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- Contributor bio:
- Emil Guillermo
Separate but equal: journalists of color run out of unity
I’m shocked that the National Association of Black Journalists has decided to pull out of Unity, the coalition of media professionals that always reminded me of the true purpose of being a journalist…
My slant on The Slants and other Asian American “N” words
Simon Tam is both the manager and the bass player of a rock group known as The Slants. Are you offended yet? Tam, 30, came up with the idea for an Asian American, 80s dance-rock band four years ago.…
Obama’s Crystal Clear Quagmire
Is there anything more ridiculous than the notion of war as a humanitarian mission? I suppose it depends on if you’re the bomber or the bombed upon. As I heard President Obama lay down his…
Of white hoods, push-up bras and getting on your “ching-chong”
I wish they hadn’t taken down that YouTube video of the now ex-UCLA coed who created a Sheen-like commotion last week with her anti-Asian rant. It was so perfect as the look of fresh, modern…
Punk’d Exec No Reason to Defund NPR?
As a senior host for NPR’s “All Things Considered” from 1989-1991, I was one of the first Asian Americans to regularly anchor a national news program when I co-hosted the weekends with Lynn Neary.…
GOP’s Cover Wearing Thin on Its Distaste for Goodwin Liu
While the media was all agog giving airtime to Charlie Sheen last week, you had to look pretty hard to find coverage of something far more important to society: the gross and unfair treatment of…
Gaming Democracy in San Francisco
Full disclosure right up front: Years ago before the first tech crash, I worked with David Chiu at Grassroots.com. I was a mere VP of webcasting. One of the big benefactors said I would be the next…
On union busting, nation busting, and the reverse immigration of retirees
If you’ve been following what’s going on in state houses in Wisconsin and New Jersey, it’s just the beginning of a major catastrophe that will soon spread to my home state, California. There used to…
The Patron Saint of the Undocumented is an Asian American
Flying into New York last week on a jet enabled for TV, it was a treat to watch democracy in action throughout the world. On one channel, Egypt was in full democratic eruption seeking a new modern…
Missing the Boat on Limbaugh?
Asian Americans usually never miss the boat. But maybe we have when it comes to Rush Limbaugh. (That would be a big boat, too.) If you haven’t heard Limbaugh try to sound like your Asian ancestors,…
Why we all must remember Fred T. Korematsu
As an Asian American and the longtime writer of a column called “Amok,” I felt a strong spiritual obligation to be at the inaugural celebration of Fred T. Korematsu Day held last Sunday, Jan. 30, in…
Obama’s SOTUS: Just Enough To Keep Us Interested
If you feared that this State of the Union address would be a sharp right turn from hope and change, relax. It was the best speech our first bi-racial president searching for middle ground could make.…
The last word on Tiger Mom: Hu?
The final list isn’t official yet. But if San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Oakland Mayor Jean Quan are among the guests at tonight’s state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao, then surely someone in…
San Francisco’s Political Gold Mountain
It’s official. And in Asian American history, it’s a big deal. San Francisco’s new mayor is named Lee—Ed Lee, the first Asian American of Chinese descent to hold that position. Anyone who jokes that…
It’s Brown in the Yellow State
In California, with 4.4 million Asian Americans–the most Asian state in the nation–Jerry Brown is once again the chief executive. Are you ready for the pain? Previously a two-term governor at age 36,…
Rendell’s comments far from innocent
I don’t know about you, but I’ll be watching Sunday night football on Tuesday and feeling happy that Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania will be out of office on Jan. 18. It couldn’t come soon enough. He…
Legislation and Real Life
Too many historic votes in the Senate this past weekend. Some good. Some bad. So maybe it’s appropriate that my week began by attending a funeral of a young Asian American. My nephew Brian Francisco…
Tax-cut politics: “Robin Hood in Reverse”
When Barack Obama gets in trouble, he usually rallies with a rousing and passionate speech. But his compromising ways have turned him into just half the man we thought he was. So as the hot talk in…
Who’s Still Dreaming the Dream?
This week when Congress is expected to finally vote on the so-called Dream Act, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) will vote to kill it. And what of his one-time role as a lead sponsor of the original bill…
WikiLeaking on U.S. diplomatic efforts
For all journalists, this I know to be true: We all love a good leak. It’s the sexy part of the news game, to reveal something that heretofore was so off-limits and so verboten. That makes it one…
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