Stand with Asian Americans

The Indian American voice is poised to take center stage in the November elections. First, they had Indian American candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy. Then came five Indian Americans in Congress and nearly 40 in state legislatures—the highest number of any Asian group. And now, the rise of VP Kamala Harris—the first Asian American and Black woman to lead a major party ticket—and Usha Vance—potentially the first Hindu Indian American second lady—sends the message that the fastest growing #AsianAmerican group from a single origin is not to be trifled with. And it’s a rise that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Already at risk of facing similar attacks as Biden on policies, VP Harris’ race and gender add new dimensions to the verbal assaults. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn has already called her the “DEI vice president.” Sebastian Gorka, formerly of the Trump administration, said VP Harris would be nominated not because of her tested political career, but “because she’s female and her skin color is the correct DEI color.” The far-right also didn’t spare Usha and her family on social media, criticizing Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, for marrying a non-white and expressing concerns over the rise of Indian immigrants. Some have even mocked the names of their children. Stop AAPI Hate has condemned these attacks, saying, "In the midst of an inflamed political climate, we continue to see the targeting of South Asians across parties, including ongoing questioning of VP Kamala Harris' electability." Nonetheless, the Indian American community is celebrating the potential of seeing #representation in such high seats of power, though some emphasize it is going to come down to the policies and where a candidate stands on important issues, such as immigration, climate change and health care. Many, remain concerned over the anti-immigrant and anti-Asian rhetoric coming from the Republican party, some accusing the GOP of tokenism and using Usha, among them, Indian American Activist and Writer Deepa Iyer. “We need people of color and immigrants who are going to uplift policies that are going to be inclusive and equitable … Rather than policies and platforms that are going to divide and polarize people. So, the representation does not mean anything for communities that are going to be affected by these really polarizing policies.” #RepresentationMatters #FightAsianHate #StandwithAsianAmericans Read more: https://ow.ly/M9AO50SKrca https://ow.ly/NtPz50SKrc8 https://ow.ly/WZW450SKrcb https://ow.ly/VVvZ50SKrc7 https://ow.ly/9h8u50SKrc9 Sources: The New York Times AP News AsAmNews ABC 7 Chicago NBC News

The Asian Joy project in North Carolina reveals a new mural at the Raleigh Union Station to celebrate the #AsianAmerican and Southerner identities. “We were looking really at these central Asian American hubs around the country, like Chinatowns or Little Saigons in New York or the West Coast,” Isabel Lu, Asian Joy co-lead, said. “And in North Carolina, we don’t really have those dedicated physical community spaces where we can see our own community members reflected back at us.” Asian American North Carolinians make up just 4 percent of the state’s population, mostly concentrated in the Triangle and Charlotte areas, but they’ve emerged as the fastest-growing racial group in the state. The oral history and community-driven mural project led by Isabel, Ina Liu and Sophie To came together to use art to build not only space for the growing community, but also to bring joy in the face of the decades-old racialized violence and hate the community has been subjected to. They named the mural after the Ten of Cups tarot card, which represents harmony, peace and emotional fulfillment, a nod to the feature filled with multiple figures among flowers enjoying art, food and rest, and a reflection of the calmness, belonging and joy the project brought the team. Sophie explained, “We wanted to pivot from the trauma and trauma narratives to those that celebrate – there’s also joy and hope and collective care that’s happening in our communities.” The project also includes “narrators” and a series of oral histories, from a performance artist to a poet, dancer, software engineer and a general manager of an Asian restaurant. “The thing we found to be really pivotal was our Asianness is not just our Asianness, but a convergence of all these other identities,” Liu noted. “That was, for me, very beautiful — that we are all able to find belonging despite that Asian Americans here aren’t as concentrated compared to metropolitan cities.” A convergence of lived experiences bigger than just the ghosts of our collective pain, diverse and beautiful like the community, the mural reminds us that the Asian American identity isn’t singular: it is a range of colors, shapes, professions, salaries, genders, sexualities and cultures. “It’s not all like, ‘Oh the South sucks and it’s racist to us,” Sophie commented. “Throughout our stories, it’s so much more than that. They gave a more nuanced picture of what it means to be a Southerner and also Asian American.” #NotYourModelMinority #FightAsianHate #StandwithAsianAmericans Read more: https://ow.ly/zKBL50SLpn9 Learn more about the Asian Joy project: https://ow.ly/yx3o50SLpn8 Source: North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors votes to add an amendment to the County Charter to the November ballot that could bring better representation to Asian Los Angelenos. From Congress members Judy Chu to Ted Liu, key Asian American leaders in the county have vocalized their support for a proposed expansion of the five-seat board to nine, arguing it would create more #representation and #diversity. The amendment would also make the county CEO an elected position. The plan was initially proposed by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn. The Board gave its initial approval in a 3-2 vote on July 23rd and gave its final vote to add the amendment to the November ballot on July 30th. The decision now lies in the hands of the voters on November 5th. If vote through, the expansion would take place in 2030. Despite making up 15% of the county (or accounting for about 1.5 million), no #AsianAmerican has served on the Board since its creation in 1912. “And that is injustice,” Monterey Park Democrat Chu said. “For far too long, the [Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander] community has been marginalized." Alhambra council member Jeff Maloney said the community has been longing for adequate representation in government, and that the expansion could create a meaningful opportunity at self-representation. It is a change of historic proportions, a major decision that some supervisors argued was too rushed. "Something this significant and historic shouldn't be entered with the comment 'It's not perfect.' We have an obligation to our voters to make sure when we do this, we do it right, "Supervisor Kathryn Barger argued. But according to Supervisor Hahn, the idea has already been discussed several times in the past, her late father former Supervisor Kenneth Hahn wanting the expansion back in 1972. She also noted that having massive districts has shortchanged the Asian American community. The expansion could lead to an Asian American-majority district. “We want to make sure that more voices are in our boardroom when we are deciding how to tackle the biggest challenges we face as a county … The AAPI community deserves a seat at that table.” #RepresentationMatters #StandwithAsianAmericans Read more: https://ow.ly/VCCf50SNPmQ https://ow.ly/8UA950SNPmM. https://ow.ly/S2E550SNPmN Sources: KNX News 97.1 FM LAist ABC7 Los Angeles

Repost Asians with Attitude (IG @asianswithattitude), Asians Get Active (IG @asiansgetactive, CeFaan Kim (IG @cefaan) . . . CHINATOWN, Manhattan (WABC) — The man who brutally killed a woman in Chinatown two years ago was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years to life in prison. In June, Assamad Nash, 27, pleaded guilty to murder and burglary charges in the fatal stabbing of Christina Yuna Lee back in 2022. Nash admitted to stalking 35-year-old Lee and following her into her Chinatown apartment where police say he stabbed her more than 40 times. The judge noted the “tremendous turnout” in court as she delivered the sentence and noted the defendant has serious mental issues and is a danger to society. On Feb. 13, 2022 just before 4:30 a.m., Nash followed Lee as she entered her apartment building near Grand and Chrystie streets and climbed six flights of stairs. When she walked into her apartment, Nash ran up behind her, pushed his way inside and tried to s*xually assault her. Neighbors called 911 after hearing Lee screaming for help but police couldn’t get inside. When officers eventually broke down the door, they found Nash hiding under a mattress and Lee with at least 40 stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The ADA noted that the heinous murder happened at a time when attacks against Asians were on the rise coming out the pandemic, striking fear into the community. This crime was not prosecuted as a hate crime. Lee’s father, Sungkon Lee, sobbed as he delivered his impact statement and said their family will continue to live in unbearable pain and asked for the maximum sentence. “Why did God do such terrible things to our family?” he said. Outside the courthouse he blamed bail reform laws for failing his daughter and the NYPD. Though the killer now sits in prison, we recognize the pain of the loss never goes away. #StandwithAsiansAmericans, who attended the sentencing, continues to stand with Christina and her family. Watch the press conference: https://ow.ly/oX3z50SNPIM #alwayswithus #standtogether

(Amended 7/25/2024) Microsoft cuts two of its DEI roles on its events team because they are “no longer business critical.” The news follows a story published by Business Insider on July 15, 2024, which reported “Microsoft laid off a DEI team,” though they noted the exact number of people affected was not yet known. But since, Microsoft has responded clarifying that they eliminated two diversity and inclusion roles on its events team. The roles were then duplicated on the main GTDDI team, which was not reported to the core D&I group. The cuts are among a series of job cuts the tech giant has made since the end of its fiscal year. Read more: https://lnkd.in/efwGyv8v In 2020, following the historic aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, Microsoft joined a number of technology companies in committing to improving their efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion within their companies. But since, companies such as Zoom, Google, Meta and others have since cut their DEI programs. "True systems-change work associated with DEI programs everywhere are no longer business critical or smart as they were in 2020," a team leader wrote in the email announcing the layoff of the internal team, noting “changing business needs” is what led to the decision. The news has since drawn criticism with one leader criticizing the company for not adequately funding these efforts. Company spokesperson Jeff Jones defended the decision, saying, “[Microsoft’s] … D&I commitments remain unchanged. Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering and we are holding firm on our expectations, prioritizing accountability, and continuing to focus on this work.” The company also pledged back in 2020 that they would double the number of Black leaders at the company by 2025. It is unclear whether they’ve made progress. Read more: https://ow.ly/OpVU50SEOS7 #RepresentationMatters #WorkplaceJustice #FightDiscrimination Source: Business Insider

A former University of Kansas professor wins appeal in court overturning a conviction that alleged he had engaged in espionage. Dr. Feng “Franklin” Tao was among two dozen professors charged with espionage in a Trump-era probe (known as the China Initiative) which sought to root out Chinese influence. Attorney Peter Zeidenberg described Dr. Tao’s prosecution as being without merit, a costly misguided accusation that ultimately led to Tao being fired and his family nearly bankrupted. Dr. Tao was indicted in 2019 when prosecution alleged the professor failed disclose on a form his affiliation with Fuzhou University in China. He was convicted by jury in April 2022 of four of the eight counts against him, but the three wire fraud convictions were later overturned due to insufficient evidence. On a 2-1 vote, the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the remaining conviction. In a statement by U.S. Circuit Judge Nancy Moritz, she wrote that prosecution failed to provide evidence that Tao’s failed disclosure was material, arguing that because there was no proposal from the professor being considered at the time, Dr. Tao’s statement could not have influenced funding decisions. Read more: https://ow.ly/Reai50SENCM #FightAsianHate #StandwithAsianAmericans Source: Reuters

The EEOC sues HCA Healthcare for retaliation and #workplacediscrimination based on race and age. The Commission claims a former #AsianAmerican employee of the for-profit graduate-level health education provider was denied a promotion in favor of a younger, underqualified white candidate. HCA argues that the claimant failed to meet the position's minimum requirements. The EEOC says the claimant did meet said requirements. When the former employee stood up to the perceived discrimination in a complaint to his employer, he says they retaliated by berating him, writing him up and ultimately, by firing him. The EEOC initially tried to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process, but the parties failed to do so. The Commission filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, claiming HCA’s actions violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race and age-based discrimination and retaliation against employees who claim discrimination has occurred. They are seeking injunctive relief to prohibit further acts of discrimination as well as compensation. Read more: https://ow.ly/lU1s50SENoM If you have ever experienced discrimination in your workplace, or know someone who has, please don’t say silent: https://ow.ly/VSrF50SENoL. #FightAsianHate #FightWorkplaceDisrimination #StandUp #SpeakUp #StandwithAsianAmericans Source: EEOC

The FBI quietly released a 602-page file on Vincent Chin, whose hate-fueled death continues to ignite the Asian American movement. “Forty-two years ago, Vincent Chin was beaten to death in the heart of my district," said U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit. "With violence against the (Asian American) community reaching all-time highs, Vincent's murder is a reminder of the work we still have to do to make sure all Americans feel safe in their own skin." Those involved with the case for decades said they were not made aware of the file’s release. Detroit FBI Spokesperson Jade Carter said the file was released into the Vault, the FBI’s Freedom of Information Act library. The file includes FBI memos, letters, interviews, notes, newspaper clippings and witness reports detailing the Vincent Chin case. The 27-year-old Oaks Park draftsman was celebrating what should have been one of the best nights of his life—his bachelor’s party at the Fancy Pants Lounge in Highland Park, Michigan. That is when Ronald Madis Ebens and stepson Michael Nitz started a scuffle with Vincent which ended on Woodward Avenue, where Vincent was held down and his head cracked by a Louisville Slugger. Eyewitnesses testified hearing #antiAsian remarks at the club, that Vincent was called a “chink” and a “nip,” an anti-Japanese slur. A dancer said she heard Ebens say, “Because of you, you little (expletive), we’re out of work.” Another witness reported that Ebens asked him for help, “I’ll give you $20 if you help us catch the Chinaman.” At the scene of Vincent’s murder, an EMS/firefighter told FBI that Ebens said, "That's right, I did it. If I had it my way, you would be there too,” pointing to Vincent’s friend Jimmy Choi. According to Jimmy, Vincent’s final words were, “It isn’t fair.” Asian American activists were outraged over how the case was handled. John Thompson, assistant United States attorney for the eastern district of Michigan, concluded on June 16, 1983, that there wasn’t enough evidence for a civil rights case. However, Justice Department Attorney Ronald Kennelly requested further investigation weeks later, reopening the case. Nitz would later be acquitted and Ebens was found guilty of one civil rights charge, but he was later released on bond and eventually acquitted in a 1987 retrial. The file also shows how the Vincent Chin case made waves across racial and ethnic lines. Included was an FBI interview with two off-duty Black Highland Park police officers who intervened. FBI notes also describe a Black woman who said “… From Chin's actions, constantly looking around, she felt that he was being chased by the two white males (she had seen) in the Fancy Pants parking lounge," prompting her to warn Vincent. #StandwithVincentChin #AlwayswithUs #FightAsianHate #StandwithAsianAmericans Read more: https://ow.ly/bHf950SEMbf Source: Detroit Free Press

Please join KALAGNY on LinkedIn and the Asian American Bar Association of New York on July 30th at the New York Supreme Court for the sentencing of Assamad Nash, who pleaded guilty to murdering #ChristinaYunaLee. Please RSVP by scanning the QR code in the flyer. If you cannot attend, please repost and share with others. #stopasianhate #fightasianhate #standwithasianamericans

Standard General Founder Soo Kim is suing the FCC claiming that they derailed an $8.6 billion purchase of Tegna, Inc. because he wasn't the “right type of minority.” "I am suing the FCC because they need to be held accountable for racially discriminating against me. The disparate and unfair treatment in my case is undeniable and unnecessarily divisive. Every person appearing before the FCC deserves to be treated equitably.” In 2022 Standard General won a public bid to buy Tegna, which owns over 60 televisions stations. Soo said the “transaction was poised to be a historic leap forward for both minority ownership and female leadership of broadcast stations,” with Standard General ready to hire a female chief executive. The purchase would have also offered Tegna shareholders $24-per-share-premium, after having traded as low as $10 per share. However, the FCC nixed the deal in favor of Black media tycoon Byron Allen, who Soo says is unfairly favored by the FCC, which has called advancing equity a core of their policymaking processes. "The FCC killed the deal … motivated by the belief that Mr. Allen’s black-owned company deserved greater solicitude than Mr. Kim’s Asian American-owned company," the filed complaint said, claiming the FCC’s diversity policies excluded Asians, using Soo’s race against him “with pernicious stereotypes.” Soo also claims those who objected parroted Byron’s publicized views that #AsianAmerican diversity was sham diversity. In killing the deal, Soo said, the FCC cost Standard General a loss of $85 million based on its 10.6 million shares owned. "The FCC chairwoman and her personal staffer blocked the deal at the behest of Mr. Allen, who used business allies and six-figure political donations to destroy Mr. Kim’s chances of acquiring TEGNA – to the tune of over $200 million in losses to Standard General and Mr. Kim and nearly $2 billion in losses to TEGNA shareholders." #RepresentationMatters #AsianRepresentationMatters Source: Fox Business Network Read more: https://lnkd.in/gvD-B9N5