I apologize, but I won’t be doing a daily thread for #AAPIHM #AAPIHeritageMonth this year. With that said, I think I had 60 gems from the #AAPI community in the previous two Mays.
I changed my mind. I’ll commit to doing the daily thread after all, because there were so many worthy people I missed in the last 2 #AAPIHM threads.
Today for #AAPIHM: James Mukoyama was born in Chicago to a Japanese immigrant & a Japanese American who’d recently been released from internment at Manzanar. In 1986, at age 42, he became the US Army’s youngest general.
Part 2 of Mukoyama for #AAPIHM: This oral history monograph from the @pritzkerlibrary is eye opening on so many levels. pritzkermilitary.org/files/6413/844…
Today for the #AAPIHM thread, an author whose voice was so thrilling when I first read her. Helie Lee’s “Still Life With Rice” is a novelizatoon of her grandmother’s life in Korea. Lee’s writing can make you laugh, cry, & rage over the span of 1 page. amazon.com/STILL-LIFE-RIC…
Many firsts for today’s subject in the #AAPIHM thread. 1st AAPI Annapolis graduate. 1st to command a destroyer, earning the Navy Cross & Silver Star during World War 2. A Burke-class destroyer is now named after Rear Admiral Gordon Pai’ea Chung-Hoon. public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg93/p…
Today for #AAPIHM, everyone has heard of Kristi Yamaguchi & Michelle Kwan, but have you heard of the first Asian American world champion figure skater? Tiffany Chin came in 4th at Sarajevo, but won gold at worlds the following year.
Today for the #AAPIHM thread. When I first “China Boy” by Gus Lee, I had no idea he’d also attended USMA. His novels spoke to me as not only a fellow Asian American who sought acceptance by whites, but as a former soldier. amazon.com/China-Boy-Gus-…
Today for the #AAPIHM thread. If you’ve ever used a birth control pill, you can thank its inventor, M.C. Chang. If you ever even considered IVF, you can thank Dr. Chang’s research that led to the first test tube baby. apnews.com/f9613ba48c611d…
Another doctor for the #AAPIHM thread. Kamaljeet Kalsi fought to join the US Army, & in April 2009 became the first modern-day Sikh to be allowed to serve with the turban & beard that observant Sikh men must wear. wnyc.org/people/kamalje…
Today for #AAPIHM. Before CPT Marvel, there was Rose Tico, the first movie character to make my daughter jump out of her theater seat & cheer, not least because Rose looks like her & #RepresentationMatters. Thank you for giving my little girl a hero, Kelly Marie Tran.
Today for the #AAPIHM thread, this woman emigrated from South Korea in the spring of 1971 as a recent college graduate seeking more opportunities than the ROK offered women. She landed at JFK with a suitcase, $600 in travelers checks, & a dream. To my kids, she’s Grandma.
A singer for today’s #AAPIHM entry. I first heard Lea Salonga’s voice when she sang Jasmine’s songs In Aladdin. I heard that wonderful voice in person when I saw her perform in Les Miz, Miss Saigon, & Allegiance, & know why she won Tony & Olivier awards. leasalonga.com/bio
Today for the #AAPIHM thread is the cool guy in school you hated for getting A’s without trying. Rocky Aoki founded Benihana with a loan from his dad, & turned it into a restaurant empire. I met him 3 times & was absolutely enthralled with his stories. theringer.com/2018/7/24/1760…
More firsts today in the #AAPIHM thread. Gary Locke is the 1st Chinese American elected state governor, 1st Chinese American cabinet secretary, & 1st to serve as ambassador to China. Not the 1st to be misidentified by POTUS as Chinese, not Chinese American theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
When today’s #AAPIHM subject was a child, she had to use her mother’s English maiden name to join a swimming club, instead of her father’s Filipino name. Victoria Manalo Draves showed them up by becoming the first Asian American gold medalist in 1948.latimes.com/local/obituari…
A Ramadan message from today’s subject in the #AAPIHM thread. Captain Muhammad “Shaka” Khan, USN, who immigrated from Pakistan, was the first Muslim to command an aviation squadron. He is now the US defense attaché in Malaysia. https://t.co/M0jtRfm0E3
A musician for the #AAPIHM thread today, who performed for Presidents Eisenhower & Kennedy, then later on the Johnny Carson show, all before he turned 10. Say the name Yo-Yo Ma, & you can’t help but picture his virtuosity with his cello. https://t.co/vPBh5IMslu
A pair of musicians for #AAPIHM who prove that, even in rock, #RepresentationMatters. In 1984, Soundgarden was formed with a lead guitarist, Kim Thayil, of Indian descent, & bassist Hiro Yamamoto, of Japanese descent. They helped usher in grunge a few years later.
Today for the #AAPIHM thread, folks either like or hate Piyush “Bobby” Jindal. Jindal was Louisiana’s youngest (24 when he was nominated) Secretary of Health, the second Indian American elected to Congress, & the first Indian American state governor. washingtonpost.com/politics/from-…
Another athlete for #AAPIHM. Forget Hines Ward’s Super Bowl rings, his tenacity as a player, & even his moves on Dancing With the Stars. His foundation works to improve the lives of biracial Korean children, almost all of whom face discrimination.
Today for #AAPIHM, when this woman was growing up in DC, "tv news anchor" was strictly the purview of old white men. That changed in 1993, when Connie Chung became just the second woman, & first Asian American, to helm a nightly newscast. wbur.org/npr/137057982/…
Two people for #AAPIHM, Kal Penn & John Cho, who made a film that upended & crushed stereotypes about Asian Americans. It was so damn refreshing to not see stilted accents, bespectacled academic overachievers, brilliant doctors, or workaholic salarymen. grantland.com/features/harol…
A fashionista for today’s entry to the #AAPIHM thread. Or rather, a wedding dress & figure skating costume designer; formerly the youngest editor of Vogue; & such an institution in fashion & design that her very name, Vera Wang, implies elegance & style. hbr.org/2019/07/lifes-…
Today’s subject in the #AAPIHM thread was a high school dropout who joined the Army. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for saving his crew after their helo was hit. Rodney J.T. Yano lives on, as the namesake for a Military Sealift Command ship. fas.org/man/dod-101/sy…
Today for #AAPIHM, this Medal of Honor recipient had only been a soldier for 6 months when he became Rambo. Private George Sakato took command of his platoon when its leaders were killed. Using his, then enemy weapons, he killed or captured 50 Germans. cmohs.org/recipient-deta…
#MemorialDay for the #AAPIHM, a name I didn’t know until I was assigned to Hawaii. A Medal of Honor recipient from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, CPL Terry Kawamura covered a grenade with his body to save his squad. Essayons! usace.army.mil/About/History/…
An entrepreneur for the #AAPIHM thread, whose husband emigrated from the ROK to the US first, so he could earn enough to bring her over. Her first nail salon was open for 20 years, the current one has been open for 12. My kids call her Hami, short for Halmoni (할머니 /Grandma).
Another entrepreneur for the #AAPIHM thread, the woman you can thank every time you drink a Gatorade or a Tropicana juice. Indra Nooyi took an ailing PepsiCo, guided its restructuring, & within 10 years almost doubled its stock price.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/bus…
Since Minnesota is in the news, a lawyer for the #AAPIHM thread. Rachel Paulose was the youngest person, first woman, & first Asian American to serve as US Attorney for Minnesota. She resigned after conflicts about her management style surfaced. startribune.com/former-u-s-att…
A dark time for the #AAPIHM thread. 29 years ago, my dad couldn’t reach his uncle, who owned a liquor store in SCLA. He was like one of these guys in the photo, just trying to protect his livelihood. The stores burned, & my great-uncle returned to Korea. cnn.com/2017/04/28/us/…
Literary criticism for the #AAPIHM thread. Until she stepped down as the New York Times book critic, Michiko Kalutani could make or break an author’s career with just a few acerbic words. I loved reading her columns. nytimes.com/2017/07/27/boo…
Last day of the #AAPIHM thread.
(1 of 3) Fred Korematsu refused to be sent to an internment camp, & was arrested for violating a government order. He sued the government for violating his constitutional rights & lost; he appealed to the Supreme Court & lost.
#AAPIHM (2 of 3) It wasn’t until 1983 that Fred’s original conviction was overturned; his attorneys argued that Executive Order 9066, which ordered the internment of Japanese Americans, was based on the faulty assumption that all Japanese Americans were seditious.
#AAPIHM (3 of 3) In 1998, President Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2011, California declared 30 January to be Fred Korematsu Day. It is the first day to commemorate an Asian American. smithsonianmag.com/history/fred-k…
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.