‘Asian Americans’ documentary + Truck drivers protest in California: Your AAPI Newsletter
It is Thursday, May 21, and this is The Sacramento Bee’s AAPI weekly newsletter.
Here’s a recap on the stories I recently covered and issues I’m following:
In solidarity with the nationwide protest in Washington, D.C., a group of truckers protested Thursday at California’s state Capitol in Sacramento for better pay and working conditions. Many had no access to warehouse restrooms during shipment loading, which could take eight hours at times, as some shippers wanted to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19.
The truckers also protested against the low freight rates and demanded broker transparency. They called for support toward the COVID-19 “Heroes Fund” – an initiative pushed forward by Senate Democrats on giving essential workers, including truck drivers, a $13 per hour hazard pay raise. The House passed the bill last Friday.
“Truck drivers have been abused and underappreciated for many years,” said Harjit Singh, organizer with the Jakara Movement. “Congress and the administration must enact laws to alleviate these needs so our ‘essential workers’ are able to support the country, their families, and our nation.”
Coinciding with May being Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, PBS launched a documentary titled “Asian Americans.” Told through individual lives and personal histories, the five-hour, three-episode series walks through Asian American history and how this group shapes America.
The series, which premiered May 11, unpacks crucial events and remarkable people that defined Asian Americans and examines their critical roles in molding American history and identity from the first Asian immigrants in the 1850s through present times. Producer Renee Tajima-Peña talked about the challenges and anecdotes during production that go in line with the invisibility of Asian Americans, and key figures who uplifted the communities and inspired change benefiting future generations.
For events in Sacramento, OCA Sacramento is organizing a drive-thru food distribution today from 10 a.m. to noon at Southgate Plaza, at the corner of Florin Road and Franklin Boulevard, limiting to one per household while supplies last.
In other news
Asian-American doctors and nurses are fighting racism and the coronavirus [Washington Post]
Asian Americans hit hard by job losses in New York, raising questions of racial discrimination [South China Morning Post]
Why has coronavirus taken such a toll on SF’s Asian American community? Experts perplexed over high death rate [San Francisco Chronicle]
Acceptance by peers reduced risk of suicide attempts among API LGBTQ youth, report finds [NBC News]
Why the loss of buffet chains like Sweet Tomatoes and Hometown Buffet hits hard for Asian Americans in Silicon Valley [Eater SF]
Addressing Mental Health, Trauma and History During a Pandemic [KBIA (Columbia, Mo.)]
Coronavirus Is Hitting Long Beach’s Cambodian Community. But How Hard? [LAist]
How a Japanese-American physics teacher helped pioneer women’s boxing [NBC News]
A ‘scam’ or just unprofessional? India gay matchmaking service under fire [NBC News]
Are you working on the front lines in some way to help with the containment of COVID-19, or are contributing to the health and well-being of our community? Please reach out to me at tyu@sacbee.com. I’d love to do a story on you!
That’s it for this week’s newsletter. Thanks for reading, stay safe and hang in there!
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