Indian Americans raise $1.5 million in one event for the Biden-Harris campaign

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President Biden met with Indian Americans in Silicon Valley

Reports of Asian American voters drifting to the right to the right may be misleading.  A group of prominent Indian Americans met President Biden and raised more than $1.5 million for the Biden-Harris reelection campaign.

The Silicon Valley residence of Indian American billionaire and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, , the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures,, was the venue for a campaign fundraiser and the opportunity to meet the President.

Tickets for the May 10 event  on Friday at the residence of Mr Khosla, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures, reportedly ranged from $6,600 to $100,000. About 89 people attended the fundraiser.

Biden spoke for about 15 minutes focusing on immigration and women's rights, reports NDTV.

"They (immigrants) have been incredible contributors to the work ethic of this country -- incredible," said Biden, generating applause from the guestss. "One of the reasons why we continue to grow is we are not xenophobic. We have the input of new immigrants coming into the country that should come into the country that are generating economic growth."

The event was the first political fundraiser for either frontrunner hosted by Indian Americans for the 2024 campaign. Biden's visit to Silicon Valley was part of a series of campaign stops throughout the Bay Area, which has historically leaned towards Democratic candidates and policies.

Of the four major Asian American communities, --  Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese -- Indian Americans are the newest immigrant group from Asiabut have grown to become  the second largest group. Wth their numbers and economic clout, they have quickly learned how to impact the US political system as voters and lawmakers. In addition to Kamala Harris as Biden's Vice President, there are four Indian Americans in Congress and a score more have been elected at the state level of government. Biden has appointed more than 130 Indian Americans to key positions in his administration, more than any other President. 

Indian American voters overwhelmingly voted for Biden in 2020. Among AANHPI groups, Indian Americans are the most Democrat-leaning communities, about 70% vs. 30% Republican, according to the Pew Research Center. GOP strategigists' have been attempting to chip away at that one-sided support since Indian American and other AANHPI voters could play a vital role in determining the outcome in battlegound states.

“This event is certainly significant, both for President Biden, and for the Indian American community," said Robinder Sachdev, president of Delhi based think tank Imagindia Institute, and one of the founders of US India PAC.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge.

Asian American assumes uneasy crown of Miss USA

MISS USA
Hawaii's Savannah Gankiewicz was named the next Miss USA.

 

Amid the controversies swirling around the Miss USA pageant, a Filipino/Vietnamese American, Miss Hawaii, will assume the title May 15.

On May 9, the Miss USA pageant announced that Savannah Gankiewicz, Miss Hawaii USA 2023 and first-runner up to Voigt at the 2023 Miss USA pageant, would be taking over the national title and its responsibilities. She will be officially crowned on May 15.

“We are proud to crown Savannah Miss USA 2023, A true representation of vision, intelligence, and compassion,” stated a press release.. “Her dedication to empowering women through self-love and confidence is inspiring, and we look forward to her impactful reign as Miss USA.”

Gankiewiez's opportunity occurred after Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt resigned from her title claiming mismanagement by the Miss USA organization affecting her mental health.

Voigt's resigniation became even more significant after Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava relinquished her crow two days later alleging similar complaints.

A nondisclosure agreement (NDA) in their contract with the Miss USA organization  has, thus far,  prevented neither title holder from expanding on their allegations.

 Despite all the issues existing within the Miss USA organisation and the other contestants standing in support of Noelia, Savannah chose to accept the Miss USA 2023 title and will reign as Miss USA until the 2024 pageant in August.

MISS USA

Former Miss Teen USA Uma  Sofia Srivastava and and Miss USA  Noelia Voigt gave up their pageant crowns.

“I fully support and respect Noelia’s decision to step down, and I stand in solidarity with mental health awareness,” Gankiewicz added. “To my fellow Miss USA sisters, I believe it’s crucial for us to stand united for the future of the organization and the incoming class of 2024 and beyond.”

FYI: The CW Network will air live the 73rd Miss USA pageant on Sunday, August 4 (8-10 pm ET)

A native of Kihei on the island of Maui, Savannah Gankiewicz was crowned Miss Hawaii USA 2023 on 15 November 2023 and represented Hawaii at Miss USA 2023 in Reno, Nevada. Savannah, who is of Filipina, Polish and Vietnamese descent, made history as the first winner from Maui in over 20 years.

Gankiewicz, 24, grew up in Mau with her mother, who is a Filipino/Vietnamese Hawaiian living in Maui and her father, who lives in Virginia. After attending middle and high school in Virginia, she returned to Hawaii.

Savannah is a model, entrepreneur, and program director for What Makes You Feel Beautiful — a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering self-love throughout every stage and phase of life in girls and women of all ages. She also dedicates her time to facilitating the “F.L.Y. First Love Yourself” youth program which empowers young women to develop self-love, confidence, and compassion.

Gankiewicz's reign as Miss USA will be short-lived. She will have to give up her crown in Augus twhen a new Miss USA will be chosen.

During the few months of her reign, Savannah hopes to be a symbol of resilience and hope and bring the Aloha spirit across the nation. She would like to give support to her home island of Maui and put it back into the spotlight on the rebuilding process in Lahaina after the tragic fires nearly one year ago

This year, the 2024 Miss USA pageant will take place in Los Angeles from July 27 to August 4.The venue where the contestants will compete for the iconic crown will be announced soon.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge.

Exhibit tells the story of the Filipino Americans of Pajaro Valley

ASUNCION FAMILY

One of the family photos on display is of the Asoncion family gathered together for a
beach picnic in the early 1950s.

An exhibit celebrates the perseverance of a Filipino American community to transform California's Pajaro Valley into a home in the face of racism and exclusion.

"Sowing Seeds: Filipino American Stories from the Pajaro Valley" explores Filipino labor and migration to California's Pajaro Valley from the 1930s to the present. The exhibition brings together oral history, archival materials, and contemporary works of art to feature multidimensional narratives across four themes: labor, gender, conflict, and memory. 

The migration of Filipinos to the United States occurred at the dawn of US colonization of the Philippines in the early twentieth century. The US government appealed to Filipino farmers to travel to the US and fill low-wage agricultural jobs. Roughly 100,000 Filipino men and women traveled across the Pacific to labor in fields. This generation of migrants is known as the manong and manang (“older brother” and “older sister”) generation. 

FYI: "Sowing Seeds" is on exhibit until August 4 at the Museum o Art & HIstory, 705 Front Street, Santa Cruz, CA.

The Pajaro Valley was one major agricultural center where Filipinos worked and where some stayed.

Unfortunately, many of the manong and manang have long passed. Their stories live in the memories of their descendants. Sowing Seeds views these memories as key sites of historical and artistic research. By featuring family photographs, heirlooms, and recorded interviews, the exhibition highlights the stories that descendants seek to memorialize. 

Sowing Seeds also investigates how and what memories are remembered as a way to further explore diversity, difference, and multidimensionality. Eight California-based contemporary artists were invited to interpret these memories in order to visualize the social complexities of this Filipino American community.

The artists featured in Sowing Seeds include Minerva Amistoso, Binh Danh, Ant Lorenzo, Sandra Lucille, Johanna Poethig, Ruth Tabancay, Jenifer Wofford, and Connie Zheng.

The exhibition features archival materials from 17 family collections found on the Watsonville is in the Heart Digital Archive:

Alminiana Family, Ancheta Family, Asuncion Family, Bersamin Family, Bosque Family, Carillo Family, Cawaling Family, Deocampo Family, Fallorina Family, Florendo Family, Irao-de los Reyes and Ibao Family, Lopez Family, Mariano Family, Millares Family, Nabor Family, Recio Family, Reyes Family, Sales Family, Sulay Family, Tana and Tabios Family, and Tuzon Family.

The exhibition culminates a four-year research initiative between community members, UC Santa Cruz students, scholars, and curators called Watsonville is in the Heart (WIITH). WIITH collaborates with The Tobera Project, a grassroots organization based in Watsonville, CA. 

In 2020, Dioscoro “Roy” Recio Jr. initiated a partnership with UCSC to confront the unevenly documented history of Filipino Americans in the Pajaro Valley. With his leadership, the initiative has expanded to include several projects including oral history interviewing, digital archiving, and K-12 curriculum development.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

 

Biden: AANHP are "a defining force in the soul of our Nation"

WHITE HOUSE

AANHIPI   staffers in the Biden-Harris admininstration  observed AANHP Heritgae Month last year.

In only three years of his first term, President Biden has done more in behalf of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders than any other administrations. 

In his proclamation declaring May as AANHIPI Heritage Month, Biden reminded the AANHPI  communities of  all the accomplishments of his administration lifting up AANHPI, fighting anti-Asian hate and opening up economic opportunities while lauding the contributions of AANHPI to the history and growth of the United States.

Following is the Proclamation signed by President Biden:

This month, we celebrate the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities, whose ingenuity, grit, and perseverance have pushed our great American experiment forward.

From Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders whose ancestors have called their lands home for hundreds of years to Asian immigrants who have newly arrived and those whose families have been here for generations — AA and NHPI heritage has long been a part of the history of our great country and a defining force in the soul of our Nation. As artists and journalists, doctors and engineers, business and community leaders, and so much more, AA and NHPI peoples have shaped the very fabric of our Nation and opened up new possibilities for all of us. 

I am proud that they serve at the highest levels of my Administration, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Ambassador Katherine Tai, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar, who make this country a better place each and every day. This year, we are also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative and President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, who work across government to advance equity, opportunity, and justice for AA and NHPI communities.

I have always believed that diversity is our Nation’s greatest strength. That is why I launched the first-ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for AA and NHPI Communities. This strategy works to harness the full potential of these communities — from combating anti-Asian hate to making government services accessible in more languages. 

To ensure the legacies of AA and NHPI peoples are properly honored in the story of America, I signed historic legislation that will bring us closer to a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture. I also issued a Presidential Memorandum to consider expanding protections for the Pacific Remote Islands to conserve this unique area’s significant natural and cultural resources and honor the traditional practices and ancestral pathways of Pacific Island voyagers, and I signed the Amache National Historic Site Act to establish a memorial honoring the 10,000 Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated there during World War II. 

Throughout my time in office, the First Lady and I have hosted celebrations at the White House that highlight the incredible diversity of AA and NHPI communities, like Diwali and the first-ever White House Lunar New Year celebration. This year, to ensure that the full diversity of AA and NHPI communities is seen and valued as new policy is being made, we updated the Federal Government’s standards for collecting data on race and ethnicity for the first time in over 25 years. 

Meanwhile, we are creating new opportunities for AA and NHPI communities by building an economy that works for everyone, including investing in AA and NHPI small businesses and entrepreneurs. Since I took office, the Small Business Administration provided over $22 billion in loans to AA and NHPI entrepreneurs. We have seen the results: During my Administration, we achieved the highest Asian American employment and entrepreneurship rates in over a decade.

Last year, the First Lady and I witnessed the absolute courage of the Native Hawaiian people and Hawaii’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities when we visited Maui in the wake of the devastating fires. The destruction upended so many lives, and yet the community showed up ready to help rebuild stronger than before. My Administration has their backs — we are committed to making sure Maui has everything the Federal Government can offer to heal and build back better and as fast as possible. Throughout these efforts, we remain focused on rebuilding the way the people of Maui want to build by respecting sacred lands, cultures, and traditions.

Racism, harassment, and hate crimes against people of AA and NHPI heritage also persist — a tragic reminder that hate never goes away; it only hides. Hate must have no safe harbor in America — that is why I signed the bipartisan COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which makes it easier for Americans to report hate crimes, and I also hosted the first-ever White House summit against hate-fueled violence. We are also working to address the scourge of gun violence, which takes the lives of too many AA and NHPI loved ones. I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years. My Administration has taken actions to expand background checks and fund efforts to strengthen red flag laws to keep Americans out of harm’s way. There is still so much to do, and I continue to urge the Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Our Nation was founded on the idea that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. We have never fully realized this promise, but we have never fully walked away from it either. As we celebrate the historic accomplishments of AA and NHPIs across our Nation, we promise we will never stop working to form a more perfect Union. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2024 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to learn more about the histories of the AA and NHPI community and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
 

– President Joe Biden (Signed)

Survey: ANHPI still mostly unseen, unrecognized and unrewarded in the US

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Only 2% of Americans named Vice President Kamala Harris when asked to name a famous Asian American, according to a just recent report.

In addition, a majority of Americans (55%) are unable to name a single event or policy related to Asian Americans, says the 2024 The Asian American Federation (TAAF) report.

Four years after TAAF's original finding made waves, more than half of all Americans (52%) still can’t name a single famous Asian American.

Apparently, the unprecedented Oscar awards to Everything Everwhere All At Once laTst year, including Michele Kwan's Best Actress award, failed to register with non-Asians. Nine percent of the respondents named Jackie Chan, who is not even American); 5% wrote down Bruce Lee even though he died over 50 years ago.

Understanding how people view Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) continues to be crucial to building a world where AANHPIs are safe, feel belonging and have pathways to prosperity, said the TAAF's STAATUS Index, the only nationally representative survey that reveals sources of influences on perceptions about the AANHPI community and how harmful stereotypes may persist and evolve over the years.

The TAAF survey uncovered the most pressing issues AANHPIs are facing today. Key results include:

• Americans don’t think hate toward Asian Americans has increased, but Asian Americans disagree.

• Only one-third of Americans think hate towards Asian Americans has increased. Perceptions that Asian Americans are treated fairly in the US have risen steadily since 2021.

Meanwhile, over the past 12 months: 32% of Asian Americans say they were called a slur, and 29% say they were verbally harassed or verbally abused.

The numbers are even higher for some subgroups. For example, Southeast Asian Americans report higher incidences of being called a racial slur (40%), verbal harassment or abuse (38%), and threats of physical assault (22%) over the last 12 months.

• 41% of Asian Americans think they are likely to be the victim of a physical attack and 59% of Asians Americans think it is at least somewhat likely that they will be a victim of discrimination in the next 5 years because of their race, ethnicity, or religion

• Because of discrimination, violence, and lack of representation, only 38% of Asian Americans completely agree they belong, and even fewer feel they are fully accepted.

• Asian Americans are least likely to feel strongly that they belong, and also least likely to feel that they are accepted for their racial identity in the US.

• 38% of Asian Americans completely agree that they belong, while only 18% completely agree that they are accepted in the U.S. for their racial identity.

• For Asian Americans who feel they aren’t fully accepted or don’t fully belong in the US, social media (34%), and workplaces, neighborhoods, and schools/colleges/universities (all 31%) feel the least welcoming.

• For Asian Americans who don’t feel they belong or are accepted, 60% pointed to previous experiences of discrimination and/or violence and 37% said they don’t see people like them in positions of power.

Respondents to the TAAF survey say racism towards Asian Americans will decrease by improving education, boosting visibility, and increasing opportunities to interact.

The top three ideas respondents offered for decreasing racism are to teach the history of Asian Americans in K-12 schools and colleges (41%), increase visibility of Asian Americans in American society (41%), and provide more opportunities to interact with Asian Americans (39%).

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

'Here Lies Love' garners four Tony nominatinons

HERE LIES LOVE

The Filipino cast of 'Here Lies Love' demonstrated the musical talent in Asian American community

"Here Lies Love," the Broadway musical based on the rise and fall of  Imelda Marcos, the egomaniacal wife of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was nominated for four Tony awards.

Premiering in the famous Broadway Theater in the fall of 2023, Here Lies Love made history as the first  Broadway production with an all-Filipino and Filipino American cast. It also included a host of Filipino and Filipino American producers and production crew to help deflect some criticism of the show.. 

Show creators David Byrne and Fatboy Slim earned a nomination for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater, Best Sound Design (Musical), Best Choreography and Best Scenic Design (Musical).

        FYI: For a complete list of Tony nominees, click here.

What really set the musical apart from other shows and thus revolutionizing the theater. It utilized a shifting stage whicch, at times, put the performers, in the middle of the audience. Audience members surrounding the singers and dancers were encouraged to become part of the production cheering the young Imelda, becomingdisco dancers and turning into anti-Marcos demonstrators of the People Power revolution.

The controversy surrounding the production hampered the show from the start because it was difficult for some Filipinos to separate art from history. Some Filipinos felt that Here Lies Love glamorized the ruthless dictator and his wife, who gained the nickname as the Iron Butterfly. Others criticized the show from the start because its creators were not Filipinos. 

The theatrical run from September to November prefenting the show from gaining a stronger support from theater goers, mostly from the East Coast, looking for an evening of simple entertainment. One wonders how the production would have fared in California which has a much larger Filipino population and was the center of the anti-Marcos movement in US.

HERE LIES LOVE

"Here Lies Love" starred, rom left: Jose Llana, Arielle Jacobs and Conrad Ricamora.

Despite the short run,  Here Lies Love demonstrated the wealth of talent available to Broadway, which has underrepresented Asian Americans.

The cast was led by Broadway veterans Arielle Jacobs in the lead role, Jose Llana as Marcos and Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino. For a month, previous Tony winner Lea Salonga was in the ast as Aquino's mother. 

The 77th Tony Awards will be on June 16 and aired live on CBS and streamed on Paramount Plus.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

 

Lucy Liu, Padma Lakshmi among those honored by Gold House

Lucy Liu, left, and Padma Lakshmi among the most impactful honorees.

Actress Lucy Liu and culinary hostess Padma Lakshmi  are among the Asian Americans being honored during May, Asian American Heritage Month.

Gold House's gala honoring the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific changemakers in culture and society over the past year is one of the highlights of AAPI Heritage Month. The  annual Gold Gala is taking place this May 11 at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles.

"Gold House and Gold Gala have become the beacon for the Asian Pacific community to unite, invest in, and celebrate our inventiveness and impact, says ashion designer Prabal Gurung, Gold House creative director. 

"This year, I've focused on making Gold Gala look truly global while feeling local, balancing the breadth of our expansive diaspora with its bold, unified heart. From the organic and towering arboreal growths to our centerpiece spheres that shape us-the sun, the moon, our Earth-we envisage a new, more holistic, more centered world that enables all of us to bloom." 

The Gold Gala, the annual gathering of top Asian Pacific and multicultural leaders, will convene over 600 guests to celebrate the 2024 A100 List (to be announced on May 1, 2024) - the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific changemakers in culture and society over the past year - with on-stage presentations to special honorees, including Lucy Liu, Bang Si-Hyuk, Cynthia Erivo, Hoa Xuande, Hello Kitty, Karan Johar, Padma Lakshmi, Saweetie, Valkyrae, the creator and cast of Beef, Maui first responders, and Olympic gold medalists.

The Gold Gala will close with a multi-song performance from award-winning artist and 2023 A100 honoree Saweetie, a Filipino American.

Special honors to be presented at the Gold Gala include:

• In recognition of their lifetime achievements, the Gold Legend Honor will be presented to Bang Si-Hyuk, founder and chairman of HYBE; producer and director Karan Johar; actress, artist, advocate, director, and producer Lucy Liu; and producer, television host, food expert, and New York Times best-selling author Padma Lakshmi.

• The cast and creators of Beef, historic winner for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, will be honored with the Gold Icon Honor for its groundbreaking representation of the Asian American experience.

• Multi-platinum-selling recording artist and entrepreneur Saweetie will receive the first-ever Billboard Gold Music Honor, recognizing boundary-pushing musical accomplishments that redefine cultural narratives.

• Grammy, Emmy, Tony-winning and Oscar-nominated actress, singer, songwriter and producer Cynthia Erivo, who will star in Wicked later this year, will receive the Gold Ally Honor for her award-winning work to advance inclusive representation in front of and behind the camera.

• Honorees of the A1 Honor, recognizing the most impactful in their field over the past year, including content creator and streamer Valkyrae for Gaming and Sports and the Maui First Responders for Social Impact.

• Hello Kitty will receive the Gold Generation Award for her 50th anniversary, a testament to her ability to connect generations of people all over the world, while sharing her positive message of friendship and kindness, over the last five decades.

• Hoa Xuande, star of the new smash hit on Max, The Sympathizer, will be honored with the New Gold Honor for a rising leader who will redefine canon for the Asian Pacific community.

• Olympic Gold Medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim, Olympic Gold Medalist figure skater and New York Times best-selling author Kristi Yamaguchi, the most decorated Winter Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno, Olympic Bronze Medalist ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani, and Paralympian Scout Bassett will unite onstage for a special moment to celebrate the USA's newly awarded 2022 Team Skating Gold Medal, including the Asian Americans on the US skating team from the Beijing Winter Olympics Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Madison Chock, and Evan Bates.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Barbie launches doll modeled after Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi

MATTEL

Olympic champion Kristi Yaamagucchi approves her 'Barbie."

 

Just in time for AANHPI Heritage Month in May, Mattel announced a new Barbie doll modeled after Olympic gold medal winner Kristi Yamaguchi.

For the last few years, Barbie has moved away from the blonde, blue-eyed physically distorted image of the orginal doll to include more diversity among the Barbie selections.

“It’s a huge, huge honour. I think a lot of pride comes along with it, not just recognising the Olympic achievement, but also being recognised during AAPI (Asian-American and Pacific Islander) Month and following in the footsteps of some incredible women that I idolise: Anna May Wong, Maya Angelou and Rosa Parks,” Yamaguchi told Associated Press. “It’s hard to see me put in the category with them.”

Yamaguchi, who became the first Asian-American to win an individual figure skating gold medal, at the 1992 Winter Olympics, has been immortalised as a doll for Barbie’s “Inspiring Women Series”, the toymaker Mattel announced on Wednesday.

For decades, Asian American parents have been looking for dolls that looked like their children. Having only white dolls to choose from gave the subliminal message that being white was the preferred standard of acceptability.

Today, AANHPI parents have more options and toymakers are eagar to meet their needs. In recent years, toy manufacturers are offering dolls reflecting the diverse American population, including Asian American, one of most sought-after market demographic as consumers, according to new polls and surveys.

"It’s the kind of remarkable achievement we celebrate with our Barbie Inspiring Women Collection, a series of dolls made to celebrate courageous and trailblazing heroines. In advance of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’re proud to include Yamaguchi among the roster of these remarkable women with the new Kristi Yamaguchi Doll.

Barbie Signature members will have the first opportunity at Mattel Creations to add this doll to their collections. After a 24-hour member shopping window, if any dolls remain, we’ll open the sale up to the public.*

Often, the Inspiring Women honorees aren’t just remarkable in their own fields. They use the platforms they’ve developed to have an even greater impact. Yamaguchi is no exception. She’s gone on to become the author of several best-selling children’s books, and stepped up as a fierce advocate for early childhood literacy through Always Dream, a non-profit organization which serves kids in high-need communities.

The doll will appeal to children and Barbie collectors. Barbie Signature’s Carlyle Nuera designed the doll, which sparkles in a black leotard with shimmering golden accents. If it looks familiar, that’s because it’s a stunning reproduction of the costume originally designed by Lauren Sheehan. Yamaguchi wore it during her long program skate.

The Kristi Yamaguchi doll re also wears a golden ribbon in her hair, just like Yamaguchi did in her iconic 1992 performance. Silvery earrings, a celebratory bouquet, and white skates complete her look.

“Barbie’s story has never been just about her. It’s about the countless young kids she’s inspired and the millions of stories she helped them imagine along the way,” said Krista Berger, Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls. “For the past 65 years, Barbie has used her global platform to empower girls to dream big, explore their limitless potential, and direct their own narrative to shape their future. As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we recognize over six decades of stories Barbie has helped write and the doll that continues to give everyone the opportunity to dream – and dream big.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

16 Asians and Asian Americans among Time's 100 most influencial people

Time's annual list of the 100 Most Influential people included 16 Asian and Asian Americans. The best known Asian American is actor Dev Patel but the wide-ranging list includes athletes, creatives, entrepreneurs and leaders in Asia.

"Influence, we know, is complex: it can be for better and for worse, it can span generations, categories, and perspective," said TIME Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs writes in his letter to readers. "Time100 is an unparalleled way for us to tell essential stories about the people and ideas that shape and improve the world."

 Along with Patel, the other Asians and Asian Americans included in this year's list are:

Actress Alia Bhatt, Indian Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik, film animator Hayao Miyazaki, auto manufacturer Wang Chuanfu, sociologist Chizuko Ueno, next-in line Taiwan President William Lai, Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, World Bank president Ajay Banga, China's Premier Li Qiang. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, immunologist Akiko Iwasaki, scientist Katsuhiko Hayashi, Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum, and astronomer Priyamvada Natarajan.

        FYI: See the complete list of the Time 100.

The four incividuals chosen for the Time covers are The issue has 4 worldwide covers, each highlighting a member of the TIME100: singer-songwriter Dua Lipa, football quarterback Patrick Mahomes, actor Taraji P. Henson, and Yulia Navalnaya, a leader of Russia's opposition movement.

Perhaps most controversial is that neither President Joe Biden or his opponent Donald Trump were left off the list.

This year's 16 Asian and Asian Americans top influencers were more than the 14 selected last year but less than the 20 picked in 2019.

Time will celebrate the 2024 Time 100 list of the world's most influential people at the Time 100 Summit on April 24 and the Time 100 Gala on April 25 in New York City. The gala will air as a primetime television special on May 12 on ABC.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Filipino American quarterback passes away at age 83

ROMAN GABRIEL, 1940-2024

National Football Lague legend and quarterback Roman Gabriel  died Saturday. During his career he was one of the few public role models for Filipino Americans. He was 83.

Gabriel was the first Filipino American quarterback to play professional football in the United States. 

His son, Roman Gabriel III, announced his father’s death on social media, saying he died peacefully at home of natural causes.

As the only Filipino American playing pro football during the 60's and 70's, the 6'5" Gabriel was a heroic figure in the Filipino American community. For generations, manyFilipino American  parents named their sons after the football star.

"I like to think, being the first Filipino quarterback, that it impacted a lot of the young people. ... If he could do it, it felt like I could do it," Gabriel told NBC in a 2021 interview.

“We mourn the loss of Rams legend and football pioneer, Roman Gabriel,” the Rams said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Gabriel's father, also named Roman, was a Filipino who emigrated to Alaska, then made his way to Wilmington, N.C., where he became a waiter, then a cook for the Atlantic Coast Line railroad. His mother, Edna Mae Wyatt, was an Irish American, reports the L.A. Times. Roman Gabriel II was born on Aug. 5, 1940 in Wilmington.

In 1962, Gabriel was the first player selected by the then-Oakland Raiders of the American Football League. However, he eventually signed as a second-overall pick in the National Football League Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, becoming the first Filipino American quarterback in league history.

Gabriel played his first 11 seasons with the Rams. During his time in Los Angeles, Gabriel was a three-time Pro Bowler, first-team All-Pro, and 1969 AP NFL MVP. 

Various injuries in his final few seasons with the Rams led to Gabriel becoming available in trade talks, and that's when the Eagles swooped in before the 1973 season.

Only 33 at the time, Gabriel's move to Philadelphia rejuvenated his stellar career. In 53 games with the Eagles, Gabriel threw for 7,221 yards and 47 touchdowns, made his fourth Pro Bowl, and won PFWA Comeback Player of the Year.

During his Comeback Player of the Year season in 1973, Gabriel, standing at 6-5, threw to a trio of pass catchers known as the Fire High Gang that towered over defenders. Wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael (6-8), tight end Charle Young (6-5), and wide receiver Don Zimmerman (6-4) helped Gabriel establish career highs in completions (270) and passing yards (3,219). While leading the league in those categories, Gabriel also led the league with 24 passing touchdowns.

Even while playing in an era of grinding it out on the ground, he still holds the Rams’ team record with 154 touchdown passes.

"That was a fun year," said Gabriel during a 2019 interview with Philadelphiaeagles.com. "I was pretty much written off after my last year with the Rams. But the Eagles took a chance on me, and I was so grateful. It was a young team that was trying to build something, and they wanted me to be a part of it. I loved Philadelphia. It's a great city with great fans. It's still a great memory.".

Gabriel retired with the Eagles in 1977, his 16th and final season in the NFL. In Eagles history, Gabriel is currently ninth in completion percentage (55.8), 10th in passing attempts (1,185), and 13th in passing yards (7,221).

Despite his imppressive athletic accomplishments  the Rams legend was never inducted into the Footballl Hall of Fame despite being statistically better than other quarterbacks who have been inducted in the HOF.

Despite having asthma as a child Gabriel excelled in athletics. Gabriel was all-state, not only in football but basketball and baseball as well, at New Hanover High in Wilmington, North Carolina. The New York Yankees wanted to sign him up out of high school. 

In 1989, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. At North Carolina State, Gabriel was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1960 and '61, became the first ACC quarterback to throw for over 1,000 yards in a season, and was a member of NC State's inaugural athletic Hall of Fame class in 2012.

He said he spent his retirement years splittingt time between Wilmington, North Carolina, and Little River, South Carolina. After he left football, he spent some time as a CBS sports analyst and did a bit of acting in the movies.

“I am retired with heart problems and arthritis but happy.” the Gabriel told the L.A. Times in a  2021 interview.

"Going into the Hall of Fame isn't the most impressive thing," he told NBC> "It's being who I am, who I represent. That's more important to me."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

The Man in the Middle: The Rock' won't endorse Trump or Biden

Dwayne "The Rock' Johnson steps back from politics and into the wrestling ring.

 

ANALYSIS

The Rock, AKA superstar Dwayne Johnson, said he won’t endorse anyone for president this year.

One of the most popular and busiest actors in Hollywood, Samoan American Johnson went on the conservative Fox network April 5 to announce that he won't be endorsing anybody in 2024. That's an about-face from 2020 when he backed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for President and Vice President respectively.

 “Am I going to do that again, this year? That answer’s no. I’m not going to do that,” Johnson said on Fox's Fox and Friends.  “Because what I realized, what that caused back then, was something that tears me up in my guts back then and now, which is division. And that got me.”

Johnson, who is registered as a Repubican, continued, “The takeaway after that, after months and months and months, I started to realize, like, ‘Oh man, that caused an incredible amount of division in our country.’ So I realize now going into this election, I’m not going to do that,” he continued. “I wouldn’t do that, because my goal is to bring our country together. I believe in that, in my DNA. So in the spirit of that, there’s going to be no endorsement.”

Worried that his popularity would take a hit again, the Samoan merican actor thinks that a mmiddle road would be a better strategy this time around.

By choosing to announced his non-endorsement on the conservative Fox network which has consistently acted as a megaphone for the radical right, instead of holding a normal press conference attended by multiple media, Johnson imust know that he is speaking to the network's MAGA audience, followers of Trump.

Though he avoided stating a preference for President, n the hour-long interview he used the Trump's buzz words of "cancel culture," woke culture," in expressing his dissatisfaction with the mood of the country.

“Today’s cancel culture, woke culture, division, etcetera — that really bugs me." instead of the major issues of climate change, gun violence, abortion, income inequalirty or the activist conservative Supreme Court t trying to bring the country to the pre-civil rights era of the 1950s.

No doubt the action star was surprised at the vitriol he received from the radical right after he endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020.

The Samoan American's so-called non-endorsement still sharpens the division driven largely by the MAGA Republicans, Fox's base audience.

Despite the alturistic trappings of Johnson's announceent, the motivation for his non-endorsement may be more basic and rooted the conservative leanings of the wrestling fandom. He merely wants to shore upt his popularity with the  professional wrestling fans.

Critics point out that the Fox viewers include a large segment of professional wrestling fans. Perhaps, not coincidentally, he returned to the wrestling world. The Rock teamed up with Roman Reigns to defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a tag team match at WrestleMania XL, marking his return to the ring after an eight-year absence. He then tried to help Reigns defend his Undisputed Universal World Championship against Rhodes on Night 2 of WrestleMania but was unsuccessful.

The Rock revealed in his post-WrestleMania check-in on Instagram that he'll be returning to the ring to challenge Cody Rhodes, the new Universal champion before adding: "When the Final Boss returns, he's coming after you."

The 51-year old Rock, who in the movie world portrays himself as a nice guy in contrast to his "villlain" persona in the ring, added that his sights are now "set on the next WrestleMania."

A video of Johnson getting booed during a WWrestlemania press conference was all part of the show. Johnson was playing the part of a "heel," inwrestling terminology, the a bad guy. He was not being bood for his non-endorsement but for being a villain.

He also recently inducted his grandmother, Lia Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024. "She was a trail blazer. She was a protector of our family. She was the real Final Boss," Johnson said on Instagram.

Predicatably, his non-endorsement is being played up in conservative media sa a rebuke of Biden and his policies but in no point in the Fox interview did Johnson say he regretted endorsing Biden in 2020, nor, biy assumption, did he say he endorsed Donald Trump.

Celebrities have a right to their political opinions. However, with so many fans following their every move and statement,celebrities who make a living off of his or her popularity with the public bear some responsibility how they use their influence. With nearly 400 million followers worldwide, Johnson’s Instagram account is one of the most widely followed on the platform, according to Forbes India.

The Rock should heed the words of another wrestler-turned actor, Filipino American Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Dune), who sas the WWE champio when he left the ring.

“We talk about the difference of being tough and someone who portrays himself as a tough guy,” said Bausta in a 2020 video .. “It’s easy to lie to people. It’s easy to bully people. That does not make you a tough guy. It’s easy to tell someone what they want to hear. It’s not easy to tell someone what they need to hear. We’re not in good shape, but this is how we’re going to get out of it. That is being tough.

“This country more than anything right now needs someone who’s going to have a plan, so we can get back on track,” continues Bautista, wearing a T-shirt with the word “Freedom” stamped across it. “A leader is someone who can unite people, who takes responsibility. That’s toughness," Bautista concludes, "That is Joe Biden."

Johnson claims that he doesn't want to divide the country. It's too tate. Through no fault of his own, he country is deeply divided because the stakes are so high. As a good citizen in a country that allowed the Samoan American to reach the heights of fame and fortune, Johnson should care deeply about the direction of the nation.

Johnson is entitled to his opinion and his vote is private. But making his announcement on a media platform catering to the lies and hate of the radical right may be a calculated statement in itself.

You can't be a hero on the silver screen and a heel in the ring and expect voters to believe you one way or the other. 

As much as the Johnson wants everybody to love him, this November, in the real world, the tough guy is going to have to make a choice. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.