Vent Magazine, an Asian American culture and politics magazine created by students at UC Davis, has just kicked off its website and Myspace pages. The design and aesthetics: hot, as usual.
Also hot - their new issue. Gosh, we need to do some articles about sex and our community!
Keep up the great work, guys!
Although our layout is still a little fritzy and I have six minutes until Intro to Asian American Studies begins, I just had to give a little update on poll monitoring with AALDEF this magnificent Super Tuesday.
AALDEF poll monitoring exists in the aim of protecting the voting rights of Asian Americans from the subtle but palpable discrimination that can sometimes result in the voting process.
Marilla and I were stationed at Flushing's Taiwan Center on Main Street, and though its name connotes a community mecca for Taiwanese Americans, the people we saw turn out were mostly Korean American. Surprising, for us - not counting the fact that Northern Blvd. is very Korean-populated. We probably observed and conducted twenty exit polls, and they all happened to show votes for Democratic nominees, save one, but erroneously - a paper error. (It's being reported.) The people we saw turn out were mostly elderly, with the exception of one 19-24 woman.
These are just facts. In our observation, the polling in the Taiwan Center was definitely smooth, with sufficient translators (Chinese and Korean) and a diverse set of poll workers. In this Asian ethnic enclave, the polling operated well from my observation... And while the morning was a bit slow, I hope to see more voters in my 6-9 shift tonight.
If you haven't yet, go out and vote! ... Okay, I'm definitely late for this class.
But still working out a few glitches.
Hang tight, dear readers, and enjoy the view.
So forgive our occasional absences & enjoy classes.
"They [Asian students] don't genetically have a knowledge of the subject matter." - Gary Okihiro in Intro to Asian American Studies
Here's a sampling of the Asian American Studies and Comparative Ethnic Studies courses offered this semester, for those of you looking to fill up that last hour of your week with something worthwhile.
ASAM W1010y Introduction To Asian American Studies 3 pts. Not offered in 2007-2008. Call number: 76780
Interdisciplinary, intercultural introduction to the field of Asian American Studies. Major themes include methodological and theoretical formulations central to the field (e.g. racial, gender, and sexual formations, modes and relations of production and class, nation and transnation, oral history, and communities research), history and comtemporary issues of identitites, family, immigration, labor, education and anti-Asianisms.
ASAM W3933y South Asians in the U.S. 4 pts. Call number: 80942
The interdisciplinary course survey course explores the history and experience of South Asians in the United States. The course is divided into thematic sections. Section I provides background information on the South Asian American community. Section II will broaden the picture by considering issues of the class, the model minority myth, family lives, and patterns of acculturation. Section I and II set the stage for further examine how South Asian Americans negotiate new forms of identity. Section III explores popular culture among second generation youth, religious maintenance and adaptation, gender and sexuality, and culture politics.
WMST BC3136x Asian American Women's Literature 4 pts.Explores selected texts written by Asian American women from diverse backgrounds, focusing on issues such as identity, gender, generation, race, class, region, and language.
WMST BC3136x Asian American Women
Explores selected texts written by Asian American women from diverse backgrounds, focusing on issues such as identity, gender, generation, race, class, religion, and language.
CSER W1012y History of Racialization in the United States 3 pts. Call number: 14285
The History of Racialization in the United States examines the development of race and racism through the study of significant historical circumstances that define the institutional structure of American Empire and of the resulting interactions among its peoples. Race is not static. Consequently, it is not an ahistorical object, nor a predetermined identity, nor a uniform category of analysis. Traditionally, the history of American race relations is the contact between racially defined groups over time and space of the effort required to maintain social and economic differences among them. Racialization, then, refers to the process by which one population group or many are "placed" in distinct racial categories.
CSER W3940x Comparative Study of Constitutional Challenges Affecting African, Latino and Asian American Communities 4 pts. Call number: 83648
This course will examine how American legal system decided constitutional challenges affecting the empowerment of African, Latino, and Asian American communities from the 19th century to the present. Focus will be on the role that race, citizenship, capitalism/labor, property and ownership played in the court decision in the context of the historical, social and political conditions existing at the time. Topics include the denial of citizenship and naturalization to slaves and immigrants, goverment sanctioned segregation, the struggle for reparations for descendants of slavery and Japanese Americans during World War II.
A good article about the essentialist take on the Democratic candidates and how they're so often broadly distinguished by their race and gender. Just as with the election of the conservative South Asian American, Bobby Jindal, as the governor of Louisiana, it's an important consideration whether a single person can claim to "represent" a community merely on the basis of her/his race or sex.
(Grace Lee Boggs is a Barnard alum, longtime activist, writer, intellectual, and Asian American Movement O.G. She was once a colleague of the black radical intellectual C.L.R. James, and she's been involved with Detroit community struggles for decades, along with her late husband, James Boggs. Her autobiography is titled Living For Change, and she's the recipient of many awards.)
---------------------
from the Michigan Citizen, Dec.30-Jan.6 , 2008
---------------------
This is a good question because it challenges us to stop glossing over the huge changes that have taken place, both positively and negatively, in black leadership over the last 50 years.
In the 50s and 60s we may not have called it "black leadership" but there was no doubt what we had in mind. We were talking about "the movement." Southern blacks, rising out of obscurity, determined to rid their communities and this country of Jim Crow, risking their lives by sitting in front seats on buses, sitting down at lunch counters, registering to vote. Small groups of deeply-committed and highly-disciplined individuals engaging in non-violent actions that forced millions of white Americans to look at themselves and recognize the crimes that have made possible the rapid economic development of this country. SNCC students transforming themselves and humanizing this country by simple acts that raised the fundamental question of what it means to be a human being, thereby inspiring women, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans to challenge patriarchy and racism.
In the North men like Malcolm challenged us to look into the mirror by transforming themselves from hustlers into community leaders and searching for new ideas when those which had initially inspired their transformation tuned out to be too narrow. Students inspired us by walking out of schools demanding black history and black administrators.
Between 1965 (the year Malcolm was killed) and 1968 (the year Martin was gunned down) black leadership was taken to a new level by King. Agonizing over the twin crises of the Vietnam war and the urban rebellions, he called for a radical revolution in values, not only against racism but against materialism and militarism. Warning against integration into the "burning house" of U.S. capitalism, he emphasized the need for two-sided transformation by and of Americans, both of ourselves AND our institutions, a transformation that would take us and the world beyond both traditional capitalism and communism.
King was killed before he could put this new revolutionary/evolutionary transformational vision of revolution into practice and make it widely known to the world.
After his death civil rights leaders, ignoring King's warning, seized upon the opportunities that had been opened up by "the movement" to enter the "burning house" of U. S. capitalism. Instead of calling upon the American people to confront our consumerism and militarism, instead of challenging corporate globalism, these opportunists became a part of the system, evaluating black progress by how much they and other blacks were catching up with whites.
In 1977, with the support of the civil rights establishment, Maynard Jackson, Atlanta's first black mayor, used scabs to break the garbage workers strike. In the late 70s civil rights leaders turned blacks into a special interest group inside the Democratic Party, just as the Democrats were becoming indistinguishable from Republicans in their dependence on corporations for campaign funds.
As a result, the word "black" has lost all its movement meaning. So Bill Clinton, the man who sponsored NAFTA, who got rid of Aid to Dependent Children, who bombed Iraq, and who now suggests that Hillary's first act as president would be to send him and George W's father around the world, can be called this country's "first black president"!
Meanwhile capitalism has morphed into corporate globalization, the materialism of the American people has skyrocketed, inequality is mushrooming inside the United States and between the global north and the global south, violence continues to escalate both at home and abroad, and the planetary crisis is reaching the point of no return.
Had it not been for the movements of the 50s and 60s, Obama and Hillary would not be front runners in the presidential race today.
But neither Obama's ethnicity or Hillary's gender is enough to earn my support. Neither is calling on the American people to confront our materialism and militarism or challenging and proposing alternatives to corporate globalization. At this critical period in human history that is what we should be requiring of ourselves and of any presidential candidate, whatever their race, gender or religion.
Fortunately new leadership is emerging out of obscurity, at the grassroots level, building community instead of running for office.
Watch the debates live on msnbc.com. Whoa, corporate plug...
9:07pm: Clinton and Obama open by saying that they don't want race or gender to be a part of this campaign... Clinton talks about the Democratic party as a prominent player in equality struggles, Obama talks about that same "defining moment", and Edwards talks about a certain Woolworth's counter sit-in.
9:11pm: "All of the candidates" are committed to racial equality. Obama: "Race is a factor in our society" ... but goes on to say Iowa is a sort of proof against this?
9:16pm: To Edwards, "why should I not resent being forced to choose between the first viable woman and the first viable African American candidate?" and "What is a white male to do running against these historic candidacies?"
9:19pm: Hillary has a smug look on her face... liek, zomg.
9:22pm: Someone yells out in protest against "race-based questions"...
9:30pm: I am getting nothing from this talk. Edwards just said "fight" a billion times, Obama admitted his bad organizational skills, and Clinton... is still talking...
9:34pm: Xenophobia says hi! Emails to MSNBC claim Obama is a sleeper Muslim and pledges on the Koran. Wow.
9:37pm: I'm watching a silent camera being moved around the Decision 08 sign.
9:40pm: Brian Williams thinks it's considered "fundamentally wrong" for foreign countries to control these "American flagship brands"... corporations like Citibank, etc. Oh, no! I wonder what kind of fundamental wrongness he's talking about.
9:50pm: Wow, listen to Hillary. Economic disfortune falls "disproportionately on African Americans, on Hispanics, on some Asian Americans". Some Asian Americans? ... Are Asian Americans somehow privileged to a level farther away from other people of color? The emphasis bothers me, but I'll let it slide - she mentioned something worthwhile otherwise.
9:58pm: Brian is so funny! And his deadpan tone makes him even funnier!
10:10pm: It's been an hour.
10:14pm: OMG, Tim Russert says, "volunteer army disproportionately constitutes poor and minority students". What a concept! Just now it's a problem?
10:17pm: Wow, Obama just proposed to solve the problem with a problem itself... college aid to poorer students who serve in national service. Why not... just stop recruiting students and disadvantaged peoples?
10:20pm: Hillary calls post-traumatic stress disorder "traumatic brain wounds." Sorry, antsy neuroscience student talking.
10:29pm: Yay, Dems love scientists. (Energy policy.)
10:32pm: Thank gosh, on to immigration.
10:34pm: Tim just asked Clinton why one of her supporters said Hispanics are reluctant to vote for a black man. Pitting races against each other? C'mon, new tricks please. The candidates also keep saying black and brown, but never yellow. Apparently APAs don't have problems. Hillary: "This is a black brown debate." Thanks.
10:42pm: Hello, Virginia Tech. (Gun control and mental health.)
10:59pm: Debate just ended. No questions about, for, or from APAs.
Admittedly, we at The Blaaag have been slow to cover presidential election news. You might say, but we don't care about national politics to begin with! Well, it's time to quit that thinking, because a fundamental part of empowering our communities is using our votes to give elected politicians reason to hear our concerns and act on our issues. Then let's get started.
By word of Nhu-Y's amazing forwarded emails, tonight's Democratic MSNBC debates with Senators Edwards, Clinton, and Obama will feature discussion of race and "minority" issues. Although some of these candidates have explicitly said that they race is just something they just don't want to talk about, hopefully these debates will open eyes to the concerns and presence of communities of color in Nevada and across the country.
The debates are on tonight on MSNBC at 6-8pm PST... which is 9-11pm EST. If you want to ask a question to the candidates, fill out the form here. If I find the MSNBC channel on the McBain 6 lounge TV, I might just live blog the thing.
P.S. I hereby direct you to a post from Reappropriate about the representation of Asian American concerns in this race.
P.P.S. AAA is currently doing research into the candidates and their stances on APA issues in order to deduce the best candidate for Asian America. Our end goal will be to produce an election guide publication to help our fellow APAs to decide which candidate is best for them. Want to help us out? Just email whatever you find to theblaaag@gmail.com!
The
This is a great opportunity to hone your leadership skills, get connected with Asian American students and community organizations in
The day-long conference will be held at NYU in mid-April. Last year's conference theme was "Breaking the Silence: Discover, Inspire, Empower". We had over 400 registered participants from schools throughout the east coast. Highlights included: opening remarks from Carmen Van Kerckhove, co-founder and president of New Demographic; performances by Vudoo Soul and the Stone Forest Ensemble; and workshops facilitated by spoken word artist Giles Li, director Michael Kang, members from National Asian American Conference, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans for Equality, and many more! For more highlights, check out our video with footage from last year's conference.
Available positions on the board are listed below, along with a bullet point description of the responsibilities of each position. If you are interested in joining the Columbia board, please email back Nhu-Y Ngo (ntn2103@columbia.edu) and Marilla Li (ml2573@barnard.edu) with the following:
- Name
- School
- Year
- Your campus and community activities
- Why you would like to join the NYCAASC Board
Best,
Nhu-Y Ngo and Marilla Li
Columbia NYCAASC Directors
Available Positions
2 Associate Directors
- assist Directors
- double-check to see that all tasks are completed
- make sure we're on schedule and on point
- check to make sure we are under budget
2-3 Workshop Coordinators [depending on how many tracks we have]
- get speakers/moderators
- set up a specific timetable, place speakers in appropriate tracks
- is point person for the lists of contacts
- make sure speakers get equipment they need and are directed to the right room
Logistics Chair
- know the flow of operations and make sure everything follows the timetable
- know where the speakers are and what sort of rooms we need
- meet a lot with Kimmel operations at NYU
- media equipment: rentals, communicate to artists to make sure they have everything
Registration Chair
- in charge of listserv
- in charge of registration and the registration table the day of the conference
- hand out pamphlets, bags of goodies, and schedule/itinerary to attendees at registration
2 Publicity Chairs
- Internal: make press kit, get people to come from Columbia/Barnard community
- External: establish contacts and reach out to different schools
1 Volunteer Chair
- get volunteers
- designate shifts
- make a final schedule with the volunteers
1 Honorarium/Co-Sponsorship Chair
- in charge of honorariums
- get a contact person for all outside and inside co-sponsorships and then assign people to go and get sponsorships
1 Event Coordinator
- organize the reception period
- book performers/guests for the concert and take care of concert logistics
- leaving period: make sure people leave happy, organized, and at the correct time
- in charge of food and tablecloths for reception/breakfast, lunch and dinner
- tighten everything up so everything is organized
Enjoying your breaks? So am I, and as I'm taking my time listening to a podcast (self-purportedly) devoted to Asian American activism, some things have both intrigued and irritated my APA sensibilities. Keep reading.
Hosted by three men in New York City, Fallout Central is recorded every few weeks to give a overview of global and national news from Asian American perspectives. Hmm, that's a lot like what we do here. Anyway, as a podcast (and as podcasts try to resemble radio shows), these guys take interviews from ordinary callers and prominent figures in Asian America. Calvin our chair even claimed to have done an interview with them about the police incident early last semester, but searching through their site and podcasts I doubt this ever... Edit: Confirmation made. (Thanks, Calvin!)
A very big issue on the show is the "emasculasian" of fellow Asian men. In an effort to fight this plight, they've done some interesting interviews, for example with Yul Kwon, who once transcended the racial terms of Survivor: Cook Islands, giving a new face to the Asian American male. Another interview was with the Asian Playboy, who works as something of a consultant for Asian guys on how to pick up women...
Their rhetoric on men's issues, however, often borders on ignorance and mistreatment of APA women's issues. In a Dec. 26th interview with Jenn Fang from Reappropriate about Asian American feminism, these men could not get past the (to them, confusing) relationship between feminism, Asian American feminist activism, and Asian American racial activism. One host went so far as to question in front of Jenn the tone and intentions of "traditional" feminists, relying on hackneyed personifications of a movement he perhaps couldn't understand. In a Jan. 6th Year in Review podcast, one host (might have been the same one) told the eyewitness account of an Asian guy in a club who was not successful with a "tall, beautiful white woman" (until he came along, of course, and saved his sorry ass). Whenever they talk about the problems with Tila Tequila's show, it comes back to its lack of Asian males, not the problematic over-sexualization of Tila herself. (Listen to the latest podcast.) See the problem?
I think Fallout Central needs a few female hosts.
Of course, FC gets its fair share of disgruntled audience members, and while I'm a little judgmental now, I still do listen to their podcasts and think they can do so much better. So what am I to do? I'm going to take the Fallout Central challenge one Sunday this 2008 and present to them a challenge of my own: bring on some regular girl power. Because you can't claim to rep "Asian American insight" with only half of Asian America's existing perspectives and experiences.
If you've heard their podcasts and want to take the FC challenge yourself, call them at (212) 255-2898 on any Sunday.
