Asian American Issues [June 2020]

An update on issues of concern to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and activism on the Stanford campus.

(Video) Stanford University students marched from campus to Palo Alto City Hall in June 2020. Source: Stanford Journalism

Black Lives Matter Continues: Demonstrations continue across the United States, to affirm that Black Lives Matter and to challenge pervasive anti-Black racism, police brutality, and systemic violence. Nationwide protests sprang up following the murder of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, by a Minneapolis police officer. His death was captured on video for an agonizing 8 minutes and 46 seconds. It was the latest in a string of deaths to cause public outcry, including Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and more recently Rayshard Brooks, among many others.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across more than 2,000 American cities to make their voices heard. A month later, The New York Times suggests that BLM has mushroomed into “the largest movement in U.S. history.” The effort has gone global, reaching Great Britain, continental Europe, Asia and Australia, as other societies confront their own struggles with racism.

In these challenging times, Stanford groups, including the Asian American Activities Center and Asian American Students Association, have made statements and produced resources for the Stanford community to express solidarity and to take action. The ASSU Senate, students and faculty have also raised the issue in op-eds in the Stanford Daily. Alumni such as Senator Cory Booker (‘91 AB Political Science, ‘92 AM Sociology) have spoken out forcefully. On June 7, a coalition of Black student groups organized a march to Palo Alto City Hall. (Video) All these resources are gathered here on the SAPAAC website.

The protests have spurred Asian Americans to grapple with anti-Black racism; to educate ourselves on a history that includes civil rights, solidarity, contention and activism; to challenge the model minority stereotype that perpetuates inequality; to speak out and spark discussion among different generations of AAPI communities; and to take action in our own lives.




In 2009, students at Stanford University commemorated the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre

In 2009, students at Stanford University commemorated the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre

Stanford_University_TIananmen_20th_Anniversary_2009

Remembering Tiananmen Square: On June 4, activists worldwide commemorated 31 years since peaceful pro-democracy protests were crushed in Beijing, China. In the spring of 1989, students and city residents had peacefully gathered in Tiananmen Square for several weeks (resource from National Geographic) to demonstrate for reforms, greater freedom, and less corruption, until military tanks were sent in, causing many deaths. SAPAAC members shared their memories on the SAPAAC Community platform, discussing where they were when they first heard the news of the massacre. Some were students on Stanford campus at the time, and felt deeply affected by what happened to their peers. (See historical photos of Chinese students in The Atlantic). A replica of the Goddess of Democracy statue stands in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Last year, the Hoover Institution hosted a retrospective on Tiananmen and Dr. Amy Zegart of Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies shared her thoughts on the events of 1989.

More recently, Zoom, a listed company headquartered in California, banned the accounts of U.S.-based Chinese activists, who had organized a remembrance of Tiananmen, creating an uproar in Silicon Valley. The company, which was founded by Stanford alumnus Yuan “Eric” Zheng (MBA ‘06), later apologized for this action.

Signs commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in White Plaza (2009)

Signs commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in White Plaza (2009)

Fossil Free Stanford: Hundreds of students and faculty and the ASSU have called for Stanford University to divest from fossil fuels, a key contributor to climate change that threatens the planet. Stanford alumni added their voices to the efforts, including publishing an op-ed in the San Jose Mercury. Fossil Free Stanford initiated a sit-in on the Quad in 2015 that received international coverage, in hopes of securing a pledge from Stanford, and students’ efforts were renewed this school year.

In fall 2019, the entire UC system announced its decision to divest from coal, oil, and natural gas companies, and by May 2020 had successfully done so. Georgetown University also made an announcement in February 2020, and Oxford University recently decided it too would divest from fossil fuels, joining more than half of UK universities that have already made the pledge.

On May 28, the Faculty Senate chose not to endorse the non-binding ASSU resolution calling for divestment, which prompted Prof. David Palumbo-Liu to write an op-ed calling this a “shame.”

Meeting on June 12, the Board of Trustees decided that Stanford will not divest, but committed to accelerating the campus transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A week later, the Vatican called on Catholics to divest from fossil fuel companies.

Later in June, the Academic Council revisited the matter, with many faculty in support, though it did not have a quorum to vote.




Celebrations: Katherine Toy (‘91 International Relations, ‘95 AM Education), currently Executive Vice President at Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to the State Park and Recreation Commission.

Five Stanford students have received the Boren Award for language studies overseas. One will study in Kazakhstan, another in China, one in Israel, and two in Taiwan.

[Board Statement] SAPAAC on the State of Asian American Studies in 2020

Dear President Marc Tessier-Levine, Provost Persis Drell, Vice Provost Harry Elam and Professor Sarah Church, and other University Leaders,

As the organization representing Stanford’s Asian American and Pacific Islander alumni—the university’s largest ethnic minority community—SAPAAC remains highly attuned to student experiences on campus. We wish to highlight the concerns of recent graduates and long-time alumni about the state of Asian American Studies at Stanford. At a stock-take during the global Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Summit in 2017, alumni were surprised and dismayed at the lack of progress in securing faculty and resources for the Asian American Studies program, despite its founding two decades prior. The program still cannot hire its own tenured faculty and relies on professors in other departments and part-time lecturers to teach all courses. We are astonished that a university of Stanford’s reputation, in a state as diverse as California, has no full-time instructors housed in Asian American Studies—and cannot even consistently offer an introductory course in the subject.

We saw welcome progress this year when “Introduction to Asian American Studies” was taught at Stanford again, for the first time in a decade. The exceptionally strong enrollment and positive feedback speaks to the demand for these classes. To maintain a thriving program that meets student interest and fulfills an important educational need, courses in Asian American Studies must be scheduled regularly, and taught by engaged, full-time instructors—not only offered on an itinerant basis, where faculty from other departments teach on borrowed time.

We strongly support the student-driven initiative, joined by many alumni, asking the University to create and fund a full-time Asian American Studies lecturer position with a multi-year contract. We also ask the University to step up and empower the program to hire faculty, lecturers, and executive staff to ensure that a core set of classes is offered on an annual basis, so that students who wish to major in, or simply be trained in, Asian American Studies can do so. We do not want to hear any more reports of students being discouraged from majoring in this field due to lack of classes.

The Provost’s Statement on Diversity and Inclusion and the launch of the IDEAL dashboard in 2019 were encouraging steps in the right direction that highlighted your administration’s renewed commitment to diversity and inclusion. We hope you will take action to match your inspiring words by providing meaningful support to Asian American Studies.Racist incidents on Stanford campus this past year, and the worrying increase of hate crimes witnessed across the country during the pandemic show that ethnic studies programs—including Asian American Studies—are more important than ever. These disciplines illuminate our country’s history and social fabric, and reveal how people of diverse ethnicities and ancestries have always been an integral part of the story of America, a nation of immigrants.

As a leading university based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the movement for ethnic studies originated, Stanford has the potential to cultivate a flourishing Asian American Studies program that befits a leading institution of higher education—and that is commensurate with the enormous enthusiasm and ongoing contributions by Asian American students and alumni to university life. We urge Stanford to fulfill this collective aspiration and live up to its commitment to genuine diversity.

Sincerely,
Concerned Members of the Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Community


Solina Kwan, SAPAAC President

John Chang, SAPAAC Board Member

Mo Fong, SAPAAC Board Member

Kevin Hsu, past SAPAAC President

Dan Kojiro, SAPAAC Board Member

Lan Le, SAPAAC Board Member

Jay Wang, SAPAAC Board Member


See the companion petition expressing concern about Asian American Studies that has collected signatures across generations of Stanford alumni

"Discrimination is an Occupational Hazard for Physicians of Color" says Asian American doctor

crystal_zheng_headshot.jpg

Dr. Crystal Zheng (‘10, MA ‘11), an infectious diseases physician at the Tulane University School of Medicine, reflects on practicing medicine during the pandemic and the racial prejudice that Asian American doctors, nurses, and patients have faced in these difficult times.

Even before the pandemic, Dr. Zheng observes:

“No matter my cultural identity or professional achievements, I am always shadowed by jokes about my eyes and questions like, ‘But where are you from from?’

In my first week as a medical intern, my supervising physician, also Asian American, overheard a patient refuse my care while calling me a racial slur. With a knowing hint of shared experience, he whispered, ‘You have to have thick skin to go into medicine.’

I now consider discrimination an occupational hazard for physicians-of-color. As a minority in this country, I quickly learned that ignoring racist microaggressions is an essential survival skill.”

Now, with the pandemic in full swing, she shares her concern about an increasing number of racist actions targeting Asians in the United States (which included a hate crime committed against two of her colleagues at Tulane):

COVID-19 has intensified my racialized experience as an Asian American. I have received taunts of “Coronavirus!” and been questioned about my infection status by Uber drivers. With President Trump fanning the flames of xenophobia by using the term, “the Chinese virus,” verbal and physical abuse towards Asian Americans have dramatically increased.

Nationwide, nearly 1,500 cases of discrimination towards Asian Americans have been reported in one month alone. Asian Americans have been abused on sidewalks, grocery stores, and subways. We have been denied services, yelled at, spat on, beaten, and stabbed. We have been discriminated against by our neighbors, our classmates, and even our COVID-19 patients. Like all healthcare workers on the frontlines, Asian American physicians and nurses worry about the risk of infection to ourselves and our families. Meanwhile, we simultaneously have to worry about a second and arguably more pernicious fear.

Read her article in full on New Orleans area’s first nonprofit, nonpartisan public-interest newsroom, The Lens:
I’m an infectious disease doctor and I’m afraid to go to work (and it’s not because of Coronavirus) (The Lens, May 5)

You can also read SAPAAC’s open letter to the White House about taking a stand to protect Asian Americans from coronavirus-related discrimination (SAPAAC.org, April 5)

Alumni Letter to the White House on anti-Asian sentiment during COVID-19 pandemic

Dear Mr. President:

We are the Stanford University Asian Pacific American Alumni community. The current coronavirus pandemic outbreak is causing much fear among the American population. In times like these, some citizens will, unfortunately, look to scapegoat others and direct anger and violence towards them.

Because the outbreak initially occurred in a major city in China, and spread from there to much of the world, some misguided people have already been mistakenly directing their fear and anger toward Chinese Americans, or Asian Americans in general (or even those simply perceived to be Asian). Numerous incidents of harassment and physical assaults on Asians have already occurred around this country.

In recent statements, you have frequently referenced the coronavirus as a “Chinese virus,” or a “China virus,” defending this label as an accurate depiction of the origin of the virus, and as a defense against the false claim that the U.S. military may have brought the virus to China. However, such rhetoric also encourages others to blame all people of Chinese ancestry, and even Asians in general, for the misery caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cites World Health Organization practices in naming new human infectious diseases, which suggests not formally calling diseases by geographic, country, cultural, or economic sector names, to avoid stigma against a specific population. As of March 25, 2020 the CDC itself stated: “Fear and anxiety can lead to social stigma, for example, towards Chinese or other Asian Americans...Stigma hurts everyone by creating more fear or anger towards ordinary people instead of the disease that is causing the problem.”

Racially-motivated harassment and violence against Asians in the United States has already repeatedly occurred, even during the mere infancy of the viral outbreak. As we head into the worst of the pandemic in the weeks to come, mass unemployment, hundreds of thousands of illnesses and hospitalizations, and potentially hundreds of thousands of deaths will occur here in the United States. In such trying and difficult circumstances, desperation and anger will increase exponentially, greatly elevating the risk of more frequent and more serious harassment and assault directed against Asians living in the United States.

We therefore ask you, Mr. President, going forward, to continue to no longer refer to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus,” or the “China virus.” We are not asking for an apology, nor looking to assign blame for past racist incidents. Indeed, we appreciate your comments on March 23, 2020, condemning virus-related harassment of Asian Americans. We ask that you continue in this positive direction by actively discouraging misguided elements of our society from taking out their fear and anger on innocent Asians living in this country. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Stanford University Asian Pacific American Alumni

Many thanks to SAPAAC member Girard Lau, ‘81, for initiating this statement.

Japanese American Internment: An Apology from the State of California

The California legislature passed a resolution formally apologizing for the state’s role in imprisoning Japanese Americans during World War II. Under order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in February 1942, the U.S. government forced more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry into ten camps across the Western states.

Read more

[Board Statement] Concern over Verbal Assaults Against API Students and Staff

To the Leadership of Stanford University,

Every generation of Stanford students deserves to learn and grow in an environment that is safe, respectful, and welcoming. As alumni of Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) descent, we were disturbed by the reports of harassment of API persons on the Stanford campus since February, including students and staff members of the Asian American Activities Center. We understand that incidents have occurred across campus, including at White Plaza, Tresidder, the bookstore, the arboretum, and that the verbal assaults included suggestions that Asians were “invading” campus.

(1)  We encourage the University to thoroughly investigate the assaults and do its utmost to prevent individuals who use threatening language from repeating this behavior.

(2)  We ask the University to reassure Asian American and Pacific Islander students and staff that they are in a safe environment, and to affirm that Asians are welcome on campus.

(3)  We suggest proactively meeting with the API community and listening to their concerns on these matters, whether students or their staff and alumni representatives. Their insights can inform the response to such incidents, as well aid the University in creating a broader environment of inclusion.

As concerned alumni, we will continue to monitor the situation and will consult with the A3C and API groups to ensure that students feel safe. We hope that concrete actions are taken in response to these incidents, and periodically placed back on the Administration’s agenda for review.

Thank you for supporting an educational environment that welcomes all persons, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or nationality. 

Sincerely,
Board of Directors, SAPAAC
Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club

[Board Statement] Support for Martial Arts Groups

Dear Susie Brubaker-Cole, Emelyn dela Peña, and Student Activities Leadership,

We write to share the collective dismay of many Asian American and Pacific Islander alumni who participated in martial arts and other club activities while at Stanford and were positively affected by their experience. Over the years, martial arts groups have established a track record of serving the Stanford community. We were thus very surprised to hear that all the groups were suspended—and particularly distressed that this decision was carried out right as students were ending the quarter, without adequate time for consultation and with little chance for appeal.

We understand that many students and alumni supporters have written letters expressing their support for martial arts groups, and asking for the temporary suspension to be lifted. We hope that the groups can operate normally and recruit students this fall, while working to comply with any newly-enumerated university requirements. Otherwise, they risk being unable to recruit new student participants, which could negatively impact their ability to serve the Stanford community, as well as prevent them from meeting the VSO standards regarding student membership and leadership.

Given this wave of collective outcry, we thank you for responding with your letter to the community. We appreciate that students and alumni are heard by the Stanford administration. We hope you will work productively with martial arts groups to resolve any outstanding matters. In the meantime, we wish to bring to your attention a few points that have arisen through our own dialogue with martial arts groups at Stanford:

1)    Participating in martial arts is a crucial outlet for many students to maintain both physical and mental well-being. Time and again, we are reminded that mental health is incredibly important. Please keep this option available to students.

2)    In addition to training their own members, martial arts groups offer services to the Stanford community at large, including free seminars on women’s self-defense. Such trainings are well-received and provide a useful service.

3)    Martial arts are passed down from teacher to student, and refined through years of practice. It is crucial that groups be allowed to recruit high-quality instructors with sufficient experience to safely train others. Inexperienced students training other inexperienced students is not a feasible model for safely running a martial arts group.

4)    Many of Stanford’s martial arts groups draw from traditions that originated in the Asia-Pacific region, including karate, kendo, tae kwan do, wushu and others. Through martial arts, Stanford students encounter Asian cultures in a positive context. We hope this cultural representation can be sustained by allowing martial arts clubs to operate.

5)    If student groups are intended to be “student run, student led,” please respect the wishes of students in maintaining a unique culture and high standard of martial arts instruction and practice.

6)    The student activities working group that will address these issues only appears to have room for one “alumnus.” Given the interest of alumni as part or present participants in Stanford martial arts groups, we wonder if more alumni engagement could be possible.

7)    In the future, we hope that when undertaking sweeping actions that impact many members of the Stanford community, a more proactive and consultative approach can be adopted. A respectful genuine dialogue would allow the Stanford community sufficient time to respond, instead of a mandate during finals week.

Again, we appreciate your response to our community’s letters. Stanford’s API alumni will continue to observe this issue, and we look forward to a productive resolution. We fondly recall Stanford to be a safe learning environment, where students are empowered to pursue diverse interests and passions, including in the martial arts—and are eager to see it remain this way for future generations.

Sincerely,
Board of Directors, SAPAAC
Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club


More background on the issue can be found here:
http://www.sapaac.org/issues-advocacy/2019/8/1/stanford-martial-arts

 


MD alumna rallies 150 doctors in support of social justice in medical education

Dr. Crystal Zheng (‘10, MS ‘11) specializes in public health and infectious disease.

Dr. Crystal Zheng (‘10, MS ‘11) specializes in public health and infectious disease.

Dr. Crystal Zheng (‘10, MA ‘11) has been an advocate in the world of public health and infectious disease, including her comments on gun violence and its impact on patients earlier this year. After graduating from Stanford, she attended the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Recently, Dr. Zheng encountered an op-ed by a former dean at UPenn, who suggested that doctors should not be learning about issues of social justice or environmental sustainability.

Dr. Zheng saw this administrator’s statement as contrary to her beliefs about the need for a broad-based medical education, and decided to organize her medical school classmates—now all doctors—to respond. In her own words:

In the editorial pages of The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, who happened to be the associate Dean of Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine while I was there as a medical student, argued that social justice should not be included in medical school curricula at the expense of “basic scientific knowledge.” Continuing the conversation, the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal suggested, “Maybe we should begin to wonder about the quality of the doctors who graduate from Penn.”

As one of those doctors, and as someone whose drive stems from a deep-rooted belief in the role of doctors as vehicles for social justice, I felt compelled to compose an open letter to my former dean. In the letter I ask, “How could someone with such a limited view of the scope of medicine have been responsible for determining what we learned or did not learn during medical school?” I posted the letter online with mine as the lone signature, not sure whether anyone else was going to join me.

In the end, with over 150 signatures from his former students, the letter expresses a collective voice that provides a resounding rejection of Dr. Goldfarb’s ideas. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind; you most likely aren’t alone.”

— Dr. Crystal Zheng

You can read Dr. Zheng’s open letter on Medscape, which has now accrued over 150 signatures from doctors around the country. Follow her on Twitter @CrystalZhengMD

[Call to Action] Keep Martial Arts Groups at Stanford

We have heard from concerned Stanford alumni and students that martial arts groups at the university have been suspended, and could potentially be closed for good. (Read more here.) We recognize the role that martial arts groups have played in terms of physical and mental health, providing a community for students and alumni, and—particularly for the Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities—a source of cultural representation.

The SAPAAC Board are gathering more information about this situation by reaching out to martial arts group leaders and administrators, and will keep the SAPAAC community updated. Follow the story on this page.

How can I help?


Share your story about martial arts at Stanford
Were you a member of a martial arts group while at Stanford? SAPAAC wants to know your story! Please share with us what martial arts meant to you as a person of Asian American or Pacific Islander descent. (Click here) SAPAAC will collect these stories—and photos if you have them!

Write to the administration
Alumni are writing to express their views to the Vice Provost of Student Affairs, Susie Brubaker-Cole (susiebc@stanford.edu) and CC-ed the VP of Alumni Affairs, Howard Wolf (howardwolf@stanford.edu)

News and Updates

Stanford University Reportedly Bans All Martial Arts Groups Without Warning Over Email
http://nextshark.com/stanford-martial-arts-banned (Source: NextShark, an Asian American issues publication)

Susie Brubaker-Cole Issues a Reply
(Read here)

Alumni can continue to give feedback here:
https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cZ0PSPnjFjTAkAt

Medical doctor, Stanford grad (‘10) speaks out on gun violence

dr_crystal_zheng_10_MS11.jpg

A SAPAAC member is in the news! Dr. Crystal Zheng, an infectious disease specialist and Stanford alumna (‘10, MS ‘11) published an op-ed affirming that "gun violence does affect the Infectious Diseases community" and issuing a "call to action to engage in the conversation, advocate for our patients, and join with other medical societies in affirming a commitment to gun violence prevention."

More and more physicians have declared #ThisISOurLane and those treating gunshot wounds should be part of the conversation, after the National Rifle Association (NRA) suggested doctors should "stay in their lane" and not comment about gun violence.

Dr. Zheng's article is available here:

Let’s Join the Lane: The Role of Infectious Diseases Physicians in Preventing Gun Violence https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/6/3/ofz026/5368165

[Board Statement] Congratulations to the Stanford and the Asian American Activities Center (A3C) on hiring a third staff member

The A3C provides a vital sense of family and community for Asian American and Pacific Islander students at Stanford. We welcome the long-awaited appointment of an additional assistant director, Latana Thaviseth, who will enable the Center to continue its critical mission of serving students.

We applaud the Stanford administration for responding to input from students, alumni, and A3C staff on this matter. Budgeting resources to hire a third A3C staff member shows the University recognizes the value of our Community Centers.

As representatives of Stanford’s Asian American and Pacific Islander alumni community, SAPAAC remains interested in the well-being of students. We hope the new staff position will be made permanent, so that the A3C can continue serving Stanford students for generations to come.

Sincerely,
Board of the Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club (SAPAAC)

Asian American Studies in 2018

Who's teaching Asian American studies courses this quarter? What classes can current Stanford students take? Find out as Fall Quarter begins!

ASNAMST 110 - The Development of the Southeast Asian American Communities: A Comparative Analysis

3 units | Mo 12:30-3:20 pm | Hien Do

This course will examine the establishment of the Cambodian, Hmong, and Vietnamese communities in the US. We will focus on the historical events that resulted in their immigration and arrival to the US as well as the similarities and differences in the ways in which they were received. In addition, the course will focus on issues that impacted in the development of these communities focusing on the social, political, and economic processes by which new immigrant groups are incorporated into the American society. The second part of the course will be devoted to analyzing contemporary issues including but not limited to: class status, educational attainment, ethnic identity, racialization, second generation, mass media representation, poverty, and economic mobility.


ASNAMST 115 - Asian American Film and Popular Culture

5 units | TuThu 10:30-11:50 am | William Gow

Since the later part of the nineteenth century, representations of Asian Americans in popular culture have played a defining role in shaping ideas of citizenship and national belonging in the United States. Tracing the evolution Asian American representations from the silent film era through the advent of online media, this course examines the economic, political, and cultural influence of Asian American screen images on U.S. society. Through a focus on both mainstream and independent productions, we discuss the work of Asian American actors, audience members, media producers, consumers, and activists. Films and TV shows to be discussed include The Cheat (1915), Daughter of the Dragon (1931), Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1989), Sai-i-gu (1993), AKA Don Bonus (1995), episodes of the Mindy Project and Master of None, and work by early Asian American YouTube stars including Michelle Phan and KevJumba.


ASNAMST 144 - Transforming Self and Systems: Crossing Borders of Race, Nation, Gender, Sexuality, and Class

5 units | Tu 3:00-5:50 pm | WAY-CE, WAY-ED | Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu

Exploration of crossing borders within ourselves, and between us and them, based on a belief that understanding the self leads to understanding others. How personal identity struggles have meaning beyond the individual, how self healing can lead to community healing, how the personal is political, and how artistic self expression based in self understanding can address social issues. The tensions of victimization and agency, contemplation and action, humanities and science, embracing knowledge that comes from the heart as well as the mind. Studies are founded in synergistic consciousness as movement toward meaning, balance, connectedness, and wholeness. Engaging these questions through group process, journaling, reading, drama, creative writing, and storytelling. Study is academic and self-reflective, with an emphasis on developing and presenting creative works in various media that express identity development across borders.


ASNAMST 186B - Asian American Art: 1850-Present

4 units | MoWe 3:00-4:20 pm | WAY-AII, WAY-ED | Marci Kwon

In 1968, the Asian American Political Alliance began a successful campaign to jettison the designation "oriental" in favor of "Asian American." Given the term's recent genesis, what do we refer to when we discuss "Asian American art," and how can we speak of its history? This lecture class will explore these questions by considering artists, craftsmen, and laborers of Asian descent in the United States, beginning with Chinese immigration to California in the mid-nineteenth century, and extending through our current moment of globalization. We will consider their work alongside art and visual culture of the United States that engages "Asia" as a place, idea, or fantasy. Special attention will be paid to the crucial role Asia and Asian Americans played in movements including photography in San Francisco, Abstract Expressionism, Beat Culture, performance art, and New Queer Cinema. Artists include Chiura Obata, Isamu Noguchi, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Manuel Ocampo, Zarina, and Wu Tsang, among many others.


ASNAMST 134 - Asian American History through Literature

5 units | TuThu 10:30-11:50 am | David Palumbo-Liu

History presents us with the historical fact and shows how these facts add up. Literature helps explore the human significance of historical facts. In this course we will focus on a number of works of Asian American literature that each depict specific moments in the development of Asian American history, and discuss how the authors feel the effects of that history and represent those effects through literature. There are no pre-requisites for the course, but students are expected to read and analyze carefully and critically, and to be serious and active participants in the class.

Compiled by Melody Yang (myang10@stanford.edu), Asian American Studies Liaison

No Act is Too Small [June 2018]

SAPAAC member and Stanford alumna Mimi Gan ('79 Social Sciences) recently spent a weekend canvassing and registering voters in Wisconsin. Here are her reflections about getting involved in the political process and empowering everyday citizens to go out and vote. The reflection is written as a letter to friends.

Dear Friends,

Mimi Gan ('79, Social Studies)

Mimi Gan ('79, Social Studies)

I just came back from canvassing and registering voters in the "purple" state of Wisconsin with 15 Seattle volunteers. The entire experience was incredibly humbling and eye-opening, and I wanted to share what I observed and learned because it's given me a better understanding of Middle America—and myself.

Our group of volunteers was part of Common Purpose, a grassroots organization started up by University of Washington communications professor and social justice activist David Domke, to create community and mobilize voter engagement across Washington and nine other states prior to the 2018 mid-term elections. About 200 of us overall are participating in its activities.

Why me? After the 2016 election, I became so disillusioned by the new administration’s policies and politics that I turned into what the NY Times has coined an “MSNBC Mom” and Twitter-addict (to my husband's dismay). I decided that instead of simply grumbling about the news all day, I would turn my anger into activism. After researching various avenues of resistance, I decided to put my energies into fighting voter suppression and helping to GOTV—Get Out The Vote. Common Purpose offered the perfect opportunity.

Why Wisconsin? I had never been to the Badger state and found its racial, socio-economic demographics, politics and voting statistics both interesting and troubling. For example:

  • In Milwaukee, black/white population is essentially equal but segregated: 45% White; 40% African American; 15% Latino/Hispanic/Other

  • A quarter (25%) of WI citizens of voting age are NOT registered to vote (1.3 million potential voters)

  • Of those 25% unregistered, almost half are African American/Latino/Hispanic

Why the disenfranchisement? Possible reasons are a strict voter ID law, neighborhood segregation, income inequality, excessive incarceration, among other factors. Other notable points:

  • The cities of Milwaukee and Racine are in the "Top 5 of worst cities for African Americans (USA Today)

  • In Racine, African Americans earn 35 cents to every 1 dollar whites earn.

  • In Milwaukee County, almost HALF of all African American males in their 30’s and 40’s have been incarcerated at some point in their lives.

Our strategy: We worked alongside of and trained with the RIC (Racine Interfaith Coalition), a non-partisan group of 25 congregations/organizations working together for social justice. We registered voters across the city—in diverse neighborhoods, from laundromats to churches. While in Milwaukee, we also canvassed for U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin’s re-election campaign. Her aunt, Sarah Baldwin of Seattle was part of our traveling WA Common Purpose group.

The experience was truly eye-opening: Milwaukee and Racine residents never hesitated to open their doors or voice their concerns about what matters to them -- from crime, healthcare to the border policy. Surprisingly, many of the unregistered voters we talked to understood the issues and had strong opinions about WI Governor Walker and President Trump. Yet, these same folks never felt compelled to vote. “It won’t make a difference,” said a few.

We were also taken aback by the number of felons we met who were very open about their status. In Wisconsin, felons are not eligible to vote unless they are "off paper"—they have served and fulfilled their obligations to the state. We met two "off paper" felons who did not think they could vote and we registered them on the spot. It was so gratifying.

Click for more images. All images courtesy Mimi Gan.

Click for more images. All images courtesy Mimi Gan.

Unexpected highlights of the experience: Getting to know 14 new Seattle compatriots and now friends; enjoying a delicious sloppy-joe lunch prepared by loving "church ladies" after a morning of canvassing, and attending a packed Town Hall featuring Parkland shooting survivors on their #RoadToChange tour, joined by Milwaukee/Chicago teens who expressed so passionately the need for better guns laws and young voter turnout. After hearing from them, I’m convinced the young people will win!

Gratitude: Huge thanks to our inspirational team leader Charles Douglas (a Starbucks Corporate manager and young leader to watch) for his organizing and patience and to my dear friend and role model, Virginia Anderson for connecting us to Racine. Special thanks to the folks at RIC, who were the most dedicated and organized group of peaceful activists I’ve ever met—all with big open hearts. We have a great deal to learn from them, including tolerance and compassion.

Reflecting on the event: I can happily report that our group registered dozens of new voters, including 18-year olds, African Americans, Latinos, retirees, "off paper" felons, and others. We used the state's new voter registration app, which had its hiccups, but we muscled through.

Our very civil one-on-one conversations were honest, open, and memorable. We listened. We learned. And hopefully, we helped convince a few that their vote/voice matters.

Traveling to Wisconsin also made me realize how fortunate we are to live in "the Seattle bubble." But I’m so glad I burst out, even for just five days. I learned so much about life in the Midwest, humanity and myself—including my own unconscious biases. Best of all, meeting Wisconsinites renewed my faith in the inherent goodness of people of all faiths, races, and ages, despite the divisions raging around us.

I remain hopeful, optimistic and even more engaged!

Friends—if you care about the future of our democracy, please consider taking action. I believe small acts make a big difference:

  • Call your legislator

  • Sign a petition

  • Donate $5 to a favorite politician or cause

  • Encourage a young millennial, friend or neighbor to VOTE

Or, get involved with Common Purpose for "Wave 2" this fall in Washington, in Wisconsin or in another state. Please join us!

In closing, we love these words of inspiration, courtesy of the Racine Interfaith Coalition:

"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage and kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And, if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. For the future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."

—Howard Zinn, Historian & Writer

Here's to small, marvelous victories!

Yours,
Mimi
 

Note: Mimi also produced the video "History of Asians & Asian Americans at Stanford" video for the Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Summit, which you can view here: https://vimeo.com/218315703