ASIAN AMERICANS

According to researchers of one clinical trial, Asian American and Pacific Islanders make up fewer than 5% of all Alzheimer's research participants.

The STAATUS Index survey tracks perceptions and stereotypes of Asian Americans in the U.S.

Dallas Salon Shooting This undated photo provided by the Dallas County jail shows Jeremy Smith. (Dallas County jail via AP) (Uncredited)DALLAS — (AP) — The girlfriend of a man arrested in Dallas Tuesday in a shooting that wounded three women in a Koreatown hair salon told police he had been admitted to health facilities because he was having delusions about Asian Americans, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Garcia has said the shooting last Wednesday at Hair World Salon has been connected to two previous shootings at businesses run by Asian Americans. One of the women injured in the shooting spoke Monday night at a community meeting with police. Last year, six women of Asian descent were among the eight killed in a shooting at massage businesses in and near Atlanta, heightening anger and fear among Asian Americans.

Dallas Salon Shooting This undated photo provided by the Dallas County jail shows Jeremy Smith. (Dallas County jail via AP) (Uncredited)DALLAS — (AP) — The girlfriend of a man arrested in Dallas Tuesday in a shooting that wounded three women in a Koreatown hair salon told police he had been admitted to health facilities because he was having delusions about Asian Americans, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Jeremy Theron Smith, 37, faces three charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to jail records. Authorities in Dallas have said a man dressed all in black opened fire at the salon, then drove off from the shopping center in a maroon minivan. Last year, six women of Asian descent were among the eight killed in a shooting at massage businesses in and near Atlanta, heightening anger and fear among Asian Americans.

Dallas-Salon-Shooting This photo shows the exterior of Hair World Salon on Thursday, May 12, 2022 in Dallas. (Rebecca Slezak/The Dallas Morning News via AP) (Rebecca Slezak)DALLAS — (AP) — The girlfriend of a man arrested in Dallas Tuesday in a shooting that wounded three women in a hair salon in the city's Koreatown told police he had been admitted to health facilities because he was having delusions about Asian Americans, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Garcia has said the shooting last Wednesday at Hair World Salon could be connected to two previous shootings at businesses run by Asian Americans. Authorities in Dallas have said a man dressed all in black opened fire at the salon, then drove off from the shopping center in a maroon minivan. The three women who were shot at the salon Wednesday were taken to a hospital with injuries that weren't life-threatening.

Dallas-Salon-Shooting This photo shows the exterior of Hair World Salon on Thursday, May 12, 2022 in Dallas. (Rebecca Slezak/The Dallas Morning News via AP) (Rebecca Slezak)DALLAS — (AP) — Dallas police have arrested a suspect in connection with a shooting that wounded three women in a hair salon in the city’s Koreatown and federal officials have launched a hate crime investigation, authorities said Tuesday. Garcia has said the shooting last Wednesday at Hair World Salon could be connected to two other shootings at businesses run by Asian Americans in the area. Also Tuesday, the FBI said it has opened a federal hate crime investigation along with federal prosecutors in Texas and the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division. Dallas FBI spokeswoman Melinda Urbina said agents are working with city police "to thoroughly investigate this incident” but that she couldn't provide further information because the probe is ongoing.

Dallas-Salon-Shooting This photo shows the exterior of Hair World Salon on Thursday, May 12, 2022 in Dallas. (Rebecca Slezak/The Dallas Morning News via AP) (Rebecca Slezak)DALLAS — (AP) — Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a shooting that wounded three women in a hair salon in the city’s Koreatown and federal officials have launched a hate crime investigation, authorities said Tuesday. Garcia has said last Wednesday's shooting at Hair World Salon could be connected to two other shootings at businesses run by Asian Americans. “We are in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to thoroughly investigate this incident,” said Dallas FBI spokeswoman Melinda Urbina. Authorities have said a man dressed all in black opened fire at the Dallas salon, then drove off in a maroon minivan.

Dallas-Salon-Shooting This photo shows the exterior of Hair World Salon on Thursday, May 12, 2022 in Dallas. (Rebecca Slezak/The Dallas Morning News via AP) (Rebecca Slezak)DALLAS — (AP) — A suspect has been arrested in connection with a shooting that wounded three women in a hair salon in the city’s Koreatown that authorities have said might have been a hate crime, police said early Tuesday. Garcia said last week that last Wednesday's shooting at Hair World Salon could be connected to two other shootings at businesses run by Asian Americans. Authorities have said a man dressed all in black opened fire at the salon, then drove off in a maroon minivan. The three women who were shot at the salon were taken to a hospital with injuries that weren't life-threatening.

The girlfriend of a man arrested in a shooting in Dallas’ Koreatown that wounded three women of Asian descent in a hair salon told police that he has delusions that Asian Americans are trying to harm him.

The girlfriend of a man arrested Tuesday in a shooting that wounded three women of Asian descent in a hair salon in Dallas’ Koreatown told police that he has delusions that Asian Americans are trying to harm him, an arrest warrant affidavit states. Police have said the shooting last Wednesday at Hair World Salon might be connected to two previous drive-by shootings at businesses run by Asian Americans. According to the affidavit, Smith’s girlfriend told detectives that he had been delusional about Asian Americans ever since being involved in a car crash two years ago with a man of Asian descent.

A shooting that injured three women in a hair salon this week may have been a hate crime and could be linked to two other recent shootings at businesses run by Asian Americans, Dallas police say.

Hate incidents targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are on the rise across the nation and across Florida, according to data from several watchdog groups.

Asian Americans are leading a charge to create more nuanced martial arts storytelling, with one group named Martial Club at the forefront.

Three in 10 Asian Americans have modified their daily routines over fears of threats and attacks, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Polling 365 Asians — from a larger sample of 10,156 U.S. adults — between April 12 and April 18, the survey found that 36% have made such changes in the past 12 months, convinced that they might be targeted because of their race or ethnicity. The survey also found that 63% felt violence against Asian Americans is increasing, while 19% said it’s the same and 8% thought it’s decreasing.

A group of eighth graders in Berkeley have encouraged schools to teach Asian American history as hate crimes increased during the pandemic.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) published a press release on Monday detailing a brief that he and 84 legislators filed to the Supreme Court that calls for an end to discrimination against Asian American college applicants. Cruz spearheaded the brief with Korean American Congresswoman Michelle Steel (R, CA-48), who has consistently denounced elite higher education institutions’ admission policies that factor in an applicant’s race to promote campus diversity. Cruz and Steel rallied the support of 13 Republican Senators, including Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rand Paul (R-KY), and 70 Republican House Representatives.

A second-annual survey on the attitudes toward Asian Americans shows some progress in education and media representation, but a lot of room to improve.

Duke University recently added a minor in Asian American studies, but students continue to press for a more comprehensive ethnic studies curriculum.

May marks the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This year's theme is Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration.

Between March 2020 and December 2021, nearly 11,000 incidents were reported to the advocacy group "Stop AAPI Hate."

During Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, News 6 hopes to capture and highlight some of the contributions, achievements and stories of Central Florida’s own growing and diverse AANHPI community.

AdvertisementA panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit disagreed, and said the admissions program could be used while legal battles continue. Fairfax school officials told courts that disrupting the selection process now would be chaotic. In fall and winter of 2020, the school board approved Brabrand’s changes, also agreeing to institute a new “holistic review” admissions process for TJ. A full quarter of offers went to low-income students, 11 percent to Hispanic students and 7 percent to Black students. “Though facially race-neutral, the new policy targeted Asian-American applicants with surgical precision,” Miyares said in his brief to the Supreme Court.

At a time when attacks against Asian Americans are on the rise, some lawmakers want to create a national museum focused on Asian Pacific American history and culture. The path to creating the museum follows the formula of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which was 100 years in the making and opened in 2016. If the Asian American museum is approved, it may be vying for a spot on the National Mall alongside the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women’s History Museum, which were both authorized by Congress in 2020. AdvertisementSince the start of the pandemic, attacks against Asian Americans have increased nationwide, law enforcement officials say. “ … We all deserve a place to take our children and see that Asian Americans are and have been an integral part of the fabric of this great nation.”GiftOutline Gift Article

A collaboration between New York's Yu and Me Books and The Cosmos is bringing Asian American women together to show strength and celebrate their stories.

Eyewitness videos show a group of men robbing an Asian male victim in Oakland, California, last Thursday. One witness said the crime occurred around 27th Street and Valdez Street at about 4 p.m., according to ABC7 News anchor Dion Lim. A man who works around 27th & Valdez in Oakland told me he saw 3 men jump out of a car around 4pm today.

Lee is just the second Asian American alderman to serve Chicago in the city's 189 year history.

The Atlanta Asian Justice Rally was held on the anniversary of violence that left eight people shot and killed at various massage businesses on March 16, 2021, in the Atlanta area. “Being an Asian woman, you are hypersensitive to the fetishization that occurs. That explanation rankled many Asian Americans and their allies, who saw the killings as hate crimes. Preliminary figures released by police in San Francisco in January show reported hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders rose by 567% last year. In New York City, the number of alleged hate crimes against Asians logged by police climbed from 28 in 2020 to 131 last year.

Asian American organizations in cities across the country planned rallies to mark the anniversary of the shootings and to promote awareness about ongoing violence.

Several justice experts are now calling for reform of the U.S. census after its bureau admitted in a recent report that it undercounted Black, Latino and Indigenous Americans as part of the 2020 census, while overcounting white and Asian Americans.

The case has been closely watched as courts continue to evaluate the role that racial considerations can play when deciding who should be admitted to a particular school.

A book and a documentary examine how Asian Americans internalize the myth of the model minority.

A Manhattan judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by an Asian detective of the New York Police Department (NYPD) against a man who taunted him with anti-Asian remarks on March 11, 2021. Terrell Harper’s racist tirade, which was partly caught on video, lasted for over 15 minutes and left Det. Vincent Chung “disgusted” since the incident occurred during a protest denouncing racism.

Correspondent Steve Hartman meets some Chicago high school students whose hopes for a college education far exceed their abilities to pay for it. Enter businessman Pete Kadens and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson, whose initiative, Hope Chicago, aims to redress inequities in a young person's access to higher education.

The law profession is one of the least diverse professional fields in America, with an 80% white, 10% Black and 8% Asian American demographic.

While Chinese Americans think Gu shouldn’t have to pick a side, nationalists in China want to know where her allegiances lie.

Almost half of the anti-Asian attacks were motivated at least partially by animosity associated with Covid, first identified in Asia.

The recent killings of Michelle Alyssa Go and Christina Yuna Lee, as well as an uptick in pandemic-era hate incidents, have left many Asians and Asian Americans on edge.

Another chapter has opened in the saga of San Francisco’s scandal-plagued school board as voters appear to be backing the recall of three members after a year of controversy that captured national attention.

Amid a rise in crimes targeting people of Asian descent, her brutal killing in her own home has escalated concerns among New York’s Asian American communities.

New York City residents expressed shock and outrage on Sunday after an Asian woman was fatally stabbed by a man with a lengthy rap sheet, which included 27 charges from a single arrest last month. The killing reportedly took place in the victim’s Chinatown apartment at 111 Chrystie St. in the wee hours of the morning, leaving neighbors terrorized and fearful for their own safety, reported the New York Post. Christina Yuna Lee, 35, was found in her bathtub “bleeding from multiple wounds to her body,” according to New York police.

Beijing Olympics Asian American Women FILE - Eileen Gu, of China, waves after competing during the women's freestyle skiing big air finals of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 8, 2022, in Beijing. “It's like Asian American women can’t win,” says Jeff Yang, an author and cultural critic. At the time, she was standing outside with a group of Asian American friends in Los Angeles while filming the “Dancing with the Stars" TV show. I’ve grown up like this.”Kokumai, who is Japanese American, was angry to discover that the same man who had harassed her in April with racist slurs also assaulted an elderly Asian American couple. “Asian American women are hyper-visible in ways that dehumanize us and completely invisible in the ways that humanize us.”___Seattle-based AP journalist Sally Ho is on assignment at the Beijing Olympics, covering figure skating.

Across two pandemic Olympics set in Asian countries, Asian American woman fronting the Games have encountered a whiplashing duality — prized on the global stage for their medal-winning talent, buffeted by the escalating crisis of racist abuse at home.

The Lunar New Year of the Tiger celebrations will occur on Feb. 1, amid warnings against travel and large gatherings due to COVID-19. Preliminary data collected by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism indicates Los Angeles and New York also saw record highs of anti-Asian hate incidents. Initial figures from individual police agencies indicate anti-Asian hate crime overall in the U.S. increased 339% in 2021, compared to a 124% rise in 2020, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Bing Tang, of Monterey Park, California, says he doesn't dwell too much on anti-Asian hate because nothing would come of it. We only can control ourselves and be nice to other people.”___ Associated Press photographer Damian Dovarganes in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

For two years, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country have endured racist and sometimes deadly attacks fueled by the pandemic.

On Sunday, Monthanus Ratanapakdee will mark the one-year anniversary of her father's death with a rally in the San Francisco neighborhood where the 84-year-old was killed. There's disagreement among officials whether those attacks were racially motivated, but the deaths have rattled Asian Americans, who see bias. Attendees will watch a recorded message from Monthanus Ratanapakdee and pause for a national moment of silence. After he retired from banking, he spent time with her family in San Francisco. She plans to tell fellow Asian Americans to be strong too as they unite to “raise their voice” for justice.

SAN FRANCISCO — (AP) — On their final night together, father and daughter watched the news and traded goodnight kisses on the cheek. On Sunday, Monthanus Ratanapakdee will commemorate the one-year anniversary of her father's death with a rally in the San Francisco neighborhood where the 84-year-old was killed. There's disagreement among officials whether those attacks were racially motivated, but the deaths have rattled Asian Americans, who see bias. Attendees will watch a recorded message from Monthanus Ratanapakdee and pause for a national moment of silence. She plans to tell fellow Asian Americans to be strong too as they unite to “raise their voice” for justice.

Hundreds of people in San Francisco marched Sunday demanding justice for 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, who died a year ago.

One participant said she has learned to be more aware of her surroundings.

Asian Attacks San Francisco FILE - San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks during a briefing outside City Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 1, 2021. The Stop AAPI Hate coalition out of San Francisco State University tracked more than 10,000 incidents of hate from March 2020 through September 2021. Most recently, former San Francisco Bay Area resident Michelle Go died in New York City after a mentally disturbed man pushed her in front of a subway. Officials there say there is no indication the man was motivated by racial bias, but Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are still rattled. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who faces a recall election in June, has come under fire from some Asian American victims.

San Francisco's police department has released preliminary figures showing a 567% increase in reported hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from the previous year.

Affirmative Action Explainer FILE - An American flag waves in front of the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Nov. 2, 2020. The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review a challenge to the consideration of race in college admission decisions, often known as affirmative action. — (AP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to review a challenge to the consideration of race in college admission decisions, often known as affirmative action. Race-conscious policies have gone before the Supreme Court several times dating to the 1970s and have generally been upheld, with some limits. The Biden administration later dropped the Yale lawsuit and supported Harvard against Blum, urging the Supreme Court not to take up the case.

Affirmative Action Explainer FILE - An American flag waves in front of the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Nov. 2, 2020. The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review a challenge to the consideration of race in college admission decisions, often known as affirmative action. — (AP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to review a challenge to the consideration of race in college admission decisions, often known as affirmative action. Race-conscious policies have gone before the Supreme Court several times dating to the 1970s and have generally been upheld, with some limits. The Biden administration later dropped the Yale lawsuit and supported Harvard against Blum, urging the Supreme Court not to take up the case.

The Supreme Court has agreed to review a challenge to the consideration of race in college admission decisions, often known as affirmative action.

As fears of recent high-profile violence in Chinatown explode, community residents and stakeholders differ over what kind of alderman should represent the first Asian-majority ward, should it come to fruition.

I am tired of hiding my true identity and I'm starting by changing my byline.

The Glenn ShowA controversial law professor at the University of Pennsylvania is taking heat—yet again—for her racially insensitive comments.This time, Amy Wax was called out for being xenophobic in a recent interview with Glenn Loury, a social sciences professor at Brown University, and was quick to clap back at her critics. But her “defense” only made things worse, when she directly stated that because “most” Asian Americans support Democrats, “the United States is better off with fewer Asians

The alleged robbers told police they preyed upon elderly Asian women because they believed they would be carrying large amounts of cash.

The way data on racial groups is typically collected in the U.S. has sidelined smaller Asian populations like Hmong, Lao and Filipino Americans for decades. Now, there are growing calls for change.

A conservative union chairman has called out PBS and proposed to defund the network after its children's show “Sesame Street” introduced its first-ever Asian American Muppet early this week. What happened: Matt Schlapp, the president of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), took to Twitter on Monday to criticize PBS and “Sesame Street” for introducing Ji-young, a 7-year-old Korean American Muppet. Although the popular American children’s show has already featured Asian Americans in the past, such as Alan Muraoka, who played shopkeeper Alan, Ji-young will make history as the series’ first Asian American Muppet since its inception in 1969.

At only 7 years old, Ji-Young is making history as the first Asian American muppet in the “Sesame Street” canon.

Two major U.S. cities have elected their first Asian American mayor and a third could join them.

It's Simu Liu's time to take out baddies and be the hero as the titular “Shang-Chi” in Marvel Studios’ first Asian-led superhero flick.

A report released on Wednesday says donations to racial and social justice causes ticked up to 16% of American households in 2020.

From ube cakes to mochi muffins, bakeries that sweetly encapsulate what it is to grow up Asian and American have been popping up more in recent years.

California's Asian population has grown by 25% in the past decade.

Even in a July jobs report that was nearly universally hailed as a good one, pockets of weakness and concern are still clouding the celebration.

A coalition of civil rights groups releasing a report on hate crime laws says the protections against bias-motivated violence are inconsistent and lack uniformity nationally.

Asian Americans, veterans and civilians in the U.S. and the Philippines are campaigning to name a Navy warship for a Filipino sailor.

With abortion and guns already on the agenda, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court is considering adding a third blockbuster issue.

With abortion and guns already on the agenda, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court is considering adding a third blockbuster issue: whether to ban consideration of race in college admissions.

Alvina Chu explains representation builds stronger community.

A foundation launched by prominent Asian American business leaders says it has raised more than $1 billion to support Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

President Joe Biden has signed legislation intended to curtail a dramatic rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Congress has passed legislation aimed at combating hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

These Asian Americans made major contributions that shaped the way we live in the U.S.

Community uniting to stop Asian hate, promote positivity.

Health care workers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent say they have been subjected to racial slurs and sometimes physical attacks amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Two elderly Asian women were stabbed without warning as they waited for a bus in downtown San Francisco in the latest in a series of attacks against Asian Americans nationwide since the start of the pandemic.

Asian American business leaders are launching a new foundation to challenge discrimination.

The shootings in Georgia and other recent attacks on Asian Americans have exposed division between different generations of the community.

News 6 celebrates AAPI Heritage Month by highlighting our local AAPI community.

The Senate has passed legislation to combat the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Asian American families are wrestling with whether to send their children back to classrooms as high schools, middle schools and elementary schools across the country widely reopen amid rising anti-Asian harassment.

The Senate has opened debate on legislation confronting the rise of potential hate crimes against Asian Americans.

The vicious assault of a 65-year-old woman while walking to church this week near New York City’s Times Square has heightened already palpable levels of outrage over anti-Asian attacks that escalated with the pandemic.

Vaccine distribution has soared since Biden took office, with more than 96 million Americans having received at least one dose. Americans have responded favorably to the president's approach, with 73% approving of his handling of the pandemic. Sixty percent of Americans now say they approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, compared with 55% a month ago. Americans are split over Biden's handling of the deficit, with 48% saying they approve and 50% saying they disapprove. So far, just 42% say they approve of how Biden is handling immigration, and a similar share, 44%, say they approve of how he’s handling border security.

This image taken from surveillance video provided by the New York City Police Department shows a person of interest in connection with an assault of an Asian American woman, Monday, March 29, 2021, in New York. (Courtesy of New York Police Department via AP)NEW YORK – A parolee convicted of killing his mother nearly two decades ago was arrested on assault and hate crime charges in an attack on an Asian American woman in New York City, police said Wednesday. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the attack “absolutely disgusting and outrageous” and said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that witnesses didn’t help the woman. Two lobby workers, described by their union as doormen, were seen on video witnessing the attack but failing to help Kari. This year in New York City, there have been 33 hate crimes with an Asian victim as of Sunday, police said.

(Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday ordered a review of how the Justice Department can best deploy its resources to combat hate crimes during a surge in incidents targeting Asian Americans. They should also focus on improving the FBI’s collection of data on hate crimes, which is “critical to understanding the evolving nature and extent of hate crimes and hate incidents in all their forms,” he wrote in the memo. A main criticism from lawmakers and civil rights groups has been that the U.S. government vastly undercounts hate crimes because the FBI’s reporting system is voluntary. In some states, just 5% of police departments reported any hate crimes last year. The review is aimed at determining how the Justice Department can better prioritize investigations and prosecutions, increase and track reporting of hate crimes and other incidents that could violate federal law and use civil remedies to address bias incidents that don’t amount to federal hate crimes.

Donations and contribution pledges to Asian American and Pacific Islander groups have spiked since the March 16 shooting in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. For all of 2020, the group's latest data shows that about $54 million was directed to Asian American groups or causes. Instead, it reflects sizable pledges and donations by philanthropists and other donors to organizations representing Asian Americans. The pledges coincide with numerous calls on social media and other channels to donate to groups representing Asian American communities. A bulk of the commitments to Asian American groups are for a GoFundMe page that is raising money for 14 organizations, including the Georgia chapter of the nonprofit National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.

On Friday, in the same neighborhood as Monday's attack, a 65-year-old Asian American woman was accosted by a man waving an unknown object and shouting anti-Asian insults. He is not suspected in Monday's attack. Andrew Cuomo called Monday's attack “horrifying and repugnant" and he ordered a state police hate crimes task force to offer its assistance to the NYPD. The neighborhood where Monday's attack occurred, Hell's Kitchen, is predominantly white, with an Asian population of less than 20%, according to city demographic data. Shea called Monday's attack “disgusting," telling TV station NY1: “I don’t know who attacks a 65-year-old woman and leaves her on the street like that."

Democrats are vowing action on several of their top priorities in April, including strengthening hate crime laws to include Asian Americans and restoring voting rights protections to combat minority voter suppression. It would seek to restore elements of the Voting Rights Act that were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013, a decision that Democrats say left minority voters vulnerable to disenfranchisement. Democrats see it as a forceful response to voting rights restrictions advancing in Republican-controlled statehouses across the country. Republicans are strongly opposed to the voting rights bill, arguing that it would tilt elections toward Democrats and take control of elections away from the states. While strengthening background checks is broadly popular among the American public, Senate Republicans have said they oppose the two House bills.

FILE - In this June 1, 2020, file photo, San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks outside City Hall in San Francisco. Breed joined a chorus of officials who have denounced the tweets by the vice president of San Francisco's school board, Alison Collins, as racist and anti-Asian. The posts resurfaced last week amid a surge of violence and harassment against Asian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the country. They are the latest embarrassment for San Francisco’s school board, which has prided itself on putting racial equity at the top of its agenda. Under a plan recently negotiated with its labor unions, San Francisco plans to phase-in the reopening of elementary school classrooms in mid-April.

The only senators of Asian American heritage, they said they would withhold their support for his nominees until the diversity issue was addressed. AdDuckworth had said earlier that she raised the issue with top Biden advisers on Tuesday and afterward called the situation “not acceptable." “I’ve been talking to them for months and they’re still not aggressive, so I’m not going to be voting for any nominee from the White House other than diversity nominees,” Duckworth told reporters. But Hirono later said in a statement of her own that she too welcomed the appointment of an AAPI White House liaison and was dropping her objections. Tai, who was confirmed last week, is the first Asian American and first woman of color to serve as U.S. trade representative.

It's also spurring her and other Asian Americans to push for greater political influence in Washington and other power centers. President Joe Biden and his aides have been repeatedly pressed to include Asian Americans in his Cabinet. “I think symbolism and representation matters, but only up to a point,” said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. “Those things all contribute to lower rates of political participation among Asian Americans, but people — mistakenly, I think — assume that Asian Americans are somehow less interested in U.S. civic life.”AdThat's evolving. “Asian Americans didn't necessarily grow up with that vocabulary of advocacy and how to fight for ourselves," Meng said.

Pai and others have been busy working with community members as Asian Americans reel from Tuesdays Atlanta-area shootings by a gunman who killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women. They say they’ve often had to tolerate racist and misogynistic men who cling to a narrative that Asian women are exotic and submissive. She said this scenario echoes a long-running stereotype that Asian women are immoral and hypersexual. That helps us understand violence toward Asian women like we saw this week.”U.S. military deployments in Asia also played a role, according to Kim. The bodies and perceived submissiveness of Asian women were eroticized and hypersexualized, Kim said, and eventually these racist stereotypes were brought back to the United States.

President Joe Biden speaks after meeting with leaders from Georgia's Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, Friday, March 19, 2021, at Emory University in Atlanta, as Vice President Kamala Harris listens. We cannot be complicit.”“They’ve been attacked, blamed, scapegoated and harassed; they’ve been verbally assaulted, physically assaulted, killed," Biden said of Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. But Biden and Harris instead spent much of their visit consoling a community whose growing voting power helped secure their victory in Georgia and beyond. As the fastest-growing racial demographic in the U.S. electorate, Asian Americans are gaining political influence across the country. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, typically dominated by Democrats, has its largest roster ever, including Asian American and Pacific Islander members and others who represent significant numbers of Asian Americans.

Educators and civil rights leaders in California called on the State Board of Education Thursday, March 18, 2021, to approve the nation's first statewide model ethnic studies curriculum for high school students. California Department of Education officials say this would be the first statewide ethnic studies model curriculum in the nation. Other states have taken different approaches to teaching ethnic studies. Oregon is developing ethnic studies standards for its social studies curriculum, while Connecticut high schools will be required to offer courses in Black and Latino studies by the fall of 2022. I can guarantee you that,” said California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a former lawmaker and academic who created an ethnic studies program at San Diego State University in the 1970s.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)ATLANTA – Police said Thursday that “nothing is off the table” in the investigation of the deadly shootings at two Atlanta massage businesses, including whether the slayings were a hate crime. The pair postponed a political event in favor of meeting Friday with Asian American community leaders. “Our investigation is looking at everything, so nothing is off the table,” Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said at a news conference. Investigators believe Long had previously visited two of the Atlanta massage parlors where four of the women were killed, Hampton said. Long’s statements spurred outrage and widespread skepticism in the Asian American community, which has increasingly been targeted for violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

Asian Americans were already worn down by a year of pandemic-fueled racist attacks when a white gunman was charged with killing eight people, most of them Asian women, at three Atlanta-area massage parlors on Tuesday. Hundreds of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders turned to social media to air their anger, sadness, fear and hopelessness. “I think the reason why people are feeling so hopeless is because Asian Americans have been ringing the bell on this issue for so long. Mahmood said Asian American business owners in the Atlanta area were already fearful because of incidents like graffiti and break-ins. Meanwhile, Asian Americans are thankfully getting support from many non-Asian allies, Mahmood said.

Shootings at two massage parlors in Atlanta and one in the suburbs have left multiple people dead, many of them women of Asian descent, authorities said Tuesday. The shootings happened under the trauma of increasing violence against Asian Americans nationwide, fueled by white supremacy and systemic racism.” — Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. Ad___“The surge in violence against Asian Americans over the last year is a growing crisis. We need action from our leaders and within our communities to stop the hate.” — Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. ... Our entire nation must come together to speak out to Stop Asian Hate."