Feature Article Archives

The Sun Does Not Discriminate: The Vision of Sara Ting

AD Magazine

In 1985, Sara Ting, a poet, educator, diversity consultant, trainer, and visionary, asked a simple, profound question through a multimedia public service campaign: “Are you greater than the sun that shines on everyone; black, brown, yellow, red and white? The sun does not discriminate.”

Community Resources for Entrepreneurs

AD Report

Many experts have reasoned that one of the quickest paths to true equal opportunity is through economic empowerment. The Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO), originally established in 1966 to promote economic growth in the African-American business community, has since then expanded its vision to become a one-stop resource center for all minority business owners. Another, more recent community resource is the Asian-American Entrepeneur’s Network (AEN), founded by Ramon Gil, managing director of Fresh Concentrate.

Unity in Diversity: Aon Corporation

Profiles of Diversity Leaders

Aon, a Gaelic word for “unity”, is an especially apt name for Aon Corporation, a global Chicago-based insurance brokerage and consulting company. Recently appointed as Aon Corporation’s first chief diversity officer, Corbette Doyle, along with Jean Liu, the head of the Asian Pacific Islander Networking Group, spoke with AD Magazine about their vision, plans, and thoughts about diversity at Aon. One might summarize by defining the value of diversity as at the very heart of unity. It is the mutual appreciation of differences and individual uniqueness that unites the Aon community.

LIDS: Through the Asian Lens

Diana Lee

Blepharoplasty is the type of plastic surgery that creates the “double eyelid” absent in approximately 50% of eastern Asians. The startling popularity of this surgical procedure among Asian women has been noted, criticized, and perhaps over-simplified as a racially charged desire to look Western. In creating Lids: Through the Asian Lens, a documentary about the history and socio-cultural implications of this phenomenon, independent filmmaker Regina Park realized that the issue demanded deeper consideration.

Lawmaker Urges Stricter English Teacher Evaluation Program

Jung Sung-ki

When South Korea suffered an economic downturn in the late 1990s following the Asian financial crisis, one business in the country still flourished. What was it? The English language education business.

TOEIC to Include Speaking, Writing Options in December

Rahn Kim

Beginning in December, optional speaking and writing tests will be included in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), which is used worldwide to test English language proficiency in the workplace.

Broadcast News Industry Still Has a Way to Go in Increasing Journalists of Color in its Newsrooms

Melanie Hall

UNITY: Journalists of Color is encouraged at the small growth in diversity in television stations but remains extremely concerned about the continuing erosion in the percentage of people of color in radio news.

MacKenzie's Cafe: A film about going after your dreams, living passionately, and making a difference

AD Magazine

Film, famously cited by Frank Capra to be one of the universal languages, can have the eloquence to make a minority experience relevant to the mainstream, and to unite a diverse audience with a reminder of shared human qualities. The dramatic feature film MacKenzie’s Café, the current project of independent filmmaker Donna Tsufura, is one example of such a work.

NYC Asian Entrepreneurs Take Matters Into Their Own Hands

AD Release

The absence of an Asian business association in New York City prompted Asian American entrepreneurs to hold a networking event.

Cai Guo-Qiang on the Roof: First solo Met exhibition by a contemporary Chinese artist

Naomi Takafuchi & Elyse Topalian

Cai Guo-Qiang, acclaimed internationally for his elaborate sculpture installations and gunpowder projects, is the first contemporary Chinese artist to create a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Asian Small Businesses

C.N. Le

The phenomenon of Asian American small businesses has gotten a lot of attention in the last several years. Some of this attention has been positive while some of it has been negative.

Asia rides wave of Korean pop culture invasion

Evan Osnos

The ever-growing fever for Korean pop culture is generating a Korea boom in Asian countries while boosting the Korean economy and tourism.

Pacific Islanders Balance Cultural and Workplace Demands

Dan Woog

Once lumped together with Asian Americans by census data and stereotypes, Pacific Islanders are now seen as a distinct group with its own traditions and concerns.

Chinese language catching on in US classrooms

Julia Silverman

The level of interest in establishing Chinese language programs in K-12 schools is rising rapidly.

Making an Impact in Corporate America: A Panel Discussion

Danny Kim

Read about ACLN's second Business Speaker Series event on changing Corporate America from within.

Retail, Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Logistics

Denise Santos-Dizon

Asia remains poised for growth in the coming year in the sectors of fast moving consumer goods, retail and logistics. The region is practically on a hiring spree, says Kelly News Services.

A View of Asians at Work - What Keeps the Buzz Going

Mercer Human Resource Consulting

What factors generate motivation and loyalty at work? See how employees in Asia view their work environment and address the issue of pay.

Children of Asian Immigrants: What Shapes Their Career Paths?

Dan Woog

The stereotypes are vivid: New immigrants from China and Japan gravitate to technical jobs, while those from Pakistan and Bangladesh work in small businesses or drive taxis. But what about their children? Do they feel free to choose nontraditional career paths?

Japan's 'Womenomics'

William Pesek Jr.

Are women in Corporate Japan finally breaking through the glass ceiling? Read what Bloomberg columnist William Pesek Jr. thinks.

"Banzai" - Hilarious or delirious?

anonymous

A couple of weeks ago, Fox Television premiered a new reality comedy show "Banzai," a British imitation of popular Japanese game shows featuring practical jokes, silly stunts and experiments with a chance for audiences to place an interactive betting on their outcomes during the show. Since the show aired, many Asian American organizations and civil activist groups have protested against the show's condescending nature towards the Asian ethnicity, inspiring a current debate on whether the show is a demeaning Asian stereotype or just a goofy, harmless comedy. Here are two opinion columns presented over this current debate.