News + Opinion

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) commends the announcement by President Obama that Minoru “Min” Yasui is a 2015 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor. Mr. Yasui is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously for his commitment to civil and human rights, and his continuous defense of the ideals of …

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By Jennie L. Ilustre Historically, Asian Pacific Americans have overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic Party. But in the 2014 midterm elections, the door opened a crack: They voted 50-49 in favor of the Republican Party. Although Democratic advocates sniffed that it was just a one-point advantage, Mainstream America took notice. Politico newspaper’s top expert Alex Burns tweeted on election night, …

Review by Floyd Mori Having heard about the somewhat negative portrayal of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and one of its early leaders, Mike Masaoka, in the play, Allegiance – The Musical, I was a bit skeptical about seeing the show. However, I bought tickets and went to see it in New York City. Mike Masaoka was a personal …

By Jennie L. Ilustre U.S. Army Major General Antonio M. Taguba retired on December 31, 2006, after 34 years of distinguished service to the nation. Since then, instead of one, he has been wearing many hats. He has dedicated his retirement to projects that honor veterans, guide seniors and their families, and inspire professionals and students alike to develop as …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   An Asian American advocacy leader said the much-needed national debate on the urgent issue of immigration reform has received a boost from Pope Francis, who made a historic visit to the U.S. last month, and from Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate in the race for the 2016 presidential elections. Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) Executive …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Washington, D.C.–All-day rain and wind gusts, not to mention football games, enticed most people to stay at home. And by the way, the event was on a weekend. But Asian Americans, known for their work ethic, showed they are civic-minded as well. Some 200 District residents, 73 per cent of whom were Americans of Asian …

By Corih Kim On August 26, Deok-Yeol Baek, and Yong-Seok Sim arrived in DC, after two months of cross-country cycling. They left Los Angeles on June 27 with the intent to end their trip in New York, to spread awareness of the comfort woman issue, and to show their opposition of the way Abe administration continues to meander around the …

By Lily Chen   Hongtao Li, an exceptionally gifted artist born in Dalian, China who has made America his second home, continues to gain both critical and commercial acclaim from experts and art lovers all over the world.   More and more, these have resulted in international art collectors – individuals, museums and other prestigious institutions – placing great value …

By Jennie Illustre Three on-going developments on immigration reform have Asian Pacific American advocates cheering on one hand, and urging persistence on the other.   One welcome directive by President Obama would fast-track, through parole visa, the family reunification of some 20,000 Philippine-based single and married sons and daughters with surviving World War II veterans who are Filipino Americans or …

By Andrew Lam (New America Media) Since the Vietnam War ended 40 years ago, Vietnamese have shared much of their culture with the larger world. But many of us who fled as refugees could not have imagined that the Vietnamese sandwich, bánh mì, would one day become an international sandwich sensation, a culinary wonder of our globalized age.   Today …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Crystal Steel Fabricators, Inc., an Asian American-owned Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), landed a major contract last May, besting five other bidding companies and joining dozens of sub-contractors for the $1.2 billion-MGM National Harbor project. The Baltimore Sun quoted Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan as saying that the resort complex in Prince George’s County is “one of …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Participants of the first Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) – all 75 outstanding leaders representing ten Asian countries – have flown home, filled with many memorable experiences. But for sure, one thing will stand out: The words of the leader of the Free World acknowledging their achievements and their potentials.             During a one-hour White …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   If you live in Washington, D.C., think of it as having the best seat in the house. It is, after all, the nation’s capital. The media and political types here and across the globe refer to it simply as Washington, with the general understanding that it is different from the other splendid state in the …

    This post is by VK Media In 1982, Tan Le left Vietnam in a fishing boat, together with her sister, mother and grandmother, to start a new life in Australia. Fast forward to 1998 and Le was hailed Young Australian of the Year and named one of Australia’s 30 Most Successful Women Under 30.  But these achievements just …

On May 12, 2015, thousands of leaders from across the nation gathered at George Washington University for the first-ever White House AAPI Summit. With two thousand reserved seats completely filled, thousands more on the wait list hoped for a chance to attend the celebratory and groundbreaking event. The Summit brought together community, governmental, and cultural leaders from around the country, …

By Corih Kim The Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) held its 30th Annual National Leadership Training Program at the Hilton Rockville in Maryland from May 4-8, 2015. Open to all federal government employees, the weeklong event coincided with Asian Pacific Heritage Month, and operated in the spirit of the theme: “Many Cultures, One Voice: Promote Equality and Inclusion.” Each agency …

WASHINGTON, DC – The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) will host an unprecedented and historic White House Summit on AAPIs at The George Washington University on May 12.  Convening senior federal government officials, community leaders, and members of the public from across the country, the Summit will recognize the growing influence of AAPIs and celebrate …

Chiling Tong, Founder & CEO International Leadership Foundation In terms of voting behavior, 2016 will prove to be a very interesting presidential election cycle. In 1992, only 31% of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) voted for then-Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton. By 2012, over 70% voted for the reelection of President Obama. As we head into the 2016 presidential elections, Asian …

WASHINGTON, D.C. – OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates mourns the loss of OCA Co-Founder Kung-Lee Wang. Last Friday, Kung-Lee (K.L.) Wang passed away. His death comes only three months after the passing of fellow OCA Co-Founder Alex Mark. Wang, along with co-founder Alex Mark, founded OCA to serve as a unified, national voice for Chinese Americans in the ongoing …

WASHINGTON, D.C. – OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates commends the U.S. Senate’s decision to not consider Senator David Vitter’s (R-LA) and Senator James Inhofe’s (R-OK) respective anti-immigrant amendments to the Justice For Victims of Trafficking Act. Yesterday, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act was passed unanimously by the Senate without considering Senator Vitter or Inhofe’s Amendments that affect …

Next year, the country will elect a new president. But next year is already here. Notice how candidates are already positioning themselves for the primaries and caucuses? It is urgent that now–not next year–is when all candidates must realize that American voters of Asian and Pacific heritage will play a major role in the 2016 elections. Republican Jeb Bush was …

By Sammi Wong Sammi Wong is a Teach For America—Chicago corps member. She teaches at a bilingual English-Chinese pre-K. Week of the Young Child is April 12-18. Imagine yourself as a little three-year-old child going to school for the first time in your life. Imagine dealing with all the emotions that come with separating from your parents, being thrown into …

The Japanese American Citizens League is pleased that over 450 artifacts crafted by Japanese Americans while unjustly incarcerated during World War II have been withdrawn from public auction. Priscilla Ouchida, JACL Executive Director, stated: “We sincerely hope the auction house’s withdrawal of the items from sale will ensure caring treatment of these priceless objects that were made by community members, …