TAAF’s STAATUS Report Explores What It Means to Be ‘Truly American’
Timed for release at the beginning of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Asian American Foundation’s sixth annual Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S. found “. . . widespread uncertainty about the place of the nation’s 25 million AAPIs, revealing stark gaps in how U.S. adults think about the impact of federal policies on Asian Americans and the growing cultural influence of AAPIs” and that “. . . AAPIs are anxious amid mounting federal crackdowns on immigration, trade wars, safety concerns and other pressures.” One of the takeaways of the report found that 13 percent of U.S. adults believe that being white is important for being truly American. Meantime, 84 percent of AAPIs believe that being a Christian is unimportant for being truly American — more than other racial and ethnic groups. The 2026 STAATUS Index was conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago on behalf of TAAF. The entire report may be viewed at tinyurl.com/4vfpyca8.
Telejournalists Hirasuna, Fukuzaki Recognized for Lifetime Achievement
At its 76th annual Golden Mike Awards, the Radio and Television News Assn. of Southern California bestowed its Lifetime of Achievement Award on March 21 to multiple-award-winning KTTV reporter/anchor Susan Hirasuna, a 25-year veteran at Fox 11. Also winning awards at the RTNA event were KABC newsman David Ono in the best long-form program or documentary category for coverage of last year’s Los Angeles County fires. KABC also won in the best sportscast category for its coverage of the Dodgers in Tokyo, led by Rob Fukuzaki. The Torrance, Calif.-born and Hawaii-raised sportscaster will be feted with the Los Angeles Press Club’s 2026 Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement at its 68th SoCal Journalism Awards Gala on June 28.
Japan Honors Former JAVA President Yamada With Order of the Rising Sun
At its April 29 Spring Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals, the government of Japan awarded its Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, to former Japanese American Veterans Assn. President Gerald Hiroshi Yamada of Vienna, Va., for his “contributions to improving the social status of Japanese Americans and promoting friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States.” Yamada’s efforts helped lead to the establishment of the annual Day of Affirmation ceremony that honors Japanese Americans who served in the military during World War II. Another Japanese American honored by the Japanese government was Hawaii’s Paul Kaname Yonamine, former board chair of the U.S.-Japan Council, who received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for “promoting friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States.”
Sacramento: Legislators, Leaders Call for Continued ‘Stop the Hate’ Funds
Assemblymember Mike Fong (AD-49), California AAPI Legislative Caucus chair, was among several politicians and community leaders who gathered on the California State Capitol stairs April 29 to call for a reauthorization of funding for the state’s Stop the Hate program, which began in response to the spike in anti-Asian violence following the 2020 Covid crisis. Joining Fong were state Sens. Aisha Wahab (SD-10) and Scott Wiener (SD-11), and Assemblymembers Stephanie Nguyen (AD-10) and Ash Kalra (AD-25). Also appearing at the event were AAPI Equity Alliance Executive Director and Stop the Hate Los Angeles County Regional lead Manjusha P. Kulkarni, and Center at Sierra Health Foundation President and Stop the Hate Northern California Regional and Statewide lead Kaying Hang. Funding is set to expire June 30.
— P.C. Staff
