by: Mary Tablante A new book by S. Floyd Mori, the President and CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies and former national executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, captures vignettes from a period in American history many know little about: Japanese American internment during World War II. “The Japanese American Story as Told through a …

Compiled by Mary Tablante Patsy Mink Receives Medal of Freedom  WASHINGTON, D.C.—The first Asian American woman in Congress, Patsy Takemoto Mink, received a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom on Nov. 24. Mink represented Hawaii and served for 12 terms. She was born and raised in Maui and became the first Japanese American female attorney in the state. Her achievements include …

Compiled by Mary Tablante 1. Dao Nguyen Becomes First Buzzfeed Publisher Dao Nguyen, who was previously the vice president of growth and data at Buzzfeed, was promoted as publisher of the internet media company. As publisher, Nguyen, 40, will be filling a newly created role where she will lead publishing on the social web. In Nguyen’s two years at Buzzfeed, …

  By: Mary Tablante   When D.C. residents go to the polls in November to vote for the new mayor, they will have to make a decision between Muriel Bowser (D), David Catania (I) and Carol Schwartz (I). Both Catania and Schwartz were previously registered Republicans who are running as Independents, and Bowser secured the Democratic mayoral nomination in the …

Compiled by Mary Tablante 1. Department of Labor Releases Report on Economic Status of AAPIs The U.S. Department of Labor released a report with disaggregated data about how Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders fared during the Great Recession. The report examines the unemployment and poverty rate for AAPI subgroups and compares them to other major racial and ethnic groups. While as …

  Compiled by Mary Tablante 1) Vietnamese American Becomes Brigadier General Fort Hood, Texas—On Aug. 6, Col. Viet Xuan Luong became the first Vietnamese American to be promoted to brigadier general.  In 1975, Luong and his family fled Vietnam to come to the U.S. as political refugees and Luong began his military career after graduating from the University of Southern …

By Mary Tablante Elizabeth “Liz” Thaihuong Nguyen first got started competing in pageants because of a dare from her little brother. “I wanted to see what would happen,” she said. “I feel that pageantry has given people a voice to do great things. You become a face and voice for an organization and have a lot of freedom to talk …

Compiled by Mary Tablante 1.Report Reveals Government Spied on Muslim Americans At least five Muslim American leaders, all of whom are American citizens, were subjected to government surveillance, according to the news website The Intercept. The leaders included an attorney, a former political science professor and the executive director of a Muslim civil rights organization. The FBI and National Security …

Compiled by Mary Tablante 1. No Asian Americans in President’s Cabinet WASHINGTON, D.C.—After the resignation of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki on May 30, there are no Asian Americans in the president’s Cabinet for the first time since the year 2000. Shinseki’s departure means that Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) is now the highest-ranking Asian American in public office. …

  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 …

By Mary Tablante Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders face unique health disparities, but not enough are participating in clinical trials that help find better treatments and fight disease. To increase diversity in clinical trials, the “I’m In” campaign launched in March to target AAPI, African American and Hispanic communities. The “I’m In” website is a resource for patients to find …

Compiled by: Mary Tablante 1. Taxpayers Donating to Haiyan Relief to Receive Early Tax Relief WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate passed legislation March 6 that will provide expedited tax relief to Americans who made charitable donations for Typhoon Haiyan relief as of March 1. Under the bipartisan Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act, those who donated to the recovery efforts will receive …

By Mary Tablante “Growing Up Fisher” is a new comedy that premiered Feb. 23 on NBC and stars seasoned actors J.K. Simmons and Jenna Elfman. The show follows the Fisher family — dad Mel (Simmons), mom Joyce (Elfman), daughter Katie and son Henry. It is told through Henry’s perspective as he deals with his parents’ divorce and his father’s blindness …

by: Mary Tablante Several representatives from Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations collaborated to share their concerns regarding the October “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” skit that used hate speech. They followed up with ABC Network representatives with a meeting on Jan. 24. During the meeting, ABC agreed to several changes, including removing the skit from all social media and performing cultural …

Compiled by Mary Tablante 1. Jane Chu Nominated to Lead National Endowment for the Arts KANSAS CITY—President Obama announced his nomination of Dr. Jane Chu on Feb. 12 to become the next chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts. The president said, “Jane’s lifelong passion for the arts and her background in philanthropy have made her a powerful advocate …

Mary Tablante AAPIs are gaining more visibility in the immigrant rights movement, and exit polls from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund show that the majority of AAPIs support comprehensive immigration reform. Approximately 67 percent of Asian Americans polled in Virginia, New York and New Jersey supported immigration reform with a path to citizenship. In recent months, Asian …

By Mary Tablante Civil rights organization Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA) is continuing to take action with both the Federal Communications Commission and ABC Network in relation to the October “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” skit in which a child commented that the solution to solving the United States’ national debt crisis was to “kill everyone in China.” OCA, a national organization …

Compiled by: Mary Tablante 1. First Gay Couple Granted U.S. Visa in the Philippines The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines granted visas to same-sex couples for the first time during the first week of December.  Noel “Aeinghel” Amaro and Robert Cotterman were the first same-sex couple that received a fiancé visa. Even though same-sex marriage is not recognized in the …

By Mary Tablante From discussing what makes D.C.’s Chinatown ‘Chinese’ to telling the stories of people whom the Chinese Exclusion Acts affected, the Talk Story series provides a venue for the community to share its histories. Every month, the free event takes place in Chinatown and allows for an open discussion to engage the Chinese American community and the general …

Compiled by Mary Tablante 1. Malala Releases Memoir; Visits White House Malala Yousafzai, the youngest person ever to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work advocating for girls’ and women’s education, released her memoir, I Am Malala, on Oct. 8. The release date marks one year after a Taliban gunman shot Yousafzai when she was riding a …

by: Mary Tablante 1. Shooting at Navy Yard Washington, D.C.—12 people died and many others were wounded after a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard on Sept. 16. The victims are Michael Arnold, 59; Martin Bodrog, 54; Arthur Daniels, 51; Sylvia Frasier, 53; Kathleen Gaarde, 62; John Johnson, 73; Mary DeLorenzo Knight, 51; Frank Kohler, 50; Vishnu Pandit, 61; Kenneth …

Compiled by Mary Tablante Raymond Chen Confirmed to U.S. Court of Appeals Washington, D.C—On Aug. 1, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Raymond T. Chen to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is the first Asian American to serve on the court in more than 25 years and the fifth Asian American that President Obama …

By Mary Tablante As a college student unsatisfied with his decision to study to be an accountant, Kenneth Choi hopped on a Greyhound bus from Chicago to Portland to begin taking acting lessons without telling his parents where he was going. Within three-and-a-half years of studying acting, Choi obtained a Screen Actors Guild card, an agent and a manager. But …

By Mary Tablante Every day, people use Yelp to decide where to eat, where to go shopping or where to go to the doctor. The company, which provides reviews and ratings for businesses, passed 100 million unique visitors this year. Although the company helps consumers make decisions and allows users to share their experiences, the website has also garnered criticism, …