Damn I'm A Shitty Blogger This Month (AKA So Here's Some News)

Monday, March 18, 2019

Well, since I haven't been blogging much this month--can I blame that on fake news and Trump?--instead I give you the news of people better than me.

Reappropriate - Oakland Unified School District Votes to Cut Program Serving Asian American and Pacific Islander Students

With reporting from Reappropriate intern V. Huynh.

“Today is a historic day in the city of Oakland where teachers, educators are united with parents, students, and we are demanding that we have schools that our students deserve here in the city of Oakland,” said Keith Brown, President of the Oakland Education Association last month at a gathering of over 3,000 educators, students, and parents at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland. The activists represented over 87 schools in the Oakland United School District (OUSD), and later marched to OUSD headquarters chanting phrases like “Education Not Incorporation” and “Invest in Equity”.

The educators were marching to demand better wages, better support for students, and the better allocation of educational resources to schools who share histories of disproportionate funding and attention. Pithily put: This one’s about the kids.
National Review - Wesley Yang’s Asian-American Experience
Yang’s The Souls of Yellow Folk articulates the struggles of a ‘model minority.’

The word “coolie” comes to us from a Chinese term for “bitter labor,” and in Park Avenue law firms to this day there is an assumption that the heirs of these immigrants are the ones to be given the grunt work. White people in the same firms, says law professor and writer Tim Wu, manage to float above that, to seem like officers rather than cannon fodder, managers rather than minions. Guess who gets promoted to partner and who doesn’t? “The loudest duck gets shot,” is a Chinese proverb. “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down” is a Japanese analogue. In English, we say, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
As the Harvard Admissions Case Nears a Decision, Hear From 2 Asian-American Students on Opposite Sides
Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a group led by conservative anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, has alleged that Harvard discriminates against Asian-American students by holding them to a higher standard than other racial groups. SFFA lawyers have focused on a statistical analysis showing that Asian-American applicants on average were given a lower “personal rating” by Harvard’s admissions office than applicants of other races. Harvard has said that analysis is flawed and has denied it discriminates, arguing that race-conscious admissions policies are necessary to maintain a diverse student body.
8 Badass Asian-Americans We Can't Overlook This Women's History Month
Not only do Asian-American women have to contend with the glass ceiling, but we also have to worry about the “bamboo ceiling”: an invisible barrier that systematically keeps Asians out of leadership positions in spite of success in the workplace and in school. Below ― to mark Women’s History Month ― we give props to eight Asian-American pioneers who became heroines in their respective fields. This is by no means a comprehensive list, so feel free to share who would have made your list in the comments.
Head of Warner Bros. Resigns Over Alleged Quid-Pro-Quo Relationship With Actress
On Monday, Warner Bros. announced that chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara, the first Asian American man to run a major Hollywood Studio, had resigned amidst an investigation into alleged misconduct. The news follows a report in the Hollywood Reporter last week featuring leaked text messages dating back to 2013, allegedly sent between Tsujihara and actress Charlotte Kirk. The messages seem to show Tsujihara offering to help with her career while the two had a sexual relationship.
GenAPA hosts cultural show ‘Technicolor: Vivid Past. Vibrant Future.
On Friday night, about 200 University of Michigan students, families and alums lined the halls of the Michigan League eager to enter the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre for the annual Generation Asian/Pacific American’s cultural performance. The event, advertised to be the largest Pan-Asian cultural show in the Midwest, has been a tradition of GenAPA since the group’s founding in 1995.