Inspired by this braised pork ribs with pumpkin recipe
Our AAPI Artists Spotify Playlist is OFF for the time being because one of those bot accounts deleted the entire thing :( SO sad.
Also, seems like work is getting busy for both of us :O how are you all finding time to rest?
Love,
Jamie & Melinda
News
🎉 Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month! According to Pew Research from 2019, about 3% of the U.S. Asian population identify as Asian Hispanic. "A 34% plurality of this group are Filipino."
🗳 It’s been 64 years since the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which affirmed the protection of voting rights under the 15th amendment. More laws (e.g. 1975 Voting Rights Act) and activism up until today have been needed to ensure true protection of voting rights for all. (Sad that we aren’t there yet 😥)
🎾 Emma Raducanu (who is half Chinese and half Romanian, represents the UK, and was born in Canada) won the U.S. Open! At age 18, she’s the youngest person to win a Grand Slam title since 2004. Runner up is 19-y.o. Leylah Fernandez (left in below image), who is half Ecuadorian and half Filipina and represents Canada. (Source)
🎵 Olivia Rodrigo (who’s half Filipina) won 3 VMA awards - Song of the Year for “drivers license,”Best New Artist, and Push Performance of the Year for “drivers license”! BTS won Best Group of the Year and Best K-Pop (for “Butter”). Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, and Silk Sonic won Best R&B for "Leave The Door Open.” (Source)
💵 A study by Indian University's Lilly School of Philanthropy found that Asian American and Black households were more likely to donate to racial and social justice causes than their White counterparts. In 2020, donations to these causes rose 16% from the previous year. The study found that "donors to these causes were more likely to be younger, single and less religious than other donors." (My question here is whether Asian American households are mainly donating to orgs focused on the Asian community vs. other communities...)
🍿 Blue Bayou is coming to theaters on Sept. 17! Justin Chon plays the main character, Korean American adoptee Anthony LeBlanc, and directs the film too. (Image source: Focus Features)
💌 As part of 9/11 remembrance, we'd like to share the reflections by Rana Singh Sodhi, the brother of Balbir Singh Sodhi, the first hate crime murder victim.
🧕🏽 On a related note, re: the recent Met Gala, Noor Tagouri wrote a piece on The Cut titled “Where Are The Hijabs on the Met Gala Red Carpet? This year’s Met Gala theme attempted to be inclusive of all American identities except for mine.”
Chef's Specials
🏥 I love medical dramas (seasoned grey's anatomy lover/hater here). Nothing brings me more joy than another medical drama, especially Doogie Kameāloha, MD, which centers around a Native Hawaiian prodigy! However, I have a major gripe with the show because their lead actress, Peyton Lee, is just like.. not Hawaiian lol.
🀄 Whoa, we've never seen a tattoo like this one.
📮 This post on Tye Leung Schulze (first Chinese American to vote in the U.S.) reminded me of the project Kelly/Hello Prosper did on Asian women suffragists from the early 1900s that I helped a bit with! (Scroll down to find Tye Leung Schulze's feature.)
📱 I'm just going to list some of the handles of Asian TikTokers I follow who are making quality content (either they're super funny or they talk about super important issues or both): simplyysri, badgalriyriy, summerluk, youngqim, queenreenuka, peternugget, tara.raani2, youngmimayer, asianchipskylark, and otakoyakisoba! Literally this one by Tara is like a film lol: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRQ1H6Sq/
Also, special shoutout to these two gals who are destigmatizing convos on sex: annatheaverage and itsmeserlo. But yeah lmk if u wanna be TikTok sharing buddies!!
TIL... I can also quit my corporate job and be an actor
This is a reference to Simu Liu, who was once an accountant and stock photo model before he made it big as an actor. Props to him for the biggest career jump since John Legend (who left BCG to be a musician/Arthur impersonator). Check out our spotlight later on for more on Simu 👀
BUT, staying on brand, I'm excited to watch the movie soon, and before I do, I wanted some background on the character, inspiration, and development. And, man... quite interesting! Also, the history of how superheros are developed and how those rights are sold are also quite fascinating. Not AAPI related, but if you're curious, listen to this podcast episode from NPR.
(I watched Shang Chi already and quite enjoyed it! 3D was a move :) I will wait to share thoughts until Jamie has seen it heh.)
Small Feelings
ugh the summer is truly over and the rainy season is going to start soon over here in the PNW (Pacific Northwest). It’s already mid-60s Fahrenheit :( sad.
sad for u but happy for me because fall vibes are ELITE
✨ S P O T L I G H T ✨
Source: California Milk Processor Brand (it's from a Got Milk? ad)
Simu Liu
Unless you've been living under a rock, it's been hard to miss the release of yet another Marvel superhero movie, Shang-Chi. It's refreshing to seethe first Asian-led film smash box office hits (and add to the literal most profitable franchise ever). But, who is this new addition to the all-star hero cast?
To that, we turn to Simu Liu, a Canadian actor, writer, and former Deloitte accountant. Born in Harbin, China, he grew up in Mississauga, Ontario and went to college at the University of Western Ontario for business. After graduating in 2011 and entering the ~corporate ~ world, he was laid off and became a model (for stock photos). Jokes, but he actually made a major career shift and became an actor, first by working as an extra and stunt double. Later, he landed the major role of Jung on Kim's Convenience. He has also been in shows like Orphan Black, The Expanse, and Fresh Off the Boat.
Simu was cast for Shang-Chi in kind of an interesting way - he tweeted @ Marvel for the role, and after auditioning for a different character, ended up the main man. Here's to really not being afraid to ask for what you want.
Outside of acting, he's also a UNICEF Canada ambassador and is very vocal about fighting anti-Asian racism! NICE!
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