Blogging the News

Here is a picture of some home-made zongzi.

Roughly two weeks ago, on June 20, many Asian Americans celebrated a holiday known as Duanwu Festival. The Duanwu Festival, also commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival, is observed on the fifth day of the fifth month in the traditional lunar calendar. As Asian American millennials, we might not be familiar with the holiday but we are quite accustomed with its traditions–it’s the day we help our grandparents wrap zongzi! For those who are not familiar with it, zongzi can be thought of as the Asian equivalent of a Mexican tamale. It’s a sticky sweet rice, typically wrapped in flat leaves (my grandparents prefer banana leaves because of its easier to find), stuffed with meats, beans, and proteins. There is no right way to make zongzi as different Asian cultures have their unique combination of ingredients, and individual households have tailored their zongzi to their families’ preferences.

Although I’ve been wrapping and eating zongzi with my grandparents for as long as I can remember, this Duanwu Festival, I decided to ask about the holiday. Here is the story that my grandfather shared with me. According to him, the Duanwu Festival started as a way to commemorate the Chinese poet Qu Yuan who was driven to commit suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River during the Zhou Dynasty. As a big advocate of the people, many of the villagers threw sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river for fear that creatures in the water would feed on Yuan’s carcass. The sticky rice evolved into the zongzi that we eat today during the Duanwu Festival.

Another big aspect of the Duanwu Festival is the dragon boat races, what the holiday is officially names after. The origin of the dragon boat racing during the Duanwu Festival derived from the villager’s desire to race to save Yuan from drowning. It has since evolved into a competitive sporting event.

Aside from commemorating the beloved poet, enjoying zongzi, and rounding up the family together, the Duanwu Festival has also come to signal the passing of winter. According to my mom, the passing of the Duanwu Festival indicates the arrival of summer. It’s after the Duanwu Festival that we put away our quilts for the year.

I hope this Duanwu Festival was as much as a learning experience as it was for me! From my family to yours, Happy Belated Duanwu Festival!

Here is a picture of some home-made zongzi.

Roughly two weeks ago, on June 20, many Asian Americans celebrated a holiday known as Duanwu Festival. The Duanwu Festival, also commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival, is observed on the fifth day of the fifth month in the traditional lunar calendar. As Asian American millennials, we might not be familiar with the holiday but we are quite accustomed with its traditions–it’s the day we help our grandparents wrap zongzi! For those who are not familiar with it, zongzi can be thought of as the Asian equivalent of a Mexican tamale. It’s a sticky sweet rice, typically wrapped in flat leaves (my grandparents prefer banana leaves because of its easier to find), stuffed with meats, beans, and proteins. There is no right way to make zongzi as different Asian cultures have their unique combination of ingredients, and individual households have tailored their zongzi to their families’ preferences.

Although I’ve been wrapping and eating zongzi with my grandparents for as long as I can remember, this Duanwu Festival, I decided to ask about the holiday. Here is the story that my grandfather shared with me. According to him, the Duanwu Festival started as a way to commemorate the Chinese poet Qu Yuan who was driven to commit suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River during the Zhou Dynasty. As a big advocate of the people, many of the villagers threw sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river for fear that creatures in the water would feed on Yuan’s carcass. The sticky rice evolved into the zongzi that we eat today during the Duanwu Festival.

Another big aspect of the Duanwu Festival is the dragon boat races, what the holiday is officially names after. The origin of the dragon boat racing during the Duanwu Festival derived from the villager’s desire to race to save Yuan from drowning. It has since evolved into a competitive sporting event.

Aside from commemorating the beloved poet, enjoying zongzi, and rounding up the family together, the Duanwu Festival has also come to signal the passing of winter. According to my mom, the passing of the Duanwu Festival indicates the arrival of summer. It’s after the Duanwu Festival that we put away our quilts for the year.

I hope this Duanwu Festival was as much as a learning experience as it was for me! From my family to yours, Happy Belated Duanwu Festival!

Here is a picture of some home-made zongzi.

Roughly two weeks ago, on June 20, many Asian Americans celebrated a holiday known as Duanwu Festival. The Duanwu Festival, also commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival, is observed on the fifth day of the fifth month in the traditional lunar calendar. As Asian American millennials, we might not be familiar with the holiday but we are quite accustomed with its traditions–it’s the day we help our grandparents wrap zongzi! For those who are not familiar with it, zongzi can be thought of as the Asian equivalent of a Mexican tamale. It’s a sticky sweet rice, typically wrapped in flat leaves (my grandparents prefer banana leaves because of its easier to find), stuffed with meats, beans, and proteins. There is no right way to make zongzi as different Asian cultures have their unique combination of ingredients, and individual households have tailored their zongzi to their families’ preferences.

Although I’ve been wrapping and eating zongzi with my grandparents for as long as I can remember, this Duanwu Festival, I decided to ask about the holiday. Here is the story that my grandfather shared with me. According to him, the Duanwu Festival started as a way to commemorate the Chinese poet Qu Yuan who was driven to commit suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River during the Zhou Dynasty. As a big advocate of the people, many of the villagers threw sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river for fear that creatures in the water would feed on Yuan’s carcass. The sticky rice evolved into the zongzi that we eat today during the Duanwu Festival.

Another big aspect of the Duanwu Festival is the dragon boat races, what the holiday is officially names after. The origin of the dragon boat racing during the Duanwu Festival derived from the villager’s desire to race to save Yuan from drowning. It has since evolved into a competitive sporting event.

Aside from commemorating the beloved poet, enjoying zongzi, and rounding up the family together, the Duanwu Festival has also come to signal the passing of winter. According to my mom, the passing of the Duanwu Festival indicates the arrival of summer. It’s after the Duanwu Festival that we put away our quilts for the year.

I hope this Duanwu Festival was as much as a learning experience as it was for me! From my family to yours, Happy Belated Duanwu Festival!

As a Baruch student, I can easily hop on the 6 train straight to Canal Street whenever I crave a cheap bite to eat in Chinatown. However, the station itself can use some work. The low ceilings, long walkways, and odorously cramped platforms, packed with pushy passengers could surely use some improvement but it’s the destination that counts, right?

If you’re not near the 6 train, Chinatown is also accessible at Canal Street on the N, R, Q, and Grand Street on the D and B train.

The second picture is normally the first view I get of Chinatown, getting off the 6 train. Nothing much has changed profoundly over time except nowadays, there are more cars and better signage. The “Welcome to Chinatown” sign is actually something that has been added recently.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that the corner of Canal Street is where the most “business” is done, as you can see in the third picture. As a (somewhat) native of Chinatown, I’ve come to know of several underground businesses in Chinatown, counterfeiting being one of them. Many of the bags are hidden in the back walls of the shop fronts but ever since police crackdowns, much of their inventory have been shifted to vans. It never ceases to amuse me how oblivious this is to police officers and tourists but I guess that’s something you develop with ample time spent in Chinatown.

The fourth slide shows one of Chinatown’s many street vendors. Chinatown is also known for their numerous street vendors where you can purchase anything from tropical fruits to yams to my personal favorite, coconuts. Although these vendors have legitimate licenses, I’ve come to learn about some troubles these New York City street vendors face: police harassment, unfair fines, and unjustified bans. In response to this, the Street Vendor Project was born to help these small businesses make ends meet.

The faint sweet smell you come across every so often emanates from the mini cake carts that have been around for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I was always fascinated with the process as they pour the batter and tilt the pan back and forth. These cakes are made right in front of you with this unique griddle in only a matter of minutes. Even now, you can get 15 pieces for only $1. One of the crowd favorites is the sweet mini cakes from Ling’s Sweet Mini Cakes, as portrayed in the fifth picture.

Slide six is an example of the commercial side of Chinatown. What many stores have been increasingly starting to sell are little trinkets of Asian culture ranging from puppet dragons to lucky red tassels, I presume as a response to the increased tourism rate. During holidays such as Lunar New Year as explained in previous blog post, Millennial Perspectives: Some Asian Traditions Explained, I usually see an increase in the sale of red envelopes, paper lanterns, bamboo, and lucky candy, in preparation for the celebration.

When I was younger and still too short to reach the windows, I would see glimmering ornaments in the reflection of the jewelry shop on my way to school. Within the last two decades, there’s been an explosion of jewelry shops in Chinatown as you can see in slide seven. Today, there’s at least one jewelry store that sells these tiny gold figurines on the corner of almost every block. Having a figurine in the form of your zodiac is considered to be lucky, as well as a sign of wealth. I’ve also seen them given as gifts during weddings. This year happens to be the year of the horse, as you can see reflected in this picture.

My favorite restaurant happens to be on Elizabeth Street but earlier this year, the street was also renamed Private Danny Chen Way, in memory of Private Danny Chen, as you can see here in picture eight. The unveiling of this street was made possible by the OCA Asian American Advocates, which you can read more about in my previous article. Danny Chen was a soldier for the US Army who committed suicide after being harassment while serving in the military. New York Magazine did a feature on Pvt. Danny Chen who passed away in 2011. According to Ivy Teng Lei, a member of OCA, “the whole community came together on that day [the unveiling of Private Danny Chen Way] to memorialize Danny Chen and show their support. It was great to see that.”

On a different note, this is the Chinatown Arcade in slide nine. As deceiving as the name may be, the Chinatown Arcade is simply a tunnel of restaurants which provides a shortcut from one street to another. Many of the restaurants have been there for a long time but they’re slowly being shut down due to lack of business. It’s a bittersweet moment when the places you used to eat at as a kid close down—it almost feels as if a part of your childhood disappears.

In comparison to the Chinatown Arcade, this is one of the newer streets in Chinatown. Slide ten is what I tend to call it the “Bubble Tea Alley,” because four bubble tea shops popped up on the same street, around the same time. In essence, this is a reflection of a younger, trending, and more urbanized Chinatown.

Before I head back to the train station, there’s one last picture of a place worth mentioning. This is the notorious Chinatown Ice Cream Factory beside Xi’an’s Famous Foods, both partnered with the Museum of Chinese in America in their MOCAEats partnership which you can read more about in my article about the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory has been around for over 28 years, and has grown into a popular tourist destination of exotic ice cream flavors.

As of right now, there’s still a good mix of old Chinatown with the newer, trendier Chinatown, but at some point, I anticipate that half of these small businesses will eventually close because of the sheer competition.

What do you think of when you walk through Chinatown?

As a Baruch student, I can easily hop on the 6 train straight to Canal Street whenever I crave a cheap bite to eat in Chinatown. However, the station itself can use some work. The low ceilings, long walkways, and odorously cramped platforms, packed with pushy passengers could surely use some improvement but it’s the destination that counts, right?

If you’re not near the 6 train, Chinatown is also accessible at Canal Street on the N, R, Q, and Grand Street on the D and B train.

The second picture is normally the first view I get of Chinatown, getting off the 6 train. Nothing much has changed profoundly over time except nowadays, there are more cars and better signage. The “Welcome to Chinatown” sign is actually something that has been added recently.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that the corner of Canal Street is where the most “business” is done, as you can see in the third picture. As a (somewhat) native of Chinatown, I’ve come to know of several underground businesses in Chinatown, counterfeiting being one of them. Many of the bags are hidden in the back walls of the shop fronts but ever since police crackdowns, much of their inventory have been shifted to vans. It never ceases to amuse me how oblivious this is to police officers and tourists but I guess that’s something you develop with ample time spent in Chinatown.

The fourth slide shows one of Chinatown’s many street vendors. Chinatown is also known for their numerous street vendors where you can purchase anything from tropical fruits to yams to my personal favorite, coconuts. Although these vendors have legitimate licenses, I’ve come to learn about some troubles these New York City street vendors face: police harassment, unfair fines, and unjustified bans. In response to this, the Street Vendor Project was born to help these small businesses make ends meet.

The faint sweet smell you come across every so often emanates from the mini cake carts that have been around for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I was always fascinated with the process as they pour the batter and tilt the pan back and forth. These cakes are made right in front of you with this unique griddle in only a matter of minutes. Even now, you can get 15 pieces for only $1. One of the crowd favorites is the sweet mini cakes from Ling’s Sweet Mini Cakes, as portrayed in the fifth picture.

Slide six is an example of the commercial side of Chinatown. What many stores have been increasingly starting to sell are little trinkets of Asian culture ranging from puppet dragons to lucky red tassels, I presume as a response to the increased tourism rate. During holidays such as Lunar New Year as explained in previous blog post, Millennial Perspectives: Some Asian Traditions Explained, I usually see an increase in the sale of red envelopes, paper lanterns, bamboo, and lucky candy, in preparation for the celebration.

When I was younger and still too short to reach the windows, I would see glimmering ornaments in the reflection of the jewelry shop on my way to school. Within the last two decades, there’s been an explosion of jewelry shops in Chinatown as you can see in slide seven. Today, there’s at least one jewelry store that sells these tiny gold figurines on the corner of almost every block. Having a figurine in the form of your zodiac is considered to be lucky, as well as a sign of wealth. I’ve also seen them given as gifts during weddings. This year happens to be the year of the horse, as you can see reflected in this picture.

My favorite restaurant happens to be on Elizabeth Street but earlier this year, the street was also renamed Private Danny Chen Way, in memory of Private Danny Chen, as you can see here in picture eight. The unveiling of this street was made possible by the OCA Asian American Advocates, which you can read more about in my previous article. Danny Chen was a soldier for the US Army who committed suicide after being harassment while serving in the military. New York Magazine did a feature on Pvt. Danny Chen who passed away in 2011. According to Ivy Teng Lei, a member of OCA, “the whole community came together on that day [the unveiling of Private Danny Chen Way] to memorialize Danny Chen and show their support. It was great to see that.”

On a different note, this is the Chinatown Arcade in slide nine. As deceiving as the name may be, the Chinatown Arcade is simply a tunnel of restaurants which provides a shortcut from one street to another. Many of the restaurants have been there for a long time but they’re slowly being shut down due to lack of business. It’s a bittersweet moment when the places you used to eat at as a kid close down—it almost feels as if a part of your childhood disappears.

In comparison to the Chinatown Arcade, this is one of the newer streets in Chinatown. Slide ten is what I tend to call it the “Bubble Tea Alley,” because four bubble tea shops popped up on the same street, around the same time. In essence, this is a reflection of a younger, trending, and more urbanized Chinatown.

Before I head back to the train station, there’s one last picture of a place worth mentioning. This is the notorious Chinatown Ice Cream Factory beside Xi’an’s Famous Foods, both partnered with the Museum of Chinese in America in their MOCAEats partnership which you can read more about in my article about the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory has been around for over 28 years, and has grown into a popular tourist destination of exotic ice cream flavors.

As of right now, there’s still a good mix of old Chinatown with the newer, trendier Chinatown, but at some point, I anticipate that half of these small businesses will eventually close because of the sheer competition.

What do you think of when you walk through Chinatown?

There are several prevalent organizations active in the Chinatown community aimed at serving Asian Americans: EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care, located at 87 Bowery Street, the Chinese-American Planning Council, headquartered at 150 Elizabeth Street, and OCA Asian American Advocates, stationed at 50 Madison Street. These organizations serve their respective community in various ways, from fighting social injustices, to providing simple translation services, or simply offering recreational classes. Nonetheless, all these organizations are faced with challenges that they must overcome to serve their constituents more effectively.

Peter Chang, Community Liaison of EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care

Peter Chang, is the Community Liaison at EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care. In his role as Community Liaison, Peter educates Asian Americans about the benefits of various health insurance plans, and provides assistance with applications. In his experiences, Peter believes that one of the biggest problems in Chinatown is people’s over dependence on the Chinese/Asian community which in turn, limits their experiences. According to Peter, it is one thing to embrace your culture, but it is another to use those experiences as a barrier. In his own words,

“The biggest problem that I see as a challenge is really the over dependence on the Chinese/Asian Community. I understand preserving and embracing culture, but far too many people do not have an understanding of the areas outside of these neighborhoods. Not only do they hinder their own experiences, but I know that it affects their children as well. It’s hard enough to get past people asking you where are you really from and how come you don’t know where the best Chinese Restaurant is, but people will continue to treat Asian Americans as exotic and places like Chinatown as a tourist destination. I would really want to see Asian Americans become just AMERICAN.”

Ivy-Teng Lei, Board Member of OCA- New York Chapter, second from the left

Ivy-Teng Lei is a board member for OCA, an organization dedicated to the advancement of Asian Pacific Americans. She is heavily involved in events that promote the social, political, and economic well-being of the Asian Community in New York, but she sees one of the greatest struggles in her opinion as the segmentation within the Asian Community. As it turns out, there is friction within the overall Asian community. In order to truly speak the needs of the community, we must first embrace the diversity within the Asian culture and overcome the segmentation barriers, caused as a result of different dialects.

One of the greatest struggles in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community it’s segmentation of different dialect and culture. Although it’s diversity brings richness in our culture, it also creates language barriers for information to be passed from main stream media to another. Aside from ethnic media, changes in our political landscapes and important issues affecting our community, such as immigration reform, are often spread via word-of-mouth.
OCA New York, formerly known as Organization of Chinese Americans, now rebranded as “OCA Asian American Advocates” addresses this issue by working with organizations across different ethnicities. From Southeast Asian organizations to our Latino sister and brothers, we unite basic upon issues rather than culture and ethnics. It is strength of community building and organization that truly speaks the need of immigration reform, healthcare issues and minimum wage.

Emily Gorbach, Summer Youth Employment Program Coordinator from CPC attributes the fault to the fact that Asian American students are overlooked in terms of their social and communication skills. In her years as coordinator for the summer program, she sees many Asian American students excel academically in school, but fall short when it comes to communicating with others and marketing themselves confidently. In an attempt to develop their social communication skills, CPC provides high levels of mentorship and workshops to improve speaking techniques.

In some instances, Asian American students who are high achievers academically are viewed as not requiring services or assistance. Even though these students perform well in school, they may be in need of developing their social and communication skills and confidence. At CPC, we work to create an environment to foster these skills for our young adults. In our programs, we encourage team building and social interaction. We also provide high levels of mentorship. In regards to promoting and celebrating Asian culture, we incorporate identify exploration and culture in our after school program. Through workshops and cultural field trips, we hope that our participants can gain a better understanding of their heritage.

Overcoming these challenges will not be easy, but it is reassuring to know that these organizations are well on their way to improving the state of things for the Asian American community as a whole.

There are several prevalent organizations active in the Chinatown community: EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care, located at 87 Bowery Street, the Chinese-American Planning Council, headquartered at 150 Elizabeth Street, and OCA Asian American Advocates, stationed at 50 Madison Street. These organizations all serve their community in various ways, from fighting social injustices, to providing simple translation services, or simply offering recreational classes. Nonetheless, what all these organizations are face with, is some sort of challenge that each representative from these groups speak about.

Peter Chang, Community Liaison of EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care

Peter Chang, is the Community Liaison at EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care. In his role as Community Liaison, he sees one of the biggest problem is over dependence on the Chinese/Asian community that limits their experiences. In his own words,

The biggest problem that I see as a challenge is really the over dependence on the Chinese/Asian Community. I understand preserving and embracing culture, but far too many people do not have an understanding of the areas outside of these neighborhoods. Not only do they hinder their own experiences, but I know that it affects their children as well. It’s hard enough to get past people asking you where are you really from and how come you don’t know where the best Chinese Restaurant is, but people will continue to treat Asian Americans as exotic and places like Chinatown as a tourist destination. I would really want to see Asian Americans become just AMERICAN.

Ivy-Teng Lei, Board Member of OCA- New York Chapter, second from the left

Ivy-Teng Lei is a board member for OCA and one of the greatest struggles in her opinion is the segmentation within the Asian Community.

One of the greatest struggles in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community it’s segmentation of different dialect and culture. Although it’s diversity brings richness in our culture, it also creates language barriers for information to be passed from main stream media to another. Aside from ethnic media, changes in our political landscapes and important issues affecting our community, such as immigration reform, are often spread via word-of-mouth.
OCA New York, formerly known as Organization of Chinese Americans, now rebranded as “OCA Asian American Advocates” addresses this issue by working with organizations across different ethnicities. From Southeast Asian organizations to our Latino sister and brothers, we unite basic upon issues rather than culture and ethnics. It is strength of community building and organization that truly speaks the need of immigration reform, healthcare issues and minimum wage.

Emily Gorbach, Summer Youth Employment Program Coordinator from CPC attributes the fault to the fact that Asian American students are overlooked in terms of their social and communication skills.

In some instances, Asian American students who are high achievers academically are viewed as not requiring services or assistance. Even though these students perform well in school, they may be in need of developing their social and communication skills and confidence. At CPC, we work to create an environment to foster these skills for our young adults. In our programs, we encourage team building and social interaction. We also provide high levels of mentorship. In regards to promoting and celebrating Asian culture, we incorporate identify exploration and culture in our after school program. Through workshops and cultural field trips, we hope that our participants can gain a better understanding of their heritage.

There are several prevalent organizations active in the Chinatown community aimed at serving Asian Americans: EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care, located at 87 Bowery Street, the Chinese-American Planning Council, headquartered at 150 Elizabeth Street, and OCA Asian American Advocates, stationed at 50 Madison Street. These organizations serve their respective community in various ways, from fighting social injustices, to providing simple translation services, or simply offering recreational classes. Nonetheless, all these organizations are faced with challenges that they must overcome to serve their constituents more effectively.

Peter Chang, Community Liaison of EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care

Peter Chang, is the Community Liaison at EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care. In his role as Community Liaison, Peter educates Asian Americans about the benefits of various health insurance plans, and provides assistance with applications. In his experiences, Peter believes that one of the biggest problems in Chinatown is people’s over dependence on the Chinese/Asian community which in turn, limits their experiences. According to Peter, it is one thing to embrace your culture, but it is another to use those experiences as a barrier. In his own words,

“The biggest problem that I see as a challenge is really the over dependence on the Chinese/Asian Community. I understand preserving and embracing culture, but far too many people do not have an understanding of the areas outside of these neighborhoods. Not only do they hinder their own experiences, but I know that it affects their children as well. It’s hard enough to get past people asking you where are you really from and how come you don’t know where the best Chinese Restaurant is, but people will continue to treat Asian Americans as exotic and places like Chinatown as a tourist destination. I would really want to see Asian Americans become just AMERICAN.”

Ivy-Teng Lei, Board Member of OCA- New York Chapter, second from the left

Ivy-Teng Lei is a board member for OCA, an organization dedicated to the advancement of Asian Pacific Americans. She is heavily involved in events that promote the social, political, and economic well-being of the Asian Community in New York, but she sees one of the greatest struggles in her opinion as the segmentation within the Asian Community. As it turns out, there is friction within the overall Asian community. In order to truly speak the needs of the community, we must first embrace the diversity within the Asian culture and overcome the segmentation barriers, caused as a result of different dialects.

One of the greatest struggles in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community it’s segmentation of different dialect and culture. Although it’s diversity brings richness in our culture, it also creates language barriers for information to be passed from main stream media to another. Aside from ethnic media, changes in our political landscapes and important issues affecting our community, such as immigration reform, are often spread via word-of-mouth.
OCA New York, formerly known as Organization of Chinese Americans, now rebranded as “OCA Asian American Advocates” addresses this issue by working with organizations across different ethnicities. From Southeast Asian organizations to our Latino sister and brothers, we unite basic upon issues rather than culture and ethnics. It is strength of community building and organization that truly speaks the need of immigration reform, healthcare issues and minimum wage.

Emily Gorbach, Summer Youth Employment Program Coordinator from CPC attributes the fault to the fact that Asian American students are overlooked in terms of their social and communication skills. In her years as coordinator for the summer program, she sees many Asian American students excel academically in school, but fall short when it comes to communicating with others and marketing themselves confidently. In an attempt to develop their social communication skills, CPC provides high levels of mentorship and workshops to improve speaking techniques.

In some instances, Asian American students who are high achievers academically are viewed as not requiring services or assistance. Even though these students perform well in school, they may be in need of developing their social and communication skills and confidence. At CPC, we work to create an environment to foster these skills for our young adults. In our programs, we encourage team building and social interaction. We also provide high levels of mentorship. In regards to promoting and celebrating Asian culture, we incorporate identify exploration and culture in our after school program. Through workshops and cultural field trips, we hope that our participants can gain a better understanding of their heritage.

Overcoming these challenges will not be easy, but it is reassuring to know that these organizations are well on their way to improving the state of things for the Asian American community as a whole.

Social Media Strategy Paper

I plan to use social media to drive traffic to my blog, to develop my brand, and communicate more effectively with my targeted audience. The evolution of social media has made it quicker and easier to connect to different people around the world. Using various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, I want to reach out to and possibly involve my readers to make my blog more known.

Who I Will Reach Out To:

I plan to reach out to individuals, companies, and organizations that are Asian-interest oriented or ones whose missions are similar to that of my blog. This includes local neighborhood organizations such as the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care, Asia Society, and Asian & Pacific islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS (APICHA). These organizations who are all active on Facebook tends to attract an older, first generation of Asians which can provide more contacts, information, and access to the Asian community. CPC in particular is one of the largest Chinese-based social services agencies with locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. Reaching them as an audience would essentially allow me to reach a larger Asian population and build up my network for future interview, events, or admittance to celebrations.

(more…)

• Sephora’s been recently slapped with a lawsuit after deactivating thousands of Asian customers’ accounts following their 20% off sale, charged for racial e-profiling. [The Daily News] 
• The man responsible for the fatal death of an Asian man pushed onto the tracks in New York City, was arrested earlier this week. [The Guardian]
• Chinatown buses are under investigation for ‘gun ring’ trafficking. [The New York Post]
• A nonprofit advocacy group is suing Harvard and the University of North Carolina over allegations that the schools illegally limited admissions for qualified Asian American applicants. [Bloomberg Businessweek]

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world…

• Hong Kong protestors are getting restless and violent. [CNN]
• Five Thai students get detained for the “Hunger Games” salute. [BBC News]