Organizing Asian America
Five years ago, I finally graduated from high school and went on to start my first semester of college. It was a difficult time in college, trying to make new friends when my friends from high school went off to other colleges. Also struggling to keep up with course work,…
UPDATE: On September 9, 2016, the Department of Justice, Department of the Army, and the Department of the Interior issued a joint statement halting construction of the pipeline on U.S. Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe pending review. Despite the statement, Energy Transfer Parterns, the corporation behind the…
This statement was originally published on Reappropriate, and is republished here with permission. Since 1990, the Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY) has provided a supportive space for our hundreds of queer and trans AAPI members who experience racism, homophobia and transphobia — from strangers, from other…
Image: Zahra Billoo welcomes over 600 California Muslims to the Capitol earlier this year, where they gathered to advocate for several key legislative priorities including the Safe Place to Learn Act. As a proud Californian, I am encouraged by California’s leadership in supporting American Muslim communities and students. August has…
Of the 225 million Americans eligible to head to the polls in November will be some 9 million Asian Americans. It’s a segment of the electorate that’s hard to categorize. Asian American voters are both courted and overlooked. We’re diverse in our political views and yet increasingly vote Democratic. Made…
As a child of refugee parents, my parents barely spoke English. We weren’t rich. My family of Asians weren’t the model minorities. What does that mean? My parents didn’t have the capacity to be a part of my education. What does that mean? I was barely able to read when…
The following is an edited transcript of the Netroots Nation 2016 keynote plenary “The Digital CultureSHIFT: Moving from Scale to Power to Achieve Racial Justice,” which took place in St. Louis on Friday, July 15, 2016. This transcript is posted here with permission from Netroots Nation and the participating panelists.…
Image: The author (center) holds an image of Zainichi Korean “Comfort Woman” survivor Song Shing-do halmoni, with Yuri Kochiyama (bottom right) at a 2005 protest in front of the Japanese Consulate in San Francisco. Also pictured: renowned Zainichi human rights activist Shin Sugok and Zainichi scholar of Ethnic Studies Kyunghee…
From San Bernardino to Brooklyn to Capitol Hill, the fight over encryption has boiled over this past month. But who’s paying attention? The basic security feature all of us depend on daily to protect our online payment transactions, message content, and other personal data is increasingly taken for granted. And…
“Do you worry about your son?” I asked my mother that question almost two years ago, after Mike Brown’s murder. In the long, heavy pause that followed I felt her fear and confusion, palpable yet still hesitant, echo over the phone. My mother’s fear was entangled in the throes of…
