Detroit Asian Youth Project Celebrates 10 years of Mentorship - NBC News.com

Congratulations DAY (Detroit Asian Youth) Project on your 10 Year Anniversary Celebration today!

“The program was started in response to questions being raised at the 20-year anniversary of the Vincent Chin incident,” said Detroit Asian Youth (DAY) Project co-founder and coordinator Soh Suzuki, referring to the beating death of a Chinese American man in a Detroit suburb in 1982. “Where has the Asian American community in Detroit gone? What does it mean to organize Asian Americans in Detroit today?”

Detroit Asian Youth Project Celebrates 10 years of Mentorship - NBC News.com

Ileto family remembers Joseph Ileto, slain 15 years ago

Remembering Joseph Ileto 15 years later:

Joseph Ileto, Ismael’s older brother, died Aug. 10, 1999 after being shot by Buford O. Furrow Jr., who had opened fire on five people at the Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills before encountering Ileto, who was working as a mail carrier in Chatsworth.

Ileto family remembers Joseph Ileto, slain 15 years ago

from PowerPAC+

From Washington D.C. · powerpacplus.org:

We are stronger when we speak up for each other within & across racial lines. #VincentChin #Truestory #neverforget pic.twitter.com/oiisZSHfMb
— PowerPAC+ (@PowerPAC_Plus) June 23, 2014

Reflections from 18MillionRising

from 18MillionRising, reprinted with permission:

I went to Vincent Chin's grave today, cleaned it, left fruit and incense at both his and his parents' headstones.

I've been thinking a lot about you lately, brother. I'm the same age now as you were when you died, and as I grow and change, I think a lot about the impact Detroit has had on my life, and on yours. You didn't expect to be an icon for a generation of struggle, and you certainly didn't deserve to become an icon like this. I just want you to know that we remember.

And to Lily Chin: thank you for your heart and your organizing. You are missed. I hope you see that we remember your son, and you, and everything you gave us. Rest in power. - CM

Check out the good work they do at 18MillionRising | Activating Asian America

Original link: 18MILLIONRISING (I went to Vincent Chin’s grave today, cleaned it,...)

Interviews with Helen Zia and Jon Jang

Thanks to Francis Wong for finding this. Rick Quan's video interview of Helen Zia for the Chinese Historical Society of America touches on her role in Vincent Chin case. #iamvincentchin http://youtu.be/O-gcBk2ixxY



Helen Zia - YouTube


And then, as an added bonus, I found this great Rick Quan video interview of Jon Jang, also for the Chinese Historical Society of America at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S37UlR7-OlU

Francis Wong on #iamvincentchin

From jazz musician Francis Wong, reprinted with permission:

#iamvincentchin As with so many at that time the killing of Vincent Chin and the absolution of his murderers hit close. I was 25 at the time just two years younger than Vincent. And while what seems a world away from the unemployment and challenging conditions of Detroit, I had faced many potentially violent confrontations with white male students on campus in my undergraduate years at Stanford, particularly as I was doing my political organizing around issues such as the defense of affirmative action and divestment in South Africa. Particularly scary was being accosted by a group of white men in a pick up truck as I posted flyers by myself on campus for Asian American Student Association activities. (I never did that again alone). I became acutely aware of my vulnerability and developed sensitivity for situations that could get out of hand leading to dire consequences. In the decades since, this sense of danger has not abated; facing blatant and hateful behavior on occasion in my travels as a musician in our country. Of course, while I try to be careful, this has not deterred my participation in efforts to assert our humanity in our society. The killing of Vincent Chin led to a very passionate and transformational movement that I am forever grateful to have been a part of. Especially important to me was the opportunity to have a direction in my early career as a musician playing in Jon Jang's ensembles as a means to participate in a watershed period of development in our community. Thanks for listening/reading, I know this is a little long.

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang on Role of the Media in Vincent Chin Case State Bar of Michigan Legal Milestone - YouTube

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, Executive Director American Citizens for Justice, "Role of the Media in the Vincent Chin Case and the Birth of the Asian American Civil Rights Movement" at The State Bar of Michigan's 34th Michigan Legal Milestone commemoration of the Vincent Chin Case "From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry," Friday, June 19, 2009.



Finally got this video cut and uploaded!

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang on Role of the Media in Vincent Chin Case State Bar of Michigan Legal Milestone - YouTube

Remembering Vincent Chin video from Ankur Dholakia then of Detroit News

Thanks to Ankur Dholakia, then at Detroit News, for this clip of the Vincent Chin memorial plaque installation in Ferndale, Michigan, in 2010, which includes a short summary of the case and its significance at the beginning by former American Citizens for Justice Executive Director Frances Kai-Hwa Wang (me).







Here's another video clip of the installation ceremony from WXYZ News that does not want to embed:
Video: Dec 2010 WXYZ News: Plaque honoring murdered Asian man, Vincent Chin, unveiled in Ferndale
wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/plaque-honoring-murdered-man-unveiled-in-ferndale

Karen Wan, "The Partner Track"

Today: Ninth annual University of Michigan Law School Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) Origins Banquet, Michigan League Vandenberg Room. Dinner, music, and the announcement of the recipients of the 2014 APALSA Public Interest Fellowships. Keynote speaker, Helen Wan, attorney and author of The Partner Track.

University of Michigan Asian/Pacific Islander American Heritage Month

Click on link see events: University of Michigan Asian/Pacific Islander American Heritage Month

"Highly Skilled Workers Sought In Rust Belt - Is Immigration the Answer?" | Corp July/August 2013

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang channeling Mee Moua in this article on immigration issues in Michigan, "Highly Skilled Workers Sought In Rust Belt - Is Immigration the Answer?" pp 28-32.

Corp July/August 2013

Twitter / Search - #SmartaapiWomenOfTwitter

Check out the #SmartAAPIWomenOfTwitter (an amazing Twitter response to a Fast Company article on the 25 Smartest Women of Twitter that neglected to include a single woman of color). smh orz.

Twitter / Search - #SmartAAPIWomenOfTwitter

Make sure to also search for #SmartBlackWomenOfTwitter and #SmartLatinaWomenOfTwitter.

50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: A Renewed Hope for the American Dream | Mee Moua

The great Mee Moua on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington

50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: A Renewed Hope for the American Dream | Mee Moua

What Do Asian-Americans Owe The Civil Rights Movement? : NPR

Cool article as we head into the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington
What Do Asian-Americans Owe The Civil Rights Movement? : NPR

AMERICAN CITIZENS FOR JUSTICE/ ASIAN AMERICAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE OBSERVES THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE OAK CREEK SIKH TEMPLE KILLINGS AND URGES TOLERANCE AND UNDERSTANDING

From American Citizens for Justice, inc. / Asian American Center for Justice

It was just one year ago on August 5, 2012 when white supremacist Wade Michael Page opened fire at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, killing six people. Candlelight vigils were held, and First Lady Michelle Obama visited the temple later that same month. The act was described by Attorney General Eric Holder as “an act of terrorism, an act of hatred, a hate crime.”

Upon the first anniversary of this massive hate crime, American Citizens for Justice/Asian American Center for Justice (ACJ) calls upon civil rights leaders and all people to remember the incident, the victims, and to redouble their efforts to preach tolerance and understanding of people of different ethnicities and faiths.

Emma Chen, president of American Citizens for Justice, observed “We should take this opportunity to speak out on the tragic effects of unprovoked racial hatred and acts of violence, whether it occurs in our schools, places of work, or places of worship.”

Join ACJ in remembering the victims at Oak Creek, and pledging to speak for tolerance and understanding.

American Citizens for Justice is a 501(c)(3) non-profit civil rights organization devoted to advocacy and education on civil rights for Asian Americans and all people.

Why We Must Remember Oak Creek | Valarie Kaur

Great article on the one year anniversary of the Oak Creek shootings by Valarie Kaur

Why We Must Remember Oak Creek | Valarie Kaur

About APIA-Vote Michigan

If you missed  the APIA-Vote Michigan Third Annual Dinner July 27th, you can still catch up with APIAVote-Michigan's Theresa Tran's great prezi!

http://prezi.com/aftmfojb3oit/apiavote-recap/

APIA-Vote Michigan Third Annual Dinner July 27

Are you going to the APIA-Vote Michigan Third Annual Dinner July 27th? Support this great group of acfivists!

Schedule | V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA

Check out the awesome cool #v3activism panel at 3:00 at V3con: V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA http://v3con.com/schedule/

Engaging the AAPI Community in Online Activism — JANM Education Center Classroom 2Click to Close

HASHTAG: #V3activism

Asian Americans are a growing power, but what makes a successful campaign tick? How can activists energize Asian Americans to take action on their issues? Hear from AAPI leaders who have harnessed the power of the Internet.

Speakers:

Taz Ahmed, @tazzystar

Lisa Lee,  @rrrlisarrr

Jennifer Pae, @jennpae

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, @fkwang

Phil Yu, @angryasianman

- See more at: http://v3con.com/schedule/#sthash.AuE9chbw.dpuf

Schedule | V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA

Launching RememberingVincentChin.com Postcard Project

Launching the RememberingVincentChin.com postcards at ITASA Midwest Conference at the University of Michigan. Thanks UM Yuri Kochiyama Leadership Program!