January 9, 2014 – Yesterday, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the first Asian American to a Deputy Secretary position since his years as a president. Christopher P. Lu first joined the President’sWhite House as Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary from 2009 to 2013. If confirmed, Lu will replace deputy secretary Seth Harris, who had been in …

By Alice Langholt, Reiki Master Teacher If you’re like most people, you probably get a cold, flu, or respiratory infection during the winter. These ailments are most common during the change of seasons, and during the long-seeming stretch of winter. I used to get sick too. It was just one of those things that came with the long winters in …

        Anyone living in the DC metropolitan area knows to avoid Northern Virginia traffic like poison ivy. On November 17, 2012, in an effort to ease traffic, the the Virginia Department of Transportation unveiled for the 495 HotLanes, which stretch from McLean to Springfield, Virginia. The Hot Lanes was a result of an unprecedented public-private partnership between …

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA) held its annual “Share a Smile, Give a Toy” Toy Giveaway and Year-End Celebration on December 12, 2013 at the Old Council Chambers of One Judiciary Square. For the past seven years, OAPIA has collected and distributed 2000 toys to over 1800 District children. Toys are donated …

By Vania Cao Asian Americans are a diverse population, composed of people from every part of the socio-economic spectrum and scattered across different locales, and often face challenges in receiving appropriate attention from U.S. government agencies in regards to proper health care. In particular, certain ethnic groups have needs and concerns which can become obscured by those of larger, more …

Touch of Asia, a cultural event hosted by Asian American Chamber of Commerce took place at the Fairfax County government center on December 6th.  The guests and participants sampled tasty Asian Cuisine while enjoying a cultural fashion show infused with traditional Asian costumes and beautiful western gowns! Portions of the proceeds were donated to selected non-profit AACC members. Asian Fortune …

Captain Kamran Afzal is the face of a changing police force in Arlington County. The soft-spoken, Pakistani American has been part of the police force for over 20 years. He started off as working with the US Capitol Police in the 1990s before moving to the Arlington County police department. But Afzal hadn’t started out in law enforcement. He studied …

Photos courtesy of Washington Performing Arts Society The first time you talk to Anna Lee you will be surprised that she is only 18 years old. Her wisdom and confidence seem way beyond her years…but then again, she’s had a very different life from most 18 year olds. Lee started playing violin at 4 years old and started performing at …

By Chris Peden The holidays are a time of year for spending time with family and friends, and showing appreciation for the people in your lives. If you gave small gifts to your clients or employees, you may be able to deduct the cost of some of your gifts on your taxes. The IRS outlines the rules in Publication 463 …

This month, Asian Fortune is launching its poetry series – a space for local APA poets to share their art, stories, and moments. We encourage all APA poets in the D.C. metropolitan area to submit their work. More information on monthly themes, eligibility guidelines, and prompts can be found on our website: http://www.asianfortunenews.com/poetry-submissions/ Happy writing! día ng mga patay (day …

By Sharon Choi, Francine Gorres & Tina Ngo, Asian American LEAD Staff 1.Asian American youth may lack culturally appropriate support. Youth come from different cultural backgrounds, histories, and experiences. From our work with youth, we have seen youth struggle with balancing bi-/multi- cultural identities in addition to the social pressures placed on them as adolescents. Youth from our communities may …

By Tamara Treichel Upon posting on Facebook that I, the quintessential urbanite and downtown D.C. native, was headed for Alaska, two of my Facebook friends were quick to associate the trip with Alaska’s former governor. “In search of Sarah Palin?” one of my Facebook friends quipped. Nope. Instead, I was in search not only of the breathtaking, pristine nature of …

By Violet Li In the west, immunology has been studied for 2500 years. Due to the complexity, it is hard to pinpoint how the immune system works and how they can be improved. According to Harvard Medical School, there is still much that researchers don’t know about the intricacies and interconnectedness of the immune response. However, in recent research, scientists …

By Derek Mong and Daphne Domingo Ramen is quite possibly one of the most popularized Asian dish in the Western world. Originally a Japanese noodle dish consisting of Chinese wheat noodles in broth, it has morphed into a whole cuisine. Below is a roundup of 8 top ramen restaurants in the DC area. NOOSHI (http://www.nooshidc.com) — While Nooshi might not …

This article was first published by New America Media on November 11, 2013 SAN FRANCISCO – Eunice Kim has spent the past three years working as medical interpreter in San Francisco, where she helps Korean patients communicate with their doctors. More than once she’s found herself involved in discussions around key medical decisions for her clients. And no discussion is …

 Rosemary Lauer is a local philanthropist and founder of the non-profit Devotion to Children. She recently penned a book with Scott Beller titled Beggars or Angels about her unique experience arriving to the United States from her war-torn country, Vietnam. Below is an excerpt from her book: Chapter 1    Everything Happens for a Reason Growing up in Vietnam, I knew …

More Asian Americans than ever before are becoming pioneers in the sustainability movement. Because of this, we are running a series to recognize all the Asian American “Green Heroes” in our community. First to be recognized is Danny Seo – a Korean American and a former Washington, DC resident who promotes the green lifestyle through books and TV shows. Seo …

By Jenny Chen Rockville, Md. – From Sept. 15-25, Montgomery County executive Ike Leggett led a trip for four cities in China: Shanghai, Xi’an, Benxi, and the Gu’an County right outside of Beijing. The trip included over 80 business, education, and government leaders from Montgomery County and the DC metropolitan area including Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) superintendent Joshua Starr, …

By Alan Mi By now everybody has heard it. On a recent “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show, a 6-year-old boy said that America should “kill everyone in China” as a way to solve the national debt problem. It’s just a joke, right? Kid’s words, right? Not so fast. Kimmel repeated the kid’s idea of genocide with a chuckle, “Kill everyone in …

By Tamara Treichel The Philippines have come into the spotlight recently with Typhoon Haiyan lashing the Philippines in November and Filipino American Heritage Month being celebrated in October. But how are Filipinos faring in the United States, and in the metro DC area in particular? Asian Fortune talked with five professionals, four of which are Filipino, both in the DC …

By Anita Kinney On October 25th, the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project held its annual gala and silent auction. For the second year, the event featured monologues about domestic violence, including one delivered by a DVRP client. Prominent members of the Asian-American community also spoke at the gala, including Representative Judy Chu and Julie Koo, director of DC’s Office …

By Tamara Treichel DULLES, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that federal construction contractor M.C. Dean Inc. has settled allegations that it failed to provide equal employment opportunity to minority groups, including Asian Americans. According to the U.S. Labor Department, 381 Asian American, African American and Hispanic workers who applied for jobs at the company’s Dulles headquarters were discriminated against. A …

By Devika Koppikar Volumes of natural gas sit beneath U.S. soil, with several Asian countries ready to buy this energy resource. However, the clashing goals of commerce, energy and environmental interests must first be ironed out, experts said at a recent roundtable discussion in Washington. To help collaborate these various interests and also elevate Asian Americans to take on key …

By Derek Mong Potomac, Md. – Congressman Chris Van Hollen (MD-08) joined the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) and other Asian American community leaders the morning of Nov. 16 at the house of Michael Lin, Preesident of AAPA, to share his thoughts on a handful of important public policy issues facing the Asian American community. Van Hollen represents Maryland’s Eighth …