Published in OCA National Center·PinnedA Day of Remembrance, Grief, and HealingOn the one-year anniversary of the deadly spa shootings in Atlanta, we gather in shared love and support for the families of the victims and survivors. — OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates joins with Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and more than 400 organizations in calling for reflection and action one year after the Atlanta spa shootings. Read the full collective statement here. ONE YEAR AGO, eight people, including six Asian women, were murdered by a gunman at several…2 min read2 min read
Published in OCA National Center·PinnedOCA Names Thu Nguyen as Executive Director, Ken Lee as CEO EmeritusNguyen will take the reins of the national AAPI nonprofit in early November while Lee will transition into an advisory role following decades of service. — By Andrew Peng Thu Nguyen will serve as the next executive director of OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, one of the nation’s oldest Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) civil rights organizations announced Monday. Nguyen, a proud Houstonian and the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, currently serves as OCA’s deputy executive director. …News3 min readNews3 min read
Published in Image Magazine·Jan 13I’ve Been ToldBy Pader “My name is Jer! It is spelt J-E-R. No, the J is not silent. It’s not pronounced, Her, that’s my pronoun. No it isn’t Yer, where’d you get the Y from now? I am an American. Yes, I am also Asian. I’m not Chinese, I’m not Korean, I’m…3 min read3 min read
Published in Image Magazine·Jan 13EaterA painting by Chloe Sun. — Challenging the stereotype of Asia as “dirty bat-eaters” or “dog-eaters” in the midst of a pandemic often called the “China virus” or kung-flu,” this piece was fueled by an angry passion to defend my identity. This past year, the world witnessed an endless tirade of hate and disgust, calling me…2 min read2 min read
Published in Image Magazine·Jan 13“The Cable Guy” Super Bowl Commercial — The End of Cable, the Rise of InclusionThe presence of diversity raises potential discussions in global phone advertisement. — By Meghan Kadambe Dhawan EVERY YEAR WHEN THE SUPER BOWL IS ANNOUNCED, I put on some comfy clothes, grab some pretzels, mozzarella sticks, alcohol, and various other Super Bowl-themed snacks to prepare for a fun night. …5 min read5 min read
Published in Image Magazine·Jan 13Her Eyelids FlutterA painting by Chloe Sun. — This oil painting is a somewhat abstract depiction of the appropriation of Asian eyes — while all Asian children share painful memories of non-Asian classmates with eyes pulled back, laughing at something we could not control, and the awareness of growing up being discriminated towards because of our eye shape…2 min read2 min read
Published in Image Magazine·Jan 13Examining What “Good Representation” Means Through an Asian American LensBy Alena Nguyen IATTENDED MY FIRST VIETNAMESE BEAUTY AND PHILANTHROPY PAGEANT RECENTLY, and during the question and answer section, one of the contestants’ questions was, “Is there good representation of Asians in the media?” Her answer, given on the spot, was a convoluted combination of ‘yes’ and ‘no,’ which initially frustrated me. But…4 min read4 min read
Published in Image Magazine·Jan 13When Representation isn’t EnoughBy Ian Sun SINCE THE PROTESTS CALLING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE LAST YEAR, many believe that representation has taken a great leap forward. After all, a highly-acclaimed movie and TV show featuring stellar minority representation were released this year. The Hollywood Diversity Report announced significant increases in minority film representation over…5 min read5 min read
Published in Image Magazine·Jan 13Representation is GlobalBy Amelia Cho STRIVING TO NAVIGATE ‘MIDDLE -GROUND’ IN BETWEEN TWO CULTURES I have grown up familiar with was similar to territorial conflict. …3 min read3 min read
Published in Image Magazine·Jan 13Mixed FeelingsBy Cheyanne Ramón I. magkaribal ● rival as a child, I knew that my skin defined me. often covered up and lathered in sunblock, trying to protect that paper white baby skin. “gold” wasn’t a good look on me. “white” will take you farther. She was born with lighter skin and lighter…2 min read2 min read