Number Crunching: APAs and the 2000 Census (Feature) Community Mourns Sudden Death of APA Actress (in National News) Chang-Lin Tien, UC Berkeley Chancellor and Scientist Dies (in Bay Area News) Ultimate Diversions: Inside the Twilight Zone (in Business) Tuaolo Emerges from the NFL Closet (in Sports) Xinran: The Voice of the Good Women of China (in A&E) Emil Amok: Bleeding Orange and Black (in Opinion)

Our New Face

Since January, AsianWeek’s crack census team — Eric Lai and Cindy Chew — have been working to reduce the convoluted jumble of numbers and statistics generated by the 2000 Census into a deeper analysis of our community. In partnership with UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center, the Organization of Chinese Americans and National CAPACD, AsianWeek will soon publish The New Face of Asian Pacific America, a look back at APA growth and change in the 1990s. Check out an excerpt from the book in this week’s issue, featuring brand-new findings.

As we all know by now, it was an incredibly significant decade for us. Our numbers increased by some 75 percent, faster than all other ethnic groups. As data is released and analyzed, we really need to pay attention. The latest socioeconomic results from the census tell us that much of our community has the highest median family and household incomes and owns the most expensive homes. Yet, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders were consistently disparate.

As we are faced with these cold hard facts, we must grow and change as a community. I would hope that instead of looking at Census results that say we are the most educated ethnic group and feeling some kind of passing sense of pride, that those of us who are educated use this privelege to make changes for our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

Also, the census results, and the events of the past year for that matter, point to the holes in our community construct. Should Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders be considered their own ethnic group? Should Native Hawaiians be grouped with Native Americans, a community with whom they share more of a history? Do South Asians have more in common with Middle Easterners and Central Asians? These questions can no longer be ignored; the health and well-being of our people depend on it.

In the meantime, while we’re all still one big family — there are just five days left until the election. Sadly, here in San Francisco more money will probably spent in these few days on negative campaigning and shady last minute tactics than most of us at AsianWeek make in years. But, we urge you to disregard the bullshit and vote with your heart.