Northwest Asian Weekly


You are here: Home / Archives for News / National News

California lawmakers seek $200 million to fight hate crimes

By

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers said on May 12 that they are seeking $200 million over the next three years to fight hate crimes against Asian Americans that have increased since the coronavirus entered the U.S. after originating in China. More than half of the money would go for […]

Racist attacks revive Asian American studies program demand

By

By TERRY TANG Associated Press As Dartmouth College sophomore Nicholas Sugiarto flipped through the course catalog last semester, two words caught his eye: “Asian American.” The 19-year-old Chinese Indonesian American didn’t know Asian American-focused classes were even an option at the Hanover, New Hampshire, campus. The biomedical-engineering major ended up enrolling in “Gender and Sexuality […]

New California attorney general pledges focus on hate crimes

By

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s new attorney general on May 11 promised an increased focus on hate crimes, saying there is “a state of crisis” because of increases in attacks on Asian Americans since the coronavirus entered the U.S. after originating in China. Rob Bonta announced a new Racial Justice […]

Congress OKs bill to fight hate crimes vs. Asian Americans

By

By BRIAN SLODYSKO WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress approved legislation on May 18 intended to curtail a striking rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, sending President Joe Biden a bipartisan denunciation of the spate of brutal attacks that have proliferated during coronavirus pandemic. The bill, which the House passed on a 364-62 […]

Jhene Aiko, Saweetie to perform on AAPI advocacy TV special

By

By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Platinum-selling performers of part-Asian descent, including R&B singer Jhene Aiko and rapper Saweetie, will perform on a TV special produced by The Asian American Foundation, the newly formed organization launched to improve AAPI advocacy.TAAF announced on May 6 that English icon Sting will also perform at “See […]

Personal ties: Harris’ family in India where COVID rages

By

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — G. Balachandran turned 80 this spring—a milestone of a birthday in India, where he lives. If not for the coronavirus pandemic, he would have been surrounded by family members who gathered to celebrate with him. But with the virus ravaging his homeland, Balachandran, a retired academic, had […]

Asian American health workers fight virus and racist attacks

By

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Medical student Natty Jumreornvong has a vaccine and protective gear to shield her from the coronavirus. But she couldn’t avoid exposure to the anti-Asian bigotry that pulsed to the surface after the pathogen was first identified in China. Psychiatry patients have called her by a racist […]

Micronesians feel hatred in Hawaii, decry police shooting

By

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Comments on social media about a 16-year-old boy shot and killed by Honolulu police have been so hateful that a Catholic priest, who hails from the same small Pacific island as the teen’s family, hesitates to repeat them. “It is really bad and I don’t want […]

As virus-era attacks on Asians rise, past victims look back

By

By TERRY TANG Associated Press Nearly a year after they were almost stabbed to death inside a Midland, Texas, Sam’s Club, Bawi Cung and his two sons all have visible scars. It’s the unseen ones though that are harder to get over. Cung can’t walk through any store without constantly looking in all directions. His […]