Dear Friends,

Roots and Wings: Celebrating Asian American Youth with the Power of Community: Our full-day, in-person Youth Symposium on September 6 is shaping up to be an extraordinary event with over 24 Asian American leaders confirmed to join us in San Mateo, California, on September 6. Through dynamic panel discussions, interactive breakout sessions, and cultural showcases, participants will gain fresh perspectives, practical insights, and a deeper commitment to personal and community growth. Youth aged 14-21, their parents and guardians, and their educators are invited to sign up now while spaces are open. Register here to join us at the College of San Mateo from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm PT on September 6. 

Speakers on our keynote Trailblazers panel include:

• Andrew Chau – co-founder and CEO of Boba Guys and Tea People USA
• Mina Fedor – founder of AAPI Youth Rising, which combats anti-Asian xenophobia
• Abigail Hing Wen – best-selling author of books for young adults, including “Loveboat, Taipei,” and executive producer of the film “Love in Taipei”
• Steven Kan – Other Bets Director at Alphabet, overseeing Alphabet’s investments in operating companies and investment funds
• Julie Su – nationally recognized civil rights expert, attorney, and Deputy and Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor in the Biden administration

We are also thrilled to announce that our cultural showcases highlighting Asian American creativity include:

• Natasha Chandel – comedian, actor, and writer, producer, and host of the comedy dating podcast “Kinda Dating”
• Josh Chuck – co-director of the films “Chinatown Rising” and “Making Waves”—the latter is a powerful film on ethnic studies and Asian American activism

Breakfast and lunch are included. There is no fee for youth to register. A small fee is required at registration for parents/guardians and teachers; however, this fee will be refunded after the event if you attend, making the event free to attend for all. Educators who register for a group with students and/or parents can email ys@1990institute.org to receive a code to waive the registration fee.

Show your support for youth with a donation of ANY SIZE. We are also looking for volunteers and sponsors to help make this event a success. Will you join us? Please also share our newsletters with your friends and family and encourage them to subscribe. Thank you.

For more on the Youth Symposium’s highlights, please scroll down to our Spotlight section.
 

Register now for our NEW Youth Symposium to celebrate and empower Asian American youth. This is a space where students, parents, educators, and community members can connect, share, and learn from one another and is designed to be a step forward towards lasting change, connectivity, and community empowerment.

Why the U.S. needs international students

By Denise Yiran Zheng, PhD
 

About 75 years ago, U.S. institutions had a little over 25,000 international students. Since then, this number has skyrocketed. During the 2023-2024 school year, over 1.1 million international students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy and supported 378,175 jobs. China and India accounted for 54% of all international students. This trend is being reversed by recent policies that restrict student visas. 

In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department will begin “aggressively revoking” visas for Chinese international students, specifically targeting those linked to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields, although his brief statement did not include how that would be determined. After a three-week suspension, the U.S. resumed student visa appointments on June 18, adding social-media screening requirements—applicants must disclose and set public all social media from the past five years.

Visa revocations place international students in a vulnerable position. These students shifted their lives to come to the U.S. to pursue better education and opportunities, but now, they face barriers that hinder their potential to continue. Students who are also attracted by America’s democratic values are now cautioned to keep silent to avoid being targeted. Underlying student visa restrictions are biases that perceive people of other nationalities as threatening, this fear has led to short-sighted policymaking, undermining the U.S.’s strength. Immigrants of all nationalities, however, have supported this country’s development and expanded its global influence. Moreover, policies that target ethnicity have consequences far beyond campuses. It can fuel public mistrust of Asian Americans and perpetuate xenophobia and sinophobia.

Without new international students, immigrants, and their children, U.S. college enrollment would be reduced to two-thirds of current undergraduate levels and 60% of graduate levels by 2037, posing a severe threat to higher education. This is a steep drop, especially in STEM, where nearly half of PhDs in the U.S. are earned by international students. These losses would threaten the survival of many institutions and reduce educational and employment opportunities nationwide. In 2022, 25% of billion-dollar startup companies in the U.S. were founded by individuals who came to the U.S. as international students. 

The troubling combination of restricting international student exchanges and deep cuts to federal funding for scientific research debilitates America’s scientific dominance and sets it on the path to a brain drain, as the current challenging environment has prompted intellectuals to study elsewhere. Other nations such as China are actively recruiting foreign talent to advance science. The European Union also launched a Choose Europe for Science initiative to attract U.S. scholars. 

International students are often caught in the crossfire of geopolitical and trade tensions. Student visas have been used as leverage in trade negotiations. For instance, recent talks concerning rare earth minerals—of which China produced 69% in 2024—led the U.S. to halt visa revocations for Chinese international students. To remain a global leader involves being able to attract and retain talent from around the world by making people feel that they are welcomed, safe, and included in this society. This is supported by research, which shows that diversity benefits our society. The U.S. must rethink its immigration and science policies to remain a top destination for the next generation of innovators.

Yung Wing, a Chinese-born U.S. citizen, furthered an understanding of China in the U.S. by donating thousands of volumes to form the core of Yale University’s world-renowned East Asian Library, one of the major collections of East Asian materials in the United States. Learn more on New Asian American Voices.

Curated News

Ceremonial Swearing-In at Library of Congress Marks Official Start of National APA Museum Commission | Rafu Shimpo  Established by Public Law 117-140 (H.R. 3525) in June 2022, the bipartisan commission is charged with delivering a report to the president and Congress that will lay the foundation for the possible creation of a national museum.

New sign in Detroit marks Vincent Chin Street, amid push to revive Chinatown | Detroit Free Press  State Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, the first Asian American woman to serve in the Michigan Legislature, said she hopes the street sign will help educate more people about Chin's case and connect it to today's challenges. Learn more about Vincent Chin on New Asian American Voices.

U.S.-born Asian Americans no longer the healthiest group among older adults | NBC News  For the first time in two decades, older Asian Americans are no longer the healthiest U.S.-born aging racial group with the lowest rates of disability, according to a study published last month in the Journals of Gerontology.

Mahjong makes a comeback with younger players in the Bay Area | Axios San Francisco  The strategy game that originated in China is traditionally associated with older generations in the Asian diaspora. That's no longer the case. See our short video for more on the game’s history and how it acts as a unifying force among diverse groups today: “Beyond the Tiles: Making Connections Through Mahjong.”

For the first time, Xi is missing a China-backed BRICS summit. Why? | CNN  Chinese leader Xi Jinping—who has made BRICS a centerpiece of his push to reshape the global balance of power—is not attending the annual leaders’ gathering this month at a critical moment for BRICS (which owes its acronym to early members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and has expanded to include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran). Read more about China and BRICS in our January 2025 newsletter.

Rare earths shortage could cause pandemic-era disruptions, experts say | CNN Business  China has a virtual monopoly on those 17 metallic elements, which are critical components to everyday products. Running low on those minerals could recall the pandemic-era chip shortage that jacked up car prices, used and new, across America.

Watch out, Starbucks: China’s biggest coffee chain opens its first U.S. locations | CNN Business  Luckin Coffee, the fast-growing chain that beat Starbucks at its own game in China, is entering the United States with its first two U.S. locations, both in New York City.

ICE raids quiet SoCal's Asian hubs | LAist/Southern California Public Radio  Many of California’s Asian population are undocumented immigrants who are not proficient in English, which civil rights lawyers worry will make it even more difficult for them to navigate an increasingly turbulent immigration system.

Reeling from Trump rebukes, Europe weighs deeper ties with China | AP News  China is the EU’s second largest trading partner in goods, after the U.S. Both China and the EU believe it is in their interest to keep their trade ties stable for the sake of the global economy, and they share certain climate goals. Learn more about why China is key to addressing climate change in our short video: “Why are Chinese and Americans the Key to Life on Planet Earth?”

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