Dear Asian Youth Westchester: Spring Zine 2023

By Izzy Zhu

Messagefrom ourchapterlead

Hi there!

I am so excited to share our first publication! It's been 7 months since our chapter started, and I am so proud to see the progress that we have made in our community. Starting this chapter has created a safe space where all of us have been able to share our thoughts about our identity and heritage. Therefore, we are so excited to present this zine in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

By Katherine Evangelinos

By Asian youth, For asian youth

Thiszine'spublicationis madepossiblebyfunding fromtheScarsdalePublic Library'sTeenServices Department.Thankyou foralwayssupportingus!

Chloe Lee Chapter Lead

Cindy Chen Editor

SLillian Liu Editor

Linda Zhang Writer Events team

Joyce Liu Writer

TheHistoryofAsianAmericanand PacificIslanderHeritageMonth

By Joyce Liu

When most people think of May, they may think about the blooming of flowers and spring, or holidays like Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. However, for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, May means something entirely different. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Many festivities are held during this month, including cultural festivals and concerts. Moreover, this is a time for many to learn more about the rich history and culture that AAPI month celebrates. Beyond the appreciation of these communities’ cultures, it is important to learn about and acknowledge the hardships they have faced.

There is a long history of mistreatment and discrimination against Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in America. Chinese laborers began the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1863, working almost entirely by hand. Over the course of six years, they helped complete the railroad. After completion, due to a number of Chinese immigrants looking for jobs, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882 It banned Chinese immigration to America until 1943.

Additionally, over 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps during World War II, solely on the basis of their ethnicity. These camps were overcrowded, had poor sanitation, had limited food and resources, and internees were confined to the camp and prohibited from leaving.

Eventually, Jeanie Jew, a former Capitol Hill staffer, approached Frank Horton, the New York Congressman at the time, about her idea. In 1978, Congress passed a bill that declared the first ten days of May "Asian Pacific Heritage Week," chosen due to the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the US on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869. This commemorative week was later expanded into a commemorative month in 1990 after President George H.W. Bush signed the new bill into law. However, the proclamation needed to be reauthorized every year. Finally, in 1992, a new law was passed that permanently designated May as AAPI month.

Combined with the history behind the month, AAPI Heritage month aims to celebrate and commemorate the achievements, lasting legacies, and impacts of Asian Americans in the US. Unfortunately, Asian-Pacific American hate crimes have stayed prevalent, and in recent years, have even increased. Although it is important to take time to celebrate AAPI culture, it is also important to spend time learning about the history of American-Pacific Americans, and the discrimination that is still faced today. After all, only once people educate themselves, can they change their views. This AAPI month, encourage friends and family to educate themselves as well as celebrate. Happy AAPI month!

CryinginH-Mart:AnOdeto CulturalIdentityandFood

By Kelly Deng

H-Mart has forever served as the quintessential haven amongst Asian Americans within Westchester County—if not across the entire North American continent. Despite the physical distance of over seven thousand miles separating New York from Asia, H-Mart fosters a connection to the “homeland” in the comfort of an Asian American’s “new” homeland.

Michelle Zauner’s Crying in H-Mart beautifully encapsulates the complexities that accompany the Asian American experience. Zauner was born in Seoul, the daughter of native-Korean Chongmi and Joel, a white American. The memoir will feel familiar to children of immigrants, whose complicated relationships with family are often paralleled by equally strenuous relationships with their food. As much as it is

A wave in Asian American food memoirs in recent years has shed light upon a transformational uptick in Asian American cultural representation in literature. Asian American writing has often been confined to the limitations of cookbooks meaning racial identity was merely reduced to matters of food. However, Zauner transcends beyond this “fourth wall” and carves out a political space to write about cultural food in a way that does not cater to a white audience. Her writing is not plagued by asides to explain what ppeongtwigi or tteokbokki is she writes about personal attachments to childhood foods with pure sincerity. a linear narrative, this memoir serves as an assemblage of juxtapositions and anecdotes tying the loss of her mother to the “death” of her Korean heritage. Losing a parent is one thing, but to also lose a bond to one’s culture in the process is its own tragedy.

AAPI MUSICIANS AAPI MUSICIANS

By Cindy Chen

Tierra Umi Wilson is a 24 year old Black and Japanese singer-songwriter Growing up she istened to a large variety of music namely R&B, soul Japanese pop, and jazz In her songs, she often draws on these genres and her background as inspiration In fact her stage name and middle name, Umi, means “ocean” in Japanese! Her songs known for their catchy lofi sound, speak to topics such as nature, sexuality, and universalism

Inspired at a young age by Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday Indian-American Raveena Aurora now creates spectacular R&B, soul and folk influenced music Raveena was raised in a traditional Sikh household as the daughter of two Indian immigrants She describes her 2022 album Ashas Awakening as a “Bollywood inspired album, finding all the ways that south Asian music has intersected with the west”.

Rina Sawayama is a Japanese alternative/indie singer as well as an actress and model In 2021 she was nominated for Brits’ Rising Star Award Sawayama beautifully writes and sings about both her own experiences and also uses her music as a force of advocacy She visits many social issues in her art like toxic masculinity and speaks to her own life as a Japanese woman and being pansexua

Filipino and Black R&B singer Gabriela Wilson better known as HER is a 25-time Grammynominated singer in categories like “Best New Artist” and “Album of the Year” Wilson is a young talent born in 1997 and master of five instruments When receiving her first Oscar Wilson dedicated it to all ike her “It’s a message to all the young black and Filipino girls, black or Filipino, you know that you can be up here too you know? What you say matters what you play, what you write, t matters”

Explore

Joy Crookes is an Irish-Bangladeshi singer living in the UK In her successful 2021 album titled Skin Crookes writes about real world problems in the most engaging way as songs like "Kingdom" confront the treatment of people of color in the UK and "Feet Dont Fail Me Now" addresses performance activism She touches on themes of feminism and mental health with her raw and vulnerable lyricism. Throughout her photoshoots, you can spot Crookes wearing traditional Bengali attire

AsianAmericansinfilm

By Lillian Liu

Kintaro Hayakawa, known as Sessue Hayakawa, was born in Minamibōsō, Japan on June 10, 1886. He was the first Asian actor to be a lead in an American film. After being offered a lead role in a 1914 drama called The Typhoon, his popularity increased as he starred in The Cheat (1915) and The Dragon Painter (1919). At the height of his career, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. However, Hayakawa was often typecast as a villain or exotic lover, which was thought to have fueled anti-Japanese sentiment in America. This constant portrayal of Japanese men as cruel or barbarous offended people in Japan, and many saw Hayakawa as a traitor. Hayakawa was also tired of being typecast, and in 1949, he said, "My one ambition is to play a hero."

Anna May Wong, her birth name Wong Liu Tsong, was born on January 3, 1905 in Los Angeles Chinatown. When she was 17, she got her first lead role in The Toll of the Sea (1922), making her the first Chinese American to star in an American movie. However, due to constant discrimination, stereotyping and her lack of lead roles, Wong left Hollywood in 1928 and moved to Europe, where she was in many films such as Schmutziges Geld (1928) and Piccadilly (1929). In 1935, she protested against unfair typecasting by refusing to play a stereotypical oriental dragon lady in the movie, The Good Earth. Wong was also the first Asian American to star in an American television show, leaving a lasting impact and changed the mindset of many Americans towards Chinese people.

Vera Mindy Chokalingam, also known as Mindy Kaling, was born on June 24, 1979 in Massachusetts. She is a daughter of Indian immigrants, and attended Dartmouth College, where she majored in theater. She produced the 2012 television show, The Mindy Project, one of the first American television shows starring a South Asian actress. As a producer, she co created the TV series Champions (2018), Four Weddings and a Funeral (2019), and Never Have I Ever (2020-). Her many achievements include starring in Ocean’s 8 (2018), being on Time 100: The Most Influential People of 2013, nomination for an Emmy, receiving the Norman Lear Achievement in Television Award, and writing numerous books.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, Constance Wu's parents were Taiwanese immigrants. She gained recognition for her portrayal of Jessica Huang in the ABC television comedy Fresh Off the Boat (2015-2020), which garnered her four nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. In 2018, she starred in Crazy Rich Asians, a rom-com that is one of the only movies with an all Asian cast. She was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and she wrote a memoir, Making a Scene, in 2022. Constance Wu is a prominent actor who has helped promote Asian representation in film.

TURNING RED &representationofAsianculture

By Linda Zhang

Growing up, Asian children rarely see themselves represented in Western media When Asian culture is depicted it is often an exaggerated representation with unrealistic situations like the character being a secret kung-fu master Because the directors are rarely Asian themselves, these films can perpetuate incorrect stereotypes and narrow the perception of Asian cultures However Turning Red Pixar's 2022 first feature-length film directed by an Asian woman Domee Shi opens doors to a realistic and diverse representation of experiences faced by Asian youth

Set in 2002 Toronto Turning Red features Meilin Lee (Mei), an energetic Chinese-Canadian teenage girl who tries to be a perfect daughter to her traditional-Chinese family The storyline is centered around Meis coming of age, where Mei unexpectedly turns into a giant, fluffy red panda when she experiences strong emotions an analogy for puberty in teenage girls

Along the way, Mei struggles to come to terms with her body changing and tries to satisfy her strict mother and relatives while pursuing what she enjoys

Shi mentions that the film was created based on her own experiences in hopes that Asian teenagers can relate to Meis situation and find comfort in knowing their cultures are well represented. Between the broad depiction of traditional practices, modern Asian media, and the special relationship between Asian parents and children, Shi has certainly achieved her goal and inspired many young Asians

AUTHENTIC ASIAN CULTURE IN "TURNING RED" 1. CULTURAL FOODS

There are often depictions of rice and porridge eaten for breakfast throughout the movie, and Mei is seen wrapping dumplings and bao zis, both traditional Chinese foods, with her mother. By showcasing the diverse foods that foster connections between Mei and her family, Turning Red mirrors the experiences of many Asian teenagers and teaches them to be proud of their heritage

2. ANCESTOR WORSHIP

Ancestor worship is a lesser known aspect of Asian culture, however Meis family stresses connecting with their roots and they are seen burning joss sticks, a special incense for worshiping ancestors as a family

3. ASIAN POP CULTURE

Mei and her friends obsess over a boy band named 4 Town and work to save up money to attend their concert despite their parents opposition Many Asian teens were able to relate to this aspect of Meis life due to their own experiences as fans of K-pop groups or other similar performers

4. EXPECTATIONS

Growing up with perfect grades and being the best child her mom could ask for Mei suddenly experiences changes in her body and emotions that she sees as imperfections Many children of Asian parents experience the overly protective love of their parents, often in the form of academic pressure, stemming from their desire for their childrens success

To Little Rapunzel

By: chloe lee

My six year old self looked around as I watched everyone’s hands immediately jump up in the air. Suddenly, my hand jumped up too; it was as if conformity had put a spell on me. “Wow! So many people to choose from! You! Right over there!” I watched the actress walk closer and closer as my mind started filling up with thousands of anxious thoughts. As if time slowed down, the lady’s finger steadily pointed in my direction. Gradually, everyone in the room turned their head to place their eyes on me. Me. The only person of color in the room. The fish out of water. The elephant in the room. The only non-white girl. Chosen to play Rapunzel. Before I knew it, I stood up. My legs shook as I walked to the center in the room. Eyes had formed on the back of my head as I felt the glare from all the mothers watching me. I felt uncomfortable, wondering if they were thinking why an Asian girl was picked to be Rapunzel and not their white daughter.

There are other memories I hold onto, like my trips to Korea every summer. Growing up, I always loved running on the beach with my cousins while waiting to eat dinner. Whenever I close my eyes, I imagine the humid air smacking me right in the face. In a couple of minutes we’re able to walk to the city center, pointing at the little gadgets and clothes placed out in the windows of the shops along the way. I hold my dad’s hand, laughing, as we debate what to eat. There’s something about being in a place where everyone looks like you–the same color skin, the same color hair, and the same culture. A sense of peace– except once I open my mouth and everyone hears my American accent, that all goes away. Eyes yet again form on the back of your head, and soon enough you feel the glare of everyone watching you. It’s the whole nightmare again; I’m back to being little Rapunzel on stage.

I wish I could tell little Rapunzel that it gets better. Moving out of the white-centered town leaves you to an expansive world of which you never knew. You find new people, new experiences, new surroundings that make you feel at home. Your life becomes filled with connections that last more than a lifetime, memories that make you taste familiarity, and a sense of pride that you constantly talk about.

“Who wants to be Rapunzel?”