44% of Americans can’t name a famous living Asian American
44% of Americans can’t name a famous living Asian American
Barbie introduces Anna May Wong doll
“Asian Americans recorded the fastest population growth rate among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, study finds.”
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