ASIAN AMERICAN SOLIDARITY STATEMENTS AND ARTICLES IN SUPPORT OF #BLACKLIVESMATTER

There are many exciting conversations happening about race in the world these days and I’d like to encourage all of us to be in it. Whether it be in the streets, at the dinner table, community forums, or the check out line at the grocery store now is a time to talk AND listen. Below is an excellent resource from www.Seeding-Change.org that I thought I would share.

Karen

With the grand jury non-indictment of the police killings of Mike Brown and Eric Garner, Asian Americans across the country have been on the streets expressing our solidarity and having the deep and necessary conversations in our community. From San Francisco/Bay Area, Los Angeles to Madison, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Providence and DC, Asian Americans have been showing up and busting up the “model minority,” which is used to maintain white supremacy, anti-blackness and capitalism. We need a Model Minority Mutiny. We compiled the statements and articles on Asian Americans in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter as a resource and tool for activists and organizers.

Thank you to Ellen Choy and Christine Cordero for the suggestion to do this and helping us compile this list. We’ll keep this updated as much as possible. Please send us any statements or resources that we have missed. We plan to keep this up-to-date as much as possible. Email us at: linda@cpasf.org

WHY #BLACKLIVESMATTER?

• A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement by Alicia Garza, 10/7/14

STATEMENTS

• SEAFN: OPEN LETTER TO OUR SOUTHEAST ASIAN COMMUNITY ON BLACK SOLIDARITY, South East Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN), 12/3/2014
• CAAAV and DRUM: Solidarity with all Lives Lost to Police and Hate Violence, CAAAV and DRUM, 9/10/2014
• CAAAV:  CAAAV Statement to Asian and Asian American Communities on the murder of Akai Gurley by NYPD Officer Peter Liang, CAAAV, 12/12/2014
• Grassroots APIs Rising: Statement in Solidarity, Grassroots APIs Rising for Racial Justice, 7/19/2013
• #Asians4Black Lives: Statement on Oakland Police Department Action to End the War on Black People, 12/15/14
• CAA: My Thoughts on Ferguson, CAA, Vincent Pan, 11/25/2014
• APIA Writers For Ferguson: Asian-American Writers and Scholars Sign Open Letter of Support for Ferguson and Michael Brown’s Family, 11/28/2014
• API Equality LA: Justice for Michael Brown, 11/25/2014
• API Equality NC: For Justice and Liberation: In memory of Jennifer Laude and Mike Brown,11/20/2014
• As[I]Am: Statement of Solidarity with Anti-Police Violence Movement, 12/9/2014
• ASPIRE LA: Justice Denied for Mike Brown and Family, 11/25/2014
• BayanUSA: From Ferguson to the Philippines: State Violence, Killings, Impunity Continue, BayanUSA, 12/10/2014
• CAPACD: National CAPACD Statement of Solidarity with Ferguson, CAPACD, 11/25/2014
• NAPAWF-Chicago: #BlackLivesMatter: We Stand with Ferguson, the Family of Mike Brown, and Our City’s Black Youth, NAPAWF, 8/25/2014
• NAPAWF: National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum stands with Michael Brown’s family and the community of Ferguson, NAPAWF, 11/25/2014
• AAAJ-ALC: No Indictment – Being Black Shouldn’t Be A Crime, AAAJ-ALC, 11/24/2014
• AAAJ-AAJC: Advancing Justice Press Statement: Grand Jury decision in Michael Brown shooting,AAAJ-AAJC, 11/24/2014
• AAAJ-APALC: Asian Americans Advancing Justice Condemns Grand Jury’s Failure to Bring Charges Against Darren Wilson in Michael Brown Shooting Death, AAAJ-APALC, 11/24/2014
• JACL: JACL Issues Statement on Ferguson Decision, JACL, 12/2/2014
• NAKASEC: Outraged. Black Lives Matter., NAKASEC, 11/24/2014
• NCAPA: AA & NHPI Organizations: Justice Denied in Ferguson, NCAPA, 11/24/2014
• NQAPIA: Statement on Grand Jury Decision Regarding The Shooting of Michael Brown, NQAPIA,11/25/2014
• QSANN: A Week of Queer South Asian Rage, QSANN, 11/26/2014
• SAALT: Saddened by Grand Jury Decision: Emphasizes Need for DOJ to Reform Racial Profiling Guidance, SAALT, 11/25/2014
• SEARAC: Saddened, Outraged by Ferguson Decision, SEARAC, 11/26/2014
• WCAPSU: Statement of Support for Ferguson, WCAPSU, 11/27/2014

ARTICLES

• Why Ferguson Matters to Asian Americans, Changelab, Soya Jung, 8/20/2014
• The Racial Justice Movement Needs Model Minority Mutiny, Changelab, Soya Jung, 10/13/2014
• The Language of Anti-Racism, ChangeLab, Scot Nakagawa, 12/1/2014
• What Does a Model Minority Mutiny Demand?, ChangeLab, Soya Jung, 12/13/2014
• Ferguson’s Other Race Problem: Riots Damaged Asian-Owned Stores, Tim Mak, 8/20/2014
• Dispatch from Ferguson: Convenience Store Owners Talk Race, Colorlines, Deepa Iyer, 10/14/2014
• Asian Americans Show Solidarity, Support for Ferguson, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, NBC Online, 11/25/2014
• Why Ferguson Should Matter to Asian-Americans, Time Magazine, Jack Linshi, 11/26/14
• Black Bodies, Broken Worlds, CounterPunch, Vijay Prashad, 12/8/2014
• Eric Garner Case Resonates Among Asian Americans, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, NBC Online, 12/9/2014

REFLECTIONS

• Ferguson Solidarity Protests: “No Justice No Peace” at Malls and Subways, Deepa Iyer, 12/1/2014
• Waking up to Ferguson, Jen Soriano, 12/3/2014
• Love in Protest, Taz Ahmed, 12/3/2014
• Especially in the Wake of Ferguson, It’s Time to Destroy Anti-Blackness in the Sikh Community, Mai Bhago, 12/3/2014
• Questions for Ferguson+Garner Verdicts, DRUM South Asian Organizing Center, November/December 2014 Newsletter
• On Solidarity, Amiee Suzara, 12/5/2014

TUMBLRs/Facebook/Storify Pages

• UC Davis Asian Americans in Solidarity, 8/25/2014
• Asians Support #BlackLivesMatter, 12/7/2014
• #APIs4BlackLives, 12/12/2014
• #Asians4BlackLives, 12/15/2014
• #Asians4BlackLives #ShutDownOPD #EndtheWar, 12/15/2014

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

• Philippines: ILPS condemns racist murder of Michael Brown, supports mass protests in Ferguson, in USA and abroad, ILPS, 11/27/2014
• Toyko: #TOKYO4FERGUSON, 12/6/2014
• New Delhi: America’s police brutality protests have now reached New Delhi, Quartz – India, 12/6/2014
• Seoul: Black Lives Matter! From Seoul to Ferguson, 12/7/2014
• 27 Stunning Photos of #BlackLivesMatter Protests From Around the Globe, Mic, 12/7/2014

RESOURCES ON ALLYSHIP

• Dear White People, Jamala Rogers, 12/4/2014
• hey non black folks, Women of Color, In Solidarity, 11/26/2014
• Video Blogger Franchesca Ramsey Perfectly Explains How To Be An Ally, 12/5/2014
• 5 Ways to Amplify the Voices of Trans women, Cis women, Non-binary folks, and Trans men in the #BlackLivesMatter Movement, 12/5/2014

Photo Credit: “Your Asian Wasn’t Quiet”

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Boston #APIs4BlackLives Solidarity

Interested in catching the dialogue in Boston? 

AARW (Asian American Resource Workshop) and NAPAWF Boston are co-sponsoring a dialogue this Saturday December 20th from Noon-2PM at CPA, 28 Ash Street, Boston.

Building off AARW’s Annual Meeting on over-policing and criminalization in our communities, we want to open up space to talk about solidarity work with Black communities around policing, state violence, and criminalization.

For more information check out this Facebook link.

Karen

Sharing our Stories as Asian Women

Every year we host what we call our ‘Creative Retreat’. It’s a time for us to get together and share stories, poetry, jokes, body tricks, other talents or skills that don’t often get shared. Sometimes people teach a dance move, demonstrate a magic trick, or sing a song.

This year we focused on taking 3-5 minutes to share something related to our identities. What we presented was real and deep. We shared about what it was like to be 12, about our families and grandmothers, clothing or dances we were raised with or from our cultural backgrounds, our immigration stories, what it was like to be our age, our quest to find ourselves, and what it was like to learn the ‘lies’ our families told to survive.

Participating in this process is always a challenge for me. I still struggle with deciding what part of my story is ‘valid’ or ‘worthy’ of being told. Especially as 3rd generation mixed Chinese/Japanese heritage woman, I have often been told that I was not ‘Asian’ enough. It took me years before I realized that I was perfectly Asian American — I couldn’t have a better story. My story was absolutely what ‘Asian American’ looked like. I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s with Charlie’s Angels on TV and my white step mom fed us Hamburger Helper or tuna casserole for dinner. I had chow fun when I went to visit my grandparents. That is what being Asian American was like for me.

Sharing our stories helps make visible our challenges and triumphs. It’s an opportunity to share the questions we face and the paths we take. The Genki Spark is hosting our first open mic for Asian women. Everyone is warmly welcome to attend.

What: Speak Your Genki: Asian Women’s Open Mic

When: Thursday October 9, 2014, 6:30PM-8:30PM (door open at 6PM)

Where: East Meets Words Bookstore, 934 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA

Asian Women Interested in Signing up? Don’t be shy. Contact Payal@TheGenkiSpark.org or let us know when you arrive.

Please RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speak-your-genki-asian-womens-open-mic-oct-9-2014-tickets-13046673953

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

 

 

 

 

Genki Sister — Karen

Meeting IPC Kodama Japanese Drum Team from New Zealand

 

 

I have to say it — I think we have met our New Zealand Genki brothers and sisters! Today we had the honor of meeting IPC Kodama  Japanese Drum team from New Zealand and they took my breath away. They came to the US for the first time to play at the World Taiko Gathering and performed a 10 minute set at the ‘Nooner Jam’ concert. Being from New Zealand they combine both Japanese and Maori cultures and it was extremely powerful. Their fighting spirit brought tears to my eyes.

We were lucky enough to meet and talk to them after Genki played our set at the ‘Lunar Jam.’ I think they loved us as much as we loved them. One of their members had bought our t-shirt and wore it to the concert 🙂 After our love fest, we had to take a group photo (of course) and as it turns out, they just as Genki as we are!

Check out their YouTube Channel or take a look at the VIDEO from the performance at the concert!

 

This group is genki all the way! Thank you Kodama Drum team for coming all the way from New Zealand!

Genki Sister — Karen

 

Yuri Kochiyama: A Tribute by Teresa Reiko Perales

“Don’t become too narrow. Live fully. Meet all kinds of people. You’ll learn something from everyone. Follow what you feel in your heart.”-Yuri Kochiyama

My heart is heavy as I give peace to a powerful freedom fighter, Yuri Kochiyama, who is now resting in power. I feel like many folks know her as the woman who cradled Malcolm X when he was assassinated, and though she was a good friend of his, she was so much more. Yuri Kochiyama and other women like Dolores Huerta, Angela Davis, and Betty Friedan, are leaders in the social justice and civil rights movements. However, most of American history doesn’t accredit the stories of these powerful women. We only hear about the men. So many women in America, led the progress of positive change, and built the foundation for us.

Yuri’s political work included school integration in Harlem, working for Puerto Rican Independence, working towards ending nuclear weapons, working to get reparations for Japanese Americans, and working to free and get rights for political prisoners. Yuri and her family experienced the injustice of racial profiling and were political prisoners along with tens of thousands of other Japanese-Americans who were sent to internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She was one of the most visible Asian Americans to stand in solidarity with the Black community in the 1960s, to fight for equality. She spoke out against anit-Muslim discrimination, racial profiling, and Islamophobic attacks after 9/11. She is a true ally, standing up for others and working towards a common goal of human rights and justice.

I had the deep honor of spending time with her in her home in Oakland and in the community as she was accessible and active. The day I met her, I took her out to lunch and had a lot of emotions. I remember having to really focus on driving when she was in my car because it felt like a dream. We continued our talk in her home, surrounded by photos and messages of love, family, friends, and activism. She was so open about her journey and interested in learning about mine. I felt our hearts and spirits connect. She made me feel like she was just as inspired, motivated, and thankful by my commitment to social justice as I was to hers.

Throughout her life, she embodied what radical change-making looks like. Because of how she walked through this world, I am able to have pride in who I am as a Japanese, Mexican, queer, revolutionary, woman of color. I am able to speak my truths. I am able to push forward in this revolution and challenge myself to move beyond what we may even think is possible, even when it is exhausting. What I hold especially deep in me, is her allyship and commitment to building relationships and bridges with other communities, learning from our differences, and recognizing our commonalities as well. That this work is not just about one community, it is about learning from each other’s experiences, and uplifting ourselves as well as one another.

As we reflect on the life of Yuri Kochiyama and other women leaders who have passed on, may we honor them by learning more about them, the movement they made, and the foundation they built. Here is the trailer for the film, Mountains That Take Wing-Angela Davis & Yuri Kochiyama: A Conversation on Life, Struggles & Liberation, that tells stories that need to be heard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJik3l2vb1g

May we recognize how we can be a part of creating the kind of communities and world that we believe in, because what we do now, impacts us today, and will be what we pass on to the next generations.

Thank you, Yuri. Thank you for being you and doing what you do. Thank you for the waves you and your generation made.

Rest in power, love, and peace, fierce one.~

 

 

 

(Video) Tribute to Molly Kitajima

 

A (video) Tribute to

Mary ‘Molly’ Kitajima

October 25, 1925 – January 25, 2014

 

 

Strong.

Spirited.

Resilient.

Just by looking at her, these may not be the first words you would use to describe Molly Kitajima.

Her small stature contradicts her monumental life.

But then you take a closer look.

Her face tells her story.

Each wrinkle is like a road she’s traveled in her life.

And then you notice the glimmer in her eyes.

It hints to the fiery and passionate personality within.

Molly reminded us to live life with a kind and generous heart, and to always, always stand for what you believe in. Battles large and small, she always fought for what was just, wanting to leave the world better than when she came.

<<audio>> “They’re saying don’t rock the boat. And I’m saying ‘what? why?’ Nobody knows about us being incarnated”

Molly lived through the Japanese incarcerations during World War II in Canada. Her family was relocated and forced to work on a sugar beet farm. She later moved to California and was very vocal in the Redress Movement, fighting to obtain restitution of civil rights for Japanese-Americans who were incarcerated by the U.S. government. Once the U.S. government offered an apology, Molly when back to Canada to start the Movement for Redress there.

Molly was an inspiration to us as A FIERCE WOMAN as well a taiko player. She started playing taiko at the age of 64, and continued well into her late 80s. She not only played taiko, but lead two groups, Onami Taiko and Heiwa Taiko, a grandma-only taiko group. Molly was a role model, reminding us that that life was yours to live and you could do anything at any age.

Members of The Genki Spark shared the stage with her at the Tule Lake Pilgrimage in 2012. She calmed our pre-performance jitters by advising us to “let let it all hang out.” It was an honor to share our spirit with her through taiko — She told us “You guys make me young all of a sudden.”

We were fortunate to have the honor of calling Molly our friend.

Please join us in celebrating Molly as we play “Nakama No Uta” a piece that Molly taught us about friendship.

 

Narration by LeeAnn Teylan, Performed by members of The Genki Spark. Submitted by: Karen

Being an Ally

Last week The Genki Spark held a Skill Share for members on how to be an ally. With PRIDE just around the corner, this space was a perfect opportunity for a member to facilitate an activity, training, lesson on something they are passionate, knowledgeable, or strong in. I led this Skill Share as being an ally is something that I care a lot about, and work very hard to aspire to be.

Those of us at the Skill Share reflected on how privilege and oppression affect our daily lives. We also discussed traits of a good ally and a not so good ally.  Here’s what we came up with.  What do you think makes a good ally?

~Trisha

 

We also completed two phrases to show how we feel about allies to us and how we can be allies to others.  Why do you think allies are important?

ALLIES ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE…

I AM AN ALLY BECAUSE…

 

 

 

Honoring our Past, Present, and Future

In honor of May being Asian Heritage Month, I thought I would share one way in which The Genki Spark honors our heritages.  For those of you that missed our Making Women’s History Event back in March, or you were so inspired and excited about it and can’t wait until next year’s event…here’s an “encore” of one of our new pieces debuted that weekend, “Honoring Past, Present, and Future.”

Below you will find the speaking parts of the piece and a video of our performance.  We at The Genki Spark honor and celebrate those that came before us as we continue their work for a happier, healthier, genki-er world.  We are excited for our future and the future we are creating for those yet to come.

Peace,

Trisha

PAST

Today we reflect on the experiences of our ancestors. As immigrants and minorities, the generations before us faced many challenges. Their stories of sacrifice and struggle include:

1. Having to change their names because they were “too hard to pronounce.”
2. Being forced to “speak good English,” abandoning the languages their families had spoken for generations.
3. Being denied jobs or access to education.
4. Working endlessly under exploitative conditions, building railroads, cleaning houses, picking crops.
5. Forfeiting their professions or dreams in order to provide a better life for their families.
6. Facing the burden of proving loyalty to a country that was at war with the homeland of their ancestors.
7. Being expected to keep quiet and endure indignities because they were women.
8. Being harassed or beaten for their skin color, race, religion, who they fell in love with.

Despite all this, the generations before us not only endured, they excelled. Their pride, strength, and courage enabled them to continue despite a society that tried to keep them down. They demonstrated resistance through organizing or simply trying their best to persevere day after day. Let’s honor the legacies of the men and especially the women who continue to inspire us.

Future

Today we envision the future.  The future we want to leave for our children, grandchildren and generations to come.  A future that honors those who have come before us.

What is this future we see?

A future that is just, equitable; where there is equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, race or religion.

A future that provides places where each of us can flourish, celebrating our unique strengths and talents; including opportunity for any girl who dreams of being president to do so!

A future where the media portrays women & girls for their strengths, skill and ability, not their hairstyles, bodies or sexuality.

A future where we fight through numbness and dumbing down to act with courage and conviction.

A future where women and girls leave competition and judgment aside to fully support each other.

A future where in the presence of strong women and girls men and boys find their strength and compassion

A future where we ALL listen to the needs and experiences of one another to empower healing, liberation, and positive change.

A future where each of us contributes to a healthy, sustainable planet,

A future where we live lives of hope, love and peace.

How can we create this future and carry on the legacy that has been given to us?  What can we do to create this future?

PRESENT

Today, we are in the present. The history of our past and the progression of our future, meets today, right now. Because we are interconnected.

This is our time. What are we going to do now?

The efforts of our past have contributed to progress. Today we still take on challenges including inequity, discrimination, and other forms of injustice. Every moment is an opportunity for positive change. Everything we do, what we say, every interaction, is important because what we put into the world, is a ripple effect that leads to what will come.

Because we are interconnected.

What are the choices you’re making now? When you do something or say something, are you thinking about the impact? How it might make the other person feel? How it might impact our communities? How it impacts the world? What we put out, even the little moments, matter.

What we do now is going to not only impact us, but will be what we pass on to our children, and our children’s children, which will continue to be passed on to future generations.

We invite you to join us, in spreading respect and peace in the world, with fierceness, so that our positive vibrations will spread and heal our communities and world.

We are interconnected.

Join us in making positive change, NOW.

Run! Can Not Stop….

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since the Boston Marathon bombings. I’ve been doing a lot for reflecting the past couple weeks, sometimes it feels like it just happened yesterday, and other days it seems like it was years ago. Then I remembered I wrote a blog shortly after the event about my views of being a new runner and living in Boston which you can view here: http://wp.me/p2x8O2-ab

Salem Black Cat 10 Miler

I shake my head every time in disbelief when I read the first sentence. “I may not be fast a fast runner, and I am may not be able to run a marathon, but I’m definitely a runner.” I wrote this blog just under a year ago and it’s hard to believe I’m about to run The Big Sur International Marathon this Sunday.

I had barely finished my first 10K when registration opened for the marathon last July. I was already planning a trip back home since I haven’t seen my family in years, and thought I would try to get in even though I knew it would sell out being the #1 most scenic marathon in the US. My heart wasn’t set on it, so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed if I couldn’t get in because I knew I wasn’t ready for a full marathon yet. So you can imagine what my stomach felt and what my face looked like when I got the “Congratulations” email confirming my registration. The marathon sold out a few minutes later at a record time of 59 minutes.

My trail runs through the winter.

So I started immediately training for a half marathon while still performing with The Genki Spark. I also discovered www.whoirun4.com , a wonderful organization that matches runners with buddies who can’t run, bringing awareness to diseases and disabilities of all types. The wait list is very long as you can imagine, taking up to 2-3 months to get matched. I was matched with Ian and his mom the night before The Susan G. Komen 5K in September. Perfect timing since I knew this race would make or break me knowing I lost my mom to this terrible disease. And I was even debating being a no show. But after getting the wonderful news, I ran my very first race for Ian and also ran my fastest 5K yet.

My run buddy Ian and his mom.

Autumn is my favorite time of year, and training during this season felt more like a vacation getaway than actual work. I love seeing the autumn leaves turn, making my surroundings a canvas of color. However this didn’t last very long. I ran my first half marathon in early October and winter set in quickly after. As you know, this was one of the most brutal winters New England has had, but I did still manage to run five half marathons by mid December with temps averaging in the 20s to single digits, and I hadn’t even started training for the marathon.

Knowing what was up ahead, I was faced with a really hard decision knowing I couldn’t train for this race and be a taiko performer. A marathon is actually hundreds of miles, the race itself happens to be the last 26.2 of it.  I had to step back from The Genki Spark which meant stepping away from one of my biggest support circles. I knew I needed them to help me get through training, and they needed me to help them get through one of their biggest performances in March. It was a hard sacrifice for both parties, but one we all understood had to happen. All of my training was done on my own, with this brutal winter and being in isolation for hours, made my mind play tricks on me. There were several periods of self doubt and wanting to give up on this crazy idea, and I didn’t have my Genki sisters to pick me right back up and tell me otherwise. Luckily as the weekly mileage increased I was able to find a few races that worked perfectly with my my training schedule. Even though I never really interacted with other runners, just having them around me was enough to pick me up.  Even though the weather was awful every time, these runners were doing exactly what I was doing and wanted to do.

The Eastern States 20 Miler

However, this energy is nothing like I get from my Genki sisters. The night before my longest training run, a 20 miler up in NH which I had been absolutely terrified about, was first performance The Making Women’s History show this year. I hadn’t seen them all together in months, and I wanted to go not only to show them my support, but to see my family again. I sat in the front row so they could see me and something amazing happened .  We started kiaiing back and forth feeding off each other’s energy, communicating and bonding without words. By the time I headed home I was 100% confident I would be able to finish the race the next day even though the forecast was 100% chance of rain. I did finish strong, and added another medal to my wall.

So now that my longest training run was over with, the only thing left to do was to start cutting back and avoid illness and injury before the big day. Unfortunately I jinxed myself because I ended up getting a cold, and took a nasty fall at a half marathon I ran last week. I ended up spraining my left ankle and bruised up my entire right shin when I went down. However, I did ended up running my fasted half marathon yet, and I’m confident my ankle will be healed up in time for the marathon.

One of the views I’ll be seeing at Big Sur.

Watching the Boston Marathon this past Monday has rekindled my spirits at least tenfold. It’s clear the Boston has healed and became stronger.  I can’t help but to think that the bombings last year had something to do with my running choices. I’m very excited and proud of myself for getting this far. After seeing the picture of me holding a sign for the runners back in 2011 and wondering what was going through their head during that crazy race, I get to put the shoe on the other foot and experience that myself. What’s even better is that I get to experience this while hearing and feeling the spirit of taiko while running! I am so honored that Watsonville Taiko will be drumming for The Big Sur Marathon runners at the bottom of the biggest hill, just like we did for Boston!

Months of speed intervals, hill training, long runs, polar vortexes, windy and rainy races, dizziness and nausea, my training is finally over. It looks like I paid my dues because the forecast on race day is going to be near perfect. I have to hurdle Hurricane Point, but I will make it thanks to Watsonville Taiko and knowing my Genki sisters will be checking for updates on Facebook every second when I’m running. And I can get some decent pictures and miles in for my run buddy finally! I’m ready.

 

Oct 2012- Present. Two more have been added since, and a spot waiting for my first marathon medal.

Peace, Love, Drum, and Run.

-Deena (Genki Alumni)

 

Racism in our Backyard

Last week, a Newton North High School put on a musical called Thoroughly Modern Millie.   The script to this musical portrays some extremely racist characters who perpetuate Asian stereotypes.  Consequently, many community members, many of them Asian parents, teachers, and students, expressed disappointment, anger, and frustration.  There was a Talk Back a day or two after the musical was put on.  I did not attend the event, nor did I even hear about the musical being put on until it was already done.  However, as a member of an arts and advocacy organization, and specifically one that promotes Asian American culture and works to bring awareness and break down oppression, this was something I wanted to learn more about.

From the little research I’ve done on the musical and the process in which Newton North took to put on the musical, I have many questions.  Who should we hold accountable for the fallout?  Who is being targeted by the musical’s content?  Who is speaking up?  Who is being silenced?  I found out the school tried to address the racism before and after the performance.  They even wrote a letter in response to the community’s outcry.  In it, the principal talked about the discussions, consulting one of their Asian teachers (ok, this felt a little like tokenizing), having the students of the Asian club talk to the director, inviting people to the Talk Back, and even asking the company who owns the rights to Thoroughly Modern Millie to see if they had another script without the racism (surprise! they didn’t).  You can read the whole response here: Millieresponse While reading this, I just kept thinking, “This obviously isn’t enough!”  I kept wondering why a school would choose to put on a musical knowing it would cause such negative reactions.  Was this a way to open a dialogue about racism?  This wouldn’t be the route I would take, but I’m not a theater director at a majority White suburban high school.

I haven’t seen the musical and don’t know anyone who participated in the production.  This incident is just another reminder that racism still is a problem and should be addressed.  From what I’ve learned about the fallout in Newton, I’m hoping more work can be done to raise more awareness on why people reacted so passionately.  Check out some reactions from the Talk Back.  What it showed me wasn’t so much people wanting to fight one another or even looking for apologies, but people from the Newton community wanting visibility around the issue–to not brush it under the rug as racism often is, especially when it comes to anti-Asian racism.  I look forward to learning more about how this community will continue to figure out how to address a complex issue such as this.

—- Trisha