Asian Americans and Religion/Spirituality

Pop quiz:  Are the majority of Asian Americans...
...Muslim?
...Buddhist?

...Christian?

...other?

Let's take a look at what the Pew Research Center survey found:

For more information, check out the following:   http://www.pewforum.org/Asian-Americans-A-Mosaic-of-Faiths-overview.aspx.

A different set of standards?

Want to go to college?  Try harder if you're Asian American. 

http://www.8asians.com/2012/10/29/florida-board-of-education-to-hold-asian-american-students-to-higher-standard/

Asian Americans aren't setting the standard, they're expected to be held at a higher standard in some areas of the United States. 

The Model Minority Myth and institutionalized policies affect Asian American youth - and others who are held to such standards. 

Racist Hollister models anger South Koreans

Fewer retail brands seem more Americanized than Hollister (and their parent company:  Abercrombie & Fitch).  When Hollister tried to branch out to South Korea recently, their models portrayed racist attitudes and angered the potential market of locals. 

Models tweeted themselves in offensive poses with statements such as:  "Hahahaha they ruhhvvvv itttt!"


Although Hollister eventually apologized, they may want to heed Suzy Danielle De Loa's words on Hollister's Facebook page:  "You make me ashamed to be part of the American culture...How can you not screen your employees on cultural awareness.”

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-hollister-racist-models-south-korea-20120910,0,7297294.story

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/09/hollister-model-twitter-south-korea-racist_n_1868342.html

http://blog.angryasianman.com/2012/09/hollister-models-go-to-korea-act-like.html

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/hollyworld/hollister-models-fired-asian-slurs-at-south-korean-store

What do you think?  Should companies be held accountable for the actions of their employees?

Military Hazing of Asian American Soldiers

If you've ever heard the name "Danny Chen," then you might know that he faced weeks of "corrective action" at the hands of his military peers.  The corrective action included being called "chink" and "gook", dragged across gravel on his back and had rocks and bottles thrown at him to simulate artillery.  After enduring this abuse, he went up to his guard tower and committed suicide. Two of those responsible for his hazing ended up with as little as one month of jail time when they could have received up to 17 years.   

This could be a reminder of Harry Lew, who was a also victim of military hazing just last year. After over three hours of being physically assaulted and choking when having a sandbag poured over his face and in his mouth, he shot himself with his own rifle in a fox hole that he was forced to dig himself. Once again, his perpetrators were either free to walk or were given one month of jail time.

Such suicides could have been prevented.  Congresswoman Judy Chu created a petition calling for a zero-tolerance policy for hazing in our military. Read her New York Times Op-Ed piece for the background to her policy:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/04/opinion/military-hazing-has-to-stop.html?_r=1&ref=opinion.  Or, visit her website for more information about the proposed legislation to stop military hazing. http://chu.house.gov/press-release/reps-chu-cummings-honda-and-others-introduce-legislation-prevent-hazing-military. 

What A Difference A Friend Makes

The National Alliance Mental Illness (NAMI) recognized July as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Multicultural_Support&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=120508. 


SAMHSA and the Ad Council ran a campain which targeted young adults in the Chinese community and encourages social networks to get educated and support those experiencing mental health symptoms. http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/44964/

The "What a Difference a Friend Makes" campaign is an example of what public education can do to help reduce stigma towards mental illnesses.  http://www.whatadifference.samhsa.gov/Chinese/

Apology for 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act

The U.S. recently achieved a major milestone on Congresswoman Judy Chu's resolution of regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, H. Res 683. The bill passed unanimously in the House of Representatives and the Senate! To watch this historic moment, click on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVEKx9um_jY&feature=youtu.be

To refer to some of the national press coverage, check out these clips:


L.A. Times - http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-house-apology-chinese-immigrants-20120618,0,7467392.story

CNN - http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/19/in-rare-apology-house-regrets-exclusionary-laws-targeting-chinese/?hpt=us_bn1
 
During the California Gold Rush, the Chinese immigrated to the U.S. to help build America.  During the economic downturn, the Chinese served as scapegoats and congress eventually created the Chinese Exclusion Act to prevent these "Mongloids" from entering the U.S.  Many thanks to Congresswoman Judy Chu for helping the U.S. to take a step towards righting this injustice. 

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Did you know that July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month?  Why is this important?  Certain cultural groups do not discuss mental health issues due to the fear of stigma and the double minority status (for example, being an ethnic minority person with a mental illness). 

How do we combat the stigma associated with double minority status?  Speaking out through awareness campaigns would be one of the ways to fight such stereotypes.  Thus, designating July as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month gives our communities an avenue to voice our perspectives and educate the public. 

There are excellent organizations formed with the intentions of reducing such barriers.  Check out the websites below for more information. 

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Multicultural_Support1&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=111375

http://nned.net/index-nned.php/NNED_content/news_announcement/nmmham-webinar-II