VOICE A WILD DREAM: MOMENTS IN ASIAN AMERICAN ART AND ACTIVISM, 1968-2022Voice a Wild Dream: Moments in Asian American Art and Activism, 1968-2022 highlights collectives of Asian American artists and activists and their work toward social change over the past six decades. Sharpened by a recent interest among artists in remaking systems in ways that harken back to the revolutionary impulses of the late 1960’s, many exhibitions and publications trace the lineages of feminist, queer, black, and Chicanx arts and activism; however, the story intertwining strands of art, activism, and community aid is significantly less visible within the Asian American community. On exhibition at Oxy Arts: 4757 York Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90042 Click here for more information.
Asian American Art Activism Relational MapView various Asian American art centered around activism through this relational map here.
A Mexican Chinese superhero brings a forgotten part of history aliveImages from the “Comandante Chong” issue of the Mexican American comic book, “El Peso Hero.”A new issue of the Mexican American “El Peso Hero” comic book tells a story about Mexico that very few readers know about. “There is a long history of Chinese immigration to Mexico,” said the comic book’s creator, artist and educator Héctor Rodríguez, in an interview with NBC News about “El Comandante Chong,” a new issue released Monday. “But there is also a history of anti-Chinese movements, including deportations, expulsions and genocide. And this history has been forgotten or purposely put away.” Read more here.
‘Prison destroys every human dignity’: Free Chol Soo Lee and the miscarriage of justice that united Asian-AmericansFree Chol Soo Lee paints a portrait of California in the 70s, full of radical college students, but its themes feel pertinent today. “The violence that Asian-Americans have faced lately has been in the news so much,” Director Eugene Yi says (anti-Asian hate crimes have risen around the world since the start of the pandemic). He sees the film as a way to “present these images of resistance to inspire people”, as well as open up conversations on criminal justice reform within the community. Lee’s story challenges the “model minority” myth often associated with Asian-Americans: he struggled with institutionalization and addiction, and after his release, was open about the difficulties of adjusting to life after prison and with his fame. For Yi, the story “presents this opportunity to ask what we expect of our heroes and our symbols, and the kind of perfection we expect.” Read more here.
SAADA Social Media Creators WorkshopOn May 21, 2022, South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) brought together fourteen social media creators at HAPPYMONDAY Studio in NYC to engage with the archive and create new content based on stories from SAADA. Learn more here.We wanted to highlight more amazing content that our creators developed since SAADA’s Social Media Creators Workshop in NYC in May!Take a look on IG here: https://t.co/V54A8pCYRf pic.twitter.com/kmbuhte8Ca— SAADA (@SAADAonline) August 12, 2022
To Us & Ours: An Asian American Feminist CollectionThis collection of writing emerges from the 2021 Asian American Feminist Writing Workshop hosted by Kundiman and the Asian American Feminist Collective. This workshop fostered a space for writers to explore how the unique histories and themes of Asian American feminism influences their own work.Table of Contents:Dandelion Spell (For Safety), Ching-In ChenWakashu and Lost Traditions, Sam NakahiraTo the Daughters of War, Victoria HuynhFig Tree, MATNightswimming in August, Alyssa Mae CruzMasturbation, Pleasure & Feminist Politics, Fatema HaqueTo May, Linda Sachiko MorrisWe Have Names, danny ryuI’m a Public School Teacher and I Spent $500 to Take a Bath and Cry, Shivani DavéWork at TheCompany!, Anne Cong-HuyenPreserves, Amanda NavaUndoc Letters, goeunRain Pollen Fossil Record, Aishvarya AroraUntitled, Jas PerryLife & Pain, A Compilation, Erme MaulaPandemic Diary, Joy ChenMy Brother Tells Me Why I Love Q-Tips, Ashna AliEverything Beautiful, In Its Time, Hairol MaFlowers for the Living, Flowers for the Dead, Promiti IslamDownload here
AAAJ-Atlanta – #RememberingMarch16 Collective Statement & ToolkitThis March 16 will be the one year anniversary of the murders of eight people, including size Asian women massage workers at spas in our metro Atlanta community. As the organization that led the rapid-response efforts to directly support victims, survivors, and their families, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta invites you to join our organization in remembrance.We invite partner organizations to join us in solidarity on March 12 for a day of remembrance. We kindly ask partner organizations to observe Wednesday, March 16 as a sacred day for quiet reflection.Sign-on to our collective statement by Wednesday, March 9. The statement will be released on our website on Saturday, March 12 and organizations who have signed on will be listed as co-signers.Observe, join, or organize solidarity events on March 12, 2021 in your local community. In Atlanta, we are co-hosting a community remembrance event with the Asian American Advocacy Fund alongside our co-sponsors: Raksha, CPACS, Korean American Coalition, and New Georgia Project. Please share our solidarity day invitations with your networks.Use this community toolkit to uplift our 5-part art collaboration series dedicated to the one year remembrance.
EPIC – Pasifika Art Gallery: Reflection, Revival, (R)evolutionPasifika Art: Reflection, Revival, (R)evolution is a multimedia project grounded in the Samoan cultural practices of talanoa and teu le vā, meaning talk story and to care for the space that connects us. EPIC understands the critical role that art plays in articulating the realities of our communities while also creating space for dreaming of radically different futuresReflection has a duality that speaks to the need for PI’s to be seen and be in critical dialogue about our roles in social justice movements. Revival speaks to healing and the renewed energy that elders and youth are feeling in response to the pandemic and racial justice uprisings. (R)evolution is both a call to action and a meditation on the changes our communities have undergone due to colonization as well as the conscious decisions younger generations are making about what parts of culture to preserve and evolve. What We Heard The EPIC team crowdsourced responses to prompts issued through Instagram asking: Can you envision a world without police/prisons? Who or what makes you feel safe? WE TAKE CARE OF US. When asked what makes them feel safe, respondents told us about sisters, siblings, prayer circles, parents, friends, and family. Hundreds of times they named people and not systems. It’s clear that the abolition we want will require deep relationships that center community and connection. THE FUTURE WE WANT IS POSSIBLE. Though a strong majority of our respondents want abolition, the current state of the world has made it feel unattainable. We want to illustrate that it’s not only possible, in many ways it is already here. TOGETHER, WE HAVE THE POWER. This message and framework comes directly from Culture Surge’s The Storytellers’ Guide to Changing Our World. We disrupt traditional notions of power that are exploitative and instead inspire movement building towards a collective power because we know that liberation will require all of us. Click here to view the Art Gallery, including film screenings, commissioned artists, and an art contest.
AAPCHO COVID-19 Resource HubVISIT THE RESOURCE HUB HERE!Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) is continuously monitoring (COVID-19) alerts and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and other health agencies across the United States and its territories.This page will be updated frequently with tailored resources for community health centers covering the COVID-19 vaccines, multilingual and culturally appropriate materials for Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian (NH), and Pacific Islander (PI) communities, resources to address anti-Asian racism, public health considerations, and other public health considerations.Resources Include: COVID-19 Vaccine, Multilingual and Culturally Appropriate Materials, Resources for Health Centers, Addressing Anti-Asian Racism, Cultural Humility, and Public Health ConsiderationsIf you have questions, would you like to contribute resources to this page, and/or require technical assistance, please email preparedness@aapcho.org.COVID-19 Resource Hub
Cia Siab Inc: Why Are Pronouns Important?Cia Siab Inc: Have you ever heard someone introduce themselves like this: “Hi, I’m Piper. I use They/Them pronouns”. And wonder why they included their pronouns? Or have you ever been corrected when you referred someone as a ‘She’ instead ‘Ze’? We’re starting to hear and see people share their pronouns on their bio’s, social media, during conversations. Why exactly are pronouns important? And how can you practice being more inclusive of all identities?Want to learn more, connect with our Queer Coordinators, Leader & Huab Cua at leaderthao@ciasiabinc.org & huabcua@ciasiabinc.org.