Dear Carmen,
The Blaaag is dying to be able to write Heroes recaps for you.
Please take us.
Love,
The Blaaag
[Update 6:46 pm]
Amazing turnout & people. I'm expecting Spec to headline it tomorrow. Huge props to all those who took their time to plan everything this weekend!
If you were anywhere near this campus (or passing by in one of those huge red tour buses), I don't need to describe the event to you.
---
On December 4, 2006, six black teenage students were charged with beating a white student after a series of racially charged incidents occurred in Jena, Louisiana. Evidence proves that these charges (attempted second degree murder; conspiracy to commit attempted second degree murder) were racially discriminatory after equally injurious crimes committed by white students were left unpunished.
On September 20, 2007, rallies were held in Jena to show "support of the Jena Six and all African Americans in the United States who have been unfairly treated by the justice system". Among the expected 40 to 60 thousand attendants stood a huge number of students from Columbia University.
On September 26, 2007, racially charged graffiti targeted against "people of Middle Eastern and African descent" was found in a bathroom stall of the International Affairs Building. In an emergency meeting held on Thursday evening by the Black Students Organization, one student commented that "this is an echo of what happened in Jena."
On October 1, 2007, leaders of 50 campuses nationwide plan for a national walkout to take place at noon. Though the aforementioned events do not directly target Asian American students (and, in turn, the Asian American Alliance), AAA's members wish to help fight against racial injustice and show solidarity towards all students that have been treated unequally by the law.
Columbia University's walkout will take place TODAY at NOON on LOW STEPS. Wear black to show your support.
(For more information, click here)
[update Monday 8:41 am]
In North Hills, Long Island, AAA is just a bunch of hooligans munching on Nutter Butters and Milano cookies, passing out from exhaustion on the carpeted basement floor, scrawling on each other's faces with highlighters, blasting bad songs in the morning, and groaning over bagels and breadbowls of soup in Panera (until the next LIRR train arrives).
It was, to say the least, a gross misrepresentation of AAA as it exists on campus: a group of witty, clever, and responsible individuals.
(Who has pictures?)
This time from the Spec website (reader comments), which I find myself reading now with more regularity.
Well, I'm an asian student. I'm amazed that a student belongs to Black Student Organization crying racism. You put yourself in race category. So far I haven't seen White Student Organization, American White Diver, White Causus etc. Can you just mingle in the organization such as Colorbind Diver, Colorblind Causus, Colorblind Student Organization. Why don't you all crying minorities do as I do....I went camping with my indian and black friends, went biking with my russian friend etc....you guys are hipocrits.I wish I had harsher language with which to condemn your attitude and your identification with this viewpoint as an Asian student (one who apparently can't use spell/grammar check, much less express a decent opinion.)
You deserve a special honor in the APA Hall of Shame.
As our chair has dutifully informed us, AAA has made it into the Columbia Spectator three days in a row! (Wednesday to Friday, September 26th to 29th)
Here's the sampling:
"A Statement from the Asian American Alliance" - our statement about the 114th St. NYPD confrontation.
"Campus Groups Re-evaluate 'Umbrella Group' Designation"
"Student Weigh Response to Graffiti"
And we're not the only ones stepping it up. The Spectator itself has been making some pretty impressive waves lately in reporting the latest slew of hate incidents in the Columbia and Morningside Heights community. Something tells me they're not done yet.
In an editorial yesterday, they even made the painstakingly valuable connection between the graffiti incident and the racial slurs thrown at an Asian American student two weeks ago yesterday by the NYPD. This piece, titled "Harmful Speech", gains kudos just through its apparent racial awareness. And for this, we thank the Spec for its continual dedication to marginalized issues on campus.
So here's to spreading awareness (perhaps with a tinge of narcissism, as this post evidently shows).
After the BSO meeting, which was held in response to the hate crime scrawled on the bathroom walls of SIPA, I walked out of Lerner C555 with an unsettling feeling that something was not right. Why? It was not because there was a lack of constructive responses to the outrageous bigotry and it was not because there was a shortage of understanding from those present during the meeting. The reason: I realized how rare it is to see such passionate, cohesive, and immediate response to hate crimes committed against Asian American individuals. This lack of response more than often stems from individual's decision to remain silent and not from the lack of support that would be shown from fellow students of color.
This nothing response is by no means the way that all Asian American individuals react when they are marginalized and oppressed by racial slurs or racial profiling. However, silence seems to be a popular choice for many Asian American individuals who experience injustice. As a result, there is no change. And if there is change, it is on a micro-scale that often does not include multi-coalition and often is not even supported by fellow Asian Americans.
The real scary consequence of silence is not that Asian Americans continue to be called "chinks" or asked "do you speak English?", but rather that in the struggle between justice and injustice, justice loses. Although this may seem like an overstatement, it is not. If anything, this statement is an understatement Why? Because an act of injustice towards one Asian American is an act of injustice on all those who are marginalized by our society. Because simply "moving on" and "not making a big deal" out of racial profiling is the reason that it keeps happening. Because saying "chill out" to racial attacks on a bathroom stall is saying "chill out" to hatred. Because people are normalizing hate crimes. Because no one wants to live in a society pervasive of moral shabbiness.
Do not get me wrong. When I walked out of Lerner C555 that night, I was empowered by the fact that students, not just those specifically mentioned in the hate crime, came together to figure out what to do. Yet in the mist of this hope for change, I could not stop asking myself: Why don't we see 120 students gathered together to talk about acts of injustice towards Asian Americans? In fact, why don't we see this type of multi-coalition for all forms of injustice? A part of the reason for this is because we refuse to see that all hate is the same and affects everyone, regardless of whether you are personally attacked or not. The other part of the reason for this lack of mobilization towards change is because often times those victimized choose to do nothing and "to relax" (as commented by some student in the Spec).
Well, here is a reality check: A hate crime that is not blatantly attacking you, it is still your problem. It is every single person's problem because we all live in the same society. It is your problem, if you are living in a society where moral trash like hate crimes are things to relax about and to shut up about. In my book, all hate is hate. I don't want to live in hate.
Justice Will Be Served! Campaign pickets demanding justice for nail salon workers and industry-wide change in nail salons are currently every Sunday at 2pm, and Tuesday at 6pm at the 167 NAIL PLAZA salon (located at 167 Amsterdam Avenue, between 67th & 68th Streets). Some Columbia Asian American Alliance members are going to the picket this Sunday. Let us know if you're interested in attending.
Background of the case from the Justice Will be Served! Campaign:
Here in New York City the nail salon industry is booming from block to block, yet the conditions nail manicurists face are far from pretty. The Justice Will be Served! Nail Salon Network was sparked when a group of workers at the 167 Nail Plaza and 68 Nail Plaza salons were the first women to publicly stand up and expose the industry's shocking and exploitative conditions. Susan Kim, a Korean-American manicurist, was fired by Nail Plaza, Inc. owners Dong Rim Park and Mou Ran Rim for simply requesting break time during the day. Since then, her Chinese and Vietnamese co-workers have since joined her in calling for proper meal and break times, healthier work conditions, overtime pay, and an end to the retaliatory practices.
The example set by the Nail Plaza workers has paved the way for other women from across the tri-state area to stand up for their rights in an industry where women are routinely denied their basic rights and are dangerously exposed to chemical nail products. Many nail salon workers have reported serious skin and eye irritation, respiratory illnesses, and even miscarriage and infertility among the women stemming from prolonged exposure to acrylic powders and chemical-based nail glues and gels in poorly ventilated environments. In many salons, women workers are also prohibited from using the bathroom, taking meal breaks, or even wearing masks or gloves to protect themselves. Like the case of Nail Plaza, employers often use the women's different ethnicity and immigration status to keep them from coming together. Despite these increasing dangers, the industry remains largely unregulated by any government agencies and existing laws are not enforced. In addition, the majority of shops do not abide by basic wage laws, failing to pay overtime and sometimes minimum wage.
Now other women workers are standing together to make an example of Nail Plaza and to demand change in the entire industry. We hope you will join JWBS!'s Nail Salon Workers Network, along with NYS elected officials Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, State Senator Tom Duane, and City Councilmember Gale Brewer, Institute for Women and Work at Cornell University, ILR School; and Bellevue Hospital, on September 16th to kick off our campaign to call for:
1) Justice for the Nail Plaza workers
2) City-funding for a study and treatment program for nail salon workers
3) Government regulations to protect workers in the nail salon industry
Last night's emergency meeting (See Another Columbia Hate Crime) was, to say the least, intense.
At least four of The Blaaag's staff members (as well as members of AAA and AAA PC) were there; so we'll have something to say about that. Soon, very soon.
As for interesting comments... a Spec reader made this one:
Jebus Cristos.... it's a bunch of words written on a bathroom stall. Relax people. My guess is that you're giving this guy exactly what he wants... he tried to stir up a bees nest, and badabing, he did. Congratulations people.
Posted by: anonymous (not verified) | September 28th, 2007 @ 1:20pm
Thoughts on this later; we're too hotheaded right now.
As verified by the Spec, the following message was found on the wall in a SIPA bathroom:
[WARNING: The following contains racial slurs and profanity]
Attention
You pinko Commie
***
The message is likely a backlash from Ahmadinejad's presence; while this is never to discredit the many students who peacefully protested on Monday, it is nevertheless important to know that there are indeed some people, like the individual who wrote this, who are brutally racist and would actually consider it fair game to slaughter millions of innocent people in the Middle East and Africa, or, alternatively, consider the deaths of millions of people to be an innocent joke.
I found myself in the midst of controversy last year after the infamous Minutemen Protest, and had a lot of racist and/or violent hate mail directed at me, including statements like these:
"You are a stupid fucking jerk. penis-boy. Typical Jap."
"Get that noose around your neck a little tigher dipshit, I'll be there to pull the lever and watch you hang asshole...Fuck off and die."
“Hey gook…It's time for White Americans to fight back. By any means necessary…See you on the battlefield, you slant-eyed fuckwit.”
Or, for those of you from the class of 2009 and older, recall the incident in Ruggles 2 years ago where swastikas and homophobic messages were found in somebody's suite. Dangerous minds walk among us.
That said, the Black Students Organization is having an emergency meeting tomorrow night (Sept. 27) at 9PM in Lerner C555 to address the matter. Let's hope this unites the community to stand up against horrible statements like this, lest someone get physically hurt by the people who think these things.
It's been a while... after seeing news about this incident totally silenced by Ahmadinejad's arrival on campus, it's time we relight the fire.
AAA's angles of approach in this incident are currently as follows:
- We are speaking to administrators (specifically, of student life and of multicultural affairs) within Columbia in the aim of engaging NYPD Public Relations.
- These administrators are also speaking to the student in the midst of this confrontation, letting him know of his rights and consulting with him on further action.
- Hoping to get our hands on a police report of the incident, we also plan on informing the police department that their actions could be grounds for lawsuit. We are to receive legal consultation from our contacts in Asian American legal defense before we proceed in this manner.
All of this is contingent on this student's willingness to pursue action for this incident. While we do not wish to speak on his behalf, AAA is willing to provide him necessary resources (legal contacts, etc.) for justice in the face of this racial confrontation. In the meanwhile, we hope that all of you following the case is sensitive to his need for privacy as we participate in discussion and consultation with the student, university administrators, and legal advocates.
In addition, we have heard that this incident is part of a chain of racially charged confrontations with the NYPD in Morningside Heights. Currently, this is still anecdotal rumor - we are waiting on a current Spectator investigative piece before we pursue this angle.
Stay tuned. We won't let this pass unconsidered.