Huang Nina
Northwest Asia Weekly
National political initiative
Seattle First Lady Joanne Harrell and the elected mayor Bruce Harrell. Joanne holds the dragon ball, which symbolizes the dragon’s neck, and holds the power of the dragon. (Photo by Rick Wong)
Seattle mayor-elect Bruce Harrell (Bruce Harrell) is a second-generation Japanese-American, and he became the first Asian-American mayor of Seattle. He also announced a transition team of nearly 150 members, which will form the mayor’s transition team with the most racial and ideological diversity in Seattle’s history.
Michelle Wu, the mayor-elect of Boston, greeted supporters on election night on November 2. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Taiwanese American Wu Shanshan made history by becoming the first female, colored, and Asian-American to be elected mayor of Boston. She is also the first Asian American woman to serve on the Boston City Council. As part of Boston’s Green New Deal, Wu recently signed a decree to divest US$65 million in city investment from companies that earn more than 15% of their revenue from fossil fuels, tobacco products, or prison facilities.
Cincinnati elected mayor Aftab Pureval (Twitter post by Aftab Puerval)
Aftab Pureval made history when he was elected mayor of Cincinnati, becoming the first Asian American Pacific Islander to hold that position. According to the Cincinnati Inquirer, Pureval is also the only AAPI mayor in the Midwest.
Entertainment achievement
The American superhero movie “Shangqi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” with Liu Simu as the protagonist reached a global box office of 432 million U.S. dollars, becoming the eighth highest-grossing movie in 2021. “Shangqi” is the first Marvel Studios film to be directed by Asia and dominated by Asian actors.
Celeste Yim, a Korean-Canadian, is the only writer hired by “Saturday Night Live” during the pandemic. They have been nominated for the Emmy Variety Series Outstanding Writing Award. Celeste is the 2021 Lambda Literary Playwright Researcher and the 2019 New York Art Foundation Canadian Female Artist Playwright Award recipient.
Shaping offspring on TV
The iconic cartoon series “Arthur” features Sikh characters as part of the series’ long-term mission to ensure that young viewers can see their world on the screen. The role of Samir made his first appearance on “Arthur’s First Day” which premiered on PBS in September.
Sesame Street Twitter introduces Zhiying
Korean American Zhiying made history as the first Asian-American puppet in the “Sesame Street” series. She is 7 years old and likes to rock with electric guitar and skateboard. She was officially introduced on HBO’s “Watch Us Together: Sesame Street Special” on Thanksgiving Day, which also includes Simu Liu, Padma Lakshmi and Naomi Osaka.
karma
Alexandra Huang
The 18-year-old Vietnamese-American Chinese Alexandra Huang succeeded Amanda Gorman and won the National Young Poet crown. The experience of a freshman at Stanford University raised by immigrant parents in Sacramento played an important role in her poetry and her mission of connecting culture and working for justice.
Literary achievement
Karen Tei Yamashita
Earlier this year, Karen Tei Yamashita, author of “I Hotel” and “Sansei and Sensibility”, was awarded the 2021 Outstanding Contribution Medal to American Literature by the National Book Foundation. She is the 34th winner of the award since its inception in 1988. Yamashita’s team is outstanding, past winners include Joan Didion, Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston and Stephen King. In addition to the bronze medal, Yamashita will also receive a lifetime achievement award of $10,000.
Malinda Rowe’s “Last Night in the Telegraph Club” won the 2021 National Book Award for Youth Literature.
Elisa Shua Dusapin’s “Winter in Sokcho” won the 2021 National Book Award in the translated literature category.
Hoa Nguyen’s “You Lost Your Treasure A Thousand Times” was named one of the finalists of the 2021 National Book Awards.
Chinese-American veterinarians recognized for their contributions
In November of this year, Chinese-American veterans of World War II and their families who were not present at the Crane Tower in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania received the Congressional Gold Medal as a national gratitude for outstanding achievements and contributions.
The medal is awarded by the U.S. Congress and is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States. The medal aims to recognize those who have had an impact on American history and culture, and these people are likely to be considered major achievements of the United States. Field, a long time later achievement.
Impressive COVID vaccination rate
Although some countries in Asia, such as Cambodia and Japan, took longer to launch vaccines than other countries, the vaccination rates of these two countries are now among the highest in the world. They are two of a few countries in the Asia-Pacific region where immunization activities have started slowly but have surpassed the United States and many European countries.
Racing car and trailblazer
Samantha Tan
Chinese Canadian driver Samantha Tan became the first Asian woman to win a major endurance championship in November after an almost perfect season in the 24H GT4 series.
Mattel honors frontline workers
As part of Mattel’s #ThankYouHeroes project, Las Vegas-based doctor Audrey Sue Cruz is one of six global frontline workers to obtain a unique Barbie doll. Cruz hopes to represent women of color, women in the healthcare field, and working mothers—letting them know that they are being seen.
Miss America with a long history
On Thursday, December 16, 2021, after winning the Miss America contest at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, Miss Alaska Emma Broyles was crowned by Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Emma Broyles made history, becoming the first Korean American and Miss Alaska to win the title of Miss America. Her mother is of all Korean descent, and her grandparents moved to Broyles’ hometown of Anchorage, Alaska 50 years ago.
In addition to her title and crown, she will receive a scholarship of $100,000 and a six-figure salary as part of her Miss America duties.
Nina can be at info@nwasianweekly.com.
