Monthly Archives: April 2021

National

Xiaojie Tan a victim of an Asian hate crime

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By: Hayat Osman

On Tuesday, March 16, 2021, Xiaojie Tan was one of eight people killed in an Atlanta-area spa shooting. Six victims of the shooting were Asian women. Since the beginning of COVID-19, the amount of hate towards the Asian community has increased tremendously.

Tan, her daughter, and her ex-husband, Micheal Webb, emigrated from China to the U.S. more than fifteen years ago. In 2004, Tan enrolled in nail school to get a license, and become a nail technician. Later on, Tan and her family moved to Marriettta, Georgia where she bought her first nail salon. Eventually, Tan sold the salon and bought two other spas, located in Acworth, Georgia, where Tan’s life was cut short.

The family members, and loved ones of Tan, all described her as a hard working woman who was living the American Dream. With her savings, Tan bought her mom a home in China, and financially supported her daughter through college.

According to Tan’s ex husband Micheal, Tan had been planning to retire soon. In the future she hoped to travel; she wanted to visit Alaska and Europe. Tan Xiaojie’s daughter shared that they were planning to celebrate her mother’s 50th birthday soon, but they never got the chance.

The tragedy of this event reminded many of the true virus of racism and hate in our society that took the lives of many. According to Micheal Webb. “We as a country should be ashamed. If only our country could learn from Xiaojie’s example, the violence and bloodshed and pain might stop.” We as a Nation must stand in solidarity with the Asian community. Stop Asian hate.

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Basketball

NCAA men’s programs vs. women’s programs

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By: Charlie Fragassi

As some people may know, the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament just finished up a couple weeks ago. Both men and women athletes were quarantined in different states and were playing in “bubbles” to ensure player safety. Athletes were given all the basic necessities, which included access to the weight room.

About a week into March Madness, pictures surfaced of the men’s weight room, which was spacious and had all the basic needs a weight room should have. Days later, a picture of the women’s weight room was posted to the public, and all they had was a rack of dumbbells and some yoga matts.

As you can imagine, this stirred up a ton of controversy with the NCAA and how they treat male versus female athletes. Many celebrities spoke on this matter, including Lebron James.

The NCAA received much hate for this and ultimately ended up giving the women not only a bigger weight room, but also better meals and the same amount of gear as the men’s teams were getting.

The NCAA needs to do a lot better job of treating their athletes, who bring in millions of dollars, and they need to give them a fair shot to perform as well as they are able, regardless of gender.

This is an example of how women’s sports can be treated as inferior to men’s sports. Although women’s basketball doesn’t bring in nearly as much money as the men’s teams, they should still be supplied with the necessities and equipment to stay healthy and get better, because at the end of the day they’re still athletes and they’re working hard everyday to get better at their sport.

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COVID-19

AstraZeneca vaccine concern

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By: Alexandra Rimbu

Following a recent concern raised around thrombotic events (the event in which a blood clot forms inside a blood vessel), AstraZeneca offered its reassurance on the safety of its vaccine by conducting trials across the UK and EU in order to evaluate the vaccine’s effectiveness based on scientific evidence. The AstraZeneca report showed the vaccine to be 76% effective in preventing COVID-19 symptoms. Not only this, but the vaccine showed 100% efficacy against severe or critical disease or the need for hospitalization.

Reports from the UK and EU show that there have only been 15 events of DVT (deep vein thrombosis – a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the legs) and only 22 events of pulmonary embolism (a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot) reported among those given the AstraZeneca vaccine. This number is actually quite impressive, and it turned out to be much lower than would be expected to occur in populations of that size. 

Ann Taylor, Chief Medical Officer, said: “Around 17 million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population. The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety.”

In terms of quality, there have been no confirmed issues regarding any batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine used across Europe, or the rest of the world. However, additional testing has, and will continue to be conducted, although so far, testing has indicated no reason for concern, according to officials. 

AstraZeneca has stated that they will always put the public’s safety first and that they encourage those invited to get the vaccine, and hopefully, we will soon overcome this pandemic.

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National

Atlanta Shooting

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On March 16, 2021, Robert Aaron Long killed eight people at three different spas in metro Atlanta. Of the eight victims, seven were women, and six were Asian. At the time of the shooting, the question remained if this was a hate crime. The seven female victims that were killed are:

  • Soon C. Park: She worked at the Gold Spa. She was the oldest among the victims that were killed.
  • Hyun J. Grant: Ms. Grant, 51, also worked at the Gold Spa. She was a mother of two boys.
  • Suncha Kim: Ms. Kim, 69, worked at Gold Spa.
  • Yong A. Yue: She worked at the Aromatherapy Spa. She was 63, and was one of the last victims to be shot. 
  • Xiaojie Tan: She owned Young’s Asian Massage.
  • Daoyou Feng: Feng worked for Ms. Tan, and she was 44 years old 
  • Delaina Ashley Yaun: She worked at the Waffle House restaurant, the day she was killed, she was on a date with her husband

The male victim was:

  • Paul Andre Michels: Mr. Michels was a businessman, he was 54 years old and had moved to Atlanta 25 years ago.

The murderer, Mr. Long, was charged with eight counts of murder, and one count of aggravated assault. He is being held without bond in Cherokee County. He told police he went on the killing spree because it had been “a really bad day.”

This should not be a debate. Having “a bad day” should not be an excuse for killing eight innocent people. Repeat: having a bad day doesn’t mean you can go around and murder eight innocent people.

It was a bad day for the families of those that were murder. Since COVID-19 has begun, Asian hate crimes have been on the rise. Asian Americans shouldn’t have to live in fear wondering whether or not they will be murdered by someone who is having a bad day. 

To support our Asian friends, donate to:

  • Armed Patrol Security Guards for Oakland Chinatown
  • Asian Americans Supporting Justice
  • Enough is Enough
  • Hate is a Virus
  • Heart of Dinner
  • Stop Asian Hate
  • Stop AAPI Hate
  • They Can’t Burn Us Al

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Movies/TV/Theaters

‘The Sopranos’ and its relevance today

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By: Teah Henry 

I recently finished my first watch through of ‘The Sopranos’, and I wasn’t the only one who was binging the show. According to HBO, the show’s viewership went up 179% at the start of the pandemic. ‘The Sopranos’ still manages to be relevant today with its commentary on mental health, social issues, and American capitalism despite its finale airing in 2007. 

The show cemented itself as a staple in television history with its realistic, complex characters and being one of the first shows that proved T.V. could be just as effective as film.

It was also one of the first to utilize the anti-hero; a protagonist that the viewer isn’t meant to agree with or even like. ‘The Sopranos’ paved the way for other shows like ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Rescue Me’. 

It’s not far fetched to say that most mafia stories are critiques of capitalism. They take place in a system that encourages cheating and competitiveness, and the members are often not happy with the way things are. The way that only a few in the mafia make a large profit while sending out lower ranking members to do the dangerous work is reminiscent of the small amount of people that hold the majority of wealth while most Americans are stuck working for a living. Christopher’s frustrations with Tony are the same as workers towards their own bosses; feeling used and not cared about. 

During the pandemic, the rich got insanely richer while the working class struggled to make ends meet. Congress couldn’t agree to send out another stimulus check a year after the first one, while other countries were consistently sending them out monthly. A lot of people became aware of America’s unfair distribution of wealth, and ‘The Sopranos’ bleak look at how capitalism only keeps its citizens unhappy helped people feel heard. 

Tony’s struggle with his mental health was also something viewers could relate to. Struggling with depression and panic attacks, Tony has to hide his problems to nearly everyone in his life due to social stigma. Tony’s inability to feel completely happy and satisfied is something a lot of people deal with, especially now as living conditions in America become worse.

Teens may also see themselves in the character AJ, Tony’s son, who is a teen throughout most of the show. He inherited his father’s mental health issues. His struggle with school and finding a purpose in his life is familiar to many. 

While almost all of the characters in ‘The Sopranos’ are irredeemable, there is something relatable about their feelings and struggles, and the commentary it makes will always ring true with American culture. 

Getting To Know/History

Josephine Baker: A biography

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By: Reagan Welch

Josephine Baker is a name you’ve probably never heard, but it should be. Baker was a performer, mother, civil rights activist, and spy for the Allies during World War II.

Intrigued yet? I thought so.

Let’s start with her childhood. Freda Josephine MacDonald was born on June 3rd, 1906 to a single mother in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew up very poor, and had to drop out of school at age 8, becoming a servant for a white family.

She was very passionate about dancing, so she performed on street corners for extra money. There, she caught the attention of a theatre troupe, who hired her. She gained her fame by performing in the Broadway show ‘Chocolate Dandies’.

While living in New York, she married a man named Willie Baker, whom she later divorced, but kept his last name, therefore becoming Josephine Baker.

In 1925, she moved to Paris and became a star there, where she was known for her flamboyance. In one of her most famous performances, she wore a skirt made of bananas. She also owned a pet cheetah named Chiquita, and went on to star in French films.

When World War II began, Baker enlisted as a spy for the French military. She kept performing, and was invited to many parties. She would flirt with generals of the Axis powers to coax information out of them. After that, she would write the information in invisible ink on her sheet music. If she found crucial photos, she would pin them to her underclothes, depending on her stardom to keep from being strip-searched.

After the war ended, Baker returned to the United States for a tour. She faced lots of racism, with as many as 36 hotels forbidding her to perform. Eventually, she sat down on stage and refused to leave until the hotel’s manager finally gave in.

She became heavily involved in the civil rights movement. She was the only woman to speak in the March on Washington. When Martin Luther King Jr. died, she was asked by his wife to lead the movement. Baker declined, as she had 12 adopted children at home. She called them her “rainbow tribe,” as they were from all different ethnic backgrounds. The NAACP named her Woman of the Year, and a parade was held in her honor.

In 1975, Josephine Baker performed in her last show. Three days after opening night, she died of a cranial hemorrhage. She was buried in France with a 21-gun-salute, and over 200,000 people came to her funeral.

Though she may have passed away, her legacy lives on. The NAACP declared May 20th “Josephine Baker Day”. Beyoncé has said in an interview that Baker is an inspiration to her.

Josephine Baker accomplished many wonderful things in her life, and should be talked about more often.

If you’d like to learn more, PBS released a documentary about her life titled ‘Josephine Baker: The Story Of An Awakening’