Things You Might Have Missed

1. This has been going around the Internet for the last week or so, but ~in case you missed it~ here is an amazing photo story of 13-year-old Ashol-Pan from western Mongolia. She is perhaps the country's only female eagle hunter. Makes you rethink your life choices, eh?

2. Kristina Wong is back with a hilarious essay on xoJane called "I Can't Believe I Now Have to Convince White People that I Like White People."
When I talk about systemic racism and historical racial inequalities as it ties into white privilege and modern-day racism, I think I must sound like this to white people: “Hey Whitey! I am going to kill you.” I know this is a lot to ask of white people, but could you please STOP FLIPPING OUT when the topic of white privilege comes up? 

 3. Working in a tech company (even though I don't really do anything remotely tech-y) is interesting. I've learned a lot, my ideas are taken seriously, and everything moves fast. CEO of Locket, Yunha Kim, writes about the pros and cons of being a woman in tech--and more importantly, being a badass CEO.

4. It goes without saying that I am obsessed with Chinatowns (seeing as I also live in one in New York). Enclaves and pockets of cultural goodness where you can get everything your mama and grandma had in her kitchens and beyond. Not much literature has really been there about the first Chinese Americans. This is a good article about unearthing the cultural and historical significance and lives of the first Chinese immigrants in a land that is strange and most often hostile.

5. RIP Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "Somewhere a dictatorial “patriarch” is still having his rival cooked and served up to his dinner guests on a great dish; an old colonel is waiting for a letter that never comes; a beautiful young girl is being prostituted by her heartless grandmother; and a kindlier patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, one of the founders of the new settlement of Macondo, a man interested in science and alchemy, is declaring to his horrified wife that “the earth is round, like an orange." Read this very moving piece by Salman Rushdie about the work and life of this great writer. you will truly be missed.

6. Also literature-related, an essay on why Diversity is Not Enough: Race, Power, Publishing. Interesting read especially for those in the business (or trying to woo this world): "The publishing industry looks a lot like one of these best-selling teenage dystopias: white and full of people destroying each other to survive."

Things You Might Have Missed

Photo courtesy of Angry Asian Man

1. Do ya'll want to talk about #CancelColbert? It's been consuming my entire weekend basically but if you're looking for some more thought-provoking essays, this one by Jay Caspian Kang (who actually interviewed Suey Park) is a great one. This Time Magazine one (actually co-written by Suey and Eunsong Kim) is a good one, too. Don't agree with any of it? Jeff Yang over at Wall Street Journal talks about the "perils" of "hashtag activism."

2. Another thorn in my side is the Model Minority myth. ColorLines has this super informative piece on "The Economic Truth About the 'Model Minority'. This article on Race Files gets into it even more by calling the Model Minority a "lever of white supremacy." Scott Nakagawa says, "Anti-black racism may be the fulcrum, or pivot point, of white supremacy, but the model minority myth is one of white supremacy’s many levers."

Photo courtesy of Huffington Post

3. In light of the new Cesar Chavez biopic, poet/novelist and community organizer Bino A. Realuyo pens an open letter to the often-erased Filipino-Americans involved in the Movement. Says Realuyo, "I didn't know about you when I started organizing in the '90s. I had role models, but no Filipino-Americans. In the community organizing world, no one ever mentioned Filipinos next to the apotheosized Cesar Chavez. No Larry Itliong. No Philip Vera Cruz. None of these Filipino men and their Agricultural Worker Organizing Committee that spearheaded the very strike that catapulted Cesar Chavez into American memory and left you in the shadows."

4. Did you know more than half of Asian American teens are bullied in school? I shared a report on Sikh kids getting bullied last time, so although this fact is not new, it's still heartbreaking. Click here for full size infographic. According to a 2011 survey released by both the US Justice and Education Departments shows that Asian Americans teens are three times as likely to face bullying online. And compared to any other ethnic group, they endure more bullying in US schools.  

5. And to end on a light note: How often do you see a comedian on national television/late night say "race is a social construct"? I've been a huge fan of Hari Kondabolu for awhile: his take on race in America as well as growing up a child of immigrant parents resonates loudly with me. Here he is in support of his new album Waiting for 2042:

Things You Might Have Missed: A Return!

First of all, I don't usually seek out compliments, but c'mon, that blog post title is pretty clever. All of us here over at Within Color took a much-needed break (plus winter = hibernation, right?) and are now rejuvenated, re-inspired, and excited to start back up again! On a personal note, I've been been committed to posting weekly and will trade off outfit/fashion/style/beauty posts with a more news-leaning post. I hope that's okay and I hope to hear you all sound off in the comments.

Without further ado....

Things You Might Have Missed

Hello again with your once-a-month "Things You Might Have Missed" post! As always, please share with us something you read that everyone should know!

 

Image courtesy of Angry Asian Man blog

1. For those who are always on Twitter, maybe you've seen #NotYourAsianSidekick trending?
The hashtag was created by writer and activist Suey Park as an attempt to create a safe space for thought-provoking and intelligent discourse on Asian American feminism and stereotypes. A lot of people have started to also use it to confront racism in white feminist spaces as well as tackling the hurtful stereotypes with Asian American women and sexuality. I highly urge you to check it out and contribute (if you are an AA lady!) to keep the momentum going!

 

Image courtesy of Lee and Low blog

2. Have you seen the trending Facebook statuses where your friends post their favorite books? I don't know about your friends' list, but I've been seeing a lot of white authors and very few POC authors. That truth, sadly yet not surprisingly, is also reflected in New York Times' Best Sellers List. Lee and Low Books (via NBC Latino) asks, "Where's the Diversity?"

 

Image courtesy of Huffington Post

3. Something more lighthearted, here are "23 Food Things Only Chinese-American Kids Would Understand."

4. Two years ago, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas came out as an undocumented immigrant in a New York Times Magazine essay while shedding light on the perils and lives of other undocumented immigrants living in the US. Asia Pacific Arts published a conversation they had with Vargas about his journey and also the new documentary "Documented."

5. In related news, Whatever Happened to Comprehensive Immigration Reform? Color Lines has this super informative and insightful presentation on just this--which can be viewed on your computer.

Image courtesy of iambeyonce.com

6. And just one more to round this off. BOW DOWN: Beyonce's surprise media album dropped this week and sales have already soared past 400,000.

Things You Might Have Missed: Part III

1. Siu Sin Far "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian" is an essay written in 1890 by a Hapa woman living in the United States.

2.  Does Your Man Suffer From Yellow Fever? Find out in 8 Easy Steps!
Here is something light-hearted but still with a bite: a tongue-in-cheek illustrated "guide" to tell if your friend/SO/a stranger exhibits Orientalism.

(Credit: Fiona Aboud)

3."What I Learned as Captain America in a Turban" is both poignant and hilarious. It also features a cameo segment from "Totally Biased" (RIP).

4. Artist Coco Layne documents the fluidity of gender norms with just a swish of hair and some makeup in "War Paint."

5. Seeing Opportunity In A Question: 'Where Are You Really From?': Alex Sugiura is from Brooklyn and is of Japanese and Eastern European descent. Instead of getting fed up by people constantly asking the dreaded "Where are you from?" questions, he looks at it as an opportunity for some critical conversations.

6. And in case you missed it, many are still suffering from Typhoon Haiyan. If you were wary about donating to an organization that can be notorious for mishandling donations, please look at this list posted by Michelle. This is also a handy guide to avoid disaster fraud because we can't ever have nice things. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone.

I can't wait to see what other cool/fascinating/outrageous links you provide in the comments!

October

top: wafy // bottoms: cynthia rowley x tjmaxx // flats: steve madden x nordstrom rack

For me, shopping now only consists of two questions , "Is this work appropriate?" and "Will I care if this gets ruined by grease and salsa stains?" It makes for a pretty bland wardrobe, but it's nice when I find things that easily integrate into my daily style and work style. These ankle length (regular length on me) pants are from TJ Maxx and it seems like there's always a constant rotation of different styles and colors instore. I wish they were more tapered in the knee area, but for $25 bucks, I'll take it. If you need affordable work clothing and live near a TJ's, check it regularly! I've been noticing a lot of brands like James Perse, Lucky Brand, Cloth & Stone, etc recently too!