From the Asian American Action Fund
| |
|
Asian American Action Fund + Representative Derek Tran
Tuesday, June 03, 20252025 JACL National Convention
Tuesday, June 03, 2025
From Huy Quoc Phan To Tuan Thanh Phan: It's Just A Collective WTF To The Trump Administration
Tuesday, June 03, 2025
Huy Quoc Phan and his family (via Amy Phan via USA Today)
Nothing this administration does surprises me anymore.
I mean, just absolutely nothing.
Even forgetting about what the U.S. did in Vietnam and the pact it had with Vietnamese refugees like Huy Quoc Phan:
"For decades, both the Republican and Democratic administrations protected Vietnamese refugees such as Phan from deportation, citing their specific status as war and displacement survivors. This protection was given to approximately 8,600 Vietnamese who arrived prior to 1995, when the U.S. and Vietnam normalized relations. Vietnam did not take back deportees from this group, and the Biden administration effectively ended such removals.
But President Trump's second year in office has seen a dramatic reversal. The government has redoubled efforts to deport criminal immigrants, even long-standing favorites. "With President Trump and (DHS Secretary Kristi) Noem at the helm, ICE is continuing to safeguard Americans by arresting and removing criminal aliens," replied Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security."Huy Quoc Phan served his time for the crime he committed. At 17, he rightfully spent the next 15 years behind bars for the robbery he was involved in that left a shopkeeper dead.
He did his time.
And now he spends more time, doing time in a Louisiana detention center, because the Trump administration is rolling back all the safeguards for refugees.
"We feel we got abandoned again," Quyen Mai, executive director of the Vietnamese American Organization, stated. Legal scholars and historians insist that the U.S. government committed to safeguarding refugees such as Phan, who now stand to be returned to a land they hardly know, with few resources and extreme uncertainty."
It's despicable.
But sadly not surprising for this administration.
And They're Getting Deported To...South Sudan?
In the case of Tuan Thanh Phan (pictured left), he was ready to be deported.
He knew he was going to be deported.
And he already did his time of 25 years.
But he thought it would be back to Vietnam.
Not the South Sudan.
It's inhumane (via NPR):
"Is it okay for the government then to turn around and destroy their lives and the lives of their families, just because those individuals at one time committed a crime for which they've already been convicted, they've already served their sentence?" said Matt Adams, the legal director at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, one of the groups suing the administration over the flight to South Sudan and deportations to other so-called third countries.
"It's just a complete renunciation of our justice system," he said.
Greg Chen, senior director of government relations for the American immigration Lawyers Association, said the difference from prior administrations includes the kinds of countries this White House is negotiating with.
"The principle in law is that it needs to be a safe country for that person to be removed there," said Chen, whose nonpartisan organization represents immigration attorneys and law students.
The State Department gives the South Sudan a clear "Level 4: Do Not Travel".
Really?
So while the US has fought against corruption and regimes around the world--touting itself as more humane--this is what we do now?
We can't even deport people to somewhere at least semi-decent?
We don't give them any due process even though it is court ordered?
And So They Wait
So Huy Quoc is doing more time away from his wife and children and Tuan Thanh is--well who the hell knows where he's at now?
Where is due process?
Where is humanity?
And will we ever get it back? Will other countries and communities ever look at the US the same again?
I can't say nor can I say what will happen in the end.
But I do think, at the very least, we know who the real monsters are and where they can take us, and that it's not making American great in any way shape or form.
Ryan Coogler, Sinners, Grace, And That Moment
Tuesday, June 03, 2025There's been a lot of talk about Sinners - an awesome movie - and the character Grace (as well as the Asian American representation). Here's a clip with Coogler himself talking about Grace and "that moment" (spoilers).
Here is Ryan Coogler himself telling y’all not to misinterpret *that* moment with Grace https://t.co/tJrxxiUCiH pic.twitter.com/zFfyPR17iF
— Kar (@karlogan_) April 30, 2025
First, let's just make sure everyone heard that--the intentions and the reasoning behind what Grace did.
Second, let's just take a moment to listen to it again.
I feel like that should shed A LOT of light on the decision--and it did help move the plot along--but ultimately Grace didn't get anything she really wanted from this--she died.
She died killing her handsome as hell husband Bo.
She was a mom, and when I think about it, I don't think anyone else there had living children--and she did what she did because of the moment, because it was that maternal instinct.
From the interview I think Coogler really wanted to show some of the history of Chinese Americans down south which is emblematic in many ways of the roles Asian American played--that middle ground between races at times--and then make Grace a complex character within an already complex set of characters--because they were all, like the title says, Sinners.
Far from perfect and making the right decisions.
That All Being Said...
I do think it's fair to question the fact of having an Asian American character looking to break trust in the community of POC at the juke joint. No matter what the intent, the outcome and the action does get to be discussed, and from an Asian American perspective, I will understand if someone who's from the AAPI community didn't like Grace's representation.
As Asian Americans who still do not get the parity that exists for others in areas like film and entertainment, we do get that right and that voice.
And in Sinners, Asian Americans were looked at just like the Black community from a vampire's perspective--blood and life.
In some ways too it's contrary to a lot of things from a communal perspective--sacrifice for the community and family. Sometimes we have to let people go or leave them behind so some people can stay alive and keep on living. Just think about the decisions on who had to be taken and who had to be left behind during the war in Vietnam.
You do the hard things so community can live on.
I will say for me, I understand the character of Grace though doing what she did, because there may be no community for her in the sense of her family dying or possibly begin murdered.
She was in a no-win situation and while she was being comforted and told by the others they will all help make sure her daughter is safe--it was still after the night.
She had no guarantees.
What would you do?
So then...
As I write this I do think it would have been great if someone like an Annie or maybe Pearline, would have coalesced with Grace in solidarity as a woman or mother and would have said the magic words to start the fight right before Grace was about to and then they locked eyes.
To me it would have handled this situation from that perspective.
But I do believe we get to be complex. We get to be any characters we want to be,
Or at least we should.
But I also know nothing exists inside an Ivory Tower, and the fact that some of this dialogue is happening tells us how far we still need to go.
I also believe that there is some underlying racism when it comes to Grace's character and how it's being used as a talking point to stereotype and "other" Asian Americans as being the "model minority", sell-outs, allies to Whites Only, or just plain prejudiced against the Black community.
It tells you how we're still looked at in some ways.
-----
No matter what I said here or what you may think of what I said here--go see Sinners.
And stay till the very very very last end.
Sarah Teng And Photographing Iraq
Tuesday, June 03, 2025
/ sarah.teng ) spent nine days in Iraq, immersed in the culture with camera in hand.
When she mentioned to friends and family that she was heading to Iraq, the reactions were a mix of surprise and concern. Questions like, “Is it safe?” and “Why Iraq?” were common. But as a photographer driven by curiosity and a desire to capture unique experiences, Sarah saw Iraq as an opportunity to explore a land rich in history, culture, and resilience.
It did not disappoint.
Read the full article (including gear list): https://petapixel.com/2025/05/19/phot...George Floyd, AANHPI Heritage Month, Self Care (For You Activists), And Being Salty
Tuesday, June 03, 2025I'll be honest in saying that I just needed to stay away from the blog and not do anything "normal" last month for some of the normal things that I would typically normally do.
NEA Cuts + Help Out Theater Mu
Friday, May 09, 2025
We know what the current administration is up to these days--trying to bring down communities of color, immigrants, Diversity Equity And Inclusion--and in doing so, has cut many grants and funds that would go to programs and organizations which are all about DEI and helping to make safe spaces and platforms for marginalized voices to be heard.
One of those is Theater Mu in the Twin Cities which was founded in 1992 by Dong-il Lee, Rick Shiomi, Martha B. Johnson, and Diane Espaldon as an arts organization dedicated to bringing Asian American voices to the Twin Cities theater community. It is now one of the largest Asian American theater companies in the U.S. and is the largest in the Midwest.
Here is their statement on losing their NEA grant for their show Fifty Boxes of Earth:
"On Friday evening, May 2, Theater Mu received notice that its $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant for Fifty Boxes of Earth, which had its world premiere in March, was terminated because our production fell outside of "projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the president."
Minnesota's Asian American is unique to the US. We are 56% SE Asian, the majority of whom came to the US after as a result of the wars in SE Asia 50 years ago. Over 54% of our Asian American community identifies as immigrant or refugees. To leave out these stories is to leave out a rich and vital part of what makes our Minnesota so special.
No matter the funding or political landscape, Theater Mu will not censor itself, nor will we change our mission of creating great performances born of arts, equity, and justice from the heart of the Asian American experience.
Ankita Raturi’s Fifty Boxes of Earth wove theater, puppetry, and choreography together; challenged xenophobia and transphobia; and centered love and hope. This is the type of art we will continue to uphold and produce.
After Theater Mu’s $20,000 NEA grant was revoked, our partners at the Venturous Theater Fund, a fund of Tides Foundation, graciously stepped up with an additional $15,000 grant.
With your help, we can recover the final $5,000. Will you be the one to help us reach our goal"
Read it in full and donate here: https://www.theatermu.org/news/2025/5/05/response-to-nea#gsc.tab=0
Bustle x MAYBELLINE = 40 Asian Pacific Trailblazers AKA Face the Difference
Tuesday, May 06, 2025
Inspired by the 40 shades of Maybelline’s Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation, the shoot turned shade diversity into something deeper: a storytelling canvas. These 40 trailblazers didn’t show up to blend in. They came to show how their differences became their superpower. The portraits, layered with mirrored reflections and prismatic light, are more than visually striking — they’re symbols of nonlinear journeys, of strength shaped by nuance, identity, and pride. Because beauty doesn’t happen in spite of difference — it happens because of it. Each of these changemakers invites you into the distinct world they’ve created, where being seen is just the beginning."
--Read More at: https://www.bustle.com/beauty/face-the-difference-celebrating-asian-pacific-beauty
Jennie and Lisa + Met Gala 2025
Monday, May 05, 2025Yes, I know, there are other things to be blogging about, especially since I have not been keeping up to my part of the bargain from a blogging perspective, but all that being said...everyone loves themselves some BLACKPINK at the Met...right?
Lisa + Maroon 5 + Priceless + WTH?
Sunday, May 04, 2025
Run Yunseo Chung. Run.
Wednesday, April 09, 2025Dear Yunseo Chung,
I want you to run for as long as you need to,
Because you are caught in a maelstrom,
The likes of which you probably never thought you would be in,
Because you spoke your voice for people that had no voice,
Because your skink looks like mine,
Because you were born in another country like so many of us,
Because this country is turning its back on everything good it was built on--
To show its ugly and distorted face it so desparately wanted to--
Because it's afraid of you.
Because it's afraid of losing itself even though,
We are not the molestors and abusers they are,
Even though we will let them walk in our world with their swords up against us,
Sometimes even showing compassion,
Because most monsters are created,
Not born.
Maybe I should have said Hide Yunseo Chung. Hide.
Rest your wearied body and soul to recharge for another fight,
For another day which you do not deserve,
While others speak at a time when you cannot,
So one day, you can come back into the light.
Rest Yunseo Chung. Rest.
Mahmoud Khalil, Try To Deport Me MFs, Freedom of Speech, Rubio Needs To Be Deported To K-Town, And It's Kind Of Feeling Like Nazi Time Here
Wednesday, March 12, 2025So I was casually minding my own business, trying to get some rest from the onslaught of what the hell is going on in our nation, lobbing my penis around seeing if it wanted any action (the answer was a NO if you were interested) and then this NYT email in my inbox catches my eye from an article with the headline.
The U.S. Is Trying to Deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Legal Resident. Here’s What to Know.
Mr. Khalil, who helped lead protests at Columbia University against high civilian casualties in Gaza, was arrested by immigration officers and sent to a detention center in Louisiana.
I had saw just a smidgen of a headline about this before and was going to search it out, and the next thing you know (after my lobbing) I get that.
So you take a young man, who in addition to others, led campus protests against the civilian casualties in Gaza, who has a legitimate green card, and is married to a pregnant U.S. citizen and who in a CNN article said--
"As a Palestinian student, I believe that the liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand and you cannot achieve one without the other,” he told CNN last spring when he was one of the negotiators representing student demonstrators during talks with Columbia University’s administration.
“Our movement is a movement for social justice and freedom and equality for everyone,” he said.
AND YOU TAKE AWAY HIS GREEN CARD AND SEND HIM TO A DETENTION CENTER?
While both Trump and Rubio (among others) are trying to paint him as someone who is antisemitic, Khalil has said that there is no place for antisemitism.
While Trump and Rubio are trying to tie him to Hamas and terrorism, there's nothing that ties him to either.
He's simply doing the same thing that protestors did here during the Vietnam War. And yes, he's getting the same, "Are you a communist sympathizer", but 1000 steps further bcause he's got his green card revoked for no legal reason, he's detained, and now facing deportation.
The U.S. was built on free speech, and yes, there are limits, but Mahmoud Khalil? He didn't spout hate speech and incite violence, unlike Trumpcession did. He's well within his rights to do what he's done and is afforded the same rights from a free speech perspective (according to journalist Minho Kim from the NYT).
Like I said in the title of this post, it's feeling a little like Nazi time where if I don't like you, get ready for the gas chambers, and if you think that statement is a little pedestrian and overwrought, I would say from an Executive Order Type Of Level, it's mostly high-level anyway, and that's the problem.
Where does it end?
Will U.S. citizens, in "extreme" circmstances try and have their citizenship revoked?
It's already happening with birthright citizenship. But people think of that as so out of reach and so unconstitutional it will never work, especially with so many legal challenges.
But what about a newly minted citizen from a country where let's say in a year, is looked at from a hostile perspective, as an enemy.
Instead of concentration camps, which we've already done, is it out of the question to think that an administration, or government body, will say "Anyone from country X that received citizenhip in the last 10 years will have their citizenship revoked and deported."?
Does that sound that far fetched in this current climate against immigrants?
Consider that under current policies:
A person is subject to revocation of naturalization if the person becomes a member of, or affiliated with, the Communist party, other totalitarian party, or terrorist organization within five years of his or her naturalization.[6] In general, a person who is involved with such organizations cannot establish the naturalization requirements of having an attachment to the Constitution and of being well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States.[7]
The fact that a person becomes involved with such an organization within five years after the date of naturalization is prima facie evidence that he or she concealed or willfully misrepresented material evidence that would have prevented the person’s naturalization.
It doesn't seem that far out of reach, and no matter what, the vortex of DETAIN NOW ASK QUESTIONS LATER, is always in play. And sure, maybe the legal battle is won, but how long does it take while someone rots away?
This is not the America we should be living in.
Alex Wagner's Show Is Gone on MSNBC, And Katie Phang's Is Too. In The Same Cut As Joy Reid. MSNBC Can *$&@(@(##!@%!
Tuesday, February 25, 2025I've posted in the past on MSNBC where somedays they've talked the good talk, but when you looked at the primetime, and the faces they were promoting, it just didn't pass muster.
And now--in one sweeping cut--they just knocked off THREE Women of Color including Alex Wagner, who I knew there had to be something up and I wondered if she'd be coming back, Katie Phang, who I was loving so much and LOVED seeing this awesome Asian American Woman on TV, and Joy Reid--one of the most distinct voices and best voices on MSNBC.
For all their talk about what they stand for--MSNBC, while they are replacing Joy Reid's show with 3 anchors of color, it's still suspect--because they're still dropping TWO ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN.
At the same time, it sounds like no one was given any real information on their shows being cancelled beforehand (although I wonder if Wagner had some inkling)--and that makes a difference. If you worked at a company for X number of years doing great things--don't you think you should at least be given some respect in the send off vs "Here's a box for your stuff" and getting it via an email from x of x of x (and not I don't know the actual pieces of that, but we can guess because it's already been stated it was A SURPRISE).
Checking out different numbers across the board it sounds like everyone was not doing great from a numbers standpoint, but that it was getting better, so while mostly--all things were equal--they still decided to go with Whiteness.
