From News to History: Stories from the Pages of AsianWeek
April 27, 2000
Compiled by AsianWeek staff
1. San Francisco Now Receiving 100’s of Boat People Weekly (August 23, 1979)
John Ta Chuan Fang established AsianWeek, a national weekly English-language newspaper covering Asian American issues. “The time is indeed right for this generation of Asian-Americans to be acknowledged for the highly productive and influential citizens…we are,” said the first editorial. “AsianWeek will contribute to this process, not only by bringing essential news to its readership, but also, for the sake of the young, by remembering our Asian-American roots, recognizing the achievements of today’s leaders, and creating a forum for the communication of ideas between all Asian-Americans.”
Its first front-page story depicted the struggle of Southeast Asian refugees, arriving at Travis Air Force Base from camps in Malaysia.
“The story is very simple: the life in Vietnam is too hard, so we must leave and look for freedom.” (Lipnhan Chen)
2. Peking Duck Wars (March 11, 1982)
Assemblyman Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) introduced legislation to permit the sale of Chinese roast duck, though its preparation didn’t conform to then existing law, which required restaurant foods to be kept or displayed at temperatures not higher than 45 degrees or lower than 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
“It seems ridiculous that government should waste money telling Americans how to cook food when Chinese have been preparing roast duck for 5,000 years, and hope to do so for another 5,000.” (Art Torres)
3. Newsweek Tags Asians as a ‘Model Minority’ (February 10, 1983)
Rise in APA Youth Crimes Refutes ‘Model Minority’ Myth (June 12, 1992)
Newsweek dubbed Asian Americans the model minority, pointing out that Asian Americans’ average family income was the highest of any ethnic minority group and had the highest level of education of any American group. The story also pointed out, however, that “language difficulties, limited job opportunities and fear of assimilation still keep them together—and culturally segregated in many areas, without access to health and social services.
Nearly 10 years later, the city of San Francisco reported an increase in gang-related incidents involving Asian American youth, belying the model minority myth.
“You won’t believe the number of people outside of this community that believe in the storybook notion that Asian kids don’t have any problems, that as long as you let us into the schools, and we are allowed to open our books, we will succeed. The fact is Asians just like any society come in different sizes with different problems.” (Leland Yee, San Francisco Board of Education Commissioner)
4. Class Action Suit Filed in Internment Case (March 17, 1983)
Reagan Signs Redress Bill (August 12, 1988)
Japanese American Community Asks: ‘Where Do We Go After Redress’ (April 7, 1989)
President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which offered reparations to the over 110,000 Japanese American interned during World War II. The fight for redress unified Japanese Americans, but less than a year after the bill passed, some asked what the next step would be in moving the community forward.
“Hopefully [redress] has lifted the burden of weight from Nisei who felt compelled, for whatever reason, perhaps subconsciously, to hold back and keep themselves quietly immersed in their own community.” (Cressy Nakagawa, JACL national president)
5. Killers Stalked Vincent Chin (April 28, 1983)
1,000 Detroit Asians Protest Sentences (May 12, 1983)
Killer Goes Free (May 8, 1987)
In 1982 Ronald Ebens, a disgruntled white autoworker, and Michael Nitz, struck and killed Vincent Chin using a baseball bat. Ebens, who blamed layoffs in the auto industry on the Japanese, mistook Chin for being Japanese. Judge Charles Kaufman accepted Ebens and Nitz’ pleas of reduced manslaughter charges, and let the pair off with 3 years probation and a fine of $3,720 each.
In 1984, Ebens was found guilty of violating Vincent Chin’s civil rights and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, five years of angry protests that united the Asian American community turned to quiet disbelief on the day a jury acquitted Ebens of those charges. He never spent a day in jail.
“It made a very nice story that on a warm night in Detroit an unemployed auto worker blamed a Chinese American for auto plant layoffs and beat him up with a baseball bat. But it was a fairytale.” (Frank D. Eaman, Ebens’ defense attorney)
“It’s devastating. Everyone is really depressed. But I think everyone here has agreed that to let it go now would be ridiculous. We have to move forward or else it’s a waste of effort. There’s a hell of a lot more we have to do to show that Asian Americans have concerns that have yet to be met.” (James Shinomoura, attorney and member of American Citizens for Justice, a Detroit-based Asian American coalition that formed to press the case against Ebens.)
6. Thank God, Buddha (March 29, 1985)
In 1979 Haing S. Ngor fled the Khmer Rouge and his homeland Cambodia. Six years later he became the first Asian American to win an Academy Award for his role in the Killing Fields, a film that brought to light the tragic saga of this war-torn country. Ngor, himself, was tortured under the Khmer Rouge regime and many of his family members were killed.
“[The scenes were] not real enough for me, not bad enough for me, not painful enough for me.” (Haing S. Ngor)
7. Activists Hit Hollywood Over Year of the Dragon (August 23, 1985)
Community leaders launched an aggressive publicity and protest campaign in an effort to eliminate the entertainment industry’s stereotypical depictions of Asian Americans. Protestors were particularly outraged with the Year of the Dragon’s depiction of Asian women.
“Cimeno’s (the director) attempt at sensitivity toward Asian Americans is negated, especially the image of Tracy Tsu, who was supposed to be a powerful woman but instead was a victim of definite machismo.” (Cynthia Gouw)
8. Natividad May Spark ‘Unity Among Filipinos’ (September 27, 1985)
Irene Natividad was 36 when she was elected chair of the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1985. She was credited with having been one of the first catalysts for Filipino American unity.
“…we could rally national support behind her in the Filipino American community if she decided to run for office.” (Alice Bulos, community leader)
9. Onizuka Killed in Space Tragedy (January 31, 1986)
In 1984, atronaut Ellison Onizuka addressed a group of sanseis and told them, “You are part of the Japanese spirit and courage which have helped to build a great nation. What a tribute you are to the sacrifices of your parents and grandparents…It is with great confidence that I entrust to you our country’s future. For as upright young Americans of principle, integrity and honor, truly believe you are capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century.”
Two years later Onizuka, the first Asian American astronaut, died when the Challenger space shuttle exploded.
“We will mourn, but we will continue to push for progress in space. The best memorial to the sacrifices made by those in the space shuttle Challenger would be to strive to continue their heroic efforts.” (Congressman Norman Mineta, D-San Jose)
10. Killer Opens Fire on Asian Children (January 20, 1989)
Violence shook the town of Stockton, Calif., and reverberated across the nation when Patrick Purdy gunned down school children, many Southeast Asian American, at Cleveland Elementary School. Five children were killed and 30 other people were wounded.
“Some of the parents think that white people don’t like them—they think maybe there are too many [refugees] in Stockton and some have expressed that it was just like when the Communists took action, like during the Vietnam War.” (Pheng Lo, director of the Lao Family Services)
11. Chang Wins French Open (June 16, 1989)
Michael Chang made history when he became the first Asian American male ever to win a grand slam event in tennis. The then 17-year-old Chinese American beat Sweden’s Stefan Edberg 6-1, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
“I want to be able to keep on going and do even better.” (Michael Chang)
12. Historical First: Asian Chancellor at U.C. Berkeley (February 16, 1990)
When the U.C. Board of Regents of the University of California selected Professor Chang-Lin Tien as chancellor at U.C. Berkeley, he became the first Asian American to head a major U.S. university. A native of China, Tien was recognized internationally as an expert on heat transfer technology. He began his academic career as a professor at U.C. Berkeley in 1959.
“This will be a historic first, sort of symbolic. But Tien is very capable—he’s not getting this just because he is an Asian American.” (Don Nakanishi, UCLA Asian American studies professor)
13. Bad Economy Blamed for Japan-Bashing (June 12, 1992)
San Francisco community leaders met to discuss the ongoing problem of racial discrimination against Asian Americans often spurred by the poor economy and the frustration of lack of jobs.
“I don’t care how much we learn about each other. If there are not enough jobs to go around, it doesn’t matter.” (Ron Takaki, U.C. Berkeley ethnic studies professor)
14. The City Riots Over King Case, Providing Fuel to Racial Tensions (May 8, 1992)
The not guilty verdict and subsequent acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers charged with the brutal beating of Rodney King, sparked riots in Los Angeles. Hundreds of Korean American owned businesses were damaged, burned and looted. In the aftermath, racial tensions worsened, especially between African Americans and Asian Americans.
“No person of color can feel as safe on the streets as they did before this verdict.” (Paul Igasaki, executive director of the Asian Law Caucus)
15. Washington Cheers Asian Pacific Americans with Heritage Month (May 14, 1993)
President Clinton signed a proclamation naming May as the official Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. However, celebration was tempered with the lack of appointments being given to Asian Americans.
“This is a great occasion to celebrate our Asian Pacific American heritage, but we also need to use this month to express who we are and what we want. During the recent presidential campaign, APAs raised over $4 million, one of the largest amounts from a single group. We all realized we were being once again tapped for our money, but this time we anticipated we would be tapped for our talent too.” (Congressman Norman Mineta, D-Calif.)
16. Healing with Hanoi (July 14, 1995)
After President Clinton established normal diplomatic relations with Vietnam, Vietnamese Americans were able for the first time to return to their homeland. It allowed others to set up businesses, and some traveled there to find wives.
“I’m very happy for personal, community and political reasons. I’ll finally be able to see the country where I was born…” (Vu-Duc Vuong, executive director of the Center for Southeast Asian Refugee Resettlement)
17. Making of a Monument (November 3, 1995)
At 21, Maya Lin won a competition to design a monument commemorating America’s most controversial war. When Lin designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., a V-shaped wall of black polished granite, she envisioned a great knife cutting into the earth. With the names of the war dead carved into the granite, the wall is intrinsically personal. Her thoughts were captured in a documentary film, Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision.
“I meant for people to cry. Memorials are about honesty and acceptance of death—only then can you experience a catharsis.” (Maya Lin)
18. Win Some, Lose Some (November 15, 1996)
Gary Locke became the first Asian American to be elected governor outside of Hawaii in a 19 percentage-point victory in Washington in 1996. Asian Americans comprised just 4 percent of the electorate.
“Gary was not relying on the Asian vote. He has broad appeal.” (Don Nakanishi, UCLA director of Asian American studies.)
19. Chief of Yahoo Links to Success (July 16, 1998)
As a student at Stanford University, Jerry Yang and his friend David Filo collected their favorite Web sites. That hobby turned into a multi-million dollar business and one of the most recognized names on the Internet.
“I am so lucky to enjoy what I do; I don’t plan on achieving certain goals in definite terms of time. I just know for myself, when I am contributing, I am happy.” (Jerry Yang)
20. Poster Protest Aftermath (April 8, 1999)
When Truong Van Tran placed a North Vietnamese flag and poster of the late leader Ho Chi Minh on his Westminster, Calif. video store, Vietnamese American communities nationwide united in protest. In their impassioned demonstrations, they revealed that the scars of war linger long after wounds heal.
“After 1975, millions fled and became boat people. We lost 300,000 at sea. For those people to have Ho Chi Minh’s picture displayed, it’s like someone waving a Confederate flag in a black neighborhood.” (Kiem Do, community leader)
21. The Bloody Legacy of Hate Crimes (August 19, 1999)
After opening fire at a Jewish community center in Granada Hills, Calif., white supremacist Buford Furrow, shot and killed Filipino American Joseph Ileto, who was making his rounds as a postal worker. A year later President Clinton signed a bill to name a post office in Chino Hills, Calif., after Ileto.
“My brother is a kind of guy that came into the room with always a smile on his face.” (Ismael Ileto, brother of Joseph)
22+. Wen Ho Lee’s Daughter Speaks Out (October 21, 1999)
Asian American Professors Call for Boycott of Energy Dept. (March 23, 2000)
Two months before Wen Ho Lee was arrested and indicted on 59 counts for mishandling nuclear secrets, his daughter, Alberta Lee described the torment of living under FBI surveillance. The Asian American community has been critical of the government’s treatment toward the Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist. Asian American studies professor Ling Chi Wang called Lee’s treatment the worst civil rights violation since the murder of Vincent Chin.
“[It’s] a really long, slow death…I’m never going to feel the same way about this country again.” (Alberta Lee)
Reflections from Our Community
April 27, 2000
What People Say About AsianWeek
By Thomas Lee, Fiona Ma and Jason Ma
Mike Honda, California District 23 Assemblyman, Congressional District 15 candidate
AsianWeek has provided 21 years of sharp, consistent focus on our pan-Asian communities. Your reporting keeps me informed, but more importantly has helped all of us to be assertive advocates for our own issues to the non-Asian communities and the other media. We would never have the great follow through, in the mainstream print media, of issues that we care about. Thank you for BEING!!! And continue to grow.
Dale Minami, Attorney
Twenty-one years of survival for an ethnic newspaper is a remarkable achievement. I started subscribing to AsianWeek about 16 years ago and have seen it grow and develop into a major voice for Asian Pacific Americans.
AsianWeek’s development has tracked the development of the Asian Pacific American community both in terms of activism and sophistication. I do believe it has brought a greater awareness of our national presence; it has broadened our view of what being an Asian Pacific American is.
Most of the information AsianWeek has published—including the columns, commentaries and editorials—one would not find in the mainstream press, which is part of the value of AsianWeek. I think the coverage of hate crimes and racial incidents stands out in my mind.
Howard Fong, Actor (The Joy Luck Club)
I have been a reader of AsianWeek since its founding in 1979. At that time, the only other earlier English-language, Chinese American newspaper was East-West, a nonprofit newspaper which eventually folded. AsianWeek was my only source of information on affairs, events, and news pertaining to Asian Americans, especially for those of us chooksengs who were born here. To me, it is still the premier English-language, Asian American newspaper with nationwide coverage.
I think that AsianWeek is an invaluable Asian American news source for those Asian Americans who are more fluent in English than our respective ethnic languages. It is a delight to read about happenings in other Asian American communities throughout the United States.
The most memorable AsianWeek article that I have ever read was the article on the takeover of the San Francisco Examiner by Florence Fang and her family, who are the owners of AsianWeek. To me, this takeover of a Hearst Corporation newspaper, in which the Hearst name is associated with “yellow journalism,” is proof that ethnic minorities can operate and run mainstream, American newspapers.
Dr. Youn-Cha Chey, Director, Korean Center
AsianWeek is really our voice. It has been an instrumental tool for the general public in understanding Asian community issues, also generating interest among Asian communities, sharing and learning. AsianWeek has grown. It seems as if we were growing together. We are indeed obliged to AsianWeek to have a means of expressing ourselves. I’m inspired by Florence Fang, who has been a real leader in the Bay Area and now is able to buy the Examiner.
I just hope that AsianWeek grows many more pages. More and more, I see that you are covering all Asian communities.
Karen Narasaki, Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Legal Center
AsianWeek is an important publication because it’s one of the few publications serving the Asian American community while striving to have national coverage. When I speak at universities, I always tell the students to read AsianWeek, and how important it is for their libraries to subscribe to AsianWeek. It is one of the few reliable sources for political news not covered in the mainstream media. It is always reaching out to make sure coverage is relevant, reaching out to places like Wisconsin or Minnesota where people wouldn’t expect there to be Asian news. I’ve seen Asian publications come and go. For a publication to be around for over twenty years shows that there really is a void out there that it is filling.
Wilma Chan, California Assembly District 16 candidate, former Alameda County supervisor
AsianWeek has been around through a lot of changes in the Asian American community. It is the longest running, existing, English newspaper that focuses on the Asian American community. I really appreciate their coverage of the trends of Asian America, such as the coverage of population changes, employment and education. I often use AsianWeek as a resource when I need correct data on the Asian American community.
John Tateishi, Executive Director, Japanese American Citizens League
AsianWeek has had a major impact on the community. It’s created an awareness looking at our own history. It covers political events from a different insight. It looks at politics through a micro-perspective of Asian Americans. It’s a perspective not covered in the mainstream media. Being the only national, pan-Asian newspaper, it’s very significant that AsianWeek has lasted this long. It shows that Asian Americans are interested in pan-Asian news and issues in their communities.
George Ong, National President, Organization of Chinese Americans
AsianWeek is our community newspaper. The paper focuses on what concerns and impacts Asian Pacific Americans and provides both local and national coverage that the mainstream press either ignores or deems not newsworthy or important. AsianWeek, therefore, provides an important service and a vital link to our community.
Henry Der, State Deputy Superintendent of Public Education
As a community newspaper, it has certainly matured and followed the growth of the Asian Pacific American community. AsianWeek has met the challenge of identifying new issues. It’s a very vital and important vehicle for Asians who are engaged in any number of endeavors. It’s provided a forum for different issues to emerge. That’s what a community newspaper should be.
One story that the paper has picked up on is the plight of Filipino World War II veterans. That’s stuck in my mind, [as well as] Asian Indians in the Internet business. That is a very important story because that is hidden.
Victor Hwang, Attorney, Asian Law Caucus
AsianWeek has done a good job at keeping folks informed around the country on Asian American issues. It’s shown that it’s survived. There have been a lot of Asian American journals that have come and gone.
AsianWeek’s coverage is on issues that are ignored by the mainstream press a lot. It has to stay on the cutting edge of issues for Asian Americans. The Kao shooting [in Rohnert Park]—there was a big protest in Union Square, about 800 people. People came up from L.A. This is a story that the Chronicle and the Examiner missed. It was a key case that AsianWeek helped us publicize. Sometimes, the only was we can get stories out is through AsianWeek.
David Lee, Executive Director, Chinese American Voter Education Committee.
The Rape of Nanking was really brought to light as a major issue, in addition to the Wen Ho Lee issue. That’s a major issue that AsianWeek can be credited with bringing to the entire Asian American community’s attention. Primarily it was a Chinese American issue before. It was important in bring it to other Asian American groups.
Benefits for Filipino veterans—it was an issue AsianWeek picked up on long before the national press. AsianWeek has been doing that since its inception. It has earned the reputation of carrying the Asian American community’s point of view where the mainstream press has failed to carry the Asian American vantage point.
AsianWeek provides one of the few forums for the Asian American community to have their issues raised, discussed and analyzed. AsianWeek plays a vital role in the civic discourse in the national Asian American community. It’s is one of the only places where these issues can be introduced and analyzed, so average Asian Americans can in engage in an informed dialogue.
Letters from AsianWeek’s Readers
April 27, 2000
Compiled by AsianWeek staff
Valuable help (June 24, 1982)
Dear Editor: I received my first copy of AsianWeek recently and I must say, I am delighted! Certainly I would wish to express my gratitude for the incredible work that went into the census supplement as well! It was JUST what I was struggling to compile and you came through for me! Thank you so very much!
I can only wish you great success in this publishing venture of yours…
—Bob Knight
The Christian and Missionary Alliance
Battered women (September 1, 1983)
Dear Editor: On behalf of Asian Women’s Legal Assistance and the Battered Women’s Assistance Program at Cameron House, I would like to thank you and Sheri Tan for the article entitled “Program Tries to Help Battered Asian Women” which appeared in the August 18th issue.
The article was important in educating the Asian community about the existence of domestic violence and about the services that are available to battered Asian women.
Again, thank you for the coverage and support.
—Sharon C. Ngim
Director
Reader’s complaint to Mayor Feinstein (October 26, 1984)
Dear Mayor Feinstein: In the October 12, 1984 edition of Asian Week, I read that in your congratulating Self-Help for the Elderly for their exemplary work in obtaining a HUD grant for Chinatown housing, you referred to Director Annie Chung as a “sweet little Dragon lady.”
I have no doubt that you intended this to be a compliment. However, as good as your intentions may have been, “sweet little Dragon lady” invokes all of the awful stereotypes that Asians have been trying to dispel.
Asian women are often portrayed in the media as exotic dragon ladies or cute sweet little things. Ms. Chung, I think we would agree, is neither. Rather, she is a highly regarded, strong, competent Agency Director.
As a supervisor and mayor, you have been very supportive to the Chinatown community. As a woman, you have been an excellent role model, proving to the public that women are able to be effective, solid leaders. I hope that in the future you will support Asian women in educating the public that we are neither “sweet and little” nor “dragon ladies.”
—Elaine Chan
Editor’s note: In the interest of accuracy and fairness, Feinstein was quoted in this publication as calling Chung “like a sweet dragon lady.” The mayor did not call her “little.”
Concern About “Big Trouble” (December 13, 1985)
(Editor’s note: The following letter was sent by Secretary of State March Fong Eu to David Weitzner, marketing president for 20th Century Fox Films.)
Dear Mr. Weitzner: I am deeply disturbed by newspaper accounts regarding the production of the movie “Big Trouble in Little Chinatown.” According to these reports, this movie perpetuates stereotypic misconceptions of Americans of Chinese ancestry and the communities in which many of them live.
ümericans of Asian ancestry, including Americans of Chinese ancestry, have suffered generations of overt and subtle discrimination. Anything which encourages that discrimination must be avoided. Anything which encourages that discrimination must be repudiated by all men and women sensitive to the right of every individual to be treated with respect and dignity regardless of ethnic heritage.
The film medium is one of the most potent forms of communication. It, therefore, must be handled with considerable discretion in order to avoid victimizing innocent people. There is, after all, a limit to one’s creative license beyond box office profits.
I strongly urge you to take whatever steps are necessary, in consultation with representatives of the Chinese American community, to avoid the perpetuation of racist stereotypes in the movie “Big Trouble in Little Chinatown.” If such connotations cannot be removed from the film, then I urge that this ill-fated project be abandoned immediately.
—March Fong Eu
More Liberal Arts (March 2, 1986)
Dear Editor: In the April 11, 1986, edition of Asian Week there is an article by Catherine Diamond entitled “Lights, Action, Asians.” I read the article carefully and found it to contain information about a conference at UC Berkeley which concerned participation of Asian Americans in film.
Like so many conferences, workshops and symposiums I have attended in recent years which have concerned the participation of Asian Americans in the entertainment arts and in the media, this conference seems to have reached the same general conclusions as the others. A desire seems to be expressed to see more persons of Asian ancestry become journalists, actors and technicians, but no one seems to come up with any real suggestions as to how to involve more Asian Americans in work that will allow them to enter such fields.
Let’s hope that there will be a few far-sighted members in our community as well as in the general population who will give our young people the encouragement they need to put Asian Americans in this part of the mainstream so that we may enter the 21st century with many more persons of Asian ancestry pursuing viable careers in the entertainment industry and the media in general. With a little determination and persistence such a situation can be brought into reality.
—Grant Nakano
No More Hyphens (May 2, 1986)
Dear Editor: I really deplore the frequent usage of the term “Chinese-Americans” when describing Americans of Chinese ancestry. The hyphenated name sounds like second class citizens. Many newspapers, of course, are using “Chinese-Americans” in order to save space.
Many of us served in the armed forces, raised families and purchased homes in the good old U.S.A. There is no question that our jobs, our livelihood and our future are in this land of the free and the home of the brave. Therefore, I honestly believe that it’s more fitting and proper to use the logo Americans of Chinese ancestry.
—James G. Jay
Silicon Bucks (June 24, 1988)
Dear Editor: In the June 3, 1988 issue the section on Asians in Business focused on the “l987 Salaries of Top Asian Executives in Silicon Valley.” The article states that the data was taken from a Mercury News survey of the earnings of 73 executives in publicly held high-tech companies.
It would have been of greater interest to your readers to see the entire salary survey, including the $2,140,000 annual salary of one CEO in Silicon Valley, so that valid comparisons could be made.
I and many others in Asian Pacific communities are very proud of our Asian Pacific entrepreneurs, particularly in the Silicon Valley. But we also know that in this day and age qualified Asians are still not given the opportunity to be top level executives in corporations, despite their credentials, hard work and talent. Isn’t this one of the reasons many Asians are concentrated in the professions or have started their own companies?
—Grace Ong Hing
San Francisco
News Needed On ‘New Majority’ (December 15, 1989)
Dear Editor: I am a young Pilipina/Asian American, who greatly enjoys the paper’s reportings on the Asian American community. I believe that papers such as Asian Week are institutions which provide a safe forum for Asian American to discuss perspectives and exchange ideas in hopes that we all reach the highest denominator of unity and respect.
However, I feel that the paper should have more coverage on the different members of the Asian American community such as Pilipinos, Southeast Asians—Hmong, Laotian, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Korean and Asian Indians. In the near future they will comprise the new majority of California in 2010 along with other ethnic minorities such as Latinos, blacks and American Indians. Perhaps Asian Week could network with existing newspapers in those aforementioned communities?
Again, I wish to express my support for the paper. Keep up the good work!
—Lorna Sumaraga
UCSC
Santa Cruz, CA
‘Chinaman’ Explained (February 2, 1990)
Dear Editor: I would like to comment on the racial epithet made by Pat Bowlen, owner of the Denver’ Broncos, as he ever so feebly attempted to slight the accomplishments of the 49ers and boost (or so he thought) the confidence of his own team as they prepare to meet in the upcoming Super Bowl.
As an American of Asian descent, my initial feeling upon reading the quote “… and they’ve got a Chinaman for a wide receiver…What’s his name? Rice?” was not one of outrage, rather, it was more a sense of the stupidity and ignorance on Mr. Bowlen’s part. Nothing more, really.
Not much could be said about a man practicing such amateurish psychology while divulging opinions and comments of his little mind upon the national media. However, there are questions to be raised by this comment and what better time than now?
Racism and prejudice permeate every level of this so-called “melting pot” experiment in which we live in the United States. It is too easy to close one eye or sweep the dust under the carpet and pretend everything will come up roses. As the opportunity arises, therefore, we must seize the moment and explain why the very use of a word such as “Chinaman” in 1990 is unacceptable.
The term “Chinaman” is a historically demeaning stereotype. It conjures up images of weak, deceitful and strange looking men with slant eyes and pigtails.
The following quote from the Encyclopedia Britannica, seventh edition, volume six, published in 1842 gives this meaning for the word “China”: “A Chinaman is cold, cunning and distrustful; always ready to take advantage of those he has to deal with; extremely covetous and deceitful; quarrelsome, vindictive, but timid and dastardly.”
When respected publications and official government action made an unfavorable image of the Chinese the official definition, the differences between cognitive images and institutional change became difficult for people to distinguish.
—Federic Brown
San Francisco
Let’s Learn To Work Together (May 15, 1992)
Dear Editor: In the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots, we heard something disturbing from a Korean friend, something that was verified by Elaine Woo’s Los Angeles Times article on Tuesday, May 5. Some Asian Pacific Americans who are not of Korean descent are adopting an “I’m not Korean” stance out of fear that they will become targets of racial hatred.
This parochial attitude disturbs us greatly because it was adopted by other Asians as Japanese Americans were herded off to concentration camps during World War II. This was also the attitude of many Asian Pacific Americans when boatloads of Southeast Asian refugees began arriving on our shores.
Most of the time we are proud of our Asian Pacific heritage, proud of our collective historic courage in the face of injustice, adversity and persecution. Then something like this reminds us that we can be just as small minded and insensitive as anyone. If we see any Asian wearing an “I Am Not Korean” button, we may resort to a little violence of our own.
When are we going to learn? Sure, we are a diverse group—many languages and cultures—but we are also a group with much in common. There simply aren’t enough of us to go it alone, so let’s work together. How can we be part of the solution if we can’t even support one another?
—Maeley Tom & Georgette Imura
Office of Sen. David Roberti
Sacramento
Practice What You Preach, Mr. President (February 5, 1993)
Dear Editor: I am a retired faculty member from the Ohio school system. Being the first Chinese American in the whole Midwest to be teaching in our Ohio system has been a real challenge, privilege and honor. My three sisters, brother, son and wife are all residing in San Francisco or on the West Coast.
We have read your paper Asian Week for quite some time. The provocative, timely, interesting and challenging articles have been great! Keep up the good work!
I had recently sent a copy of the following passage to the Organizations for Chinese Americans in Washington, D.C. in regards to the recent change of presidents from George Bush to Bill Clinton:
The Wheel That Squeaks Get The Oil!
During the latest appointments by President Clinton, he pointed out to the American public that it would be a cross-representation of our American society. Now that the list has been finalized and appointed, what happened to the role of the Asian American sector? Did we have only talkers and not doers? Was it all bark and no bite? Why make promises that can’t be fulfilled? Does it mean that while a candidate is seeking office and making promises, he only tells you what you want to hear, but never fulfills them?
Not one Asian American was appointed to an office by the President-to-be! It seems that law-abiding citizens who do not make waves through pressure tactics and lobbying are just shoved by the side and simply forgotten! What is good for the goose—is good for the gander! Let’s practice and live the golden rule in every phase of American life and living. Would the establishment, so to speak, like to have treatment of this type done to them in the same way?
This is food for thought to think about and ponder as the Clinton administration begins.
—William Lee
Poland, Ohio
Back Off Asian Male Losers! (April 22, 1994)
Dear Editor: Thank goodness for Jenny Butterfield and her lucid thoughts and analysis on why foreign women who marry Western men should not be called “mail order” wives (AsianWeek, April 8).
My friend, who is Vietnamese, recently left her abusive Chinese husband from the Philippines to marry a cowboy in Wisconsin. I was so thrilled for her, and ever since their marriage, she has never been happier. She is an example of the many Asian women trying to earn a better life by marrying a Westerner.
Some of these women are decent individuals, like my friend who worked as a waitress, but unfortunately was entrapped at the hands of a controlling and lascivious husband who treated his dog better than her. Can’t these radical feminists realize the innocent dreams and hopes that my friend and thousands of other women carry?
It seems that the women of my family, including myself, have discovered and experienced better lives by outmarrying. When I told my mother that I was going to marry a non-Chinese man, she was shocked and baffled. In her mind, what did I find in a Western man? I told her that my fiancé was handsomer and more exciting than any other Asian man I had ever dated. He could actually make me laugh, unlike any other man. After my mother heard this, she gradually came to accept my fiancé.
It is interesting how some Asian men have actually tried to discredit or disregard Asian women like myself who have chosen this marital path. They claim that I am a “sellout” and “whitewashed,” but I just ignore this, since being happy is all that matters. After all, my own experiences with Asian men indicate that they would rather want to accuse others for taking “their” women, while being completely oblivious to their character deficiencies.
—Annie J. Chan
Los Angeles, Calif.
Fine Looking Asian Dude Talks Back (April 29, 1994)
Dear Editor: As an Asian male (and proud of being one), I can only react to the recent letters by Ms. Jenny Butterfield [April 15] and Ms. Annie J. Chan [April 22] with anger and pity. Anger because both, in my opinion, have insulted and demeaned us Asian men. Pity because they too are Asian, but obviously possess lack of pride in being one.
What total b.s. they have written in Asian Week! I and my Asian brothers do not appreciate at all the fallacious and downright stupid idea that Asian women would be better off marrying Western men. Furthermore, why did the feminist movement come about in the first place? Because Western men were viewing females as “possessions and property,” the very reason why Ms. Chan feels so strongly against us. There are certainly many Western men who still maintain those views, in spite of what she may think. As for our perceived lack of “handsomeness,” it is terribly pathetic to see how both have succumbed to the white, male-dominated society’s values and definitions of beauty and desirability. The fact is there are lots of us fine looking Asian dudes running around, but due to Ms. Butterfield’s and Ms. Chan’s myopic vision (thanks in great part to the white male’s propaganda), they are unable to appreciate our finer qualities. Too bad for them.
In reference to Ms. Chan’s remarks about others describing her as selling out and being whitewashed, if she’s feeling she’s being unfairly attacked, she should consider this: “If it looks like a duck, acts like a duck, and quacks like a duck, by golly, it just might be!”
—Terry Lee
San Francisco
Statue Of Bigotry Rearing Her Ugly Head (April 28, 1995)
Dear Editor: The Organization of Chinese Americans’ Bay Area chapter deplores the heightened incidences of mockery, racial bigotry and stereotyping directed lately against Americans of Asian descent.
Specifically, the following racial belittling of Asians are disturbing and ought to be condemned by all decent Americans:
1. Two weeks ago, at a conference with authors Joe McGinn’s and Dominick Dunne, defense counsel Robert Shapiro, commenting on the testimony of Los Angeles Police Department criminologist Dennis Fung, a Chinese American, began distributing fortune cookies and mocked Mr. Fung’s surname, saying the fortune cookies are from “Hang Fung Low” restaurant. Co-counsel Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. also purportedly poked fun at Mr. Fung’s surname by saying that he is “having Fung!”
2. On April 4, U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato, appearing on Don Imus’s New York radio show, attempted to mimic a false Japanese accent and referred to Judge Lance Ito as that “little Judge Ito.”
3. Last September and October, in San Francisco, deejay Gary Bryan of KFRC aired a racist song parodying Lance Ito. Singing “Ito, Ito” to the tune of thc Dixie Cups’ “Iko, Iko,” Bryan pretended that he was Ito, mimicked an accent and recited lines like “I eat fish on a stick,”
“Ito, he don’t budge. That’s right, I no budge.”
4. Last month, Sonoma Valley School Board President Jason Breaw, in a culturally stereotypical presentation of Chinese culture before some school children, dressed in a Fu Manchu outfit, complete with white mustache and goatee, and assumed the name “Who Flung Pooh.” He was accompanied by his 12-year-old daughter (“Who Flung Dung”) and her 12-year-old friend (“Who Flung Hash”)
—George Ong
Organization of Chinese Americans
Ending Discrimination (June 28, 1996)
Dear Editor: Pablo Wong’s article “Affirmative Action for Discrimination?” (“Voices,” June 21) struck a positive nerve with me. As a Vietnamese American, I too, have been the subject of discrimination and I understand that something has to be done to alleviate racial bias in the U.S. today. Affirmative action was created to bring greater equality to our country. Unfortunately, it has only served to further divide the country by replacing discrimination with more discrimination through race-based preferences.
Preferences and quotas in such institutions as university admissions and job hiring further perpetuate discrimination by labeling certain groups as failures while turning away the best qualified candidates because they do not belong to the racial group that receives benefits and advantages.
Only when all races in society are in a state of true equality can further progress in race relations begin. This November, the California Civil Rights Initiative will allow voters to end discrimination and preferential treatment based on race.
—James Nguyen
Union City, Calif.
Fun with Affirmative Action (July 5, 1996)
Dear Editor: Pablo Wong performs a neat conjuring trick in his article “Affirmative Action or Discrimination?” (“Voices,” June 21) when he states his opposition to “using racial quotas, timetables, and preferences to promote equality.” In fact, no such policies exist. Quotas and preferences are illegal under current law. Mr. Wong’s strategy is typical of opponents to affirmative action who base their objections on a distorted version of actual policies.
What affirmative action does mean is that employer, universities, and contractors try to expand the pool of qualified applicants by using aggressive recruitment techniques and setting flexible goals by which to evaluate their progress.
Although I share Mr. Wong’s ideal of equal opportunity for all, the reality is that we are still far from being a colorblind—or gender-blind—society. The 1995 report of the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission found that a “pattern of injustice” continues to exist in the workplace, and that Asian Americans are among the prime “victims” of the glass ceiling. White men constitute about 43 percent of the workforce, yet they hold over 95 percent of senior management positions. Affirmative action is essential to ensuring that jobs are genuinely accessible to qualified persons, without regard to their gender, race, or ethnicity.
Finally, Mr. Wong’s most amazing feat is his transformation of Gov. Pete Wilson into a virtual champion of civil rights. To the contrary, Wilson’s flip-flops on the issue of affirmative action, his war on immigrant rights, and his support for the California Civil Rights Initiative all prove that he has been no friend to equal justice for all.
—Irene Cheng
Asian Law Caucus
San Francisco
Thomson’s Trouble (July 25, 1997)
Dear Editor: It’s hard to know where Sen. Fred Thompson, former movie actor, is going with his act. His opening remarks at the hearing repeat his tireless claim of having seen strong evidence that the Chinese government is trying to influence American politics, specifically the Clinton administration.
His fellow Democratic senators on the committee have reviewed the same alleged evidence and do not agree with his conclusion. The public is not given access to the evidence and cannot judge for themselves, but can only watch while the members of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee play out their roles.
Still and all, Sen. Thompson’s braying should draw the attention of summer-stock Shakespearean festivals. Somebody just might be needing an experienced actor to play the donkey in this year’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
—George Koo
Mountain View, Calif.
Stars Wars—Asian Culture Without the Asians (June 10, 1999)
Dear Editor: I’m surprised none of the activists for political correctness are up in arms over Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Even though the Jedi are named for Japanese knight, there are black and white Jedi of eight different species, yet no Asians! Queen Amidala was originally typecast for a Eurasian or Latina, and her outfits are pure geisha/Chinese empress. Is anybody else outraged? It’s not too late to start a controversy.
—Arthur Hu
via the Internet
McCain Articles Were Incomplete (March 2, 2000)
Dear Editor: I saw Emil Guillermo’s column, “South Carolina’s Race Lessons” (Feb. 24), on McCain and his use of a slur on Asians. But neither he, nor Jason Ma’s “McCain Apologizes for ‘Gook’ Comment,” nor the quotes in the section “Fallout and Damage Control,” comment on the fact that McCain was appealing to a particular constituency with the use of that word. In a word, he was appealing to bigots of whatever class or religion. Three days later he “apologized.” Bullshit. The bigots’ hearts were warmed by this public figure’s stance on race. His “apology” will have no affect on their take on McCain. The conservatives, ever retarded, will say, “Oh well, he’s sorry.” This McCain is a racist bastard. And unprincipled.
—Antonio Perales
San Francisco
Fang Family Committed to Diverse Viewpoints (April 12, 2000)
Dear Editor: Regarding the controversy over the purchase of the San Francisco Examiner by the Fang family—to my knowledge, both sons (James and Ted Fang) attended Lowell High School. They are thoroughly San Franciscan. If they can reflect the same high standards as shown in AsianWeek, which I regard as the most open and committed to diverse viewpoints as any ethnic newspaper, this can only be a big plus to Bay Area readers.
—Philip Melnick
San Francisco
Speaking as an American…
April 27, 2000
By Frank Wu
“Yeah, and what do they do in China?”
Whenever I have had the fortune to appear in a public forum offering my opinions on a contentious subject, I receive calls, letters, and e-mail messages from people who disagree vigorously and vehemently with my perspective and my message. Although I enjoy the 15 minutes of fame, I am taken aback by a few of the responses. They run along the lines of that rhetorical question about China—a land from which my parents came but where I have never been. My own mother tells me not be to too controversial. She says, “It will be bad for your career.”
Little does she know I’ve made a career out of being controversial. She has a point though: To be respected as a critic requires being accepted as a citizen.
Half the time I argue about immigration, I am met with the objection that China wouldn’t make it easy for a Westerner to become Chinese. The implication is that because presumably a white person would not be welcomed in China, an Asian person can be excluded from America.
When I argued for affirmative action against conservative author Dinesh D’Souza, on the C-SPAN program “American Perspectives,” I had the greatest exposure and the worst reaction. Because the two-hour show taped from Brown University in late 1997 was aired during the holiday season and on New Year’s Day, viewers channel surfing cable stations between the football bowl games saw the two of us discussing the most racially divisive of current political issues.
I made a modest case for affirmative action. I said that we should start with the real problem of racial discrimination, rather than so-called “reverse discrimination,” and ask what we were prepared to do to address its effects. I emphasized the importance of principled approaches to remedying racial discrimination and pragmatic compromises that would achieve real results. I described affirmative action as a limited program, a means to an ends rather than its own goal.
Still, I must have impressed a few in the audience—and not favorably. I welcome controversy, but I prefer that it does not become personal. The correspondence I received was about two to one in my favor, but within the negative mail were some warnings – one writer advised, “you’ll learn,” and sent along material purporting to show that African Americans were descended directly to apes, that Jews were engaged in a global conspiracy, with information about white supremacist Internet Web sites.
One of the dozens of hand-written letters I received afterward, without a return address, opened with the inquiry whether they had affirmative action in Japan.
I am tempted to reply, “How would I know?” Or with perhaps with too much cleverness for my own good, I could retort, “What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?”
My interlocutor deserves a more thorough answer though.
I don’t believe it is accidental, disapproving of the opinions of individuals who are Asian by asking them about their presumed ancestral homeland. With less sophistication than the speaker supposes, it is an ad hominem attack in its classic form. It has less to do with the substance of an argument than the identity of the person advancing it.
I have heard the point put often enough as a direct taunt. It comes as the heckler’s jeer, “If you don’t like it here, then go home.”
The same sentiment can be presented as empathy. I have listened to people explain to me, trying their patience as much as mine, that they understand how I as an Asian American may face discrimination here, because when they as Americans were traveling as a tourists in China or Japan they too felt prejudice.
As much as I value efforts at mutual understanding, even this kindly person is offering up an analogy which is frustratingly inappropriate. It shows what is wrong with the way Asian Americans are perceived as well as the subtlety of the error.
As a law professor, I help train people to argue from analogy and distinguish among different cases. The proper comparison to the treatment of a white American overseas—where she is in fact a “foreigner”—is the treatment of a non-white American overseas—where in fact I am a “foreigner;” say, me in France. If the idea is to match up the ancestral connections, then the most apt comparison to the treatment of a white American in Asia is the treatment of an Asian American in Europe. Incidentally, a non-white United States citizen visiting “the Continent” is likely to be accepted as a bona fide Yankee. I am as able as my neighbor to be an “ugly American,” a loud, rude, English-speaking tourist expecting to be catered to. When I am outside the United States, it is readily apparent to the rest of the civilized world where I come from.
If they are racist in Asia—and I am confident that some segments of any society are “racist,” however the term is defined—I regret that as much as any American. But it serves as no excuse for racism against Asian Americans, because it has virtually nothing to do with Asian Americans.
Maybe, I think, I should announce an obvious disclaimer. Asian Americans can be racists too.
Every time I discuss race relations, whether on a radio program or a college campus, no matter how hard I try to take a tone that is conciliatory, someone challenges me by asking what I have to say about Asian Americans who are racists. I don’t know how to answer their rhetorical question.
Of course, some Asian Americans are racists—however we define that term.
Just as is true of other communities, Asian Americans may reveal their prejudices in private among themselves. They might even exclaim it publicly and purposefully.
Some sound like they are Asian supremacy of some sort. Others will talk about “the blacks” in a manner that sounds like a disturbing echo of the Ku Klux Klan.
Confirming again that ethnic divisions can be drawn finer than reason, a few Asian individuals will denigrate other Asian groups: Japanese believing Koreans are inferior, Indians hating Pakistanis, Mandarin-speaking Chinese mocking Cantonese-speaking communities, and so on.
The possibility of intermarriage brings out the worst. When their son or more likely daughter announces her engagement to a “foreigner,” parents of the immigrant generation may be more dismayed than the potential in-laws. Their arguments—or commands—about the purity of bloodlines, grandchildren who “look like us,” or filial piety may appear archaic but they are no less painful for their bigotry.
Asian Americans can be every bit as sexist and homophobic as anyone else as well. Asian American parents may favor their sons and mistreat their daughters so much that, as sensible as it seems to the parents, appears absurd to observers. They are as ready as blacks and whites to disown a child who turns out to be gay or lesbian.
So what?
I should no more be expected to defend these people who have nothing do with me other than their face resembling mine, than blacks or whites should be asked to apologize for demagogues of their respective racial heritage.
Nevertheless, I agree all of us who care about racial justice must emphasize moral principles rather than our own interests. So for once and for all, I will be clear as I can: Asian Americans who mistreat other people on the basis of their race are reprehensible—and all the more so, if they criticize other people for returning the favor.
If Asian Americans are biased, then they should change. We should not be satisfied to be reduced to the lowest common denominator, along the lines of, “I’m racist; you’re racist too.”
Every opportunity I am given, I denounce injustices committed by Asian Americans. I try to persuade Asian Americans that they are not only doing wrong to others in the abstract, but also failing to help their own cause in reality. They lose their claim against discrimination if they engage in it.
The only difference is that when I am taking to task Asian Americans, I usually do so to Asian Americans. I don’t believe it helps Asian Americans improve if I persuade non-Asian Americans of these points. It may only create a backlash among Asian Americans. They become angry I am “airing dirty laundry” instead of addressing the actual problems.
Since I have been giving speeches for over half my life, I don’t mind facing debating tactics. I worry, however, that many Asian Americans are silenced—along with Jews, Latinos, immigrants, and anyone else who somehow seems like they don’t belong. They are treated like guests enjoying the privileges of this country. They understand that they are expected to remain polite.
So they keep their mouths shut, even though they as much of a right as other citizens to take part in our political process. Or if they speak up, they are looked at with some sort of suspicion even if the next person voices similar views.
Stereotypes have a self-fulfilling quality. Stereotypes give us images of other people, but they also give us scripts to follow. It is easier for Asian Americans to sound exactly like their stereotype, performing according to the script: submissive, passive, agreeable, docile.
It is no surprise that Asian Americans feel excluded from race matters. As D’Souza, the author of books such as The End of Racism, observed privately when we debated initially, it isn’t often that an Asian American is invited to comment on civil rights, much less that two Asian Americans are given the opportunity. As much as I disagree with D’Souza’s opinions, I agree with him that more Asian Americans should be offering their opinions. I also am appalled that some of the criticism of his work opens with the observation that he is from Bombay, or that he is Catholic, or that he is an immigrant—and for a few critiques, it don’t progress much further beyond that. I am heartened that what happens to me extends to him as well.
Public discourse is the greatest of democratic traditions. Whatever they do elsewhere, we should demand that everyone think for themselves and we ought to encourage all of us to share our thoughts. Ethnic newspapers such as AsianWeek are part of a rich tradition of civic journalism. Even when the popular press has forgotten or ignored its public responsibilities, the more specialized media that serves a community has maintained its role: watchdog; advocate; spokesperson; forum; cheerleader; critic—all together, with often contradictory goals and in a sometimes messy manner.
Above all, however, Asian Americans must participate in the dialogues of democracy. That is what it means to be an American.
Blood and Media
April 27, 2000
By Emil Guillermo
When people ask me about my career in journalism, they presume the best work I’ve done was while at National Public Radio. Sound can be powerful.
Or maybe it was something I did on television news. As they say, a picture tells a thousand words.
But I always shake my head, and say quite honestly the most important—and therefore, my best work—has always been in the ethnic media.
Yeah, right here, going amok before your eyes as a columnist for the last five years in AsianWeek.
To me, there’s always been something special about the ethnic media. Maybe because it’s truly a different voice. It’s our voice. The media of blood.
You get it because you’ve got it—in your blood.
Oh, the general media, the so-called mainstream, gets plenty bloody too. But that’s different. That’s your basic sensationalism, the cries of disasters, murders and the like. And yes, that’s a blood that sells news. But it’s not the ethnic media. Not even when the victims are people who look just like you.
The big complaint used to be we’d never show up in the mainstream news, not unless we were part of the disasters or murders, and were showing off our blood tragically.
But we don’t have to do that any more. We don’t need a Tong war to get coverage.
These days there are more Asian Pacific Americans in California than African Americans. We’re the fastest growing group in the nation, and sheer numbers merit inclusion in coverage of stories big and small. Asian Americans pop up in the mainstream when you least expect it, and it’s no big deal.
Of course, an Asian American can be the subject of a story, and there’s no double-take. Not any more. Of course, the winner of the Iwon.com sweepstakes is of Asian descent. Of course, the restaurant owner who owns the Doggie Diner head in San Francisco is also Asian, just as sure as there are Asian American doctors, or lawyers or scientists. We’ve got it all, right down to dope-dealing, gun-running gangsters and high-priced call girls. Of course. To paraphrase my gay counterparts (both Asian and non-Asian,) “We’re here, and we’re yellow.”
But oddly, more Asian sightings in the mainstream don’t take away the need for the ethnic media.
In fact, it only engages the curiosity.
Where have we been all these years?
What do you mean there’s always been a voice?
What has everyone missed?
If you want to find out, you can’t go back through the archives of the Washington Post, or the Los Angeles Times, or the San Francisco Chronicle.
You won’t find the first draft of the community’s history in any of them.
That’s the power of and the need for the ethnic media. You really need something like AsianWeek. Fortunately, it’s been around since August 23, 1979.
FIRST FRONT PAGE
Fittingly, the first front page of AsianWeek depicted our common tale, from homeland to newland. We came. We saw. We’re staying. We’ve been doing that for years.
Only this time, it was 1979, and the dramatic arrival was that of Southeast Asian refugees arriving from camps in Malaysia to their new home at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. Like the generations of Asians to America before them, they made news but with a difference. The hundreds of so-called “boat people” were linked to America by war. And while other papers could talk about their arrival from the standpoint of America “receiving” the newcomers, AsianWeek had the ethnic spin. Asians had arrived. Four years after the fall of Saigon, a refugee is quoted as saying, “The story is very simple: the life in Vietnam is too hard, so we must leave and look for freedom.”
While the front page heralded one arrival, the editorial page spoke of another. By establishing AsianWeek, a national weekly English-language newspaper covering Asian American issues, founder and editor John Ta Chuan Fang was saying the voice of Asian America had also arrived.
“The time is indeed right for this generation of Asian-Americans to be acknowledged for the highly productive and influential citizens we are,” read the first editorial. “AsianWeek will contribute to this process, not only by bringing essential news to its readership, but also, for the sake of the young, by remembering our Asian-American roots, recognizing the achievements of today’s leaders, and creating a forum for the communication of ideas between all Asian-Americans.”
Since 1979, AsianWeek’s mission has been clear. Fill in the gaps of the mainstream. Cover the gamut from Southeast Asian to Filipino. Asian is not just Chinese. Give voice to all. Present the full picture, and let the common themes emerge in a chronicle of Asian American life.
For the most part, AsianWeek has been up to the task.
On April 2, 1981, an informative front page lets you know how far we’ve come. “U.S. Asian Population Doubles,” reads the headline. Nationally, the Asian American population rose from 1.5 million in 1970 to 3.5 million in 1980. In twenty years, that number has nearly tripled again. No one really grasped the significance of Asian American growth back then. No one had an abacus large enough.
On the same front page, there’s a story of Asian American reaction to the stunning news of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. I mention it only because you wouldn’t have read our reaction in the mainstream press. No one would have asked us. But AsianWeek did. And it did so in the biggest stories impacting Asian Americans.
AFTER ARRIVAL: REJECTION
From a trip into the dusty archives, the common threads of our American presence are clear. After arrival comes rejection. In America, we call them “hate crimes.”
One of the most notorious occurred in 1982 when Ronald Ebans, a disgruntled white auto worker, and Michael Nitz, struck and killed Vincent Chin with a baseball bat. Ebans blamed it all on layoffs in the auto industry, and mistook Chin for being Japanese. The two men were let off with three years probation and a fine of $3,720 each.
In 1984, Ebans was found guilty of violating Chin’s civil rights and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. But then a new trial was ordered and Ebans was ultimately acquitted. On May 8 1987, AsianWeek’s headline read “Killer Goes Free.” For the death of Vincent Chin, Ebans never spent a day in jail.
We see acts of hate reported too often in the news sections of AsianWeek. Two years later, on January 20, 1989, there was the Patrick Purdy shooting in Stockton. The headline read: “Killer Opens Fire on Asian Children; Southeast Asian Refugees Haunted by Fear of Prejudice, Memories of War.” Just last year, Buford Furrow, Jr., the white supremacist who shot at pre-schoolers at a Jewish community center, made a victim of postal worker Joseph Ileto, a Filipino American.
But occasionally there is justice. Especially when the perpetrator is the government. Some would argue the Japanese internment story—in which some 120,000 Japanese were placed in camps in 1942—is the most significant civil rights story in Asian American history. It was another long haul, and AsianWeek covered it. From the class action suit announced by the National Council for Japanese American Redress in March 1983, to the eventual signing into law of the historic legislation granting reparations of $20,000 to each internee in August 1988. “Hopefully [redress] has lifted the burden of weight from Nisei who felt compelled, for whatever reason, perhaps subconsciously, to hold back and keep themselves, quietly immersed in their own community,” then Japanese American Citizens League National President Cressy Nakagawa said.
ASSIMILATION
As we all know, fitting in is never easy. Battling both good and bad stereotypes of Asian Americans, remains another vigilant front that leaps out of back issues of AsianWeek.
The bad stereotypes are those that deny us our humanity and put us in coolie hats and buckteeth. A Detroit TV host did that for his Kung Fu movie show. AsianWeek covered a grassroots effort in February 1985 to oust him. It was just one of many images that have castrated Asian males through the years. In 1985, a protest of Hollywood depictions of woman as victims of machismo in Year of the Dragon drew the ire of Asian American females.
Even the good stereotypes are worth scrutiny. In February 1983 AsianWeek pointed out how the term “model minority” had become our albatross. Newsweek said that Asian Americans’ average family income was the highest of any ethnic minority group and had the highest level of education of any group.
We’re number 1! Great. But the same article says “language difficulties, limited job opportunities and fear of assimilation still keep [Asian Americans] culturally segregated in many areas, without access to health care and social services.” Some model. Let’s face it, the model minority idea is just offensive shorthand for others who don’t want to get to know us either.
Fortunately AsianWeek has made sure we know of the breakthroughs Asian Americans have made. From 1979 on, pioneering firsts have been achieved in every field. From the high and mighty (“Historic First: Asian Chancellor at UC Berkeley,” heralded Chang-Lin Tien Feb. 16, 1990); to the bureaucratic (“Ronald Reagan appoints first Asian to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Dr. Joy Cherian,” May 8, 1987).
At all levels, from state (“Gary Locke, Governor Washington State”), to local (“Filipino Rod McLeod to S.F. School Board,” 1987), our empowerment is recorded.
But as time passes, even these turn into new versions of old stereotypes. Does the July 16, 1998 AsianWeek piece on Yahoo’s Jerry Yang smash the model minority myth? Or does it re-invigorate the model minority idea? It will—if we aren’t careful to balance our success with a real concern for community.
To that end, AsianWeek has been the place for all of us to explore what matters to Asian Americans. It’s opened up dialogue, and has broken the silence. We’ve become less private, more willing to be a vibrant, active community.
Life forces us to be actors. Being actors and achievers pushes us into the news. The news gives us a forum. More than any other publication, ethnic or mainstream, AsianWeek has been our place to be Asian in Public. It’s our joys and sorrows—for all to see.
But as our quick look over the past 21 years reveals, we still have a ways to go. Through redesigns, new, younger, hipper looks and perspectives, our stories recycle and repeat. If we only learned from reading our AsianWeek’s the first time around.
Arts & Entertainment Calendar
April 27, 2000
A regional roundup of events of special interest to Asian Americans
Regions: Northern Calif., Southern Calif., Rest of the West, Midwest, East Coast
Northern California
Arts
A Thousand Cranes The California Academy of Sciences presents the works of photographer Wu Shao-Tung. The exhibition will run through Jul. 30. (Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 415-750-7145.)
Flow The College of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University will hold its 11th annual exhibit of student work on May 16, 4-8 p.m.; May 17, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; and May 18, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Guest Conference Room, 798 Font Blvd., San Francisco State University. 415-338-2211.)
Fragments of Memory San Francisco downtown gallery HANG will exhibit the works of artist Elizabeth Tana from May 1-23, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. (566 Sutter St., San Francisco)
From Sojourners to Skateboarders-Chinatown in Transition Over 35 Bay Area photographers have submitted their visions of Chinatown as inspired by writer Genny Lim’s poems for this exhibition that runs through May 6, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free. (Chinatown Community Arts Gallery, Holiday Inn, 750 Kearny St., 3rd Floor, San Francisco.)
International Art The Pacific Bridge Contemporary Southeast Asian Art will present Hands On: Cuba, Vietnam and California by artists Idilio Arnaud Lopez, Do Quoc Vi and Joel Bennett. An opening reception will be held on April 29 from 7-10 p.m. The exhibition will be on display through May 27. (95 Linden St., #6. Oakland. 510-451-8840.)
Printed Convictions The Mexican Museum will present a retrospective of the work of Juan Sanchez from May 13- Sept. 17. The solo exhibition will highlight 48 peices that address the challenge Purerto Ricans face in examing their identities in the United States. (The Mexican Museum, Fort Mason Center, Bldg. D, San Francisco. 415-202-9700.)
Sasha Yungju Lee An exhibition of Lee’s work, which focuses on how women’s roles are portrayed by the mass media, will be on display from May 5 through June 7. (Triton Museum of Art, 1505 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara. 408-247-3754.)
The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation The California Suiseki Society of Northern California will present their exhibit of Japanese stone on April 30, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. (Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue, Oakland. For more information, call 925-827-9575.)
Dance
Tchaikovsky—The Mystery of Life and Death The Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg, critically acclaimed as Russia’s most innovative contemporary ballet company, will make its Bay Area debut with Eifman’s stunning full-length ballet on May 2-4 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35-55. (Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco. For tickets, call 415-392-4400.)
Events
Borrowed Scenery Macy’s 54th Annual Flower Show begins April 16 and ends April 29. Macy’s Union Square will serve as the setting for a flower and garden display that will incorporate pagodas, stone lanterns, water basins, arbors and bridges. (Macy’s Union Square, 251 Geary St., San Francisco.)
Cinco De Mayo San Francisco The Mission Economic Cultural Association will present their annual celebration featuring music by Mariachi Los Cachorros, Banda Joven, Grupo Destino and Grupo Arias. There will also be a children’s area, international food and a parade. On May 7 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission is $5. (Civic Center Plaza, San Francisco. For more information, call 415-826-1401.)
Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival The 17th annual Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival takes place April 29-30 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The festival is in honor of Cupertino sister-city Toyokawa, Japan. For more information, call 408-257-7424. (Memorial Park, Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino.)
Himalayan Fair Authentic Himalayan arts, antiques and modern crafts, live music and dance highlight this annual outdoor celebration of the mountain cultures of Tibet, Nepal, India, Ladakh, Mustang and Bhutan on May 20 and 21. A $5 donation is recommended. For more information call 510-869-3995. (Live Oak Park, 1300 Shattuck Ave., North Berkeley.)
May Bouquets Decorate an uchiwa (Japanese fan) or make a dandelion corsage for a great mom. Explore the year of the dragon through Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean crafts. 12-4 p.m at the Oakland Museum of California. Included with museum admission, $6 for adults, $4 seniors and students. For more information, call 1-800-OAK-MUSE or e-mail shirleen@museumca.org. (Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Streets, Oakland.)
Film
San Francisco International Film Festival, Pacific Film Archive Screenings The Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley will be screening 38 features and 20 short films from 26 nations as part of the 43rd annual festival. Screenings continue through May 4. General admission is $9 per program. For scheduling and more information, call 415-931-FILM or visit www.sfiff.org online. For PFA screenings, call the PFA box office at 510-642-5249. For tickets for all festival venues, call TicketWeb at 510-601-8932 or visit the SFIFF Box Office in the lobby of AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres in San Francisco. (New PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley.)
Terminal USA Director Jon Moritsugu tells a story of an unusual Asian American family of a drug-dealing son, a whore of a daughter, a skinhead-obsessed son and psychotic parents. Screens from May 16 to May 22 at 7:30 p.m. For more information call 510-848-1143. (Fine Arts Cinema, 2451 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley.)
Music
Annual World Music & Dance Festival This two-day, free event on May 20-21 features well-known and emerging artists performing traditional and new music and dance from across the globe. (The Cannery, 2801 Leavenworth St., San Francisco. 415-771-3112.)
Bee Project #5 Headlands Center for the Arts will present an evening program performed by muscian/composer Miya Masaoka on May 18 at 8 p.m. Masaoka uses the sounds of insects as a basis for her musical compositions, videos and time-based live art pieces. (944 Fort Barry, Marin Headlands. 415-331-2787.)
Center of Sound Festival #1 The Fred Anderson Trio, featuring renowned saxophonist Fred Anderson, bassist Tatsu Aoki, and drummer Hamid Drake, will be performing at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center May 12 (with the John-Carlos Perea Quartet with Hafez Modirzadeh) and May 13 (with Jeff Chan’s big fUn philharmonic). Shows start at 8 p.m. Tickets $15, $12 in advance, 2-for-1 for students with valid I.D. For tickets and info, call 1-877-243-3774 or e-mail info@asianimprov.com. Presented by the Alliance of Emerging Creative Artists, Asian Improv aRts, and the OACC. (Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St.)
Chee-Yun The California Symphony will present violinist Chee-Yun on May 7, 7:30 p.m.; and May 9, 8 p.m. Tickets are $35-45. Call 925-943-7469. (Dean Lesher Regional Cetner for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek.)
Gamelan Sekar Jaya Dunsmuir Historic Estate will kick off its Family Sunday Season with Balinese theater and ritual music performed by Gamelan Sekar Jaya. May 7 from noon to 3 p.m. Admission is $5 adults, $4 for seniors, $1 for children age 6-13. Guided tours of the 1899 Dunsmuir Mansion and grounds are included in the price of admission. For more information call 510-615-5555 or visit www.dunsmuir.org online. (2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland.)
Himalayan Concert The Himalayan Fair Committee presents a benefit concert for grassroots projects in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Tibet on May 7, featuring performers Ali Khan, Ancient Future, Stephen Kent, Vivian Guzman, and Techung. For more information call 510-848-6767 ext. 609 or visit www.himalayanfair.net online. (King Middle School, 1781 Rose St., Berkeley.)
Hundred Birds Facing Phoenix The San Francisco Arts Commission, Melody of China, and the Chinese Culture Center present a concert of Chinese traditional, folk and improvisational music on May 7 at 2 p.m. This year’s concert features musicians from China as well as Wu Wei, a mouth organ soloist from Germany. Tickets are $10. (Chinese Cultural Center Auditorium, 750 Kearny St., 3rd Floor, San Francisco. 415-957-1146.)
Huun Huur Tu The harmonies of these four throat singers from Tuvan, Siberia will come to the Bay Area April 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Theater in Berkeley and then April 28 through 30 (4/28 & 29 at 7:30 p.m., 4/30 at 2 p.m.) at the Marin Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael.
Mitsuko Uchida San Francisco Performances’ 20th season piano series concludes with a Herbst Theater recital by pianist Mitsuko Uchida on May 14 at 7 p.m. She will perform the works of Chopin, Webern, Mozart and Schubert. Tickets are $36 and $24. (Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness, San Francisco. 415-392-4400.)
Music in a Movement The Oakland Cultural Center opens its new exhibit and performance series Music in a Movement, which documents and celebrates Asian Pacific Islander music from the 1970s and its influence on the political scene of that era, on May 6 at 12 noon. (OACC, 388 9th St., Suite 290, Oakland. 510-208-6080.)
San Francisco World Music Festival Building bridges through exposure to the diversity of musical culture, this first annual event will feature over 20 different performance groups over the course of the 3-day Memorial Day weekend, and will also include classes, workshops, discussions, and ongoing performances through May 28. For tickets and information call the Clarion Music Center at 415-391-1317 or the Cowell Theater Box Office at 415-441-3687.
San Jose Taiko This group will have its annual Spring Concert, “Rhythm Spirit 2000,” at the San Jose Repertory Theatre April 28 and 29 at 8 p.m. and April 30 at 3 p.m. Call 408-291-2255 for tickets.
Readings/Lectures
Bharati Mukherkee & Zainab Ali Intersection for the Arts presents as part of its Tuesday Night Reading Series two writers: accomplished novelist and short story writer Bharati Mukherjee and emerging fiction writer Zainab Ali on May 16 at 8 p.m. Suggested donation of $5. For information call 415-626-2787. (Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia, San Francisco.)
Growing Up Asian in Chinatown The Oakland Museum of California presents reminiscences by the Wong family: reporter Bill Wong, poet Nellie Wong, artist Flo Wong, Lai King Wong and Lai Webster. Included with museum admission, $6 for adults, $4 seniors and students. For more information, call 1-800-OAK-MUSE or e-mail shirleen@museumca.org. (Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Streets, Oakland.)
Multicultural Theatre: Playwrighting & Performance Playwright and actor Dewi Yee discusses multicultural theatre and the art of performance and playwrighting in a lecture at City College of San Francisco. This event, part City College’s Concert/Lecture Series, begins at 7 p.m. on April 27 and is free and open to the public. For information, call 415-239-3580. (Bungalow 222 (adjacent to Diego Rivera Theatre), 50 Phelan Avenue, San Francisco.)
Theater
Close Encounters of the Third World Four culturally diverse performance groups—Asian American Theater Company, Latina Theater lab, Culture Clash and 18 Might Mountain Warriors—come together to create a lighthearted look at life in America. The show runs from April 27-May 14, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22. (Somar Theater, 934 Bannan St., San Francisco. 415-440-5545.)
Fairytale on the Flip Side Challenging notions of identity, beauty and power, a typical happily-ever-after fairytale is transformed by a group of multicultural teens in the latest production of dance, theater, martial arts and music from the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company. Two shows: May 6 at 7:30 p.m. and May 7 at 3 p.m. Tickets $12, $6 for ages 17 and under. For information and tickets call 510-597-1619. (McClymonds High School, 2604 Myrtle St., Oakland).
Game of Life Performer and writer Suz Takeda performs her play about the search for a Japanese American identity in Oakland. It is part of the Best of Writers Who Act series. Game of Life will debut May 19 and 20 at 8 p.m. at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
Itgirl Emerald Rain Productions, the Bay Area’s rock musical theater company will present the premiere of this comedy-romance about teen idols and corporate conspiracies from April 6 through May 6. It runs through May 6, Fridays and Saturdays at the Renaissance Ballroom, 285 Ellis St., San Francisco. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Admission is $12. For reservations or information, call 510-982-0433.
Not for the Faint of Heart Provocative New York artist Patty Chang returns to her native San Francisco to perform sexually charged, visually arresting pieces May 10. Appearing with her are Tony Labat and Cliff Hengst. For more information call 415-626-5416. (New Langdon Arts, 1246 Folsom St., San Francisco.)
The past Life of Padmasambhava A re-invention of classic Tibetan drama. This techno, tantric play is a powerful blend of universal teachings woven together through world music, sacred ceremony and dance on April 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and April 30 at 2 p.m. It features Tuvan throat singers and Cambodian court dancers, among others. For more information call 415-721-4147. (Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael.)
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Southern California
Arts
Gods and Goblins Paintings of foolish monkeys, wrestling gods, playful goblins and humorous caricatures make up this first major West Coast exhibit of folk art from Otsu, Japan. Ongoing. (Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. 626-449-2742.)
Migration of Faith Tibetan Buddhist art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s permanent collection, featuring 23 rare manuscripts and paintings, will be on display through Sept. 4. Admission is $7. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 213-857-6000.)
Mingei of Japan An exhibition of objects of daily use from Japan made from a variety of material is on display including indigo-dyed textiles, brushes and cabinets. Also on display are works from Keisuke Serizawa, among other artists. Through June 2. For more information call 619-239-0003. (Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park, Plaza de Panama, La Jolla.)
Shifting Perceptions The Pacific Asia Museum will present a major exhibit by 17 Asian American visual artists that probes the question, “What is Asian American art?” The show will run through Oct. 29. (46 North Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. 626-449-2742.)
The Four Seasons: Visual Haiku The symbolic collages of mixed media artist Julie Smith are inspired by the shapes, colors and textures of Japanese kimonos as well as the simplicity and depth of haiku poetry, on display from April 29 to June 11. For more information call 626-449-2742. (Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Robles Ave, Pasadena.)
Dance
Kodomo No Hi Come celebrate Children’s Day with the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center for a family festival on May 20-21, featuring crafts, dance performances, a demonstration by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a basketball tournament. (JACCC, 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles. 213-628-2725.)
Events
Kodomo no Hi Come celebrate Children’s Day with the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center for a family festival on May 20-21, featuring crafts, dance performances, a demonstration by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a basketball tournament. (JACCC, 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles. 213-628-2725.)
Film
Princess Cheung Ping A John Woo romance about an emperor’s daughter who must overcome her fathers’ oppositions to her desires set in the Ming Dynasty. Screens May 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $4 to $6. It screens as part of the UCLA Film and TV Archive annual presentation of rare, international musicals. For more information call 310-206-FILM. (James Bridge Theater, UCLA at Sunset Blvd. and Hilgard Ave. Los Angeles.)
PYASSA This 1957 Indian musical tells the story of an artist’s struggle in Calcutta’s mean streets, made by Guru Dutt. Screens May 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $4 to $6. It screens as part of the UCLA Film and TV Archive annual presentation of rare, international musicals. For more information call 310-206-FILM. (James Bridge Theater, UCLA at Sunset Blvd. and Hilgard Ave. Los Angeles.)
Visual Communications Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Fest 2000 This is the 15th celebration of eight days of film and video presentation from Asian Pacific and Asian international filmmakers, from May 18-25. More more information on the festival, call Visual Communications at 213-680-4462 ext. 69 or visit www.vconline.org on the Web.
Music
Masami Nakagawa Flute Concert This internationally recognized musician will perform a repertoire covering a wide spectrum in both classical and jazz on April 30 at 2 p.m. Admission is $15, free for students and children. Reserve seats by April 28 by calling 213-627-6217. (Huntington Beach Central Library & Cultural Center, 7111 Talbert Avenue, Huntington Beach.)
Theater
Uncle Gunjiro’s Girlfriend Brend Wong Aoki will perform this duet about the true story of the first Asian-Caucasian marriage in California, on April 30 at 7 p.m. at the Japan American Theater, 244 South San Pedro, Los Angeles; and on May 25 at 7 p.m. at the McCullum Theater, 73000 Fred Waring Dr., Palm Desert.
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Rest of the West
Arts
Asian Art Now The Las Vegas Art Museum will present a new exhibition of contemporary Asian art from May 3-July 9. The show will include works from Japan, Korea and Taiwan. (9600 West Sahara Ave., Las Vegas. 702-360-8000.)
Mountain Patterns: Survival of Nuosu Culture in China Patterned clothing, silver jewelry and lacquered wood utensils will be on display at this exhibit featuring the handiwork of the mountain-dwelling Nuosu people of Southwestern China. The exhibit runs March 2-Sept. 4; admission is $2.50-5.50. (Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, NE 45th St. and 17th Ave., University of Washington, Seattle. 206-543-7907.)
Paul Horiuchi Honored An exhibition celebrating the art of the late Paul Horiuchi will be on view from March 9 through June 11. (Seattle Art Museum. 1400 E. Prospect St., Volunteer Park, Seattle. Visit their Web site at www.SeattleArtMuseum.org.)
Year of Korea The Seattle Asian Art Museum presents a series of exhibitions and programs throughout the year to celebrate Korean art and culture. (For more information, call 206-654-3100 or visit www.seattleartmuseum.org on the Web.)
Events
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District will celebrate APA Heritage month in May. Included in this year’s program will be an origami demonstration, a performance of traditional Hawaiian dance, as well as a lecture by author Helen Zia on May 17. For more information, call 702-642-9500.)
Film
AxA: Multi-Directions in Asian American Film The last of a three part series presenting a repertoire of films illustrating the diversity and complexity of our Asian Pacific American community, showing May 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. Free and open the public. Seating is limited. (Ethnic Cultural Center at the University of Washington, 3931 Brooklyn Avenue Northeast. For more information call 206-623-5124.)
Readings & Lectures
Jessica Hagedorn This New York performance artist and author/editor (Burning Heart, Charlie Chan Is Dead) will visit the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle for a reading and reception May 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. (407 7th Avenue South, Seattle, Washington. 206-623-5124.)
Theater
Finding Home Local Cambodian youth in the Seattle area present a compilation of oral histories, monologues, poetry, and dance to convey their shared and individual experiences of war, relocation and family issues. Two shows: May 5 at 6 p.m., Gathering Hall, 7054 32nd Avenue South; May 27 at 2 p.m., Theatre Off Jackson, 409 7th Avenue. Call 206-623-5124 for more info.
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Midwest
Dance
Bian Dan The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago has commissioned this world premiere work by H.T. Chen & Dancers, which will be performed May 11-13 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10. (The Dance Center, 4730 Sheridan Rd., Chicago. 773-989-3310.)
Events
Asian American Festival 2000 The Asian American Renaissance is presenting this 4th annual event in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be a one-day festival on May 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event is in celebration and recognition of May as Asian Pacific Heritage month. For information call 651-641-4040.
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The East
Arts
APT #3F Artists Jean Shin, Nizeki Hiromi and Yangah Ham choose everyday domestic materials from their surroundings to transform them into works of art through April 29. The gallery space is divided into three rooms-bedroom, bathroom and living room-which artist adopts to appropriate themes in their work. For more information call 212-233-2154. (Asian American Arts Centre, 26 Bowery, Third Floor, New York.)
Beauty in Snuff Bottles The Taipei Gallery and Chang Foundation present a special selection of snuff bottles, a distinguished and highly skilled art form which emerged during China’s Qing dynasty. On display through June 2. Opening reception is April 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. For information, call 212-373-1854 or visit www.taipei.org online. (Taipei Gallery, McGraw-Hill Building, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York.)
Heaven/Hell Artist Jerry Hsieh will showcase his paintings at Gallery 456 through May 5. There will be an opening reception on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information call 212-431-9740. (Gallery 456, 456 Broadway, Third Floor, New York.)
Jaku Dai Ichi Arts Ltd. will present this exhibit and sale of meditative and tea ceremony art on display through April 29. (Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd., 24 W. 57th St., 6th Floor, New York City. 212-262-0239.)
Events
21st Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival The Coalition of Asian Pacific American presents this celebration on May 7 from noon through 6 p.m, featuring musical performances, arts and crafts exhibits, martial arts demonstrations and food vendors. Admission is free. (Union Square Park, 14th-17th Streets between Broadway and Park Avenue South, New York City. 212-989-3610.)
Music
Akiko Yano One of Japan’s most enduring musical artists, Yano will appear on May 26-27 at 8:30 p.m. She gained internation attention for her work with Ryuchi Sakamoto. Tickets are $20; they can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200. (Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., New York City. For more information, call 212-625-3750.)
Readings & Lectures
Book Party The Museum of Chinese in the Americas will celebrated the publication of Chinese Americans: The Immigrant Experience, by Dusanka Miscevic and Peter Kwong on May 9 from 5:30-7 p.m. The authors, as well as photographers Lia Chang and Corky Lee will be on hand to sign the books. Admission is $3. (Museum of the Chinese Americas, 70 Mulberry St., 2nd floor, New York City. 212-619-4785.)
Vietnamese American Writing To commemorate the 25 years of the Vietnamese experience in the Untied States, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop will host three Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize-honored writers: Lan Cao, Andrew X. Pham and Truong Tran, on May 4 at 7 p.m. The event is free. (King Juan Carlos I Center, NYU, 53 Washington Square South, New York City. For more information, call 415-422-5984.)
Theater
Li’l Brown Brothers/Nikimalika Ma-Yi Theater Company and Asia Society present this play, written and directed by Chris B. Millado, about the importation of indigenous Filipino peoples to the St. Louis World Exposition of 1904 as part of a “Philippine Exhibit.” Performances begin April 28 at 8 p.m., with the opening May 7 at 7 p.m. Performances are Wed-Sat 8 p.m., Sun 7 p.m. Tickets are $15. For information and reservations, call 212-581-8896 or 212-517-ASIA. (Grove Street Playhouse, 39 Grove Street, New York.)
Consulting Firms Feeling the Heat
April 27, 2000
By Lenora Chu
I feel proud to have dabbled in a majority of the “Asian Parent-Approved” career choices—engineering, law and business. Medicine—probably the most popularly approved path—was left for my little sister, who never minded the sight of blood.
So, I studied engineering in college and worked in corporate litigation support after graduation. After deciding that the lawyers I worked with were too full of corporate angst to spend 80 hours a week with, I took a position as a strategic consultant to Fortune 500 companies.
Or rather, I should say that I sacrificed my health and well-being for the life of a traveling management consultant. (At one time, I knew by heart United Airlines’ daily flight schedule connecting San Francisco, Los Angeles and New Orleans). Of course, I eventually found my true calling in journalism.
But recent developments in the consulting industry have caught my eye. Whereas management consulting firms once coughed up the hottest job offers on college campuses, now they are fighting to retain talent—the result of the “Internet Brain Drain.”
During my senior year at Stanford, navy-suited seniors lined the halls of the university’s career planning center, waiting their turn for a job interview with McKinsey, Bain and the Boston Consulting Group. Not to mention the consulting arms of the “Big Six” at the time—Andersen Consulting, Price Waterhouse, Coopers & Lybrand, Ernst & Young, Deloitte & Touche and KPMG Peat Marwick.
Management consulting promised glamour and prestige. Traveling each week to visit clients sites—sometimes even in foreign cities like London and Hong Kong. Sitting in executive board meetings of Fortune 500 companies, recommending strategic alternatives to the management team. Dining out on the client expense account. Accumulating enough frequent flyer miles to fly the entire family to Hawaii.
But, in light of dot-com mania, things have changed over the past few years. Ever since Silicon Valley began promising riches to young, starry-eyed entrepreneurs, the Internet “brain drain” and the resulting problems for consulting firms have become big headlines. Talent has been fleeing management-consulting firms in droves to form or join startups.
In an industry that normally sees a 10 percent annual turnover, some firms have been plagued with talent losses of 20-30 percent a year. Firms large and small are refusing to take the mass exodus lying down. More than ever, partners are rolling out the red carpets to keep their consultants happy and compete with startups for top undergraduates and MBAs.
Many traditional consulting firms have reexamined their famously rigid compensation structures. Firms that are active in e-business, such as the Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Co., are actively looking for ways to turn equity stakes in their clients into wealth for their consultants. And in general, firms are offering raises and considering promotions more frequently with each coming year.
More than one-third of consulting employers have also enhanced their educational reimbursement programs since 1993. Hewitt Associates surveyed 460 companies in 1998 and found that 75 percent paid for job-related courses and 23 percent even paid for courses unrelated to the job.
Improving the work-life balance is another popular initiative. To alleviate the burden of a lifestyle involving frequent travel and extended engagements away from home, many firms, including KPMG, are trying harder to put their consultants to work on local projects.
At firms where travel is unavoidable, policies such as Deloitte Consulting’s “3-4-5 program” are becoming standard. Barring client emergencies, the policy mandates that consultants spend “only” three nights and four days of the week at the client site, and the fifth day at their own home office.
But late nights at the office are still inevitable, leaving little time for a social life, let alone mundane errands. To relieve some of the stress, Andersen Consulting’s company concierge services satisfy a gamut of needs, from waiting for the cable company to making dinner reservations. The service bills on an hourly basis, and Andersen either picks up part of the tab or charges the consultant a nominal fee.
As for major initiatives, Mercer Management Consulting has radically altered its employees’ work conditions. Mercer recently implemented six employee-friendly programs, including an initiative for a 10- or 11-month work year, another program in which entrepreneurial employees can get backing for their personal business plans, and an “externship” program in which employees work as managers at a client company for a year.
Andersen has also been making fundamental changes to increase their retention rate. I spoke with David Reed, the director of human resources at Andersen, who told me that the company plans to launch two major programs in September 2000. And not a minute too soon. He said that “right now, there’s no disincentive to leave. [Consultants] have their compensation, and they don’t leave anything on the table if they depart.”
Andersen’s first initiative awards financial incentives called “e-units” (“e” for employee) to top-performing consultants each year. The reach of e-units spreads far and wide; thousands of consultants will be eligible for consideration. The second initiative makes partnership more accessible to talented consultants, lopping four years off the traditional 13- to 14-year partner track.
The consulting industry has also made a collective shift toward giving consultants more control over their lives. McKinsey has been emphasizing consultant choice over other factors such as availability or partners’ orders; associates have more power than ever to choose staffing engagements. Price Waterhouse-Coopers has implemented its “3-Cs” program, offering consultants more compensation, choice in projects, and control over their professional lives.
Consulting firms are also trying harder to give their employees a taste of what life is like as an entrepreneur. McKinsey, for example, is trying to increase its consulting business to start-up companies or smaller firms, where consultants get on the front line with clients and even help define the business model. The Boston Consulting Group is offering some of its consultants the opportunity to head up a joint Internet venture with client companies.
And the venerable Bain & Company has launched an in-house e-commerce company entitled Ideaforest.com, partly to combat defections to dot-coms. Bain consultants—instructed to research businesses with online potential—considered hundreds of ideas, including selling petrochemicals and running an adoption agency online. They finally settled on the staid old arts and crafts industry, which surprisingly logs $20 billion in annual sales.
Have these new initiatives helped? The general consensus is that the new programs and options are great pluses. But many consultants who have left for start-ups say the new changes rarely factor into the decision-making process. A business consultant at Deloitte & Touche told me that “the initiatives do nothing.” An Andersen consultant agrees. “You either like consulting or you don’t. It’s as simple as that.”
Robin Briggs, a former human resources representative for Deloitte told me that “sometimes, we just can’t compete.” Briggs said that Deloitte has stepped up its human resources activities “to make people feel like they’re part of our office.” she says. Ironically, Briggs recently left the firm to join a start-up.
A former McKinsey consultant believes internal changes will not be enough to stave off the brain drain. “The nature of the external opportunities are too great—the external situation needs to change before talented people make different decisions.” That prophecy may be fulfilled if the Internet economy continues to take a dip as it has over the past week or two.
For now, the consulting firms must fight the talent wars to the bitter end. The peril they face is growing deeper and more real, for the hits have climbed higher and higher up the organizational ladder. The “26-year-old Web gazillionaire” is giving way to the “baby boomer Web gazillionaire.” Just a few years ago, start-ups had time to allow green employees to grow into their management roles. Now with competition popping up like weeds, start-ups can no longer afford the time to nurse young executives—they want older, more experienced managers. And they’re getting them.
Chinese American Takes Political Action on the Internet
April 27, 2000
By Lenora Chu
As a child, Perla Ni was barraged with information. Her father was a “constant consumer,” surrounded by NPR, CNN and the output of countless other news organizations. Today, Ni says she is “becoming exactly like my father.” And he must be proud.
Twenty-six year old Ni, a Harvard Law School graduate, recently co-founded Grassroots.com, a company barely a year old that has become one of the hottest political action destinations on the Internet.
In the summer of 1999, Ni, a political reporter for Asianweek at the time, met civil rights attorney David Chiu at a living wage legislative hearing at San Francisco’s City Hall. Observing the hundreds of citizens who took ti