News + Opinion

By Lily Qi When NBC4 morn­ing news anchor Aaron Gilchrist commented at the end of a news sto­ry recently that black men who don’t want to be cast in stereotypi­cal roles are sometimes considered “not black enough,” I was taken aback by his openness in discussing a highly sensitive topic during morning news hours. After all, race is not something …

By Devika Koppikar Nearly two years after the termination of the controversial NSEERS program (for National Security Entry-Exit Registration System) (http://www.dhs.gov/dhs-removes-designated-countries-nseers-registration-may-2011) many immigrants continue to face barriers at U.S. ports-of-entries when returning from overseas trips. A majority of the immigrants facing reentry barriers have legal status and are simply returning to jobs, families and communities, activists say. Yet, they face heavy interrogations …

By Mary Tablante The growing economic clout of Asian Americans extends beyond our role as consumers. We are increasingly becom­ing business owners. In fact, one in four minority businesses is owned by an Asian American, according to the U.S. Depart­ment of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency. And those busi­nesses are unusually successful, produc­ing more than fifty percent of the gross …

Announces 2013 Summer Civic Fellowship Program for Asian Pacific American College Students in Washington, DC The International Leadership Foundation (ILF) is proud to announce that it is accepting applications for the 2013 Civic Fellowship program. For the fourteenth year, ILF will award over 30 fellowships to Asian Pacific American col¬lege students who the ILF identifies as exhibiting the qualities and …

Virginia Virginia has some of the weakest regulations regarding guns of any state in the nation. State law preempts local gun regu­lation. The only firearms banned in Virginia are the Armsel Striker, also known as the Striker 12, similar shotguns, and plastic firearms. There are no limits on magazine capacity, although a concealed handgun permit is required to carry magazines …

By Dottie Tiejun Li Washington, D.C.—The Metropolitan Police Department finds itself still mired in controversy over a month after word leaked it was closing the longtime Chinatown headquarters of the Asian Liaison Unit, a team which combats crime against Asian American businesses and individuals citywide. Despite a promise from Chief Cathy Lanier to reverse the decision, made at a hastily …

Compiled by Mary Tablante News Updates Low-Key U.S. Reaction to S. Korean Election Washington, DC—Reaction from the Korean-American community to the election of 60-year-old Park Geun-hye as the first female president of South Korea has been quiet. The daughter of the late military dictator Park Chung-hee, she leads the conservative New Frontier Party. The Asia Society extolled her 30 years …

Floyd Mori, former national executive director emeritus, Japanese American Citizen Alliance: As a young Mormon missionary back in 1959, when walking down the Main Street in Hilo, Hawaii, I ran into this distinguished gentleman with one arm. He was quick to shake my hand and tell me how his mother on Oahu often invited the Elders in for a cool …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans Several children converged at the Old Council Chambers at One Judiciary Square in Northwest Washington, D.C., for the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA)’s annual “Share a Smile, Give a Toy” Holiday Toy Drive celebration on Dec. 13. More than 340 donated teddy bears, Lego sets, dolls and cars made the more than 140 …

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. Le went to see Due Tran, a federally-licensed firearms dealer and lawyer based in Falls …

By Mary Tablante Marketers now have another reason to target the Asian American community. AAPI buying power is up 523 percent since 1990, and will reach $718.4 billion this year, according to a recent Nielsen report. The reason for the surge is a combination of our increasing population and cultural characteristics. The Asian American segment of the United States population …

Are Asian American students in Virginia public schools being held to a different—and higher— standard than children of other races? That is what some concerned parents and legislators see with a set of new state education goals, part of Virginia’s attempt to opt out of regulations in the No Child Left Behind law. But supporters of the new performance standards say opponents …

By Dottie Tiejun Li D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier fielded questions and comments from disgruntled citizens and business people Wednesday night (Dec. 5) over the abrupt shutting down of the Asian Liaison Unit’s longtime substation in Chinatown. By the end of the hastily scheduled and occasionally tense meeting, a somewhat chastened Chief promised to maintain a permanent police presence in …

By Jem Palo   Are Asian American students in Virginia public schools being held to a different—and higher— standard than children of other races? That is what some concerned parents and legislators see with a set of new state education goals, part of Virginia’s attempt to opt out of regulations in the No Child Left Behind law. But supporters of …

By Mary Tablante   Almost everything was perfect when Mala Nagarajan and Vega Subramaniam got married ten years ago. Surrounded by 155 family members and friends at the Seattle Aquarium, the couple had a joyous ceremony and honored their Indian roots with a Hindu ceremony. But the wedding was not completely perfect: the marriage wasn’t legal. Nagarajan and Subramaniam, now …

By Dottie Tiejun Li D.C. police Sgt. Kenny Temsupasiri steps out onto H Street, NW. It’s mid-morning, a partly sunny day in Chinatown, and the sidewalks are full of people. The rich smells of Chinese cooking are beginning to waft from the omnipresent restaurants. He’s planning to cross over to Sixth Street to visit a store which has been robbed …

Something on your mind? Tell us, at www.AsianFortune.com, and maybe everyone will see your comments here next month! While the world watched closely as China convened its 18th Party Congress in mid November, some Chinese Americans offered their view about the once-in-a-decade leadership change in China. The meeting of the 18th Party Congress marked the transition to a new generation of …

By Dottie Tiejun Li, Editor-in-Chief December is always a time to look back on the year that’s receding into the mists of the past and to peer into the year that’s coming. That’s especially true this year at Asian Fortune. Asian Fortune lost its founder, publisher and guiding light this past year. When Jay Chen left us, suddenly and much …

By Kaye Lin US President, Barack Obama visited Burma during his Southeast Asian trip, and met with Burmese President Thein Sein as well as Nobel laureate and opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. As he boarded on this trip with Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, Obama makes history as a new relationship embarks between the United States and this …

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 …

Source: Nouvelles d’Europe       Author:      Release Date: Jan 27, 2011 The first large-scale solo exhibition of a Chinese artist in Le Louvre, showcasing the works of multi-awarded artist Li Hongtao, demonstrates the extraordinary level of Chinese artists in the entire world, a top Beijing official said at a press conference announcing the event. The Louvre, located in Paris, is the world’s …