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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Trailblazers like Norman Mineta showed young <keyword id="12375512" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="asian-americans" source="Orion">Asian Americans</keyword> that a future in <keyword id="11893346" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics" source="Orion">politics</keyword> is possible.</li><li>Those role models are key to changing the 'extreme under-representation' of AAPIs in elected office.</li></ul><p>Yuh-Line Niou, whose parents immigrated from Taiwan, remembers the moment she could picture herself holding elected office.</p><p>As an intern in the Washington state legislature, Niou met Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, who was the first Japanese American woman elected to the state legislature in 1998.</p><p>"It was just amazing to be able to see her navigate this system," Niou told Insider. "I remember thinking 'Wow, this is what they mean when you feel like you exist,' and she helped me see that way."</p><p>That moment, Niou recalls, set her on the path to politics—one that had never seemed open to her as a child growing up in towns like Moscow, Idaho, where she says she was one of the only Asian families in her neighborhood.</p><p>For members of a <a href="https://www.insider.com/young-asian-americans-taking-up-political-office-and-civil-rights-2021-5">new generation of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders</a>, like Niou, who are navigating paths in elected office, Asian American role models who came before them were pivotal in proving that a future in politics was possible.</p><p>In 2016, Niou followed in Tomiko Santos' footsteps and became the first Asian American to serve in the New York State Assembly in her district, which includes New York City's Chinatown.</p><div type="image" title="Norman Mineta walks past a recreation of a guard tower at Heart Mountain Japanese internment camp, where he spent part of his youth" height="2121" width="2828" msid="91948547" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>The trailblazers.</strong></h2><p>For Bee Nguyen, a Georgia State Representative and current candidate for Georgia Secretary of State, it was Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams who called attention to the <a href="https://www.insider.com/asian-american-leaders-on-sustaining-political-action-record-voter-turnout-2021-5">power of the Asian American electorate</a> and supported her campaign. </p><p>Abrams was the first person running for office in the state, Nguyen told Insider, who "recognized <keyword id="12368108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aapi" source="Orion">AAPI</keyword> voters to be an important part of this broad-based solution."</p><p>"In redefining what we envision as a South, she would always recognize that AAPI people were part of that," Nguyen said. "She made me feel seen and she made me feel heard."</p><p>Christine Chen, cofounder and executive director of the nonpartisan civic organization Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), told Insider that Asian American leaders, like Norman Mineta, helped shape her ambitions in AAPI political advocacy, and created the foundation for those organizations to exist.</p><p>Mineta, who passed away in early May, was the first East Asian American to serve as a Cabinet secretary when he was appointed Secretary of Commerce during the Clinton administration. He also served as Secretary of Transportation during the Bush administration—becoming the only Democratic Cabinet Secretary during that term—and was the longest serving Secretary of Transportation in US history. Early in his career, Mineta was the first Asian American to lead a major city when he was elected mayor of San Jose in 1971.</p><p>Chen recalls a moment when Mineta remembered her name and struck up a conversation, making her feel welcome as a newcomer in Washington, D.C. "It's those little touches," she said, "that makes you feel like 'Yes, I belong here.'"</p><div type="image" title="Sonia Chang-Diaz" height="1361" width="1814" msid="91948699" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>'Extreme under-representation' in elected office.</strong></h2><p>While the swearing in of <a href="https://www.insider.com/daughters-of-immigrants-vp-elect-harris-represents-hope-2020-11">Vice President Kamala Harris in 2020 marked a high point for AAPI representation in political leadership</a>, the number of Asian Americans in elected office is far from reflecting the community's population, advocates say.</p><p>Asian Americans <a href="https://wholeads.us/research/aapi-political-leadership/">represent 0.9% of all elected officials, but make up 6.1% of the country's population</a>, according to mid-2020 figures from the <a href="https://wholeads.us/">Reflective Democracy Campaign</a>, a group that advocates for greater representation of women and people of color in politics.</p><p>That's the lowest among all demographics, the group found, despite Asian Americans being the country's fastest growing demographic. One problem with such "extreme under-representation" is that it hurts the government's ability to effectively serve AAPI communities, the group said.</p><p>Despite growing numbers of AAPI members in elected office over the past few decades, many of today's Asian American political leaders say they're still carving out new paths for themselves in politics, and recognize the significance of being the "first" in many ways.</p><p>Massachusetts state senator Sonia Chang-Diaz was the first Latina member of the State Senate, and the only Asian American in the State Legislature when she was elected in 2009. </p><p>Being a legislator from multiple ethnic backgrounds is "even more rare," she told Insider. "I did not see myself reflected," Chang-Diaz said, "and I've had to build my own community coming into office."</p><p>Michelle Au, a Chinese American who was the first Asian American woman elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2020, said she realized while campaigning that members of her district—which has the highest percent of AAPI residents and voters in Georgia—had long been hoping to elect someone who understood their lived experience. </p><p>"There is a tremendous hunger from people who live here and have lived here for a long time, and are raising their kids here, to have representation at the state house that looks like them, and has that experience that they've had as immigrant families, and as Asian families," Au told Insider.</p><p>Nguyen, the Georgia State Representative, said politics was never dinner table talk with her parents, who are refugees from Vietnam. "It never came across my mind, or any of my sisters' minds, that there would be potential to run for office one day," she said. </p><p>Yet holding elected office now means carrying on her parents' legacy: "They risked their lives in search of civil liberties so that we could have the freedoms that they didn't have in their country," Nguyen said.</p><div type="image" title="Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke speaks as he campaigns for Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden on February 18, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada" height="3666" width="4888" msid="91948551" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>'The shoulders on which you stand.'</strong></h2><p>For Chang-Diaz, who is currently running for governor of Massachusetts, being on the campaign trail has reminded her of the history and struggles of Asian Americans in the US, from <a href="https://www.insider.com/chinese-american-pride-celebrated-in-150th-anniversary-of-transcontinental-railroad-2019-5">Chinese Americans who built the first Transcontinental Railroad</a>, to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-has-a-long-history-of-discriminating-against-asians-2021-3">internment of Japanese Americans during World War II</a>. </p><p>"You can't help but think about the shoulders on which you stand," Chang-Diaz said.</p><p>Her campaign recently submitted the required nomination signatures to qualify for the gubernatorial ballot, making it "the first time that a woman of color has ever cleared that gate," she said. "Having the first woman of color and the first person of Asian American descent in the governor's office, it's a huge opportunity for us to write some more history this year."</p><p>Niou, the New York state lawmaker, recently announced her candidacy for Congress in the state's 10th district, where she'll face off against former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio in August.</p><p>To reach that point, Niou also recalls when Gary Locke was elected governor of Washington in 1996, becoming the first Chinese American to lead a state. Niou was an intern in his administration during that time period, she said, and "to see that change was mind-blowing."</p><p>"Each time something like that happened, I realized that something that was taught to me about what was possible—it's actually not true," Niou said. "I didn't even know that I had these limits in my own mind about what I could be, or what we could all be."</p>

Asian Americans are the lowest represented group in politics. Rising stars reflect on the AAPI leaders who blazed a path forward.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Yumi Nu made history by becoming the first plus-size Asian American model on "Sports Illustrated."</li><li>The 25-year-old model grappled with self-doubt in an industry that traditionally favors thin, white models.</li></ul><p><em>This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Yumi Nu, a 25-year-old model, artist, and singer-songwriter. It has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p><p>Modeling has always been a part of my life. My mom was a model and took me to shoots as a baby, and I returned to it in middle school.</p><p>I originally wanted to be a model because I just wanted to be cool as a kid, but I feel like my intentions have changed. The industry has changed so much and there's so much history to be made, which I want to be a part of.</p><p>I didn't actually know I'd be on the cover of "Sports Illustrated"—I just thought I'd be in one of the shoots for the magazine. I was just happy to be in the issue. I was doing a fake interview when MJ Day, the editor-in-chief of "Sports Illustrated," and the team surprised me with the cover.</p><p>People ask me if I've dreamed of being on the cover of "Sports Illustrated," but I didn't know that I could. It's only been in the past two or three years that brands, casting directors, and editors have made an effort to open up to diverse models—both when it comes to body <keyword id="11929860" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="diversity" source="Orion">diversity</keyword> and racial diversity.</p><div type="image" title="Yumi Nu surprised on set with the Sports Illustrated cover reveal." height="4000" width="5333" msid="91771143" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>Searching for identity in childhood</strong></h2><p>When I was younger, I didn't see anyone that looked like me in the media. That created a lot of insecurities and worthiness issues in me. </p><p>I'm half-Japanese and half-white. Growing up, it wasn't really cool to be anything other than white. I wish we weren't so influenced by media, culture, and society, but we do, especially when we're young. We look to it to tell us what's important and what we should think, look, and be like.</p><p>So I just wanted to fit in with white people. I didn't have—or wanted—any connections to my Asian side, because there was this shame that it made me different, and it was the thing that separated me from popular kids at school and what I thought I needed to be beautiful. It was the same thing with being plus size.</p><p>I didn't have anyone normalizing or encouraging me to be happy in my skin the way that I am. I didn't know how to give myself that validation, because I feel like I was in an environment where even the Asian people in my life had spent so long whitewashing themselves for survival in the areas they grew up in. We're just healing now in the past few years from all of that.</p><p>Earlier in my modeling career, I varied on the size spectrum—sometimes I was the perfect size for plus size, sometimes I was too small. It's a smaller window of what we could be to be a model.</p><p>Culturally, Asian people don't want to glorify being bigger, and that leaked into the American perception of how they want to represent Asian people. I have never seen an Asian curve model until recently. People didn't know what to do with me, because I didn't fit that mold.</p><h2><strong>Changing the narrative for myself and the industry</strong></h2><p>In the end, I got tired of hating myself, of thinking I wasn't good enough because I'm not a certain size or a certain race.</p><p>I was in Hawaii in 2016 and thought to myself, "Am I really not going to go into the water because I feel too big? Where did I even get that idea?" I realized I was going to be 80 years old looking back at the times I didn't go into the water, or wear what I wanted, or live my fullest, biggest life because I was ashamed of who I am. I wanted that freedom.</p><p>It's a journey. After the switch clicked on, I had to build a new mindset and rewire my brain.</p><div type="image" title="Yumi Nu attends the Swimsuit on Location event hosted by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit at Hard Rock Seminole on May 21, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida" height="3788" width="5047" msid="91771144" hostid="261"></div><p>I'm seeing that narrative slowly begin to change in the modeling industry, too. Shooting with "Sports Illustrated" was an incredible experience: Everyone on set is present, kind, and makes sure you feel confident. They make sure all the swimwear fits right, that I'm feeling good and listening to the music that makes me feel like my best self on set. (I listen to Megan Thee Stallion because she's a confidence queen.) </p><p>But there's still a huge gap in resources in <keyword id="11893303" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fashion" source="Orion">fashion</keyword>: Everyone wants to hire plus size models for their campaigns, but don't have the actual sizes in stock. People might see me in a campaign and say, "I can wear that because Yumi's wearing it!" But then they'll click on the store and see it only goes up to size XL.</p><p>Even I can't wear the brands sometimes. It can be a lot of tailoring, paneling, or sewing other garments into garments. Or there'll be multiple outfits planned for me but I can only wear one that fits, while everyone else is switching looks. I've wanted to cry a lot of times because there are so few options.</p><p>A huge percentage of the fashion industry isn't putting their money where their mouth is. I'll still show up to those jobs because it's important that we're still seen. The industry is getting to a place where we are ready to follow those trends and finally see those changes.</p>

I’m Sports Illustrated’s first Asian American plus size cover model. After years of self-doubt, I want to change the industry’s narrative around race and body diversity.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Since 2003, Patrick Huang has welcomed artists with ties to <keyword id="12048018" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="taiwan" source="Orion">Taiwan</keyword> to the BAS Brooklyn Artists Studio in Bushwick.</li><li>For a 30 day stay, he charges only $5 in rent.</li></ul><p>Since 2003, Patrick Huang has welcomed artists with ties to Taiwan to the BAS Brooklyn Artists Studio in Bushwick. And the rent is only $5 for 30 days. </p><p>"He's a very well respected and well-known friend, teacher, uncle to all of us who's in the <keyword id="11931454" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="art" source="Orion">art</keyword> community," Mia Min Yen, a Taiwanese musician, told Insider. "He would always say, if you guys need a place to crash, feel free to let me know. And he's always super supportive."</p><p>In the 1970s, Huang and his wife Sharron packed up everything after graduating from the National Taiwan University and made their way to the University of Minnesota for their Ph.D. At that time, Huang was deeply entrenched in Taiwan's independence movement, advocating for an independent and sovereign Taiwan free from influence from China. Once he moved to Brooklyn and became a realtor, it was vital for Huang to give back to Taiwan's arts and culture scene.  </p><p>So, what better way to do so than create housing for those artists when they come to the US, he thought.  </p><p>"I thought that was a practical way to support art and culture by offering a building good for them to use," Huang said. "And that's how this whole project started."</p><div type="image" title="Outside of the studio." height="1200" width="1600" msid="91750680" hostid="261"></div><p>The studio is located in the heart of Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood. The space is covered in artistic graffiti, an expression of the artists who live there. Huang said he houses painters, singers, and musicians for up to a month. </p><p>"I had a long history of doing something for the artists. And so these are just an extension of my career work," Huang added. </p><p>Huang houses no more than 12 artists at a time, with people arriving from all over the world, but they must have a connection to Taiwan. They can be Taiwanese, have a Taiwanese partner, or have studied in Taiwan. Outside of the five-dollar fee, Huang said guests regularly tip and leave a few dollars as donations. </p><p>"We are very fortunate that Patrick is able to provide a space like this for the performers and artists to stay at a very reasonable and sometimes no cost," Borcheng Hsu, an event curator who brings artists to the studio, told Insider.</p><h2><div type="image" title="A piano with BAS painted on it." height="3266" width="4899" msid="91750682" hostid="261"></div><strong>Artists come to New York for the Passport to Taiwan Festival</strong></h2><p>Hsu said most artists who arrive from overseas come to participate in festivals and art exhibitions that are taking place in New York, which can be very expensive. The most popular festival Hsu brings artists in for is the Passport to Taiwan Festival in Union Square. </p><p>"It is not a five-star hotel, but [it has] very convenient transportation. Its location is fairly safe. And Patrick really extends his service," Yin Peet, who stayed there briefly with her partner, told Insider. "No one has the financial means to stay in an over 100 dollar hotel bill when they visit the arts scene in New York or around New York. So this is a huge contribution for them to feel like they could visit New York." </p><p>Peet said that while the studio is small, artists only stay a few days at a time. She said she wouldn't be surprised if Huang hasn't hosted thousands of artists in a single year. </p><p>"I'm just very grateful the place exists," Peet said. "Patrick is one art angel, I think."</p>

For nearly two decades, this Brooklyn studio has offered Taiwanese artists rent for just $5

<ul class="summary-list"><li>After being diagnosed with Crohn's, Jennifer Lee wanted to create a community for Asian Americans with disabilities.</li><li>The Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative is a youth-led non-profit focused on advocacy work.</li></ul><p>After her diagnosis with Crohn's disease two years ago, Jennifer Lee decided she wanted to create a community for Asian Americans with disabilities. But she quickly found little institutional support for her project.</p><p>"I was told by multiple professors, administrators, just grantmakers in general that the idea was too niche," said Lee, a Korean American student at Princeton University. </p><p>That lack of support didn't stop her. In July 2021, Lee founded the Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative with help from a small yet mighty team of volunteers. Almost a year later, the group—referred to as AADI—is now a youth-led full-fledged non-profit supporting disabled Asian Americans through advocacy work.</p><p>The organization's purpose is to build community and raise awareness around disability justice for Asian Americans. Despite <a href="https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=S0201&amp;t=Disability&amp;tid=ACSST1Y2019.S1810&amp;hidePreview=true">1.3 million Americans</a> identifying as disabled and Asian American, there is still a lack of support for those who identify as both. These intersecting identities can pose their own unique challenges—Lee said she faced skepticism from doctors about her diagnosis because many believed Crohn's was a disorder that <a href="https://helmsleytrust.org/case-studies/much-stomach-investigating-why-ibd-takes-root-asia/">primarily affected</a> white people, not Asians. Crohn's is a chronic illness that causes inflammation and irritation in a person's digestive tract.</p><p>Lee, who serves as AADI's executive director, said founding the organization was initially a way for her to make friends with other disabled Asian American youth going through similar experiences and "talk to about these issues that we're facing and to talk about intersectionality."</p><div type="image" title="Justin Tsang, director of research of AADI" height="1705" width="2268" msid="91693620" hostid="261"></div><p>On the other side of the country, in California, 26-year-old Justin Tsang felt the same way. Born with encephalopathy, a condition that affects the brain's functions, Tsang had difficulty finding community with other young disabled Asian Americans. So when Tsang met Lee during an internship at another disability advocacy group, their encounter felt serendipitous. </p><p>"In my own disability advocacy support spaces before coming to the [internship] program, I didn't see any Asian Americans with disabilities," said Tsang, who is Chinese American. Tsang now leads AADI's research efforts as its director of research.</p><h2>The group has created a first-of-its-kind resource guide.</h2><p>Beyond hosting panel discussions and growing its online community—currently 1,500 followers strong, according to AADI's Instagram account—among the major milestones in the group's first year was the release of the <a href="https://www.aadinitiative.org/resources">Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative Resource Guide</a> in January. </p><p>The 80-page digital document features academic research on issues facing Asian Americans with disabilities, first-person testimonials, and profiles of Asian American disability leaders. It also includes need-to-know information for allies outside of the community. </p><p>The resource guide is the first of its kind to focus on disability issues among Asian Americans, according to the group.</p><p>"I think Justin and I quickly realized that the resource guide if we wanted to do it, we had to do it well," Lee told Insider in a joint zoom call with Tsang. The team spent months pouring over papers and compiling materials for the guide, and had it reviewed by Asian leaders in the disability advocacy space. Among them Marisa Hamamoto, founder of the accessible dance company Infinite Flow, and Mathew McCollough, the director of the DC Office of Disability Rights.</p><div type="image" title="AADI team members, from left to right, Ikshu Pandey, Megan Liang, Jennifer Lee, Jiyoun Roh" height="2551" width="3402" msid="91693623" hostid="261"></div><p>But the AADI team also faced challenges while compiling the resource guide, including the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/10/3/58/htm">severe lack of academic literature</a> on disability issues among Asian Americans. </p><p>"In the disability space, the topics are really broad in scope," said Tsang, an urban studies graduate from UC Berkeley. "With the research about disabled Asian Americans being limited, you really had to use existing academic resources to really try to complement what would work with the guide and what was also available online through different sources." </p><p>In addition to filling a resource gap, the guide will hopefully influence policy change in the communities where disabled Asian Americans belong, too.</p><p>"The purpose of our resource guide really answers the question of 'What can I do next? How can I become a better ally? How can I learn more about this community and learn more about this issue?'" Lee said. "That's really where our resource guide comes in."</p><h2>The resource guide has attracted the attention of academics</h2><p>Although the resource guide will be continuously updated, it has already attracted the attention of academics. The organization is working with Virginia Commonwealth University to develop AADI's first literature review related to disabled Asian Americans and <keyword id="11894571" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health" source="Orion">health</keyword>care, and has partnerships with bodies such as the Ford Foundation and the National Institute of Health. </p><p>As AADI approaches its one-year anniversary in July, which also happens to be Disability Pride Month, the group plans to celebrate the disabled Asian American community it serves through a set of hybrid remote and in-person festivities. </p><p>Beyond their work with AADI, Lee and Tsang are also ready to take on new endeavors. This summer, Lee will be starting an internship under the ACLU's justice division of its National Political Advocacy Department while Tsang, who is an intersex person, plans to build an advocacy network with other intersex people in the US and abroad.</p><p>Lee hopes the organization she founded will expand while staying true to its core mission: equipping the next generation of disabled Asian American leaders to combat ableism and racism.</p><p>"I really do believe that we're at a turning point … where we're going to be talking more about disability on a mainstream level with the onset of long Covid, and thinking about accessibility in the workplace," Lee said. "I'm just so excited to see what AADI can do to be a part of that."</p>

After being diagnosed with a chronic condition, she started a community for other Asian Americans with disabilities

<ul class="summary-list"><li>As one of the most prolific actors in <keyword id="11895191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hollywood" source="Orion">Hollywood</keyword> history, <keyword id="13987866" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="james-hong" source="Orion">James Hong</keyword> has paved the way for Asian American talent in Hollywood.</li><li>The 93-year-old star founded East West Players to boost <keyword id="12368108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aapi" source="Orion">AAPI</keyword> representation in theater.</li></ul><p>When James Hong received his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in May, it was a seven-decade-long dream come true.</p><p>"Everyday I wake up and I think, it cannot be," Hong told Insider.</p><p>At 93 years old, Hong made history by becoming the oldest actor to receive a star, which he celebrated in a red silk Tang suit, surrounded by a flurry of drums and Chinese lion dancers.</p><p>The recognition comes after nearly 70 years of acting, during which Hong strived to carve out a space for Asian American talent in an industry dominated by white actors.</p><p>Hong has more than 650 film and television credits under his belt, including "Blade Runner," "Seinfeld," and, most recently, A24's "Everything Everywhere All At Once."</p><p>As a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars, Hong helps to advocate for the newest generation of AAPI talent.</p><p>"We have meetings once in a while to help boost the image of Asian American actors, because they haven't been duly recognized until lately," Hong said.</p><p>Films created by and starring Asian actors, directors, and producers like "Minari" and Marvel's "Shang-Chi" have recently captured Hollywood's attention—a rise that many in the <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> industry credit to veteran actors like Hong. In his speech at Hong's Walk of Fame celebration, Daniel Dae Kim called him a "trailblazer."</p><p>"No one will have blazed the trail the way that James Hong has," Kim said.</p><div type="image" title="Back L-R) Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Chair Lupita Sanchez Cornejo, Daniel Dae Kim, Jamie Lee Curtis and Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell with (Front C) James Hong attend the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony for James Hong on May 10, 2022 in Hollywood, California." height="2307" width="3076" msid="91691707" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>Working within the limitations of Hollywood</strong></h2><p>Hong, a Chinese American who grew up in Minnesota, long entertained the thought of becoming an actor, imitating famous actors like James Cagney and James Stewart in front of his mirror.</p><p>"That was my so-called exhibition in the arts," Hong joked.</p><p>When he landed in Hollywood in 1953, Hong redubbed soundtracks of several Asian films, eventually making his break when he appeared on Groucho Marx's game show "You Bet Your Life."</p><p>Many of the roles Hong played early in his acting career were Asian stereotypes: diabolical villains or two-dimensional Chinamen.</p><p>"If you didn't do the roles you were offered, you didn't work. So you have to keep working and improve your craft," Hong said.</p><p>Instead, he worked to turn cliched parts into multi-faceted characters. One of Hong's favorite roles was the villain in "Big Trouble in Little China," a martial arts comedy that, on the face of it, could be seen as stereotypically hokey.</p><p>"Although he was the evil Asian, he was very human in the sense that all he wanted was a girl with green eyes," Hong told Insider. "I got a chance to do a lot of emotions and explore facets of the character."</p><div type="image" title="James Hong in &quot;Big Trouble in Little China.&quot;" height="426" width="568" msid="91691708" hostid="261"></div><p>Seeing Hong on television and the silver screen inspired a host of other Asian American actors.</p><p>"It's always important to see someone of Asian descent be represented on screen," actress Ming-Na Wen, who starred in films like "The Joy Luck Club" and "Mulan," said. "They're pure inspiration, a reminder of how much I can do."</p><h2><strong>He launched his own theater to create a space for Asian American actors</strong></h2><p>Despite Hong's efforts, some roles were unplayable. In 1962, Hong said he was given the script for a movie called "The Confessions of an Opium Eater." The only roles available for Asian actors in the movie were "opium dope people and the prostitutes and so forth," he said in an <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/02/entertainment/james-hong-actor-movie-credits-trnd/index.html">interview</a> with CNN. Incensed, he turned down the role, and led a petition against the film.</p><p>Frustrated with the limitations of Hollywood, Hong and eight Asian American artists banded together to found East West Players in 1964.</p><p>From its inception, East West Players' mission was to create a space where Asian American actors could play roles beyond the stereotypical caricatures offered by mainstream Hollywood. Hong and his co-founders picked "Rashomon," a psychological thriller by the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, as their first play, which they performed at the basement of a church in Los Angeles' Griffith Park.</p><p>East West Players began to amass positive reviews and funding, and now commands a theater in Little Japan. It's since staged more than 228 plays ranging from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and "Mamma Mia!" to works by Asian American writers like David Henry Hwang's "Yellow Face" and "Chinglish."</p><p>A roster of now-famous alumni have performed on stage at East West Players, including Daniel Dae Kim, Kal Penn, John Cho, and Ming-Na Wen. Beyond helping to launch their acting careers, the theater group became a place of community and connection.</p><p>"I was no longer the token Asian in the group. I wasn't alone anymore—you all share the same experiences, issues, and concerns, and it was very rewarding to experience that," Wen said.</p><h2><strong>Hong says Hollywood still has 30% of the way to go</strong></h2><p>Films like "Parasite" and "Crazy Rich Asians" have continued to break ground for Asian and Asian American creators in Hollywood, but Hong thinks there's still a ways to go.</p><p>"After 70 years, I've seen maybe a 70% upgrade in progress. We still need the 30% going until we're truly in the mainstream, where Asian American actors are recognized as actors in Hollywood," Hong said.</p><div type="image" title="The cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once in a film still." height="438" width="780" msid="91691709" hostid="261"></div><p>"I don't really see a lot of mainstream roles of Asian American actors, because we're still looked down upon. We're still in the so-called silent minority race, because it takes Hollywood such a long time to realize we are important in the movie industry," he added.</p><p>Writers and producers must capture America's increasing <keyword id="11929860" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="diversity" source="Orion">diversity</keyword> more accurately, according to Hong.</p><p>"Asian Americans are leading businesses, politics, the arts," he said. "Hollywood is just a couple steps behind the changes in society, and movies have to catch up."</p><p>In the meantime, Hong plans to continue starring in and creating works that showcase Asian talent. His upcoming projects include "Kung Fu Panda 4," the TV show "American Born Chinese, and "Patsy Lee &amp; the Keepers of the Five Kingdoms," which he's producing himself.</p><p>"At 93, I'm still making moves, acting in movies—and I can still breakdance," Hong said.</p>

He's acted in over 650 roles, but James Hong says there's still a long way to go for Asian American representation in Hollywood

<ul class="summary-list"><li>K-Pop star Eric Nam was told that seeking professional help for his anxiety would be a bad career move.</li><li>With the app Mindset, he's aiming to break the taboo around mental health within the Asian diaspora.</li></ul><p>Eric Nam is a true multi-hyphenate. As a K-Pop star, TV host, creative director, business owner, and podcast personality, Nam has become a force in the <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> industry. In 2016, he was <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/popasia/blog/2016/11/25/eric-nam-named-one-gq-koreas-men-year">named</a> one of GQ Korea's Men of the Year. Now, he's using his platform to uplift and usher in a new generation of Asian American stories.</p><p>When he's not a touring musician, Nam is working behind the scenes as a creative at <a href="https://www.divestudios.io/">DIVE Studios</a>, a company he founded with his younger brothers Eddie and Brian. DIVE Studios is a platform that delivers exclusive content from a diverse collection of creators, hosting multiple podcasts from various artists in the K-Pop space, including Eric's own podcast, <a href="https://www.divestudios.io/shows/daebak-show">The Daebak Show</a>.</p><p>Nam's career trajectory and rise to stardom has been unconventional. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, the child of first-generation Korean immigrants. The oldest of three sons, he's said he's always existed in a middle ground between identities: he's Korean, and he's American, but he's also Korean American, which in itself is its own unique identity. </p><p>"We're foreign in the States and we are too American in our parent's homeland," Nam told Insider, alluding to the "perpetual foreigner" trope that is often placed upon Asian immigrants. "We never feel fully accepted." He said his identity as an Asian American has heavily influenced how he approaches his career.</p><div type="image" title="Eric Nam on tour" height="3857" width="5143" msid="91478940" hostid="261"></div><h2>His <keyword id="11898471" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="music" source="Orion">music</keyword> career started on a TV talent show.</h2><p>Eric graduated from Boston College in 2011 with a degree in International Studies and was offered a consulting job at Deloitte post-graduation.</p><p>A few years later, he decided to take a chance on his own dreams, instead of living a life that was expected of him by others. He left his safe consulting job to move to Korea to launch a music career, competing in a talent show that eventually led to a record deal. In January 2013, he<a href="https://thekrazemag.com/latest-updates/2022/2/27/history-of-k-pop-eric-nam"> debuted with an EP</a>.</p><p>The journey hasn't been easy. At times, the music industry was not on his side. "I had a lot of emotional distress when I was starting my career in Korea," Nam explained. He experienced symptoms of anxiety and depression when he first moved around the world, but his label warned him that it would be a bad career move to seek professional help. He said this experience encouraged him to be more candid about the importance of mental health. </p><p>Ten years later, Nam has become an independent artist, but the change has been a new challenge. "Being an independent musician is really hard," he said. "It sounds sexy, it sounds cool. But it's so much work." He recalls a time right before going on tour where he had to come up with $100,000 to deposit for a bus. "I had to figure out a way to get that money otherwise I couldn't go on tour."</p><p>By learning and sharing how to overcome the obstacles that come with navigating the industry alone, Nam has been given the unofficial title as a leader to younger artists in the field. "There are a lot of kids and a lot of other idols who I feel like I've become a great confidant to," he said.</p><div type="image" title="Eric Nam on tour" height="3650" width="4866" msid="91478944" hostid="261"></div><h2>With Mindset, he is encouraging others to speak up about their mental health.</h2><p>Currently sandwiched between two legs of a world tour, Nam moderated <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/events/2022/a-healing-mindset-mental-health-for-the-asian-diaspora-in-the-digital-world">a discussion with students at Johns Hopkins University</a> about mental health in the Asian diaspora. His newest venture has been <a href="https://getmindset.com/">Mindset</a>, an app he founded with his brothers, where artists can candidly talk about their mental health journeys to create a dialogue around topics that are considered taboo within the Asian community. With this goal in mind, the platform is reimagining the way Asian stories are being told. </p><p>"I wanted to create a platform that would allow artists to speak freely in a comfortable setting about whatever was going on," Nam told Insider. At its core, this was the motivation behind the new venture. "We want to be friends and allies of artists as much as possible because this industry is cutthroat." </p><p>Nam explained that he believes there hasn't been much of a community fostered within the Asian American space in the past. He said that because of the expectation of competition that is often placed upon Asian American youth, speaking openly about struggles can sometimes be treated as a sign of weakness. He hopes to change that stigma with Mindset.</p><div type="image" title="Eric Nam in the music video for &quot;Paradise&quot;" height="1466" width="1955" msid="91478945" hostid="261"></div><p>He wants Mindset to be one of those sacred spaces where <keyword id="12375512" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="asian-americans" source="Orion">Asian Americans</keyword> are able to come together to tell their stories, without fear of judgment. "I think [we are] just now understanding how to verbalize this and to unite around this experience." </p><p>"There's enough room in the world for all of us to thrive," Nam told Insider.</p><p>In a world where we have an Asian American superhero, an Asian American Vice President in office, and an <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2022/05/06/box-office-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-nears-40-million-to-become-likely-oscar-contender/?sh=43219ba92cc5">Asian American centered story that's number one at the movie box office</a>, we're seeing more opportunities for the <keyword id="12368108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aapi" source="Orion">AAPI</keyword> community to continue to grow and tell new stories without tokenization.</p><p>"There can be more than one Asian American pop star, there can be more than one Asian American director, or actor, or CEO," he said. "We're not monolithic. There's such a rich history and culture behind every single one of us and I hope we keep telling these stories for three, five, 10, 50 years, and forever to come."</p>

K-Pop star Eric Nam is breaking the taboo around mental health in the Asian diaspora

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Born in San Francisco, Wong Kim Ark was detained trying to return to the US after visiting family in China.</li><li>His legal team argued that the "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" clause in the <keyword id="13821197" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fourteenth-amendment" source="Orion">Fourteenth Amendment</keyword> extended to children born on US soil. </li></ul><p>In 1898, a Chinese American cook by the name of Wong Kim Ark challenged the Fourteenth Amendment, thereby forever changing who is entitled to <keyword id="12065709" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="citizenship" source="Orion">citizenship</keyword> in the United States.</p><p>The case Wong Kim Ark v. the United States made its way to the Supreme Court in March 1897, where Wong, who was born in San Francisco, challenged the substance of the Fourteenth Amendment.</p><p>The amendment was passed in 1868 after the Civil War to extend citizenship to newly emancipated Black people. Ark's legal team argued that the amendment applied to all children born on US soil, not just emancipated Black people.</p><p>In March 1898, the Supreme Court voted 6-2 in Ark's favor resulting in birthright citizenship in the US today.</p><div type="image" title="Wong Kim Ark, document" height="796" width="1062" msid="91329204" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants </strong></h2><p>Wong, a Chinese American born in San Francisco, had left the US in 1894 to visit his parents, who moved back to China. His parents were Chinese citizens living in the US, but they could not become US citizens because of the <a href="https://aadha.binghamton.edu/items/show/199#?c=0&amp;m=0&amp;s=0&amp;cv=0">Naturalization Act of 1802</a>, which limited naturalization to "free white" immigrants only. </p><p>Upon returning to the US in 1895, Ark was detained at the Port of San Francisco for months before the Chinese Six Companies, a Chinese American business advocacy group, picked up the case. From there, it went to the US District Court. </p><p>At the time, the US Appeals Court had just ruled in favor of Look Tin Eli in the case of <a href="https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&amp;d=DAC18840928.2.3&amp;e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1">Look Tin Sing</a>. Similarly to Wong, Look Tin Eli was born in the US and denied entry back into the country after visiting China. This was in 1884, two years after the passage of the <a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/chinese-exclusion-act">Chinese Exclusion Act</a> which placed a 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the US. This was the first major law restricting immigration in American history. Because of these new restrictions, Look was told he was required to carry a "necessary certificate of citizenship," which he lacked. He won his case in 1884, with Justice Stephen Field declaring that children born in the US are citizens regardless of ancestry.<br /><br />The case of Look Tin Eli became an important decision that was cited in Wong Kim Ark's case in front of the Supreme Court four years later.</p><div type="image" title="Wong Kim Ark" height="816" width="1089" msid="91329205" hostid="261"></div><p>According to the book "<a href="https://uncpress.org/book/9780807845301/laws-harsh-as-tigers/">Laws Harsh as Tigers: Chinese Immigrants and the Shaping of Modern Immigration Law</a>," by Lucy E. Salyer, attorneys like <a href="http://libraryweb.uchastings.edu/library/research/special-collections/wong-kim-ark/case.htm">George Collins,</a> who believed that people born of "alien parents" should not be considered citizens, were looking to bring a Chinese birthright citizen case to the Supreme Court. In the American Law Review in 1895, Collins criticized the Look Tin Sing ruling and the federal government's unwillingness to challenge it.</p><p>A few years later, Ark's counsel argued that the clause in Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment that reads, the "[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof" are citizens should also apply to children born in the US to parents who are not citizens. As argued, the amendment is written broadly and does not specify any race or ethnicity, with one jarring exception: <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ751642">Section Two</a> of the amendment includes a clause that reads, "excluding Indians not taxed." Indigenous people who lived on tribal lands were therefore denied citizenship until the Indian Citizenship Act was passed in 1924.</p><p>Following the Wong Kim Ark case, the Supreme Court ruled that any child born on US soil is a US citizen unless they are born on a public ship, their parents are foreign diplomats, or are citizens of an enemy nation trying to take over the US. </p><p>Attorneys have said it was one of the most critical cases in US <keyword id="13821198" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="constitutional-law" source="Orion">Constitutional law</keyword>. </p><p>As far as what happened to Wong, his citizenship was still questioned after that case in 1898. He would frequently go back and forth to China, eventually getting married and having children. However, every time he returned to the US, he'd have to show extra documentation to prove his US citizenship, even having to show <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/10/31/birthright-citizenship-wong-kim-ark-222098/">signatures</a> of white citizens affirming his citizenship, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/10/31/birthright-citizenship-wong-kim-ark-222098/">Politico</a>. It is <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/10/02/445346769/he-famously-fought-for-his-u-s-citizenship-where-are-his-descendants-now">believed</a> that Wong returned to China where he eventually died.</p>

You Searched For "apahm" and got 7 results

Asian Americans are the lowest represented group in politics. Rising stars reflect on the AAPI leaders who blazed a path forward.

Belle Lin

I’m Sports Illustrated’s first Asian American plus size cover model. After years of self-doubt, I want to change the industry’s narrative around race and body diversity.

Yoonji Han

For nearly two decades, this Brooklyn studio has offered Taiwanese artists rent for just $5

DeArbea Walker

After being diagnosed with a chronic condition, she started a community for other Asian Americans with disabilities

Natasha Ishak

He's acted in over 650 roles, but James Hong says there's still a long way to go for Asian American representation in Hollywood

Yoonji Han

K-Pop star Eric Nam is breaking the taboo around mental health in the Asian diaspora

Anjana Pawa

The Chinese American cook whose Supreme Court case changed who gets to be a citizen

DeArbea Walker

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