News + Opinion

On July 14 Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) President, Dr. Kin Wong, presented a plaque to recognize the Federal Aviation Administration as a new partner in its mission to promote career advancement for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and diversity in the federal and District of Columbian governments. As the largest of the AAPI employee group among the …

San Francisco, Calif. – On August 21, 2014, newly traded Los Angeles Lakers player and Palo Alto native, Jeremy Lin, unveiled his first ever wax figure at the city’s newest wax attraction, Madame Tussauds San Francisco. The renowned athlete will start as point guard for the Lakers in the spring of 2015. Captured in one of the most unique poses …

Editor’s Note: For those who have not been following the developments in Ferguson, Missouri, this is what happened. On August 9, 2014, Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old black man named Michael Brown. Since then the town has erupted in protests, police violence, and, as this piece mentions, riots. By Randall Yip A recent story …

  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 Jenny Chen The New York Times called it “raw and resolute”; the Hollywood Reporter said it was an “unadorned” look at life in Tibet. The film is “Old Dog,” a project by Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden and it is one of the films set to be screened at the Freer/Sackler Gallery on September 4th as part of the second …

By Jenny Chen In May 2014, the Newseum debuted a surprisingly different take on media with their “One Nation with News for All” exhibit. The exhibit, which takes a close look at ethnic media in the United States, is the first collaboration between the Smithsonian and the Newseum. According to Jim Deutsch, program curator with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife …

By Lily Qi During this past Asian American Heritage Month (the month of May), the Fairfax County, Virginia government dedicated a Comfort Women Memorial inside the county government complex to honor and remember the women who were forced into sex slaves for the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. While the women were from several East and Southeast Asian …

Asian American Government Executives Network (AAGEN) Leadership Workshop AAPI across the Federal Government Enjoy Summer Fun at the FAPAC Picnic Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) President, Dr. Kin Wong, welcomed members and guests at the annual picnic at Wheaton Regional Park, Wheaton, MD on a beautiful morning on July 12. The group with over 500 members was founded in …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, founder of Define American immigration advocacy group, and the nation’s most well-known undocumented, now faces indictment after his arrest on July 15.   Vargas, 33, was arrested in Texas for failure to present a valid U.S. visa. He was in McAllen on the invitation of advocacy groups to focus on …

By Corih Kim On July 20, 2014 the La Salle University Philippines Alumni Association (LSPAA) and the Philippine American Foundation for Charities invited the first Filipino astronaut, 23-year old Chino Roque, to Washington DC to receive commendations for his achievements. In 2013, AXE-Apollo Space Academy (AASA) and Buzz Aldrin (Chairman of AASA) began a competition to send people on a free …

By Aurora de Peralta WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 21, 2014, the International Commission for Dalit Rights (ICDR) hosted a Global March Against Caste-Based Discrimination to raise awareness of the issues faced by Dalits and other victims of the caste system. ICDR is a Dalit-founded and run international nonprofit dedicated to promoting social justice in caste-affected countries. The organization planned …

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 …

By Heidi Zheng Last month, the Okochi family from Montclair, New Jersey spent an unforgettable Father’s Day in Washington, D.C., where Jiro Okochi met with federal lawmakers as an advocate for Be The Match, an organization that had once saved his son’s life. Now 10 years old, Finn Okochi is a survivor of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS), a hereditary disorder that is present …

By Jenny Chen Asian Americans are often cast as the “good student.” In the 2002 documentary Spellbound about the Howard Scripps spelling bee, one of the teachers is shown as saying “I love have Indian students, every time I see an Indian student I get excited.” At first glance, this perception of Asian students seems warranted: 83% of Asian Americans …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Photos courtesy of Genie Nguyen On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the Voice of Vietnamese Americans (VVA) led several rallies, denouncing China for its aggression in Asia over territorial disputes, including “placing Oil Rig Hai Yang 981 in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Vietnam.” VVA President Genie Nguyen stressed the rallies were a “demonstration for the sovereignty …

By Tamara Treichel Fairfax, Virginia – A simple granite boulder flanked by two turquoise butterfly benches has been silently sitting on the grounds of Fairfax County’s government office. The boulder seems quite inconspicuous, perhaps even humble. But the boulder and benches bear a greater significance. It is a Comfort Women Memorial, dedicated to thousands of women, euphemistically called “Comfort Women,” …

Seattle,  WA  –  Comments  from  Nathan  Adrian  (Olympic  Swimmer  2008  and  2012;  Three-Time Olympic  Gold  Medalist),  Norman  Y.  Mineta  (59th Mayor  of  San  Jose;  Member,  U.S.  House  of Representatives; 33rd US Secretary of Commerce; 14th US Secretary of Transportation), Grace Park (Actor  –  Hawaii  Five-0,  Battlestar  Galactica),  and  Manu  Tuiasosopo  (NFL  Player  –  Seahawks  and 49ers; Super Bowl XIX Champion), …

AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute hosted a Capitol Hill reception on Monday, June 23rd, 2014 inaugurating the week long exhibition in Washington DC on the life story of nearly 20,000 Jewish refugees sought and found refuge from the European Holocaust in Shanghai between 1933 and 1941 at a time when very few countries around the world were willing to admit European …

By Jenny Chen Kishore Khandavalli, the founder and CEO of Seven Tablets, has been coming to the annual USPAACC conference, “CelebrAsian” for the last eight years. The Texan, whose company helps other companies develop mobile applications for their business, says that CelebrAsian is an opportunity to meet competitors in the market, build relationships with clients, and gain inspiration from the …

  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.  

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. …

By Heidi Zheng American Girl announced last month that they will archive their first and only Asian American model, Ivy Ling, this September. A San Francisco native of Chinese descent from the 70s, Ivy Ling belongs to American Girl’s historical collection that aims to “bring to life important times for America.” Also pulled from the line is Cecile Rey, a …

  By Jennie L. Ilustre “La Bamba” star Lou Diamond Phillips emceed the 80-minute show. Broadway’s “Miss Saigon” Lea Salonga sang three popular tunes. The Black Eyed Peas’ apl.d.ap rapped. Fox-TV “Glee” and Billboard sensation Darren Criss sang and played the piano. Grammy-nominated tenor Rodell Rosel performed an aria.  Joffrey Ballet’s Christine Rocas worked magic onstage. “Poet of the violin” …

By Derek Mong 55 eager teams and 1,500 paddlers from across the East Coast waited eagerly at the starting line at the gorgeous Thompson Boat Center on the Georgetown Waterfront. The two-day festival which was originally scheduled for May 17 and 18, but was rescheduled due to high waters in the Potomac River from frequent rain in early May. But …