By Corih Kim   On August 26, 2014, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore held a Grand Opening of its facilities in Baltimore, Maryland. The casino features 2,500 video lottery terminals, 122 table games, and 25-table World Series of Poker-branded room amid 122,000 square feet of gaming space. However, it wasn’t until a week and a half later, on September 6, when …

By Jianying Wang “I could not sleep after I read it; I even could not walk and breathe” Corih Kim was talking to the audience of the book event about the fiction she translated from English to Korean, Daughters of the Dragon – A Comfort Woman’s Story, that narrates about the life story of a comfort woman from Korea. The …

By Anita Kinney “It’s a great time to be an Asian American in the District of Columbia,” Kishan Putta says. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) member spoke about his ambition to become the first Asian-American to hold a city-wide office in D.C., an achievement that he says would be a “historic first.” Putta is campaigning full-time for an at-large seat …

“The KORUS Festival is organized by the Korean American Association of Washington Metropolitan Area (KAAW), a non-profit 501(c) organization with the support of local communities, the Korean Embassy DC, and local organizations. For over a decade, the KORUS Festival has gathered people of diverse backgrounds and heritage in celebration of Korean culture. This year’s festival included performances of Korean music, …

On September 5th, 2014, the installation of new officers of FAPAC took place at the National Press Club.  The new offers are as follows: President: Grace Spence Vice President: Olivia Adrian Vice President of Operations: Peter Nguyen Executive Secretary: Fahmida Chhipa Treasurer: Kevin Le Auditor: Rebecca Flowers Region 1 Director: Sharon Nicholas Region 5 Director: Zena Huen Asian Fortune is …

  Lori Nam, a Potomac, Md. resident, was diagnosed with Stage IV non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2009  at the age of 30.   During the 5 years following her diagnosis, Nam underwent surgeries, bone marrow biopsies and harvesting, countless scans and tests and 23 rounds of high dose chemotherapy and infusions. She achieved remission in February 2010, then relapsed in March 2012 and again in …

By Corih Kim As the biggest Asian Festival in the Mid-Atlantic area, and continues to grow each year, as more participants and attendees partake in the celebration of East, Southeast, and South Asian cultures. The Asian Festival DC 2014 showcased the diverse Southeast Asian cultures, focusing on Thailand, Philippine, India, China, and Vietnam. The festival featured a main stage and …

By Gaylord Garcia Michelle Phan, a Youtube star and a beauty guru with more than 6.7 million channel subscribers is getting sued by Ultra Records – an Electronic Dance Music label – for copyright infringement. Ultra Records filed the lawsuit on July 18th, 2014 claiming Phan allegedly used music from the label’s artists in her YouTube makeup tutorial videos without …

As the Back-to-School Tax Free Weeks in Virginia and Maryland sailed by, it is once again time for kids aged 6-17 to put away the bathing suit and hit up the books. This school year will be an especially distressing one for rising juniors and their families, who are facing one of the most transformative events in their lives: applying …

By Heidi Zheng As one of America’s longest running American reality television shows, America’s Next Top Model just commenced its 21st cycle. More remarkably, this is the second season featuring both male and female contestants. Diversity, rejoice! …Not so quick. Given the producer and presenter Tyra Banks is black herself, diversity has never been an issue on ANTM. That being …

By Corih Kim On July 31, 2014, The International Leadership Foundation (ILF) and the Coalition of Asian American Business Organizations hosted the 2014 Awards Gala and Leadership Conference to recognize the leaders who dedicate themselves to promoting the welfare of Asian American and Pacific Islander community, and provide network of support for students at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. The Conference …

By: Derek Mong Established by the Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL) in 2012, the TAP (Taiwanese-American Professionals) chapter in Washington, DC brings together Taiwanese American Professionals from across the metro area to enhance the Taiwanese-American community by connecting individuals interested in professional and career development. As a chapter still in its infancy at just over two years old, TAP-DC is …

By Vania Cao The 2014 APA Film Festival will be short and sweet. Breaking from its usual tradition of a seven or ten day festival, this year’s festival will be a three-day affair. Asian Pacific American Film (APA Film) is a nonprofit, all-volunteer run organization established in 2000, with the mission of directing attention to the creative energy of the Asian …

By Corih Kim The 2014 Annual VietFest took place at the Workhouse Art Center in Lorton, Virginia between August 16-17, 2014. Started in 2011 by five young Vietnamese-Americans, the event has become brighter and bigger than ever before, as the Vietnamese-Americans continue to spread their rich heritage throughout their community in vibrant ways. Led by the National Organization of Vietnamese …

On July 14 Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) President, Dr. Kin Wong, presented a plaque to recognize the Federal Aviation Administration as a new partner in its mission to promote career advancement for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and diversity in the federal and District of Columbian governments. As the largest of the AAPI employee group among the …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans Asian Fortune magazine’s column explores news, views and cues in the exciting political sphere. The column touches the three branches of the federal government, state-level political tidbits, little known historical facts, and on occasion, a dose of gossip.  Asian candidates face uphill battle in Los Angeles Although there are more than 4,000 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders …

The National Association of Asian American Professionals DC Chapter hosted a barbeque on July 27. 2014. The enjoyed delicious Southern Style BBQ – Pulled pork, Burnt Ends, Creamy Mash and played lots of silly games at Quincy Park in Arlington, Va.

On Wednesday, July 30, 2014, over 60 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth in grades K-12 from the District of Columbia participated in Paint the Town Green, an art mural project organized by the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA) at the Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square. Youth expressed their perspective through art on creating …

Here are a few amazing pictures taken at the annual 2014 VietFest. Enjoy! Asian Fortune is an English language newspaper for Asian American professionals in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Visit fb.com/asianfortune to stay up to date with our news and what’s going on in the Asian American community.    

San Francisco, Calif. – On August 21, 2014, newly traded Los Angeles Lakers player and Palo Alto native, Jeremy Lin, unveiled his first ever wax figure at the city’s newest wax attraction, Madame Tussauds San Francisco. The renowned athlete will start as point guard for the Lakers in the spring of 2015. Captured in one of the most unique poses …

Editor’s Note: For those who have not been following the developments in Ferguson, Missouri, this is what happened. On August 9, 2014, Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old black man named Michael Brown. Since then the town has erupted in protests, police violence, and, as this piece mentions, riots. By Randall Yip A recent story …

By Erin Sartori Dressing as a petite can be difficult. Many Asian Americans fit in the petite sizing but find it difficult to highlight their best features. Here are some tips to remember. Fabric can be the single most important factor in determining whether or not a petite can wear a style.  In general, petite women need soft, fluid fabrics.  …

Award winning DC based comedian talks to Asian Fortune about playing tooth decay in a school play and the challenges of being a female comedian. By Suchi Rudra With three solos shows to her name—Woman on Top, McGoddess and Good Girls Don’t. But Indian Girls Do—and far-flung comedy festival appearances from Trinidad to England to South Africa, funny girlVijai Nathan …

By Suchi Rudra It’s no surprise that fusion weddings—weddings that combine two or more religions and/or ethnic backgrounds—are increasingly popular in a city that is well known for its diverse population. A Penn State study published in 2012 found that the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area ranked as the 4th most diverse metro area in the entire country. And as the …