Where are all the Brown football players? Given how popular soccer is on the streets of South Asia, the fanbase is not reflected on the field. It’s rare to see #Indians, #Pakistanis, #Nepalis, #Afghans or anyone else from #SouthAsia to be seen in world events like @fifaworldcup or @premierleague. Although often cited, the reason is more complex than the typically offered: “Asian parents don’t let their kids play sports professionally.’” Here’s Keshia Hannam on how football is failing South Asians at a systemic level and making football related professions inaccessible.

Shirong Wu believes that she was born at the right time to play Xiao in the play White Pearl. Before joining White Pearl, Shirong says “I went into the audition room and the whole team was white and there were all these confused Asian girls in the room. They wanted us to do a little Kung Fu sequence and I don’t know how to do Kung Fu.” After that experience, Shirong Wu would never say just ‘yes’ to anything and to reject rolls that typecast her. She believes that these stereotypical Asian characters written for her without her Asian heritage and culture in mind were tiring her and the audience. Wanting more representation in theater, she was able to find Anchuli Felicia King’s White Pearl. Anchuli Felicia King’s White Pearl is about six Asian women - all from different parts of Asia - are having the worst day at their office at a cosmetic company. The play observes why beauty companies continue to uphold white beauty standards, how colorism is deeply rooted in Asian beauty standards, and intercultural racism and prejudice within Asian cultures. Shirong felt that she came at the right time when everybody was hungry for better representation in their entertainment and to bring attention to problems within the Asian community.

The Indigenous languages of Asian countries like Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos have recently become at risk of dying out. There are many reasons why languages die - most often for political, economic and cultural reasons like the Indonesian government has pushed a nationalist agenda to create a sense of identity for the country. This is important because languages are the connective tissue of traditions, cultures, and communities. Historically, Thailand’s government has forced indigenous groups to assimilate to one unified language under a nationalist agenda. However, linguistic diversity is crucial for understanding our capacity for language - linguistic diversity helps us preserve culture and it's a tool for knowledge sharing. Because a language dies out every two weeks around the world, Stephanie Tangkilisan dove into how languages die and whether there’s any way to maintain linguistic diversity before erasure.

How do you honor your heritage? Diego Risco Chang honors his Chinese ancestry by sharing his culture at the Chinese Charity Society in Peru. As a member, he continues to teach and practice at Peru’s first lion and dragon dance group to promote both cultures. He welcomes everybody to experience his traditional lions and dragon dance — a centuries old performance to attract good Omens and repel bad energy. Diego does not choose one or the other. He chose to live his truth by merging his Peruvian and his Chinese culture to create a new rich culture.

The 23d annual Seoul Queer Parade is in jeopardy. The city government has called for a committee to decide whether it can take place at Seoul Plaza, even though it’s been held there every year since 2015. In 2021, the city government also denied an application from Seoul Queer Culture Festival to form an NGO, saying that it would cause “social conflict.” What this means, no one knows exactly. South Korea offers no legal protection for sexual and gender minorities, including same-sex marriage. Former President Moon Jae-In has said that he had no intention of legalizing same-sex unions, because society “has yet to reach a consens,” according to the Washington Post. Now, LGBTQ+ rights groups are calling on the newly-elected President Yoon Seok-Yeol to take action against rampant homophobia in Korea and denounce his aide who has said that homosexuality is a mental illness. Do you think the government will allow the parade?

It’s easy to look at the racial dynamics of America and believe that’s not who Australia is. Yet, the Asian Australian Alliance recorded 337 hate crimes against Asian Australians over the span of a month and half. In fact, 1 in 5 Chinese Australians reported being threatened or attacked in 2020 because of their heritage. But this is happening in a vacuum. Australia has a racist past to reckon with, starting with the very structure of law. In the 1900’s, legislators passed multiple laws to stop non-white immigrants from gaining legal citizenship. These collections of racist laws that kept immigrants from gaining citizenship were called the White Australian Policy. Why? After World War II, Australia’s population was stagnant and needed new people to rebuild their country. By 1975, the Racial Discrimination Act made it illegal to discriminate against migrants based on race. Remnants of White Australian Policy are ingrained in white Australians psyche. Refugees are met with unwelcomed sentiment in political campaigns like “stop the boats,” migrant populations are given hateful and reductive names, First Nations people are disproportionately met with police brutality, and Asians are blamed for COVID. Racist and xenophobic laws in the past have influenced how white Australians act towards non-white people. Australia is a home for so many, and to be the safe and thriving multicultural it hopes to be, there is further reckoning to be done.