Organizing Asian America
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…
As individuals and organizations across the United States that serve and represent Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities, we believe that equal opportunity is a cherished principle in American society that must be protected. Our universities should reflect our diverse democracy and expand opportunities for those students…
We live in a nation that doesn’t value our lives. President Barack Obama insists that we live in a “nation of laws.” He’s right; we do. We live in a nation of laws where we, as people of color, as immigrants, are less than human. We are denied the right…
Like me, you may have spent the better part of last night and this morning reading about all that’s happened – and all that’s still happening – after a grand jury failed to indict Darren Wilson of any wrongdoing. Not even involuntary manslaughter. Despite incredible public outcry and over 100…
Just over a week ago, I slid into my car and drove away from #FergusonOctober. Buckled in and gearing up for the 4-hour drive back to Kansas City, all I wanted to do was sing. I sing a lot – the most when I’m alone – and singing is often…
Today, I’m getting into the car and driving 4 hours across the state of Missouri to participate in #FergusonOctober. I’m anxious, nervous, hopeful, and scared. To tell the truth, I’m intensely scared after Wednesday’s police-related shooting that ended in the death of Vonderrit Myers Jr., and which contributed to last…
Net neutrality is a crucial protection for the economic, civic, and creative lives of Asian American communities. There are few racial demographics so well-connected, for everything from commerce and the arts to political expression to keeping up with family. For these reasons, we believe Title II reclassification is in the…
