Hyphen magazine - Asian American arts, culture, and politics

Summer 2009. Cover photo by Ryan Schude

In The Action Issue we proudly present some movements in the Asian American community that deserve more attention. Dorian Merina brings us the story of Southeast Asian refugees in the Bronx who are connecting across generations to break a decades-long cycle of poverty, while Emily Leach has ventured to Cuba to report on Japanese Americans and Japanese Cubans who are exchanging stories of shared and divergent pasts — and of uncertain but hopeful futures.

Momo Chang sheds light on a movement that’s right at our fingertips: “green” nail salons run by Asian Americans who, as salon workers, have long borne the brunt of under-regulated toxins. And Steffi Lau provides a front-row vantage point of ongoing changes in Asian American theater, including ventures beyond tried (and tired) stories about culture clashes and identity searches.

In reading these stories, I hope you’ll likewise be shoved out of your usual routine and into doing something. To help you out, we’ve listed resources and information on how you can get involved in these and many other issues.