published by ANBM on Tue, 11/29/2011 - 01:08
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jeff Adachi says he grew up hearing the stories of his Japanese-American family's internment during World War II.
"They lost everything. But they taught me not to be bitter, to get an education and to stand up for what's right," Adachi, San Francisco's public defender, writes on the website devoted to his campaign for the city's mayor.
He's one of six Asian-Americans candidates who are drawing on their life stories of immigration, discrimination and empowerment as they try to become the first Asian-American elected mayor in the city's history.
San Francisco already has an Asian-American mayor in Ed Lee, who was appointed in January. But the Nov. 8 election is being seen as an historic moment in a city that has the largest percentage of Asian-Americans in the continental United States and boasts the nation's oldest Chinatown.
While the candidates are from diverse Asian backgrounds and differ on policy, all agree that the community's time has come.
published by ANBM on Thu, 10/13/2011 - 20:06
Environment Minister Peter Kent calls neighbourhood “worthy nominee” for world heritage site.
Two of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s top ministers joined other politicians and community members today (October 13) in announcing that Vancouver’s Chinatown will be added to the list of National Historic Sites of Canada.
“There is no better example of the success of Canada’s multiculturalism than Vancouver’s Chinatown,” Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney said at the event, which took place today at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden on Carrall Street. “My parents were from the Lower Mainland, and I remember as a little boy coming down to Chinatown and being awestruck by the colour, the exotic architecture, and the tastes of Chinatown. And all of that as a little boy gave me a sense of the ancient Chinese culture and its role here in its home in Canada, here in Vancouver’s Chinatown.”
published by ANBM on Sun, 10/09/2011 - 15:50
The angel Island Immigration Stations was enlisted on as one of the 11 most endangered historic sites in 1999, As a major port of entry for immigrants from the Pacific Rim and parts of South America, the Angel Island Immigration Station is sometimes called "the Ellis Island of the West Coast." An estimated 250,000 Chinese and 150,000 Japanese, along with thousands of immigrants from other nations, passed through the station from 1910 to 1940.
This hallowed spot, a California state park, fell into ruin. Its plight was mirrored throughout the 265 units of the state parks system, where chronic under funding resulted in a deferred maintenance debt approaching $500 million for historic sites alone.
Year Listed: 1999
Location: California
Current Status: Saved
Threat: Deterioration, Natural Forces, Neglect
published by ANBM on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 19:10
STRENGTHEN AND UNITE COMMUNITIES WITH CIVICS EDUCATION AND ENGLISH DEVELOPMENT (SUCCEED) ACT
Washington, D.C. – The Asian American Center for Advancing Justice commends U.S. Representative Mike Honda (D-Ca) for reintroducing the Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Development (SUCCEED) Act. The bill would provide much-needed assistance to populations that are limited English proficient (LEP), allowing these vulnerable community members to learn English, integrate more quickly and fully into American society and maximize their social and economic contributions to our society.
“English language acquisition resources are hugely needed,” said Karen K. Narasaki, president and executive director of AAJC. “More than 12% of Americans, over 37 million, in our country are foreign born, and that close to 55 million Americans speak a language other than English at home.”
published by ANBM on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 01:12
Contact: Britt Braaten
Multicultural History Society of Ontario
Phone: 416-979-2973
Email: mhso.mail@utoronto.ca
Website: www.mhso.ca/chinesecanadianwomen
New Educational Website Celebrates Chinese Canadian Women’s History TORONTO
(Mar. 14, 2011) The Multicultural History Society of Ontario’s new educational website Chinese Canadian Women, 1923-1967 launches on March 31, and features oral history interviews with Chinese Canadian women from across Canada. The website presents the experiences of Chinese Canadian women during a time of discriminatory immigration restrictions. Visitors can explore exhibits and activities; teachers can download learning resources; and researchers can examine over 1,000 items in an online database.
published by ANBM on Sun, 01/23/2011 - 20:49
About this project
Heartbreaking
wartime memories, family secrets, and the legacy of America’s harsh
anti-Asian immigration policies collide in EVERY DAY IS A HOLIDAY,
Theresa Loong’s spellbinding account about her father and his emotional
return to the land of his imprisonment.
To watch the special Kickstarter trailer, click on the video
above. Director's note: My father manages to embarrass me within the
first 20 seconds.
WHY PLEDGE?
EVERY DAY IS A HOLIDAY has been green-lit by the Independent Television Service (ITVS)!
We need your help to bring EVERY DAY IS A HOLIDAY to public
television! The Independent Television Service (ITVS) has green-lit our
film and will provide $79,000 towards the completion of the film if we
can raise $34,496 (part of which will come from this KICKSTARTER
campaign).
Help us meet the challenge! And score tickets to the premiere,
an exclusive interview from the director, your name in the credits, and
more!
published by ANBM on Sun, 01/23/2011 - 00:25
CHILDREN OF INVENTION
is now streaming
FREE on Hulu for the next 2 months!
Watch it now, and please spread the word by sharing this link:
http://bit.ly/if4XIi
If you live in the New York City tri-state area, you can
also catch the film FREE on Channel 13, the local PBS station
starting tonight! Air times are:
Sat, Jan 22, 10:40pm
Sun, Jan 23, 2:00am
Wed, Jan 26, 1:00am
We're also screening at the Cornell Cinema in Ithaca, NY on
February 9th, and will have a few more have university screenings
and Q&As this year, and we're gonna be back on cable VOD
soon--so check our screenings
page from time to time.
published by ANBM on Sun, 01/09/2011 - 23:19
2011 student internships at AALDEF - apply today!Work on civil rights issues affecting Asian American communities and join the movement for racial and economic justice!
Deadlines: for spring 2011, ASAP; for summer undergraduate interns, Feb. 7; for summer legal interns, Feb. 11.
SPRING 2011 INTERNSHIPSFor Undergraduate, Graduate, and Law Students
Spring internships are available for the following program areas:
- Anti-Trafficking Initiative, legal research and writing related to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as well as outreach, community education, and advocacy on the rights of women and youth trafficking survivors. **Law students ONLY**
- Economic Justice for Workers, litigation on behalf of garment, restaurant, and other low wage workers.
published by ANBM on Fri, 01/07/2011 - 21:46
Motion
Filed to Prevent SB 1070 from Unconstitutionally Curtailing Day Laborers’ 1st
Amendment Rights
PHOENIX – The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) and
Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), as members of the Asian American Center
for Advancing Justice, and a coalition of civil rights organizations today
asked a federal court to prohibit Arizona from enforcing two key sections of
SB 1070 targeting day labor, pending a final court ruling on the these
provisions’ constitutionality. The law creates new criminal offenses,
ostensibly relating to traffic safety, that apply only to individuals
engaging in or receiving employment solicitation speech. According to
the coalition, these provisions cause irreparable harm to day laborers and
those who seek to employ them by curtailing their First Amendment rights.
published by ANBM on Wed, 12/08/2010 - 16:23
WASHINGTON— As the lame-duck session comes to a close, Asian American and Pacific Islander student leaders from nearly 60 universities across the country sent a letter to Congress urging members to pass the DREAM Act before the end of the year.
Frustrated that passage of the historically bipartisan legislation has been blocked, members of the Youth Advisory Council, a project of the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), took action.
“The DREAM Act allows students to pursue their dreams and allows America to fulfill its claim as a nation found[ed] and built by immigrants,” Ling of Stony Brook University said. “It allows students who grew up in their communities to give back to the country that educated and raised them and makes sense from every perspective. These students did not willfully break the law because they were brought to the U.S. without their knowing of the immigration rules and should not be punished.”
One in 10 students who would be covered by the DREAM Act are Asian American while 65,000 DREAM-eligible students graduate from high school each year.
published by ANBM on Fri, 12/03/2010 - 16:25
Maclean's article sparked overdue rebellion against powerful voices claiming racial discrimination is not a problem
Maclean's magazine has struck a match. Now a firestorm of criticism is headed its way. Canada may never be the same.
On Nov. 25, Victoria city council unanimously adopted a motion, submitted by veteran councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe, criticizing Maclean's for their article 'Too Asian' in their widely read special university rankings feature edition (Nov. 2010). The motion, unanimously adopted, described the title of the Maclean's article as "offensive and intolerant" and criticized its contents for "propagating a litany of racial stereotypes."
I agree and Thornton-George and the council deserve credit for speaking out against a media giant. Their action demonstrates how far we have come from the bad old days.
published by ANBM on Tue, 11/30/2010 - 23:01
A Recap on the past news about "Too Asian" in Maclean's publication that triggered off public anger over it's racist content targeting Asian Canadians in higher education.
CCNC Statement on Dialogue with Maclean’s
Monday November 22, 2010
The Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) and Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO) held a media briefing today to report back on the dialogue with Maclean’s magazine on their article entitled “Too Asian”?
Toronto, ON – The Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) and Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO) held a media briefing today to report back on the dialogue with Maclean’s magazine on their article entitled “Too Asian”?
CCNC and CCNCTO and a number of community organizations met with Maclean’s on November 12th and again on November 17th for hour each time. Maclean’s had offered to publish a letter from CCNC in a future edition. CCNC and CCNCTO, after consulting with various community organizations responded with a 4 point proposal:
published by ANBM on Sun, 11/21/2010 - 19:48
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Today, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) and the Asian Law Caucus (ALC), members of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, applauded the California Supreme Court in upholding California law AB 540 in the case, Martinez v. Regents of the University of California. AB 540 is a state law that allows both documented and undocumented students to attend California's college
s and universities and pay in-state tuition rates.
Last September, APALC and ALC, along with a coalition of nearly 80 Asian Pacific American (APA) civil rights, legal, social service, and community organizations, filed an amicus ("friend of the court") brief with the California Supreme Court, supporting immigrant college students' ability to pay in-state tuition under AB 540. The brief describes how thousands of APA students have been able to afford college under AB 540, how undocumented students would be harmed if AB 540 was eliminated, and how APA youth become undocumented and the challenges they face.
published by ANBM on Thu, 11/18/2010 - 20:36
A high-end Asian supermarket opened Wednesday in West Vancouver, in what was once the region's white-bread heart.
T&T Supermarket Inc., Canada's No. 1 Asian grocery chain, has brought the Osaka Supermarket to Park Royal Shopping Centre, just down the road from the British Properties, where covenant clauses not too long ago excluded Asians, and where the local property owners' newsletter was called the Tallyho.
The Osaka Supermarket will bring 60 kinds of miso and 80 kinds of Japanese noodles to West Vancouver, whose famously Anglo-centric persona was skewered by the late Vancouver Sun cartoonist Len Norris, who parodied the tweedy neighbourhoods of Ambleside and Dundarave with his imaginary Amblesnide and Tiddlycove.
Osaka Supermarket will provide the ethnic Chinese food that has made its parent T&T Supermarket chain so successful, but it's character will be Japanese-themed, as befits its name.
published by ANBM on Wed, 11/10/2010 - 21:48
Far East Movement, the Los Angeles electro/rap group, reached a notable milestone recently. Not only did its third album, "Free Wired," debut at #24 on the Billboard charts, one of the highest charting debuts by any all-Asian American group, but its latest single, “Like a G6,” is the #1 single in the country (having already crowned digital charts for weeks).
By coincidence, on Oct. 12, 2010, the day "Free Wired" dropped, TV’s "Glee" featured Asian American actors Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) and Harry Shum Jr. (Mike) joyfully singing and dancing their way through “Sing!” from "A Chorus Line." Three nights earlier, "Glee" star Jane Lynch hosted "Saturday Night Live" with musical guest Bruno Mars, the Filipino-Puerto Rican crooner whose iTunes-topping “Just the Way You Are” was just pushed aside by "Like a G6.”
This confluence seemed to be a long time coming. Prior to FM, the last group of Asian Pacific Islander descent to run the dance floor might have been the Jets, the Tongan-German, Minneapolis-based family band that had a string of dance/R&B hits, including “Curiosity” and “Crush on You.” That was back in 1985.
published by ANBM on Sat, 11/06/2010 - 22:00
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — On Nov. 7, 125 years ago, the residents of what would one day be Bellingham gathered in celebration.
They marched in a torchlight parade, listened to speakers that included the mayor, heard songs by the glee club, and watched a fireworks display.
The reason for their merriment was noted in the Nov. 6, 1885, edition of the Whatcom Reveille, which had invited residents to the Nov. 7 gathering.
“The Chinese are gone. We rejoice. Every person who rejoices in the exit of the Mongolian serfs and coolies is cordially invited,” read that edition of the weekly newspaper.
The Reveille’s publishers, with the help of civic leaders, had successfully launched in its pages a campaign to push all Chinese out of Whatcom County through a combination of threats, boycotts, vitriol, and insistence that the immigrants were taking jobs away from white residents in the midst of an economic downturn.
The Chinese were given until Nov. 1, 1885, to leave.
published by ANBM on Sat, 11/06/2010 - 00:20
LOS ANGELES, CA - Visual Communications is proud to present a special screening of the 1916 Chinese American film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010, 3:00 pm, at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, in Little Tokyo, to celebrate the release of a limited-edition DVD anthology by renown filmmaker Arthur Dong.
The earliest known Chinese American feature film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON was directed in 1916 by Marion Wong of the Mandarin Film Company in Oakland, Calif. One of the few films directed by a woman at that time, the 36-minute silent film is about the assimilation of Chinese in the United States. It stars the director, her sister-in-law Violet Wong, mother-in-law Chin Shee and Harvey Soo Hoo.
published by ANBM on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 14:43
THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, A 1916 CHINESE AMERICAN SILENT FILM, WILL HEADLINE NOVEMBER 6 DVD RELEASE SCREENING AND RECEPTION
LOS ANGELES, CA - Visual Communications is proud to present a special screening of the 1916 Chinese American film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010, 3:00 pm, at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, in Little Tokyo, to celebrate the release of a limited-edition DVD anthology by renown filmmaker Arthur Dong.
The earliest known Chinese American feature film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON was directed in 1916 by Marion Wong of the Mandarin Film Company in Oakland, Calif. One of the few films directed by a woman at that time, the 36-minute silent film is about the assimilation of Chinese in the United States. It stars the director, her sister-in-law Violet Wong, mother-in-law Chin Shee and Harvey Soo Hoo.
published by ANBM on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 20:44
By Chen Xin (China Daily)
BEIJING - Eight years ago, Zhai Tiantian left China to pursue higher education in the United States. Three days ago, the doctoral candidate returned to his home country with a tag of "potential terrorist" on his head.
Zhai, 27, a former student at the New Jersey-based Stevens Institute of Technology, was doing his PhD when the university suspended him in March, citing major violations of the code of conduct for students as the reason. Zhai hit the headlines in the American and Chinese media following his arrest on April 15 on charge of terrorism.
The university reported to the police that Zhai made a phone call threatening to "burn down the university building" - an allegation Zhai vehemently denied.
"I never threatened to burn down the school building," Zhai, a native of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, told China Daily in Beijing.
He said that a verbal dispute with Joseph Staley, the assistant vice-president of the university, led to the controversy.
"He questioned my financial situation and was looking for an excuse to kick me out of school," Zhai said.
published by ANBM on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 00:45
9500 LIBERTY
Dir. Eric Byler & Annabel Park
USA | 80min
published by ANBM on Tue, 05/04/2010 - 23:02
The federal government, which barred a grieving daughter in China from coming to British Columbia for her mother's funeral, has since denied her two subsequent requests to visit the gravesite.
Xiu Lan Huang's nephew said her Canadian relatives are baffled and outraged over what they see as an unjustified lack of compassion.
"How is it that they are not able to feel a daughter's pain?" asked her nephew Jason Ma, who lives in Richmond and works as a support analyst for Worksafe BC.
"There is tremendous shame for her not to be able to be at her mother's funeral."
published by ANBM on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 11:29
By Professor Hyeouk Chris Hahm
Working with diverse immigrant populations who suffered from various mental health disorders in New York City, Professor Hyeouk Chris Hahm had a first-hand look at health disparities among Asian American communities. As a psychiatric social worker for 10 years, she saw a growing prevalence of young Asian American adults dealing with substance use and sexually transmitted disease (STDs). This led her to question the factors associated with risky health behavior patterns, as well as the protective factors of those behaviors including substance use and HIV/STDs risk behaviors among young Asian Americans.
published by ANBM on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 10:11
Since the Asian American film burst onto the scene thirty something years ago, many of those filmmakers, such as, Christine Choy, Wayne Wang, Mira Nair, Ang Lee, Justin Lin and among others are now comfortably part of the American cinematic mainstream.
Each year, hundreds of filmmakers from around the Asian Diaspora submit their short films to Asian American film festivals. They have given us stories of immigration and assimilation, adversity and triumph, motivation and inspiration of all genres: narrative, documentary, experimental, animation, music video.
Common reoccurring themes include identity politics, alienated youth, hypersexualization, math nerds, over-achievers, stereotypes, suburban alienation, and kung-fu waiters.
Been there? Done that?
Tell us YOUR Asian American story.
published by ANBM on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 21:37
In this new year of 2010 I hope everyone can continue to be optimistic as this ever struggling economy still has a heart beat, although we have been told our economies have recovered our wages are still just as terrible ( I think not ). There is still no excuse for not making the best of what we have and we should continue to strive for new heights.
In the past, this website had primarily worked on with publishing Asian related content, intelligent opinions, informative articles and any positive Asian media.
This year there will be a slight adjustment to the style of posting, usually we would publish news without actual commentary but as of today we will be adding in our 2 cents worth to everything post. Ideally would like to throw topics in the air and have people take it upon themselves to think about issues.
We'll try to remain objective about each issue.
The first fear mongering article I've come across since the beginning of this new year sums up all the forecasts of "experts" panic stricken and fear mongering media who can only see this world burning in hell.
published by ANBM on Fri, 01/01/2010 - 00:41
.jpg)
Dec. 31 (by James S. Russell) -- I didn’t want to let the year close without reflecting on the new Museum of Chinese in America designed by Maya Lin.
The location, on Manhattan’s lively Centre Street, poignantly underlines the mutability of ethnic identity. It is steps from the bargain-hunting throngs on Canal Street, around the corner from what’s left of Little Italy, and smack in the path of SoHo’s encroaching slickness. It’s the perfect spot to consider what it is to be a hyphenated American.
The museum’s tinted-glass storefront, half-framed by a long horizontal L of wood, is a rather tentative invitation to a building with richly entwined stories to tell and tough questions to ask.
It’s too bad that Lin, famous for the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., avoided the tough task of making a specific statement rather than a generalized one.
published by ANBM on Sat, 12/19/2009 - 23:53
Are you currently unemployed? According to the new Canadian citizenship guidebook for prospective immigrants, over 8.6% of unemployed Canadians are not fulfilling the Canadian responsibility of having a job, which now comes with the rights of having a Canadian citizenship.
The new Canadian citizenship guidebook was unveiled last week, redefining what it means to be Canadian. After all, new Canadian immigrants are more likely to be unemployed, which must mean—according to the authors of the guidebook—that their economic difficulties are a result of their failure adopt Canadian values. In addition, the new guidebook tells prospective immigrants, “Canada’s openness and generosity do not extend to barbaric cultural practices that tolerate spousal abuse, “honour killings,” female genital mutilation, or other gender-based violence.”
published by ANBM on Sun, 11/15/2009 - 15:31
Goodbye Lou, we won't miss you at all! most of us are glad that you have taken the hint.
Many People do not like you polluting the airway with your blabbering racist rhetoric and fear mongering politics.
The world can only be a happier place.
After facing intense pressure for his anti-immigration rhetoric, Lou Dobbs announced his resignation last night to his viewers. He will be replaced by John King.
Wednesday’s program will be his last on CNN, even though his contract was not set to expire until the end of 2011.While his reasons were “some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond the role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem solving as well as to contribute positively to the great understanding of the issues of our day”, the truth is that intense pressure from campaigns like Drop Dobbs and Basta Dobbs have had a tremendous impact, including the airing of a Drop the Hate ad on MSNBC.
The New York Times reports,
published by ANBM on Sun, 10/18/2009 - 00:23
When the Hyphen editorial team discovered that Amy Tan was the recipient of the third annual Litquake Barbary Coast Award for contribution to the Bay Area literary community, there was a flurry of confused emails: What exactly was this award and why did Amy Tan deserve to win it? I decided to go and investigate how the San Francisco literary community celebrates one of Asian America's most (in)famous writers.
As I sat in the half-full Herbst Theater this past Wednesday, in a crowd that seemed to be made up of mostly middle-aged white people, I considered what exactly I thought of Amy Tan's winning this award. Obviously, as we have covered at Hyphen extensively, though Tan indeed put "the Bay Area on the literary map" -- the point of the award as explained by Litquake's founders Jack Boulware and Jane Ganhal -- The Joy Luck Club and Tan's subsequent bibliography has irked many an Asian American.
published by ANBM on Sun, 09/20/2009 - 17:02
SFGATE - A group of community leaders and journalists did something seemingly unusual last week - they started a newspaper, the Nichi Bei Weekly.
But while its introduction comes as economic pressures are forcing publications to scale down or close, it also comes at a time when the audience for ethnic media is bigger than ever.
According to a study earlier this year by New America Media, a San Francisco group that represents 2,000 ethnic news organizations around the country, readership in this sector increased by 16 percent over the last four years.
Still, it won't be easy. Despite an increasing readership, the ethnic press hasn't escaped the same downturn in advertising that has hurt mainstream publications.
The fledgling Weekly, in fact, was born out of the demise of the Nichi Bei Times, Northern California's oldest Japanese American paper.
published by ANBM on Sat, 08/22/2009 - 14:58
NICHIBEI - The Nichi Bei Times’ board of directors has decided to close Northern California’s oldest
Japanese American newspaper on Sept. 30 of this year after 63 years of business. In its place, a group of Nichi Bei Times staff and community members plan to start the Nichi Bei Foundation, a separate nonprofit reincarnation of the paper.
Kenji G. Taguma, the Nichi Bei Times’ vice president and English edition editor, has pioneered plans for the new Foundation because he believes the paper is an essential voice for Japanese Americans.
“Today, I see the paper as the glue that holds the community together,” Taguma said.
Decline in circulation and advertisements were chief reasons for the decision to close the Nichi Bei Times, said Ken Abiko, board chair of the paper, whose circulation base of around 8,000 includes primarily Northern California readers.
Pages
