In Mid-March of 2014, foreign direct investment in real estate sector in the United States reached up to approximately $9 billion, with several billion-dollar agreements still in process. Since the Chinese economy has gradually slackened and the Canadian market has become more saturated in the real estate cycle, foreign investors are turning their attention to the U.S. market now more …

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 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 …

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 …

This November, two Asian Americans were elected to local office in Maryland. Both are young and bring with them different backgrounds and experiences. Clarence Lam, a board-certified physician in preventive medicine at the the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health won one of three seats for District 12 delegate in Maryland. David Moon, a blogger and public advocate, won …

By Jennie L. Illustre Three stunning news greeted Asian Americans who stayed up late during the Nov.4 midterm elections, or woke up the morning after. First, many Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) from both parties made history at the federal, state and local levels. Second, there were more Asian American Republican winners than Democratic victors. Third, Asian Americans voters …

 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 …

  Washington, DC – No longer do DC residents have to cross the river or other state lines to pick up authentic Asian items. Toki Underground’s Erik Bruner-Yang has opened up a local-oriented and specially-curated Asian market inside the culinary landmark, Union Market. The shop is a great resource for shoppers who may be unable or are just unwilling to …

By Vanessa Wang Yiyun Li grew up in Beijing and came to America in 1996 to pursue a PhD in immunology. But instead of completing the PhD program, she discovered her love for writing and joined the prestigious Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop. “English is not my first language, but it is my first writing language,” Li tells us. “It was partly …

By Vanessa Wang Monica Bhide always wanted to be a fiction writer, but instead she became an engineer and later wrote three successful Indian cookbooks. She quickly became one of Mashable’s top ten food writers on Twitter. This October, she finally publishes her first short story collection, The Devil In Us, a book that brings us back and forth between …

By Erin Sartori With fall in the air and winter gradually approaching, it’s time to pull out your trusty menswear-inspired outerwear for both casual weekends and 9-5 weekdays. You can wear a beautifully tailored coat or a slim-fit cardigan when it’s not quite chilly enough. This season’s chicest toppers seem to be larger than life with dropped shoulders, big lapels …

By Tamara Treichel Many tattoos are carriers of tiny tales and conveyers of messages. The tales and messages can be expressed as images, phrases, or words. Tattoos can be easy to read – a person’s name enclosed in a heart obviously means the wearer has (or had) affection for a certain person, so one’s heart can literally be worn – …

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) …

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.  

By Jennie L. Ilustre University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Professor Shuji Nakamura, who shares this year’s prestigious Nobel Prize for Physics with two Japanese researchers, has an inspiring message for Asian Americans. “I encourage higher education and hard work in order to achieve the American Dream and thrive,” Nakamura, 60, said in an interview days after the announcement of …

  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 …

Twenty eight companies and organizations took part in the Mega Diversity Job Fair on October 9th, 2014 at the Village Drive campus of Virginia International University located in the heart of Fairfax in Northern Virginia. The event showcased big names like Wells Fargo, Verizon, iTech, FedEx, Synchronisys, Hollywood Casino, FEMA, Tapestry Solutions, Manassas City Public Schools, Techligent, U.S. Department of …

  By Christian Oh Jay Park, a former K-POP boy band member of 2PM, and now the CEO of his own label, AOMG Records, has announced his triumphant return to the US. for a three-city tour with D.C. being one of his stops. Park is bringing several other artists with him: LOCO, a young rapper who made his waves winning …

Coco Zhang-Miske is petite and has the willowy figure of a model. She’s got porcelain skin and delicately wrought features. Her long hair flows down her shoulders and her makeup is impeccable. She’s not what you think of when you think of an electrical engineer. That’s because engineering is Miske’s second career – her first one being a professional dancer. …

Data from the Pew Research Center show that since 1998, about three in ten Asian-American eligible voters have cast ballots in midterm elections, a rate that lags far behind that of whites and blacks. In 2010, voter turnout among Asian Americans was 31%, a rate that trailed blacks at 44%, and whites at 49%. Even among the college-educated, Asian American …

  By Vanessa Wang Over a hundred and fifty people gather at Bohrer Regional Park to worship what is believed to be the fullest and biggest moon of the year. Alongside the moon-gazing activity, a lively group of men and women anywhere between twenty to eighty years old lead a festive sing-along. There is an impressive all-you-can-eat buffet of bubble …