This statistic has topped every recent weekly CTM newsletter and for me, it’s always a reminder of the potential of our community and why we matter.

As we’ve grown, we’ve gotten louder — literally but also figuratively, taking over global cultural conversations and news headlines, many of which have been shared here.

So it’s bittersweet to tell you that this Crushing the Myth newsletter is coming to a halt.

After being part of the CTM for years, I have many feels but all I can say is thank you. Thank you for rallying around the AAPI community each and every week with me.

In my final go, it only felt appropriate to share the news highlights of this year that have made me feel especially proud to be Asian American.

Keep crushing myths — signing off with ❤️,

Lea Chen, proud Chinese American in NYC

What does Asian American pride look like?

• Entertainment history with groundbreaking Asians in front and behind the scenes

• Seeing our community rise up stronger and come together to combat injustice

• Knowing AAPI representation is better for our next generation

• Having a new favorite show and feeling seen in a way you’ve never felt before

And the list goes on…

• Shohei Ohtani sets record with 3rd consecutive season of at least 100 hits, 100 strikeouts

• 1st Asian American woman-owned bookstore in NYC receives more than $300,000 in donations after fire damage

• Olivia Rodrigo Becomes Youngest Artist to Debut Three No. 1 Hits on Songs Chart

• This mom of 2 started her own Asian American doll company after seeing a lack of diversity in toys

• R'Bonney Gabriel, first Filipino American to win Miss USA, is crowned Miss Universe

• Senate confirms first Asian American judge on 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals

• Harvard introduces course in Tagalog for the first time

• AAPI businesses receiving support from venture capitalists

• Why so many U.S. schools are adding Sikhism to their curriculum

• Korean corn dogs are, frankly, a hit from N.Y. to Kansas

• This year's Gerber Baby is a military kid from a first generation family

• How 'Joy Ride' centers Asian women's desire in a refreshing way 

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Michelle Yeoh marries fiancé Jean Todt after 19-year engagement, holds Oscar in wedding pics — The Academy Award-winning "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star and ex-Ferrari CEO tied the knot in a ceremony in Geneva, nearly two decades after Todt proposed to Yeoh.

• Michelle Yeoh married Jean Todt this week, 19 years after the motorsports executive proposed to the Academy Award-winning actor — and she even held an Oscar statue in wedding photos.

• Before Todt posted about their nuptials on social media, an Instagram post from veteran Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa gave fans a peek into their love life and the festivities.

• Yeoh, 60, and Todt, 77, first met in Shanghai in June of 2004, according to a program from the Geneva wedding shared by Massa. “On 26th July 2004, J.T proposed to M.Y and she said YES!,” the program said.

• “Today after 6992 days on 27th July 2023 in Geneva, surrounded by loving family and friends, we are so happy to celebrate this special moment together!” the program read.

Jisoo and Ahn Bo Hyun dating news breaks norms for Korean celeb relationships — Blackpink fans, known as Blinks, have since flooded social media with well wishes and support for the new couple.

• Blackpink’s Jisso and South Korean actor Ahn Bo-hyun are dating, agencies representing the talents have confirmed.  

• Media platform Dispatch had earlier reported that Jisoo and Ahn have been dating since at least May and released exclusive photos of the couple together at the Blackpink star’s residence.

  On Thursday, Ahn’s agency FN Entertainment confirmed that the two are in the early stages of their relationship. Blackpink’s record label YG Entertainment echoed the news, adding its support for the couple.

• The revelation, which took over various social media platforms upon its announcement, broke the norm of secrecy that typically shrouds celebrity relationships in South Korea. While it is extremely rare for agencies to announce the romantic relationships of their idols, the industry has recently been moving away from strict contractual terms that forbid artists from dating other celebrities.

Randall Park Talks His New Film Shortcomings — Park discusses his directorial debut, “Shortcomings,” which opens Friday, and the urgency of the ongoing Hollywood actors strike.

• Early in the upcoming Randall Park-directed film “Shortcomings,” couple Ben and Miko, both Asian Americans, bicker after watching a fictional film that mirrors 2018 blockbuster “Crazy Rich Asians.” An impassioned Miko argues the film is significant for the Asian community, while Ben claims it “glorifies the capitalistic fantasy of vindication through wealth and materialism.”

• Park said the scene shows how valuable representation often means sitting in uncomfortable yet honest moments. In this case, the tension exposes a thorny debate, previously kept mostly within the confines of the community, about a blockbuster movie that’s been outwardly hailed as a cultural stepping stone for Asians in Hollywood.

• The director told NBC News that it’s a feeling he experienced when reading Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel on which his film is based, and it’s an emotion he’s not afraid to lean into.

• “It felt like there was an airing of dirty laundry in some ways. But it also felt just so real to me. It just felt like such an accurate reflection of the life of me and my friends at that time,” he said of the book. “I just wanted [the movie] to feel like a real reflection of real life and in the hopes that some audience members would feel that same kind of catharsis that I did when I first read that graphic novel.”

🇺🇸 Politics Corner

• Elections — The 2020 election disinformation targeted voters of color and 2024 will be worse, groups say.

• Vivek Ramaswamy — GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy rapped on ‘Fox & Friends,’ drawing mixed reactions.

• Indian American candidates — The two Indian Americans, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, vying for a Republican presidential nomination are using very different tactics to court a largely white, Christian voter base.

⚖️ Limits

• Rice — Rice markets could face a global crisis due to India’s export ban and Thailand’s low rainfall. The reports have come when decade-high rice prices are already expected until 2024 as a result of the war in Ukraine and bad weather.

• Screen time — Chinese regulators have proposed limiting smartphone screen time for children. The proposal laid out by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) aims to curb and prevent addiction among smartphone users aged under 18. 

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

South Korea’s Casey Phair becomes youngest player in World Cup history — Phair had been training with the Players Development Academy when she was called to play by both the U.S. and South Korean national teams

• Casey Phair, a 16-year-old from New Jersey, has made history as the youngest player in FIFA Women’s World Cup history.

• Phair, an American-born teenager from Warren Township, also became the youngest and the first mixed-race player of any gender to represent South Korea at the World Cup when she was tapped to play in the last 12 minutes of Monday night’s match between South Korea and Colombia.

• The New Jersey teen previously represented the country at the youth level in the qualifiers for the 2024 U-17 Women’s Asian Cup.

• Lauren Molinaro, Phair’s soccer coach at the Pingry School in Somerset County, where Phair is a sophomore, expressed her excitement from back home. “I was really excited to see her and you could tell right away just the way she moves her body,” Molinaro said. “The way she sees things on the field. I think from the get-go I was like this kid’s the real deal.”

'Oppenheimer' draws debate over the absence of Japanese bombing victims in the film — Viewers are divided over whether the film should have shown Japanese victims of the weapon created by physicist Robert Oppenheimer. Experts say it's complicated.

• The blockbuster film “Oppenheimer,” which revolves around physicist Robert Oppenheimer and his development of the atomic bomb, has prompted discussion over the way the movie did not directly portray Japanese victims of the weapon. 

• Viewers are divided, with many criticizing the lack of Japanese representation as the erasure of the hundreds of thousands of victims of Oppenheimer's creation. Others, including director Christopher Nolan, argued that the film zeroes in on the scientist’s experience and perspective alone — one that is distinct and separate from the victims’. 

• Experts say that the issue of representation is more nuanced. They emphasized that while no one film has the responsibility to illustrate Japanese victims’ perspective, “Oppenheimer” does little to challenge the long history of glorifying the work of white men, and risks perpetuating the persistent, often reductive, portrayals of Japanese victims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

70 years later, Koreans are still working to formally end the Korean War — In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, hundreds of advocates are mobilizing in Washington to push for an official effective end of the conflict.

• Hannah Lee, a college student who’s attending a gathering Thursday in Washington, D.C., to call for a real end to the Korean War, says she remembers the first time the conflict was mentioned at her public school in Tacoma, Washington.

• “In sixth grade, my teacher told me that the Korean War was over. But I knew from my parents that the war had never officially ended,” the activist and rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania said.

• In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, hundreds of advocates are gathering in the nation’s capital to take part in a mobilization to formally end the conflict. The multiday event is supported by a range of U.S.-based peace organizations and will include a congressional news conference with co-sponsors of H.R. 1369, a House bill calling for serious diplomatic efforts toward a permanent peace agreement in Korea. 

• The Korean War, sometimes called “The Forgotten War” in the United States, was only a small footnote in Lee’s history books at school. “I realized later that the war played a huge part in the United States’ extensive military involvement abroad,” Lee said. “It’s important that younger activists like me increase public awareness on how devastating the lasting effects of the war have been across generations.”

⚽️ World Cup Spotlight

• Japan — Japan continued its tradition of cleaning up after themselves at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

• Philippines — The Philippines Women’s national football team made their long-awaited FIFA Women’s World Cup debut with a 0-2 defeat against the world No. 20-ranked Switzerland team.

🏆 Breaking Records

• Rubik’s cubes — Li Zhihao, 22, recently broke a world record by solving three Rubik’s Cubes while juggling them in just three minutes and 16 seconds.

• Rap — Filipino American rapper Ez Mil has signed a record deal with Eminem’s Shady Records, Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and major label Interscope Records. Ez Mil, whose real name is Ezekiel Miller, is now in the exclusive company of only one other rapper, 50 Cent, to be directly signed to all three labels. This achievement marks the first time an Asian artist has been signed under the rap legends’ labels.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

This year's Gerber Baby is a military kid from a first generation family — Maddie Mendoza's parents both have roots in the Philippines, and her dad has served in the U.S. military for 16 years.

• The new Gerber Baby was revealed on TODAY, and winner Madison Mendoza is a smiley baby who comes from a proud military family.

• “She’s very adventurous,” mom Crystal Mendoza told TODAY, as Maddie cooed happily in her lap and gazed at the cameras.

• While her sweet smile won over the Gerber judges, her parents also want people to know she has a strong spirit and a mind of her own. When she was born, she had trouble breathing and needed supplemental oxygen. After a few nights, she apparently decided she’d had enough oxygen, tore off her tubes and breathed just fine.

• “She was able to tell us when she was ready to go home,” dad Jun Mendoza told TODAY in an interview before the broadcast from his office in Colorado Springs. “That kind of aligned with her adventurous, independent spirit.” 

‘Beef,’ ‘Fire Island,’ 7 Asian actors receive 2023 Emmy nominations — The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Sept. 18

• This year’s Primetime Emmy Award nominees were recently announced, with Asian nominees including Kumail Nanjiani, Padma Lakshmi, Ali Wong, Steven Yeun and Joel Kim Booster, among others.

• Television Academy Chair Frank Scherma and “Community” star Yvette Nicole Brown announced the full list of nominees for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, set to be held on Sept. 18, during a livestream on Wednesday.

• Netflix’s dark comedy “Beef,” which stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, received 13 nominations in total.

• Besides the cast members of “Beef,” other actors who received nominations include “Welcome to Chippendales” star Kumail Nanjiani, who is going up against Yeun for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or TV movie; Iranian American actor Arian Moayed, who was nominated for outstanding guest actor in a drama series for his appearance in HBO’s “Succession”; “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi, who was nominated for outstanding host for a reality or competition program; and “Fire Island” writer Joel Kim Booster, who was nominated for outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series or TV movie.

Asian Americans feel particularly targeted by new laws criminalizing those who assist voters — In a number of states, language barriers already hamper access to the ballot for AAPIs. The new laws in mostly Republican-led states are seen by many voting groups as another form of voter suppression.

• For a century, the League of Women Voters in Florida formed bonds with marginalized residents by helping them register to vote — and, in recent years, those efforts have extended to the growing Asian American and Asian immigrant communities.

• But a state law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May would have forced the group to alter its strategy.

• The legislation would have imposed a $50,000 fine on third-party voter registration organizations if the staff or volunteers who handle or collect the forms have been convicted of a felony or are not U.S. citizens.

• A federal judge blocked the provision this week. But its passage reflects the effort by DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, and other GOP leaders to crack down on access to the ballot. Florida is one of at least six states, including Georgia and Texas, where Republicans have enacted voting rules since 2021 that created or boosted criminal penalties and fines for individuals and groups that assist voters. Several of those laws are also facing legal challenges.

💫 Breaking records

• Olivia Rodrigo — The 20-year-old singer-songwriter becomes the 1st Filipino American to grace a Vogue US cover.

• Shohei Ohtani — The two-way MLB Star made his 100th hit during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday and sets the record with his 3rd consecutive season of at least 100 hits and 100 strikeouts.

🐣 Newcomers

• Naomi Osaka’s new baby — Japanese tennis star and four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka has given birth to a baby girl with her rapper boyfriend Cordae.

• ‘Top Chef’s new host — The new host of “Top Chef” will be a familiar face: Kristen Kish, who won the Bravo culinary competition in Season 10. Bravo announced July 11 that Kish will join Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons at the judges’ table for Season 21, which takes place in Wisconsin.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Singer Coco Lee dies by suicide at 48, her siblings say — Lee was the voice of Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s "Mulan" and sang the Mandarin version of the movie’s theme song, “Reflection.”

• Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who had a highly successful career in Asia, has died by suicide, her siblings said Wednesday. She was 48.

• The star had been suffering from depression for several years, Lee’s elder sisters Carol and Nancy Lee said in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram, with her condition deteriorating drastically over the last few months.

• Lee, who was born in Hong Kong but later moved to the U.S. where she attended middle and high school, had a highly successful career in Asia as a pop singer in the 1990s and 2000s, where she was known for her powerful voice and live performances.

• Lee, who was initially a Mandopop singer, branched out to release albums in Cantonese and English over her nearly 30-year career.

• She was the voice of heroine Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s Mulan, and also sang the Mandarin version of the movie’s theme song “Reflection.”

Did 'Barbie' cross the line? How a 'child-like' map stirred a South China Sea dispute — The Warner Bros. movie is just the latest Western cultural export to irritate China and its neighbors.

• Moviegoers in search of some summer escapism might think the anticipated blockbuster “Barbie” would be a safe haven from the dizzying complexities of international politics.

• Not so: The movie has been banned in Vietnam over a scene that features a map showing the South China Sea — a strategically important body of water that’s hotly contested by China and a number of its neighbors, many of whom have close ties to the United States.

• Warner Bros. defended its picture Friday, saying the map is nothing more than a “child-like crayon drawing” and certainly not any kind of political statement.

• On Monday Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced it was revoking the movie's license, according to state media. Vietnamese newspapers reported digital posters for the film had been pulled from the websites of local distributors.

• “We do not grant a license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to be released in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line,” Vi Kien Thanh, head of the ministry’s department of cinema, told the state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.

‘Joy Ride’: Sex, Butt Cocaine, and Raunch-Com Representation For the Win — A road trip through China goes haywire for four Asian-American pals in Adele Lim’s off-the-rails addition to gross-out comedies

• Rauch-coms live or die by their ability to make you go “Oh my god!” or “Ewwww!” or do a spit-take that spews popcorn over whoever is unlucky enough to be sitting in front of you. So you can give it up for Joy Ride, director Adele Lim’s variation on the road-trip-gone-awry story that doesn’t skimp on the holy-shit moments, or gags that actually make you gag a little bit. We don’t want to spoil anything for viewers, so let’s say that there could be bags of coke that explode inside bodily orifices, at which point much horniness may ensue.

• Sex, drugs, profanity, penises, puke, poop, the use of “party” as a verb — Joy Ride embraces these reliable gross-out-comedy standbys with a gleeful sense of gusto.

• It’s also out to prove that you can make something novel without reducing it to being a novelty. The fact that the quartet tearing their way through Beijing and the rural provinces of China are Asian-American is a key factor, and Lim, her co-writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, and the cast all lean into the cross-cultural currencies, specifics and yes, slings and arrows of prejudice that are part of their experiences.

😱 Jawdroppers

• The new cost of Sriracha — Bottles of Sriracha are being sold for as much as $70 amid the ongoing supply shortage.

• TikTok users race changing — The viral acronym “RCTA” on TikTok refers to a community of people who believe they can change from one race to another. The current wave of RCTA-identifying people is mainly focused on “transitioning” into East Asian ethnicities due to their love of anime, K-pop or K-dramas.

• This 16-year old soccer star — South Korea has included American-born teenager Casey Phair as part of its 23-player squad for the Women’s World Cup. The 16-year-old forward, who has a Korean mother and an American father, is the first male or female player of mixed heritage to represent the country as well as the youngest.

🏛️ New rules

• in South Korea — South Koreans just became a year or two younger as the country adopts the international age system. The change is due to the country adopting the “international age” system used by a majority of the world, and moving away from the formerly used “Korean age” or “calendar age” systems.

• in the U.S. citizenship test — The U.S. citizenship test is being updated, and some immigrants and advocates worry the changes will hurt test-takers with lower levels of English proficiency. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services proposes that the new test adds a speaking section to assess English skills. An officer would show photos of ordinary scenarios — like daily activities, weather or food — and ask the applicant to verbally describe the photos.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Some Asian Americans say affirmative action ruling used the group as ‘pawns’ — “The white supremacist agendas behind these lawsuits use the small number of Asian Americans against affirmative action as pawns in their efforts,” the nonprofit Asian American Advocacy Fund said.

• Many Asian American groups and leaders are speaking out against the Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action Thursday. 

• Some experts and activists argued that the decision is an example of Asian Americans’ being used as a “wedge” to erode civil rights. 

• They point out that while the two cases, led by the conservative activist Ed Blum — who is white — argued that Harvard’s and the University of North Carolina’s policies discriminated against Asian Americans, no Asian American students came forward to testify to having experienced discrimination. 

• “The white supremacist agendas behind these lawsuits use the small number of Asian Americans against affirmative action as pawns in their efforts — weaponizing the model minority myth to divide our communities,” the nonprofit Georgia-based group Asian American Advocacy Fund said in a news release. “Affirmative action policies have played an important role in securing Asian American access to higher education.”

• Polling has found that a higher share of Asian Americans support affirmative action, with 53% who have heard of the policy saying it’s “a good thing.” Another 19% say it’s a negative thing. A separate 2022 survey from the nonprofit group APIAVote, which polled registered Asian American voters, found 69% favored affirmative action programs “designed to help Black people, women, and other minorities get better access to higher education.” 

NYC makes Diwali an official school holiday, but there’s a catch this year — Mayor Eric Adams announced that the Hindu festival of lights, which usually falls in October or November, will now be a public school holiday in the city.

• New York City will add the festival of Diwali to the list of public school holidays in recognition of the growth of the city’s South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday.

• Diwali, known as the festival of lights, happens October or November, depending on the lunar calendar.

• However, this year it falls on Sunday, Nov. 12 — meaning the 2023-24 school calendar will not be affected by the change. City officials say more that 200,000 New York City residents celebrate Diwali, which is observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists.

• “This is a city that’s continuously changing, continuously welcoming communities from all over the world,” Adams said in announcing that Diwali will join celebrations including Rosh Hashana and Lunar New Year as a day off for students. “Our school calendar must reflect the new reality on the ground.”

• The new holiday will become official if Gov. Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, signs a bill passed by the Legislature this month to make Diwali a public school holiday in New York City. 

People of color have the highest support for gun laws, new study finds — The study found stark differences between white and minority Americans over gun violence and restrictions.

• Black Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos support gun measures more than any other racial group, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. 

• The study, which surveyed over 5,000 Americans, found that gun violence is viewed as a major problem across the board and that a majority of Americans support stricter gun laws — but that beefing up safety laws is more important to some communities than others. 

• “Gun attitudes are complex,” said Carroll Doherty, Pew’s director of political research. “When you get to the fundamental divide over gun ownership and what it does for safety in the United States, you see this even split.”

• But one of his report’s most striking findings was the differences in attitudes among racial groups, he said. Support among minority communities for tightening gun restrictions was drastically higher than among white people.

• Black adults show the highest support for stricter gun laws, at 77%, followed by Asians, at 74%, Latinos, at 68%, and whites, at 51%. 

• Asian adults show the highest levels of support for increasing the minimum age to own guns to 21 (71%), as well as for banning assault-style weapons (62%). Black and Asian adults were also the strongest opponents of law allowing so-called concealed carry and of shortening wait periods to buy guns.

💫 Invited

• The Academy — Oscars invite Taylor Swift, Ke Huy Quan, RRR and other new members to Academy. The Daniels, Stephane Hsu and Keke Palmer are among the women and underrepresented communities in the 2023 membership class.

• Walk of Fame — Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh is on a list of actors and celebrities being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this year.

👑 Popular

• Hindu nationalism — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit turned the nation’s capital into a microcosm of Indian politics on Thursday. Thousands of South Asians of every creed and community flooded the city’s landmarks — some to support the controversial leader, others to protest his visit, while many attended to simply take in the historic moment. 

• Korean entertainment — In the last four years, “K-content” viewership has grown sixfold, with over 90% of watchers of Korean romance shows on Netflix coming from outside of Korea.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Immigration drove white and Asian population growth in the U.S. last year — The Asian population saw a 2.4% bump, the largest of any race or ethnic group in the U.S. last year.

• Immigration propelled the expansion of the Asian population, which was the fastest-growing race or ethnic group last year in the U.S., while births outpacing deaths helped propel growth in Hispanic, Black, tribal and Hawaiian populations.

• Population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau show what drove changes in different race, ethnic and age groups last year, as well as since the start of Covid-19′s spread in the U.S. in April 2020. The country had grown to 333.2 million people by the middle of last year, a 0.4% increase over the previous year, according to the 2022 population estimates.

• Immigration also drove Asian growth last year, accounting for two-thirds of the 577,000-person increase in people who identify as Asian, including those who identify with more than one race. That 2.4% bump was the largest of any race or ethnic group, and there were 24.6 million Asians in the U.S. last year.

Texas Gov. Abbott signs law shutting diversity offices at public universities — The law comes as the Supreme Court later this month is widely expected to ban colleges and universities from considering race as a factor in their admissions decisions.

• All state-funded colleges and universities in Texas will have to close their diversity, equity and inclusion offices under a measure signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

• The law, which one of its sponsors in the Texas state Senate called the most significant ban on diversity offices in higher education in the country, comes as the U.S. Supreme Court later this month is widely expected to ban colleges and universities from considering race as a factor in their admissions decisions.

• Under the Texas law, signed by Abbott on Wednesday, any public college or university that does not certify it is in compliance with the measure would not be able to spend state funds allocated to it.

• It also mandates that state officials every two years through 2029 conduct studies to gauge the impact of the law on students broken down by race. It will look at the rates of application, acceptance, matriculations, retention and graduation, along with grade point averages. The law does not explain the reasoning for conducting these studies.

First Muslim woman confirmed as a federal judge — Nusrat Choudhury, who spent her career as a civil rights attorney, will also be the first Bangladeshi American federal judge.

• The U.S. will have its first Bangladeshi American and first Muslim female federal judge after the Senate confirmed Nusrat Choudhury on Thursday.

• President Joe Biden nominated Choudhury, a civil rights attorney, to the U.S. District Court for Eastern New York in January, and she was confirmed to the life-tenured position with a narrow margin of 50-49 votes.

• Most recently, Choudhury was the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, and, according to her online bio, she has a track record of advancing criminal justice reform, immigrants' rights and access t reproductive care. She was previously the deputy director of the ACLU's Racial Justice program.

🗽 From New York

• A teen win — Natasha Kulviwat, a 16-year-old school student from New York, won an award and a $50,000 cash prize for her research studying the brain tissues of people who died by suicide in the hopes that it could one day be used for prevention.

• A Chinatown fire — Four people died in a fire caused by batteries in an e-bike shop near Chinatown. The blaze, which left two others in critical condition, began on the first floor of a building at 80 Madison Street shortly after midnight.

📺 Screentime

• ‘Elemental’ — Leah Lewis, star of Pixar’s latest animated film, shares why she loves working with fellow AAPI creatives.

• ‘America’s Got Talent’ — Filipino fisherman Roland Abante earned a standing ovation and the coveted four ‘yes’ votes at his audition for America’s Got Talent on Tuesday night.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Why this tool is reducing Asian influence in AI-generated art — The growing number of AI hobbyists from Asian countries means AI-generated art might over-index in places like South America. One creator is trying to generate more accurate returns.

• Vhey Preexa, an artificial intelligence artist who uses the name “Zovya” online, noticed a pattern while trying to create an AI-powered tool that produces digital images of South American people and culture.

• In many of the resulting photos of South America, made with the deep-learning model from the open source AI-art generator Stable Diffusion, Asian faces and Asian architecture would randomly appear, Preexa said.

• To offset what she perceived as the overuse of Asian features and culture in AI models, Preexa, who is Serbian but lives in the U.S., developed a new tool, “Style Asian Less,” to weed out the unprompted influence of Asian and Japanese animation in generated images. 

• “Style Asian Less” is an embedded module on Civitai, an AI art community where people can upload and share models that create photorealistic images from text descriptions. The tool has been downloaded more than 7,000 times in the past two months on Civitai.

Ex-NYPD detective is charged with allegedly helping robbers, who targeted Asian Americans, avoid arrest — The criminal crew engaged in a series of robberies and burglaries that primarily targeted Asian American small-business owners, according to the DOJ.

• A former New York Police Department detective took bribes from a group of robbers to help them evade arrest in a string of robberies targeting Asian American small businesses, federal prosecutors alleged Thursday.

• Saul Arismendy De La Cruz, a former NYPD officer and then detective, aided a “violent theft crew” led by Dagoberto Soto-Ramirez by taking bribes in exchange for helping members of the four-person group avoid arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York said in press release.

• His lawyer, Howard Turner, told NBC News that De La Cruz has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

• “My client is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair trial, and I ask the public to withhold judgment as I evaluate and gather evidence while the judicial process continues,” Turner said in a statement.

• From 2017 to 2022, the robbery crew committed a series of home invasion robberies and residential burglaries that primarily targeted the owners of small businesses, according to the indictment, filed in federal court in White Plains, New York. The majority of the targets were Asian American.

• The group, armed with guns and other weapons, stole money, jewelry and other property from dozens of homes across the country, the indictment charged.

‘Never Have I Ever’ fans say goodbye to a South Indian American milestone — “Never Have I Ever” was a groundbreaking piece of South Asian American media, fans say. Has it opened the door for more like it — or will its finale leave a void?

• There’s a bittersweetness for fans as they sit down for the final season of Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” they say. Watching now-high-school-senior Devi Vishwakumar’s messy, boy-crazy antics play out one last time, they’re savoring every moment of what they feel is the first true South Indian American story told on TV. 

• “It’s because of its specificity that it was groundbreaking,” said Snigdha Sur, editor-in-chief of South Asian American publication The Juggernaut. “It’s not just about an Indian American family; it’s specifically about a Tamil American family in California’s suburbs where there’s a breadwinning mother and a father that has passed away.” 

• They’re preparing to send off not only a beloved main character — but also a watershed piece of media that they hope changed the appetite for and prevalence of stories like it, they said. In a post-“Never Have I Ever” world, some wonder: How long will they have to wait for something like it to fill the void?

• For those who share Devi’s Tamil American identity, the show was an especially significant first. 

• Created by Mindy Kaling, “Never Have I Ever” follows a multigenerational family of Tamil women in Southern California. Devi, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, navigates high school friendships, crushes, spirituality and the recent death of her father. In season four, she prepares to graduate and leave all she knows behind.

📈 New Data

• Corporate board representation — A new study published Thursday found that the number of women and people of color sitting on the nation’s largest companies’ corporate boards increased by 38% in 2022.

• Mental health treatment — Asian children in the U.S. are least likely to receive medication for mental health disorders, according to a recent report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

📺 Screentime

• ‘Past Lives’ — Greta Lee of 'Past Lives' says truthful storytelling means not serving the white male gaze

• ‘XO, Kitty’ — The spinoff of Netflix’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” film franchise has been renewed for Season 2.

• ‘Physical 100’ — “Physical 100,” the first unscripted Korean show to top Netflix’s non-English global charts, is being given a second season.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Asians in the U.S. say air quality ‘feels dangerously like home’ — Some Asian residents are comparing the orange smog in New York City to conditions they have faced back home.

• The orange haze suffocating New York City and other U.S. cities is reminding some Asian residents of conditions in their home countries. They've taken to social media to describe the familiarity of the smell and sight of the smoke, which migrated from Canadian wildfires over the past month.

• "Feels dangerously like home," one person tweeted in response to the news that New York City on Tuesday and Wednesday had among the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir.com, a tracking service.

• Some Asian cities named in the top 10 for worst air quality were Delhi, India; Lahore, Pakistan; and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Rose Zhang Made History as the First Person Since 1951 to Win Her LPGA Professional Debut — Zhang captured the Mizuho Americas Open this past Sunday.

• Twenty-year-old golf phenom Rose Zhang etched her name in the history books yet again on Sunday, edging Jennifer Kupcho in a sudden death playoff at the Mizuho Americas Open to become the first player to win an LPGA tournament in her professional debut in 72 years.

• After shooting a six-under 66 on Saturday, Zhang entered the final round at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey with a two-stroke lead over Atthaya Thitikul, Aditi Ashok and Cheyenne Knight.

• Zhang, who turned pro on May 26 following a historic career at Stanford, is the second player ever and first since Beverley Hanson in 1951 to win an LPGA tournament in her professional debut.

• “What is happening? I just can’t believe it. It was just last week when I won NCAAs with my teammates, and to turn pro and come out here, it’s just been amazing. I’ve enjoyed the journey,” Zhang said on the Golf Channel. “I had so many cheers around me, all my friends and family. I’m just so grateful.”

Asian Americans win 8 out of 12 best chef 2023 James Beard Awards — Many Asian American restaurateurs and chefs across the U.S. were recognized with James Beard Awards this year.

• The 2023 James Beard Awards, which have been dubbed the Oscars of the culinary world, recognized many Asian American chefs, restaurants and restaurateurs in the U.S. at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday night.

• Notably, Asian American chefs won an astounding eight out of the 12 best regional chef categories.

• The awards were first presented in 1991 by nonprofit organization the James Beard Foundation after the death of American chef and TV personality James Beard as a way “to celebrate, support and elevate the people behind America’s food culture.”

• See the list here for this year’s Asian American winners.

📺 Screentime

• ‘Bling Empire’s Anna Shay — Anna Shay, who appeared in Netflix’s “Bling Empire” reality show, has died after suffering a stroke. She was 62.

• ‘Never Have I Ever’s final season — Leading actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan on the signs Devi finally grew up in final season. Spoilers ahead.

• ‘The Idol’ - Making her acting debut in the controversy-laden HBO drama "The Idol," Blackpink's Jennie undoubtedly stole the show, viewers say.

• Wong Fu Productions - Wong Fu Productions, a digital media production company, celebrated its 20th anniversary Thursday, June 8. The group — founded by Philip Wang, Wesley Chan and Ted Fu — is considered a media trailblazer, centering the Asian American experience over a decade before Hollywood invested in more of these stories.

⭐️ Teen stars

• 14-year-old National Spelling Bee winner — 14-year-old Dev Shah is the 22nd champion in the past 24 years of South Asian heritage.

• 19-year-old Ph.D. student — A 19-year-old who will officially hold a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering next week began taking classes at a local community college at 7 years old, while he was still in high school. 

🥢 Now Serving

• ‘Lunch of suffering’ — A “White people food” trend has been circulating on Chinese social media, with countless netizens either praising or criticizing the purported lack of complex flavors in traditional Western lunches.

• ‘The Sweet and the Sour’ — Actor Ming-Na Wen will host a documentary series called "The Sweet and the Sour" that explores Asian American food culture.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Ming-Na Wen receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame — “It's a really special way to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month by ending it with something as tremendous as this”

• Actress Ming-Na Wen received her long-awaited star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this week, just days before this year’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month draws to a close.

• Wen, 59, received the 2,757th star at the ceremony held at 6840 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles.

• Joining Wen at the event were her “The Joy Luck Club” co-stars Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom and Rosalind Chao.

Democrats in Congress reintroduce bill to break down mental health stigmas among Asian Americans — Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have faced "a growing mental health crisis in recent years," including youth suicides, said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif.

• Democratic lawmakers reintroduced a bill on Wednesday aimed at breaking down the persistent stigmas associated with mental health in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.  

• The legislation, first shared with NBC News, coincides with the final day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Called the Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act, it would instruct the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to partner with local advocacy and behavioral health organizations to provide outreach and education strategies.

• Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, known collectively as AANHPI, have faced "a growing mental health crisis in recent years, including increasing deaths by suicide of AANHPI youth,” said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif, who introduced the bill in 2016 and is among several lawmakers re-introducing it.

• The bill — which is being re-introduced in the House by Chu and Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., and in the Senate by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii — would additionally instruct the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to conduct research and collect disaggregated data on mental health among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youths and behavioral health providers. So far, it’s received support from dozens of groups, including the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association, Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, and Empowering Pacific Islander Communities.

12-year-old California boy graduates college with 5 degrees — Clovis Hung, who started college at 9, is now the youngest person in Fullerton College’s history of 108 years to receive not one, but five associate degrees.

• Clovis Hung, who started college at 9, is now the youngest person in Fullerton College’s history of 108 years to receive not one, but five associate degrees.

• Clovis followed a conventional academic path until the age of 7, when he got bored of second grade. His mother, Song Choi, who has worked as a tutor for more than 20 years, decided to homeschool him.

• “My husband and two daughters said I was crazy,” Choi told the Los Angeles Times. “But I trust my instinct. I know he is a very unique child because he’s very curious and intelligent.”

• After a year of homeschooling, Clovis entered Fullerton College. His decision to enroll was inspired by another Fullerton alum, Jack Rico, who previously set the record by graduating with four degrees at the age of 13 in 2020.

📓 Educating on the latest education news

• Affirmative Action — A new poll found that 63% of Americans don’t think the Supreme Court should ban affirmative action in college admissions.

• Language courses — Harvard University is set to offer a new course in Tagalog, a Filipino language that is the fourth most frequently spoken language in the U.S. behind English, Spanish and Chinese.

🩺 Health check

• Abortion — The majority of Asian American and Pacific Islander women don't know where to access medication abortion. A new study says cultural taboos and insufficient culturally relevant care and information have contributed to continued limited knowledge about medication abortion.

• Therapy — Talk therapy falls short for many Asian Americans. They’ve turned to centuries-old alternatives.  

🥢 Now Serving

• Filipino cuisine — It recently got a nod in one of the U.S.’s highest culinary honors. Three Filipino restaurants have been nominated for James Beard Awards, often referred to as the Oscars of the culinary world.

• Taco Bell — Here’s why South Asian Americans stan Taco Bell. For those growing up in the suburbs without many vegetarian options, Taco Bell was a place multigenerational families with different diets could come together and eat.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

After being wrongfully accused of spying for China, professor wins appeal to sue the government — “I’m very, very glad that we can finally put the government under oath to explain why they decided to do what they did, violating our constitutional rights,” Professor Xiaoxing Xi said in an exclusive interview with NBC News.

• Xiaoxing Xi, a Temple University professor who was falsely accused of spying for China, will be able to bring a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

• A judge at a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Xi on Wednesday, allowing the physicist to move forward with his case against the U.S. government for wrongful prosecution and violating his family’s constitutional rights by engaging in unlawful search, seizure and surveillance. 

• The decision comes after FBI agents swarmed Xi’s Philadelphia home in 2015, rounded up his family at gunpoint, and arrested him on fraud charges related to economic espionage, before abruptly dropping the charges months afterward. 

• “I’m very, very glad that we can finally put the government under oath to explain why they decided to do what they did, violating our constitutional rights,” Xi said in an exclusive interview with NBC News. “We finally have an opportunity to hold them accountable.” 

• The case will now be kicked back to the district court, continuing a long legal battle. Xi, who’s represented in part by the American Civil Liberties Union, attempted to bring a suit against the government in 2017, alleging that FBI agents “made knowingly or recklessly false statements” to support their investigation and prosecution. Xi also claimed that his arrest was discriminatory, and that he was targeted due to his ethnicity, much like other scholars of Chinese descent. A district court dismissed his case in 2021, but Xi appealed the decision last year. 

Elite Virginia high school doesn’t discriminate against Asian Americans, court finds — The decision overturns a ruling last year from a federal judge who found that the school engaged in “racial balancing” when it overhauled its admissions policy.

• A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of a new admissions policy at an elite public high school in Virginia that critics say discriminates against highly qualified Asian Americans.

• The 2-1 ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond overturns a ruling last year from a federal judge who found that the Fairfax County School Board engaged in impermissible “racial balancing” when it overhauled the admissions policy at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

• The school frequently is cited among the best in the nation, and parents jockey and prepare for years to get their children admitted. But for decades Black and Hispanic students have been woefully underrepresented, while Asian Americans made up more than 70% of the student body.

• In 2020, the school board significantly revamped the admissions process, scrapping a standardized test that had been a linchpin in favor of a system that set aside equal numbers of Thomas Jefferson slots at each of the county’s middle schools, among other changes. The process does not take race into account. It does give weight in favor of applicants who are economically disadvantaged or still learning English.

• The first freshman class admitted under the new rules saw a significantly different racial makeup. Black students increased from 1% to 7%; Hispanic representation increased from 3% to 11%. Asian American representation decreased from 73% to 54%.

• Critics of the new policy say it discriminates against Asian American applicants who would have been granted admission if academic merit were the sole criteria, and that efforts to increase Black and Hispanic representation necessarily come at the expense of Asian Americans.

Ming-Na Wen, 'Joy Luck Club' actor, will finally get a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame — The actor’s “Joy Luck Club” co-stars Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom and Rosalind Chao will be delivering speeches during the unveiling ceremony. 

• Wen, best known for her groundbreaking roles in Disney’s original “Mulan” and 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club” — the first major studio movie with a predominantly Asian cast — will be recognized at a ceremony next Tuesday. The distinction makes her one of less than two dozen people of Asian descent with a spot on the Walk of Fame, out of more than 2,750 stars. 

• “Still in disbelief! INSANE!” Wen said of the honor on social media. “Thrilled to end #AAPIHeritageMonth w/ this utmost honor.”

• The actor’s “Joy Luck Club” co-stars Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom and Rosalind Chao, will be delivering speeches during the unveiling ceremony. 

• For many in the Asian American community and beyond, Wen’s star is a long time coming. The actress, who was born in Macau and immigrated to the U.S. when she was 6 years old, has a career that spans more than three decades and several historic accomplishments. In 1988, she became the first Asian series regular in a daytime drama for “As the World Turns.” Years later, her portrayal of main character June Woo in “The Joy Luck Club” drew critical acclaim for depicting generational tensions and love through an Asian American lens. 

😤 Causing Outrage

• on ‘Jeopardy!’ — ‘Jeopardy!’ fans were outraged after contestant Ben Chan lost his nine-day winning streak on the show over a spelling mistake.

• in Yelp — A family-owned California restaurant was forced to temporarily shut down after a racist rumor spread on social media that it was “maybe” involved in selling dog meat.

• because of makeup - A Chinese makeup artist has been accused of “blackface” after her transformation video tributes to the late Kobe Bryant recently resurfaced.

✊ Stop Asian Hate: An Update

• ‘Stop Asian Hate’ drove a funding surge for AAPI startups and nonprofits. What comes next? — Many groups say they’re cautiously optimistic that they can carry their momentum from the past few years into the post-pandemic era.

• New York legislators introduce AANHPI history bill to combat anti-Asian violence — Introduced on Monday, Bill S5963 is an education law that will require both public elementary and high schools to integrate AANHPI history into their history or social studies curricula. 

🥢 Now Serving

• More than 1 in 10 US restaurants serve Asian food, new study finds — The highest concentration of Asian restaurants can be found in the five states where most Asian Americans also live.

• Chef Masaharu Morimoto launches first-ever sushi competition show — Best known as one of the original Iron Chefs, Morimoto will serve as a judge on the show, which will purportedly be the first cooking competition TV series exclusively focused on sushi.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Most endangered U.S. historic sites include two Chinatowns — As gentrification pushes into ethnic enclaves across the country, a historic preservation group says the Chinatowns in Philadelphia and Seattle are facing threats.

• Philadelphia and Seattle’s Chinatowns, two of the nation’s oldest, are among the most endangered historical sites in the country, according to a list from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

• The neighborhoods, which have long been havens for Asian Americans and immigrants, are at risk of displacement by developments like mass transit expansion, sports stadiums and large-scale real estate projects. 

• “For small businesses like us, we are already struggling with the very high rent we are paying,” Xu Lin, a restaurant owner in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, said in August. “And we all know arenas with their sports teams, they build their own restaurants, they have their own bars. They’re within their structure. They will not bring additional business to our community.”

• For three decades, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has designated more than 350 historical sites as endangered. The sites on this year’s list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places” are particularly important to minority communities, it said in a release. 

  Among them, two Chinatowns were identified as under threat. 

• Home to more than 3,000 Chinese residents, Philadelphia’s Chinatown is lined with buildings constructed when Asians first started to populate the area in the 19th and 20th centuries. Since then, residents have had to fend off attempts to gentrify the area, while dealing with crises such as the Covid pandemic and economic downturn, locals said last year.

DeSantis criticized for mandating Asian American history while banning courses on 'systemic racism' — “Racial justice can’t be a zero- sum game for communities of color,” said Gregg Orton, national director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans.

• A new law in Florida mandates the teaching of Asian American and Pacific Islander history in public schools. But many Asian Americans are not celebrating, pointing to how other marginalized communities are being affected by the state heavily limiting the instruction of systemic racism and gender identity in the classroom. 

• Asian American academics and civil rights organizations are speaking out after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill last week, requiring that Asian American and Pacific Islander history to be included in the K-12 curriculum. The measure coincides with another bill signed into law on Monday to no longer permit public colleges to  spend money on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. It also limits the way race and gender will be taught in the state’s higher education institutions.

• Gregg Orton, national director of National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, a coalition of 38 AAPI organizations, said the history law is far from a “win” for the Asian American community, adding that “racial justice can’t be a zero-sum game for communities of color.”

• “When you advance a bill that uplifts AAPI communities, but don’t want to acknowledge the fact that in the same state, there are real intentional efforts to invisiblize or erase Black history, or [critical race theory], you are on the wrong side of history,” Orton said. “With Florida, it’s hard to draw any other conclusion than they are actively trying to use the Asian American Pacific Islander community as a wedge here.” 

Man accused in deadly shooting at Taiwanese church in California is indicted on 98 charges — Investigators said the gunman in the shooting last year was motivated by political hatred of Taiwan.

• A man accused of fatally shooting one person and wounding five others at a Southern California church luncheon last year has been charged with dozens of federal hate crimes in connection with the attack, which investigators said was motivated by political hatred of Taiwan.

• The indictment announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Justice charges David Chou, of Las Vegas, with 98 counts including weapons and explosives charges and forcefully obstructing the free exercise of religion.

  Messages seeking comment from attorneys who have represented Chou, 69, in a separate case in state court were not immediately returned.

• Authorities said Chou chained and nailed shut exit doors before launching the attack on a gathering of older parishioners from the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods on May 15, 2022.

• Chou had two handguns, bags of ammunition and four Molotov cocktail-style devices, and was motivated by hatred of Taiwan, where he grew up, investigators said.

• Among the charges were 45 counts of obstructing free exercise of religious beliefs by force, “which resulted in the death of one person, included attempts to kill 44 others, and involved the use of a firearm and attempted use of explosives and fire,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

⭐️ Winning the Popularity Contest

• Ashley Park on IMDb — Actor Ashley Park has been honored with the IMDb “Breakout Star” Starmeter Award. The award is determined by IMDbPro data, analyzing the page views of over 200 million monthly visitors worldwide.

• Asian food with kids of immigrants — While Asian cuisines were once deemed unappetizing or exotic, experts say the children of Asian immigrants have fueled a cultural shift in how the foods of their heritage are perceived.

• R.F. Kuang’s new novel ‘Yellowface’ - R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed author of the “The Poppy War” trilogy, has recently released her fifth novel, “Yellowface.” Since hitting bookshelves on Tuesday, the book has so far earned rave reviews from outlets such as Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and Bookpage, the latter of which has dubbed it “poignant and provocative.” Meanwhile, NPR called “Yellowface” a “well-executed, gripping, fast-paced novel.” 

🌟 Our History for #AAPIHeritageMonth

• Why The 1980s Was A Formative Decade For Asian American Cinema — In 1982, Wayne Wang’s “Chan Is Missing” became the first feature film by an Asian American director to get a mainstream theatrical release. A decade later, Wang broke more ground when he directed “The Joy Luck Club,” widely considered the first major Hollywood studio movie featuring an all-Asian cast. (Famously and embarrassingly, it took 25 years to make another one: 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians.”)

  “Chan Is Missing” and other early films by Wang are featured in “Asian American ’80s,” a collection of 12 movies streaming this month on the Criterion Channel.

• The little-known Asian American history preserved on Angel Island — In U.S. history, Ellis Island is the one that dominates conversations about immigration. On the opposite coast, Angel Island stood in stark contrast — an immigration port that served as over 500,000 people's first point of contact between 1910 and 1940.

• The Untold History of the “Asian American” Identity — Until the late 1960s, Americans of Asian descent were mostly called “Oriental.” Asian Americans of that time typically identified with their specific ethnic group–Chinese, Japanese, or Filipino–but not under a greater political identity.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

4 Asian Americans among 8 killed in Texas mall shooting — Three members of a Korean American family including a three-year-old boy and an Indian American woman are among the 8 people killed by a suspected neo-Nazi sympathizer in Allen, Texas.

• Three members of a Korean American family including a three-year-old boy and an Indian American woman were among the 8 people killed by a suspected neo-Nazi sympathizer in Allen, Texas on May 8, 2023.

• The Korean consulate confirmed the deaths of the family, according to the Yonhap News Agency. A GoFundMe post has identified the parents who were killed as Cindy and Kyu Cho. Their three-year-old son James was also killed, and their six-year-old son William remains in the hospital, but out of intensive care.

• A family friend who reached out to AsAmNews said the mother may have died trying to protect her eldest son who she says is in stable, but critical condition.

• NBC News identified a fourth victim as 27-year-old Aishwarya Thatikonda. She is a member of the Telugu community of India and was an engineer working in Dallas.

• President Joe Biden said the shooter was armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle, NBC reported. Investigators say he wore a bulletproof vest and also had a handgun. His social media accounts contained racially motivated extremist rhetoric. It is believed he acted alone.

'Sesame Street' debuts its first Filipino American muppet — The new character, named TJ, made his debut Sunday as part of a segment about showing confidence.

• The PBS children’s show “Sesame Street” introduced its first Filipino American muppet on Sunday as part of a segment about showing confidence.

• The new character, named TJ, was featured alongside actor Kal Penn and Ji-Young, the show’s first Asian American muppet. In his debut, TJ shared an example in which support from his family had boosted his confidence. 

• “I’m learning Tagalog. It’s a language my Filipino family speaks. And I have confidence because I can always ask my lola for help when I don’t know a word,” TJ says, using the Tagalog word for grandmother.

Asian Americans are over just being included — they're defining mainstream culture — Why Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are no longer chasing the opportunity to merely be represented.

• Netflix’s “Beef” dives deep into the psyches of two people who happen to be Asian American as they’re entangled in a universal experience — road rage. But what the show doesn’t do is spend time with heavy-handed explanations about the cultural nuances of identity.

• And it’s because Asian American and Pacific Islander creators have reached a point where they don’t necessarily feel they have to, critics say. Starring an all-Asian cast, “Beef” is an example of how Asian Americans are seeing pieces of themselves and their families comfortably integrated into on-screen stories like never before.

• A proliferation of movies and television shows in recent years has made it clear Asian Americans are no longer chasing the opportunity to merely be included. Instead, diaspora storytellers are increasingly defining mainstream culture while creating their own spaces on their own terms — without feeling the need to contextualize their stories for the masses.

📌 New ___

• Roles — Peter Do is now the Creative Director of Helmut Lang

• Bill — Flordia Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that mandates the inclusion of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in the state’s K-12 curriculum.

• Cancellation - The CW will not continue with Kung Fu, its reboot of the classic series, which has run for three seasons.

🌟 AAPI Heritage Month Spotlight

• Our community’s innovators — Check out these 10 AAPI inventors and innovators who helped improve the quality of everyone’s lives with their contributions, which include Peter Tsai, inventor of the N95 mask, and Min Chueh Chang, a reproductive biologist who helped revolutionize the birth control movement.

• This month’s history — The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

• The latest research on our community — Research released for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month reveals that anti-Asian sentiment has not abated with the end of the pandemic, and safety is a top concern.

📽️ representASIAN at the Gold Gala

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines this #AAPIHeritageMonth

44% of Americans can’t name a famous living Asian American — A new study found that the most popular choices for famous Asian Americans were Jackie Chan (who is not American), Bruce Lee (who died 50 years ago) and VP Kamala Harris.

• More than 1 in 4 Americans are unable to name a famous Asian American, according to a study released Tuesday. 

• The study, conducted by the nonprofit Asian American Foundation, found that, when asked, 26% of respondents said “I don’t know.”

• Jackie Chan, who is not American, was the next most popular answer for the third year in a row (12%). Bruce Lee, who died 50 years ago, was the second most popular choice (6%) and Vice President Kamala Harris was the third (5%). In all, it boils down to 44% of respondents either not knowing or giving a wrong answer.

• The study also found that Southeast Asians were not listed among the top 20 names.

• The third annual Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S. Index, which examines attitudes and stereotypes toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, surveyed 5,235 American adults nationwide.

• When asked to name a famous Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 32% said “I don’t know.” The next most popular choices were Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (23%), Singer Don Ho, who died 16 years ago (8%), and actor Jason Momoa (5%).

• In addition, the study found that 18% of Americans did not know what roles Asian American men and women are often portrayed as in television and film. The most popular choice for women was geisha/sex worker/stripper (15%) and Kung Fu/martial artist (23%) for men.

Barbie introduces Anna May Wong doll — “A lot of Asian actors today are where they are because of the things she fought so hard for in Hollywood,” said the actor’s niece, Anna Wong. “Her legacy is part of history.”

• Trailblazing actor Anna May Wong is making her debut in the Barbie’s Inspiring Women series.

• Wong, who is considered the first Chinese American female actor in Hollywood, will be the first Asian American figure featured in the Mattel collection, which highlights notable women in history such as poet Dr. Maya Angelou, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and artist Frida Kahlo.

• The doll, released Monday, features her iconic blunt bangs, a red-and-gold dress adorned with a dragon, a sheer red cape and gold heels. It also comes with literature that talks about the actor’s accomplishments.

'KPOP' composer becomes 1st Asian woman to be nominated for a Tony for best original score — “Crying thinking of my amazing creative team and cast who worked tirelessly to bring something so new and honest to the Broadway stage,” Helen Park wrote on Instagram.

• Composer Helen Park made history Tuesday after nabbing a Tony Award nomination for best original score in a Broadway show. 

• Park, along with co-composer Max Vernon, received the nod for their work in the musical “KPOP,” which debuted on Broadway in November. The nomination makes Park the first Asian woman to be nominated in the category. 

• The musical, originally premiering off-Broadway in September 2017, was also nominated for best costume design of a musical and best choreography.

• “Crying thinking of my amazing creative team and cast who worked tirelessly to bring something so new and honest to the Broadway stage,” Park wrote in an Instagram post. “So much love to the @kpopbroadway fam. We did it. I’m so very honored for this recognition.”

• Best original score is one of several categories being recognized in “KPOP,” the first Broadway production about a Korean story, written by Korean creatives and performed by a predominantly Asian cast.

🩺 Health check for…

• Dementia — Researchers in Germany found that bilingualism, using a second language, daily may act as a protective factor against dementia

• Increased lifespan — Chinese researchers at UCSD help discover way to potentially increase lifespan by 82%

🌟 AAPI Heritage Month Spotlight

• Making an impact — Gold House, the leading Asian Pacific cultural ecosystem that unites, invests in, and champions Asian Pacific content and companies, revealed its annual A100 (the definitive honor recognizing the 100 Asian Pacific leaders who have most significantly impacted American culture and society in the last year) as well as several special honors for transformative impact, as voted on by the top Asian Pacific organizations, creative and business leaders, and multicultural allies. 

• Showing up on screen — Rotten Tomatoes put together a 2023 TV and Streaming Calendar featuring Asian and Pacific Islander creators and stories

• Highlighted in marketing — AdAge compiled a celebration of AANHPI creative excellence.

📽️ representASIAN at the Met Gala

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Streaming has twice the AAPI representation of broadcast, report shows — “Hollywood has an opportunity to further meet audience demand by continuing to invest in content that broadens how AANHPI people are represented on screen,” the report said.

• While Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders still struggle with feeling represented, new research shows that streaming platforms are a significantly more inclusive space for them.

• A joint report, released Tuesday by the data and analytics media company Nielsen and the nonprofit Gold House, revealed that streaming programs had twice the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) representation of broadcast programs. The disparity is even greater when compared to cable programs, to which streaming has three times the representation. 

• The report underscores, however, that Asian content across streaming platforms continues to make up only a small share of programs, and that the entertainment industry still has more work to do. 

• According to the report, which examined AANHPI television content and audiences, the racial group is 79% more likely than the general population to feel underrepresented, a greater share compared to any other race. And researchers point out that given the landscape, it’s “not surprising” the group feels that way.

• When looking at the share that an identity group appears on screen, AANHPI made up 5% across all platforms in 2022. In broadcast, the group made up just over 4%, while they were just over 3% in cable. 

• The report shows that across streaming services, AANHPI had a 10.3% share of screen across the 462-most watched platforms. Nancy Wang Yuen said that the results are most likely due to the ways in which streaming services, like YouTube and Netflix, for example, have historically been able and willing to host content that “hasn’t been seen before” in an effort to draw new members and court different demographics, more so than traditional networks. Citing the successful Netflix show “Orange Is the New Black,” which premiered in 2013 and featured a rare, women-led cast at the time, Yuen said streaming services have taken more risks.  

Bidens host glamorous state dinner to cap off visit from South Korean president — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden capped South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s official state visit with a glamorous state dinner at the White House Wednesday night to celebrate the two nations’ 70-year alliance.

• “This visit is about reaffirming all that unites our two nations. It’s about a commitment to bear one another’s concerns and listen to each other’s dreams. It allows us to overcome every difficulty with great determination. That allows us to move further and faster in space, cyber, technology and all areas that matter most to our future,” Biden said in remarks at the beginning of the dinner.

• Biden wrapped his short speech with a toast: “To our partnership, to our people, to possibilities, and to the of the Republic of Korea and the United States will create together. May we do it together for another 170 years.”

• But Biden wasn’t the only leader who took the mic. Following a round of musical performances, his South Korean counterpart joined him on stage to give his own – a karaoke rendition of Don McLean’s “American Pie” – which received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Netflix commits $2.5 billion to Korean film and TV projects — The commitment is double the amount it has spent in Korea since 2016, the company said.

• The global streaming giant Netflix has publicly committed to spending $2.5 billion (about KRW3.34 trillion) on South Korean film and TV production over the next four years. The total is double the amount it has spent in Korea since 2016, the company said.

• The promise was made by Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, at a meeting in Washington with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

• “We were able to make this decision because we have great confidence that the Korean creative industry will continue to tell great stories. We were also inspired by the President’s love and strong support for the Korean entertainment industry and fueling the Korean wave. I’d like to personally thank the President for his kind response letter,” Sarandos said in a statement.

• Netflix has enjoyed success with drama series including “Squid Game” and “The Glory,” and increasingly with unscripted shows such as “Physical 100,” at both a local and an international level.

• A roster of Korean content has anchored Netflix position as the dominant streamer within the wealthy and competitive Korean market. And at the same time, Korean shows are increasingly traveling across borders, propelling a "Korean wave" of enthusiastic audiences beyond Korean entertainment’s established markets in East Asia.

🥢 Menu Changes

• ‘Beef’ — ‘Beef’ creators address David Choe's resurfaced comments about 'rapey behavior'

• Rice — Why the world is set to face its worst rice shortage of the past 20 years

• ‘Milk and Honey’ — Poet Rupi Kaur is 'deeply' concerned that 'Milk and Honey' is one of the most banned books in the U.S.

📚 Class is in Session

• Affirmative action — How North Carolina students view the lawsuit threatening affirmative action

• Syllabus updates — Virginia becomes 17th state in US to include Sikhism in public school syllabus

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

📰 The Headlines

Netflix, ‘Beef’ Producers, A24 Under Fire for Silence Amid David Choe Rape Story Controversy — In a 2014 podcast episode recently resurfaced by journalist Aura Bogado, the artist and actor claimed to have sexually assaulted a woman who was giving him a massage. He has since apologized multiple times and says he made up the story.

• Beef premiered on Netflix on April 6 to near-universal acclaim (98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), with critics and viewers alike raving about the dark comedy series’ bold yet nuanced storytelling about two strangers locked in an escalating blood feud and the magnetic performances of stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.

• But less than two weeks later, the show is losing some of its luster thanks to a resurfaced controversy involving co-star David Choe and the lack of a response from the companies and creative team behind the A24-produced series.

• In 2014, Choe, a visual artist who was then best known as the muralist who painted Facebook’s headquarters in exchange for stock (making him a reported $200 million), was co-host of a podcast with adult film actress Asa Akira. In one episode, he says that he once compelled a masseuse to perform oral sex on him. At one point, he calls himself a “successful rapist,” but at another he says, “I just want to make it clear that I admit that that’s rapey behavior, but I am not a rapist.”

• The anecdote was first picked up by writer Melissa Stetten on the now-defunct website XOJane and gained further traction through a BuzzFeed writeup. Shortly thereafter, Choe claimed that his story about the masseuse was art. “I’m sorry if anyone believed that the stories were fact,” he wrote. “They were not!” The controversy surfaced again in 2017 after Choe was commissioned to paint a mural on The Bowery in downtown Manhattan. Other artists came together in protest: “Our aim is to provoke widespread rejection of the continued normalization of rape culture by bringing visibility to the topic,” said organizer Jasmine Wahi at the time.

• Choe then issued a more thorough apology on his Instagram account: “How does one apologize for a lifetime of doing wrong? Through my past three years of recovery and rehabilitation, I’ve attempted to answer that question through action and understanding,” he wrote. “In a 2014 episode of DVDASA, I relayed a story simply for shock value that made it seem as if I had sexually violated a woman. Though I said those words, I did not commit those actions. It did not happen. I have ZERO history of sexual assault. I am deeply sorry for any hurt I’ve brought to anyone through my past words. Non-consensual sex is rape and it is never funny or appropriate to joke about. I was a sick person at the height of my mental illness, and have spent the last 3 years in mental health facilities healing myself and dedicating my life to helping and healing others through love and action. I do not believe in the things I have said although I take full ownership of saying them. … I am truly sorry for the negative words and dark messages I had put out into the world.”

‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Starring Michelle Yeoh Gets Movie Order From Paramount+ — Yeoh will return as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in a 'Star Trek: Discovery' spinoff.

• Paramount+ has ordered Section 31 as an original movie, with Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh set to reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, a character she played in Star Trek: Discovery.

• In the film, Georgiou “joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.” The project will be written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, both Discovery veterans.

• “I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,” said Yeoh. “Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of Star Trek launched. To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!”

• Executive producer Alex Kurtzman said: “All the way back in 2017, before the first season of Star Trek: Discovery had even aired, Michelle had the idea to do a spinoff for her character, Philippa Georgiou. She broke new ground as one of the first two women onscreen in the pilot to usher in a new age of Trek, and now, six years later, Section 31 finally arrives on the heels of her latest groundbreaking win. Everyone on Team Trek couldn’t be more thrilled to have our legendary friend return home to us as we expand our storytelling into new and uncharted corners of the Trekverse. Long live Emperor Georgiou; long live Michelle Yeoh!”

Disney’s casting of ‘Lilo & Stitch’ character prompts colorism debate — Native Hawaiian fans say Disney has a track record of whitewashing characters, and they’re not happy with the reimagining of Nani as a lighter-skinned, biracial actor in the classic movie’s upcoming adaptation.

• Following news that “Lilo & Stitch” will be the latest Disney classic to get the live-action treatment, fans of the 2002 animated movie were abuzz with predictions and desires for who would take on the iconic Native Hawaiian roles. Many were left disappointed Friday when Disney announced the casting of a biracial, light-skinned actor in the role of Nani, Lilo’s older sister, who in the original movie was drawn with darker skin, black hair and ethnic features. 

• “Not being Indigenous or from a PoC community, it may not be easy to see a problem with this casting, but within our communities this is a big issue,” one person tweeted. “Nani is Indigenous Hawaiian with strong features and dark skin, this casting is blatant colorism.”

• Disney did not respond to a request for comment. 

• In the 2024 adaptation of “Lilo & Stitch,” Nani will be played by 22-year-old Sydney Elizabeth Agudong, who is multiracial with Hawaiian ancestry. Newcomer Maia Kealoha will play 6-year-old Lilo, and Zach Galifianakis has joined the cast in an unspecified role. 

• While some celebrated the casting, many Native Hawaiian fans said they were hoping for an actor who wasn’t white-passing and whose features reflected those of the island’s Indigenous population. 

🪦 Rest in Peace

• K-pop star Moon Bin — Global fans reacted with shock and grief over the death of 25-year-old K-pop star Moon Bin, a member of the popular boy band Astro.

• Chinese acrobat Sun — A Chinese acrobat fell to her death during an aerial performance with her husband in Anhui province, China. 

🌱 On the Rise

• Italian and Japanese food on Instagram — Japanese cuisine came second with approximately 20 million tags on Instagram, with sushi being the fourth most popular meal type in the world.

• India as world’s most populous country by mid-2023, says UN — The UN Population Fund’s World Population Dashboard indicated that India’s population will consist of more than 1.428 billion individuals, exceeding China.

• Asian and Black representation in film and TV — TV series with at least one Asian series regular increased 2%, from 2021’s 36.5% to 2022’s 38.4%. Asian main title cast and directors in film increased by 7.7% and 5.9% respectively.

• Ali Wong and Bill Hader’s relationship — Ali Wong and Bill Hader are dating again, as the Barry star's rep confirmed to Page Six the two are back together after reportedly splitting due to busy schedules last fall.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

🏆 The Headlines

Did the last census overcount Asian Americans? It depends on where you look — A new report is complicating an unusual finding from the U.S. Census Bureau's own report card on the accuracy of its 2020 head count of the country's population: a national overcount of Asian Americans.

• A new report is complicating an unusual finding from the U.S. Census Bureau's own report card on the accuracy of its 2020 head count of the country's population: a national overcount of Asian Americans.

• The tallying of U.S. residents more than once at different addresses drives overcounting in census results, which — despite their flaws — are used to determine political representation, guide federal funding and inform policymaking and research across the United States.

• The bureau estimates it had a net overcount rate of 2.62% for Asian Americans in the last census. That marked the first time Asian Americans had a statistically significant overcount at the national level since the bureau started trying to measure how well it tallied the country's Asian population, along with other racial groups, more than three decades ago.

• But since the bureau announced that overcount estimate for Asian Americans more than a year ago, many census watchers have been warning that it shouldn't be taken just at face value.

• Now, new analysis suggests the last census may have actually undercounted, or left out of the tally, Asian Americans in some states, including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Wyoming. That's according to a report recently released by Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC, the leading national advocacy group on census participation among Asian Americans.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy set to be the 1st woman and person of color to direct a 'Star Wars' film — The director, known for her work as a documentarian, is one of three directors working on films for the franchise.

• Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, an Academy Award-winning and International Emmy Award-winning director and journalist, will be the first person of color and the first woman to direct a “Star Wars” film. 

• She will direct one of the three upcoming films announced Friday at Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023. The film, which will be set after 2019’s “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker,” will focus on Jedi Master Rey (Daisy Ridley) as she builds a new Jedi order. 

• Obaid-Chinoy, who is Pakistani Canadian, shared her excitement about the role on Instagram. 

  “I’ve spent my life meeting real life heroes, who have overcome the most oppressive empires and battled impossible odds and that to me is the heart of Star Wars...which is why I was attracted to the promise of a new Jedi Order …And why I’m particularly excited about being immersed inside a Jedi Academy with a powerful Jedi Master,” she wrote.

Fans and critics agree: ‘Beef’ is one of the best shows of the year — The U.S. series is No. 1 on Netflix for TV shows in the U.S.

• Netflix’s new series “Beef” is receiving overwhelming praise from critics and fans, with many calling it one of the best shows of 2023.

• The series, which debuted last Thursday, follows strangers Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a failing contractor, and Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a successful entrepreneur, as their feud after a road rage incident unravels their relationships and lives in Southern California.

• The 10-episode series, which features Asian American lead actors but doesn't make race a focal point, is No. 1 on Netflix’s Top 10 list for TV shows in the U.S. It's No. 3 on Netflix’s Top 10 list for English TV shows overall, with over 34 million hours viewed. 

• Lovers of the show applaud it for its writing and its depiction of generational trauma and all-consuming rage. 

• Critics are calling the show one of the best they’ve seen and complimenting Yeun and Wong on their performances.

• The positive reactions were echoed on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, where audience members gave the series 92% and 8.4/10, respectively. 

🏆 On top…

• Cookbook author Grace Young for her Chinatown advocacy — Self proclaimed ‘Stir-fry Guru’ Grace Young was named one of USA Today’s Women of the Year, an award given to women by the outlet for their significant impact on their communities and the country.

• ‘38 at the Garden’ at the Sports Emmys — HBO Max Documentary “38 at the Garden” has received three nominations for the 44th annual Sports Emmy Awards.  

🍿 Cast list…

• …Chrissy Teigen, Ronny Chieng to star in new Netflix animated series ‘Mulligan’ — Created by Robert Carlock and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” writer and executive producer Sam Means, the show takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth following an alien invasion. Teigen will play Lucy Suwan, a woman who had a fling with Matty during the invasion. Chieng will voice Johnny Zhao, a billionaire from Hong Kong who endeavors to make money relevant again in a society that no longer sees its significance.

• …François Chau joins HBO Max series ‘The Penguin’ starring Colin Farrell — Chau, along with Carmen Ejogo and David H. Holmes, will join a star-studded cast that includes Colin Farrell, who is reprising his role from Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”

• …Chris Pang joins Hulu’s ‘Interior Chinatown’ series — “Crazy Rich Asians” star Chris Pang will play Older Brother, the charming and popular sibling of Willis Wu, Yang's character and the show's protagonist

📽️ Coming Soon

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

🏆 The Headlines

Harvard admits record number of Asian American students while Black and Latino admissions drop — Experts say Asian American admits’ uptick is a natural progression, but the drop in Black and Latino students concerns them.

• Harvard University admitted a record number of Asian American students to its class of 2027, a move experts are wary of celebrating given the drop in admissions of most other minority groups. It comes as the Supreme Court continues deliberations on a lawsuit brought against Harvard by a right-wing group that alleges race-conscious admissions discriminate against white and Asian students. 

• In a breakdown of the incoming class released by the university last week, Harvard revealed that 29.9% of admitted applicants are Asian American. It’s a 2.1% jump from last year’s number.

• “It’s been part of a long-term trend,” admissions Dean William R. Fitzsimmons told The Harvard Crimson. “The percentages have been going up steadily. It’s not a surprise.”

• There are a couple of possible reasons for this, said Julie Park, an associate professor at the University of Maryland who studies racial equity in high education. One could be an increase in Asian American legacy admits, which favors children of Harvard alumni in the admissions process. It also coincides with a population growth of Asian American young adults and high school graduates in the U.S. generally. 

• “Race-conscious admissions can be very dynamic and institution-specific,” she told NBC News. “Under race-conscious admissions, Harvard has a very sizable Asian American class. … It’s just a natural byproduct that you’re just going to numerically have at Harvard, unless they step away from legacy admissions, which I actually think they should.”

106-year-old Indigenous Filipino tattoo artist becomes Vogue cover model — Whang-Od plans to continue the tradition of hand-tapping tattoos for "as long as her eyes can see," she told Vogue Philippines.

• Vogue Philippines released its April issue on Friday and its newest cover model is an 106-year-old indigenous Kalinga woman, Apo Whang-Od, also known as Maria Oggay.

• Whang-Od, from the small mountain village of Buscalan in the Philippines, is considered the country’s oldest mambabatok (traditional tattooist). She has become famous for mastering a 1,000-year-old “batok” tattooing technique, which uses a traditional tapping method utilizing charcoal soot and a sharp stick. She began learning the traditional method from her father at 16 years old, the magazine reported. 

• “Apo Maria 'Whang-Od' Oggay symbolizes the strength and beauty of the Filipino spirit," Vogue Philippines wrote in a tweet. "Heralded as the last mambabatok of her generation, she has imprinted the symbols of the Kalinga tribe signifying strength, bravery & beauty on the skin."

Asian actors take on Barbie and Ken roles in first look at 'Barbie' movie — The film, which debuts July 21, will have a slew of Kens and Barbies in Greta Gerwig's interpretation of Barbie Land.

• Warner Bros. Pictures offered a first look at the star-studded cast of “Barbie,” including stars Simu Liu and Ritu Arya, in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie world — and fans are thrilled about the Asian representation.

• The photos and teaser trailer, which were released Tuesday, give a glimpse into an oversaturated and very pink Barbie Land, which features 11 different Barbies and five different Kens.

  The photos for the film, which debuts July 21, include other well-known stars like Ryan Gosling as Ken, Margot Robbie as Barbie, Will Farrell as Mattel’s CEO and singer Dua Lipa as another Barbie.

• The colorful portraits feature each character’s role in the film, most of which are individual roles as different Barbie and Ken characters. 

• Liu, seen in a green tank top, is “just another Ken,” according to his photo. Unlike the Ken dolls, which have little description, each Barbie is given an accomplishment. Arya, dressed in a signature Barbie pink dress holding a matching pink microphone, “has a Pulitzer Prize.”

🏆 On top…

• ‘Turning Red’ on streaming — 'Turning Red' was top streaming movie in both minority and white households in 2022, report finds

• A man’s proposal on TikTok — Man proposes to girlfriend using a personal version of ‘Everything Everywhere’ in viral TikTok

💨 In the works…

• …Emily Henry’s ‘Beach Read’ — Yulin Kuang has been tapped to adapt and direct Emily Henry’s popular novel Beach Read into a feature film for 20th Century Studios. Original Film is producing.

• …Chinese migrants coming to the U.S. — A growing number of Chinese immigrants are crossing into the U.S. without papers, often taking harrowing journeys through several countries and modes of transport and using social media as their guide. 

• …Arden Cho’s new role — The Teen Wolf alum has landed a starring role in audio rom-com series Imperfect Match, set to launch May 2. The project hails from entertainment company Meet Cute, which focuses on scripted romantic comedies in the audio format.

• …Chloé Zhao's next directorial project — After dominating the Oscars in 2021, Nomadland writer-director Chloé Zhao looks to be building out her future slate. Sources tell Deadline that she is set to direct an adaptation of Hamnet for Amblin Partners, Hera Pictures, Neal Street Productions and Book of Shadows. The film is based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, who will adapt the script with Zhao

⏸️ Taking a break…

• …Suni Lee — Sunisa 'Suni' Lee says she's stepping away from gymnastics due to a kidney issue

• …Priyanka Chopra Jonas — Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas revealed on a podcast that after years of working in Bollywood, she was no longer getting cast for roles which ultimately inspired her transition to Hollywood.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

🏆 The Headlines

After TikTok hearing, users declare their love for the platform — and the CEO — TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew thanked users for their support of the platform on Friday morning.

• After TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled by the House Energy and Commerce Committee last Thursday, the platform's users shared their support the way they know best — through thirsty fan edits.

• Several representatives brought up complaints from their constituents bemoaning TikTok’s negative influence, but Chew insisted most users have positive experiences on the app. Users made videos affirming this and criticizing lawmakers for their lack of tech literacy and unfair questioning.

• Some took their love a step further by creating fan edits of the CEO, perhaps one of the highest forms of acknowledgement among TikTok users. They paired the videos with captions praising his testimony.

• "Can we talk about how hard he is working for us to prevent the ban," read the caption of one popular edit with 1.3 million views.

• In a TikTok posted Friday morning, Chew thanked users for their support and reiterated the app's commitment to protecting the 150 million Americans that use the platform. He doubled down on TikTok's efforts protecting teens, storing American data on U.S. soil, maintaining freedom of expression on the platform and using third-parties to ensure transparency.

From 20 dollars in his pocket to a dumpling empire: Din Tai Fung founder dies, age 96 — The founder of one of the world’s biggest dumpling empires has died.

• Yang Bing-yi, who set up the Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung, “passed away peacefully” at the age of 96, the company said in a statement Saturday.

• It did not mention the cause of death but said that private funeral arrangements were underway and that the family has asked for privacy.

• Born in 1927 in China’s northern Shanxi province, Yang immigrated to Taiwan when he was 20 “with 20 dollars in his pocket,” the company said.

• He opened a small shop in Taiwan’s capital Taipei with his wife, naming it Din Tai Fung and selling cooking oil and Xiao Long Bao, steamed Chinese soup dumplings often made with pork.

• The business took off and the restaurant became synonymous with dumplings as well as dishes like steamed buns, egg fried rice and noodles.

• It expanded into a franchise, with outlets in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Singapore.

• Further recognition followed – it was awarded its first Michelin star in 2009 and listed as one of the “world’s best travel franchises” on a CNN Travel list in 2014.

John Wick: Chapter 4 Obliterates Box-Office Enemies — The action flick’s fourth entry topped the weekend box office with a massive domestic opening, raking in $73.5 million from 3,855 theaters.

• Keanu Reeves slayed in John Wick: Chapter 4 … and in the weekend box office. The action flick’s fourth entry topped the weekend box office with a massive domestic opening, raking in $73.5 million from 3,855 theaters off the backs of stellar critical reception and audience goodwill, per Hollywood Reporter.

• Global audiences were no different — the Lionsgate film racked in a whopping $64 million from 71 markets and reached No. 1 in every international market for a total haul of $137.5 million in its debut weekend.

• John Wick: Chapter 4 also bested its own kin: The latest film’s box-office opening set a series record for the highest weekend gross yet, beating out John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum’s $56.8 million opening.

• It’s the biggest Lionsgate opening since the pandemic and one of few franchise films to set a series box-office record with its fourth installment.

👎 Not a fan of…

• …the South Carolina bill banning Chinese citizens from buying land — The bill is expected to impact Chinese-owned companies and individuals looking to purchase over five acres of land

• …Quentin Tarantino’s ‘cartoonish’ Bruce Lee — In a recent interview, Donnie Yen criticized Quentin Tarantino for his depiction of the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee in his 2019 movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

• …internet shutdowns in India — Protests have emerged in major cities like Los Angeles and New York in response to the Indian police search for Sikh activist Amritpal Singh. The demonstrations echo civil unrest in the Punjab state of India, where protests in several Punjab cities, including Ajnala and Mohali, began Sunday and led the government to shut down internet access for 27 million people there. 

🛫 Traveling to…

• …Thailand — After months of rumors and speculation, it has finally been confirmed that “The White Lotus” Season 3 will be set in Thailand.

• …Philipinnes — Vanessa Hudgens, the Asian American actor whose career kicked off in Disney’s “High School Musical” series, is set to shoot a travel documentary in the Philippines, the country of her mother’s birth.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth

While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.

🏆 The Headlines

Is the umbrella term ‘Asian American’ even accurate anymore? — Though a common identity has helped build political power over decades, the term “Asian American” is burying subgroups. It’s time, advocates say, to rethink how its used.

• In an era defined by pandemic, violence and growing inequality, the stark differences between Asian American communities have never been more clear. “Asian American” represents dozens of ethnic groups, nationalities, languages and religions; the community’s wealth gap is now the largest in the country. Community leaders agree: Aggregate data isn’t working in everyone’s favor anymore. 

• Though a common identity has helped build political coalition and power over time, the term “Asian American” is burying subgroups. It’s time, advocates say, to break the data down.

• According to federal data, an Asian American has a median household income of $86,000 a year. They likely speak English and, if they’re an immigrant, their journey to the U.S. was probably the result of a skill-based visa. With a college education, they now work in a white-collar job.

• It’s a picture that obscures deeper truths about the 18.5 million people who share the umbrella term. Over the last few years, that image has begun to fall away. 

• It coincides with the community asking itself central questions: What does “Asian American” even mean anymore? Do Indian Americans, who earn a $119,000 median household income, belong in the same statistical category as Burmese Americans, who earn $44,000? Does a first-generation Bangladeshi family have anything in common with a fifth-generation Japanese one?

California could become the 1st state to ban caste discrimination — In what could be a watershed moment in the caste equity movement, a state Senate bill aims to clarify discrimination laws to explicitly protect caste.

• A bill introduced Wednesday in the California Senate could be a historic win in the fight against caste discrimination in the U.S. If it is signed into law, it would make the state the first to explicitly name caste as a protected category. 

• State Sen. Aisha Wahab, who represents Fremont, San Jose and other South Asian American hubs in Northern California, said she has been aware of casteism’s negative impact for much of her life. The caste system has dominated in South Asia for centuries, stratifying society into immovable social classes that affect work, marriage and daily life. 

• Although discrimination based on caste is now illegal in India, it’s still present in the lives of Dalits, those born at the bottom of the caste hierarchy. And as Indians have settled in other parts of the world, the caste system has followed them. 

  “The more diverse California becomes and the United States becomes, we need to protect more people in the way the American dream was originally supposed to,” Wahab said. “Our laws need to expand and cover more people and go deeper.”

• With stories of pervasive caste discrimination coming out of places like Silicon Valley, Wahab said a bill like the new measure would ensure companies take accountability for how Dalit employees are treated. It would carve out a path to prevent issues like wage theft, social exclusion and harassment in the office, she said.

Asian Americans most likely to join employee diversity groups but don't feel supported, report says — “The pattern they see is regardless of whether they’re involved in these ERGs, they’re not seeing much in the way of progress,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder of AAPI Data.

• Research recently released by AAPI Data and polling firm Momentive revealed that despite their particularly high levels of participation in employee-led resource groups (ERGs) — twice the rate of workers overall — Asian Americans continue to feel left out of corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 

• The study, which examined diversity across American life, found that Asian Americans participate in employee-led groups at 16%, far exceeding the 8% of workers overall. While more than half were motivated to do so to connect with others, 44%, said they were driven by professional growth opportunities and 39% cited the opportunity to raise awareness and inclusivity within their organization. 

• Still, almost one-quarter of Asian American workers reported feeling excluded from discussions about diversity and inclusion at their workplace. These feelings of inadequate support are also seen in discussions of leadership roles, as roughly only one-quarter said they have seen themselves represented in leadership positions at the workplace, a lower proportion than any other race. A similar percentage of Asian Americans surveyed reported feeling supported to take on leadership opportunities.

• While ERGs most often exist to foster a sense of belonging and connection in the workplace, they can also help build momentum toward leadership and offer mentorship opportunities. But this doesn’t always translate for Asian Americans, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder of AAPI Data. 

👯‍♀️ Group project…

• …ft ‘The Hangover’ for Asians — ‘Joy Ride’ promises misadventure and scandal and features Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park, Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu.

• …ft an Oscar nominee and more of your favorites — Oscar nominee Dolly De Leon joins Simu Liu, Awkwafina, John Cena in ‘Grand Death Lotto.’

• …ft Mandopop — Mirror, a Mandopop boy band featuring 12 members, who are wildly popular in the Chinese territory they call home, are trying to expand globally with their first English-language song.

🩺 Health check…

• …ft East Asians & their lower alcohol tolerances — East Asians are more likely to develop stomach cancer because of a lower alcohol tolerance, new study says.

• …ft Mindy Kaling — After a sea of vitriolic comments on Kaling’s weight flooded Twitter post-Oscars, experts caution that no one person should be expected to be the beacon of body positivity. Especially if they never asked to be.

📽️ What We’re Watching

✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth