The PublicAsian - May 2012

The PublicAsian

May 2012 | A Voice

for

the

Asian Pacific American Community

at

the

University

of

Maryland, College Park | Volume 18, Issue VI

Inside

APAs speak out on death of Martin

Say Sorry Barry

For APAs, the shooting of Trayvon Martin serves as a reminder of the Vincent Chin case| Page 5 Features

APAs demand apology for racist remarks

By Angela Wong Staff writer

Freedom from North Korean camp North Korean refugee Shin Dong-hyuk is the first person who was born in a labor camp to escape | Page 7 Zoomed

PHOTO CREDIT: GRAEMES JENNINGS FOR EXAMINER // EDITED BY: ANGELA WONG

Newsfeed

in

At least 600 people are demanding an apology from Marion Barry.

Outrage over the D.C. council member’s comments about Filipino nurses and “dirty” Asian shops led to the launch of a “Say Sorry Barry” email campaign. Organizers are asking Barry (D-Ward 8) to apologize and meet with Asian Pacific American community leaders to discuss his comments.

Five hours after the launch of the email petition expressing disappointment in Barry, more than 350 emails were sent through the petition, and 500 Facebook posts about the petition were shared, according to campaign organizer Vincent Villano.

And as of the last week of April, it gathered 600 signatures and more than 1,000 Facebook shares, reaching more than 3,300 people.

The campaign, which began a day after Barry’s comments about Filipino nurses, is spearheaded by the D.C. chapters of Asian Pacific Americans

Take a look at all the events held in honor of Asian Pacifc American Heritage Month | Page 12 Online Exclusive

We sat down with YouTube star Kina Grannis after her concert at the 9:30 Club.

www.publicasian.com @publicasianumd

[Barry seems to be saying] Asian Americans and immigrants aren’t a part of D.C. – that we don’t consider D.C. to be home.”

– Olivia Chow

Co-chair of Asian Pacific Americans for Progress

for Progress (APAP) and Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA). Signing on are 24 other APA advocacy organizations who want Barry to apologize for his racist remarks.

“If you go to the hospital now, you’ll find a

BARRY, Page 2

BBBooks works to help students in Philippines

By Linda Poon Co-Editor-in-Chief

Look back on APAHM

“

number of immigrants who are nurses, particularly from the Philippines,” said Barry on April 23.

“And no offense, but let’s grow our own teachers, let’s grow our own nurses, and so that we don’t have to go scrounging in our community clinics and other kinds of places, having to hire people from somewhere else.”

“Using the word ‘scrounging’ around [looking for nurses] makes them sound subpar or not on the same level with others in the occupation,” said Katrina Dizon, a Filipino immigrant and the president of the DC chapter of APALA. Earlier in April, Barry also said, “We’ve got to do something about these Asians coming in, opening up businesses, those dirty shops. They ought to go; I’ll just say that right now, you know.

But we need African American businesspeople to be able to take their places too.”

Richard Chiang, the owner of Asian grocery store Da Hsin Trading Corporate in Chinatown,

All it took was a visit to the Philippines, an encounter with a 12-year-old girl named Can Can and $10 to trigger the idea for Balik Bayan Books (BBBooks), senior Tam Nguyen’s biggest idea yet in the field of philanthropy.

Nguyen’s uncle had woken him at 5 a.m. during his visit in 2009 to Santa Catalina, a small fishing village located at the southern tip of the Negros island. Come down to the boulevard, he had told him.

There, the local fishermen had already been up and about and among them was Can Can, whom he had met only a couple days ago. She had also been up, cooking breakfast for the fishermen; a traditional Filipino dish consisting of chocolate and rice.

For the fishermen, that was their morning coffee. To Can Can, that was how she earned money for her family and her ailing father.

With her father battling pancreatic cancer, Can Can had given up school so the money – the 500 pesos, or $10 here in the States, required to get her through one year of education – could help pay for his pain medications. We wanted him to be able to rest in peace and not in pain, she had told him.

Amazed, shocked and without a second thought, Nguyen pulled out 500 pesos from his pocket. “I told her, ‘let me give you this $10, I can give you the $10 right now,’” he said. “Goodness gracious ... just that little thing, you know, that $10, to go to [school] for a whole year ... it’s just incredible to me.”

Later, he would give her even more.

“He is someone who ... wants to help people in every way that he can,” said Ly Nguyen, a graduate public policy student and a friend who is working with him on organizing BBBooks. “Just that desire to help people and, in a cliché way, to make the world a better place.”

On his latest venture, Tam, a computer science major, challenged himself to help those halfway across the world by collecting both children and college level books for students in the Philippines.

BBBooks was a nonprofit organization first designed as an assignment during his sophomore year for the university’s Global Communities Living Learning program.

But by his senior year, Tam had a goal to complete the organization’s current project: to collect enough books to fill a library in Don Mariano Marcos, a small Filipino community in southern Philippines where only a small number of students actually go on to college and where the

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAM NGUYEN

Balik Bayan Books has already collected more than 2,000 children and college-level books and has sent 600 to the Philippines since spring 2010.

number of books is limited.

“The people in this village, they don’t have the necessary knowledge or the necessary resources in order to manage a library,” said Tam, who has teamed up with Lt. Alexandre

BOOKS, Page 7

2

The PublicAsian | May 2012

newsfeed

BARRY

felt that Barry’s shop remarks were “pretty much categorizing one race [that] all Asians are dirty.”

Chiang acknowledged many APAs disapprove of his remarks, but said Barry’s words do not line up with his record of developing the Chinatown and the area around the D.C. Convention Center. “There’s a lot of development that has taken place because of him,” he said. “Chinatown has been enhanced because of Barry.”

Chiang, who also serves as a commissioner for the D.C. mayor’s Office on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA), said that although many Asian businesses appeared to be in disrepair, as Barry had said, the council member seemed to overlook the fact that the conditions are a result of the high crime rate in southeast D.C. One business complained about juveniles who repeatedly broke furniture and sprayed graffiti all over the restaurant despite having told the police.

Following his comments on Filipino nurses, Barry, who serves as a liaison on budget allocation to constituencies, met with OAPIA and other leaders on April 26 to discuss APA programs in the D.C. When the APA leaders expressed concern about his remarks, Barry

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAYSORRYBARRY.COM

The “Say Sorry Barry” campaign urges supporters to email D.C. Councilman Marion Barry to express their dissapointment in his remarks regarding “dirty” Asian shops and Filipino nurses.

interrupted them and asked, “How long have you lived here?” according to Villano, who attended the meeting with other APAP members.

“Barry’s questioning suggests that there are no native Asian American Washingtonians, and more importantly, that there is a residency requirement for simply engaging with our elected officials,” he said, adding that Barry

even claimed that his remarks were not racist.

Although Barry acknowledged receiving emails from the “Say Sorry Barry” campaign, he did not say his comments hurt APA community, said Olivia Chow, a campaign organizaer who serves as the co-chair of the D.C chapter of APAP and who was also at the meeting.

Those behind the campaign do not want to

alienate Barry from the APA community, said Chow. Barry needs to build trust in the APA community, and the first step is a formal apology, she added.

While many do not understand why Barry chose to specifically target the APA community in his comments, Barry said his words were twisted and overhyped by the media. But Chow is not buying it; she pointed out that his statements were recorded on video. For her, Barry seemed to be saying, “Asian Americans and immigrants aren’t a part of D.C. – that we don’t consider D.C. to be home.”

Students at the university were also taken aback by Barry’s comments. “It’s one thing for him to say that there are shops that are not very inviting; it’s another thing when he specifically targets the Asian community,” said Andy Len, president of Asian American Student Union and a former intern at APALA. The campaign organizers held a launch party on April 27 at the Sign of the Whale restaurant in Dupont Circle to gather more supporters and more signatures, as well as to fundraise and strategize the next steps. Villano said the campaign will step up its plans and urge those who disagree with Barry’s remarks to directly call his office to complain.

Newsrooms lacking in diversity, AAJA reports

By Angela Harvey Staff writer

Nationally, the number of minorities in journalism continues to be under representative of the diverse communities in which the newspapers and online organizations are located, according to an April survey by the American Society of News Editors.

In Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., Asian Pacific Americans make up 5.5 percent of the total population, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. At The Washington Post, the area’s largest circulation newspaper, 8 percent of its journalists are APA. At The Baltimore Sun, 3.8 percent of its journalists are APA although 5.6 percent of Maryland’s population is APA. The Los Angeles Times reported to the ASNE that 8.9 percent of its journalists are APA, in contrast to California’s APA population of 13.4 percent, according to the Census. At the New Jersey Herald, none of the journalists are APA, the ASNE reported, despite Census figures showing an APA population of 8.3 percent in the state.

“In order to have a more in-depth understanding of the issues that affect the entire community, journalism needs more minorities making decisions in newsrooms about what

stories will receive coverage,” said journalism professor Tamara Cooke Henry, who has taught a course on the media coverage of racial issues.

“Having journalists from diverse backgrounds covering stories that are unique to certain communities improves every reader’s understanding of the area they live in. It expands readers’ appreciation for

“

Having journalists from diverse backgrounds ... improves every reader’s understanding of the area they live in.”

– Tamara Cooke Henry Journalism professor

the diversity in their community,” Henry added.

The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) also reported that “without the benefit of diverse voices to help educate within the newsroom, some news organizations risked losing credibility with

their audience.”

When it comes to audience credibility, diversity is not only important behind the scenes. It is also important for readers to see journalists they can identify with, covering stories in their community.

“I think it’s the most productive to have an APA reporter interviewing sources about an issue that pertains to the APA community,” said Jeremy Hsiao, a graduate journalism student. “Not only can it help the person feel more comfortable, but it will also help the reporter know what questions to ask, and it might help overcome language barriers.”

According to the ASNE national survey, newspapers with a daily circulation between 250,000 and 500,000 are closest to the overall goal of having minority employment match population demographics. On average, they had 20 percent of minority employees and reported a minority population of 30 percent in their circulation areas, the AAJA reported.

In an effort to counteract the lack of diversity in newsrooms, professional associations like AAJA serve as networking organizations for journalists of color.

“One of our goals is to help our student members transition into a successful career,” said AAJA national student program coordinator Nao Vang. “We offer educational

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 ..............................................................................Nancy Pham News Editor ............................................................................................Kate Yoon Features Editor..................................................................................Mary Tablante Copy Editor.......................................................................................Jonathan Reyes Web Editor...........................................................................................Tintin Nguyen Graphics Editor...............................................................................Mariel Bartolome Advertisement Manager........................................................................Jennifer Lien Photographers..............................................Ryan Alphonso | James Levin | Tess Yeh

seminars and resume writing assistance. If a student is interested in working with a mentor, we can set them up with someone. And our

annual national conferences give students the opportunity to meet working journalists from all minority groups.”

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

Printing Schedule: The PublicAsian is published the first Wednesday of each month,

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.

The PublicAsian | May 2012

News | 3

Two new restaurants Phở D’Lite and District Dumpling will soon be opening their doors on Route 1, offering a particularly unique variety of Asian cuisine.

Across from the Varsity in the Campus Village Shopping Center at 8147 Baltimore Ave., Irene Song, owner of Hanami Japanese Restaurant, will unveil her second Asian eatery in May. Phở D’Lite will offer phở, a popular Vietnamese beef or chicken noodle soup, as well as Southeast Asian delicacies.

This full service restaurant will have an Asian fusion concept with a cafeteria style serving line that will emphasize simple, healthy ingredients, according to Michael Stiefvater, economic development coordinator of College Park. “[Song] must be doing well if [she] wants to open another restaurant,” Stiefvater said. “It’s an easier process for [her] since [she] already knows what to expect from the College Park community.”

Freshman business major Melanie Tran said, despite the home-cooked meal options at the campus diners, having a restaurant such as Phở D’Lite would become a new hot spot for students.

“A lot of college students should like phở because it’s a hot meal that

PHOTO BY CAITLIN ZENTGRAF

District Dumpling, next to Phở Thom, will be competition for the many Asian themed restaurants on Route 1.

fills you up,” Tran said.

Also in May, District Dumpling, located downtown in the Terrapin Station Strip at 7313-G Baltimore Ave., will be the first restaurant in College Park to be devoted completely to dumplings.

Although there is not a lot of further information about the restaurant and owner, their location is not a big space. It will be a fast, casual concept, according to Stiefvater.

“[The owners] probably were drawn by the university and were drawn to bring something different that we don’t necessarily have here yet,” he said. “Any Asian restaurant has dumplings, but this one sounds more than interesting.”

“I think District Dumpling will bring something new to College Park,” said Marissa Goon, a sophomore finance and psychology double major. “Who doesn’t like dumplings?

It’ll be the new sushi.”

With an increase of restaurants coming into College Park, District Dumpling and Phở D’Lite certainly will bring competition to other existing Asian restaurants.

According to Tran, she believes these restaurants will be relatively cheaper, whereas Goon thinks their food will offer more than your typical Asian cuisine.

“Shanghai Café, Shanghai Tokyo and Panda Express all offer the same thing,” Goon said. “These restaurants will be different.”

Other Asian restaurants have been opening up in College Park. Four have opened along Route 1 in the past year: Shanghai Tokyo, Phở Thom, Sakura Seafood & Supreme Buffet and Asian Fusion & Varsity Lounge Restaurant, according to Stiefvater.

“It definitely is a trend,” he said. “It can create competition, and every new place seems to be crowded, but we will see if it divides.”

Rout

By Caitlin Zentgraf Staff writer

e1

Route 1 to welcome two more Asian restaurants in May

MAP BY ANGELA WONG

4 | News

The PublicAsian | May 2012

Strong APA community at UMD

promotes dating within race

By Emily Wordsman Staff writer

In recent years, there has been a significant rise in Asian Pacific Americans marrying other members of their race. Students at this university have noticed that more APAs are choosing to date within their race but outside of their specific ethnicity.

Larry Shinagawa, associate professor of American Studies and former director of the Asian American Studies program, is an expert in the social demography of racial groups in the U.S., intermarriage, multiracial identity, and APA culture and community.

Shinagawa is a Japanese American and has been married to a Korean American woman for more than 30 years. He explained that, today, that isn’t surprising at all. Korean and Japanese Americans have many commonalities, but when Shinagawa and his wife got married, their parents both disapproved because of the tensions between Korea and Japan following World War II. Shinagawa first noticed a rising number of marriages within the APA community during the 1990s, and has extensively researched the factors that have contributed to this pattern. He described them as “a power matrix of who you’ll marry.”

As a race with one of the highest rates of interracial marriages in the country, according to the Pew Research Center, the recent increase in APAs in relationships with other APAs, shows a picture of the changing and ever expanding community.

Shinagawa believes that the rise in APA couples is related to a series of elements that have played a part in APA lives and their relationships.

“A lot of this pattern is a result of Asian American studies,” he said. “It’s really tied to social consciousness and the minority identity.”

Minority identity is an extremely critical aspect of this trend because it is the chang-

--India-Starbucks, who has been earning its highest profit margin from sales in China, announced its intentions to expand to India, seeking to become an even bigger player in global market.

Established in 58 countries, the company will partner with Indian company Tata Global Beverage in September.

“Leverag[ing] their know-how” of the Indian market and India’s local resources will allow them to “really define the coffee house culture” in the country of over a billion people, Starbucks CEO John Culver told CNN. “We’ve been able to ... become that gathering place for the local communities,” Culver said.

--South Korea--

PHOTO COURTESY OF HERMAN KONG

Senior accounting and marketing double major Herman Kong, pictured with girlfriend, Hillary Pham, a Montgomery College student, believes that race shouldn’t play a major factor in dating relationships. “She just happens to be Asian. I didn’t do it on purpose,” Kong said.

ing minority identity that has contributed to so many additional relationship influences.

Perceptions of race and its relationship with power and privilege contribute to minorities feeling a need to join the majority.

“Intermarriage patterns are always connected with disparities,” Shinagawa said.

However, in time, “Asian Americans have done extremely well,” he continued.

“They feel much less of a need to find someone who is better off.”

At this university, APA students attribute the trend to the rise in APA organizations and interest groups.

“In college, with organizations like Asian American Student Union, as well as Asian-interest sororities and fraternities, it is becoming very common for all Asian ethnicities to come together and become friends,” said Natalie Leem, a junior biology major, who is a Korean American dating a Taiwanese American.

Senior accounting and marketing double major Herman Kong agrees that the involvement in APA groups has allowed APAs to meet each other.

“The VSA meets the CSA. The CSA meets the JASA. They do joint activities.

Then they get to meet each other, and they just multiply,” said Kong, who is a Chinese American dating a Vietnamese American.

Communities have been established where various ethnicities share many cultural similarities and support common interests, creating a “nucleus for social networking and in marriage,” Shinagawa said.

“It is not at all important to date someone who is Asian or the same ethnicity as me.

All the guys who I dated in the past were non-Asians,” Leem said. “I have actually never dated a Korean guy.”

But junior business major Melinda Song prefers dating outside the APA community.

“I grew up with so many Asians, and I’ve gotten so used to them,” she said, adding that race plays less of a role in relationships after getting to know a person.

“There will probably always be about one third to intermarry into the white community,” Shinagawa said. But, he added, the increase in relationships between APAs, “will continue to be a predominant pattern.”

A 25-year-old game addict was arrested in April for abandoning her son soon after allegedly giving birth in the bathroom of a 24-hour Internet cafe.

The woman was reportedly too absorbed in computer games to notice that her water broke, and after giving birth, placed the baby in a garbage bag on the street, according to police.

Police said the baby was found dead two days later.

The woman had reportedly been living in the Internet cafe and begging for money online, and told police she did not know how to raise the child.

--China-A pair of 25-year-old twin sisters may soon become the first people in China to both have sexchange surgery, according to Chinese newspaper Shanghai Daily.

Preliminary surgeries have already been successful, said Zhao Yede, the twins’ surgeon.

The two women will continue saving money for the final surgeries, according to Zhao.

China’s social networks thrive despite censorship

By Lisa Tucker Staff writer

In the United States, Facebook and Twitter are two popularly used social networking websites.

But in China, Renren and Weibo sites take over the social networking scene. Renren, which translates to the word “everyone,” is a Chinese social networking service that has a similar layout to Facebook. Weibo is a term used to describe microblogs that have a 140-character limit, similar to Twitter.

According to an article from a Singaporebased newspaper, The Straits Times, there are 250 million Chinese social networking citizens, which is about half of the country’s Internet users. Social networking may be equally, or even more popular in China than in the U.S. Xixi Qian, a Master’s finance student at this university from China, prefers using Sina Weibo to American social networking sites. Like Twitter, she can upload pictures on Weibo and attach them to a status update.

“I am a little bit addicted,” Qian said. “But I do think that it is a common problem for college students.”

Tea Leaf Nation, an e-magazine that focuses on China’s social media, reported that two popular microblogs in China are Sina and Tencent Weibo, which have about 500 million users each.

Qian attempted to use Facebook about four years ago, but she soon lost interest. What she likes about Chinese social media is that there is more of an emphasis on blogging rather

than writing wall posts.

“Chinese media is much easier than reading books, and I enjoy reading long posts online,” Qian said. “My experience with Facebook is that you cannot write long blogs.”

Qian said that the American “portrayal” of China’s Internet censorship is not too much of an exaggeration. She admits, though, that while the government is strict with censorship, political posts are not deleted within seconds.

“One can easily retweet a Weibo and the government cannot delete all the related Weibos so quickly. So lots of people may know the ‘secret’ content,” Qian said.

Sophomore Chinese major Corbin Loftis went to China for two months last summer and participated in an intensive Chinese language program with the U.S. Department of Defense. He started using Renren during his time there because of his teachers’ recommendations that using it would help him practice Chinese.

Today, he uses the Renren application on his smart phone daily to keep in touch with his friends in China. Loftis said that in China, there is strict control of Internet use by the government compared to the U.S. No one in China can use American sites like YouTube and Facebook due to an Internet block. In contrast, all social networking Chinese sites are accessible in the U.S. “I think, politically, there is social dissent in China, and because the government has control over the websites, they screen them for content,” said Jung-Jung Lee, a Chinese language teacher at this university.

But Loftis attempted to get around the Chi-

PHOTO COURTESY OF CORBIN LOFTIS

The popular Chinese social media site, Renren, is similar to Facebook, but unlike the U.S. site, it lends itself to longer blog-like posts.

nese government’s strict control. He said that he used an IP route that went through Russia.

He successfully used Facebook for two weeks – until the route was shut down.

Loftis has seen posts get deleted. At one of his summer Chinese language classes, an American entrepreneur came to talk about Chinese mass media and posted a status about freeing Tibet on Sina Weibo.

“He used it as a demonstration to show

us how the government has people who sit and censor stuff from sites like this as their jobs.” Loftis said. “[The status] was quickly removed.”

Qian has also seen one of her comments, which was in response to a politically sensitive blog post, removed from Renren.

At the time of the comment, it was rumored that Xi Mingze, the daughter of politician Xi Jinping, was going to Harvard University.

A comedic post said that men from Harvard should try to win her over, because the man would have a successful future in China.

The Renren status, which was retweeted by many people, set the precedent for more jokes.

There was another rumor that Bo Guagua, the son of politician Bo Xilai, would be going to Harvard too.

“The new joke was that the other guys in Harvard could not compete with Guagua Bo, so their brilliant future was gone,” Qian said.

“I retweeted that one, and it got deleted.”

Qian admits that she does get frustrated with the Internet regulation.

“This is the part of China that I least like,” Qian said. “The Chinese know the forbidden topics that we are not allowed to talk about in public. People know not to mention politics.”

She predicted that in the future more and more Chinese citizens will progressively become frustrated with the government blocks and might even delete their accounts. Qian said that she has friends who try not to use their accounts because of their annoyance.

“But the result is less than ideal,” Qian said.

“It is hard because people want to connect to their friends and be social.”

The PublicAsian | May 2012

News | 5

Shooting of Martin reminds APAs of Vincent Chin

By Tess Yeh Staff writer

As the Trayvon Martin killing stirs outrage among African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans see the case as a reminder of racial discriminative issues still prevailing in society.

On Feb. 26 in Florida, 17-year-old Martin was shot to death by half white, half Hispanic neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.

Martin was on his way back to his father’s fiancé’s home when Zimmerman saw him and thought he was suspicious. Conflict broke out and Zimmerman fired his gun. Zimmerman told police Martin attacked him first and he acted in self-defense, but the death of the unarmed teenager aroused anger among thousands, including some in the APA community.

“The Trayvon Martin case is a chilling reminder of the ongoing specter of racial prejudice and discrimination, and that justice is often elusive for those who are considered ‘suspicious’ or ‘other,’” said Leonie Campbell-Williams, director of communications of the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC).

Campbell-Williams brought up Chinese American Vincent Chin’s case when speaking of the Martin killing. Chin was beaten to death with a baseball bat by two white autoworkers who thought he was Japanese. The tragedy occurred in 1982, when most people were against the milieu of fierce competition with Japan.

Despite the evidence police gathered, Campbell-Williams said the perpetrators never spent a day in jail.

“While there was no justice for Vincent Chin, 30 years later, we demand justice for

Trayvon Martin,” she said.

According to a March press release by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Congresswoman Judy Chu believed a thorough investigation is needed before people reach conclusions about what exactly happened in the Martin killing.

Nonetheless, Chu also considered Martin “an unarmed victim killed in a senseless act of violence.”

“We have seen similar cases of violence in communities around the nation and must confront these examples whenever and where

the case to such matters.

Unlike Martin, Chin was clearly murdered because of racism, Chang said.

Because both cases involved young members of different ethnic groups, many APAs feel the two cases are somewhat similar.

The men who attacked Chin were charged with manslaughter at first, but a plea bargain brought the charges down. Instead of going to prison, they were given three years probation and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and $780 court cost, sending the APA community into outrage.

Similarly, the public was infuriated when

PHOTO CREDIT: ORLANDOSENTINEL.COM, IN.REUTERS.COM, AAEZINE.ORG

The killing of Trayvon Martin(left) by George Zimmerman (center) evokes memories of another racially charged incident: the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin (right) by two while males.

ever they occur,” Chu wrote in the press release. “Americans of all backgrounds deserve equal protection under the law, and I join my Congressional colleagues in emphasizing how important this investigation is.”

Freshman computer science major Debbie Chang said that compared to Chin’s murder case, Martin’s case seemed less relevant to racism, for there is little evidence connecting

they were first told that Zimmerman had not been charged with the death of Martin. He was finally arrested and charged with second degree murder on April 11, but has been released on a $150,000 bail.

Professor Shueh-Fang Lin of the Chinese department expressed her concern and said Martin’s death serves as a warning for people of other ethnic backgrounds in the country.

“The fact that a white man can get away with killing a black child worries me, especially when the incident occurred in a state as liberal as Florida,” Lin said. Based on her observation, although every citizen possesses the same rights in front of the Constitution, the country failed to completely eradicate discrimination and racial violence.

“The murder of Trayvon Martin tells it all,” Lin continued. “We now live in a society where ‘colorblind’ racism exists. People claim that they aren’t racist, but when they see a colored man, they would associate him with certain characteristics.”

A 2000 New York Times article stated that there were 335 in 1993 and 486 violent attacks against APAs in 1999, demonstrating a 32 percent increase. However, more recent statistics from the FBI’s annual hate crime report show that only 4.7 percent of the single-bias hate crime incidents involved APAs. Today, because of Martin’s death, APA organizations, like the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, are gathering their efforts to eliminate racial prejudice and discrimination.

Composed of the AAJC, Asian American Institute, Asian Law Caucus and Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the organization is committed to building bridges and partnerships with all communities to end racial bigotry, stereotyping and discrimination in American society, Campbell-Williams said.

She added that Chu and other leaders have called upon federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to devote all their resources to investigate and prosecute the killing of Martin so that history does not repeat itself.

Crimes by APAs go beyond the issue of race causation. However this could be a sign of a deeper problem in America’s APA communities, which may need to be addressed by society as a whole.”

On March 11, Korean American student at this university Prior to these incidents, there were some minor problems Alex Song, 19, was arrested after threatening online to go on a or disturbances involving some of the already mentioned susshooting rampage on campus and kill as many people as pos- pects, like Cho’s stay at a mental health facility in 2005. But sible in order to make national news. A month later, Korean- it’s important to note that Song, Goh and Cho had not exhibited native and former Oikos University nursing student One Goh, behavior that genuinely alerted or alarmed anyone to the possi43, killed seven and wounded three at the small Christian col- bility of violence to this degree. Where their capacity for such lege in Oakland, California. In 2007, Korean-born Seung Hui aggression and violence arose from seems to be a mystery.

Cho, an undergraduate student in his senior year at Virginia Or maybe not. According to a 2009 survey of 6,500 students Tech, killed 32 people and injured 25 before killing himself from ages 12 to 18 across the U.S. conducted by the U.S. Justice in the deadliest school shooting rampage in American history. and Education departments, 54 percent of APA students were These three students, responsible for three separate events, bullied in school, making APAs the most bullied teenagers. were all Asian Pacific Americans, and more specifically, Korean.

Goh was said to have anger management issues according Is the fact that they are all the same race significant? And if to police and was described as a loner. Cho, too, was called a not, do Americans still see it that way? loner who exhibited anger, and was depicted as troubled and Research Assistant Professor Derek Iwamoto of Asian isolated. Song told officers he was “very stressed out.” In meAmerican studies in the dia coverage, Cho and department of psycholSong were even said to ogy at this university have been intelligent and thinks that race isn’t relextremely capable acaevant in these cases and demically.

With almost every shooting ... the indithus, should not be foBesides the fact that viduals seem to feel like they are social cused on. the suspects were all outcasts.”

“Whenever it’s a white APAs, Iwamoto pointed male [committing these out that they were also – Collin Russell acts], no one ever critiall males, which expands Senior psychology major cizes them, but when it’s the issue beyond race a member of a minorinto gender. In Ameriity group, it becomes focan societies, males are cused on race,” Iwamoto said. “It seems like Asians always get brought up with the notion that masculinity entails keeping all the negative end of everything; we’re reputed to be a ‘model emotions suppressed, except anger, which can lead to violence. minority’... until we’re not.”

APA men can be subject to bullying and suffer from mental Case in point, after 9/11, Arabs and Muslims were all im- health problems, which could also be what spurred these inpacted by the events of that day, subject to scrutiny and sus- dividuals responsible for the aforementioned incidents to take picion for their race and religion. But Ted Kaczynski, also action, or threaten to, Iwamoto said. known as the “Unabomber,” didn’t forever taint the image and Senior psychology major Collin Russell echoed Iwamoto’s reputation of white people. Neither did Eric Harris and Dylan sentiments.

Klebold, the boys responsible for the 1999 Columbine High “All those shooters were Asian males ... [but] what stands School massacre when they killed 13 and injured 24 before out to me more than race is their sex. A lot of the shootings are committing double-suicide. done by males in their late teens to early twenties, which is a Freshman undecided major Tolga Keskinoglu doesn’t think time when mental illnesses like schizophrenia tend to appear that the shooters’ and suspects’ race is important by itself. in males,” Russell said. “The other thing I was thinking about “[Race is] only significant in that we should try to see if is the fact that with almost every shooting you hear about, the there is a causation between race and these incidences,” he individuals seem to feel like they are social outcasts.” said. “We must keep in mind that correlation does not equal Studies conducted by Jin Yong Shin, a psychology professor

By Elana Fink Staff writer

“

PHOTO CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

University of Maryland sophomore Alex Song was arrested in March for a shooting threat he made online.

at Hofstra University, in which he looked at bullying among Korean American teenagers in the states of New York and New Jersey, proved that these teenagers will most likely suffer from loneliness, inadequate social skills, emotional turmoil and personal issues. Shin’s research also concluded that APA teens undergo higher levels of emotional distress compared to other races and groups.

So while outside factors, such as bullying, may have driven the suspects and shooters to pick up the gun, was it their race that made them pull the trigger or want to, and more importantly, does that change how we view these incidents?

Recently, between the media coverage on “Linsanity” and the Trayvon Martin case, race has again become a very central and prominent issue, and bullying has also garnered much attention. Though the U.S. has come a long way in establishing racial equality, the fact that these events are all focused on race and some may have been spurred from bullying shows there is much progress to be made before people stop identifying themselves and others according to the color of their skin.

“I guess the only way I see these shootings as race related is in the sense that minority groups are much more likely to feel rejected by people in society,” Russell said, “because they have an entirely different set of rules and expectations for their actions and behavior.”

eatures fTeams to compete in DC’s annual dragon boat races 6

The PublicAsian | May 2012

By James Levin Staff writer The incessant, rhythmic beating of the drum continues as the rowers make uniform movements that propel the dragon boat across the water. The wind rushes through the rowers as they race toward the finish line, all while paying close attention to the sound of the drum and the shouted commands from the small vessel’s bow.

Beginning May 19 and ending the next day, more than 1,800 athletes will gather at the Thompson Boat Center in Georgetown to experience these sensations during the annual D.C. Dragon Boat Festival.

The tradition of the dragon boat racing goes back more than 4,000 years to its roots in ancient China. The Dragon Boat Festival is held in honor of Chu Yuan, a respected poet and politician in the ancient state of Chu, which is located in present-day southern and central China.

According to the festival’s website, Chu drowned himself in the Mi-Lo River after being overcome by despair when he lost the favor of the king, and his home state fell into the hands of incompetent officials. People rushed to rescue him but were unsuccessful. Now, every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, crews power long boats with dragon heads in a symbolic re-enactment of the rush to save Yuan.

For some, such as 78-year-old Oral Miller, a blind participant and D.C. resident, the rush of the wind, the beating of the drum and the resistance of the oars in the water are the only sensations he can experience.

Miller, a member of the Out of Sight Dragons, one of just six blind dragon boat teams in the nation, will be returning to the water for his third festival. Along with many others, Miller can attest to the unique and different experience provided by the festival.

“It brings people together in a new and different social setting where they can enjoy the […] competition, the learning experience, the level of activity [and] the different environment in which they will be involved,” Miller said.

PHOTO CREDIT: DRAGONBOATDC.COM

Teams compete in the 2011 DC Dragon Boat Festival, an annual event inspired by the ancient Chinese sport of dragon boat racing.

This year, the festival will take place May 19 and 20 at the Thompson Boat Center at the Georgetown Waterfront.

In addition to the Out of Sight Dragons, the festival will host several teams comprised of breast cancer survivors, a team organized by Asian Queers United for Action, and GoPink!DC, as well as several other unique teams from both D.C. and surrounding areas.

Leslie Caplan, team captain of GoPink!DC, the only dragon boat team in D.C. whose members are breast cancer survivors or supporters, also attested to the importance of this particular race. The team has been participating in the race since 2006, and although it is not the only dragon boat race they attend, it is often the first, which they say provides a certain fervor not present during the rest of the season, Caplan said.

“We participate in the D.C. festival because we are a D.C.

team; this is our home town festival,” she said.

The full list of teams for the 2012 race has yet to be released, however, last year, a total of 67 teams participated in the festival.

The tradition came to D.C. when, in 2000, Charlotte Shen, former vice-chair of the D.C. chapter of the Chinese Women’s League (CWL), began researching the idea of a Dragon Boat Festival. Two years later, with the help of the National Capital Area Women Paddling Association, the organization held D.C.’s first Dragon Boat Festival.

“This event [became] popular due to the tireless and endless devotion from all the volunteers, the planning committee members [and], of course, the CWL board members,” Shen said.

AFI Silver Theatre showcases several Miyazaki films in two-month event, “The Masters of Studio Ghibli”

PHOTO CREDIT: IMDB

The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center will screen Studio Ghibli films from April to June, including Hayao Miyazaki’s 1997 film “Princess Mononoke,” about a warrior princess who must defend her forest home from human invasion. The film will be shown from May 25 to 28.

By Antonio Barbera Staff writer For the next two months, downtown Silver Spring and Studio Ghibli, known as the Disney of Japan, will have a unique cinema connection.

From April 13 to June 17, AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center will host “Castles in the Sky: Miyazaki, Takahata and the Masters of Studio Ghibli.” The event is co-presented by the Freer Gallery of Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Japanese Information Center; every location will have various showings of

the films. The event is expected to draw audiences from Silver Spring and surrounding areas in appreciation of Japan’s famed film culture.

Todd Hitchcock, AFI’s programming director, took advantage of the traveling series and made sure to bring it to the local theater Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” (2001) and “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004) are two of the more well-known movies in the United States, and had commercial success when they were first released in theaters.

Miyazaki, one of the most popular and respected Japanese directors of animated films,

won an Academy Award for best animated feature in 2002 with “Spirited Away.”

Hitchcock said the main reason he helped bring the series to the theater was to show audiences “high quality animated filmmaking, as well as the opportunity to see it on the big screen; most people only have seen the films on home video.”

While nine weeks seems like a long time for an American movie theater to show Japanese animated films, it is not uncommon at AFI. “We typically schedule series this way, one or two titles per week over several weeks,” Hitchcock said. “It gives people the opportu-

nity to hang with the series longer and hopefully see more films.”

Susan Bluttman, the media director at AFI, also believes that the film series should have its due time, describing it as amazing and that the theater is excited to be hosting such a renowned group of movies.

Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away,” the story of a young girl trapped in an alternate reality fighting to return to the real world, is anticipated to be the most popular film, according to Hitchcock. Another Miyazaki movie Hitchcock thinks could be a popular draw is “Princess Mononoke.” A film that originally was shown in 1997, “Princess Mononoke” is a story of the struggle between humans and nature, and the hope for a harmonious relationship.

In total, AFI will be showing 13 movies, eight of which were directed by Miyazaki. Isao Takahata directed three and Yoshifumi Kondô and Hiroyuki Morita directed the other two.

Michelle Tran, a sophomore psychology major, said that she would make the trip to watch the film series if only to visit the location.

“It would be a cool experience to check out the AFI Silver Theatre because of its rich history,” Tran said. “I took a film class in high school and we heard about a lot of independent films being shown there.”

Tran also appreciates the display of the series’ Asian culture. “It’s great that AFI has a cultural center, and is having an entire Asian film series,” she said. “It’s important for everyone to experience varying works of art and expose themselves to other cultures.”

Hitchcock, meanwhile, believes that excellent movies simply deserve greater audiences.

“I hope [Asian Pacific Americans] do turn out, as well as everyone else who enjoys quality animation, which is potentially a very large population of film lovers.”

The PublicAsian | May 2012

accepted its values, he called it home.”

Shin escaped the camp in 2005 when he was 23 years old, crawling through an electric fence, shielded by the body of a The story of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person born in a labor fellow escapee who had died after being struck by the fence. camp in North Korea to escape, is one that doesn’t seem real.

After successfully fleeing the camp, Shin traveled from North His story is told in “Escape From Camp 14,” a non-fiction Korea to China, then to South Korea before eventually making novel by journalist Blaine Harden, who met Shin in South Ko- his way to the United States. rea a few years after his getaway. Harden, who at the time was After Harden had finished talking, a small, thin man came writing a piece on him for The Washington Post, felt that Shin’s to the podium, with a face that displayed little emotion. His story was too important to only be told in an article. The result- speech, in his native Korean narrated through a translator, ing book is a chilling, personal description of life in a North however, gave off a discernable raw emotion of the injustice Korean prison camp, where hundreds of thousands of citizens still present in North Korea. are held even today.

The first thing the calm, reserved Shin said about “Escape On April 11, Shin and Harden spoke at Politics & Prose, a From Camp 14” was that it was not an attempt to make money. bookstore in northwest Washington, D.C., offering commen“My reason [for being here] is not to sell books or promote tary on the book, personal reflections and fielding questions myself,” he said. “The only reason is to tell you a little bit of from the audience. what is going on in North Harden spoke first, setKorea … you will not beting the scene of what is lieve what you are reading.” currently the state of exisShin spoke of the worst tence in North Korea. “You aspect of the camp: the concommit a crime, you go to ditioning of its people. camp and you stay there,” “There is no sense of said Harden, speaking of rebellion, no concept of why the camps supposedly speaking out … [People in exist. “Then there’s Shin, the camp] have no sense of whose crime was to have the outside world,” he said. been born in the camp.”

“If inmates are beaten, they As told in “Escape From assume they are supposed Camp 14,” Shin never comto be beaten … it is a normitted any crime to merit mal accepted thing.” placement in a labor camp.

When asked by an auShin was born because two dience member if he had inmates were granted a “rebeen able to ignite feelings ward marriage” for good of trust or love over the past behavior. He was “bred” few years of freedom, Shin through this marriage, one gave a grim response. “In described as loveless, carethe camp, I had no sense of less and lacking any semwhat it meant to have emoPHOTO BY ANTONIO BARBERA tions,” he said. “Even now, blance of unity.

After describing the hor- Author Blaine Harden (left) of “Escape From Camp 14” and North I make attempts to underKorean refugee Shin Dong-hyuk (right) told the story of Shin’s journey rid, gloomy physical condistand these terms, but still to the U.S. during a meet and greet at Politics & Prose on April 11. tions of the camp as “a very have a hard time grasping dark world,” Harden spoke of the most important rule of the these things. I think it will take longer.” camp and the origin of the book’s title: “If you try to escape, “When I read his story, it seemed like fiction,” Young said. you will be shot immediately.”

“However, if Shin were to read my life story, he would prob“It’s a really dehumanizing story,” said Sarah Young, a ably have thought of it as fiction.” sophomore undecided major. “It’s unbelievable that these But “Escape From Camp 14” is not fiction. It is a haunting things still happen.” true story of the state of affairs that both Harden and Shin are Before ceding the podium to Shin, Harden read a passage seeking to eradicate through prose. from his book, about how Shin “did not know literature ex“My friends and the people that I knew in the prison camps isted, he did not know God existed … [Shin] had not been torn would want you to know what is going on in North Korea,” away from a civilized existence, he was born and raised there, Shin said. “They look to you as heroes.”

AASU

ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENT UNION

ELAINE WANG PRESIDENT

By Antonio Barbera Staff writer

PHOTO CREDIT: BLAINEHARDEN.COM

BOOKS Cabales for the project.

Cabales, who works with the development and outreach program in the Philippines to find solutions for improving the communities, hopes that the library will “change the way people value education and integrate reading as a way of life to this community.”

“I have the resources, I have the motivation, I have the ability to do this so, you know, let me just do this for these people because it’s the right thing to do,” Tam said. “And that’s why I do it.”

While Cabales handled the task of building the actual library, BBBooks is in charge of filling it with books.

With the help of the Filipino Cultural Association last year, the group collected more than 2,000 books

and has shipped more than 500 in five batches to the Philippines since the spring of 2010. On April 28, the group sent their sixth batch of books, bringing the total estimate of books sent to 600 and averaging around $10 per book.

“The books from December had gotten to the ... Philippines and they took pictures of the kids reading the books,” said Tyler Babich, FCA’s outgoing community service chair.

“It was a really touching, cute moment seeing these kids play with our books … we saw our charity actually working.”

By mid-March, Tam and Ly had begun drafting proposals to send to libraries, grocery stores and individuals asking them to donate books. The next step was to call the various libraries, something that the pair would come to learn as a very challenging

and too-often discouraging task.

The pair was repeatedly referred to someone else who, the libraries claimed, was in charge of book donations. “[They] make you go through layers and layers and it’s really

ANASTASIA ADAMS VP of ADMIN

ALEX DOQUANG VP of FINANCE

ASHLEY ZHAN VP of PROGRAMMING

MAX KIM VP of INTERNAL

JOANNE LIU VP of ADVOCACY vp of comm, vp of external & chair positions to be determined

stressful,” Ly said. “But then all you can do is just to move on and keep trying for the next one.”

In the end, they called nearly seven libraries and only one, Bowie Library, was able to give them a con-

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAM NGUYEN

Tam Nguyen (far back), founder of Balik Bayan Books, poses with a group of children from Casa Cittadini, a home for orphaned, abandoned and neglected girls, to whom he donated books to in 2010.

EXECUTIVE BOARD 2012-2013

The Great Escape

Features | 7

firmation to donate books. Despite this obstacle, along with the lack of adequate time and resources – he poured nearly $1000 from his own pocket to cover the funding needed – Tam has yet to give up. This year, he plans to team up with Worldwide Books, an organization collecting books from students on campus to resell to underprivileged nations.

For him, the greatest motivation for his persistence are the people he knows he will be helping.

“They need these resources, and so that is really what we’re focusing [on],” Tam said. “I know that just giving books to people doesn’t necessarily mean that they will all read it, but there will be some of those people. There will be those people that will appreciate the books and that will utilize those books and will succeed because of those resources.”

8 | Features

The PublicAsian | May 2012

HK Stephens: humble beginnings, big achievements

By Matt Fleming Staff writer Heungkook “HK” Stephens is uncommon in many ways.

He is married. He is a youth minister. He has a 4.0 GPA. He is the 2012 student commencement speaker. He once rode a bicycle from College Park to Ocean City. He loves modern dance. He has been receiving awards, like the Banneker/Key Scholarship, for as long as he can remember.

But one of the most unique things about the senior civil and environmental engineering major is his desire to use his degree for altruistic projects; his dream is to bring clean drinking water to impoverished countries like Bangladesh.

Beyond the achievements stands a regular guy—a laidback student who works hard and just wants to help others.

“I want to be an inspiration to people,” Stephens, 22, said, sitting barefoot in shorts and a white undershirt on the patio of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, with slightly messy hair from having just practiced head spins. “I feel good when I can motivate through my works.”

Alan P. Santos, director of undergraduate student services in the civil and environmental engineering department, said that Stephens “makes you want to be kinder to people.”

According to Santos, Stephens is receiving a departmental award for his academic achievements as well as his excellent record of helping others. He has an outstanding reputation for helping his classmates understand the difficult coursework.

“It’s difficult enough to get [into the major], and then things get more difficult,” Santos said. “[Stephens] is like a civil engineering Tim Tebow,” Santos added.

Similar to the popular, religious NFL quarterback Tebow, Stephens is known for being deeply involved in his faith, the Unification Church. It was through his family and church that he met his wife, Jin Soon Stephens, a fellow youth minister and business administration student at Howard Community College.

“In our religion, marriages are arranged through our parents, although we make suggestions too,” Jin Soon said. “We got

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALAN P. SANTOS

Senior civil and environmental engineering major HK Stephens will be the commencement speaker for this year’s graduation.

to know each other and married eight months later. I never regretted marrying young.”

According to Jin Soon, the couple had a mass wedding known as “The Blessing,” where different religious figures offer their blessings to bring God into the marriage.

“One thing that has helped with our marriage is that we have the same vision,” she said. “We both want to make a difference and want people to be happy. I appreciate that about [Stephens].”

Religion and upbringing has cultivated this sense of family and appreciation for diversity. Jin Soon is half-Brazilian and half-Malaysian-Chinese, while Stephens is half-Japanese and half-Caucasian.

PHOTO CREDIT: ARSH AGARWAL

“A big part of our religion is creating world peace through families,” Stephens said. “It’s nice to know I don’t have to sacrifice what I want to do in life just because I love [Jin Soon.]

We have the same goals.”

Besides their faith, both Jin Soon and Stephens have a passion for dance. “I was a breakdancer in high school,” Stephens said. “I started doing hip hop choreography and modern dance [at Maryland]. I was always good at math and science, but I’ve had to learn dance. It’s exciting discovering something new.”

Cameron Bennett, a senior information systems major, is the director of the Dynamic Dance Team on campus that Stephens is a member of.

“I first met [Stephens] three years ago, when I joined Dynamic,” Bennett said. “He was very welcoming. Being new is intimidating. He wants to cultivate a sense of family.”

Bennett described Stephens as “one of the hardest-working dancers,” and that he always finished team-related tasks on time and thoroughly. But he says the thing he respects most about Stephens is the way he would speak up to voice his opinion if he felt that not everyone’s views were being represented. “[Stephens] isn’t afraid to question my logic or thinking,” Bennett said. “He has a care for the greater good.”

Senior bioengineering major Daniel Shin said that he became roommates with Stephens after becoming friends after dancing together during their freshmen year.

“He’s also great with time management,” Shin said. “He always has this little notepad with him. Everything goes in there, even small things like lunch.”

Growing up as one of five children, Stephens was told that he should do well in high school because there was no money for college.

“He doesn’t take anything for granted,” Shin said. “He appreciates what he has, which is apparent with the amount of work he puts into school.”

“I don’t want people to see [my success] and think ‘I can’t do that, that’s HK,’” Stephens said. “I want them to think that if [they] work hard, [they] can be like me. I’m just a normal guy.”

First Vietnamese festival comes to DC

By Aaron Watkins Staff writer

Anokha AMPLIFIED!

By Jace Evans Staff writer

For the students at this university’s co-ed South Asian American a cappella group, the year’s final performance was one of great triumph.

The members of Anokha held their year-end performance at the Memorial Chapel on April 26, culminating a year of hard work and practice.

“This year, we decided to call the show ‘Anokha Amplified!’ because we think it’s going to be our biggest show ever,” Shabaab Kamal, vice president of communications, said.

To say the show was big would be an understatement.

With an audience of nearly 200 people, Anokha displayed their talent with songs that were spread over multiple genres. Almost every member was featured in a solo and every song was greeted with thunderous applause from the audience.

Recognizable hits included “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan and “Just a Dream” by Nelly.

To interact more with the audience, three winners from a raffle done with the pre-sale tickets were

invited onto the stage and serenaded by the group.

And to show that they can do “more than just singing,” the members beatboxed during an intermission act. The highlight of the intermission, though, was a parody of Nicki Minaj’s verse in Kanye’s “Monster,” which was re-written with Anokha-centric lyrics.

After a standing ovation from the audience, Anokha alumni were invited to the stage to perform an encore. “It was awesome getting on stage again,” said Christian Weber, a 2011 alumnus. “The show was great, I just wish they sang more songs.”

“I thought they had a great fusion of Western and Indian [music],” said senior economics major Antriksh Patel.

For Anokha, the performance was equally gratifying.

“I had a blast,” President Bharat Paranjpe said. “This will be my last show, so it’s bittersweet.”

Kamal, a senior who will be staying for a fifth year said that the show was very powerful for him.

“The people I came in with are leaving. It’s weird and it’s cool. There’s a sense of completion there.”

Anokha was at a crossroads at

the beginning of the year. They only had five members who carried over from the previous year and faced the prospect of 10 new members. “It feels really awesome and it came out really well,” Music Director Vishney Ambalavanar said. “I feel like I helped create something that will push forward.

I’m proud of what we’ve done to make the group stay alive.”

This year Anokha performed for the British ambassador during the Diwali Celebration.

These performances were all ways in which the group prepared for their spring show. On top of these performances, the last few weeks saw the group practicing at least three times a week and every night until midnight in the week leading up to the event.

“Everything culminated beautifully,” Ambalavanar said. “Everyone did their absolute best, and everything turned out wonderfully.”

Paranjpe said that the large majority of the audience consists of the members’ family and friends and that it is awesome to perform for them, regardless of how they sound.

“We get to show our work over two semesters to the people we care about the most,” Paranjpe said.

An explosion of Vietnamese culture is scheduled to hit the Washington, D.C. area this June in the form of a heritage festival called VietFest.

Visitors will see a fashion show, musical guests, beauty pageant and eat traditional Vietnamese cuisine.

The festival, which will be held at George Mason University June 23, will also include dance performances, a martial arts exhibit, along with a photography, Chinese chess, pingpong and phở-eating contest.

“

This is like a grand intro of the D.C. Vietnamese community.”

– Nicholas Lepham VietFest communications director “The whole purpose is to not only celebrate Vietnamese culture, but to celebrate the talent and share it with the community,” said Nicholas Lepham, VietFest communications director.

Lepham said that since this is the first annual VietFest, he hopes that the populous Vietnamese American community in the area and VietFest’s partnerships with Vietnamese groups will make for a lively crowd.

“I think it’s going to really stand out,” said VietFest Chair Daniel Albert. “This is the first time that

anyone has put together an event to extensively showcase our culture.”

Hosted by the National Organization of Vietnamese American Leaders (NOVAL), the festival, expected to cost $60,000-$70,000, has been a longtime coming, Albert said.

“The idea came about because we see that communities have festivals, and we really feel our culture has something to contribute to society,” he said.

The main centerpiece of the festival will be a large wall, similar to that of the Vietnam Veteran Memorial on the National Mall, serving as a type of timeline to provide a history of Vietnam. At least 50 artistic depictions will tell stories of different Vietnamese battles and events going back 4,000 years.

The festival design is divided into three parts – north, central and south – to represent the three parts of Vietnam. Each section will have relevant stations, food, costumes and props to give a sense of the different communities.

Vietnamese pop singers Mai Tiến Dũng and Tóc Tiên will be the featured performers, along with local artists. “It’s a platform for local businesses [and] artists to have a wider audience,” he said. “This is like a grand intro of the D.C. Vietnamese community.”

Local caterers and restaurants will also be included. NOVAL’s goal is to continue mixing with the community to create a bigger festival each year.

This year, NOVAL is expecting between 10,000 and 20,000 guests, Albert said. Tickets will cost $7, but those dressed in full Vietnamese traditional dress will get in for free.

APA Spotlight: Janelle Wong

The PublicAsian | May 2012

By Antonio Franquiz Staff writer

Janelle Wong is traveling from one coast to another to take over as the new director of the Asian American studies program at this university, effective Aug. 15. The associate professor from the University of Southern California has an extensive background studying race, ethnicity and politics, both within the classroom and throughout the surrounding communities.

Filling the shoes of former AAST Director Larry Shinagawa, who resigned from the position in mid-March, Wong brings a diverse range of experience to the table. She earned her doctorate in political science from Yale University, has published a variety of scholarly articles as well as a book on immigration, and is no stranger to Asian American studies.

“I have been part of the AAST program at USC for the past 11 years, so I have some experience that I’m excited to bring with me,” Wong said. “But, I’m also excited to build something new on the East Coast.”

A strong record of scholarly research and publications, experience developing curriculum and AAST programs, and the ability to manage budgetary and personnel matters are all qualities that made Wong an attractive candidate for the position. But she feels that her hands-on teaching methods are what made her stand out most to the AAST department.

“I have experience doing a lot of mentorship with both graduate and undergraduate students,” she said. “This isn’t explicit in the job description, but I think it’s key because I can serve as an advocate for the students.”

The duties that Wong will be taking on range from funding and development to curriculum, making the position a tricky balancing act of administrative and teaching responsibilities.

Undaunted, she approaches these challenges with confidence gained from past experiences with USC’s departments of po-

PHOTO COURTESY OF JANELLE WONG

litical science, American studies and ethnicity.

“I’m able to wear a lot of different hats,” she said. “How you balance it is about communication: listening to different constituents and also coming up with a range of strategic plans—short term and long term.”

Asian Pacific Americans are the largest minority group on campus, representing nearly 15 percent of all students.

Features | 9

AAST classes serve this substantial chunk of the student body by providing insight into the diverse APA cultures.

“I took an Asian American history class to get more familiar with my roots,” said Nicole Ng, a senior architecture major from a Chinese family. “It’s good to know who you are and where you came from, and the class taught me that.”

But Asian American studies are by no means confined to the AAST department, which has a 12-person faculty and about 60 students enrolled in its minor program. Rather, the department’s work involves connecting with the greater community in order to fully capitalize on the resources that the D.C. metropolitan area has to offer.

“The AAST department conducts a lot of outreach to the wider community,” said Robert Gaines, associate dean for undergraduate studies. “That means interacting with and facilitating student organizations on campus and building bridges with groups off campus.”

Wong finds that the AAST department’s community outreach is especially relevant due to the fact that D.C. has the fourth largest concentration of APAs in the nation. She plans to develop new proactive initiatives that fully take advantage of this by connecting students to local community-based organizations for projects in their AAST classes.

In addition to assuming the roles of teacher, administrator and researcher as part of her new position, Wong also faces a more personal transition. While she will have to leave behind much of what she has grown accustomed to at USC, such as her family and network of colleagues, there also seems to be a number of constants that will remain unchanged.

“I grew up on the West Coast and my parents live there,” Wong said. “But, on the other hand, I will be moving from one metropolitan area to another, from one major university to another and from one campus that has a large APA population to another.”

May 02 Wednesday 02 Wednesday 05 Saturday 05 Saturday MICA Supporting APA Student Orgs Stamp | Terrapin Rooms B & C 12-1:30pm

07 Monday KSA

K-EXPO

Stamp | Grand Ballroom 7-10:30pm | $5

11 Friday

AASU

Last GA Meeting

Location TBD 5:30pm

AASU End of the Year Gala

Seven Seas Restaurant 6-8pm | $10

11 Friday

Finding Jake Lee: The Painting at Kan’s Chinatown Community Cultural Center | 6-7pm ccccdc.org

11 Friday

19 Saturday

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End of the Year Picnic

Centennial Park Columbia, Md. 10am-4pm

KCM

Senior Banquet

Chinese Bible Church of Md. 4-9pm | $5

08 Tuesday 09 Wednesday 09 Wednesday

Omega Nu Eta Study Break BBQ 9301 Rhode Island Ave. 2-8pm | $5

Last day to submit PublicAsian applications

FCA

Verizon APAHM Tour featuring Jay Park The Fillmore Silver Spring VerizonAPAHMtour.com

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The PublicAsian | May 2012

op inions

AASU Unedited: Forever Foreigners Joanne Choi, WAASP Chair

“Where are you from?”

I look him straight in his eyes and I tell him, “I’m from here.”

“No, no, no. Where are you really from?”

I try my best not to cringe and I say, “I’m from Maryland.”

I can see that he is getting frustrated, “Okay, where are your parents from?”

Getting frustrated myself, I tell him, “They are from Maryland also.”

This banter goes on for a bit and finally I give in and tell this complete stranger that I am Korean.

Then he dares to ask me, “North or South?”

At this point, I am left completely speechless and that’s when I shake my head and walk away.

Very similar interactions such as the one above has occurred one too many times for me and I have to wonder why. Why does a complete stranger want to know my ethnicity? Are they genuinely interested in my heritage? Why won’t they believe me when I tell them I am from Maryland? There are too many questions that rush into my head, but no answers pop up.

As an immigrant from Korea, I wonder if my identity as an American would always be in question. There seems to be a preconceived notion that you must look a certain way to be truly accepted as an American.

I know that this issue has been widely discussed and I feel like I am beating a dead horse by writing about this topic. However, even after lengthy discussions and debates, the issue continues to exist.

I am just very confused on why it is okay to ask people who look a certain way about their identity while others don’t get questioned at all. Technically, by definition, everyone in America is an immigrant.

We are in the 21st century, in an America that is a melting pot of cultures from all over the world. The fact that racism still exists so blatantly leaves me completely baffled.

Next time someone questions me about my identity, I will not succumb to fulfilling their curiosity. Next time, I plan to throw the question back at them. Maybe once people realize how ridiculous they sound, regardless of their intentions, they’ll stop asking and go educate themselves.

I challenge the APA community to do the same. As insignificant as this may seem, if we do not voice our opinions, who will speak for us?

Like Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Joanne Choi is a junior psychology major. She is the chair of Working for an Asian American Studies Program (WAASP).

PHOTO BY RYAN ALPHONSO

Organization Spotlight

Jamel Lugg, Omega Nu Eta (ONH) Communications Officer

PHOTO BY RYAN ALPHONSO

Letter from the Editor

Omega Nu Eta Fraternity, Inc. (ONH) was founded on Sept. 17, 2008. It was originally conceived in the fall of 2007 when a group of three men were subject to many disagreeable “pledging practices” by fraternities on this campus. These practices include hazing in secrecy, a lack of diversity within a fraternity’s population and a lifestyle void of academic focus.

The founders of ONH were thus inspired to create an organization that differed from the other existing fraternal organizations. They built ONH on four core principles: leadership, excellence, ambition and duty. They sought to use these core principles to replace the stereotypical image of a fraternity with an image of men who are driven and successful leaders of tomorrow.

Omega Nu Eta prides itself on its multiculturalism, social acceptance and vision of a future where race is not a determining factor of one’s

A

character. As our beloved organization continues to grow, we hope to spread these ideas not only to fellow students on this campus, but also to students at other academic institutions across the country.

On April 12, 2011, we proudly entered the United Greek Council under the principles of our founders. However, our relationships on campus are not limited to Greek life.

We have strong ties with many nonGreek organizations – something we encourage our brothers to do so individually as well.

We currently have a brother who holds a position on the executive board of the Multiracial and Biracial Student Association. Within his short time on the executive board, he has taken to his position swiftly, being responsible for many of their success especially financially.

However, our brothers represent our principles even when void of leadership positions. This semester,

ONH and the Japanese American Student Association raised over $800 for AASU’s annual Wiffleball Tournament to support the Mirror Foundation, which is an organization devoted to improving the social condition of the poorest communities in Thailand. Our current president took personal interest in this foundation after traveling to Thailand and personally seeing the conditions.

Our goals internally are equally as important as our external goals.

Strong unity among our brothers is everything we strive for. We currently have 26 different nationalities between active brothers and alumni.

To increase brotherhood among such a diverse group, we constantly plan internal events whether it’s socials or trips. We aim to never have a brother unfamiliar with another active brother because these bonds will last beyond graduation.

Jamel Lugg is a junior physical science major.

Dear Terps, fter a year of overseeing The PublicAsian, it is time for me to move on and pass the reigns to Linda and her new co-editor. Along with our incredible staff’s efforts, we’ve transformed the paper into an aesthetically pleasing and engaging outlet for the Asian Pacific American community. From spending countless hours editing drafts to making the journalism school’s News Bubble our second home, we’ve improved our publication with every issue – and I could not be any more proud. I’d like to thank our editors, photographers, writers and readers for making this experience an unforgettable one. I wish good luck to next year’s staff and have faith that the paper will continue to grow under their leadership. In the meantime, I’ll be hunting for ways to put this journalism degree into good use. Goodbye, PA, and hello, world!

Sincerely, Nancy Pham Co-Editor-in-Chief

The PublicAsian | May 2012

11

hyo’s corner

Shanghai: A Futuristic City with Charm that Caught Me Off Guard I flew to Shanghai at the start of my spring break as my first stop during my 2-week traveling adventure. This trip came as a surprise for me since I hadn’t made any plans to visit the city this time around. But after many nights of entertaining the idea with a few friends in Chengdu, we booked our flights and took off.

As I flew across the entire city of Shanghai before arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, it became very clear to me how big and developed the city was compared to any other cities I have been to before.

Shanghai is the largest and the most populated city of China with more than 23 million people going about their lives. It is also the center of China’s business scene, handling the country’s most important international commerce and trade.

During my entire stay in Shanghai, I always felt like I was in the midst of the future more than the present. I especially felt this way while being among the mass of

people everywhere I went and seeing the types of people this city attracted. The fashion, mannerisms and lifestyle were very forward compared to the life I was used to in Chengdu, which was more relaxed and laidback.

I had to adjust to the changes in the scenery. I was very accustomed to going about my days expecting to speak Chinese and to mingle with Chinese locals as an integral part of my life. I was used to being shouted at in Chinese and to fight for my spot on buses and in shops and restaurants.

But in Shanghai, almost everyone considered me a tourist. Not only did they speak to me in English, they were quite thrown off when I responded in Chinese. They even marveled at how good my Chinese was considering that I was only a tourist in their eyes.

We stayed at a hostel in the center of the city that came to life every hour of the day. I wasn’t quite sure if I would enjoy the hustle and bustle of Shanghai since I’ve always

considered myself as a person who prefers a fine balance between the busy streets and the peaceful stillness of nature, which could easily be found back in Maryland.

To my own surprise, I loved Shanghai. The city has its unique charms that truly made my experience enjoyable and memorable.

My initial bias that the city would have nothing but commercialism and international influences from the West quickly changed as I spent most of my mornings walking aimlessly through the narrow streets and neighborhoods of authentically Chinese restaurants, barber shops and homes, from which thousands of clothes hung outside the windows.

Most mornings I took off and walked away from the commercial center into the typical streets.

These streets were filled with Chinese and foreign dwellers who were busy making their morning routines on their bikes, rickshaws and scooters.

Shops were setting up for busi-

ness and the streets smelled of the street food that I indulged in too often. It was also very common to see vegetable, seafood and fruit stands and carts set up. These are some of my favorite compositions of life in China – lively, colorful and filled with interactions.

Of course, I explored the main tourist spots of the city such as the Bund, the Yu Yuan Garden, the French Concessions and the Pudong skyline viewed from the 101st floor of Shanghai’s tallest building.

But at the end of each night, when the city lit up, I reflected on the authentically Chinese experience I was able to have in Shanghai.

As a traveler, it’s always my goal to try and capture an essence of life that has yet to be captured or exposed. My purpose is not to exploit but simply to share the joys and realities of life that I see in the faces that I pass by everyday – Shanghai was no exception.

My stay in Shanghai ended after four short days, but in good company and good food. As I headed to

Visit Hyo’s blog at: www.evergreenhyo.wordpress.com

my next destination, I made future plans to come back to this city. I am not quite sure what my purpose would be to come back to Shanghai, but I just knew inside that there was an unfinished business that would have to be resumed.

Cheers, Shanghai and to good friends there.

See you soon, -h.

Hyobin Sung, a senior goverment and politics major, is studying abroad in China this semester.

PHOTOS PROVIDED AND TAKEN BY HYOBIN SUNG

12 | Events Recap

The PublicAsian | May 2012

Z A month of celebration oomed In :

PHOTO BY JAMES LEVIN

From dance and singing performances to cultural events and awards ceremonies, APA organizations brought the community together to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Photos by James Levin

The Filipino Cultural Association’s incoming treasurer, Jonathan Reyes, takes center stage during a performance for their annual Philippine Culture Night on April 14.

Check out our Facebook page for more photos and exclusive coverage of events from Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

PHOTO CREDIT: ARSH AGARWAL

PHOTO BY JAMES LEVIN

(Left) On April 21, the Asian American Student Union presented awards to the high school students in their Yuri Kochiyama program, which was headed by the outgoing YK Chair, Max Kim. (Above) Freshman member Neil Chainani of Anokha enthusiastically sang “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Disney’s “Mulan” during Anokha Amplified! on April 26.

PHOTO BY MATT FLEMING

PHOTO BY NANCY PHAM

(Left) Attendees marveled at dance group Tianyi as they took over the center of the Grand Ballroom and performed the fan dance during the Taiwanese American Student Association Night Market on April 13. (Right) Students came out to the National APA Movement on April 19 to honor APA soldier Danny Chen with a banner that answers the question, “What does it mean to be Asian American?”