"If Yan can cook so can you!"
Before Food Network, we had PBS! I grew up watching Chef Martin Yan on PBS. Chef Yan hosted over 3,500 episodes of the PBS cooking show Yan Can Cook since 1982. His shows have been broadcast in over 50 countries 📺👨🏽🍳
🎥: https://www.instagram.com/mingna_wen/
Ming-Na Wen is one of a small list of Asian American actors to have their stars on the Walk of Fame. Recognized for her television work, Wen was the first Asian American actor to be signed onto a daytime drama portraying Lien Hughes on "As The World Turns" for four seasons. She also played Dr. Jing-Mei “Deb” Chen on “ER” for seven seasons. Wen is the acclaimed voice of Mulan in Disney’s 1998 animated film “Mulan”. She is also known for her work on Marvel’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, “The Mandalorian”, “The Bad Batch”, and “The Book of Boba Fett”.
Wen's Hollywood breakthrough came in the groundbreaking 1993 film “The Joy Luck Club", based on the novel by Amy Tan. It was the first major studio movie with an all Asian American cast. The ceremony was attended by her "The Joy Luck Club" co-stars Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom, and Rosalind Chao. Also present were veteran actors James Hong and Kieu Chinh.
Thank you Ming-Na Wen for being an inspiration to us all!
🤩 Ming-Na is 63 years old! Asian don't raisin!
Contrary to popular belief, it was Filipino American Larry Itliong who led the Delano farm workers grape strike of 1965, not Cesar Chavez. Later joined by a coalition led by Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, together they united Filipino and Mexican farmworkers in a fight for fair wages, union rights, and dignity in the fields. Because of Larry Itliong, hundreds of workers won their first union contracts --- and a voice.
Unfortunately for many years America lauded Cesar Chavez, nearly forgetting the work of Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz. However in 2015, California passed a law proclaiming October 25th (Itliong's birthday) as Larry Itliong Day to honor the Filipino American labor leader who pioneered the West Coast farmworker movement.
Thuy Trang, famous as the original Yellow Ranger, was interviewed by Hollywood living legend James Hong in the 1995 documentary The Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities. In this rare interview, she discussed her journey as a Vietnamese refugee and her experience becoming a Power Ranger.
Janet Jackson's "If" music video from 1993 received various accolades, including Best Female Video and Best Dance Video at the MTV Video Music Awards and a Billboard Award for Dance Clip of the Year. It was also voted the second best female video of the decade by Idolator. Watch this beautifully upscaled 4K video of Janet performing "If" at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards in a medley with "That's the Way Love Goes" 🔥
I have loved the "If" music video from the first moment I watched it. Everything about it: drop dead gorgeous Janet in her halter-style crop top and black pants with choker necklace, the strong Asian imagery and influence, the sensual underground Asian nightclub setting featuring futuristic touch-screen technology and surveillance cameras (which didn't exist at the time!) ~~ all evoking a cool AF cyberpunk Blade Runner-esque atmosphere. And of course, the intense choreography by the legendary Tina Landon is and will forever be ICONIC❗
But perhaps most importantly for me was seeing all the beautiful people who looked like me or similar to me in this video was truly awe-inspiring! 🤩
🎥 credit: https://www.instagram.com/colbertlateshow/
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist. Born to Chinese parents in Paris and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from the Juilliard School and Harvard University. Yo-Yo Ma possesses an eclectic repertoire performing as a soloist with orchestras as well as performing with a diverse range of artists and musicians from all around the world. He also performed at the first inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. He has recorded more than 120 albums and won 20 Grammy Awards.
To learn more about how Yo-Yo Ma became a household name in the US, check out this great post from r/AskHistorians :
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/tt0jil/how_did_yoyo_ma_become_a_household_name/
Growing up, Connie Chung was a broadcast hero and a trailblazer. She was only the second woman and the first American of Asian descent to anchor a major nightly news program in the US. In the world of journalism back then, Connie was a unicorn. Today, almost every single American news program has a prominent female Asian news reporter.
Accompanying this clip of Connie with Hoda Kotb is this great NY Times article: "I Got My Name From Connie Chung. So Did They."
Representation matters.
Kalpana Chawla was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the spacecraft disintegrated during its descent back to Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003 🌟
Cinco de Mayo is about history, pride, and resilience. (Not just tacos and tequila!)
On May 5th, 1862, the Mexican army defeated the powerful French forces at the Battle of Puebla — a victory that showed the world the strength and unity of the Mexican people.
📚 Respect the history
🌮 Appreciate the culture
🎉 Celebrate with purpose
#CincoDeMayo #BattleOfPuebla #MexicanHistory
Key Asian-American actors and their roles in the Star Wars franchise:
Other notable Asians (non-American) and their roles:
📸: https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2018/05/10/go-asians-a-history-of-aapi-representation-in-star-wars/
Jeanie Jew, a former Capitol Hill staffer and activist, fought for over 10 years to make Asian Pacific American Heritage week a federal law, signed by President Carter in 1978. In 1990, President HW Bush signed a bill passed by Congress to extend the week to a month.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanie_Jew
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_American_and_Pacific_Islander_Heritage_Month
