Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
Compiled by Mary Tablante
1. Chinese Railroad Workers Inducted into Labor Hall of Honor
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez inducted the Chinese Railroad Workers into the U.S. Department of Labor’s Hall of Honor on May 9. The workers were honored for their courage and sacrifice for completing the first Transcontinental Railroad 145 years ago. There were approximately 12,000 workers from China who helped build the transcontinental railroad, facing harsh conditions as well as prejudice. During the induction ceremony, Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu gave remarks and descendants of the workers were in attendance. The railroad workers are the first Asian American group to receive this accolade.
2. Princeton Hires First Asian American History Professor
Princeton, N.J.—Princeton University hired Beth Lew-Williams, 32, to be its first professor of Asian American studies and will teach a class entitled Asian American History in spring 2015. Lew-Williams said the class is going to focus on topics such as identity, immigration law and race relations in the U.S., she told The Daily Princetonian. Lew-Williams taught at Northwestern University for two years. Students hope this hiring will lead to the establishment of an Asian American studies program at Princeton.
3. ‘Private Danny Chen Way’ Honors Memory of Soldier
NEW YORK CITY—On May 17, city officials unveiled Private Danny Chen Way in New York’s Chinatown to honor the late soldier’s memory in the place where he grew up. Hundreds gathered as the street was dedicated, which is located between Canal and Bayard streets. Officials Rep. Nydia Velazquez and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito attended the dedication and Chen’s mother, Su Zhen, sobbed throughout the event, wrote The New York Daily News. Chen was 19 years old when he committed suicide in 2011 after experiencing racially-charged hazing and bullying while serving in Afghanistan.
4. Fall Network TV Shows Star More Asian Americans
The number of Asian American actors on network television shows will increase this fall season. John Cho will star in ABC’s comedy “Selfie,” which is described as a modern version of “My Fair Lady.” On CBS, Kal Penn will appear in “Battle Creek,” a show about detectives working in a small town, and Maggie Q was cast in a new thriller entitled “Stalker.” A new comedy show based on chef Eddie Huang’s memoir will be on ABC and is the first sitcom in two decades that focuses on an Asian American family. “Fresh Off The Boat” will star Randall Park and Constance Wu and features the culture shock 12-year-old Eddie experiences after moving to Orlando from D.C.’s Chinatown. In addition, CBS picked up “Scorpion,” which will be directed by Justin Lin, who is known for the “Fast and Furious” franchise.
5. UC Berkeley Unveils Online Archive on Japanese American Internment
Berkeley, Calif.—The University of California, Berkeley, launched a digital archive about Japanese American internment during World War II and their resettlement. The project, the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study Digital Archive, consists of almost 100,000 original manuscript items. Within the digital archive, there are links to other primary sources available online, timelines and detailed information about the confinement sites. The project was assisted by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
6. Wikipedia APA “Edit-a-Thon” Encourages AAPI Representation
The first Wikipedia APA “edit-a-thon” took place May 10 for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The goal was to edit and add information about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to ensure that the communities are represented on the crowdsourcing website, improving the cultural, historical and artistic information about AAPIs. There were meet ups in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, and participants could also partake in the project virtually from all over the world. Wikipedia APA was part of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s heritage month celebration.
7. Homeless Woman Attacks Asian American Toddler
San Jose, Calif.—A woman attacked a 4-year-old girl with a crowbar at a Walmart in San Jose, Calif., May 14. The girl was with her father when the attacker approached them and hit the girl. During a second attempt to hurt the toddler, the girl’s father was able to prevent the strike. Walmart security held the woman before the police arrived and arrested the woman, Maria Garate, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, reported WSOC-TV. The incident is being reported as a hate crime.
8. Police Allegedly Abuse Asian American Woman
CHICAGO—A surveillance video was released of officers in the Chicago Police Department screaming racist comments at a Chinese American woman, with one officer physically abusing the woman. The incident happened last summer during a raid of the salon where the woman is a manager. In the video, 32-year-old Jianquing “Jessica” Klyzek is shown handcuffed and on her knees while an officer yells, “You’re not (expletive) American!” The officer also threatened to murder her and screamed other offensive comments. Klyzek filed a lawsuit in federal court and accused the officers of a hate crime, according to The Chicago Sun-Times.
9. East West Players Honor Actors
LOS ANGELES—The Asian American theatre organization East West Players honored several Asian American actors on April 28 at their 48th Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. The purpose of the awards is to highlight individuals who have raised the visibility of AAPIs in their profession. Paul Kikuchi, a Japanese American playwright and screenwriter, received the Made in America Award. Reggie Lee, who plays Sgt. Wu on NBC’s “Grimm,” earned a Visionary Award, as well as Maurissa Tancharoen, who is the co-creator and executive producer for ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Peter Lenkov and Ken Solarz were also honored with the Visionary Award for their work on CBS’ “Hawaii 5-0.”
10. UC Irvine Fraternity Holds Fiji-Themed Party Deemed Insensitive
Irvine, Calif.—Pacific Islander students at the University of California, Irvine, protested a party held May 15 by the university’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity that was themed as a Fiji Islander party. Student protesters held signs that said, “This is not ‘Fiji.’ This is Racist.” Party attendees donned items such as grass skirts, body paint and coconut bras. The university’s Asian Pacific Student Organization released a statement condemning the themed party, saying that they are disappointed by the “extensiveness of the cultural stereotyping/appropriation as it continues to pervade people of color communities.” The fraternity did not receive any punishment as of May 22, according to The Daily Pilot.
11. Asian American Population Grows in North Texas
DALLAS—As Dallas celebrated its 24th Annual Asian Festival on May 17, leaders with the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce acknowledged the growing Asian population in north Texas. There are more than 300,000 Asian Americans living in north Texas, and Denton County, there was a 150 percent increase in the past decade, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. The Chamber of Commerce said there are about 23 unique Asian communities in North Texas, reported NBC-DFW.
