current state of Asian hate and discrimination. The official broadcast / streaming date has been announced (October 11 on HBO Max) and the official trailer is available: 

“38 At The Garden chronicles the extraordinary ascendance of point guard Jeremy Lin during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks. Lin, an undrafted Harvard graduate, shocked fans, stunned his teammates and galvanized Asians around the world when he scored 38 points at Madison Square Garden against the Los Angeles Lakers, solidifying Lin’s hot streak and the “Linsanity” craze.

A decade later, Lin’s stature as a groundbreaking, cultural icon stands in stark relief to the recent hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. 38 At The Garden recognizes a pivotal moment in time for Lin and celebrates a phenomenon that was bigger than basketball for the world.”

Having seen the documentary ‘LINSANITY’ back in 2013, I’m looking forward to what new ground this documentary will cover. It’s kind of crazy to think that it’s been over 10 years that Jeremy Lin shocked the basketball world. Since then, Jeremy has had his up’s and down’s in the NBA, as well as the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), and most recently, signed with the Guangzhou Loong Lions:

“HOUSTON — Houston Rockets former point guard Jeremy Lin has yet to retire from basketball 13 years after beginning his pro career. Lin announced on his Instagram page on Monday that he has signed with the Guangzhou Loong Lions for the 2022-23 CBA season.

His last NBA stop took place with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, where he appeared in 23 games en route to his lone NBA championship. 

Lin felt his lack of playing time did not validate his championship ring. A complete 180 from the role he played as a member of the Rockets from 2012 to 2014 who averaged 13.0 points. “

It’s too bad that we probably will never see Jeremy play in the NBA again, but he’s definitely outlasted the averages. The average NBA tenure in the league is around 5 years.

Posted in Sports | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Chosen: The Story of Five Korean Americans who ran for Congress

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Jeff

Chosen is a documentary by Joseph Hoo Juhn about five Korean Americans, two Republicans and three Democrats, who ran for the US Congress in 2020.  We have written about a number of them, such Michelle Steel, Young Kim, and Marilyn Strickland.  Andy Kim of New Jersey is famous for the picture of him cleaning up the capitol after the January 6 riot. The one I did not know about is David Kim, who ran for the seat in a district that represents LA Koreatown but did not win.

A key theme of the film is about representation.  In this article, Juhn notes that after a showing, a high school student came up to him and said:

“Watching your film, I felt like I was seen on the screen for the first time.”

The filmmaker has been on a tour in the US showing his film, and he has also secured a showing in South Korea. The next showing will be on October 6 from 6-9 PM in Wilshire Presbyterian Church and the evening after that at UCLA. See his kickerstarter update page for ongoing updates.

 

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

San Francisco Street Renamed ‘Vicha Ratanapakdee Way’ for 84-year-old Thai Killed

Posted on October 5, 2022 by John

Back in January of this year, I had attended the one year anniversary of the deadly assault against 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee while on a walk in San Francisco. Recently, there was a ceremony to rename the street where ‘Grandpa Vicha’ used to go for walks:

More than 600 days after the brutal killing of an 84-year-old Thai grandfather in San Francisco, that many believe sparked the movement to stop the attacks on Asian Americans, a street in his neighborhood has been renamed “Vicha Ratanapakdee Way.”

A number of celebrities, politicians, activists and community members attended Saturday’s ceremony. It was a symbol of how much progress has been made and the work yet ahead.

The sounds of celebration heard in the Anza Vista neighborhood were quite a contrast to what happened on these streets on Jan. 28 2021.

Actor Daniel Dae Kim said he remembered it like it was yesterday.

“A video showed up in my social media feed of a brutal attack on an Asian man in broad daylight,” Kim said

Legal groups called for change in how hate crimes are categorized and calling to action the need for victims to be properly communicated with.

As crowd gathered Saturday in the San Francisco neighborhood where Vicha took his morning walks, Thai monks chanted and the audience cheered. Sonora Lane became Vicha Ratapakdee Way with the flick of a wrist and was unveiled for all.”

Besides Daniel Dae Kim and Vicha’s daughter, Monthanus Ratanapakdee, there were many other community speakers, including:

  • Vanita Louie, community creator, San Francisco Recreation and Park Commissioner
  • Will Lex Ham, actor, co-founder, They Can’t Burn Us All
  • Mina Fedor, Founder & Executive Director, AAPI Youth Rising
  • David Chiu, San Francisco city attorney
  • Judy Young, Executive Director, Southeast Asian Development Center
  • Tor Saralamba, Thai Consul-General
  • Catherine Stefani, San Francisco Supervisor, District 2
  • Amanda Ngoc Nguyen, Founder and CEO of Rise

For the complete program, see the YouTube video above or here.

Afterwards, there was a screening not too far away for the upcoming PBS documentary that will be airing in October, ‘Rising Against Asian Hate – One Day In March,’ exploring the Atlanta shootings in March 2021 against Asian women spa workers that elevated the increasing violence against Asian Americans in the age of COVID.

Posted in Community, Current Events, Discrimination, Local, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Japanese American Tanforan Memorial Internment Camp Ribbon Cutting & Statue Unveiling

Posted on October 3, 2022 by John

A few weekends ago on Saturday, August 27th afternoon, I attended in San Bruno, California (just south of San Fransisco), the Tanforan Memorial Ribbon Cutting and Statue Unveiling:

“During World War II, the U.S. Army converted what was then the Tanforan Racetrack into one of 17 temporary detention centers at which those of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated while more permanent detention centers in the inland United States were being built. For six months, in 1942, the Tanforan Assembly Center held nearly 8,000 Bay Area Japanese, most of whom were U.S. citizens, without a trial or due process of law.

The Tanforan Memorial is the culmination of a decade of work by the Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee to create a permanent monument to honor those who were imprisoned there and ensure that the injustice they suffered is not forgotten. Construction of the memorial began in early 2022 after years of planning and fundraising. The memorial will feature a replica horse stall in which internees were housed and a statue of the Mochida sisters, two young girls who were captured in a famous photograph taken by Dorothea Lange in 1942, which will be unveiled at the ribbon-cutting.”

Despite the fact that local elected officials, including the Mayor of San Bruno, Congresswoman Jackie Jackie Speier and California State Senator Josh Becker were in attendance and gave some remarks, there was not much press coverage. I could only find the above NBC local coverage the day after the event.

The Tanforan internment camp was one of the largest temporary camps in the nation, and the largest (and I think only one) in the San Francisco Bay Area. This really should have gotten a lot more local coverage, if not national coverage, in my opinion.

I was in awe to see some Japanese Americans who were interned as children back as adults to attend the ceremony.

You can watch most of the event, here is the video I took:

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Local, Politics, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cornell Quarterback Jameson Wang Signs NIL Deal with Degree

Posted on September 29, 2022 by John

Image courtesy of Cornell University

When I saw Jeff’s blog post on Gonzaga Basketball Players Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong, I knew had to write about Cornell University’s Jameson Wang, a quarterback on the Ivy League school’s football team and his NIL (name, image and likeness) deal with Degree (which was reported back in August):

““I was contacted by Opendorse, which is a third party NIL company, and they told me that Degree was looking for me to join the Breaking Limits Team,” Wang said. “Coming from an Asian American background, playing football … it’s gonna help me share my story to a lot of people that don’t know my story. And I’m really thankful for that; really blessed that Degree has given me the opportunity to do this.” … Wang played in seven games last season for the Big Red and led the squad in rushing with 349 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and four touchdowns, becoming the second freshman in program history to do so.

The level of Asian American representation in major United States sports is quite low. According to the 2021 Racial and Gender Report Card from The Institute for Diversity and Equity in Sports (TIDES), only 1.5 percent of male Division I athletes identified as Asian. For female Division I athletes, the percentage isn’t much higher (2.3 percent). Only two percent of Division I football players identified as either Asian or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

The trend holds true at the professional level as well. Asian athletes made up 0.4 percent of NBA players, 0.1 percent of NFL players, 1.9 percent of MLB players, 1.3 percent of MLS players, and 1.4 percent (only two identified as Asian American) of WNBA players, according to TIDES’s 2021 reports on each league. …

“When you think of an Asian American, you’re not gonna think of an athlete; you’re gonna think more of a student,” he said. “We’re just trying to break that stereotype. … For me, just to prove that Asians are more than just smart in the classroom; they are great athletes as well. … I don’t normally think about that because I know what I’m capable of.””

Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Democratic and Republican Parties make moves to attract Asian American Voters

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Jeff

Both the Republican and Democrat Parties and their partisans have been making moves to encourage Asian American to vote their way in the coming mid-term elections.  The Republican Party has reportedly invested millions in courting non-white voters, including Asian Americans through outreach centers in places such as Georgia. The Asian American Power Network has dedicated $10 million toward turning out Asian American voters.

Some numbers released by Democratic pollster Tom Bonier shows that about 44% of new voters are registering with the Democratic compared to around 16% voters with the republican party.  35% registered as unaffliated.  Of course, these numbers count only newly registered voters, and once registered, they could vote either way. Still, the large unaffiliated numbers leaves plenty of leeway for Republicans to get votes even if these newly registered voters stick to their party affiliation.

I think that the Republicans sense an opening as Asian American voters have been active against a number of progressive officials and causes.  San Francisco’s recall of school board members and city district attorney Chesa Bouldin were largely driven by Asian American voters. According to an Asian American voter survey, some Asian American ethnic groups, such as Vietnamese Americans, already have a majority that prefers to vote Republican.

Then again, these efforts for both party may fall very short.  The same survey mentioned above shows that the majority of Asian American voters have never been contacted by anyone from any political party.

(photo credit:  DonkeyHotey under Creative Commons 2.0 license)

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , | 2 Comments