Some Asian Americans say affirmative action ruling used the group as ‘pawns’
Some Asian Americans say affirmative action ruling used the group as ‘pawns’
NYC makes Diwali an official school holiday, but there’s a catch this year
“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
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