Updates

I’ve read over the latest indictment on the disgraced former president who wants to be president again. Don’t get inured to the shock of it. That’s the real threat to democracy. And yet we also must understand No. 45 is innocent until proven guilty and will no doubt say that his tweets, his misstate

My father, a fry cook most of his life in union restaurants in San Francisco, didn’t have much. But he had the right to vote. After coming here as a colonized Filipino barred from voting, he managed to become a U.S. citizen later in life, which earned him the only real opportunity he had in this co

If you think I mention Harvard a lot, please forgive me. I did wait until the sixth word in this piece. This restraint may not be much compared to those (mostly white) who incessantly debate, “When do I drop the H-bomb?” as a social calculation so as not to alarm people they are in the presence of

If we apply the Florida educational standards of history to Filipino history, I suppose there would be a “positive benefit” of the Marcos dictatorship—the authoritarian singing and the dancing of the Marcoses themselves! But wait a minute, the history of a Filipino dictatorship funded and propped u

Last week, when the big news was inflation’s drop to three percent (the target was two percent), some observers wondered why people seemed underwhelmed. Maybe it’s because our happiness is connected to more than just the price of gas and eggs. But how can you cheer for an improving economy when yo

The AAPI person of the moment, Waltine “Walt” Nauta, had his day in court Thursday, and he wasn’t really lawyered up. And that’s why even though his name is emblazoned on page one of the historic first federal criminal prosecution of a former president, Nauta may as well be “nada.” I prefer to giv

I’ve always talked about race. And now, I’m upping the volume. The Supreme Court made me do it. The six conservatives may have on their race blindfolds (the ones they want everyone to wear). But they don’t have earplugs. If you were bashful before, don’t be. It’s time for all of us to tell our sto

If you’ve been following the Pro Publica reporting on Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito and their failure to disclose their gifts from billionaire Republican donors, then you know at least one thing. The judges, who make a base pay of around $285,000, believe in affirmative act

Juneteenth is as close as AAPI folk get to a national holiday commemorating the fight against anti-Asian American violence. What? Juneteenth? Yeah, that’s right. But we weren’t slaves, Emil… No, but I’m not taking anything away from Juneteenth. I’m adding to it. You’ve got to admit it’s a stra

I don’t know what my father, a career fry cook, would have thought about Donald Trump. But I’d guess if Willie Guillermo worked for him, Trump would definitely need a food taster. Still, I cried after the historic arraignment of Trump in Miami and his visit afterwards to Little Havana to be serenad

The Waltine Nauta Scale? It is part of the broader unofficial “loyalty scale” Asian Americans know all too well from U.S. history. For some of us, it’s the difference between incarceration and freedom (Japanese Americans in WWII). For others, it’s the price of fighting in a racist Army to prove jus

I have been dreading every single move by the Supreme Court so far this month. This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for ever since a decision was promised before the summer recess. Before that it was Halloween, when the Supreme Court heard both sides present their arguments. And before that,

On Sunday, a non-binary Asian American dressed in tank top and short-shorts out for a Sunday stroll passed me in the North Beach area of San Francisco. Good thing they were in San Francisco. No problem. But it’s not that way in other parts of the nation, which is why the U.S. District Court for th

As Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to an end, was the weekend for honoring our nation’s lost warriors the opening of “The Little Mermaid” or the finale of “Succession”? Or maybe you just chilled. I had a vegan hot dog. I must confess this: I was a “Succession”

I don’t know about you, but I think I’d rather be an American idol than a Harvard matriculate. But we all know it takes skill and luck. So maybe the answer to that affirmative action lawsuit is—a lottery? In the meantime, let’s all sing our praises to Iam Tongi, the young man who put the “NHPI” in

How are you feeling? No, honestly. Tell me. By the end of this column, if you need it or want it, I’ll have some advice for you on how to feel better. You can also choose to ignore it. But first, let’s think about Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 49, of Fairfax, Virginia. He needs it. Pham is our reminder th

If you were an Asian American watching that CNN Town Hall in New Hampshire this past week, then you know there’s cause for concern. This was Donald Trump’s big national reveal of his new xenophobic tic. The man who made the phrases “Kung Flu” and “China Virus” the scourge of Asian America–leading

Sadly, we interrupt the all-inclusive Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which now includes the quintessential American experience. Mass gun violence. What can we expect in an era of unprecedented anti-Asian violence–whether it’s intended or not? In this month honoring

As May is our month, now known as the all-inclusive Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, keep in mind it’s intended as a celebration of culture and traditions–not necessarily our history. Culture and tradition are always festive. Our history is much more ironic and bitter

I hope President Joe Biden learned a trick or two from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol this past week. Yoon showed his cool appeal at the White House State Dinner by breaking into a version of “American Pie.” It was the perfect opportunity for Biden to break into his BTS medley? Or maybe Jay