Stream "Blasian" for FREE on Amazon

Blasian, Michael Yo, presents his uniquely personal comedy on his debut stand up special, "Blasian." In this special, he discusses growing up half Black and Asian in Houston, TX. Check it out for free on Amazon Prime!

Kamala Harris for President!

A post about Kamala Devi Harris is long overdue. Harris was elected US Senator for California in 2016, becoming only the second female African American to serve in the Senate and the first ever South Asian to serve. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2019 (January 21), she announced her campaign to run for the Democratic nomination for the President of the United States in the 2020 election!

Kamala Harris was born to a Tamil Indian mother (Shyamala Gopalan) and a Jamaican father (Donald Harris) in Oakland, California. Both of her parents were immigrants. Her mother immigrated to the US from Chennai in 1960, and her father immigrated from Jamaica in 1961. She grew up going to a black Baptist church and a Hindu temple. The family lived in Berkeley, California. After her parents divorced, she and her sister, Maya, moved to Montreal, Québec, Canada with their mother. Harris returned to the United States to attend Howard University, where she became an Alpha Kappa Alpha. She moved back to California to earn her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Side note: Maya Lakshmi Harris is also an accomplished lawyer and is a political analyst for MSNBC. She was one of Hillary Clinton's senior policy advisors during her 2016 presidential campaign. She is currently campaign chairwoman for her sister's campaign for president.

She was the first African American and first woman yo serve as Attorney General of the state of California, and she is now vying to be the first Indian and first African American woman to serve as President of the United States!

Find out ore about Senator Harris at https://www.harris.senate.gov. Support her campaign at https://kamalaharris.org.

Michael Yo on "Blasian" Tour

Michael Yo is the first and only blasian comic, and he's currently on tour!

Michael with his parents

Michael was raised in Texas, where he got started on radio.  He then got recruited by Miami's #1 station, Y100.  He did that for years before getting an offer from E!. He moved to Los Angeles and was a correspondent on Extra and E! News. He has appeared on The Insider and The Talk on CBS, as well as The Wendy Williams Show. Then Chelsea Handler (of Chelsea Lately) dared him to do stand-up. Fellow half Asian, Jo Koy (Filipino/European American), has been his comic mentor. They even did a podcast (The Michael Yo & Jo Koy Show) together for a few years.

"[Jo] told me that I had great stories about my parents and that is where comedy comes from, real life. Not about people writing jokes but what really happened in your life. Growing up in the situation I am from, that is automatic comedy. Having [an Asian] mom, we all know Asian moms and how they say the craziest things no matter who is around and it can sound racist at times. But they don't think it is racist and they are just honest people, you know what I mean" So, I talk about the crazy things my mom says about other people." 

Michael doesn't like kimchi (김치) and doesn't speak Korean, and he didn't really connect with his Asian side until he started doing stand-up.

"I can honestly say that stand-up has really made me connect more than I ever have because telling the stories about my mom. My stand-up is all about my dad, my mom, how I grew up, dealing with racism, and finding my identity. So, the whole show is about that. Me and my mom have always been super close, and I feel that telling these stories, Asian people are starting to come out and relate to it. I find it weird because I didn't connect to it while I was going through it, but it is more that I'm connecting to it now."

"Blasian", his new comedy tour about growing up biracial, started in San Francisco on December 31, 2018. It was released on digital and on-demand platforms on November 27th and is available on iTunes and GooglePlay. His tour continues in Sacramento on January 11, 2019. 

Michael is an actor, stand-up comedian, and television host. Currently, he is a co-host on the Bravo series, Play by Play, and hosts The Michael Yo Show on Sirius XM's Entertainment Weekly. The Michael Yo Show premiered on September 4th via satellite on channel 105 through the SiriusXM app.

Selected Sources
* Houston Chronicle, "Houston-born comic Michael Yo releases special about growing up biracial", November 1, 2018.
* HalfKorean.com: An online community for mixed-race Koreans, "Interview with Michael Yo", August, 16, 2013. 

Photos courtesy of Michael Yo/Metro Public Relations.

Blasians Defined has MOVED

After 7 years on Blogger, the Blasians Defined blog is now posting at blasiansdefined.wordpress.com.

All of the previous blog posts from the beginning of Blasians Defined in January 2012 have been added to the new Word Press site.

Posts for Blasians Defined will continue to appear on both sites - blasiansdefined.blogspot.com and blasiansdefined.wordpress.com - to support this transitional period. However, do join us on the WordPress site for the latest Blasians Defined content.

Thank you for following our blog. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Blasian Named MVP of Maui Invitational

Rui Hachimura, the son of a Beninese father and Japanese mother, has exploded on the college basketball scene. Gonzaga University - known for seeking international talent for its athletic teams - first discovered Hachimura during the 2014 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Dubai. He also led his high school, Meisei High School, to the All-Japan High School Tournament title. Now he is the best player on the No. 3 NCAA basketball team.

Hachimura grew up in Toyoma, a coastal town about a five-hour drive west of Tokyo. He was often questioned about his Japaneseness. Now he is easily mistaken for African American but experienced confusion due to his inability to speak English. Prior to attending Gonzaga, he had been to the US only once for a family trip to New York when he was 12 years old, and he didn't speak any English. Now, in his Junior year, he is a fluent English speaker. This is no small feat, as English is extremely difficult for Japanese native speakers to learn.

He was Most Valuable Player of the Maui Jim Invitational All-Tournament. Gonzaga beat Duke 89-87 in the championship game. He averaged 22.7 points and 6 rebounds in 3 games.

He is the 5th Japanese-born player to play Division I Men's Basketball, and he is the 1st Japanese native to play in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. He is projected to be a 1st Round NBA Draft Pick in 2019. Should that happen, he would be the 2nd Japanese-born player to ever play in the NBA. The 1st was Yuta Tabuse in 2004, but he only played for the Phoenix Suns for 3 months before he was cut from the team. There have been several Japanese-American basketball players, starting in 1947 with Wataru Misaka (who was first introduced on Blasians Defined in 2012 in the post "Asians & Basketball"). After Misaka, there wasn't another Asian player for 40 years (although there was a Blasian player selected in 1978, Raymond Townsend). 

Selected Sources:
* Gonzaga Bulletin, "Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura is Gonzaga's X factor", February 21, 2018.
* ESPN, "The Education of Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura", November 16, 2018.
* Sports Illustrated, "Rui Hachimura Is Thriving as Japan and Gonzaga's Best Hope for Basketball Glory", November 27, 2018.

Blasian Comedian to Star in Autobiographical Sitcom

A TV show, inspired by Michael Yo's life, co-written by and starring comedian Michael Yo, is being developed. The self-proclaimed "Half-Black Brother with a Korean Mother", Michael Yo, was born "Michael Yo Simmons" to a Korean mom and an African American dad with a PhD in Nuclear Physics. 

The untitled comedy centers on a young couple's life that is made more complicated when the guy's over-achieving African American, PhD scientist/ex-Military father and scheming Asian mother show up to help them take care of their newborn baby and adjust to their new surroundings. Yo married Claire Elise Schreiner on February 14, 2016 and recently became a father to Oliver Yo Simmons. He came up with the idea for the family comedy when his parents visited to help with their new grandchild. Yo will also be an executive producer for the show.

Selected Sources:
* Deadline, "Michael Yo To Star In Autobiographical Family Comedy In Works At Fox", November 5, 2018.
* Coming Soon, "Michael Yo Developing Autobiographical Sitcom for FOX", November 6, 2018.

Blasian Featured in Netflix Show

The first ten episodes of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was released on October 26th. The series is centered on Sabrina Spellman, a half-witch half-mortal. I'm a huge Netflix fan and was super intrigued by the trailer for this new show. In the trailer, I spotted a diverse group of witches in black dresses with lace collars. A brunette and redhead led by a brown-skinned beauty, they are the Weird Sisters, a trio of witches who have developed a sisterhood forged in their bond as orphans. In the trailer, the leader of the Weird Sisters, Prudence Night tells Sabrina, "You're gonna die, half-breed." This seems ironic when you realize that two of the actresses portraying the Weird Sisters are actually half-Korean. Adeline Rudolph (the brunette) is German-Korean, and Tati Gabrielle (the leader) is Korean-African American. 

Tati Gabrielle (birth name: Tatiana Gabrielle Hobson) was raised by her Korean American mother. Her father, a former basketball player from Ohio, is involved in the entertainment industry as a director and producer. She modelled as a child and graduated high school with a 3.7 GPA. She majored in Drama and French at Spelman College. She moved to Los Angeles and earned roles in the CW's The 100, Hulu's Freakish, and TBS's Tarantula. She was cast as Prudence in March 2018. 

Tati's mom was adopted from Korea and raised in Virginia by an African American family. She raised Tati to stay connected to her Asian roots, and the diverse Bay Area of California was a great environment for a mixed kid. Now Tati's starring in a show that is being lauded for its ethnic, racial, and sexual diversity. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is arguably one of the most strongly feminist television shows today, with women fighting against dominating patriarchal leaders in both the mortal and witch worlds.  

A Christmas special episode, A Midwinter's Tale, will be released on December 14th, and the second part of the first season is scheduled for release on April 5, 2019. Experience Tati Gabrielle's fierceness in this spellbinding  show!

Selected Sources:
* Mochi Magazine, "Actress Tati Gabrielle on Girl Power and Finding Identity", October 12, 2018.
* Status Magazine, "Tati Gabrielle Unveils the Magic of her Artistic Journey", October 1, 2018.

Naomi Osaka Wins U.S. Open

In October of 2015, Blasians Defined featured Naomi Osaka as the WTA Rising Stars Invitational Champion. Since then, Naomi was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2016. She had a breakout year, making it to the 3rd round of all of the Grand Slam tournaments that she played in 2016 (Australian Open, French Open & US Open). The WTA Newcomer of the Year award is decided through votes submitted by members of the media and fans, with initial nominees chosen by the WTA based on players’ achievements throughout the year. Naomi was the 1st Japanese player to ever win the award.

And now Naomi has just won the 2018 US Open! She is the 1st Japanese woman to contest a Grand Slam singles final and the 1st Japanese Grand Slam singles champion. (It is believed she is also the 1st Haitian Grand Slam champion.) Now ranked in the top 10, she is the highest ranked Japanese player in history. 

Naomi's parents, Tamaki Osaka (from Hokkaido, Japan) and Leonard Maxime Francois (born in Haiti, raised in New York), met when her father was visiting Hokkaido while he was attending college in New York. Naomi and her sister, Mari (also a professional tennis player) were both born in Osaka, Japan.  The girls were given their mother's maiden name for practical reasons when the family lived in Japan.

Naomi with her parents and sister

Naomi has dual American and Japanese citizenship. Although the girls were largely raised in the United States, their parents decided that their daughters would represent Japan. Osaka's parents have said that, "We made the decision that Naomi would represent Japan at an early age. She was born in Osaka and was brought up in a household of Japanese and Haitian culture. Quite simply, Naomi and her sister, Mari, have always felt Japanese so that was our only rationale. It was never a financially motivated decision nor were we ever swayed either way by any national federation."

Her Haitian grandparents only spoke to her in Haitian Creole because they did not know English, while her mother spoke to her in Japanese. Her sister, Mari, speaks almost fluent Japanese. While Naomi can understand Japanese, she is not very confident to speak the language. At press conferences, she can take questions in Japanese but usually answers in English.

Some fans feel like her black identity is being erased. However, Naomi has repeatedly reminded reporters that she is Japanese and Haitian.

Selected sources:

* The Wall Street Journal, "Naomi Osaka: The Tennis Star Who Was Overlooked by Everyone", September 12, 2018.

* The Washington Post, "Japanese, Haitian, and now a Grand Slam winner: Naomi Osaka’s historic journey to the U.S. Open", September 10, 2018. 

* The New York Times Magazine, "Naomi Osaka’s Breakthrough Game", August 23, 2018.

* YonexUSA, "Naomi Osaka Named 2016 WTA Newcomer of the Year", October 24, 2016.

South Korea's First Blasian Model

Han Hyun-Min is the 1st black model in South Korea. Hyun-Min, 16, is half Nigerian in an ethnically homogeneous country where mixed race people often experience blatant racism with difficulty getting jobs and finding spouses. Mixed race children are commonly bullied and called "tuigi", a derogatory term meaning cross-bred animals. However, he is now appearing in top magazines.

African American Woman Finds Her Chinese Roots

Paula Williams Madison

Paula Williams Madison grew up in New York with a half Chinese, half Jamaican mother, Nell Vera Lowe. Her mother's Chinese father, Samuel Lowe, went to China in 1933 when Nell was 15 and never returned to Jamaica. Nell left Jamaica for New York to start a new life, but her Asian features set her apart, which contributed to her feeling of loss and loneliness.

Nell Vera Lowe, Paula Williams Madison's mother

When Paula retired, she decided to fulfill her childhood promise to her mother and find her grandfather. Her search into her family history took her from New York to Jamaica to China. Following a lead from a paternal cousin, who noted the significant Chinese-Jamaican community in Toronto, Paula attended a conference about the Hakka, a Chinese minority who is known for migrating overseas. There she found the first clues regarding what happened to her maternal grandfather. In just a few months, she found herself on a plane to China to meet her Chinese relatives. Once there, she found genealogical records for more than 150 generations. Her documentary and memoir, Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem, are based on her journey to discover her roots.

Samuel Lowe, Paula Williams Madison's grandfather

Selected sources:

* Pointer, "Former NBC Journalist/Executive Paula Madison Finds the Story of Her Life", August 4, 2014.

* The Root, "A Black Woman's Search for Her Chinese Roots", August 14, 2014.

* Los Angeles Sentinel, "Retired Black Exec Finds Her Chinese Family", January 20, 2016. 

Blasian Makes Top 10 of Miss Universe

Ariana Mamiko Miyamoto (宮本・エリアナ・磨美子) was born in Nagasaki to a Japanese mother and an African American father (Bryant Stanfield). Her father met her mother while stationed in Sasebo with the United States Navy. Her parents married but divorced when Ariana was an infant. 

Ariana as a child with her mom

Ariana as a teen with her dad and half-sibling

In 2015, Ariana won Miss Nagasaki and went on to represent her prefecture in the Miss Universe Japan pageant. She was crowned Miss Universe Japan 2015 in March. She is the 1st hāfu to win the pageant. Upon her selection, she faced criticism for not appearing to be Japanese. There were comments that her face was too "gaijin", literally "outside person". Ariana is a Japanese citizen, born and raised in Japan and fluent in the Japanese language. She identified as Japanese and even holds a 5th degree mastery of Japanese calligraphy. Ariana wants to represent the new face of Japan. "International marriages are happening. There will be [more] biracial children. I want them to be as accepted in Japan as they would be in the U.S. I want society to get used to that idea."

Miss Nagasaki 2015 

Miss Japan 2015

When Ariana was 13, she moved to Arkansas with her father to attend two years of high school in the United States. As a child in Japan, she was often called "kurombo", the Japanese equivalent to the N-word. She says she felt normal for the first time in Arkansas, although she was still treated as a foreigner. In the US, she came to speak of , while in Japan, she still calls herself hāfu (biracial in Japanese). As Miss Japan, she presents herself as an ethnically mixed Japanese person.

Ariana went on to compete in Miss Universe 2015 in December, where she made it to the Top 10. Having represented Japan globally, reigning as the 1st half black Miss Japan, she serves as a role model for multiracial Japanese people and challenges the idea what it means to be Japanese.

Selected Sources:

* CBS News, "Beauty queen brings light to Japan's racial issues", April 13, 2015.

* New York Times, "Biracial Beauty Queen Challenges Japan's Self-Image," May 29, 2015.

* NBC News, "The First Multiracial Miss Universe Japan Has Been Crowned", March 17, 2015.

Blasian Wins WTA Rising Stars Invitational

Naomi Osaka is the WTA Rising Stars Invitational Champion. The WTA Rising Stars Invitational is a showcase event in Singapore that brings together 4 WTA Rising Stars age 23 and under through a fan vote to compete alongside the best of the best at the WTA Finals.

Born in Osaka, Japan to a Haitian father (Leonard Francois) and Japanese mother (Tamaki), Naomi was raised in the United States and speaks very little Japanese, but she has always played tennis under the Japanese flag. Her father registered Naomi with the Japanese Tennis Association, rather than the United States Tennis Association, due to her dual passport. Her diverse background and strong tennis skills could make Naomi the next big thing in tennis.

WTA Tennis, "Osaka Wins WTA Rising Stars International", October 25, 2015.

Blasian Athletes Shine at 2015 SEA Games

The 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games were held in Singapore from June 5 to June 16. A standout in the 2015 SEA Games was the performance of Team Philippines and their Fil-Heritage athletes, commonly known as Fil-Ams. The SEA Games Chief of Mission Julian Camacho confirmed that the Filipino team had the most United States-based entries. The final medal count for the Philippines included 5 gold medals, with 4 attributed to Fil-American athletes.

Eric Shauwn Cray (June 9)

Eric Cray and Kayla Richardson, a pair of blasian Fil-Americans, won gold in their respective 100-meter races, earning the unofficial titles of "fastest man and fastest woman in the region". Cray clocked in at 10.25 seconds, while Richardson finished at 11.76. Cray went on to set a new SEA Games record of 49.40 seconds on the way to gold in the 400-meter hurdles, breaking a 20-year-old record. Richardson also secured a silver medal in the 200 meters at 23.71 seconds. These 2 blasian athletes earned 3 of Team Philippines's 5 gold medals.

Kayla Anise Richardson (June 9)

Following the SEA Games, Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Philip Ella Juico faced criticism for the use of Fil-foreign players raised and trained overseas to mask the lack of programs for homegrown athletes. Juico took exception to the criticisms, saying Fil-Americans, are, in the end, still Filipinos.

"We have 10 million Filipinos around the world. We are sharing our human resources with the international community. When they are there, they inter-marry with locals and beget Filipino children who are half Filipino, half foreign. If we can use half foreign Filipinos for scientists, teachers, or engineers, why not use them for sports?", said Juico. "Why all of a sudden discriminating and frowning on this?, the former Philippine Sports Commission chairman added.

Juico said the only difference is that Fil-foreign athletes are based outside the Philippines by force of circumstances, and should not be stripped of their privilege to represent the country in international competitions. "Of course, we prefer homegrown talents but it's not their fault that they were born there."

Despite the criticism, Juico said they intend to recruit more Fil-Americans to beef up the athletics team. Juico spoke on this matter in a previous interview, stating, "If there are Fil-foreign (athletes), (athletes) with Filipino blood, why not? It's a global society now, it's a global community...if other countries can use this internationally-shared resource, why not us?"

Eric Cray - dubbed the "Usain Bolt of Southeast Asia" - responded to critics regarding the policy of searching overseas for talent with Filipino ties stating, "I just feel that if you have Filipino blood and you cherish the traditions of the Philippines, you know it's a great honor for me to be able to represent and I am just happy that they allow me to."

Selected Sources:
* Sports Interactive Network Philippines, "What's wrong with having Fil-foreign athletes, says Juico in face of SEA Games criticism", June 19, 2015.
* ABS-CBN News Channel, "New PATAFA head welcomes Fil-foreign athletes, coaches", August 7, 2014.

Two Blasian "Asias" Strive for Fame

A new show about a Blasian in search of fame aired on Lifetime in the summer of 2014. Raising Asia is a docuseries that debuted on July 29. Season 1 included 13 episodes that aired through September 9. The show follows the daily life of Asia Monet Ray, a nine year old dancer, and her family. Asia's father, Shawn Ray (African American) is a former professional bodybuilder who was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame of professional bodybuilding in January 2007. Her mother, Kristie (Alvarado) Ray, is of Filipino and Mexican descent and was a fitness model and bodybuilder.

Raising Asia is a spin-off of Dance Moms. Dance Moms, currently in its 5th season, follows the Abby Lee Dance Company's Junior Elite Competition Team of 9-13 year old girls. Asia was discovered via YouTube and was selected to appear on the reality show, Abby Lee’s Ultimate Dance Competition, and placed 3rd in the competition. She went on to appear in season 3 of Dance Moms, which led to her getting her own show.

Asia Monet Ray is not the 1st blasian Asia on reality TV.  Back in 2007, Asia Nitollano appeared on The CW's The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll. The 9 episode series followed 9 finalists auditioning to join The Pussycat Dolls. The Pussycat Dolls were an American pop girl group and dance ensemble founded as a burlesque troupe. The contestants lived together during the series and were groomed by the group's founder, Robin Antin. The girls were judged on their vocal and dancing ability. During the season finale of the show, Asia Nitollano was chosen to become the newest member of the group and performed with The Pussycat Dolls. Here's a clip from Asia's performance with The Pussycat Dolls.

Asia is the daughter of Joe Bataan (born Bataan Nitollano), a Latin soul musician born to a Filipino father and an African American mother. “My father was Filipino, my mother was African American, and my culture was Puerto Rican,” Joe has said. Asia's mother is Puerto Rican. Asia only performed live with The Pussycat Dolls only twice. Soon after her selection as the 7th Pussycat Doll, Asia decided to pursue a solo career and is working on her solo album, although she is unsigned. She is also a professional dancer, formerly of the New York Knicks City Dancers. Since the airing of the show, The Pussycat Dolls have disbanded.  

Titi Branch, Blasian Co-Founder of Miss Jessie's, Dead at 45

The blasian community is mourning the loss of one of its hair care inspirations.  Titi Cree Branch, one of the co-founders of the natural hair care line, Miss Jessie's, died on December 4, 2014.  Born June 10, 1969, Titi died in what online media publication NV Magazine is calling an apparent suicide due to asphyxia.  She was 45 years old.  Titi is survived by her parents, sister, and nephew. 

Titi

The daughters of an African American father and a Japanese American mother, Titi and Miko Branch launched Miss Jessie's in 2004 with a mission to meet the needs of women with textured hair.  Miss Jessie's products are on the shelves of Target, CVS, Duane Reade, and Walgreens.  The salon and the curly hair care products were named for their paternal grandmother, Jessie Branch. 

Miko shared a moving video tribute to celebrate and honor the life of Titi.  The video includes family photos of the sisters as Stevie Wonder’s As plays in the background.

To learn more about the Branch sisters and Miss Jessie's, check out Miko Branch's book, Miss Jessie's: Creating a Successful Business from Scratch -- Naturally.

Blasian Photoshopped Across the Globe

The Before & After project was release by Esther Honig in June of 2014.  In this original project, Honig asked the world to define beauty by sending an un-retouched photo of her head and shoulders to 25 countries with the simple instruction - "Make me beautiful."  The results were a peek into the idea of beauty through different cultures.  Fellow journalist Priscilla Yuki Wilson followed up on Honig's project, replicating it with her own photo, While Honig is of European descent, Wilson is biracial with a Japanese mother and an African American father.  Wilson received edited photos from 18 countries.  The alterations varied from lightening her skin to emphasising different aspects of her features.

Original Photo by Che Landon.

Below is the description of Before & After Part Two from Priscilla Yuki Wilson's personal website.

The question of "what are you?" regularly influences how I experience the world.  It serves as a reminder that I am living in a  culture that's still adjusting to my kind of face.  Growing up my Japanese mother would often tell me to wear sunblock and to stay out of the sun to avoid getting "too dark".  Being that my father is black, this paradox always troubled me because I was clearly a product of a radical racial union.  In these subtle ways I was taught that my natural self did not comply with conventional standards set forth by society, saying fairer skin is better, straighter hair is more attractive, and that skinny tastes good.  For that reason I decided to carry out a reproduction of the project Before & After because I wanted to see how a face like mine would be transformed on the digital surgical table. 

As in the original project I approached each photoshop aficionado with the request to "make me beautiful."  Similarly I utilised the international freelancing platform, which has allowed me to contract nearly 30 individuals from more than 25 countries. 

In contrast to Honig's results, where her face became a canvas to express more than a dozen contrasting beauty standards, I found that my face actually challenged the application of photoshop in this instance.  As a biracial woman there is no standard of beauty or mild that can easily fit my face.

This photoshop experiment, like Honig's, revealed the different views of beauty around the world, verifying that a universal concept of beauty does not exist.

View all of Wilson's altered photos on her website.  For more information about the original "Before & After" project, go to Esther Honig's personal website.

Blasian Finalist for Miss Universe Singapore

Miss Universe Singapore is an annual contest held in Singapore to select the country's representative to the Miss Universe pageant.  The 12 finalists of Miss Universe Singapore 2014 were unveiled on August 2.  The pageant was held on August 22 and was broadcast on cable channel, Fashion TV.

This year's contest included Ijechi Nazirah Nwaozuzu, a Singaporean of African and Malaysian heritage.  Born to a Nigerian father and a Malay mother, the 21-year-old is currently studying law at the National University of Singapore.  Raised in Bukit Panjang, she also claims Chinese, Indian, and Portuguese heritage.

Regarding her unique circumstances, Ijechi states, "My sister and I were raised to be Singaporean in identity and values, but global in our outlook and perspective."  One of the more challenging issues for her as a child was being identified as "Other" in the school register.  She felt it was harder to fit in, as she did not belong to any of the major racial groups.  While Singapore is multicultural, ethnic Asians predominate.  Seventy-five percent of the population is Chinese, with significant minorities of Malays, Indians, and Eurasians.  "Part of why I joined this competition is to show the world that we're cosmopolitan.  We always talk about Singapore being multiracial, but I don't think we show enough of that on the international stage," said Ijechi. 

Ijechi competed well, finishing second runner-up and also selected for the Best Legs award.  Now, she can refocus on her studies.  She is interested in international law, human rights, women's rights, and family law.  As she says, "the most important thing now is to survive law school and graduate."

BONUS:  Cecelia Chng - makeup stylist to blasians Kimora Lee Simmons and Naomi Campbell - served as the makeup artist for Miss Universe Singapore 2014!

Selected Sources:

* Asia One News, "Some Miss Universe Singapore finalists asked: Are you Singaporean?", July 26, 2014.

* Yahoo Entertainment, "Exotic mix of Miss Universe Singapore 2014 finalists unveiled", August 3, 2014.

First Blasian Contestant on AsNTM2

Marie Nakagawa with the flags of Senegal & Japan

Season 2 of Asia's Next Top Model featured blasian contestant, Marie Nakagawa, of Japan.  Born to a Senegalese father and a Japanese mother, Marie has often been mistaken for a non-Japanese due to her mixed heritage.  She was often bullied by her peers during her childhood in Tokyo.  In her Intro video for AsNTM, Marie discusses the difficulties she experienced as a blasian child in Japan.

Filmed in Malaysia, Asia's Next Top Model (cycle 2) premiered on January 8, 2014 on STAR World Asia and Fox Asia.  Sixteen women from across the Asia-Pacific region participated in the televised contest.  prior to her elimination.  Marie was in the bottom 3 in Episode 2 and was the first to be given a second chance.  She was the first call out, selected for best photo in Episode 4, Episode 7, and Episode 8.

Episode 4: The Girl That Embraces Change

Episode 7: The Girl Who is in the Spotlight

Episode 8: The Girl Who Makes a Splash

Marie posted the following on her Facebook page on January 22, 2014, discussing her desire to help Japan recognize the diversity of beauty.

"Japan really needs to realize that FASHION should be equal to any races and I'm hoping that Japanese fashion industry will be more open mind to those colored race as well. Trust me, I am giving my all to change Japan for all those young girls looking up to Japanese Fashion Industry Which They only Have Either white or light Skin tone Damn too skinny and cute Eyes Big Girls That says and Represent and Being told as the definition of World's Standard BEAUTY" Which IS Totally not. Their only to BE Admire.
We Live in Japan, but we ALSO Live in the World.
non of US in the World IS Same. We all Have Different skin color, we all have different eye color hair colors and everything and WE ALL DIFFERENT that's exactly why we should accept the beauty each other and we NEVER EVER have to set the definition of beauty by skin color or the size of the eyes or big teeth Small teeth skinny or Chubby or whatever the reason Stupid Which we should Never Compared to and by Judges.
DIFFERENT AND WE ALL BEAUTIFUL IN OUR OWN WAYS."

Vietnamese Afro-Amerasians

Many Amerasians experienced ostracism from Vietnamese society.  Black Amerasians often experienced blatant bias, unlike their white counterparts.  Due to their Vietnamese heritage, they were also denied the opportunity to claim an American or African American identity.

Vietnamese Afro-Asian Khanh Le was the inspiration for the documentary, "A Vietnamese Afro-Amerasian Testimony: In Search of the 'Place' in Displacement".  For more information about the documentary, visit this link on the Feature Articles section of The Global Viet.

To read more about Vietnamese Amerasians, specifically Afro-Amerasians, check out the following links.

DeBonis, Steven.  Children of the Enemy: Oral Histories of Vietnamese Amerasians and Their Mothers.  Jefferson, NC: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub, 1995.

Lucious, Bernard Scott.  "In the Black Pacific: Testimonies of Vietnamese Afro-Amerasian Displacements".  Displacements and Diasporas.  Ed. Wanni Anderson, Ed. Robert Lee.  New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005.

Phan, Shandon.  "Vietnamese Amerasians in America".  Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America, 2003.

Tran, Thanh.  Vietnamese-Amerasians: Where Do They Belong?  South Hadley, MA: Mount Holyoke College, December 16, 1999.

Organizations to Support Mixed Race Koreans

Mixed race Koreans are a marginalized population.  Korean society has always been obsessed with the idea of racial purity.  Accordingly, it can be quite difficult to be biracial in South Korea.  Life can be especially hard for biracial Koreans with African ancestry, as darker skin is negatively associated with poverty and farm labor.  To address this issue, several organizations have been created to support the growing biracial Korean population.

During the early 1960s, American novelist Pearl S. Buck visited Korea to write The Living Reed.  Buck coined the term “Amerasian”, referring to Korean children fathered by American servicemen during the Korean War.  In 1965, she established the Opportunity Center and Orphanage in Bucheon City (formerly Sosa), South Korea to serve Amerasian Children.  Offices were subsequently opened in Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.  In the United States, she founded a child sponsorship organization, Pearl S. Buck Foundation (now called Pearl S. Buck International), to address poverty and discrimination faced by children in Asian countries.  She endeavored greatly to raise the awareness of children in Korea who are ethnically mixed and undergo hardships because of the circumstances of their birth and their lives.  Throughout her lifetime, Buck dedicated her energy and resources in order to combat the injustice of social discrimination and prejudice suffered by mixed race children.

MACK (맥) was founded as the Mission for Amerasian Children of Korea in September 1995 in Chicago, IL.  The organization is dedicated to a better understanding of children born to dual cultural parentage and the cultural barrier affecting them, their families, and their communities in Korea and throughout the world, as well as to heighten compassion and understanding by all towards the plight of Amerasians.  In order to meet the needs of a new and growing generation of multiethnic Koreans both abroad and in South Korea, MACK now stands for the Movement for the Advancement of Cultural-diversity of Koreans.

In 2006, American football player Hines Ward created the Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation.  The foundation is dedicated to helping mixed race children like himself in South Korea, where they have suffered discrimination.  His Helping Hands U.S. Foundation focuses on improving literacy among children and will provide programs and services to better equip them for achieving and handling success in life.  Abroad, his Helping Hands Korea Foundation (formed as a tribute to his mother, Kim Young-hee) has targeted biracial discrimination, especially as it occurs among the children of Korea.  Ward has spoken out against South Korea’s discriminatory practices and pledged his time and allegiance to the biracial children there.  He plans to continue to help make life easier for the mixed race kids in South Korea.  "I will make the struggle to end biracial discrimination my chief cause, for which I will devote my time and resources, both in the United States and Korea," said Ward.  Ward is known in Korea as the Ambassador for biracial children and hopes to make this his legacy both at home and abroad.