Asian American Biographies

   Maryam Durani (b. 1987). An Afghan activist and women's advocate. In 2012, she received the International Women of Courage Award.  Maryam Durani is the daughter of Haji Mohammad Eisa Durani, and she is a member of the Durrani tribe. She graduated from the Payam Noor and American University of Afghanistan. She earned a degree in Law and Political Science and business. Despite the area's extremely conservative view toward women, Durani served as a leader, role model, and advocate for women in Kandahar. First elected as a Kandahar Provincial Council Member in 2005 at the age of 21 and for a second term in 2009, Durani served as one of only four women on the Council and brought women's concerns and a woman's perspective to the activities and discussions of the Council. As a young, emerging leader in southern Afghanistan, Durani's courage and dedication to the women of Afghanistan were embedded in the fabric of her daily lif...

  Overlooked No More: Bill Hosokawa, Journalist Who Chronicled Japanese American History He fought prejudice and incarceration during World War II to lead a successful career, becoming one of the first editors of color at a metropolitan newspaper. Bill Hosokawa in 1951, when he worked for The Denver Post. Credit... Cloyd Teter/The Denver Post, via Getty Images Share full article By  Jonathan van Harmelen  and  Greg Robinson May 16, 2024 This article is part of  Overlooked , a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times. In 1937, Bill Hosokawa was majoring in journalism at the University of Washington, where he had started developing a promising portfolio, having written for several small Seattle newspapers. So it came as a surprise when a professor of his called him into his office and advised him to change his career plan. “No American publisher is gonna ever hire you,” the professor said. “We don’t...