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May 22, 2018 CURRENT AFFAIRS How 9/11 Changed Immigration The DREAM Act, which grants legal status to undocumented immigrants who had arrived in the United States as children, was initially scheduled for a Congressional hearing on September 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks that day delayed those plans — and the status of such immigrants remains far from assured today. Tereza Lee, whose story provided the inspiration for the DREAM Act, believes that 9/11 changed the immigration debate forever. “The American public became more fearful, particularly of perceived outsiders, and any immigrant-friendly legislation was out of the question,” she told an audience at Asia Society. Watch/Read

BOOKS Kevin Rudd's China Journey China in 1976 was not an easy place to grasp — "as opaque to outsiders as North Korea is today." But for the young Kevin Rudd, the ancient country represented a marvelous scholastic opportunity. In this excerpt from his new book Not for the Faint Hearted, Rudd, Australia's former prime minister and the current president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, describes his lifelong fascination with China. Read LITERATURE Celeste Ng on Why Cultural Visibility Should Include Everyone The novelist, whose second book Little Fires Everywhere is being adapted into a TV show for Hulu, tells Asia Blog about the challenges of writing outside one's own race and why 2018 may be a breakthrough year for Asian Americans on screen. Read BUSINESS Meditating on the Bottom Line In recent years, mindfulness has become a billion-dollar industry, and one whose practices, such as meditation, are now seen as an integral benefit to Fortune 500 companies. Find out how an ancient Buddhist concept became so essential to modern business. Read INTERVIEW Capturing the Asian American Creative Community Kathleen Tso and Vicki Ho, founders of Banana magazine, wanted to create a publication that to capture the unique energy of New York's Asian American creative community — and to make it print only. In this interview with Asia Blog, Tso and Ho discuss their upbringing, thoughts about gentrification in Manhattan's Chinatown, and how they feel about the word "banana." Read

UPCOMING EVENTS New York — 2018 Osborn Elliott Prize Luncheon and Discussion, 5/23 New York — How Meditation Benefits Business, 5/24 Zurich — The Korean Peninsula and the Changing Global Security Landscape 5/29 JOIN & SUPPORT Asia Society relies on the generosity of its friends and members to support its mission of strengthening relationships and promoting understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States. Become a Member Donate

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