News + Opinion

By Jennie L. Ilustre American lawyers of Asian ancestry and advocates, noting that most people find the latest immigration reform news confusing, recently underscored the need for accurate, up-to-date information efforts to prevent public misconceptions. “If you have any questions about immigration or immigration reform, make sure to get reliable information – whether from a community group like Asian Americans …

By Sarah Guan In May of 2014, 10,579 unaccompanied children crossed the border, and 10,628 unaccompanied children crossed the border in June[1] 2014. However, these children are crossing the border illegally, and their presence is inundating our immigration courts. In response to this occurrence, the Department of Justice, in conjunction with the Corporation of National Community Service (CNCS), announced grants …

By Priscilla Huang When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) comes before the Supreme Court on March 4, it does so as a shining example of what’s working and how much the average American stands to lose. It is the lives of people like the Hwangs, a Korean American family in New Jersey, who will feel the acute pain if health …

The reviews and the ratings are in for ABC-TV’s “Fresh Off the Boat,” which officially premiered on Feb. 10, and as a saying goes, “We have a winner!” TV by the  Numbers ran a story with the headline, “ABC’s ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ Debuts as Season’s #1 New Show with Upscale Adults 18-49.” The Hollywood Reporter noted, “After its strong …

Celebrations in the area began early this month, and are still on-going. Due to the snow and winter weather conditions this year, it is advisable to call organizers in advance if there are changes in the date or time. Most of the on-going events (in italics) are from dc.about.com by Washington, D.C. Expert Rachel Cooper. Chinese New Year Parade and …

On November 20th, 2014, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) held a conference call with community leaders across the country about the bullying of AAPI youth. The call served as a platform to announce the launch of the AAPI Bullying Prevention Task Force and allowed listeners to give feedback on addressing the needs of their …

By Jennifer Chang Barnali Ghosh, coordinator and co-founder of South Asian Americans for Climate Justice, a volunteer group in the San Francisco Bay area, said that in the last five years, she has become more aware of global climate issues that affect South Asians. Ghosh said that the U.S. is one of the biggest polluting countries in the world, and …

By Devika Koppikar After I graduated from college more than 20 years ago, I moved to new town, away from family and familiar surroundings. For a while, I felt lost, especially with regards to my Indian-American identity. Then, I found the Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP), a social and professional organization connecting South Asians http://na.netip.org/. My whole life changed. I …

By Amanda L. Andrei There’s no denying that the city of Tacloban is a busy, noisy hub. The constant sounds of sawing, drilling, and hammering mingle with traffic and the occasional thunderclap as the city rebuilds its infrastructure. With more than 200,000 residents, this city on the island of Leyte in the Philippines became the focus of the international community …

by: Mary Tablante A new book by S. Floyd Mori, the President and CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies and former national executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, captures vignettes from a period in American history many know little about: Japanese American internment during World War II. “The Japanese American Story as Told through a …

By Catalina Calachan WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tufts’ Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement recently released a fact sheet regarding the involvement of young Asian Americans in the electoral process. By highlighting key statistics about youth engagement and voter turnout, focusing on the young, Asian American demographic, CIRCLE researcher Surbhi Godsay provides insight into how the AAPI …

By Andrew Ho and Virginia Cheung As the holiday season approaches, what is your priority on charitable giving this year? Though imaginations run wild when we think of gifts to give to ourselves, charitable giving is lucky to have a fraction of our creativity. A modest donation to our alma mater, the local community group or a religious center is …

How a group of researchers in Chicago are proving that community based health research is the way to study America’s diverse communities By Jenny Chen When I set out to explore “mental health among the Asian American elderly” as part of a fellowship from New America Media and the Gerontological Association of America, I didn’t realize what a daunting task …

The environmental movement has a diversity problem. Despite increasing racial diversity in the United States, the racial composition in environmental organizations and agencies has not broken the 12% to 16% “green ceiling” that has been in place for decades says a report titled “The State of Diversity in the Mainstream Environmental Sector,” by Dorceta E. Taylor, a professor at the …

New multimedia project follows a Chinese adoptee as she returns to her birthplace By Jenny Chen Between the years 1991 and 2005, China sent 22,061 children, most of them girls, into foreign adoption. According to the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, U.S. citizens have adopted more than 70% of these children. Their journeys are a migration that …

  By Jenny Chen Earlier this year, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)under the U.S. Department of Labor found that the data collection company Westat Inc. failed to comply with Equal Employment Opportunity Law. Westat Inc. has agreed to a settlement with the (OFCCP) which requires the company to pay a total of $1.5 million in back wages …

 OAPIA has been holding toy drives annually as a way for District residents to give back to their community. More than 1800 toys have been distributed to the District’s youth since OAPIA’s toy drive began in 2007.   This year, OAPIA will be hosting the toy drive on December 9, 2014 from 5pm to 7pm. Around 300-350 donated toys will …

Compiled by Mary Tablante Patsy Mink Receives Medal of Freedom  WASHINGTON, D.C.—The first Asian American woman in Congress, Patsy Takemoto Mink, received a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom on Nov. 24. Mink represented Hawaii and served for 12 terms. She was born and raised in Maui and became the first Japanese American female attorney in the state. Her achievements include …

By Amanda L. Andrei Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda), struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013. Nearly one year later, visiting Tacloban, Leyte, is a surreal experience. What does recovery look like an anniversary later? Considered a transportation and trade hub for the islands of Leyte and Samar, Tacloban is one of the major cities in the Visayas region …

By Janelle Wong As a college professor, I study the Asian American experience and teach students about the exclusion of Chinese Americans historically and the everyday racism they continue to confront today.  I not only convey this history to my students, I also teach my son, age 10, about the racial hostilities that have colored the Asian American experience in …

By Gaylord Garcia For decades, data on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been insufficient and lackluster.  The AAPI community has been left out of deep and rigorous researches that focus on race and ethnicity, according to ColorLines. As a result, there isn’t much broad statistical data available on the AAPI population and when a research is released to the …

By Vanessa Wang There are four ways to enroll in health plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare: online, by mail, on the phone, or in person. The problem is, most of these resources are available only in English and Spanish. This makes enrolling difficult for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AAs and NHPIs) …

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  By Gaylord Garcia On October 3rd Friday afternoon, hundreds of students and faculty of Harvard University received death threats, according to New England Cable News. The death threats disrupted student life and prompted increased security on campus. Harvard police said that the death threats were e-mailed at around 4:45 PM, in which an unknown person will be coming to …