News + Opinion

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Two American lawmakers of Asian ancestry have introduced “The Covid 19 Hate Crimes Act” in the 118th U.S. Congress to address the surge in racist acts against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, or AAPIs, which began when the pandemic started last year. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D, HI) said the bill would, among other things, …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Asian American leaders hailed the “historic” appointment of Assemblyman Rob Bonta as the first Filipino American California Attorney General, and linked it to addressing anti-Asian hate acts and violence.   In his first statements, Bonta indeed vowed to combat hatred. “This will be one of my first priorities as your Attorney General: to ensure those …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Successful technology entrepreneur Andrew Yang is running for mayor of New York City. He launched his candidacy on January 14, with the grandson of America’s civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. as co-chair of his mayoral campaign. At  the launch, US Congressman (NY-15) and campaign Co-Chair Ritchie Torres called Yang “a problem solver who’s …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Asian American advocates have lauded President Joe Biden’s policy changes addressing their urgent concerns, which they assert are Mainstream America issues as well. These are: 1) Immigration reform, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA; 2) anti-Asian American racism; 3) the Census; 4) a fast-tracked, concerted pandemic response, and 5) the $1.9 trillion economic …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   President-elect Joe Biden’s promise to reverse immigration policies, and to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on Day One–after his noontime inauguration on January 20, 2021–is welcome news to some 700,000 DACA recipients. The figure includes 16, 000 Asians. The DACA and immigration reform issue is in Biden’s stack of Day One …

5 Ways Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris is a Winner   By Jennie L. Ilustre   Kamala Harris became the nation’s Vice President-Elect when unofficial count showed Joe Biden had topped the required 270 Electoral Votes to win this year’s presidential elections. Incumbent President Donald Trump got 232 Electoral Votes.Biden garnered a total of 306 Electoral Votes.  On December 14, the …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Signs point to a ‘Blue Wave, a Democratic sweep in this year’s elections, according to polls and analyses by political experts. Reason: The pandemic, as well as the narrowing of President Trump’s base as women, suburbanites, and seniors have flipped for his Democratic rival Joe Biden.   Three Asian American leaders, who have grassroots experience …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   A recent survey showed that Asian American voters would turn out in record-breaking numbers, by mail or in person on November 3, for this year’s presidential election – and could potentially provide the margin of victory in some battleground states.   “Asian Americans saw a record high level of midterm election turnout in 2018,” said …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Americans of Asian ancestry mourned the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18, noting that the nation and the community not only lost a unique American, but a civil rights champion as well.   President Trump and the Senate have declared that a replacement would be named and confirmed sooner rather …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Asian American leaders and friends have hailed the “historic” and “inspiring” choice of US Senator Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate.   Former Vice President Joe Biden, the party’s candidate for president in the November 3 elections, announced Harris as his running mate on August 11. Harris was among Biden’s several rivals …

Los Angeles, CA, August 27, 2020 – #GoldOpen, the community movement created by Gold House that successfully catapulted Parasite, The Farewell, Crazy Rich Asians, Just Mercy, and nearly two dozen multicultural films to box office success, is debuting the first-ever #GoldOpen Premier Access for The Walt Disney Company’s Mulan. “We miss being together–and know the power communities unlock when they …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Nikki Haley’s star got even brighter with a knock-out speech on the first night of the Republican National Convention, which formally named President Trump as its standard bearer in the November 3 elections. One speech and Haley, former US ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor, further elevated her profile as a …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Across the country since the start of the year, Asian American healthcare professionals have been in the frontlines fighting the pandemic involving covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. They are doctors, nurses, hospital support staff, Emergency Medical Technicians or EMTS, and even volunteers. They are all dedicated and focused on healing their patients, day in and …

By Dr. Jennifer Jimenez Maraña, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Broadmead www.broadmead.org In his video series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” Emmanuel Acho reads a letter from a White woman who grew up in the 1940s. She wrote that racism was embedded in her experience growing up, but now she has been listening and is still learning. She …

Authored by Treehouse Eyes Optometrist Dr. Kevin Chan in the Washington, D.C. area About Myopia Myopia, also called nearsightedness or shortsightedness, is the most common vision issue among children and young adults and it’s only getting worse. Approximately 20 million children in the United States, or one in every three, suffer from myopia and recent studies show that half the …

By Amy Alznauer Paintings by ShanZuo Zhou & DaHuang Zhou The epic story of two Chinese brothers who became art-world legends, illustrated with stunning paintings by the artists themselves. First there was one Zhou brother, and then there were two. They lived in a bookstore with their grandmother, Po Po, whose stories of paintings that flew through the air and …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   The nation’s Asian American civil rights organizations have strongly denounced President Trump’s Memorandum to exclude the undocumented from the 2020 Census as “unconstitutional,” and would take legal action to nullify the executive order. Remarked John C. Yang, Executive Director of Advancing Justice–AAJC, based in the nation’s capital: “There is no end to this President’s attempts …

COVID-19 has hit communities of color the hardest, including immigrant families. You need to  be aware of programs you may be eligible for right now, including health care, cash assistance, food assistance, and unemployment insurance. 1)  Immigration officials clarified that everyone can seek testing, prevention, and treatment for COVID-19 without fear of immigration consequences. 2) You can still see a …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Some 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).recipients, including 16, 000 Asians, can continue to stay in the U.S. to study and to work, albeit temporarily, based on a recent Supreme Court decision.  Asian American advocacy organizations, such as the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, hailed the decision and vowed to keep fighting for immigrant rights. …

By Jennie L. Ilustre You are not alone. We are here to help you if you experience verbal or physical assault, hate crimes or racial discrimination due to coronavirus (Covid-19) misconceptions or xenophobia, defined as prejudice against people from other countries. This, in effect, was the message of coalitions of Asian American advocacy organizations nationwide. In the nation’s capital, the …

APAs are ‘amazing people,’ and  Virus Spread ‘is not their fault’ By Jennie L. Ilustre Asian American leaders welcomed the strong, categorical declaration by President Trump that it is “very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States,” noting growing verbal and physical attacks on Asian Americans across the country. The President stressed that the …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   On February 9, “Parasite,” the South Korean film about greed and class discrimination, made history in a spectacular fashion. Expected to win as the best foreign film, incredibly, it won for Best Picture at the 92nd annual awards ceremony of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, better known as the Oscars. It is …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   It’s the beginning, not the end, for Andrew Yang, the first male Asian American to run for president. The successful tech investment entrepreneur, who calls himself the Math Guy, made the decision to end his campaign following the dismal numbers he got in Iowa, the Democratic Party’s first primary.     To be sure, political …

By Jennie L. Ilustre     The Democratic-dominated House of Representatives, voted to impeach President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congressional investigations on December 18 last year, along party lines.  The acquittal of the president in the Senate, which is mandated by the Constitution to hold a trial, is also expected to be along party …