News + Opinion

By Jennie L. Ilustre   State Representative Bee Nguyen is on the verge of making history as the first Asian American elected to a statewide political office in Georgia. Nguyen handily won the Democratic primary runoff for Secretary of State in Georgia recently. She is a leading advocate for voting rights, public education, and criminal justice reform. She supports “voter …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   A bipartisan gun safety bill that will save lives will soon become part of the nation’s laws. This is good news for the country, including the Asian American community, which has seen racism alarmingly escalate during the pandemic. The 100-member Senate recently passed the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” by a 65 to 33 vote. A …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Picture this: Norman Y. Mineta, the first Asian American Cabinet member in the nation’s history, standing by the door, watching a community program, smiling. That image sums him up. He was a man who was at his happiest in opening doors of opportunities for all Americans, not just Asian Americans. He also opened doors to the …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Amid the pandemic and the rise of anti-racism, Congresswoman Judy Chu has introduced a resolution that will help promote national awareness of mental health issues unique to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. The resolution urges state and local health agencies across the nation to improve the quality and availability of …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Asian American leaders are rejoicing over the significance of having the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. The 100-member US Senate voted 53-47 to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Justice of the Supreme Court. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitt Romney of Utah joined Democrats …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Domee Shi, director of “Turning Red,” has been promoted as vice president of Creative at Pixar Animation Studios, in recognition of her consistently outstanding work. The announcement was made following the success of “Turning Red” as a certified hit, beginning with its debut as the No. 1 film premiere on Disney Plus. Shi first gained international …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Help is on the way for Asian American and Pacific Islander hate crime victims and their families. In a first of its kind program, this help will be swift and comprehensive. It will also be available on a nationwide basis. The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Crime Victims & Education Fund will provide “high-speed, …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Ty Penserga recently made history as the first Asian Pacific American elected mayor of Boynton Beach city in Florida, as well as its first out LGBTQ. City Commissioner Penserga had previously served as the vice mayor of Boynton Beach, the third-largest municipality in Palm Beach. Filipino American Penserga, 33, is a high school science teacher, …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Chantale Wong has made history as the first out lesbian and first out LGBTQ appointed as U.S. director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).  Wong, who is Asian American, is also the first person of color to be appointed to the position. The U.S. Senate voted 66-31 to confirm her on February 8 for the post, …

By Jennie L. IIustre   Awesome, historic: These words describe Asian and Asian American achievements at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Teen sensation and global endorser Eileen Gu, 18, made history by winning three medals. She won two gold medals: For women’s freeski big air and the women’s halfpipe competitions. She bagged a silver medal for women’s ski slopestyle. South …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Asian American leaders have lauded the historic achievement of Sokhary Chau, the nation’s first Cambodian American mayor. Chau, 49, who came to America as a young refugee, has also made history on two other fronts. He is the first mayor of color of Lowell, Massachusetts. He is also Lowell’s first-ever mayor unanimously elected by the …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Asian American lawmakers, as well as advocacy leaders, have expressed hope the law mandating Asian American studies in public schools this year would help address prevailing anti-Asian racism and hate crimes. “Our Asian American and Pacific Islander community is currently battling two pandemics – COVID 19 and Hate,” said Brendan G. Flores, National Chair and …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Lawmakers and an advocacy leader have lauded the historic confirmation of Judge Lucy Koh to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Lucy Koh is the first Korean American woman federal appellate judge. The 100-member U.S. Senate voted 50-45 to confirm her on December 13. Koh, 53, was the U.S. District Judge for the …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   When the Stop AAPI Hate coalition founders started a reporting website – with the goal of tracking and responding to racist incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders – they did not know it would make such a big impact on a national scale. The website quickly became the No. 1 source of authoritative data …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Michelle Wu, the first woman elected Boston mayor in 200 years, vowed “to deliver basic city services and generational change” after being sworn into office, two weeks after her historic, landslide win. Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, is also the first person of color elected as the city’s mayor. Prior to her victory, Boston …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   The historic election of three Asian Americans as mayors of Boston, Cincinnati and Seattle is huge, community leaders say. It means the nation’s fastest-growing minority is becoming “a growing political force” as well. The former Boston councilor and council president is the first woman elected the city’s mayor in 200 years. She is also the …

  By Jennie L. Ilustre   Three Americans of Asian descent are poised to make history in mayor’s races in the November elections. Community leaders, the media and surveys all foresee their victories in the nation’s three major cities. What’s also impressive? Two of the cities, Boston and Cincinnati, do not even have Asian majority population. The three candidates, Politico …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   In the future, historians will note that 2020 was the year when Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) –composed of diverse groups that have always identified themselves by their country of origin – began to achieve solidarity and political clout in the United States, which to them is home. Home, where they and their families …

Michelle Wu’s Strong Bid for Boston Mayor   By Jennie L. Ilustre   Councilor Michelle Wu took a huge step in becoming the next mayor of Boston, Massachusetts with a strong showing in the recent primary. Wu was the top vote-getter in the Boston mayoral primary, winning 33%  of the vote. She beat four other candidates for the top spot. …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Judge Florence Pan recently made history as the first female Asian American appointed to the D.C. federal court. The 100-member U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination on September 23, in a remarkably bipartisan 63 to 30 vote, a testament to their high regard for her. Pan, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford Law …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Over a dozen Asian and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) athletes won gold, silver and bronze in the recent Tokyo Olympics. Their stunning achievements brought pride, joy and a ray of sunshine–a welcome break from the gloom of the pandemic. One of the most memorable Tokyo Olympics winners was Sunisa Lee. Lee is the …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Asian American and top mainstream organizations have expressed outrage over the recent ruling of a federal judge in Texas that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is unlawful. Current DACA recipients are not affected for now. Application renewals also can continue while the case goes to the courts. But the door has been closed …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   Six Asian Americans won seats at the New York City Council in the recent Democratic primaries, a rare feat of several candidates making history together. The general election will be held on November 3. The primary winners are Shahana Hanif, Shekar Krishnan, Felicia Singh, Sandra Ung and Julie Won and Linda Lee. Soma Syed won …

By Jennie L. Ilustre   The saying “One person can make a difference” holds true with Naomi Osaka, the world’s No. 2 champion and, according to Forbes magazine, “the highest paid female athlete ever.” On the tennis court, biracial Osaka has been an advocate of Black Lives Matter, winning praise for wearing face masks with the names of black victims …