Simon S. Tam's Blog

It’s often very difficult to truly appreciate what we have and how much was sacrificed in order to enjoy those gifts. Today is a good reminder of that. We now celebrate it as National Loving Day because of one very brave couple.

In early 1900s, the United States passed a number of anti-miscegenation laws in order to preserve racial purity. These were laws that criminalized interracial marriage and were primarily used to target Black Americans, though other racial groups (including Asian Ameri...

For the past several months, email and social media feeds have been filled with one announcement after. First, it was “a message from our CEO” and “Our Statement on COVID,” reassuring us of a commitment to safety and order. Now, you’ll see “Our Statement on Racism” and “In Solidarity With Those Who Struggle.” In addition to corporate stances on major social issues during this time, you’ll see individual versions of this: black squares on Instagram, statements on politics (often from those who do...

Recently, I shared a great article from The Guardian that provided a great explainer of what is being meant when people say “Defund the police” (I also highly recommend this podcast episode of The Daily on it). Someone quickly responded with, “Dumbest rally cry ever.”

Today, I noticed a doctored image of the Lincoln Memorial being widely shared on social media. It claimed that Black Lives Matters protesters defaced it with spray paint. Like many internet memes, it didn’t seem right so I did ...

When is rushing a good idea?

When we think about both our professional and personal lives, there’s a general consensus that rushing is a bad idea because it can often lead to mistakes. Like interest, those errors can compound if let unchecked and uncorrected. It’s easiest to frame this in terms of navigation: if you are off-course by only one degree, you will be off by 5.2 feet after traveling 100 yards. However, if you were traveling around the globe from Washington, D.C., you would miss you...

Recently, I shared about an experience I had that could have been tense, anger-inducing, and possibly ruin my day. Instead, it turned out differently than most would expect:

Yesterday, a white supremacist began sending messages to my FB page in response to one of my TED talks. I think it was mostly an attempt to get a rise out of me.

What ended up happening was a conversation unfolded – mostly me asking him questions that also helped dispel some of the assumptions he had about me. Whenever...

It’s a somewhat rhetorical question that we often ask without truly examining our intention: Why isn’t the media talking about this?

Usually, when this is said, especially on social media during a heated debate, the odds are fairly high that the media is indeed already reporting on the matter. After all, that person had to hear about it from somewhere. Most news is aggregated so it was probably covered by the Associated Press or Reuters. Every time I see someone saying something to the effect of...

This month, I received some unexpected news twice in the form of book awards. First, Book Authority named my memoir one of the 25 Best Books on the Constitution of All Time* (a pretty audacious claim in my opinion!). Then, I learned that I also received the silver medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards** for Autobiography/Memoir category. There was supposed to be a big fancy ceremony in New York (complete with medals and all) but now itll just be a Zoom call instead. Either way, I...

Today kicks off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month so I thought Id share this experience from earlier this week.

On Monday, I received over 100 hateful and racist comments from trolls, white supremacists, and far-right wing conspiracists on my Asian American bands page. More specifically, it was on a post announcing a new grant that our nonprofit is releasing to help counter anti-Asian American racism with art that sparks empathy, compassion, and connection.

Im not angry, I just feel sad....

Im proud to be launching a new effort to help counter anti-Asian American racism that has been rising since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic while supporting artists. Its called Countering Hate with Art, the newest program from The Slants Foundation.

At The Slants Foundation, we believe that art can play an important role in addressing hate by helping shift the conversation around racism and working to change the culture. Whether it is reappropriation, irony and satire, or expressions...

During this time of year, a boisterous mockingbird will land on the tree outside my bedroom window every morning to sing at 6 AM. Its quite a racket. Aside from the decibel level, the song is never consistent. Sometimes, it sounds like other birds. Other times, it sounds like it is mimicking a car alarm.

One of the things that makes a mockingbird unique from other songbirds is that it doesnt have its own unique song. Most birds learn and memorize from a mentor. But thats not the case with...