Each year, we all turn our attention to the big screens, searching for a movie, in hopes of catching a reflection of ourselves. It doesn’t have to be the big blockbuster theatrical performance of a lifetime – a movie with the right amount of intrigue woven into a heartfelt narration will suffice. But this past year, one particular film has captured worldwide attention: Everything Everywhere All at Once.
We had the pleasure of EJ Masicampo, a community organizer, professor, and comedian based in Winston-Salem. Giselle, an NCAAT staff member, got the chance to have a conversation with EJ and delve into all that he does. Read on to learn more about what EJ has to say about the multiple identities he holds, as…
In the week leading up to the midterms, Asian American voters across North Carolina have been receiving hateful, racist mailers aimed at suppressing their vote and subduing the political power of the fastest-growing racial demographic in the state. While anti-Asian rhetoric has been prevalent since early 2020, this blatant piece of disinformation is the first time Asian Americans in North Carolina have been the target of efforts around an election. “This mail piece is evidence that bad actors fear our growing political power.”
With an estimated 216,000 AAPI voters in the state, the Asian American electorate in North Carolina has the potential to influence election outcomes this year. In toss-up races where state and federal candidates must fight for every vote, many campaigns have overlooked the fastest-growing racial demographic in the state. A new poll from North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) and UC San Diego’s U.S. Immigration Policy Center has found that only 39% of AAPI voters have been contacted by any political party about this year’s election.
Over the past couple of months, Aida has been a part of the NCAAT team as a youth intern. She’s done so much during her time here, with one of her most notable accomplishments being the personal project she worked on throughout the internship. Her personal project, “Asian x Black Solidarity and the South: Past…
North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) opposes the scrutinization of signatures for absentee ballot request forms and envelopes. An alarming study by Asian Americans Advancing Justice found that Asian Americans in California faced higher than average vote-by-mail ballot rejection rates in 2016. Over half of those rejections were due to mismatched signatures. We urge North Carolinians to submit public comments before July 5, 2022, advocating against this discriminatory and unnecessary practice. https://www.ncaatogether.org/OpposeSignatureMatching
I remember applying for a leadership position alongside a white male friend. When the results came out that I was chosen and he was not, there was no congratulations. Instead, he told me, a Chinese American woman, “They probably didn’t choose me because I’m a white male and they’re looking for more diverse applicants.” As…
Have you ever wondered what the true impacts of things such as better transportation, communication, and trade have on our world today? If so, please allow me to introduce you to a phenomenon called “globalization,” a term defined by National Geographic as “how trade and technology have made the world into a more connected and…
During the long 60’s, the term “Asian American” meant something different than it does today. It wasn’t just a demographic category, it denoted a sense of pan-Asian identity that united Asians in both the homelands and America in the struggle against racism, colonialism, and imperialism. But it also united us with other oppressed communities within the United States.
When watching the 2020 film Nomadland, I would not have guessed that it was directed by an Asian American woman. Learning about the director Chloé Zhao made me have the revelation that representation does not have to necessarily be on the screen, but that it can be behind it.
NCAAT’s blog is a chance for NCAAT staff and community members to write about topics relating to their passions, interests, and the Asian American community in North Carolina. The views expressed in NCAAT’s community blog posts are not endorsed nor condoned by NCAAT.
