| | | | | Dear Friends, Fall is arriving and along with a new school year comes another wave of U.S.–China headlines, including recent scrutiny of American universities’ ties to Chinese researchers and institutions. Public discourse around national security can often spill over into suspicions that harm our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. At the 1990 Institute, we believe it is essential for all Americans to separate policy debates from identity, and to ensure our youth never bear the burden of geopolitical rhetoric. Middle school to college students are navigating an online world shaped by a rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape and algorithmic amplification. This can compound existing mental health challenges: a recent study showed that nearly one in five young people ages 12-21 turn to AI chatbots for mental health advice — signaling both their digital fluency and potentially a growing sense of isolation and academic and social anxiety. At the 1990 Institute, we have made it a priority to help our teens and young adults filter out noise and stay grounded in who they are. We’ve gathered experts who are culturally sensitive to the Asian American community to share their insights and tools at our Roots & Wings Youth Symposium to be held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the College of San Mateo. This full-day, interactive gathering brings together students, parents/guardians, educators, and community leaders to confront the dual pressures of increasing deglobalization and accelerating technological change. Through honest conversations with inspiring Asian American trailblazers, conversations about AI and mental health, and hands-on media literacy workshops, we will equip you and your teens and young adults with the confidence, clarity, and resilience to navigate today’s world and proudly own their identity.  We invite young people ages 14-21, their parents, guardians, educators, and AAPI community advocates – to register now and join us on September 19 at the College of San Mateo for the 2026 event. We look forward to seeing you. Join us in supporting our programs and our next generation. Stay connected with us by subscribing to our mailing lists and exploring past newsletter issues.
Victor Young
1990 Institute Board Chair |
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| | | | ROOTS & WINGS YOUTH SYMPOSIUM ON SEPTEMBER 19 — Join us at the College of San Mateo
👉 See the full Youth Symposium schedule of sessions and register here today. - We created the Roots and Wings Youth Symposium out of an urgent need to support our children in a world that often forces them to choose between their passion and who they may feel pressured to become. This symposium helps them embrace their "roots" — a deep sense of cultural identity, family grounding, and community belonging — while giving them the "wings" of confidence and independence. It is an intentional, intergenerational space where we break down societal stereotypes and focus on lifting up the whole child. Young people are navigating intense academic expectations, digital noise, and at times generational divides. This symposium is our way of helping you and your teen and young adult to de-stigmatize mental wellness struggles and bridge communication gaps.
- In our capstone session — the "Dinner-Table” Conversation — youth, parents, guardians, and educators meet in a supportive, grounded space, where barriers can come down and connection and healing can begin together. True success is impossible without resiliency, the emotional grit needed to face a complicated world, handle setbacks, and stand up for yourself. By bringing tools offered during the symposium back to your daily dinner tables, our hope is that when our children are ready to fly, they will have the internal stability to approach their futures with confidence.
- 🌟 See our top 8 reasons for you to attend. Don't wait to secure your spot — space is limited.
WORLD FILM PREMIERES AT ROOTS & WINGS — Register for Roots & Wings and be among the first to see two documentary shorts that will premiere at our event on September 19. - ⭐ “Written in Blood, Tears and Sweat: The K.W. Lee Story” — This film honors trailblazing journalist and activist K.W. Lee, the first Asian immigrant hired as a reporter by a mainstream daily newspaper in the continental U.S. His investigative reporting on Chol Soo Lee’s wrongful conviction sparked a historic pan-Asian American movement that ultimately secured Chol Soo’s freedom. K.W.’s vibrant life and legacy are told through his mentees: Do Kim, a civil rights attorney, and Julie Ha, co-director of the acclaimed documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee.”
- ⭐ “Invisible Lifelines: The Asian American Legacy of Courage, Care, & Contribution” — This documentary traces the history of Asian Americans in U.S. healthcare, including the pipeline of Filipino nurses from training during the American colonial-era straight to American ICUs. Highlighting both structural reliance and deep vulnerability — most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic — the film covers the resulting frontline sacrifices, as well as groundbreaking innovations including the N95 mask technology. These medical professionals emerge as foundational, often unrecognized pillars of American medicine.
“IN JOSEPH ILETO’S EYES” ACCEPTED TO SILICON VALLEY ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL (SVAPFF) — Screening on October 24 - We’re proud to announce that the documentary short “In Joseph Ileto’s Eyes,” executive produced by the 1990 Institute, has been chosen for SVAPFF’s Shorts Collection: From Hate to Hope, screening in-person on October 24. Get your tickets to see it on the big screen along with other notable shorts that highlight the resilience, bravery, and strength of those who stand against hate — and show how courage and community can transform hate into hope. The festival runs in-person October 22–25 in Sunnyvale, CA.
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|  | “Written in Blood, Tears and Sweat: The K.W. Lee Story” will premiere at our September 19 symposium. This documentary short tells the story of K.W. Lee (1928–2025) — an award-winning reporter, editor, and civil rights advocate — and his investigative reporting that exposed major flaws and racial bias toward Chol Soo Lee, a Korean American immigrant wrongfully convicted of a 1973 murder and sentenced to life in prison. |
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| ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER (AAPI) NEWS Judge blocks Trump's latest effort to narrow birthright citizenship | CBS News - After the Supreme Court in June struck down Trump’s initial attempt to end birthright citizenship, he signed a narrower order last month to deny citizenship to children of "alien enemies," foreign government employees, and people allegedly engaged in "birth tourism."
- On September 2, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman temporarily halted the Trump administration from enforcing the new order, calling it “almost certainly unconstitutional.”
How 9/11 Shaped My Life | Time - Today marks 25 years since September 11, 2001 and the watershed event continues to have both personal and global implications.
- Read these stories of AAPIs and others who shared their connections to the day, including South Asian American Alka Pradhan, human rights attorney, then a college student; Taiwanese American Jukay Hsu, tech nonprofit founder and U.S. Army veteran, then student-body president at Stuyvesant High, three blocks from the World Trade Center; and Afghan immigrant Shams Frough, Chicago business owner and former interpreter for the U.S. Army, then in elementary school.
- More: ‘Never forget’, 25 years later: Betty Ong, the flight attendant who made the first 9/11 call | NBC Bay Area
Couple Behind Panda Express Talks Journey, Authenticity Debate | NBC’s Today Show AAPI ICE arrests in California surge in 2025 | Sacramento Bee - California is home to more than 7.2 million AANHPIs, about 30% of the nation’s total AAPI population. According to a new analysis by the USC Equity Research Institute, immigration arrests of AAPIs in the state increased more than tenfold in 2025.
- AAPI Californians were involved in one of every 10 arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — a 1,100%+ increase from the year prior and significantly higher than the almost fourfold jump in overall ICE arrests.
U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS & CHINA NEWS Trump and Xi are set to meet in DC. Why some China watchers have low expectations | CNBC - President Donald Trump is slated to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24, and the stakes are sky high — but some China watchers are keeping their expectations low as the May 2026 summit in China resulted in few concrete business deals or breakthroughs on geopolitical issues.
U.S. agencies say top Chinese AI companies systematically copied American models | NBC News - The White House frequently describes the U.S. as racing China to develop the most cutting-edge AI.
- The U.S. government named six Chinese AI companies that it says copied American models. China has dismissed such accusations as groundless.
Ban on Chinese robots leaves U.S. startups stranded | Rest of World - Washington’s limits on foreign parts promises a supply chain revolution — but Silicon Valley founders say domestic alternatives don’t exist yet.
2026 Best Countries Index | Knowledge at Wharton - Wharton’s 2026 Best Countries Index released this summer ranked 85 countries on 73 attributes. China moved up two places to No. 14 overall. Compared to the U.S., China was perceived to be higher in the “Open for business” category (#35 v #72) and more optimistic of the benefits of AI (84%) compared to the U.S. (63%).
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| | "Invisible Lifelines: The Asian American Legacy of Courage, Care, & Contribution" shares the stories of Asian Americans’ integral role in U.S. healthcare, including groundbreaking innovations as well as disproportionate sacrifices resulting from U.S. hospitals’ longstanding reliance on American-trained Filipino nurses to close persistent nursing shortages. This documentary short will have its world premiere during our Youth Symposium on September 19. |
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| | ASIAN AMERICAN UNITY COALITION (AAUC) — Join an opportunity to discuss issues affecting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. - Prior to the 2026 midterm elections, AAUC is bringing together community leaders, experts, advocates, and allies from across the Sacramento region for a day of education and action.
- 2026 Unity Summit: Together We Rise! at California State University Sacramento, October 7, 2026, 9 am–6 pm. Open to the public. Registration is free. Watch a preview.
- On the agenda: cost of living and affordability; access to healthcare and government services; immigration and protection of civil rights; political representation and voting rights; and mental health, identity, and belonging.
MOSAIC (MOVEMENT SOLIDARITY AMONG AAPI COMMUNITIES) — Launched in 2025, MOSAIC is designed to unify, connect, and mobilize organizations across regions and with other communities of color. ASAMNEWS — A parent-child column begins a new chapter at this online daily news site dedicated to AAPI communities. |
| | Dim Sum - A Little Bit of Heart |
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| | | | 1990 Institute
P.O. Box 383 | San Francisco, California 94104
[email protected] www.1990institute.org Copyright 2026 The 1990 Institute. All rights reserved. |
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