April 2021
Volume 16 Issue 4
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PRESIDENT’S NOTE Dear readers, I don’t have much room this month to share a note, so I will short and focused on what’s most pressing. Like many of you, I have gone through a wave of emotions in recent months as violence against Asian Americans have continued to rise. Heartbroken. Scared. Hopeless. Angry. Frustrated. Activated. Engaged. Hopeful. Anybody else?
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The past weeks, I have witnessed the power and compassion of our Colorado community. Thank you to so many people that have been working around the clock to organize community events and supports in response to the hate crimes. If you are looking for ways to get involved, please read on (page 10). Donate to the anti-hate crimes fund at the Asian Pacific Development Center! Get involved and connect with local AAPI organizations. Have conversations with your friends about race. Read books about the Asian American experience. A quote from my friend, “now is the time to turn our pain into power! The only way we can end hate is to be in it together.” Annie Guo VanDan, President Asian Avenue magazine www.asianavemag.com
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April 2021 | President’s Note
APRIL 2021 6
FEATURE: Celebrating Easter in a time of racial reckoning
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10
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16
MOVIES FEATURE SECTION
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FEATURE: Ching Ming Festival is a celebration of ancestors
COVER STORY: Asian Americans report more than 3,800 hate incidents across the nation
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Colorado Dragon Film Festival has successful virtual event Minari, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, wins Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film
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Chloé Zhao becomes first Asian woman to win Golden Globe for Best Director
COVER STORY: Colorado’s AAPI community organizes events in response to recent hate crimes
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COLUMN: The Content of Their Character Indeed
Senior center hosts lion dance performance to celebrate Lunar New Year during COVID-19 times
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on the cover The Colorado community united at the Stop AAPI Hate rally on March 27 to speak up against systemic racism. / Photo Credit: Miguel Ortega Asian Avenue magazine (ISSN 1932-1449) reserves all copyrights to this issue. No parts of this edition can be reproduced in any manner without written permission. The views expressed in articles are the authors’ and not necessarily those of Asian Avenue magazine.
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Table of Contents | Asian Avenue Magazine
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The Scandal of Resurrection: A Reflection on Easter By Kathy Maskell
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Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, He has risen! — Luke 24:5, New International Version (NIV)
It’s 2,000 years ago, and it’s the first day of the week. A trio of women huddle together for safety and comfort, the two supporting the mother wracked with grief between them. Her son, her beautiful, innocent son, had been wrongfully accused, abused, and executed as a criminal. Exhausted from the last few days of crying out for God’s justice, hiding for fear that the crowds and the guards would do the same to them as they did to him, they rush to the tomb to at least bring dignity to the dead. But then: scandal! Her son’s body is missing! Two men, with clothes that shine like lightning declare: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, He has risen!” This. Changes. Everything. Just as Jesus had promised, everything just got turned upside-down. The Jesus Revolution didn’t end with his execution; it was just beginning! The testimonies of these women are met with a wall of raised eyebrows, suspicion, and skepticism by the twelve disciples. In 2021, it can feel little has changed for the voices of the marginalized, the underclass, the “Other.” As a daughter of Vietnamese Buddhist refugees, I got captured by the scandal of the Jesus Revolution as a 17-year old. In a lot of ways, I came into the Christian faith kicking and screaming: this Jesus? He’s too weak! Too forgiving! His death too shameful! I was full of skepticism and suspicion. I wanted respect, I wanted to be empowered. And yet, there is something about the scandal of Jesus’ journey to the cross that disarmed me, just as it disarmed and then empowered that first wave of Jesus followers. What if the way of Jesus leads to
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April 2021 | Feature
”
power that brings the dead to life? Just like the women at the empty tomb, so many of us have felt like we’ve been living underground, buried by the grief and losses of this past year, the cognitive dissonance between what should be and what our eyes have seen and hearts and bodies have endured, especially recently for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. What the scandal of the Jesus story reveals is that in the journey from the cross to Resurrection Easter Sunday, we aren’t simply celebrating the fresh signs of spring or rebirth, although those themes are surely welcome. It’s all the scandal of the cross, the revolution of love, led by a brown-skinned homeless refugee. He demonstrates resurrection power by re-centering it towards the margins. How does Jesus call us to respond to hate that kills? His body breaks, his blood poured out, for you, for me, for us. His resurrection empowers us, by the Holy Spirit, to pour ourselves out with unfailing kindness, with courageous solidarity that will never dismiss or ignore violence but will respond with hope and healing. I join with millions of Christians all over the world to lift up our voices and use our bodies to declare the everlasting love, unfailing kindness, and resurrection power of the One who takes all the violence, grief, death, betrayal and evil unto himself. In Jesus, God reveals that his solution to hate, sin, and Death is not to abandon the world to itself, not to cancel and destroy it. Instead, Jesus walks out of the tomb and changes the ending. The violence, acrimony, and division in the world tell the story of a zero-sum game, a Universe built on the rules of fear and
About Kathy Maskell Kathy is the pastor of East Denver Vineyard, part of the Mile High Vineyard family of churches in the Denver metro area. She also leads the Vineyard Justice Network and serves on the Executive Board for Vineyard USA. Raised by Vietnamese Buddhist parents in San Diego, Kathy began her eastbound journey by first studying literature and poetry at the University of Chicago. While there, she got rocked by Jesus’s kindness and power. Kathy then pursued a teaching career, spanning from elementary to high school. Kathy earned an A.B. in English from the University of Chicago and an M.S. Ed from City College, CUNY. While in New Haven, CT, Kathy worked as the U.S. Advocacy Director of Love146, a leading anti-trafficking organization, and co-planted Elm City Vineyard Church. Kathy’s M. Div. in systematic theology at Union Theological Seminary (NYC) focused on patristics, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the study of abolitionist movements, developing Biblical resources on justice and exploitation, and analyzing poverty as a root cause of human trafficking alongside leaders of poor-led organizations. She lives with her husband Caleb, son Josiah, and daughter Emmanuelle in Denver.
death. Against that, Jesus calls people to join a revolution of love that resists exploitation, xenophobia, misogyny, racial injustice, predatory capitalism, and systemic poverty, and in the process re-creates the world. If Jesus’ resurrection is true, then the future hope of all the sick being healed, all the divisions being reconciled, all the world being made new begins to break in now. Easter is Resurrection Sunday – the day of new creation, where a different world becomes visible. And that is well worth celebrating this Easter 2021.
Easter Celebrations Near & Far
This will be the world’s second Easter in a pandemic. This time last year, most of us were in full quarantine mode. This year, as Easter falls on Sunday, April 4, some churches are gathering again following social distancing guidelines.
Do Asian Countries Celebrate Easter? While many may associate Asia with Buddhism and Hinduism, the region is rich in spirituality, with many countries celebrating the different traditions of Christianity including the Easter holiday. Here are some examples of how different Asians countries celebrate Easter:
• Easter in Philippines: Good Fri• Easter in China:
Though most Chinese do not celebrate Easter directly, they occasionally celebrate the coming of spring with gifts of eggs and huge festivals. Eggs are marks of the coming of spring and rebirth, fertility, and life. The Chinese paint eggs and give them as gifts with the coming of spring. The eggs are seen as hallowed and spiritual.
Origin and History Each year, Easter falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25, typically the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the spring equinox. Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly 30 A.D. The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles), Good Friday (which observes Jesus’ crucifixion) and Easter Sunday. Although a holiday of high religious significance in the Christian faith, many traditions associated with Easter date back to pre-Christian, pagan times.
start of Easter also signifies the end of winter, whereby India celebrates the Holi festival also known as the “The Festival of Colour” which honors the start of a fruitful spring harvest season.
day in the Philippines is when you’ll find most of the Easter tributes. Good Friday gives way to parades and plays about the crucifixion of Christ. Many people assemble large crosses to carry through the streets to represent the long walk to the cross for Christ, an act of respect embodied in the Philippines still today.
•
• Easter in Sri Lanka: Easter is cel• Easter in India: Well known for its melting pot of diverse cultures and religions, India celebrates Easter with equal enthusiasm as any other holiday. However, instead of eggs given as gifts, India prepares Simnel cakes, flowers, and color lanterns as presents to share. The
ebrated across Sri Lanka, with numerous Passion Plays re-enacting the crucifixion of Christ, in vibrant live theatre shows. These emotive processions tend to last for hours and take over entire neighborhoods, with locals dressing up to take part in the action.
Easter | Asian Avenue Magazine
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Ching Ming Festival Chingming Festival, also called Tomb Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival and an important day for most people to go and sweep tombs and commemorate their ancestors. On this day, tomb-sweeping is one of the most important and popular activities to show respect to ancestors. The festival usually falls on April 4 or 5. This year, the Chingming Festival falls on April 4, 2021, the same day as Easter. The public holiday in China is from April 3 to 5. In Chinese, Chingming (清明) means ‘clearness’ and ‘brightness’. The origin of the name was related to climate and nature in this season. At the beginning of April, it becomes noticeably warmer and brighter, and nature is waking up in northern/central China (this happens earlier in south China).
Origins and History The Chingming Festival started in the Zhou Dynasty (1046–221 BC) and has a history of over 2,500 years. It originated from the extravagant and ostentatiously expensive ceremonies that many ancient emperors and wealthy officials held in honor of their ancestors. They offered sacrifices to their ancestors and beseeched them to bless the country with prosperity, peace, and good harvests. In the year 732, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty declared that respect could only be paid formally at ancestors’ graves on the first day of the Chingming solar term. From then on, sweeping tombs on the first of Chingming became popular with both royal and common families, and the tradition has lasted well over a millennium.
Traditional Activities •
Tomb Sweeping This is the most important custom of Chingming Festival. People commemorate and show respect to their ancestors by visiting their graves, offering food, tea, or wine, burning incense, burning or offering joss paper (representing money) and other paper items. They sweep the tombs, remove weeds, and add fresh soil to the graves. They might stick willow branches, flowers, or plastic plants on the tomb. At Chingming, people usually worship their ancestors by burning incense and ‘paper money at their ancestors’ gravesites. Spring Outing (Taqing, 踏青) Chingming is also called Taqing Festival. Taqing (‘tread green’) means a spring outing, when people get out and enjoy the spring blossoms. The festival usually falls on a day not long before everything turns green in the north, and well into the spring flower season in the south. •
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April 2021 | Cultural Tidbits
Putting Willow Branches on Gates During the Chingming Festival,
some people wear soft willow branches and place the branches on gates and front doors. People believe that this custom will ward off wandering evil spirits during Chingming. Willows are considered magical are mainly a Buddhist influence. Traditional pictures of the Goddess of Mercy Guanyin often show her seated on a rock with a willow branch in a vase of water at her side. The goddess used this mysterious water and branch to scare away demons.
Traditional Foods
Green rice ball (青团) Chingtuan, or green rice balls, are widely consumed in China’s Jiangnan area - the region south of the Yangtze River - around Chingming Festival. The seasonal delicacies are usually made from glutinous rice mixed with pounded mugwort - an edible wild herb thought to prevent toxic insect bites. •
Chingming cakes or Sanzi (馓子) In both northern and southern China, it is an age-old tradition to eat sanzi, or fried dough twists, on Tomb-Sweeping Day. However, the sanzi in North and South China are different from each other in terms of size and material. Northern people prefer larger ones made from wheat, while people in the South enjoy smaller ones made from rice. •
Ancient Poets Chingming Festival is filled with mixed emotions. Especially for the ancient poets, it is a day when it is easy to indulge in nostalgia. A number of poems about Chingming Festival have been created by these poets. Here are two famous Chingming poems:
《清明》 The Mourning Day 杜牧 By Dumu
清明时节雨纷纷， A drizzling rain falls on the Mourning Day. 路上行人欲断魂。 Pedestrians are broken-hearted on the way. 借问酒家何处有？ Where can a tavern be found to drown their sorrows? 牧童遥指杏花村。 There a cowboy points to a hamlet amid apricot flowers.
《苏堤清明即事》 Sightseeing in Su Causeway
吴惟信 By Wu Weixin 梨花风起正清明， Pear petals fall in a slight wind on Qingming Day, 游子寻春半出城。 Men and women, old and young, take a trip to look for spring. 日暮笙歌收拾去， When the wonderful music and songs ended at the sunset, 万株杨柳属流莺。 Golden orioles fly through thousands of willows freely.
Ching Ming Festival | Asian Avenue Magazine
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In this critical moment...
support and protect our Asian American Pacific Islander community More than 3,800 hate incidents against Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have been reported to Stop AAPI Hate in all 50 states since the onset of COVID-19. These reports include racial slurs, physical attacks and robberies. In Colorado, the incidents have been severely underreported through the national Stop AAPI Hate tool. Local tracking has identified incidents of individuals being shunned (avoided by others), women being spat on, and businesses being vandalized. Colorado’s AAPI community has been speaking up about the hate incidents for more than a year, but only recently has more attention been brought to the issue due to the growing violence and murders of AAPI people, which includes the shootings in Atlanta on March 16, leaving six Asian women dead: Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Yue, Daoyou Feng, Xiaojie Tan. Two other people also died in the shootings: Delaina Ashley Yaun and Paul Andre Michels. In recent weeks, the AAPI community has moved quickly to provide spaces to: (1) share stories and heal (candle light vigil, healing circles, and support groups), (2) educate the greater community (press conferences and town halls), and (3) delineate action steps and a plan forward (community rally and coalition building). An 84-year-old Thai man Vicha Ratanapakdee died following an attack in San Francisco on January 28. Three days later on January 31, a 91-year-old man was violently shoved to the ground and died.
Social media users across the country changed their photos to this drawing of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, a Thai man, who died after being shoved while walking in his neighborhood in San Francisco. Illustrated by Jonathan D. Chang
On March 15, Danilo Yuchang, 59, was walking back to work from his lunch break when he was shoved and beaten unconscious. He almost lost his vision because of the attack. In San Francisco, 75-year-old Xiao Zhen Xie fought back when a 32-yearold white male randomly attacked her. She suffered two black eyes and other longterm injuries. After raising $1 million through a GoFundMe page organized by her family to pay for her medical care, Xiao Zhen announced she would donate all the money raised to the AAPI community to combat racism. A report released by Stop AAPI Hate found that there of the 3,800 incidents reported, women made up a far higher share of the reports, at 68 percent, compared to men, who made up 29 percent of respondents. Of those reports, 1,691 incidents took place in California, 517 in New York, and 158 in Washington. So far Colorado has reported 44 anti-Asian hate crimes, which ranks number 14 nationally. However, local community tracking has identified more than 60 incidents targeting AAPIs in Colorado in the past year and local police departments are aware that many incidents go unreported. If you see or experience a hate related incident, use the reporting form found at: coasian.carrd.co. Here you will also find more information about how to join a book club, participate in a healing circle, volunteer to assist Asian seniors in Denver, or join a network of AAPI educators working on Asian-centered K-12 curriculum.
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April 2021 | Cover Story
A CALL TO ACTION in Support of Colorado’s Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community At this critical moment, we call on our Colorado community to protect the lives and livelihoods of people of AAPI descent, to educate others about the recent incidents of hate and violence towards AAPI people and the long history of racism and discrimination towards AAPIs, to speak up about the inequities that exist across AAPI ethnicities, and to make the commitment to end systemic racism and injustices affecting AAPIs and all those who face oppression. • Donate to organizations that center AAPIs in their work and specifically to Colorado’s anti-Asian hate crimes fund at: apdc.kindful.com. • Learn about the history of AAPIs in the U.S. • Read Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong. • Reach out to state representatives, school boards, and educators and demand curriculums in schools (K-12, higher education) that include AAPI culture and history. • Attend events to show your support for the community and the organizers that are sustaining the work. • Support Asian-owned businesses by ordering food from Asian restaurants, tipping generously, buying gift cards, sharing their posts on social media, giving them a shoutout, writing a review, and simply showing your appreciation to the staff. • Advocate for the disaggregation of AAPI data in order to properly understand the disparities across Asian & Pacific Islander ethnicities. See the full call to action at:
tinyurl.com/cocalltoaction
Westminster, Colo. is home to 6,600 Asian Americans (5.6% of the city’s population). On March 18, the city hosted a press conference with the support of Mayor Herb Atchison, Chief of Police Tim Carlson, and AAPI community leaders including Asian Chamber of Commerce Board Member Clarence Low, Chair of Asian American Pacific Islander Initiative of Colorado Democrats Howard Chou, and Adams County Community Outreach Coordinator Yangmee Lor.
City of Westminster Press Conference Denouncing Asian American Violence March 18
Mayor Atchinson started the press conference by saying, “We are committed to our partnership with the Asian American community to make sure their voices are heard in the city of Westminster.” Chou, who attended the event with his family, said in an interview with 9News: “The fear of just conducting normal, everyday activities is on the minds of many Asian Americans across this country.” Low spoke about the importance of building trust with the AAPI community, noting that many refugees and immigrants come from countries, where they did not have a voice. As such, they may have distrust towards the government and may be reluctant to report incidents to the police. Chief Carlson acknowledged that the city is making efforts to build this trust. He said: “Many folks standing with us here are leaders in their communities. Our efforts have been to engage with the leaders to understand the best way to reach community members.”
Addressing Anti-Asian Hate: Colorado Solutions Town Hall March 18
More than 350 attendees participated in the Addressing Anti-Asian Hate: Colorado Solutions Town Hall that invited community members to share stories and grieve, while also looking ahead with strategies and solutions to end discrimination and violence towards AAPIs. The resounding message was: WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. We can only make change and create a better world if we condemn racism/violence against anyone. We must speak up anytime we see this happening and we must do it together. Currently, Asian American lawmakers in the U.S. Congress are proposing two pieces of legislation – the NO HATE Act and the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act – both of which aim to improve hate crimes reporting. A call to action from the town hall was to contact Colorado lawmakers to support these bills. Local officials, including Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann, among others and news media, participated in the virtual event. If you are interested in getting involved or staying connected with the work being done to Stop AAPI Hate, e-mail infocoredei@gmail.com.
Denver City Councilwoman Jamie Torres and President of Asian Chamber of Commerce Fran Campbell organized a virtual press conference on March 19 to show solidarity for Denver’s Asian community.
Press Conference: Solidarity For Asian Community in Wake of Atlanta Violence March 19
AAPI community leaders and local allies condemned the violence and spoke about the history of discrimination AAPIs have faced. Campbell noted that Denver area Asian businesses had seen a decline in business since March 2020, when COVID-19 first began. She also shared a statement of solidarity written by Nga Vương-Sandoval: “We join in solidarity as community leaders in the AAPI community, allies and elected officials condemn hatred and racism in all forms. We mourn for the victims and their families and ask you to join us to condemn the hatred and violence against the AAPI community.” Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales, Senior Associate Director of the Anti-Defamation League Jeremy Shaver, and representatives from the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Hispanic Chamber of Commerce also joined the event in solidarity with the AAPI community.
To watch the full press conference, go to tinyurl.com/aapi-solidarity-pressco.
AAPI Solidarity | Asian Avenue Magazine
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AAPI SOLIDARITY AGAINST RACISM 12
In response to the Atlanta shootings, Nga Vương-Sandoval, Father Joseph Dang, and other community leaders organized an “AAPI Solidarity Against Racism” event on March 20 in Denver. Vương-Sandoval said, “It’s unbelievable that we were able to organize everything in two days while in the midst of grieving for the Atlanta shooting victims as well as so many other AAPI victims throughout the pandemic. Our accomplishment speaks to the astounding resilience and determination of our Asian community and our refusal to be silent against the hatred, racism, xenophobia and violence directed at our community.” To watch the recording of the event, go to tinyurl.com/aapi-solidarity-co.
It is okay for us to share our stories, to be visible and to be heard. There is power in sharing those traumas we experience: the microaggressions at work, the racism in our daily lives, the danger of simply being a woman.
-Alyssa Nilemo
Japanese American, Board Member of Asian Chamber of Commerce
Our Asian American community is grieving. We’re also furious as hell! We’re exhausted that our concerns and cries are minimized or go ignored. Words and hashtags don’t bring change. What’s needed right now is action!
-Nga Vương-Sandoval
Vietnamese American Refugee, Social Justice Activist
To the leaders of this nation, who continue to use vile, racist and bigoted terminology to characterize the coronavirus, shame on you. To the specific law enforcement officials who would rather protect the voices and characters of racist, white murderers, you are a threat to society and deserve to have your power, badges, and uniforms stripped away from you. To the media, who continues to air the faces and voices of white supremacists and the racist aspirations that they share, you are complicit in their behavior.
April 2021 | Cover Story
-Neal Walia
South Asian American Community Organizer
Event Photos by: Dave Thatcher, Creative Media
The light at the end of the tunnel is that there is a solution. The only solution is to come together and punch up - up against the systems that keep us down.
-Cody Chang
Korean, Organizer of Candlelight Vigil Photo Credit: Armando Geneyro
This act that this man did to these women, who were of Asian ethnicities, in that massage spa and parlor owned by Asian women - for us to say it was just because of his sexual deviance is not addressing the intersectionalities of what’s really happening here. Asian Americans have been treated this way for over 100 years.
-Laura Dennison Lankford Asian American, Denver Artist
Photo Credit: Pasha Ripley
There is a lot of pain every time I see this and not just within my community. When I see Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, when I see all of that. But we have that opportunity to turn that pain into power. When power is built on oppression, they will never relinquish it. When power is built on unity, we want to make sure all of us have it.
-Howard Chou
Chinese American, Co-Founder/Chair of Asian American Pacific Islander Initiative of Colorado Democrats
Photo Credit: Tiffany Caudill
CANDLELIGHT VIGIL & NIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE
On the evening of March 20, Denver resident Cody Chang organized a vigil in remembrance of the lives lost in Atlanta and all across the U.S. He said, “Not only did I want to create a space for Asian people to come and be able to mourn, cry, grieve, I also wanted Asian people to come and speak where they would be heard.” The location of the event was at the site of Denver’s original Chinatown, also referred to as “Hop Alley” at 20th Street and Blake Street. The area was burned down and businesses destroyed on October 31, 1880 during a race riot in which one Chinese man was killed. Chang, who is now 25, grew up in Koreatown, Los Angeles. He shares that “we need to be in solidarity with each other and think of our struggles as a collective struggle instead of individual ones.”
AAPI Solidarity | Asian Avenue Magazine
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Harry Budisidharta Credit: Glenn Asakawa
The Walia’s: Deepak, Neal, Indira
Ben Nguyen
Credit: Miguel Ortega
Credit: Glenn Asakawa
Stop AAPI Hate Rally Credit: Glenn Asakawa
Joie Ha
Credit: Asian Avenue
Elisa Yang
Credit: Glenn Asakawa
Denver Asian Moms Credit: Asian Avenue
Nadeen Ibrahim Credit: Asian Avenue
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April 2021 | Cover Story
Yeong Cheng
Credit: Asian Avenue
Margaret Ozaki Graves
Donovan Bayuga
Left to right: Enkhjin Enkhsaikhan, Soyongo Sukhtugs, Ella Yambao, Kalia Lo, and Amy Yang Credit: Asian Avenue
Benjamin Cheang
Credit: Asian Avenue
Credit: Asian Avenue
Credit: Asian Avenue
Stop AAPI Hate Rally:
Denver joins nationwide rallies speaking up against hate On Saturday, March 27, community members gathered at the Colorado State Capitol for the Stop AAPI Hate rally. Denver supporters grieved the loss of innocent lives across the US and in Atlanta, while also coming together to show their collective power and voice.They showed up in force, carrying placards and posters reading “Stop Asian Hate” and “Hate is a Virus,” as did supporters at rally events in San Francisco, Chicago, and Fort Lee, NJ. Organized by CORE (Community Organizing for Radical Empathy), Asian Pacific Development Center, Sakura Foundation, Asian Avenue Magazine, Amplify the Voice, Parasol Patrol, and Denver Asian Collective, the goal of the event was to provide space for the community to unite and speak up against systemic racism and for attendees to leave inspired, connected, and catalyzed to take tangible steps for change. With a diverse representation of speakers and performers, the oldest speaker was 80 years old and the youngest was 11. Allies spoke about the importance of solidarity and shared experiences of oppression. AAPI speakers stated that “we belong” and it is time to reconsider what we know about Asianness. They also spoke about self-care, provided a prayer, and sang about healing. The event concluded with a taiko drum and breakdance performance. “Looking back at the event, what we’ve created together, I think to myself, wow, our community is powerful,” said Joie Ha, co-founder of CORE. To watch the recording of the event, go to: fb.com/coredei.
All Photos By: Miguel Ortega
AAPI Solidarity | Asian Avenue Magazine
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The Content of their Character Indeed
“
…they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
With the current rise of violence against Asian Americans, I keep going back to this famous quote by Dr. King. The first time I heard that famous speech, the beauty of his words just seemed to soar in the air. Honestly though, I didn’t really consider the message he was trying to send. That all changed in college. To be sure, I had first-hand experience with the racist jokes and taunting that seemed to be coming from all directions in my youth, and I remember a few times turning my back on these bullies with tears in my eyes thinking,
“Why do they hate me so much?”
- Martin Luther King Jr. that the room was available, and I could drop by right then to take a look. I accepted her invitation and told her I would be right there. I got on my bike, and sure enough, I was standing at the front door of the house in less than ten minutes. I parked my bike, walked up to the door, and knocked. The door opened part way, and a woman poked her head out. I introduced myself and told her I had just called. She glanced at me, looked up and down. In a very short tone, she said, “The room has been rented. It’s not available.” I said, “Ma’am, I just talked to you ten min
As just about the only Asian student in my school, maybe I should have seen it coming. But that was mostly in elementary school and junior high. It died down considerably by the time I got to high school. But in the fall of 1983, in the wealthy enclave of La Jolla, California, as a budding economics student at UC San Di-
The truth is, being judged is just a part of life.
I realized that racism, at least for some, never really goes away - it just changes forms. ego,
I was excited by the start of my college experience. But first things first, I had to find a place to live for the next year. I went to the on-campus housing department, and as this was before the internet existed, I walked around the department where they had posted “for rent” flyers all over the room. I was looking to rent a room in a home near campus. Each of the flyers had a phone number, and students could call right from the department to set up a visit with a landlord. I immediately found one that worked. It was in my budget and it was a short ten-minute bike ride from campus. I called the number listed to set up a time to take a look. A woman answered and sounded pleasant enough. She told me
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April 2021 | Column
”
You might ask whether this one experience still bothers me. I’d say, the fact that I still remember it happening vividly 38 years ago probably means that it does. It just brings me back to the brilliance of Dr. King’s quote. Not only did my would-be landlord not consider the content of my character before turning me away, but seemed to determine that there was some unacceptable flaw in my person through some apparent clairvoyant “ability” she possessed based purely on observing the way I looked. Based on the way I looked, she couldn’t possibly know that I was born in Michigan. She wouldn’t know that my favorite dessert is apple pie or that I loved Batman so much that as a kid I would jump off my parent’s bed with a towel as a cape just to see how far I could go. She couldn’t possibly know that my adolescence was filled with cultural references to “The Fonz”, “Hawkeye and Trapper”, the moonwalk, “the force”, and Indiana Jones.
Wayne Chan is the author of The Problem With Being Perfect and a humor columnist based in San Diego. Here he is in his college days. utes ago and you told me it was available.” She said, “It’s not available.” She closed the door. I turned back towards the street, and I stood there for a moment, considering what had just happened. I felt a combination of anger and bewilderment. The first thought in my head was, when I called her, if I spoke with any discernible accent, would she have even told me the room was available?
Whether you’re trying to find a room to rent, applying for a mortgage, or just finding a friend, being evaluated is a necessary requirement for living in this world. It comes with the package. There’s a reason why I’m being judged. Maybe I’m a person who has no honor. Maybe I don’t show respect to the elderly. Maybe I’m self-serving and greedy. Maybe I’m simply a mean person. If that is what someone is wondering, fair enough. But whether I’m from Michigan or mainland China, my contention is that no one can determine that simply by looking at my face. The phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is exactly right. The cover is just what you see on the outside. It’s the content the cover holds inside that counts. Connect with Wayne on Twitter: @wayneacp
2021 Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival
Was A Virtual Success!
Definition Please
Moonlit Winter
Angry Rice Wives
Mu and the Vanishing World
Lunana: A Yak In the Classroom
TRT 91 MINS | NOT YET RATED | USA |
South Korea / 105 minutes / Not Rated
Japan / 106 minutes / Not Rated
USA/ 86 minutes / Not Rated
Bhutan/ 109 minutes / Not Rated
ENGLISH | COLOR
By Colorado Dragon Boat Thanks to the Colorado community, the 2021 Colorado Dragon Boat Festival was a huge success! This film festival started in 2016 and has been growing ever since. In 2020, our nonprofit partnered with the film gurus at Denver Film in order to expand the presence of the only all Asian and Asian American film festival in Colorado. In 2020, the film festival was one of the last in-person events before the pandemic shook the nation. This year, in 2021, the organizers took the festival to the comfort of its audiences’ homes with an all-virtual presence. “We chose the theme of ‘representASIAN’ for this year’s film festival because now more than ever it is important to boldly highlight the amazing accomplishments coming out of our community. The amount of talent coming from the Asian and AAPI community is vast and too often hidden from the mainstream media. We are working to change that,” said Sara Moore, Executive Director of
Colorado Dragon Boat. The film festival had a total 14 films/ showcases presented from March 4 to 7 on the Denver Film online platform. Some local favorites included ‘Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom’, ‘Far East Deep South’, and ‘Mu and the Vanishing World’. Also popular were the ‘Emerging Artist’ and ‘Short Film’ Showcases. We were able to really highlight the amazing contributions coming from Colorado and the US. For a full list of our 2021 program lineup, check out our website. A special thank you to all those who supported this year’s film festival by purchasing tickets and full festival passes. We had over 800 households tune in for the festival. This would not have been possible without the generous support of many sponsors. Our top sponsors included: CU College of Arts and Media, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Denver, Capital One Café, and Disney’s Raya and The Last Dragon. For the full list of our
sponsors, check out our website at www. cdfilm.org. Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival looks forward to the 2022 Film Festival that will hopefully take place in-person, once again. Please follow us on social media and check out our website for updates on the 2022 Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival. We are currently taking student and local film submissions for the 2022 program.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @COdragonboat Website: www.cdfilm.org For more information on the upcoming Colorado Dragon Boat Festival that will take place on September 25 & 26, 2021, go to: www.cbdf.org.
Colorado Dragon Film Festival | Asian Avenue Magazine
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Minari, Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Wins Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film Minari is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton. A semi-autobiographical take on Chung’s upbringing, the plot follows a family of South Korean immigrants who try to make it in rural America during the 1980s. Director Lee Isaac Chung’s inspiration for Minari began with him jotting down a list of his memories. Chung had been struggling to settle on a new project and decided to look into his own past. So he went to the local library and spent the afternoon writing a list of memories from his own rural upbringing. “I didn’t set out to just write 80 [memories], but that’s how many just flowed out of me in one session,” Chung said. “These were little visual memories, little details.” The list included a description of the lunch pail that Chung’s parents would bring with them while working at a chicken factory — and which they would sometimes use to save chicks from being killed. Chung also made a note of the mysterious herbal medicine his grandmother brought over when she joined the family from Korea, and of the minari plants that she sowed on the family’s farm. Minari takes
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April 2021 | Feature
its name from the name of a spicy Asian plant known for its toughness and ability to grow seemingly anywhere. The movie shares a heartbreaking and heartwarming family story of Jacob (Steven Yuen) and Monica (Han Ye-ri), a couple who immigrated from Korea to the U.S. in the 1980s and moved from California on the West Coast to Arkansas in the middle of the country. Jacob is determined to run a farm on the land he bought, and he and his neighbor Paul (Will Patton) grow crops together. Monica is not used to Arkansas life, so her mother, Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung), moves from Korea to live with them in their RV. Soon-ja takes her grandson, David (Alan Kim), who suffers from congenital heart disease, to a stream not far from home to plant watercress. Most of the movie is a showcase of the details of the whole family getting along, such as cooking, communicating and washing at home, and planting and irrigating at the farm. The couple’s marriage is on the verge of breaking up due to various conflicts. However, after an accidental fire burns the barn to ashes, the surviving couple begins to rebuild their lives, and when Jacob brings his son David to the stream, they find the watercress already lush and green. As a reviewer commented: “Minari is one of the most inspirational family films I have watched in years. This exceptional cast pushes the limits of their family dynamic, as well as our hearts, as we see them struggle with everyday life problems.” Minari received six nominations for the 2021 Academy Awards (Oscars), including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Steven Yeun is up for Best Actor; this is the first best actor nomination for a man of Asian heritage in nearly 20 years. Youn Yuh-jung, 73, is also up for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her role as the grandmother.
Chloé Zhao: First Asian Woman To Win Golden Globe for Best Director Chloe Zhao won the Golden Globe best director with her latest film Nomadland which depicts the life of a woman who lost everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad. In taking home the award, Zhao also became the first woman to be named best director since Barbra Streisand won for “Yentl” almost 40 years ago. This year was also the first time in Golden Globes history that three women were nominated in the category. Chloe Zhao was born in Beijing in 1982 and spent her early life there. According to a previous interview, she described herself as “a rebellious teen, lazy at school” who drew comics and wrote fan fiction. Zhao loved films growing up, especially the movie “Happy Together” directed by famous Chinese director Wong Karwai. When she was 15 years old, despite knowing nearly no English, her parents sent her to a boarding school in the Unit-
ed Kingdom. Her parents then separated and her father later remarried to a famous Chinese actress Song Dandan. Growing up, she was drawn to influences from Western pop culture. Zhao studied at Mount Holyoke College earning a bachelor’s degree in political science. After graduating, she went on to study filmmaking at New York University’s Graduate Film Program.Her first feature-length movie “Songs My Brother Taught Me” was nominated for the Golden Camera Award at Cannes, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and an Independent Spirit Award. Her second feature “The Rider” premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and won the Art Cinema Award. Written, edited, and directed by Chloé Zhao, the “Nomadland” story is based on a real event: the closing of the U.S. Gyp-
Nomadland
sum’s facility in Empire, Nevada in 2011 because of reduced demand for sheetrock. After losing everything during the closure, including her husband who died after the shutdown, Fern (Frances McDormand) starts living out of a van. She travels around the country, picking up mobile jobs at Amazon warehouses and making connections with other American vagabonds. Zhao’s film, based on Jessica Braude’s non-fiction book of the same name, uses mostly non-professionals in its cast, including the people in Braude’s book. “Nomadland” shows both the struggles of nomads who have lost their livelihoods and those who describe nomadism in terms of a spiritual quest that intentionally rejects a settled way of life which includes consumerist values. Noel Woodward said about the film: “Zhao understands the intricacies, complexities and the ephemeral nature of life and existence and expertly weaves this into the story that is replete with gorgeous dreamlike visuals that are as much about the land as they care about its people.” Tune in to the Oscars on April 25, in which “Nomadland” is nominated for six categories including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress.
Frances McDormand stars in Nomadland 2021 Oscar Nominations | Asian Avenue Magazine
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The Oscars 2021: Everything You Need To Know Nominations for the Oscars 2021 DIRECTOR
Thomas Vinterberg, “Another Round” David Fincher, “Mank” Lee Isaac Chung, “Minari” Chloe Zhao, “Nomadland” Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman”
BEST PICTURE
“The Father” “Judas and the Black Messiah” “Mank” “Minari” “Nomadland” “Promising Young Woman” “Sound of Metal” “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
With the ongoing pandemic, the 93rd annual Academy Awards is still going to happen, but will look and feel quite different from years past. The 93rd annual Academy Awards, designed to honor the best films released between Jan. 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021, will take place at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on April 25. However, there won’t be any audience and the show will be live-streamed on ABC. The Academy Award shows are usually held in late February or ear-
BEST ACTRESS
BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal” Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Anthony Hopkins, “The Father” Gary Oldman, “Mank” Steven Yeun, “Minari”
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April 2021 | Feature
Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Andra Day, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman” Frances McDormand, “Nomadland” Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman”
ly March. However, due to COVID-19’s disruption in the industry, the Oscars was postponed this year and expanded to cover films released as late as the end of February. This is only the fourth time the Oscars have been postponed. The others were following the Los Angeles flooding in 1938; after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, and after the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced on March 15, 2021. Seventy women received a total of 76 nominations, accord-
ing to the Academy, a record for a given year. Two women, Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”) were nominated in the directing category in the same year for the first time. Zhao is the first woman of color to be nominated in the category. In light of the discussion around diversity and the Oscars, it is notable that three Black men, Leslie Odom Jr. for “One Night in Miami” and Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” were all nominated in the best supporting actor category.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Judas and the Black Messiah” “Minari” “Promising Young Woman” “Sound of Metal” “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
“Collective” “Crip Camp” “The Mole Agent” “My Octopus Teacher” “Time”
The Rise and Popularity of Asian-led Movies in Hollywood Since Crazy Rich Asians, which was nominated for Best Musical/Comedy at the Golden Globes in 2018, we have seen films with Asian leads and directed by Asians, gaining more recognition in Hollywood. Although The Farewell was not nominated for an Oscar in 2020, its high press and public acclaim and sweeping independent film awards made it a land-
mark film for Asian American cinema in Hollywood. Meanwhile, the South Korean movie Parasite became the biggest winner in the 2020 Oscars, winning the Best Original Screenplay, Best International Film, Best Director, and Best Picture. Parasite became the first non-English-language movie to win the Academy’s top award—and made history.
Asian-led and directed movies continue to shine in 2021. This year, Chinese director Chloe Zhao won the Golden Globe’s Best Director with her latest film Nomadland and the Korean-led movie Minari, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, won the Golden Globe Best Foreign Language Film. Both movies were nominated for different categories in this year’s Academy Awards. Many would say, this is due to the efforts of a new generation of Asian directors - Hollywood’s “millennials,” who entered film school around 2000 and have begun to be sought after by producers and the film market in recent years. As the 1.5 generation immigrants (born in their home country, followed their parents to the U.S. as children and attended school here) or second-generation immigrants (born in the U.S., whose parents immigrated to the U.S. before they were born), they have such a special experience growing up. Their parents and elders still speak their native language at home, while at school they are taught in English. Along with this linguistic mismatch comes a cultural disparity, with the conservative East Asian culture often clashing with modern American values that emphasize freedom and independence, and they grow up with this linguistic and cultural disconnect.
The Oscars and Hollywood | Asian Avenue Magazine
21
Senior Center in Denver Celebrates Chinese New Year Kavod Senior Life (Kavod), a nonprofit organization providing housing and support services to individuals age 62+ and those with qualifying mobility impairments, celebrated the traditional Chinese New Year on Sunday, February 28 with a special outdoor performance. “Our residents come from a variety of backgrounds and heritages,” says Connie Moore, Director of Life Enrichment at Kavod. “Providing cultural performances such as this one helps us continue to inspire inclusiveness, build bridges, and celebrate our diversity.” According to Moore, the purpose of the dragon and lion dance is to preserve the culture and traditions of the Asian community. Traditionally, the dragon and lion dance was used to frighten demons from local businesses and communities and to help bring good fortune to all. Today, the tradition endures to celebrate and commemorate the Chinese New Year, which official started on Feb. 12 for the 2021 year. The Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center Dragon & Lion Dance Association will provided the “progressive” entertainment outdoors (repeating at various sites among Kavod’s three buildings) so Kavod’s older residents can enjoy the entertainment from their apartment windows. Individuals also viewed from outdoors while observing COVID-19 protocols. Kavod has been successfully providing this type of safe entertainment since the onset of the pandemic back in late spring of 2020. The Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center Dragon & Lion Dance Association is trained by the world famous Great Grand Master Robin Chan Siew Kee from Singapore, Grand Master Siow Phiew & Master Albert Fong Kong Yip from Malaysia & Master Phong Vo from Colorado. The group has won many Colorado and USA National Lion and Dragon Dance Competitions. Kavod is a currently the sixth largest retirement community in Denver, as rated by the Denver Business Journal. The International Council of Active Aging (ICAA) and NuStep, LLC named Kavod one of 25 Top Wellness Communities in North America in 2019 and 2020. Kavod also received the LeadingAge - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Equity Award (2019) and earned a Top Rated badge from Great Nonprofits (2021).
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April 2021 | On Scene
Kavod Senior Life is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization with a mission of providing life-enriching experiences to older adults through a broad range of housing and support services that reflect the spiritual, social and cultural values of Jewish tradition. Contact Info@KavodSeniorLife. org or visit www.KavodSeniorLife.org.
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