Category Archives: History

US Memorial Day: Commemorating John Douangdara and his Navy Memorial Statue

As a Navy veteran, one thing my father wanted to do is to see his name in the register of Navy veterans in the US Navy Memorial in Washington DC.  When the Wife and I finally took him there, I … Continue reading

Posted in History | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When Asian Americans are “too American”: Filipino Americans in the 1930’s

A recent poll suggests that many Americans think that Asian Americans are more loyal to their country of origins than to the United States.  In contrast, a blog post from the JSTOR Daily describes a time when Asian Americans immigrants … Continue reading

Posted in Discrimination, Health, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A California Roadtrip through Asian American Women’s History

March is Women’s History Month, and a description of a roadtrip through California that covers important places of Asian American Women’s history caught my attention.  Even though I have lived in California for most of my life, I had only … Continue reading

Posted in History, Local, San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

8Books Review: Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now

Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now is a monster of a book — both in that it is chock full of excellent content and that it literally weighs a ton (okay not a literal … Continue reading

Posted in 8Books, 8Series, Books, Entertainment, Food & Drink, History, Lifestyles, Movies, Music, Reviews, The Arts, Theatre, TV | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The University of Utah honors Wat Misaka, first person of Color in the NBA

Long before Linsanity or even before any African Americans would play in what would become the NBA, Wataru “Wat” Misaka became the first person of color to play professional basketball in the Basketball Association of America, playing three games for … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, History, Sports | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Chinese American WWII Veterans to be Honored with the Congressional Gold Medal

Chinese American WWII Veterans have been honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in a series of ceremonies across the country.  The Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition project pushed for recognition of Chinese American Veterans like Hazel Ying Lee, who died in … Continue reading

Posted in Discrimination, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Filipino American Nurses: Then and Now

This photo essay on Filipino American nurses dealing with the pandemic, coupled with it being Filipino American History Month, made me reflect on the long history of Filipino American nurses.  We have talked before about why so many nurses in … Continue reading

Posted in History | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

150th Anniversary of 1871 Los Angeles Chinese Massacre

Bodies of 17 dead Chinese men and boys lie in the Los Angeles jail yard on October 24, 1871 (photo credit:  Security Pacific Bank) This past Sunday, October 24th, marked the 150th anniversary of one of the worst hate crimes … Continue reading

Posted in Discrimination, History, Local, Southern California | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Celebrating the Contributions of Filipino American Sailors

Before the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, a major path to the US for Filipino Immigrants was through the US Navy.  My father came to the US that way, as well as tens of thousands of other Filipinos.  As … Continue reading

Posted in Discrimination, History | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

San Jose Approves Resolution & Apologizes for 1887 Chinatown Destruction and Decades of Discrimination

Although I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1999, I did not know much about the history of Chinese Americans in the area beyond the Chinese Exclusion Act. I was surprised to hear that back in May, that … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, History, Local, Politics, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver talks about Asian Americans

This Last Week Tonight segment on Asian Americans hosted by John Olliver gives an overview of Asian American history and the current issues facing Asian Americans, done in his usually satirical style.  I was pleasantly surprised by how thorough it … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, History, TV | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Lola’s Work: An Animated StoryCorps Feature

I was moved by this story about a devoted grandmother, which was featured on NPR and StoryCorps, and now StoryCorps has turned it into a featured animated story!   It also features some pictures painted by her and her grandson of … Continue reading

Posted in Family, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment