A Community Behind the Shroud

      In the history of the United States, Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have been cast aside when it comes to the needs and wants of the rest of the Country. Dating all the way back to 1835, when Ladd and Company originally opened the first sugar plantations in Hawaii, the natives were essentially enslaved when the company opened up housing and resources for the natives in order to "save them" from their chief and way of living. As the natives worked on the plantations, for little to no money that was then spent on over priced goods from the company they were being payed by, their health and well being was soon overlooked and pushed aside as the workforce and plantation grew bigger.

      Today, the Hawaiian's and Pacific Islanders are still hidden by a shroud behind societies more important issues and people. As their population has grown by 40% over the last decade Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders "are one of the fastest-growing racial groups, but face high rates ofpoverty and barriers to quality health care and educational opportunities for their youth"(AAAJ). 

     Without any media awareness, or awareness of any kind for that matter, the people that need help cannot even ask for it. To remedy this, let me introduce you to the Asian Americans Advancing Justice civil rights organization. The Asian Americans Advancing Justice, or AAAJ, is a non profit legal aid and civil rights organization specializing in providing legal services and advocating for civil rights on behalf of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. This organization, which was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles by Steward Kwoh, is helping to remedy the fact that these Natives do not have the proper support for health care and higher education which is leading to the perpetual cycle of these people being left in the dark to fend for themselves without the proper tools to do so. 

   With the help of the AAAJ these communities are able to get their message out and to legally advance the situation at hand in these communities. With hard work and support amazing organizations like the AAAJ can and will change the lives of these people for the better.Fight on for equality of life!

Asian American Food Truck.

Through the first Food truck in Texas was owned by American, as the time passing by most of the cities in United States starting to have a large amount number of food trucks on the streets through their cities. 

In Los Angeles there are thousands of the food trucks selling different kind of food. The most food trucks in LA are known to be taco trucks, including all the soft drinks, coffee, beef, chicken, and steak of tacos or burritos. These trucks are mostly owned by Mexican American, but after 2008 the first Kogi Taco truck rolled out onto the streets of Los Angeles changed people’s view of Taco truck. 

Many people owned a Food truck because they want to travel different cities every night to sell their own recipe of food, but in the different view they don’t to spend that much money of renting a place and workers. As the first Asian American themed food truck arrived in Los Angeles, people in the city are interesting about the food and what are the recipe of the food. 

Not like the other food trucks, these Asian-themed food trucks has kung pao chicken taco, peking duck taco, adobo burrito, bibim burrito, kimchi quesadilla, kogi sliders, and bulgogi burger. These ideas of Asian American people had brought into the food business had made others racial interested to invest on these food trucks. Not only with their great taste of food, but these Asian-themed food trucks know how to get people action by using the Social media to help them grow bigger and get more customers.

These food trucks focusing on any age but especially on high school and college students. As a starter of the very first Kogi food truck Mark Manguera and his wife Caroline shin, their ideas was bringing Mexican and Korean food together. Just like everything when it is new no one have ever taste or known about it, so they start giving out samples and using the social media to get people attention through Youtube, Facebook and Twitter.

After all it is a successful ideas that they had brought up and risk the new style of food. However, as in today there are many different kind of Korean and Mexican food trucks, these people are graduated from high schools and colleges. Not only bringing new food life style but they also brought the idea of how people can be together even if they are different races, after all we are all the same 

Racial Dilemmas In the United States

United States of American is known as a salad bowl or a melting pot due to the large integration of many different cultures and it is home to a large diverse population. However, achieving this title was not easy; it took time and patience for the people of the United States to climb over the obstacles of overcoming racial discrimination and violence. Despite the centuries that had come and go, the United States still face issues regarding racial dilemma.

An example of such racial dilemma is the story of a computer scientist named Dr. Wen Ho Lee who worked at Los Alamos Nuclear laboratory in New Mexico, during the year 1999. Although the example is not recent to this day, it is still relevant due to the fact that the date in which this incident occurred is post 1965 in which most civil rights laws were starting to take affect and most radials towards certain racial groups were being taken out of the system. Nevertheless, Dr. Lee's story starts off when he was arrested and charged with a total of fifty nine charges of mishandling information, during the nation's hysteria of nuclear secrets being leaked out to china.

However, being arrested by the authorities was not the worse part for Dr. Lee, nope, while in prison the criminal justice system denied him bail, was forced to wear leg shackles and chains, and was kept in solitary confinement; a reminder that Dr. lee is being charged with mishandling information and espionage. furthermore, this was all happening to Dr. Lee, while the justice department was struggling to build a case against him. Somewhat seems familiar with the incident regard Japanese-Amercians after the Pearl Harbor bombings back in 1941 where the authorities were quick to judge, isolate, and punish citizens that looked the enemy.

Fortunately, it did not take more time than the Japanese-Americans did until the government realized they were not a threat, as for Dr. Lee in September 2000, the government dropped all but of the fifty nine charges against him. This was all after everyone found out that an FBI agent provided false testimony against Dr. Lee in the investigation. However, Dr Lee pleaded guilty for mishandling information and did his time. afterwards the Judge in his case formally apologized and so did the New York Times for lack of research and facts during their coverage on his case.

That is the end of Dr. Lee's story, it just goes to show that the United States of America still suffers from racial dilemmas, despite the centuries of change it has gone through. However, even with the racial dilemmas, the United States is still growing and striving to be an equal and fair nation, it might not be there yet but it is getting there, maybe sooner than we think.

     

The Inter(re)view

Possibly one of if not the most controversial movies of our generation, The Interview has created chaos in the entertainment world. By practicing our country's laws of free speech and the right of artistic expression, even President Barack Obama welcomed and applauded the decision to release this comedy.

"The Interview tells the story of two television journalists recruited by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un." This one-sentenced summary of the movie alone is enough to explain how this film is constantly stated as "a movie of terrorism". 

A month before the release date, hackers who called themselves the "Guardians of Peace" warned Sony Pictures Entertainment by releasing: private internal emails, employee records, and several recent/unreleased Sony Picture films. A week before the premiere, The Guardians of Peace threatened to attack the red carpet showing in New York. 

"We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places The Interview be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to. Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you'd better leave.) Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment. All the world will denounce the SONY."

For people whom North Korea claims to be unassociated with, the Guardians of Peace seem awfully offended by this harmless comedy. This movie created by comedians who even call themselves "WESTERN CAPITALIST PIGS" could never be some government ploy to blatantly threaten North Korea in an act of terrorism. 

Modern day views of orientalism are practically the same hardships that the Asian Americans in the past have experienced, except in a more comical matter. The most popular Asian American portrayals in our generation's American film history would have to be Mr.Chow in the Hangover series and of course Kim Jong-Un in The Interview. Both characters fit perfectly into the role of a castrated Asian male: irrational, angsty, and clearly feminine. The character Kim Jong-Un reveals his guilty pleasures of drinking margaritas and crying to Katy Perry songs while Mr. Chow has an obvious homosexual personality using feminine gestures and a high pitched voice. All these attributes contribute to the short Western standards of manliness that Asian males fail to meet.

Asian American's in entertainment... Are they even there?

Asian Americans struggled to earn their place in this country. Tears were shed, people were separated, and things would never be the same for them. However, through those years, they continued to remain strong and eventually, they were given a place in society. Asians were finally accepted into America. However, there’s more behind what is actually true.

Asian Americans are a part of the United States, but that’s the entirety of the matter. They are still seen as a lower class of people when compared to other ethnicities. A good example of this is in the entertainment industry. This place is bustling with people from all different backgrounds. However, Asians are the minority in this business. There are very few who stand out and for those who do, they’re nothing when compared to the big names like Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep.

White actors are so dominant in this field that it’s almost lying to say that this field of business is equal. When we think of Asian American actors, who can we think of? It’s actually pretty difficult to come up with an answer to that question. Asian American actors are there, but they don’t get the parts like other ethnicities get.

White actors like Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep are iconic. They've played major roles that everyone can easily remember. Black actors like Will Smith and Zoe Saldana have also made their mark in the business. Even the Hispanic and Latin American community have Jennifer Lopez and George Lopez to fill in the spotlight. But what about Asian Americans?

We could say Bruce Lee and Lucy Liu, but those don’t stand out to us when compared to the other roles. Occasionally, Asian American actors are given their chance to shine, but it definitely seems as if things are still unequal.

Name a white actor/actress that played an important role that had nothing to do with their race. Name a black actor/actress that played an important role that had nothing to do with their race. Name a Hispanic or Latin American actor/actress that played an important role that had nothing to do with their race. Now, name an Asian American actor/actress that played an important role that had nothing to do with their race. That last question will definitely stump some people.

They’re given typical roles that have to do with Asian culture while Tom Cruise and Will Smith are given roles that people will remember because they were awesome. Why aren’t Asian Americans given that opportunity? This country isn’t racist anymore so things should be more equal. Yes, it is said that America is no longer racist, but there are hints here and there that indicate that white supremacy is still a thing that lurks in this country.