It has been my pleasure to write a monthly column for ALIST–I believe in the mission of this magazine and the desire of all its contributors and editors to affirm and empower individual Asian Americans and to strengthen our commitment to Asian American issues.

I have recently learned that the parent organization, NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals) receives funding from the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and thus requires ALIST to advertise on behalf of the CIA–to recruit readers of ALIST to possibly join the CIA.

Given the very troubling history of the CIA in cold war politics of the last half century, especially given its problematic politics regarding people and communities in Asian nations, I feel I cannot write for ALIST if it continues to advertise on behalf of the CIA (which presently they seem forced to do).  I recognize that this may not be an ethical stance that others would choose to take, but it is one that my conscience compels me to make.

Here’s to keeping up the good fight wherever we choose to fight (as I hope all of you will because there are still things happening like the racist rager at Duke University making fun of Asians and vlogs by white people who rant about why they  wouldn’t ever want to be Asian and parodies that fail that are purportedly about Asian privilege but are really about hipster racism).