The PublicAsian

The PublicAsian

Apr/May 2013 | A Voice

for

the

Asian Pacific American Community

at

the

University

of

Maryland, College Park | Volume 19, Issue IV

Celebrating APAHM:

Meet DC’s APA Leaders

In

celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we highlight eight of DC’s most influential figures. From activists and educators to film directors and university alumni, these people have made a tremendous impact in the DMV area. See page 7 to find out who they are.

Newsfeed

Features

Travel

Inside

Foreign Films How to ‘Define Becoming a Popular on Netflix American’? teacher in Korea

More Americans embrace international TV and movies | Page 4

Jose Antonio Vargas shares his story as an undocumented immigrant | Page 8

Alumna Lillian Tran reflects on teaching English in a foreign country | Page 11

Online Exclusive

The Bhagavad-Gita Club explains how free food and meditation help the mind, body and soul.

www.publicasian.com @publicasianumd

2

The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2013

newsfeed

UMD students react to North Korea’s nuclear threats

By Ulysses Muñoz Staff writer

With new threats of war, violence and death every day, North Korea has certainly made its fair share of headlines over the past few weeks.

Most recently, the official North Korean news agency announced on April 15 that they will attack the South without giving any advanced notice.

Interestingly, there aren’t many in South Korea who appear to be too worried about the North. Japan and Guam, both home to U.S. military bases within striking distance of a successful missile attack, are on higher alert, with Japan moving patriot missiles into defense positions around Tokyo and Okinawa.

Sophomore biology major Nuri Seo, who has family in South Korea, said, “People didn’t talk about [North Korea] that much, it’s not that intense. They’re always a threat, but I don’t think that there’s anything going on.” “[The missile launch] was supposed to be today, and nothing happened,” she added. “A couple of days ago, I saw on the news that Anonymous (the online “hactivism” group) stole [North Korea’s] passwords. At this point, the internet is more powerful than missiles.”

North Korea’s economy relies almost entirely on foreign aid, said Jihyoun Park, a

Photo credit knowyourmeme.com

When “hacktavism” group Anonymous hacked North Korea’s Flickr account, they posted several pictures ridiculing the leader.

Korean exchange student and senior Japanese major. The country broker agreements with other countries to receive resources and then break those agreements to get extra supplies, he added.

Back in January 2003, “North Korea agreed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), then broke it,” Park said. “They’re grabbing more attention and they’re doing it to receive more [aid] from other countries.”

Many are still curious about what role China will play in all of this. Today China is Washington’s most important economic partner but, as North Korea’s greatest ally, they are also America’s biggest threat.

Ryan Belcher, a sophomore government and politics and environmental science double major, said that because China provides so much assistance and since they are its only real ally in the region, “North Korea would care deeply about what Beijing has to say.”

“As China looks to its international prominence when dealing with the economic and military superpowers of the U.S. and the [European Union], I think China will diffuse tensions,” he added. “They cannot risk looking so bad with such a tiny country.”

Gibaik Sim, a Korean exchange student at this university, gets many messages from his friends in South Korea asking for updates about what’s really going on with the North. “The newspapers in Korea aren’t the most neutral,” he said. “[My friends] are curious about what Americans think about the tension,” he added.

“They aren’t really sure what’s going on over here. Some of them think it’s all a political conspiracy.”

Sim also said that he and his friends use a Korean search engine called “Naver” that displays the most recently popular search phrases. Last time he checked, “missile” was among the top five searches.

Seo added that Kim Jong-un is just escalating the situation in an attempt to get people to respect his authority, saying that “[North Korea] is doing poorly, their crops aren’t growing and people are starving. I really think they’re just doing this to try and get more help.”

Despite the frequently occurring and seemingly empty threats of the young dictator, experts have not ruled out the possibility of Pyongyang actually attacking either South Korea or a nearby U.S. military base.

Peter King, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told ABC that he thinks the North Korean leader is attempting to establish himself as a dominant force, but that he will eventually need to back up his words with action or risk his people losing faith in him.

“My concern would be that he may feel [that] to save face he has to launch some sort of attack on South Korea, or some base in the Pacific,” King told ABC.

Historian highlights gender issues in India’s science sector

By Alexis Jenkins Staff writer In a classroom on the top floor of the A.V. Williams building, scientist turned historian Abha Sur of Massachusetts Institute of Technology led a talk on gender, science and caste systems in India.

The two-hour event on April 4 was mislabeled as a panel but functioned more like a discussion, with 16 people in attendance. The attendees ranged from social science professors to women’s studies students.

“Abha Sur’s talk is the third in a series that I organized this semester, titled Transnational South Asia,” said Ashwini Tambre, a women’s studies professor at this university.

Sur, an Indian born women’s studies professor and former physicist, has been conducting her research on gender discrimination in the Indian science sector for more than 20 years.

“The stereotype in India is that only women who can’t get married study physics,” Sur said.

In her talk she focused on three Indian women scientists who worked in Nobel Prize laureate Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman’s laboratory in the first half of the 20th century,.

It was during that time that he won a Nobel Prize for discovering the Raman effect of wavelengths.

All the three women, Anna Mani, Lalitha Chandrasekhar, and Sunanda Bai, were in

search of doctorate degrees. But Mani, who was subjected to gender discrimination, never received hers. Raman said Mani never received her PhD because she lacked a Master’s degree but Sur argued otherwise.

Sur said even though [discrimination] happens to men and women, that doesn’t mean anything because it has a very different impact on women. According to Sur, women were given derogatory names in the laboratory and easier problems to solve than their male counterparts. Women’s work was not valued on the same plateau, and women were ridiculed any time they made mistakes in the laboratory.

While the question and answer section turned into a lively conversation, it was apparent that not enough research has been done on gender discrimination in India. “I think it was a very one-sided view,” said, Ashutosh Gupta, a physics graduate student. “From my experience growing up in India I think the discrimination she is talking about is not because they were women but it was just part of being a youth … I don’t think it is solely a feminist issue.”

Gupta went on to say that this dialogue is important because it’s how we communicate to the next generation but that Sur’s talk was very preliminary. It’s trying to rewrite a history that was not written by Indians themselves, he said.

This panel was only the beginning of changing the way Indian history is viewed by Indians and those of us in the Western world.

The PublicAsian A Voice for the Asian Pacific American Community at the University of Maryland, College Park Co-Editor-in-Chief ................................................................................ Linda Poon Co-Editor-in-Chief ..............................................................................Mary Tablante Features Editor..........................................................................................Karen Xie Web Editor.............................................................................................James Levin Advertisement Manager........................................................................Jennifer Lien Photo Editor....................................................................................Ryan Alphonso Photographer........................................................................................James Levin AASU Liaison..........................................................................................Angela Mei Copy Editor.......................................................................................Ulysses Munoz Copy Editor.......................................................................................Nkongho Beteck

About: The PublicAsian is a student-run newspaper sponsored by the Asian American Student Union (AASU) of the University of Maryland, College Park.

Printing Schedule: The PublicAsian is published twice a semester, with a circulation

of 1,500. It is distributed at the University of Maryland, College Park and at the Library of Congress Asian American Reading Room.

Involvement: If you are interested in becoming a reporter, photographer, copy editor or layout editor with The PublicAsian, please contact publicasian@gmail.com.

Published with support from Campus Progress, a division of the Center for American Progress.

Online at CampusProgress.org. | Sponsored by the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2013

AALDEF releases findings from 2012 exit poll

News | 3

Outreach, English proficiency, age are among factors that affect how APAs vote

By Mara Bernstein Staff writer The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) released on April 4 the results from the 2012 election exit poll on the Asian Pacific American vote, which showed trends in issues from gay marriage to immigration reform.

Attorney, teacher and director of the Democracy Program, Glenn Magpantay came to the university the same day from New York to talk to students about the election results as well as the multilingual exit poll. He spoke about trends both in Maryland and the country, which were generally similar.

“

In the last decade, the attitudes of mainstream Asian Americans have changed. They want to know [the politicians], they want to be talked to. They want to know their candidate.”

– Maryland Judge David Valderrama

“I was a little surprised to see that the older generation, over 60 and over 70, actually continued its vibrant support for Mr. Obama,” Magpantay said. Generally, the trend is the older the population gets, the more conservative it is, but this wasn’t the case for APAs during this election.

However, Magpantay said that this does not mean most APAs are democratic; their political leanings often change from election to election.

“We find that … Asians tend to vote for the candidate that best represents their interests. This could be the Democrat in one election, but it could be the Republican in another,” Magpantay said.

An issue that came up was how the candidates can reach out to the APA communities to get the votes they need. One spot that the AALDEF saw a major trend in is between English proficiency and political affiliation. More APAs voted Republican when they did not speak English, according to the survey.

“One of the things that this tells us, is did the candidates proficiently outreach to the community in the Chinese media, in the Indian language media or in the Korean media,”

Magpantay said.

Clarence Lam, who is running for the Maryland House of Delegates in both Howard and Montgomery County, also attended the event to learn about the trends, which he said he found very useful to his campaign strategy.

“Howard County has a tremendous Asian American population; it’s actually the largest percentage of the population by county. Fourteen percent are Asian American,” he said, adding that he plans to consider the residents’ language proficiency into his campaign strategy.

“We want to make sure that these candidates represent the issues that our communities are concerned about,” Magpantay said. The only way to make sure the citizens know what the candidates represent is if they provide information in the language they understand.

Nationally, 50 percent of the APAs who spoke English supported gay marriage compared to the 15 percent of those who didn’t. The trend also showed that more young people were supportive of legalizing gay marriage while the older voters were more conservative—something that Magpantay says people should not be surprised by.

Another major issue is immigration reform, which affects both the younger generation and their older family members.

“Whether you are an Asian American Republican or whether you are an Asian American Democrat, or whether you are not affiliated with a political party, most Asian Americans support an immigration reform with a path to citizenship.” he said.

Although immigration reform is a pressing issue, the young people are not the ones voting for it. People ages 20-29 are more liberal, but aren’t voting as much for anything. It is the people ages 30-39 that are voting for their rights, according to Magpantay.

Maryland Judge David Valderrama, the first FilipinoAmerican to win representative to the Maryland legislature, noted how things have changed in the past years. When he was running for office at the Maryland House of Delegates there were only 40 registered APAs, he said.

“I think in the last decade or so, the attitudes of the mainstream Asian Americans have changed,” Valderrama said.“They want to know [the politicians], they want to be talked to. They want to know their candidate.”

In terms of the future of the APA vote, no one can predict it.

There was no dramatic shift for the Democratic Party, but the trend is more consistent that there has been a steady increase in support for the party.

“I mean we’ll see, right?” Magpantay said. “We’ll see what the outreach is by the parties, we’ll see what the campaign is, we’ll see about immigration and we’ll poll it for next year.”

Breakdown 2012 Exit Poll Results 27% of all Asian Pacific Americans surveyed were firsttime voters.

57% identified as Democrats while only 14% said they are Republicans.

77% voted for Barack Obama while only 21% voted for Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

Older voters tended to lean more right. 10% of those ages 1829 voted for Romney while 27% of those between ages 60 and 69 did.

61% of APA voters support pathway to citizenship, only 14% did not.

Ethnic media (in English or Asian language) was the main source of news for 48% of voters.

Economy was listed as the most important factor influencing their vote.

To see more, visit aaldef.org

Maryland legislature passes 2 bills that will affect APAs: shark fin ban and immigrant licensing

By Rachel Greenwald Staff writer

While the gun control bill that was passed on April 3 by the Maryland House of Delegates in Annapolis has garnered most of the attention this past legislative session, there are two other bills that many are not aware of that could have great impact on Marylanders, particularly Asian Pacific Americans.

On March 27, the House passed Bill 1148 that would ban the sale, distribution and possession of shark fins. When Gov. Martin O’Malley signs the bill into law, there will a $5,000 fine for first-time offenses and a $50,000 fine for repeat offenders.

Maryland is not the first state to try to pass this type of legislation, and since the start of the year, finning has been banned in

California, making the East Coast the new primary market for sharks.

This ban specifically affects Chinese Americans, to whom shark-fin soup is a traditional dish and a delicacy often served at banquets or dinners. The soup dates back into history as a dish that represents class and wealth.

“Shark fin soup is definitely a part of Chinese culture, but there are so many other dishes that could be substituted in place of it,” freshman business major Sidney Hui said.

“But I could also see it having negative effects on restaurants that serve it.”

Finning has become a major problem around the world. Fishermen cut the fins of the sharks, just to throw them back in the water to die at the bottom of the ocean. Additionally, the shark population is drastically falling,

which hurts the ocean’s delicate ecosystem.

“I am Chinese, but I’ve never had shark fin soup,” Sophie Jin, a junior double major in environmental science and biology said.

“I think if sustainable practices were being used, it shouldn’t be illegal, but otherwise I am happy to hear there is action being taken to stop finning.”

The second bill that may affect APAs is working to repeal a law enacted in 2009 that made it illegal for people without social security numbers, or lawful presence documents to receive a driver’s license.

The bill is expected to go to referendum and may face serious challenges from Maryland voters.

The licenses would be specific to undocumented drivers, and would carry a “Not for Federal Use” label that will prevent

them from boarding airplanes or entering federal buildings, reported the Capital News Service.

“It’s not a surprise that the bill will pass in Maryland, because our state is very liberal, said Krista Kirlew, sophomore military and diplomatic history major, who is also a member of College Republicans at the university. “But I have an issue with the bill and I don’t think that undocumented aliens should receive citizen benefits.”

Nonetheless, the bill would not just positively affect undocumented immigrants, but also legal citizens who are not able to get the documents necessary for a license. The bill also encourages a safer driving experience for everyone, as undocumented immigrants will now be able to obtain liability coverage from insurance companies.

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4 | News

The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2013

Foreign films on Netflix get increasingly popular

By Doug Miller Staff writer Dramas made by Asian film companies are increasingly popular among both Asian Pacific Americans and non-Asians in the country.

The different Asian industries, including Korean, Chinese and Hindi’s film industry Bollywood, are especially popular with students who are either APAs or have lived in Asia for some portion of their life, according to Fugong Wu, a junior electrical engineering major originally from Wuhan, China.

“I like how they showcase the culture and history of China, which is non-existent in Hollywood films,” Wu said. “The values that the Chinese films portray are also a lot different from that of western films.”

International students, especially, are away from home, and viewing a movie about their homelands is just enough to make them feel less homesick, Wu said.

“Diasporic communities are always a key market for various national cinemas so it is not surprising that Indian immigrants to the U.K. or U.S., for example, would still seek out films in their native language and from their home culture,” said Marit Knollmueller, a professor who teaches a foreign films course at this university. “It helps one feel connected to one’s roots and can be a way of sharing the language and culture with children born outside of that culture.”

The advancement of technology makes films from all over the globe accessible to the western world. Viewers can access the movies either online or by other movie services. The increased availability will result in an increase in viewership for these niche films, Tyler Ficklin, a sophomore accounting and finance major who enjoys watching Korean and Japanese movies, said.

“Services like Netflix give these niche films exposure,” Ficklin said. “Watching one Asian film leads to other Asian films being recommended by the service. I wouldn’t think about watching these movies if it wasn’t for the wide selection on these types of services.”

Hollywood films get a lot more attention in the U.S. than Asian films and they have much larger budget, but Asian filmography offers just as much entertainment, Ficklin added, saying that the films also provide a different kind of drama or storyline than those in the American mainstream.

“While movies outside of Hollywood offer a different perspective, cinema is a universal language. A thriller like Park Chan-wook’s ‘Oldboy’ can stack up to any Hollywood thriller,” he said.

“The older Asian dramas that I have seen tend to have a slow and steady pace,” said Ficklin. “They let the viewer reflect on what has happened and I always appreciate when a movie takes its time. It often makes for a very compelling experience.”

Photo Credit: Netflix

The online movie service Netflix offers their customers a wide selection of foreign films like Japanese thrillers, Bollywood movies and even Korean dramas--all of which are becoming more popular.

While Asian film companies may not be as well known in the U.S as Hollywood films overall, each film industry has its own specialty.

Some people find China to be the best in mixed martial arts movies and are particularly interested in them, Knollmueller said.

“The production values of the films of Hong Kong and China have continued to improve, especially for China, and the action orientation of their biggest budget films has

certainly given them a global appeal that rivals Hollywood blockbusters,” said Knollmueller.

“The diversity of genres and output may not be as strong as in Hollywood, but in many of the Asian film industries, fast remakes of Hollywood films are often made to supplant the western version. “ “It’s interesting to see movies outside of your culture. It adds the variety that Hollywood sometimes can’t provide,” said Ficklin.

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Smithsonian APA Director to teach AAST course

The new summer course will bring awareness to APAs, past and present

Photo Credit: zocalopublicsquare.org

This summer, Director Franklin Odo of Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Program will teach an AAST course on how APAs have been represented in the United States throughout history.

By Benjamin Strack Staff writer The university’s department of Asian American Studies has introduced a summer course that analyzes Asians as a race and how they are interpreted in historical records.

“It’s one way of trying to get a more complicated and diverse look at American society,” said course instructor Franklin Odo, who is also the founding director of Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Program.

The three-credit class, AAST398C, is called Asian Americans in the Public Eye: Memory and Myths, and has a few elements it focuses on, according to Odo.

The course first teaches students about Asian Pacific Americans as a demographic, which is growing faster than any other, and then delves into the way in which public history agencies in the U.S. represent this group, Odo said. The class will look at the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and National Park Service (NPS) in particular.

Odo worked at the Smithsonian for 13 years, and knows all about the Asian Pacific American Center, where students enrolled in the course will take a field trip to. There they will learn what kind of data is collected and accumulated. They will also learn what data the Library of Congress and NARA includes on record, which Odo says is not always complete for

all minority groups.

“When future students or researchers want to determine how the federal government has been researching or doing policy in regards to APA’s, they’ll go the national archives first,” said Odo. “If the people that actually collect the stuff aren’t paying attention to APAs then that stuff … gets tossed.”

One thing people will find in these records is legislation that has directly affected APAs throughout history. This includes the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned immigration for the race, and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The federal government apologized for the latter when Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, and the Senate expressed regret for the 1882 Exclusion Act in 2011. These are two of only five instances in which Congress has apologized to a group of people for historical actions. “[The course] is a way for students to sort of look at what we’ve done in the past as a country, how we’ve tried to make amends and how people like Japanese Americans or Chinese Americans put those things into action,” Odo said.

Though he is not sure of how many students have or will sign up, he hopes young people will realize the value of the class.

“I think it’s interesting that the course is kind of saying ‘Yeah, we know Asians have been academically successful, let’s look at them in a different light’,” said Nkongho Beteck, a sophomore journalism major. “It would be great to see the other contributions Asians have made to society, and break down Asian stereotypes.”

Sophomore engineering major Alex Yee said this class is especially important for those who are not Asian in order to get rid of stereotypes.“They should replace UNIV100 with this class so people can educate themselves about those directly in their community,” he said.

Odo added that all Americans could use knowledge about the many different kinds of people living in the U.S. today.

“There are all kinds of ways in which students can begin to look at American society and American history and get involved in trying to get the rest of the country to also benefit from this exposure,” he said.

The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2013

NEWS | 5

38 years later, younger generation is more supportive of the Vietnam War

By Angel Torres Staff writer

Extreme viewpoints between two groups can emerge for a variety of reasons; partisan lines, age difference and societal tiers are just a few embodiments of dividing lines in opinion.

Thirty-eight years after the whirlwind of controversy that surrounded the Fall of Saigon, a recent Gallup poll showed a majority of young Americans – from ages 18 to 29 – do not believe the U.S. made a mistake by sending troops to Vietnam.

The older generations who were alive during that time project a markedly different opinion, with 70 percent of those ages 65 and older opposing the country’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The diverging outlooks on the war stem from the youth’s relatively passive nature with current wars—at least in comparison to the intense anti-war activism during the 1960s and ‘70s.

“It was difficult for me to study because of all the distractions,” said Thomas Tran, executive director of The Association of Vietnamese Americans. He was attending college in San Diego on a scholarship when the U.S. decided to aid South Vietnam against the North’s communist threat.

Tran recalled how the anti-war students then did not share the “support-the-troops” attitude that is prevalent now. He said he once

witnessed students carrying tomatoes, ready to pelt the ambassador to Vietnam at an oncampus speaking engagement.

The younger generation, without firsthand experience in the era to draw from, can only develop an opinion through textbooks and accounts.

“My guess is that the results of the poll reflect the difference between those who lived through the experience and those who learned about it via textbooks,” said Janelle Wong, the director of the university’s Asian American Studies program.

“For those who lived through it, the controversy and costs of that conflict are readily apparent,” Wong said. “For those who did not, their understandings are shaped by larger social forces such as U.S. nationalism and the debates around U.S. presence in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Although young Vietnamese Americans have family members directly affected by the war to paint a picture of the past, there are varying degrees of communication. The disclosure can depend on the amount of loss a family experienced, Tran said.

“I just know [my mother] fled to America to escape the war,” said Louis Lam, external vice president of the Vietnamese Student Association.

“My uncle, who was the only refugee in my family, remembers a lot about [life] before, during and after the event,” said junior

PHOTO CREDIT: ENCYCLOPEDIA.COM

Unlike the youth of the 1960s who started a strong movement against the Vietnam War, a Gallup poll finds that the majority of today’s young Americans support U.S.’s involvement.

math major Vy Ngo. “He always talks to me about that but on the social aspect, not on the political aspect.”

One outcome of the war that factors into the young Vietnamese American segment of the poll is the resulting immigration to the U.S. “If it wasn’t for that, I’d probably be in Vietnam right now,” VSA President Crysta Tran said. “I feel like without the war, [the U.S.] wouldn’t have had that wave of

immigration and America wouldn’t be as diverse.”

During the war, diversity was an element still embedding itself into society’s consciousness, with an assist from the Civil Rights movement. That extra ingredient added into the country’s melting pot could be considered as a contributor to the glass halffull perspective shared by the majority of young Americans.

2 Japanese Americans share their WWII experience why people serve in the military. For Shima, the motivation can be summed up in three words: “Go for broke.”

“It’s a Hawaiian slang, usually said in a crap game when you put everything you’ve got into it,” Shima said. “Your last dime if you will the whole pot; it’s all or nothing. That’s the attitude that the Japanese-Americans had in going to combat, because you see, we had something we had to prove.”

“It’s a great story and it’s not in a book,” said Sumida. “I think there’s always a greater impact if it’s directly heard from participants.”

One of his students couldn’t agree more.

“It was interesting to hear not only someone who served in the military despite the discrimination he experienced … and the experiences of a woman who was … in a way, kind of betrayed by her own country,” said junior history major Joey Kalmin. “It was completely fascinating.”

PHOTO CREDIT: CREATIVECOW.NET//SULEKHA.COM

World War II veteran Terry Shima (left), from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Mary Murakami (right), an internee during the war visited the university to share history from their perspective.

By Benjamin Strack Staff writer To a roomful of students and faculty members on April 12, two Japanese Americans shared their experiences of living through World War II—a time when anyone of the heritage was feared and often discriminated against.

Executive director Terry Shima of the Japanese American Veterans Association discussed the war from a veteran’s standpoint. At the time, he was a public relations officer of the renowned 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was nicknamed the “Purple Heart Battalion” for its many awards.

Accompanying him was Mary Murakami, who shared her experiences inside the internment camps.

A year following the attacks by Japanese forces on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which set up military zones on the Pacific Coast and Hawaii. That ultimately led to the deportation of approximately 150,000 ethnic Japanese people to internment camps.

“To this day there are internees who will not speak of the years of imprisonment, but I think our history must be told so it will not be repeated and tarnish our democracy again,” Murakami said.

She recalled being surrounded by U.S. forces in San Francisco’s Japantown as a 14-year-old girl, and going to the Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno, Calif., where her entire family was living in one room with little privacy.

In September 1942, Murakami and her family made their way to Topaz Internment Camp in Utah where they lived for three years. The war, she said, broke apart her family unit.

Besides her brother being drafted and her mother moving to Chicago to get clearance for the family to move east, Murakami

came to the East Coast in 1957 with her husband, where quotas were being filled. Having earned her public health degree from University of California, Berkeley, she became the office manager of her husband’s dental office.

“Because of education and everything, the families have been completely broken, and I don’t think this would’ve happened if the war internment didn’t come.”

Some Japanese Americans felt cooperating in the internment camps was enough to show loyalty to the United States. Others, like Shima, chose to serve in the military. Alongside the 4,000 Japanese American who also volunteered, Shima became part of the most decorated infantry regiment in military history.

In October 1944, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team rescued the 141st infantry, also known as “The Lost Battalion,” in Texas, which was surrounded by German forces. Acts of courage like this is only one of the reasons the 442nd regiment earned the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010.

In July 1946, President Truman reviewed the 442nd. “He told the troops ‘you fought the enemy abroad and you fought prejudice at home, and you won,’” said Shima. “This high a level statement of affirmation of Japanese-American loyalty resonated across the land.”

Shima acknowledged though that discrimination and racism did not end overnight. However, the 442nd inspired the armed forces to evolve greatly. According to him, the highest position Japanese Americans held in World War II was a major—a midranking position—which was held by four individuals.

Thirty years later, during the Vietnam War, Japanese Americans could be found in every branch of service, ranking from major to as high as colonel.

Among the attendees was Jon Sumida, a military history professor at the university who wanted his students to learn

--South Korea-South Korean rap star PSY, most famously known for this YouTube hit “Gangnam Style,” came back April 13 with his second single, “Gentlemen.”

The song follows a similar catchy electronic beat as his first hit, and the accompanying video is equally as ridiculous. The music video, which has been viewed over 105 million times, tells the story of a arrogant man who pulls pranks on everyone, especially women, and yet, demands to be seen as a “mother-father gentleman.”

As a sign of his success, 50,000 people attended his concert the same day while over 150,000 tuned in to the livestream.

--China-Thirteen people have already died from bird flu in China, according to AP. So far, 60 cases have been reported from around China, from the Henan province to Shanghai and other eastern areas of the country. The H7N9 virus, which is more infectious than the H5N1 strain from 2008, has even spread to the capitol city, Beijing, in northern China.

fTheeatures Dalai Lama’s significance in a multi-faith world

6

The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2013

By Mary Faddoul Staff writer This university’s Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development will host the 14th Dalai Lama during the Annual Sadat Peace Lecture on May 7. The organization, which brought speakers like Madeleine Albright and Nelson Mandela in the past, has invited nearly 15,000 guests to hear Tenzin Gyatso, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his peaceful attempt at Tibetan freedom, speak at the Comcast Center.

“In general, the Sadat Lecture is intended to identify individuals who have captured global imagination on issues related to peace,” said Shibley Telhami, the university’s Anwar Sadat professor for Peace and Development. “It is intended to celebrate the peace legacy of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, who reversed decades of war to initiate peace and paid with his life.”

“I think it will definitely be a cool experience,” said Gabriella Botticelli, a sophomore history major. “I mean it’s awesome that people from here get to see him.

That’s not something people get to do every day.”

Two years after the death of the previous Dalai Lama, Thupten Gyatso in 1933, a search conducted to find the next Dalai Lama led to a child named Lhamo Thondup, whose name translates to “wish-

PHOTO Credit: Manuel Bauer, DalaiLama.com

The Dalai Lama speaks during his teachings in Fribourg, Switzerland on April 13. On May 7, he will speak to a crowd of thousands at Comcast Center for the Annual Sadat Peace Lecture.

fulfilling goddess.” At 15, Thondup was named head-of-state in 1950— the same year Chinese troops occupied Tibet.

Faced the military takeover of Tibet by China and threats from the Chinese government, the Dalai Lama, who committed to the Tibetan fight for justice, was exiled to India in 1959. While in India, he realized the need to educate Tibetan children and created the Society

for Tibetan Education within the Indian Ministry of Education, which helped preserve Tibetan Buddhism.

In 2008, amid Chinese restraint on Tibetan pro-democracy protests, the Dalai Lama retired as a political figure. He relinquished his role as leader of Tibet to the elected Central Tibetan Authority as of May 2011 and carried on as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

Even today, he continues to

keep his main objectives at heart despite the obstacles: to promote human values and religious harmony among all religions. “He is recognized globally for his message of compassion, non-violence and toleration,” Telhami said.

But not everybody sees the Dalai Lama as such. Honors professor Colman McCarthy, who teaches journalism and peace, believes that he is more of an entertainer than

an influential voice, criticizing him for not actively standing against American’s more questionable foreign policy.

“As a relevant social critic, he deftly avoids controversy,” he said.

“When is the Dalai Lama going to condemn Barack Obama for all the civilians who have been killed by drones? When is going to condemn American foreign policy for the horrors inflicted on the people of Iraq and Afghanistan?”

Despite the mixed critiques among the political sphere, students at the university are anticipating the Dalai Lama’s visit. “I think the Dalai Lama is a great inspiration to anyone who reads his books or listens to his message,” said Xiaosong Shang, a freshman criminology and government and politics double major.

“I guess a lot of us, obviously, look up to him because he’s such an influential person when it comes to talking about peace,” said Danielle Steen, a freshman Chinese major.

“I’m really excited. I think it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m glad Maryland offers all of us the chance for it.”

“These lectures are not intended as statements on regional politics as such, but as general statements about peace,” Telhami said. “And, in this case, the lecture will be about the compassionate path to peace and about toleration in a multi-faith world.”

Holi celebration makes colorful splash at UMD

By James Levin Photographer & Staff writer From a distance, it looked like a large dance party. There was loud music playing and several hundred students. Then, a cloud of purple broke free from the crowd and got carried away by the wind. Two figures broke away from the mass as a student chased her friend, then doused him in a brilliant purple powder.

But this was no normal dance party. A spray of water rose from the center of the crowd and everyone seemed to be wearing a tie-dye shirt ... wait a second, was that ... paint?

The Hindu Student Council (HSC) hosted a celebration on April 7 of Holi, a spring celebration sometimes known as the festival of colors. During the two-hour event, students celebrated the holiday by throwing more than 200 pounds of “rang,” or colored powder, at each other, said Seema Shekar, the treasurer for the HSC. Shekar, a junior neurobiology and physiology major, has participated in the festive event every year since she started attending the university, but the HSC has been hosting a Holi celebration for much longer. “I think we’ve done it for at least 12 or 13 years,” Shekar said.

According to the Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India (SCFI), Holi was originally called Holika—after a figure from Hindu legend—and holds significance for several reasons.

The name is derived from the Legend of Holika and Prahlad, in which Holika is asked to walk into fire with her son Prahlad in order to kill him. Holika is supposed to be immune to the fire but pays for her deception with her life while Prahlad is unharmed. One of the purposes of the festival is to represent the triumph of good over evil.

According to SCFI’s website, a traditional part of the festivities is the reenactment of Holika’s burning to ashes.

The festival has evolved over the years to contain other meanings including a celebration of spring and the rebirth that the changing of the season signifies. Socially, the festival is meant to break down barriers created by wealth disparity and other such factors in India.

The social and cultural reasons for celebration are the ones that are most prevalent in the campus event, said HSC

Photos by James Levin

The Hindu Student Council hosted Holi, a spring celebration also known as the festival of colors, April 7 on McKeldin Mall.

Secretary Mala Narasimhan.

“In India, people go crazy, you have the whole color thing, they have sweets and food and music, and it’s just crazy,” said Narasimhan. “You just throw color on people and it’s just a spring tradition.”

Narasimhan added that a lot of students come out simply because the event sounds fun and it’s a good opportunity to “just play” and release energy.

For HSC Chair of Communications Jaishri Shankar, the festival provides a chance to embrace some of the social values that the festival is meant to represent with a wide variety of students. “For me, I think it comes down to ... you’re here and you’re throwing colored powder at each other, and so at the end of the day if you look at this group of people who will be here at the start and at the end, at the end you can’t tell who’s who,” said Shankar.

“It’s kind of a cool way to erase whatever labels, whatever prejudices there are,” he added. “In the end, you’re all red, purple, orange, green, black ... dyed in whatever colors, so you can’t tell this person from this person from this person.”

The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2013

Features | 7

Celebrating APAHM: Asian Pacific American Leaders in the D.C. area

By Rachel Barron/Staff writer

Photo Credit: Epoch Times

Yun Wang Former president of the D.C. chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals

Yun Wang recently stepped down as president of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals, citing increasing time commitments in other parts of his life as the reason for his resignation.

The NAAAP encourages Asian Pacific Americans to seek out leadership roles within the community. As president, Wang negotiated first-time partnerships between NAAAP-DC and companies like Wells Fargo and State Farm.

Prior to becoming president, Wang volunteered nationally for NAAAP, but he said making the transition to the local chapter was relatively easy.

“I don’t think there’s any other group like this organization because of its inclusive nature,” Wang said.

As a graduate of this university, Penny Lee transformed her college experience into a career working for herself as a television and film editor.

During Lee’s junior-year internship, she “would sneak over to the television side [of WRC4-TV] in the building to watch them air the 12 o’clock news live.”

Through her work, Lee has helped with programming for the Discovery Channel, TLC, the History Channel and the Travel Channel. In addition to working for other companies, she also produced and edited two of her own documentaries, “The CYC Experience” and “Bringing Hope Home.”

“The CYC Experience” focuses on the Chinese Youth Club’s impact on Chinese children in Washington, D.C., while “Bringing Hope Home” documented the Black Bay Mission as it helped low-income people in Mississippi.

“I love owning my company and having the flexibility to control who I want to work for and what projects I choose to work on,” Lee said.

Photo Credit: AsianFortune.Com

Soohyun “Julie” Koo Executive director, Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs

Photo Credit: PennyLee.com

Penny Lee Television, film and video editor

Soohyun “Julie” Koo became executive director of the Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs in 2007. The goal of OAPIA is to help connect members of the APA community to the government by APA people a voice.

Koo is fluent in English, Korean and Japanese, which allows her to better connect with and help APA people living in the United States. She created community-based workshops to educate APA people about important issues and concerns.

Koo started several projects throughout all eight wards of Washington, D.C. These programs include the Annual Bilingual Job Fair and Neighborhood Informational Workshops.

Nicholas Sakurai devotes his time both to being an associate professor of the LGBT Equity Center at the university and to volunteering at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund.

“I’ve had the incredible opportunity to support the next wave of APIA young leaders as they emerge through extraordinary life challenges,” Sakurai said on APASF’s website.

As an associate professor, Sakurai has transformed the LGBT Equity Center at this university. He spearheaded the LGBTQ social media outreach, library and research lounge and technology for the whole department.

Sakurai is currently working to redesign and redevelop the Rainbow Terrapin Network. This organization, which re-launched in the spring of 2011, is meant to be an LGBTQ education program for students.”

Photo Credit: Umd.edu

Nicholas Sakurai Associate professor, LGBT Equity Center at the University of Maryland

Photo Credit: AAlead.org

Surjeet Ahluwalia Executive director, Asian American LEAD

As the executive director of Asian American LEAD, Surjeet Ahluwalia oversees the school, summer and mentoring programs for about 300 APA students in Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County.

“The executive director should be setting the strategic direction, managing internal work and really focusing on the external piece,” Ahluwalia said.

Ahluwalia said she has tried to build a community of supporters for Asian American LEAD during her time thus far as executive director. Through a network of more supporters, the organization is better able to serve more children through initiatives like their Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

“I’m really proud of the staff, and we are using every dollar so carefully to do the most we can for our kids,” Ahluwalia said.

In addition to being director of the Asian American Studies Program at this university, Janelle Wong is also an author. She wrote “Democracy’s Promise: Immigrants and the American Civic Institutions” and co-authored “Asian American Political Participation: Emerging Constituents and their Political Identities.”

The latter book was based on a national study of the political attitudes and behaviors of Asian Americans. Wong still does her own research on political mobilization, immigration and race. Groups like the Carnegie Foundation have funded some of her research.

She is currently working on another book project that will concentrate on the increasing number of Asian American evangelical Christians.

Wong’s book will investigate how these growing numbers impact political participation of immigrants and the traditional Christian movement.

Photo Credit: Deepa Iyer

Deepa Iyer Executive director, South Asian Americans Leading Together

Photo COurtesy of Janelle Wong

Janelle Wong Director, Asian American Studies program, University of Maryland

Deepa Iyer has worked with SAALT for nine years to advocate for issues and concerns surrounding the South Asian community.

She is an expert on the impact of the Sept. 11 attacks on immigrant and minority populations in the United States. Because of this expertise, Iyer has taught classes on hate crimes and the post-Sept. 11 backlashes at this university, Columbia University and Hunter College.

In 2012 alone under Iyer’s direction, 3,000 SAALT volunteers participated in 4,900 community service hours and handed out 20,000 outreach pamphlets and fliers about elections to the South Asian community.

Rebecca Lee says her work as the chair of the Board of Directors for the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership is almost like working a second full-time job. “But it [has] challenged me and stretched me in ways I never could have imagined,” she said.

In her position, Lee has to manage both the internal and the external workings of CAPAL. She focuses on cultivating leadership, motivating coworkers and rewarding good work.

Lee has also worked especially hard on ensuring both individuals and teams are held accountable for their work. In doing so, she oversaw the restructuring of CAPAL’s Board of Directors.

“My favorite part is getting to meet all the interns in D.C. each summer who receive CAPAL internships and scholarships and participate in [the Washington Leadership Program,]” Lee said. “Having been in their shoes at one point, I understand how much the experience can mean to them.”

Photo Credit: REbecca Lee

Rebecca Lee Chair, Board of Directors for the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership

8 | Features

The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2013

APAHM keynote speaker Jose Antonio Vargas asks students to “Define American”

PHOTO Credit: JoseAntonioVargas.com

Activist and journalist Jose Antonio Vargas spoke at the university on April 2 and emphasized working together to get the word out about immigration reform.

By Jessica Stein Staff writer In the fall of 2011, Jose Antonio Vargas traveled to Alabama, where he confronted the strictest immigration laws in the country.

Vargas, a Filipino immigrant and advocate for the rights of undocumented people, was told by one local man, “get your papers or get out.”

Vargas recounted this story to a crowd at Hoff Theater on April 2. “This is real,” he said, in response to that man’s comment and to the many others that he receives over email every day.

Vargas, an immigration advocate and an LGBT, spoke at the university in honor of both Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Pride Month. The event was sponsored by

the Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy, the Asian American Student Union, the Pride Alliance and the Asian American Studies program.

Though the immigration debate has taken a forefront in American politics, Vargas fears that important aspects of the issue remain a mystery to most Americans. In June 2012, Vargas was featured on the cover of Time Magazine with 36 other undocumented immigrants, which he had hoped would serve as a call to action. The cover of the magazine read, “We are Americans *just not legally.”

Senior communications major and Asian American Studies minor Victoria Meaney said she attended Vargas’s event because she was interested in the immigration debate and especially with Vargas’s story.

“Not all undocumented immigrants come here by their own choice,” she said. “He’s a great voice for the immigration movement and I wanted the opportunity to meet him.”

Vargas did not come to America by choice.

In 1993, his mother sent him to live with his grandparents in California in search of a better life. It was not until he was 16 years old and turned away from getting his driver’s license that Vargas learned that his green card was fake.

For years, Vargas hid his status, going to great lengths to appear as American as possible. He got involved in journalism because he thought that getting his name on a byline would make him feel less like an outsider and more like a citizen. “How can they say I don’t exist if I’m everywhere?”

Vargas said.

Then one day, Vargas snapped. He was tired of lying and hiding. “I spent 12 years writing about other people because I never wanted to write about myself,” he said.

On June 22, 2011, Vargas published his best-kept secret in The New York Times Magazine. He has been an activist through his writing, speaking and filmmaking ever since.

University professor Jason Rudy teaches an English course called “Aliens, Exiles and Immigrants,” and has shared some of Vargas’ work with his students. “I was glad he emphasized the importance of working together across racial and cultural lines,” Rudy said after the event.

Vargas encouraged more dialogue between different political parties and races in order to bring about intersecting thought. “We have to get everyone in the room even if it leads to uncomfortable conversations,” Vargas said, in response to questions about bridging the Republican-Democrat gap on the immigration issue. “Progress should not have a party.”

These inclusive viewpoints have earned

him strong support from students at the university. “He’s an inspiring and fascinating person,” junior family science major and Asian American studies minor Catherine Kau said. “I came because I wanted to learn more about immigration, LGBT rights and the Asian American community as a whole.”

This is exactly the kind of awareness that Vargas aims to raise. Legal citizens have an obligation to see beyond themselves, Vargas said, urging audience members to use their citizenship to benefit those who are not so lucky.

“

“We have to get everyone in the room even if it leads to uncomfortable conversations ... progress should not have a party.”

– Jose Antonio Vargas Journalist, political activist

“We’re living in this golden age of intersectionality,” he said. “You don’t have to be gay to fight for gay rights; you don’t have to be an undocumented person to fight for immigration rights.”

The day Vargas spoke at the university, the Associated Press decided to stop using the word “illegal” in their reporting. This was a small but crucial victory for Vargas, one that encouraged him to continue speaking out.

His 20-year battle for citizenship has been draining, but still, he persists with the hope that soon enough, his fight will be won.

“I want life to start,” Vargas said with a sad smile. “I want to go to Canada, to see Africa, to hug my mother, who I haven’t seen in 20 years.”

Buddhist Philosophy for Peace student group sponsors exhibit on social change

By Darcy Costello Staff writer Passersby may have noticed something a little out of the ordinary in the Stamp Grand Ballroom on April 8. Instead of a dark, empty room, the door was propped open and inside, giant panels hung from the ceiling. Some stood in the middle of the floor while people milled around inside talking about the deep issues society faces.

The exhibit, entitled “Seeds of Change,” was sponsored by the university’s Buddhist Philosophy for Peace student group. They had partnered with Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a global nonprofit with around 12 million members worldwide. The exhibit’s goal was to bring about change at the fundamental grassroot level through open discussions.

“Our philosophy is that a small step can bring out a big change,” graduate student Gitima Sharma, a member of the student group, said. “We try to bury the seeds of change, to later make a bigger impact.”

Though the large posters took over the majority of the room, members of the group circulated frequently, looking to spark up conversations with students. The desired effect of the exhibit as a whole, Sharma said, was to create a forum for students to walk in and dialogue on the international issues of life.

The panel on violence that stood at the center of the ballroom detailed the concept that all violence begins in the mind. As freshman journalism major Rachel DeSantis perused the board, Sharma discussed the concept of passive violence with her.

“We feel that the best way to institute change is talking with people one-on-one,” Sharma said. “That way, you can change minds, form bonds with people and inspire change on a fundamental level. It can increase a person’s self-awareness and start a tidal wave among a population.”

That’s the overall goal of SGI’s Seeds of Change exhibit. It focuses on global citizenship at its heart and the implications of humanity’s actions on the entire planet.

Through the discussion of subcategories of environment, violence and education, it seeks to sow change with the role of the individual on the broader effects.

Despite the exhibit’s merits, Sharma admitted that advertising the event was a frustratng—a sentiment that graduate student Neha Sinha echoed.

“It was a nice exhibit; it raised a lot of important questions,” Sinha said. “But there aren’t all that many people attending so it may not be doing much.”

“We are looking for advice on how to better advertise it to professors and students,” Sharma said, emphasizing that though the panels were free, the club paid for the room and gave their time in hopes that the exhibit would make an impact.

SGI and the student group are affiliated with Nichiren Buddhism, a sect different than that of the Dalai Lama, who preaches giving up desires as the route to enlightenment.

Nichiren Buddhism, however, sees earthly desires as enlightenment in itself, Sharma said. “It’s a confusing concept at first, but when you think about it, it starts to make sense,” she said.

PHOTO By Darcy Costello

The Buddhist Philosophy for Peace student group brought the “Seeds of Change” exhibit to Stamp on April 8 to engage students in dialogue about spiritual issues.

Essentially, the group believes that it is not genuine to give up desires, but rather stresses the use of them to grow as an individual and not allow the earthly pleasures to rule your person.

The group gathers weekly to discuss issues related to the overall philosophy of their religion, as well as SGI’s mission.

While together, they chant “Nam-myohorenge-kyo” to bring out the potential of self and to encourage happiness, courage, compassion and wisdom.

It does not come from one language, instead, the chant is a combination of ancient Chinese, Japanese and Sanskrit.

Throughout the 192 countries that practice Buddhism, Sharma said the 12 million

members all chant the same phrase.

When Sharma arrived at the university, there was an existing partnership with SGI, but together with four to five other students, they revitalized the relationship and established the current Buddhist Philosophy for Peace student group, which now consists of 32 students.

Sharma encouraged interested members to stop by a meeting, stressing that the group was “based on philosophy more so than religion” and primarily sought to answer vital questions: “How can we bring out our highest potential? How do we create a culture of peace?”

For more information, visit sgi-usa.org, or email buddhismforpeace@gmail.com.

The PublicAsian |Apr/May 2013

By Evelyn Posey Staff writer

APA Spotlight: Varun Ram

Like many science majors, sophomore Varun Ram spends countless hours studying for his next exam. But unlike many of these students, Ram has to balance his schoolwork with playing basketball for the Terrapins men’s basketball team. Ram is also the only Asian Pacific American player on the team.

In high school, Ram, an Indian American, was all-county and All-Met for basketball.

He transferred to Maryland from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., a Division III school. At Trinity, he was named the MVP of the Trinity College Tournament and UMass Boston Tournament.

When he came to Maryland in the fall of 2012, he made the team as a walk-on, but due to NCAA rules, he had to redshirt this year.

This year on the team does not count toward his eligibility, so he can do everything with the team except travel and suit up for games.

However, Ram thinks that being a redshirt was an advantage because he was able to devote time to his major in physiology and neurobiology. When the team went on the road, Ram used the extra time to catch up and get ahead for his classes.

“I have always been fascinated with science because of its direct application to daily life,” he said, adding that he is particularly interested in biology and chemistry. Ram is

Photo Courtesy Of Varun Ram

leaning toward going to medical school and becoming a doctor.

Even though Ram is a redshirt, he said the time commitment is huge and he has had to manage his time effectively to do well academically. He keeps an agenda book and said his professors have been very understanding, letting him make up material.

Maggie Koester, a sophomore biology major, tutors student athletes. She has witnessed athletes struggling to keep up with their workload.

“If a student is in season, sometimes he or

she is only able to attend class two [to] three days a week and weekends are spent traveling as well,” she said. “They essentially have a full-time job on top of trying to keep up with their school work.”

Koester said she finds it difficult enough to balance her own schoolwork without being an athlete.

“I can’t seem to find enough time to study.,” she said. “If I was an athlete I don’t think I would be able to keep the same major.”

The fact that Ram is the only Indian American player on the team means a lot to

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him. Since there are not many APA players, he feels that it is important for him to make a difference.

“I know there aren’t many [APAs in basketball], so it makes me feel like I am breaking barriers,” he said. “It’s always made me play with a chip on my shoulder, like I have something to prove.”

Shuping Yang, an international student from China studying psychology, said that Ram represents his culture well.

“It’s obvious to see that he looks different from other players, [but] he cooperates, coordinates and maybe leads them, shares victory and hardships together,” Yang said.

“Not only do his teammates respect his culture and identity, but [he should] also feel proud of himself for playing the role he wants by being unique on the team. It feels good to be unique.”

Ram said a lot of people see him as “just another Indian student” and he sometimes finds that people don’t expect much from him on the court. But he enjoys proving people wrong, showing them that he can compete at a high level. At Trinity, the guard averaged 7.8 points and 2.5 assists per game, making an impact on the court.

Next year, Ram is looking forward to suiting up with the team and continues working to challenge peoples’ expectations. “[It] motivates me to work toward becoming the best player I can be,” he said.

DESI hosts weekend-long event celebrating Swami Vivekananda

By Alexis Jenkins Staff writer In an event from April 5-7 hosted by student group Develop Empower Synergize India, students, faculty and others from the community celebrated the 150th year anniversary of the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda.

“The purpose of this event is to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda by reawakening to his message of universal brotherhood,” said Ashwin K. Kayyoor, president of DESI. DESI, a student organization, founded in 2003, is dedicated to exploring India’s affect on the western world and its importance in culture, science and history.

Vivekananda was a Hindu monk who is responsible for introducing Indian philosophy, including yoga, to the western world in the late 1800s. He died at the age of 39 but spent most of his professional life traveling and spreading the word of Hinduism to India, England and the United States.

Roughly 50 to 60 people attended the celebration on each day. The back of Nyumburu was lined with posters talking about Vivekananda’s life, teachings and impact on Indian Americans today.

The first day of the event commemorated Vivekananda’s teachings. It included vocal performances, dance performances, and a talk by Swami Atmajnanananda.

Atmajnanananda is a modern day, swami, the Hindu word for monk. Swamis take oaths of renunciation to abandon their worldly goods to follow the path of Hinduism.

Atmajnanananda has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and focused his talk on the importance of Vivekananda’s life and historic Hindu teachings such as the Gaudiya Vaisnava movement.

Rajeev Rajendren, a research associate at this university said the music and food were his favorite parts of the celebration, but that he would have liked to see more discussion groups.

The discussion groups would have created more conversation among the attendees instead of the talks operating more like a series of lectures with one person talking and everyone else merely listening without a chance to voice their opinions.

The second day of the event focused on Vivekananda’s influence on activists and social leaders that came after him.

Among those included was Mahatma Gandhi.

The two talks given on the second day were by Jeffrey Long, department chair of religious studies at Elizabethtown College, and Narahari Achar, a physics professor at the

University of Memphis. Long’s speech focused on religion and the way social activists were motivated by Vivekananda.

Achar similarly talked about religion, but also focused on the Mahabharata War. The Mahabharata War is discussed in an ancient Indian poem bearing the same name. The 18-day war took place between the Kauravs and Pandavs, two Northern Indian groups vying for power sometime between 6000 to 500 B.C.E., according to Achar.

The war was significant because it is known as the oldest war in India and it dealt with political power struggle, something Vivekananda tried to destroy through equality and education.

“These types of cultural events provide an opportunity to see different cultural views and learn,” said Youngsinn Sohn, a former researcher and professor. “These events are not commercial events, so you can feel and experience the genuine cultures at the ground level.” With talks from members within the Indian community, attendees got a different point of view than what is written in books by outsiders.

The last day of the event focused on how people can bring Vivekanananda’s message into their lives today.

It included a 40-minute meditation session and similar activities from the previous days.

S. Kalyanaraman, the director of Sarasvati Research Center, gave a talk that focused on the geological shift of India and how dharma affects Indians in their daily lives.

Dharma is known as the universal law in Indian philosophy.

In Sanskrit it means “that without which nothing can stand,” according to traditional Hindu teachings. Kalyanaraman said dharma is what gives Indians their identity and it is what gives them respect for others.

DESI’s hope was that with such a broad range of events, some of them would appeal to everyone. Kayyoor said the event’s main goals were to inform people of Indian culture, to teach people about Vivekananda’s ways and to exchange ideas and interact with the community on a broader level.

“Our mission is to learn, practice and promote these values of our ancient, rich culture,” said Ashutosh Gupta, a member of DESI. In the future, DESI intends to keep sponsoring events such as this and co-sponsor events with other student groups as well. This event was part of a 10-year anniversary series DESI hopes to continue.

“We all come from different cultural backgrounds and as President Obama said, we have more things in common than we have different. When we focus on that we can go a long way,” said Gupta.

AKDPhi raises breast cancer awareness

By Jessica Stein Staff writer To help promote breast cancer awareness, Alpha Kappa Delta Phi hosted a barbeque on the Washington Quad on April 10. Many members of the cultural Greek community attended the event in order to learn more about AKDPhi’s cause.

The sisters educated attendees about the perils of breast cancer and the monetary burdens that come along with it, and sold awareness bracelets that would benefit Haley’s Gift.

Haley’s Gift is an organization endorsed by Alpha Kappa Delta Phi that provides financial support to young women being treated for breast cancer. It was founded by Aviva Tiegerman after Tiegerman’s best friend, Haley Kim, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Kim is a mother, wife, elementary school teacher, breast cancer survivor and sister of AKDPhi at the University of Texas’ Austin chapter.

“This charity strikes very close to our hearts and we are making strides with this upcoming event to not only spread awareness, but help out our fellow sister as well,” said Lindsey Reverie Chun, the AKDPhi vice president of the College Park chapter.

AKDPhi’s philanthropy is geared toward breast cancer awareness, so they go to great lengths to both educate students and fundraise for their cause.

According to the Haley’s Gift website, women diagnosed with breast cancer in their 20s and 30s make up 5-7 percent of all women diagnosed. These women are just beginning to live their lives, to start careers and families and have children. The goal of Haley’s Gift is to unburden these young women and their families of the financial woes of treatment.

Kim keeps her supporters involved in every step of her treatment by updating a blog on the organization’s website called “My Journey with Breast Cancer.”

“I’ve cried and stressed about people knowing about my situation but I’ve come to realize and understand that there is a reason for me to get breast cancer at such a young age,” Kim wrote. “God chose me to be a voice of comfort.”

Kim believes it is her job to pay it forward, no matter how transparent she must be about her journey and her struggle.

Donations can be made at haleysgift.com/Donations.html and people interested in volunteering can be sent to inquiries@ haleysgift.com.

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The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2013

op inions

Organization Spotlight Cecily Jurlano, Co-Cultural Chair, Filipino Cultural Association FAST gala. The FAST Gala is an event we hold to raise awareness for the Filipino American Studies course which was originally brought to the campus by members of FCA. It is the only one of its kind on the East Coast. The gala is also held to raise funds for the Phillip Vera Cruz scholarship and Major General Antonio Taguba Scholarship that many of our members are eligible for.

As an organization, we also try to reach out into the community. We do this by working with other Filipino organizations from schools in the DMV and with the Philippine Embassy. In addition, the cultural dance troupe has received many opportunities in the community to perform and meet great people. We love sharing and celebrating the Filipino culture with those around us. We open our doors to all and provide a place for them within.

FCA truly is family.

Cecily Jurlano is a senior early childhood development major.

“FCA is family.” This is a phrase that is often used around our organization. It is one phrase that we really do strive to exemplify. In the Filipino Cultural Association, there is literally something for everyone. Throughout the school year we offer activities to our members outside of our general body meetings. We hold events like flag football and basketball, dancing–both modern and cultural, food workshops, singing in our new musical group “Mezzo Pinoys” and writing for our annual Philippine Culture Night.

In October, the month that celebrates the Filipino American culture, we hosted two major events. The first was the overnight cultural retreat where members were able to learn and experience more of the Filipino culture We also hosted an event called Filamplified. The goal of the event was to amplify our voices and to be heard.

We held open auditions and even brought in some talent familiar to the Filipino American community.

In the spring, we have our annual Philippine Culture Night where we celebrate our culture and the work we have done throughout the past year. The night consists of traditional Filipino food, a play written by our members, modern dances choreographed by our members and cultural dances. This year, our PCN will be held on April 20 at Stamp Student Union in the Grand Ballroom, and all are welcome! Another very important event that is our biennial

Filipino Cultural Association’s Philippine Culture Night 2013 April 20, 2013 | Stamp Grand Ballroom Students with ID: $5 | General: $10 Filipino cuisine dinner inluded Doors open at 5 p.m.

For more information, visit fcaatumd.com/pcn Photo by ryan alphonso

5 ways to be more flexible get, so preparing yourself with different layers of identity is also advised. I carry myself with multitudes of layers every day: a Korean American immigrant, a student, an educator, an activist, a cyclist, a traveler, a friend, etc. You get the idea.

Knowing which identity helps you make connections with others around you is a great way to forge new relationships, deepen existing ones and mend bridges.

2. Get Out of Your Shell

Photo courtesy of Hyobin Sung

I had a six-year plan: finish my undergraduate degree in three years and then go to law school for another three. I wanted to be a Superwoman. I’m now in my fifth year as an undergraduate and law school is nowhere in sight. I’m still striving to be a Superwoman.

One of my life’s most cherished words of wisdom is “don’t ever underestimate the power of flexibility in life.” I try to live by these words every day because being flexible in life is one of the hardest skills to finesse for me. I am opinionated, stubborn, and have a lot to say, so being flexible at times is the most challenging and humbling.

Fortunately, this university is one of the best and safest places to practice finessing my skills in academics, professionalism, interpersonal relationships and most importantly, developing myself into the woman I strive to be.

I want to share five ways being flexible has helped me build better relationships, maintain my networks, and grow during my five years here. As a result, I stand strong and proud as an APA, a learner, an educator, an activist, and a better me—a Superwoman by my parents’ standards.

1. Find Layers of Self Identity People always advise travelers to pack layers of clothing so you can change in and out according to the weather. Life is also a journey and you never know what you’re going to

I know you hear this all the time, but there is a good reason why people say this. The APA community here helped me embrace a new identity I found as an activist.

Coming from a very conservative American town where I was often referred to as an “oriental” girl or often complimented on how my English is so fluent, the APA community here was intriguing and exciting. As a sophomore I signed up to be on the F.U.E.L. Annual Conference planning committee.

Once I got a taste of what the Asian American Student Union (AASU) stood for, I got involved and added my voice to advocating for the APA community and continued to discover myself. Of course my identities evolved as I ventured out to other cultural, service and professional-oriented groups, but my journey as an activist started with AASU. Thanks to AASU, I am still advocating for the APA community through D.C.-based organizations and have chosen to pursue a career in international development in the areas of advocacy and education.

3. Count Your Blessings Always be grateful for the opportunities provided to you as a student. Think about the education and the educators of all spectrums of disciplines and interests who are here itching and waiting to engage with you.

Remember that college is a huge community that houses helpful, empowering and educated resources.

Thank the professors and mentors who give us breaks, extend deadlines, listen to our problems over and over again, and then some.

Every single person you come in contact with at this university helped you enrich your experience here.

That person who pushes your button or that roommate that you wanted to punch in the face helped you realize that you are an impatient person or that your tolerance for others is higher than you thought.

So be more open, look up from your hand devices, make eye contact with each other and go out to more free events!

4. Give Credit Where It’s Due We are selfish creatures. I am selfish. I enjoy getting compliments and being recognized. Over the years, however, I learned the importance and the beauty of giving compliments and giving credit where it’s due. It takes practice. You have to pay attention to others and you have to really mean it to count.

This is where being flexible helped me to be better at giving praise. I started to listen more.

I started to break down each group work I was a part of and each organization that I was involved in and really thought about how person A and person B enriched and added to each task or event. I stopped doing things to get praise and to be noticed and instead focused more on working with others and offering my strengths to be successful.

You’ll be surprised at how others notice much more about you when you commit to working with others and most importantly, how much you find out about yourself.

5. Enjoy & Laugh Chill out, go for a run and eat good food with others. We are goal-driven and over-committed people. I know too well the practical arguments behind why over-achieving and accomplishing is important in our society.

Thankfully, I also know that life would be meaningless and trivial without laughter, friends and families to enjoy them with. Learning how to laugh at myself in times of high stress has helped me so much to remain sane and save my energy.

Thank you all so much for following me and staying tuned to my stories and rambles. It has been a true joy to work with The PublicAsian and I cannot stress enough how important this publication is getting the stories of so many unheard voices within our own communities.

I’m sending positive vibes and warm thoughts to every single one of you and I only look forward to connecting with you in different ways in the future.

With Gratitude.

See you soon.

-h.

Hyobin Sung is a senior government & politics major.

The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2012

11

Postcard from Abroad

Teaching English in Korea

By Lillian Tran Guest columnist I graduated with a degree in communications, a minor in Japanese and an East Asian studies certificate. I lived in Burtonsville in the same house for 22 years and I knew I could not stay there or Maryland any longer.

With no commitments or strings attached, I decided to teach English in South Korea. One of my Sigma Psi Zeta sisters recommended that I reach out to the Teach and Learn in Korea (TaLK) program.

I did some research and applied to the program in October. The next month, I received my acceptance letter and within three months I packed up my life and moved to Korea.

After a month of orientation and training, I finally settled into my one-room apartment in Chungju city located in the Chungcheongbuk-do province, which is at the center of South Korea. It may be second biggest city in my province but it is certainly nothing compared to Seoul.

I teach at No Eun Elementary School in the countryside. It is a 50-minute to an hour bus ride to the middle of nowhere. The school has 10 teachers and 64 students total. My first week was probably the most awkward and nerve-wracking week of my life. As only the second foreigner to ever come to the school, no one really knew how to interact with me.

The language barrier certainly did not help.

Since Korea puts a huge importance on the hierarchy based on age, seniority and titles, I was confused on how to interact with them. Thank goodness for the hweshiks, or business dinner parties, during which there is a lot of soju involved. With the need to acknowledge formalities lowered, many of my colleagues warmed up to me.

As for my students, they are super cute. Many of them visit my classroom just to say hi and then run away. The older ones will actually talk or joke with me. I am doing my best teaching them their English lesson. It’s exciting, yet, I’m still nervous every time I teach. I worry whether they are actually learning or just repeating what I am saying like robots. I think it may be both....

During the weekend, I spend most of my time traveling all over Korea and experiencing all that it has to offer. Korea is really big on festivals. In fact, there is a festival for just about everything—from your typical cherry blossom festivals to the random garlic festival, to even the festivals for another nation’s holiday (ie. from India, the Holi Festival).

As of now, I have been to the Maehwa Village Apricot Blossom Festival and the Nonsan Strawberry Festival, which has the best strawberries I have ever tasted. I plan on going to the Jindo Sea Parting Festival at the end of April. Once a year, at the southern tip of Korea, in Jindo in the Jeollanam-do province, the sea mysteriously parts, and visitors can walk through the it from the mainland to a nearby island. Supposedly many people travel to Korea just to see this phenomenon so I am super excited and cannot wait.

My life in Korea is so surreal. Sometimes I can’t believe I am living in a different country so far from home. I have a year contract, so I will be here until January 2014. But I can renew my contract for another year or so. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t…

Who knows. YOLO! Lillian Tran is a 2012 graduate of this univeristy and currently teaches in Korea.

12 | Events Recap

Z

oomed In :

The PublicAsian | Apr/May 2013

A Taste of Japan

Photos by James Levin

PHOTO COURTESY OF JASA

Shannon Cheung and Erica Scaduto pose in front of a painted backdrop wearing traditional Japanese clothing brought in for the Taste of Japan photobooth by a JASA parent.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JASA

JASA’s S oran Bushi dance group per forms their routine at Taste of Japan.

Photo by Nancy Pham

PHOTO COURTESY OF JASA

Students aimed for high branches as they hung wishes on a “Wishing Tree.”

Reona Norman and Jin Zeng smile and hold up their bags of fish for the camera.