The PublicAsian

THE PUBLICASIAN

NOVEMBER 2011 | A VOICE

FOR

INSIDE NEWSFEED

Confucius says: the what prize?

China’s Confucius Peace Prize lasts no more than a year | Page 4 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A- Not good enough TV show “Glee” explores APA students’ struggle with parent’s idea of an “Asian F” | Page 7

THE

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY

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By Mike Gasper Staff writer

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ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

“Is India’s new $35 tablet computer the future of technology?”

www.publicasian.com @publicasianumd

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DREAM, Page 2

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By Annika McGinnis Staff writer

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CHIN, Page 3 PHOTO CREDIT: AAEZINE.ORG

80' VWXGHQW VWDUWV ÀUVW Buddhism club on campus

Sulu DC to perform at FUEL

Check out photos of stu-­ dents’ support at UMD’s ¿UVW HYHU 7HUSV :DON I$$67 HYHQW _ Page 12

MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK | VOLUME 18, ISSUE II

Supporters take DREAM Act to the court

ZOOMED IN

Walking for a good cause

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By Brian Jones Staff writer

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THE PUBLICASIAN | NOVEMBER 2011

newsfeed

Gary Locke stirs political and lifestyle controversy

Chinese American ambassador perceived as disloyal to his heritage by citizens of China

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The PublicAsian | November 2011

News | 3

CHIN

June 19, 1982 Vincent Chin is beaten to death on the night of his bachelor party by two white workers who are angry at the loss of U.S. auto industry jobs to Japan.

May 9, 1983

March 16, 1983

Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz are found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 3-year probation and $3,000 fine, but no jail time.

Nearly 1,000 marchers rally in downtown Detroit in protest of the unjust sentence for June 1984 the murder of Chin.

The federal court sentences Ebens to September 1986 25 years of prison for violating Chin’s civil rights, but is released on a $20,000 Eben’s convicbond. Nitz is cleared of all charges. tion is overturned because May 1987 of a legal error.

At a retrial in Ohio, Ebens is cleared of all charges. Neither Ebens nor Nitz serve any jail time for the death of Chin.

July 1987 Ebens disposes of his assets and flees the state after being ordered to pay $1.5 million to Chin’s estate in a civil lawsuit.

PROVIDED BY: APAFORPROGRESS.ORG

September 1987

Chin’s mother, Lily, leaves the U.S. and returns to Guangzhou, China, disgusted with the American legal system.

In light of the conference’s theme for this year, “Movement in Memory of Vincent Chin,” co-directors Elaine Hui and Calvin Lu hope to bring in Franklin Odo, director of the APA program at the Smithsonian Institute, as the keynote speaker. The 1987 documentary, “Who Killed Vincent Chin”? will also be shown. Directed by Christine Choy and Renee Tajima-Peña, the Oscarnominated film documents Chin’s murder and the ensuing of legal injustices.

“Hopefully if more people know about [Chin], then this won’t happen again in the future,” Hui said.

FUEL planners emphasized the continuing relevance of Chin’s story to the struggles of APAs today, describing instances of modern-day racial prejudice at the university.

“There is a lot of ignorance still – that all Asians are the same – no matter if you’re Chinese or Japanese or Korean,” Hui said.

“A few of my friends have the Banneker/Key scholarships, and [other students] would just be like, ‘They don’t deserve those rights; they’re already smart on their own.’

It’s a social misunderstanding,” Lu said.

For many APAs, Chin’s case represents a continual struggle for equality. Lu described prejudice in the workplace, citing the difficulty for APA workers to obtain leader-

ship positions.

“It was hard for my mom to get a job at the office she’s working at now, and promotions were difficult,” Lu said. “It’s like the glass ceiling; there’s always that barrier [preventing] certain people from reaching their goals.”

Along with FUEL’s emphasis on Chin, the co-directors plan to explore more general aspects of leadership development and education about APA issues and culture.

During one workshop hosted by the Multicultural Involvement Community Advocacy, attendees will take a series of questionnaires to determine their individual leadership style. Deloitte, an accounting firm, will also speak about APAs in the workplace. “[FUEL] is for [attendees] to be able to identify themselves better as who they are, what kind of person they are inside society and how they can make a difference,” Lu said.

“It’s to bring us to see that we are still equal as human beings and realize that we are not inferior.”

The conference features entertainment on Friday evening by student performers and guest performers. This year, FUEL will host Sulu D.C., a multidisciplinary APA performance group. On Saturday, students will attend a series of three workshops focusing on leadership, advocacy and culture.

Hui also hopes that students coming out of the conference will know more about what it means to be an APA in today’s society.

“I’m a Chinese American, so to me, a huge part of my life revolves around my Chinese heritage,” Hui said. “But at the same time, being an Asian American means embracing your American values and American lifestyle as well and really integrating the two. I really appreciate having the best of both worlds.”

Through the commemoration of Chin, Shinagawa and FUEL planners want students to gain the confidence and inspiration needed to become true leaders.

“A lot of students think that we’re so young, we can’t really make a difference. But I want people to leave the conference thinking we have the potential to lead the community,” Hui said.

“We have to do whatever we can to not discriminate, to make sure our community knows what to do under circumstances [like those surrounding Chin] and to make them feel that they’re not alone,” said Shinagawa.

“We have to be diligent and educate.

We’re all in it together.”

The conference costs $10 for students who register before Nov. 11 and $15 after that. Registration is available online at www.wix.com/ umd/aasu/fuel.

Republican candidates chase after the APA Vote

By Eric Garland Staff writer

It’s been almost two decades since a majority of Asian Pacific Americans voted Republican. Members of the GOP are coveting the APA vote with the 2012 election season just months away.

In 2008, then Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama received 62 percent of the APA vote, while GOP candidate John McCain received only 35 percent, according to a New York Times poll. In fact, a Republican presidential candidate has not captured the APA vote since 1992, when George H.W. Bush netted 55 percent.

Michelle Selesky, deputy press secretary for 2012 GOP candidate Newt Gingrich, said APAs are not against Republicans, but Democrats have done a better job of including the demographic into their political framework.

“For so long, Asian voters have leaned toward the Democratic Party,” she said. “But it’s only because Democrats have welcomed them with open arms and realized that these people are hardworking and have strong family values.”

The Democrats’ welfare policy, which benefits APAs by allowing those in need to receive money from the government until they are financially able to support themselves, is an example of why the APA voters have leaned toward the Democratic Party in the past.

Although Republicans are not against this, some feel the Democrats’ system allows those who use it to become dependent on receiving money from the government. Those people do not “realize their full potential and are not motivated to get jobs,” said junior economics major Michael Coarts, who is a member of the university’s College Republicans.

In order to show Republicans are welcoming to APAs as well, one of the first things Gingrich is doing is talking to the APA community about the high unemployment rates that face them and what the federal government needs to do to create more jobs, according to Selesky.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported 446,000 unemployed APAs last year, which is more than twice the amount reported for the demographic in 2005. The U.S. Department of Labor also reported an APA unemployment rate of 7.8 percent in September, which is already higher than last year’s rate.

Selesky added that Gingrich’s campaign is aiming to stop President Obama’s healthcare reform known as “ObamaCare,” which Gingrich believes will create more jobs for APAs by addressing many APA business leaders’ complaints that it limits their ability to hire more employees.

ObamaCare focuses on funding and increasing healthcare coverage to all Americans, but Gingrich, who called the reform “bullying” and “corrupt,” said job creation will be encouraged after cutting funding for the program, allowing the country to pay off some of its current debt. He also said the GOP should shift its focus into other areas to promote job growth.

Coarts added that cutting ObamaCare is necessary because Medicare and Medicaid are not financially stable and jobs are not being created fast enough.

“There has to be a cut somewhere,” he said. “Medicaid and Medicare are not going to support healthcare much longer – not at the rate the economy is going. Our healthcare system needs work and our unemployment rate does too. If we want to tackle the unemployment rate for all races, this is a good place to start.”

On the other hand, associate director Caroline San of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance supports ObamaCare and feels that it is actually in the best interest of the APA community to keep the reform in place. It guarantees healthcare to those who may otherwise be unable to afford it, she said.

San also advocates for the passage of the American Jobs Act, which Obama proposed to create jobs by expanding tax cuts and making investments to prevent layoffs, according to the American Jobs Act website.

While healthcare and job creations are often contested issues for the upcoming elections, Andy Len, president of the Asian American Student Union feels it is time for candidates of both parties to target other issues that will specifically appeal to the APA demographic.

“Worker rights, immigration and healthcare are some of the most important issues,” Len said. “They can appeal to the Asian American community by going out to events and rallies specifically hosted by or for Asian Americans.”

A recent study by members of the National Advisory Board showed that many low-wage workers, often APAs, are cheated out of mandated pay by working off-the-clock, not being paid overtime and earning below the minimum wage line.

According to the study in which hundreds of APAs were sampled, 15.1 percent of APAs received less than minimum wage paychecks, 81 percent worked off the clock and 78 percent were in overtime violation.

Selesky also brought up another issue that needs to be addressed. APAs are having a hard time coming to the country because obtaining a visa involves “too much paperwork” and “the process takes too long,” she said.

In an effort to solve the issue, Gingrich will try to propose laws allowing fewer papers in the visa process that will allow APAs to find out if they are accepted much sooner.

With the primary elections set to begin in late January, only time will tell if the Republican Party will gain the majority of the APA vote. For now, candidates are just trying to listen to the community to see what needs to be done.

4 | News

The PublicAsian | November 2011

Chinese version of Nobel Peace Prize cancelled

Confucius Peace Prize revoked after a year for not seeking proper permission

By Ethan Scholl Staff writer

The Confucius Peace Prize, created in China to rival the Nobel Peace Prize, has been cancelled after only one year, announced the Chinese Ministry of Culture in September.

The prize was created in 2010 by the Chinese Folk Art Association to “promote world peace from an Eastern perspective.” The first, and now only, recipient of the Confucius prize was former Vice President Lien Chan of Taiwan for his positive contribution toward relations between China and Taiwan. Lien, who, according to the New York Times, was not formally informed of the award, did not appear at the awards ceremony.

The Ministry of Culture revoked the award

and disbanded the founding organization, saying that it neglected to seek proper permission in its apparent rush to hand out the prize.

The creation of the Confucius prize was announced just days before the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese human rights activist imprisoned since 2009 for “inciting subversion of state power,” according to the Chinese government. Liu never received the award for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China,” due to his incarceration.

“They portray Liu as a ‘criminal,’ and resent that he should be honored. The Chinese government sees it as an effort to meddle in their internal affairs,” comparative politics professor Margaret Pearson said.

Scott Kastner, associate professor of inter-

national relations said, “It was clearly started in response to the awarding of the Nobel to Liu.” The Chinese government publicly denounced Liu’s award. “Awarding the [Nobel] Peace Prize to Liu runs completely counter to the principle of the award and is also a desecration of the Peace Prize,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry in a public statement.

Prior to the cancellation of the Confucius award, controversy had already risen over the announced 2011 candidates. According to the Wall Street Journal, the shortlist included Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the Panchen Lama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, South African President Jacob Zuma, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Putin’s nomination, in particular, raised questions.

“As an American, it seems odd that Putin would be nominated, but we must keep in mind that the Chinese have a separate set of values when it comes to international politics, and in some ways, Putin fits those values well,” said junior government and politics major Chris Leyden.

Partly due to its odd list of potential recipients, the award was not taken particularly seriously by the international community. The creation of the award was generally viewed as a petty attempt to denounce Liu and to rival the Nobel Peace Prize.

Even Lien was described as being “amused” when told of his victory, according to WSJ. Kastner agreed that the Confucius prize was seen as “less than weighty…by most observers outside of China.”

More cultural programs as more APAs own TVs

By David Oliver Staff writer

Asian television families (Asian Pacific American households that own one or more televisions) will grow 9.6 percent or an additional 400,000 homes during the 20112012 television season, according to a recent study by Nielsen, a company that analyzes and predicts television figures.

Hispanic television families will grow 4.6 percent from last year, while African Americans will grow 1.5 percent. The study predicts that the increase in Asian television families will double the increase in Hispanic families.

Sophomore journalism major Taylor Kleiner said that APAs may

watch more television than other minority groups because of higher household incomes.

“It makes me wonder if it has something to do with economic levels,” Kleiner said. “Is it possible that because there are less Hispanic college graduates than Asians that they simply cannot afford, on their salary, to have television access?”

Larry Shinagawa, director of the Asian American Studies program at the university, said the answer was beyond economic differences.

Television use has grown beyond network shows in the last five years, Shinagawa said. Services like Netflix and game systems like PlayStation 3 encouraged families to buy more than one television per home.

Television programming seems

to be keeping up with this growth in APAs viewers. Shinagawa said that both foreign-born and Americanborn Asians are taking advantage of cultural programming.

“All these cultural program[s] are...becoming online and being distributed by mass corporations,” he said. “Things are rapidly changing, and it’s hard to say where it’s going to go. We now have an Asian American cultural renaissance.”

This renaissance is introducing a wide array of entertainment, including a recent Chinese documentary, “Restoring the Light,” about a doctor’s journey to provide healthcare for a rural Chinese village.

APAs have also enjoyed American adaptations of shows originated from their native countries, includ-

ing reality shows like Japan’s “Ryori no tetsujin,” also known as “Iron Chef” in the U.S. Of the international shows, most Americans will recognize the popular Japanese game show “Ninja Warrior,” an obstacle course-driven show on the channel G4. This type of programming has inspired further American spinoffs of other popular shows created in Asia.

Film festivals held across the U.S. are also responsible for peaking APA interest in television, Shinagawa added. Projects from these festivals not only reach an actual television, but are streamed online on YouTube and similar websites.

“A lot of the Asian American program[s] are productions coming out of film festivals, [and] similar

programming coming out of reality TV,” Shinagawa said. “A lot of them are reruns that appeared in Asia.”

Comcast recognized these programs from film festivals in 2010, when the company decided to invest in APA programming.

Sophomore kinesiology major Sung-Min Kim said that the increase in television families also has to do with the number of college students emigrating from Asian countries. If a student immigrates to the U.S., he or she is that much more likely to have his or her family follow suit.

“I see more Asian peers who had just moved to the States increase the amount of extended families here,” Kim said. “I don’t see any reason, for now, why the trend would decrease. I am not too surprised at all.”

The PublicAsian | November 2011

News | 5

CLUB

--China--

PHOTO BY TESS YEH

UMD’s Buddhism club meets to discuss readings about Buddhism and meditate every Thursday at Dorchester Hall.

Meetings are held every Thursday at 5 p.m. in the basement of Dorchester Hall. They consist of a brief outline of the four noble truths of Buddhism: there is suffering, suffering is caused by material attachment, suffering ends when we end this attachment and ending this attachment is possible through Buddhism. Discussions are supplemented by readings Nguyen prints out for attendees such as, “What the Buddha Taught” by Walpola Rahula.

Meetings also include meditation.

As president, Nguyen does the planning for meetings as well as handles the public relations of the group. Recently the group partnered, albeit unofficially, with the Food Recovery Network on campus, which provides surplus diner food to people in need. Nguyen is also planning to host a monk from the Sinh Thuc meditation center in

West Virginia this month.

Maxine Grossman, professor of Jewish and religious studies, is the group’s faculty advisor. Though she sees herself as an “available resource and not an active participant,” she said it is “wonderful to see a Buddhist student group on campus....Religious diversity is an important part of a vibrant campus here and across the country.”

Senior family science major Becca Arsham joined the group to learn more about Buddhism and how to “think in a more calming way.”

“The club is definitely a way for me to look past all the tiny stressors based on school and other things going on…it’s a way to relax and basically realize the importance of thinking in the present,” Arsham said, referring to the Buddhist idea of focusing on the present instead of the past or the future.

At the end of the day, the club is about helping other people attain happiness and contentment.

“I’m really happy that I can help people in this way.... A lot of people think I do it for the ego or for good karma, but I do it because it’s something good to do,” Nguyen said.

As for the growth of the group, Nguyen said he aims for what he thinks he can attain for his group and won’t be disappointed no matter how big, or small, the group gets.

The club’s first meeting on Sept.

15 had nine attendees and over 20 Facebook members. By the third meeting, there were 19 attendees and over 60 members on Facebook.

“I’m not some superhero,” Nguyen said. “[The club is] not going to be some super big amazing organization. It would be great if it was, but I’m a Buddhist, so you don’t get upset about it.”

By Sarah Hogue Staff writer

college majors and age distribution among the generations.

While 56.1 percent of Japanese Americans were born in the U.S., 76.7 percent of Korean Americans were born in Korea and 72.5 percent of Indian Americans were born in India, according to the study.

“Japanese Americans are the only population that is significantly far more born in the United States than they are foreign born. And that’s a matter of history,” said AAST director Larry Shinagawa.

This anomaly occurred due to a boom in Japanese immigration to the U.S. from the 1890s until the 1920s, Shinagawa said. The end of this boom started when President Calvin Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924, which was also called the Asian Exclusion Act. The act effectively ended the immigration of all Asian groups, including the Japanese.

Although the ban was lifted in 1965, immigration increased dramatically for many other Asian

A 2-year-old girl died a week after being run over by two vans, then ignored by over a dozen people in October. Police have arrested a 24-year-old man suspected of being one of the drivers, according to CNN. Wang Yue, also known as “Yue Yue,” was left bleeding in the road after having wandered away from her parents’ store. Finally, after about 10 minutes, a 58-year-old woman dragged her out of the street.

The Chinese may be wary to help those in need because of several past incidents when elderly people have injured themselves, then sued people who tried to help them, according to the Washington Post.

However, the toddler’s death has provoked anger from Chinese citizens, who questioned if their society is properly teaching that there is value in life. Hu Xingdou, an economics professor at Beijing Institute of Technology, told the Post that China is a practically atheist country without religious ethics. Hu said, “[T]he legal system and the moral system have been sacrificed to money­making.”

--Asia-U.S. troops will be sent to Asian countries as they slowly withdraw from the Middle East, according to the Obama administration. Leon Panetta visited Asia for the first time as U.S. Defense Secretary in October and said that cuts in defense spending would not affect aid to Asian allies.

U.S. officials said they hope to expand their influence in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, according to the Wall Street Journal. Following a two-day talk in Geneva with North Korea, Panetta said the U.S. is committed to South Korea’s defense, calling North Korea a “serious threat.”

--Vietnam-The Javan rhinoceros is now extinct, the World Wildlife Fund said in October. Researchers have confirmed that an adult female, poached last year for its horn, was the last wild Javan rhino.

In China and Vietnam, the rhino horn is grounded and dissolved in water to supposedly cure ailments from typhoid fever to cancer, WWF researchers said.

The last domestic population of less than 50 rhinos lives in an Indonesian national park.

More Japanese born in America than in Japan Compared to other Asian groups in the U.S., far more Japanese people are American-born, according to a study released this year by the university’s Asian American Studies program and the Japanese Americans Citizens League.

The report also identified other recently studied demographics of the Japanese population in the U.S., including average wages earned, top

groups except the Japanese.

“Most of the Asian Americans, outside of Japanese Americans, have come after 1965, so with the Immigration Act of 1965, large scale immigration happened,” Shinagawa said. “Asian Americans came in great numbers: Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese and so on. All of these communities grew very, very fast after the liberalization of immigration policies.”

Because the bulk of APAs who immigrated to the U.S. are not Japanese, more Japanese Americans see the U.S. as their ancestral home.

“The vast majority of Japanese Americans can extend their origins from that wave that came between the 1890s and 1920s,” said Shinagawa. “What ended up happening is that most of the people who are here in the United States, were born in the United States.”

Japan’s economy may be an answer to the low numbers of nativeborn Japanese Americans in the U.S. “Because Japan was fairly wellto-do and very economically prosperous, up until more recently, there was no motion for a large number of Japanese Americans to come after 1965 to the United States, so you didn’t see that many people coming,” Shinagawa said.

Senior family science major William Grandon believes that while immigration was not popular in the past, it is becoming more frequent.

“Back in the day, say, my grandparents’ and their grandparents’ generation, I’m sure [immigration] was

more frowned upon. However, nowadays, it’s common to immigrate to America,” said Grandon, who was born in Japan, but has lived here most of his life.

Despite these high percentages of American-born Japanese, they have a slightly lower naturalization rate than other APA groups. Seventy percent of Japanese Americans are U.S. citizens, which is slightly lower than the average APA naturalization rate of 71.4 percent.

Alicia Volk, who teaches Japanese and Asian art history at the university, finds this is due to Japanese business practices that emerged during a period of great growth in the Japanese economy.

“They are not considered to be Japanese Americans because they did not take American citizenship,” Volk said. “So a lot of them came with the purpose of being here for a temporary period of time, even if it could run into decades. But they maintained their Japanese citizenship, with an eye toward returning to Japan eventually.”

Among all the reasons the Japanese come to America, family is one of the most understudied ones. For senior communications major David Toledo, family is a reason for immigration.

“I am seeing that eventually, [students’] families are wanting to follow them to America,” said Toledo.

“I think that there is just that sense of filial piety that families keep where they know that they have to take care of their families.”

6

arts& entertainment

The PublicAsian | November 2011

On the Big Screens

Film festival in DC showcases unique APA experiences Notable Award-Winning Films Best Documentary Feature The Lulu Sessions

PHOTO CREDIT: APAFILM.ORG

Directed by S. Casper Wong, “The Lulu Sessions” follows the last 15 years of renowned cancer researcher Dr. Louise “Lulu” Nutter, who ironically finds out that she, herself, is dying of breast cancer.

Best Narrative Feature PATANG (The Kite)

PHOTO CREDIT: APAFILM.ORG

Director Prashant Bhargava ties together the stories of six people using the spirit and energy of India’s biggest kiteflying festival in the city of Ahmedabad.

By May Wildman Staff writer From Oct. 6 to 15, the 12th annual D.C. Asian Pacific American Film Festival showcased close to 50 films centered on APA themes, with subjects ranging from Indian Sikhs to Chinatown.

Included in the mix was a documentary about a woman refugee from North Korea who immigrates to the U.S., as well as a feature film about an Indian American actor who becomes a Bollywood star after working in Hollywood and being continually typecast. There was also a short film about a college student who leaves her native Hawaii for college on the mainland.

Festival programmers chose films from all around the world, including Cambodia, Ireland, Canada, South Korea and the U.S. According to Wyman Lee, president of the festival’s board of directors, the films shown are traditionally either directed by or casted Asian Pacific Americans.

Notable this year was a feature film called “The Lulu Sessions,” directed by S. Casper Wong, whom programming director Melissa Bisagni described as “a scarily accomplished, intelligent woman.” In the film, Wong follows her friend Dr. Louise “Lulu” Nutter, a worldrenowned cancer researcher diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer. The film won the festival’s Best Documentary Feature, and Wong was presented the 2011 Emerging Filmmaker Award from the George C. Lin Foundation,

which gives grants to those in the non-profit media and arts fields, at the screening.

Although the festival programmers usually try to only include films made within the past two years, this year there was a special exception. The festival paired up with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S and the Freer and Sackler Gallery to bring two Taiwanese blockbuster films one evening, to celebrate the centennial of the Republic of China, or Taiwan. “Cape No. 7” was from 2008, and was shown along with 2010’s “The Fourth Portrait.”

“

Our experiences are different from everyone else’s.”

– Melissa Bisagni

Programming director of DC Asian Pacific American Film, Inc. The festival took place at four venues: the Smithsonian Freer and Sackler Gallery of Art, the GoetheInstitut, Landmark E Street Cinema and the U.S. Navy Memorial.

“D.C. doesn’t have very many independent film venues,” Lee said.

“And so we usually open at Landmark E Street because it’s a very nice theater, and we have a good relationship with them. The Goethe

Institut is a nice small intimate setting that we find is good for our audience, and it’s kind of centralized.”

Vihanh Tham, a senior at George Mason University, said watching “Jimmy Murakami: Non Alien,” a film about a Japanese American who grew up in the U.S. and ended up in one of the infamous internment camps on the West Coast during World War II, gave him the insight to something that his teachers barely touched on in class.

“The last I heard about the Japanese camps was in sixth grade, and they never really went into depth about all the hardships they faced and [the film] opened my eyes to what really happened,” Tham said.

Although Bisagni said she wasn’t completely pleased with the overall audience turnout this year, she was very happy about the increase in both the quality and the quantity of the volunteers who came out to help with the events. “Our audiences are a little small but one thing that is amazing about this year is our volunteer staff has really blown up,” she said.

Bisagni added that one of the goals of the festivals is to challenge stereotypes of APAs in the media, and to exhibit the unique stories APAs have to tell. “Our experiences are different from everyone else’s,” she said. “And so much of who we are does inform the social fabric of America. And yet by watching TV or by watching mainstream cinema, you would not even know that we were here. It’s like, ‘Is ‘Hawaii Five-0’ representative of who I am as a person?’ I would say no.”

“The Lady” highlights Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi

By Ethan Rosenberg Staff writer

“The Lady,” a film that recounts the life of Burmese activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, is to be released in the U.S. at the end of this year after debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Suu Kyi became well known in the late 1980’s when she returned to her native country Burma after attending Oxford University and engaged in the country’s uprising and demand for democracy. She was appointed the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and became a figure for freedom through various appearances and speeches.

In 1990, the military junta called for a general election and the NLD received nearly 60 percent of the votes, guaranteeing a parliamentary majority.

However, the military refused to hand over power and Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest, a sentence she would serve for the next 20 years.

“Her stance on people’s advocacy is incredibly pertinent in this day and age,” said junior anthropology major Jeremy Krones, citing the current Occupy Wall Street move-

ment as an event that could use Suu Kyi’s enlightenment.

While documenting her advocacy is the primary purpose of the film, “The Lady,” directed by Luc Besson, delves further into the domestic drama Suu Kyi dealt with aside from her political activism.

Suu Kyi was only able to see her husband, Michael Aris, portrayed in the film by David Thewlis, a handful of times throughout her imprisonment.

According to Asian American history professor Shuji Otsuka, Suu Kyi endured several threats made on her sons’ lives and was reported in the Burmese press to have broke down and cried.

Though only the trailer is available for screening, early opinions are being made about this film, especially given that the release date for this dramatic biopic is right in the middle of Oscar season.

Otsuka found actress Michelle Yeoh’s portrayal of Suu Kyi, in the trailer alone, to be unrepresentative of the activist’s real-life personality. “In reality, [Suu Kyi] was very subdued and quiet,” Otsuka said.

“She had a strong voice and strong opinions, but in some sense, Yeoh’s portrayal is different from Suu Kyi’s actual persona.”

Yeoh did get the chance to meet

Suu Kyi prior to production of “The Lady” last December, but when she returned for a second visit this past June, authorities informed Yeoh that she had been blacklisted and was deported out of Burma.

Besson, who is French, is more familiar with directing action movies such as “The Fifth Element.” He expressed the caution he took with making the film. Besson was only able to film 16 hours of footage in Burma; the rest was filmed in neighboring Thailand.

“It’s the first time I’ve made a film where I’ve had an actor ask me not to be on the credits,” said Besson in an interview with the Los Angeles Times at the Toronto International Film Festival.

“All these wonderful young actors who play in the film, the small parts, they’re too afraid that [the government] will do something to their families,” he added.

Despite the drama surrounding the film, senior business major Tom Warner is still interested.

“It’s pretty impressive that she has enough courage to repeatedly stand up to this regime,” Warner said. “I think that her story, besides being interesting itself, could also inspire other people to make a difference while bringing public support to her struggle.”

PHOTO CREDIT: IMDB.COM

Chinese actress Michelle Yeoh portrays democratic activist Aung San Suu Kyi from Burma in French director Luc Besson’s upcoming movie, “The Lady.”

The PublicAsian | November 2011

Arts & Entertainment | 7

Feng shui for the dorm room Katie Cheung Staff writer

Stress is a quintessential adversary for college students. With school work, activities, jobs, financial strains and social stresses weighing heavily on students’ shoulders, one would think the dorm rooms, where students ultimately crash at the end of the day, would be a place with a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere.

In reality, many students find their dorms to be cramped and cluttered, subliminally creating even more stress and tension.

“College students experience a lot of stress. It’s unavoidable,” said Meghan Cohen, the coordinator for the Center for Health and Wellbeing at the university.

Feng shui, a traditional Chinese concept, can perhaps be a solution for students not only with a stressedout mind, but with a stress-inducing dorm room as well. According to feng shui consultant Ken Lauher, feng shui is “the art and practice of living in harmony with your environment to produce tangible results naturally.”

“It involves the intuitive, aesthetic adjustment of visible and invisible objects or factors, realigning

all dimensions of the environment into a balanced, harmonious state,” he added.

It may sound silly to some, but if anyone has any sense of spirituality, feng shui might just create a peaceful ambiance and bring good omens to your home-away-from-home.

Feng shui is a practice that some say started as long as 6,000 years ago during the Tang Dynasty in China. The words “feng” and “shui” directly translate to “wind” and “water,” two significant elements of nature and harmony, according to Chinese philosophy. The practice is centered on the flow of energy, or chi, and how it affects people in their daily lives.

“If you come home to a cluttered room, there’s more stress,” said freshman aerospace engineer major Michael Shindledecker. “It’s more relaxing to have a clean room because you don’t have to worry about cleaning up later.”

Feng shui also emphasizes the proper arrangement of furniture in a room to enhance chi. Color palettes and the five elements – fire, water, metal, earth and wood – are also incorporated into rooms to harness good chi. “I like having a plant in my room because it adds life,” Shindledecker added.

“Soft lighting makes me feel more relaxed. I put on Pandora [Internet Radio] and turn on an ambient radio station,” Cohen said.

APA student Stella Song, a freshman letters and science major, said feng shui is practiced in her own household. “All the furniture in our house is wood because my mom says wood is natural, and it brings good vibes,” she said. “It’s healthy for you to surround yourself in that kind of ambiance.”

While feng shui is easier to incorporate at home, many would agree that the set up of outlets and shape of the dorm rooms can make it difficult.

JoEllen Finley, a freshman psychology major, said that she tried to move her furniture to make her room feel less congested but ultimately had to move everything back to their original spot. “The way the outlets were set up and how the room was constructed with the size of the furniture, there was no way to rearrange the furniture to create a better atmosphere.”

However, it is important to note something as simple as decorating the walls with posters can add feng shui to any room. As the year goes by and as stress starts to pile up, even the slightest bit of feng shui can be helpful in providing relaxation.

Glee’s “Asian F” targets APA stereotype on grades Elana Fink Staff writer “This is your chance to break out and show everybody that you’re more than just a fleet-footed dance ninja,” said Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz) to boyfriend Mike Chang (Harry Shum, Jr.).

An Oct. 4 episode of “Glee,” called, “Asian F,” placed a spotlight on Shum’s Chinese American character. Though Shum has been part of the show since the fourth episode of the first season, only this year was he made a series regular with more screen time.

This “Glee” installment introduced viewers to Chang’s parents, who are putting pressure on him to get straight A’s and attend Harvard University. Chang receives an A- on a chemistry test, which, to his Asian parents, is equivalent to an “Asian F.” Because of this “horrible” grade, his father wants him to quit Glee Club and focus more on his studies.

The episode showed Chang’s coming to the realization that he

cannot keep trying to please his parents at the price of his happiness.

“

...it grew to a point where my parents flat out blocked me from any activities or people due to my grades.”

– Patricia Masigla Freshman computer science major

“Glee” has been known to play up stereotypes such as the dumb blonde, the dim-witted jock, the black diva and the sassy Latina, among other broad racial or personality classifications. For “Asian F,” the writers took their viewers into the common stereotype that target Asian Pacific American students. But some wonder whether their interpretation was on point, or

if Chang’s pressure from his parents to get good grades was exaggerated.

Freshman journalism major Shannon Wong seemed to side with the latter. “I think his situation is a really stereotypical idea of Asian students. I personally have been lucky enough not to feel this pressure from my parents,” she said. “In my opinion, it’s really the students who put the pressure on themselves because they are torn [about] whether to listen to their parents or to do what they want.”

Though “Glee” may have exaggerated this APA stereotype, freshman computer science major Patricia Masigla thinks there is some truth behind the show’s portrayal of the pressures APA students face from their parents.

“My parents did blame any outside activity for any low grades, and it grew to a point where my parents flat out blocked me from any activities or people due to my grades. Not to say that I did bad, but they always wanted me in the top of my class and nothing less,” Masigla said.

“[However]...an A- was fine to my parents. That part [from the show] was a bit of an exaggeration.”

Perhaps APAs are not that hardpressed by their parents to get A’s.

But do Asian parents put a bigger focus on their kid’s grades and push them harder than parents of other cultures to succeed?

Larry Shinagawa, director of the Asian American Studies program noted that the pressure has to do more with the parents’ backgrounds.

“A lot of Asian parents, especially immigrant parents, are concerned about their kids’ grades. Immigrants want to make sure their kids do well in another country because they feel it’s not their country, and they want everything for their kids to be successful,” Shinagawa said.

“Therefore, them pushing their kids to succeed is not necessarily due to their culture or ethnicity, but has to do more with class background and immigrant status.”

Another example of this APA stereotype can be seen through “House” newcomer Charlyne Yi

(“Knocked Up” and “Paper Heart”).

Yi, whose mother is Filipino and whose father is Korean, plays Dr. Chi Park, a timid but capable neurology resident who is assigned to assist the protagonist as part if his diagnostic team. Park was depicted as a bit of a nerd who still lives with her parents and seeks their approval. The show built on the “Asian F” theme; her parents are pressuring her to do well as a doctor, even though she is already an adult.

While some APAs are under more pressure to succeed from their parents, many agreed that “Glee” definitely exaggerated the extent to which this is true.

Shinagawa argued that the parents are simply looking out for what’s best for their kids, and over-bearing parents could be seen as only pushing their child towards success because they believe in them.

“Many of the Asian parents that come to the U.S. come from the middle class with educated backgrounds so they just want the same for their kids,” he said.

8 | Arts & Entertainment

The PublicAsian | November 2011

Walkathon raises funds for AAST programs

PHOTO BY JAMES LEVIN

Participants and volunteers who stop by the activities table to do some arts and crafts during the first ever annual Terps Walk for AAST 5K walkathon on Oct. 22, created to raise funds for the Asian American Studies scholarships.

By Jeremy Spiegel Staff writer Over 150 people braved the cold morning on Oct. 22 to participate in the first ever annual Terps Walk for AAST 5K walkathon to raise money for scholarships in the Asian American Studies program.

The event, held at nearby Lake Artemesia, was established this year to provide financial relief for students in the program who contribute to the Asian Pacific American com-

munity.

According to sophomore government and politics major Andrew Aggabao, who serves as the publicity director for Terps Walk fAAST, the walkathon was created as an alternative form of fundraising.

Mencie Hairston, chair for the AAST Scholarship Committee, proposed the walk this year in place of the traditional Filipino American Studies (FAST) Gala, which raised money solely for the FAST program, according to Aggabao.

“Following the struggling economy and lower funds for all four AAST scholarships, Mencie proposed that a fundraiser be held that benefit all of the scholarships,” he said. “Instead of putting on a gala, [we should] put on an event that had a broader target audience: the mainstream, University of Maryland community as well as the Filipino American and Asian American community.”

The event started with speeches

by Donna Hamilton, dean of under-

graduate studies, and senior communications major Jitter Garcia.

Garcia, the recipient of the Major General Antonio Taguba Profiles in Courage and Leadership Scholarship, told listeners that they were “taking steps literally to make significant change.”

The walk started at 9 a.m. at Lake Artemesia. After walking five kilometers to the center of the park, participants enjoyed a concert and dance featuring the student groups Anokha, The Parliament and Halua o’ Aulani.

“We wanted to create an event that would bring students out, and we knew a lot of people are into fitness. This way we can raise money and encourage the community to be fit,” Hairston said.

Since the launch of AAST in 2000, the program has created demographic reports and other resources for APA students. According to the program website, “AAST fosters research and education about ethnic Asians in the United States in order to better understand the Asian American identity.”

The four scholarships the participants raised money to save are the Timothy J. Ng Scholarship in AAST, given to students who demonstrate academic and leadership qualities; the Linh-Thong Huu Nguyen Memorial Scholarship for academic achievement; the Philip Vera Cruz Outstanding Community Service Scholarship; and the Major General Antonio Taguba Profiles in

Courage and Leadership Scholarship, for students enrolled in Army or Air Force ROTC. “We want to ensure that these scholarships are always there for everybody. That’s how we learn about each other,” Hairston said.

Program coordinator Grace Lee said that the APA student groups joined together to publicize the event, using different methods like social media, personal letters, ads, flyers, sidewalk chalk and word of mouth. Although mostly intended for students, the event was also advertised to the APA community in the greater D.C. area.

Senior criminology major Matthew Magnaye, for example, said that he heard about the event as a member of the Filipino Cultural Association, and decided to attend since he has taken several AAST courses.

“It’s important to give back. I’m glad I chose to come,” he said.

Zoomed In:

Turn to page 12 for exclusive photos of the event or visit our online photo gallery at www.publicasian.com

FCA, VSA prepare for annual Turkey Bowl

By Lily Hua Staff writer Every year, when autumn rolls around, sports fans pride themselves in watching and playing what is known as the all-American game – the Super Bowl.

But at George Mason University and Anne Arundel Community College, there will be another favorite going on: the Turkey Bowl, an annual flag football game that takes place between the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) and the Filipino Cultural Association (FCA) from this university and those from around the D.C. metropolitan area.

Although the two organizations are participating in the event, they will be playing in two completely different competitions with a separate women and men league for each tournament. As FCA plays on Nov. 12, VSA will be busy preparing for their game on Nov. 26.

The teams typically compete against local neighboring schools as University of Maryland –Baltimore County, Towson University, George Mason University and University of Virginia.

The Terps have already started practicing in preparation for the tournament next month.

Karen Crisostomo, who serves as the FCA women sports coordinator, has started intense practices with the team last month.

“We all come to practice ready to work, and everyone has made big improvements,” she said.

The FCA men’s team has won Turkey Bowl the past three years and is hoping to continue their win streak. FCA men sports coordinator Ryan Toledo said, “Hopefully our determination and hard work can land us another championship.”

On the VSA side, the men have had a rough time in past tournaments due to fierce competitors, leading to a low turnout rate for

practice. But, as the practices continued, the team has started to pull together. VSA men’s coach and Maryland graduate Kennedy Vo believes losing is out of the picture this year, especially with a determined and focused team. “These guys are hungry to win, and I have no doubt that we will push to be the best,” Vo said.

The winner of the FCA Turkey Bowl tournament is awarded the Turkey Bowl trophy.

The winner of the VSA Turkey Bowl tournament will also be awarded a trophy, along with prize money that will be donated to a charity of their choice.

Winning, however, is not the best part.

“Not only is [Turkey Bowl] an all-day flag football tournament, but it is an opportunity to get to know your fellow peers,” Crisostomo said.

Turkey Bowl is a bonding experience that brings together the various chapters from other schools. “It is a really tough and serious competition, but it’s a lot of fun,” said VSA public relations chair Melinda Nguyen.

“It [also] helps the VSAs across the Mid-Atlantic get to know each other better.”

The competition also gives players and members of the organizations a chance to become closer with one another. The age cut off for the VSA Turkey Bowl is set at 25 years old so that members have the potential to play for many years.

Vo, for example, has competed for the past three seasons as defense and is coming back this year as a coach. He will be the first coach the team has ever had, and his main goal is to bring his knowledge and leadership to help lay down the basic foundation for his players to build off of.

The foundation is not only meant to give the players knowledge of football, but to also build their character and confidence. “This team is a family, and together we will bring PHOTOS COURTESY OF MELINDA NGUYEN all we got onto the field on game day,” Vo The Vietnamese Student Association women’s team played a fierce game during last year’s Turkey Bowl and are ready to take on their competitors this year at George Mason University on Nov. 26. said.

APA Spotlight: Jenny Lares

The PublicAsian | November 2011

By Ethan Rosenberg Staff writer

PHOTO CREDIT: JENNYLARES.COM

Jenny Lares, 27, is an eclectic mix. She writes poetry. She is a collaborator. She appreciates air guitar and wishes she could sing. She likes analyzing business models and speaks “in parentheses.”

She is also the executive director of Sulu DC, a non-profit network of Asian Pacific American performing artists. Sulu DC will feature three of their performers at the Asian American Student Union’s two-day FUEL conference on Nov. 18-19, including Lares, the spoken word poet.

The National Asian Pacific Women’s Forum has also chosen Lares as one of 15 APA women to be highlighted on the Angry Asian Man blog to celebrate their 15th anniversary.

Lares was born in the Philippines and came to the U.S. when she was 7. She grew up in Bel Air, Md, and began writing when she was 8.

“I wrote some pretty bad poetry back then,” Lares said. “I tried to write prose but poetry was more my thing.” She eventually attended and graduated from this university in 2006 with a degree in communication and a certificate in the Asian American Studies program.

Lares put off writing for most of her college career due to her involvement in student organizations, namely her role as AASU’s vice president of programming. In 2005, she became inspired to make the transition from the page to the stage after seeing a live performance of Yellow Rage, a Philadelphiabased spoken word duo.

“It wasn’t until 2008 that I made the com-

SULU

November

of local professional artists with varied backgrounds and talents,” said FUEL co-director Elaine Hui. “Their mission aligns very closely with FUEL in that they aim to empower individuals of APA descent and raise awareness on APA issues as well.”

Sulu DC will feature three performers at this year’s FUEL conference: spoken word poet Jenny Lares, singer-songwriter Amanda Lee, and the band Rooftop Pursuit.

Lares, who is also Sulu DC’s co-founder and executive director, has presented her work at various venues around the district and has been published in TAYO Literary Magazine, online arts magazine The Lantern Reviewed on Bourgeon and the Filipino American anthology Walang Hiya.

Amanda Lee, who will be accompanied by bass player Posido Vega, was the second place winner of the first annual Kollaboration DC, a non-profit organization that spotlights young APA talents, and recently released her four-song debut EP, which is available on iTunes.

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Rooftop Pursuit, a favorite among this university, began as the Phil Good Band and has since fused a unique style of R&B/ Soul with modern pop/rock. The band had an eventful first year, performing at famous venues such as Arlene’s Grocery and The Irving Plaza in New York City, the Kennedy Center in the district and CitiField in Queens, N.Y. While Sulu DC traditionally feature a host and a DJ to fill in the interlude gaps, AASU has asked that they not provide a DJ. According to Hui, this tradition conflicts with FUEL’s tradition of having student hosts entertain the audience between acts.

AASU Vice President Elaine Wang also noted that adding a DJ would have been an unnecessary budget increase.

“I do love us having local performers out because it’s important for us to support our local talent because events like FUEL are a lot about nurturing our community,” said junior psychology major Starr Chen.

The theme of the FUEL Conference this year will be the death of Vincent Chin, who was killed in the summer of 1982 by two American auto manufacturing employees who lost their

Vietnamese Student Association Pho Night 5pm-9pm Pho VN

MBSA General Body Meeting

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mitment to do [poetry] full time, or at least try to,” she said. “That’s when I realized that writing and performing were at the core of me and I didn’t want to do anything else.”

In the fall of 2009, Lares founded Sulu DC alongside other poets and performers Regie Cabico, Simone Jacobson, Brian Wang and Alex Cena.

Sulu DC, itself, was modeled after the Sulu Series, which was founded in 2006 and was based in New York City. The series, which ended last fall, was a monthly showcase of APA artists from a variety of disciplines, including poetry, theater, music and comedy.

Lares said that she and the other Sulu DC founders agreed that creating their own Sulu series would address the lack of support and visibility for APA performing artists in the D.C. metropolitan area.

“For artists, we’ve provided a stage and exposure to an audience they might not otherwise have known about,” Lares said. “For the broader APA community, we’ve given meaning and a sense of belonging. To see yourself reflected on stage is so empowering and it’s often rare for us to see that.”

Lares bases her poems mostly on her life, family, friends, what she overhears and what makes her angry. Her poem, “Things I never want to hear again about race and racism,”

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ASSIST General Body Meeting 6pm Stamp Student Involvement Suite

7

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jobs due to Japanese competition.

Chin was Chinese, but that did not stop the perpetrators from beating him to near death with a baseball bat. He died five days later.

“It’s not so much that Sulu DC as an organization incorporates any themes into its shows,” said Lares, “But we do recommend artists who could address such themes in their work and leave it up to the college students to decide which performers they would like on the show.”

FUEL will be held Nov. 18 and 19 in the Stamp Atrium.

While AASU is still under deliberation over which university students will be the featured, this year’s conference will no doubt be a focus on nurturing the talents of those on a micro scale.

“With this year being the 30 year anniversary of Vincent Chin’s death, it’s important to look back and see where the APA movement really got its start,” Chen said. “That’s sort of what having local talent is about: seeing where these acts get their start and being there at the beginning.”

Filipino Cultural Association Turkey Bowl Anne Arundel Community College

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18-19

Sulu DC 2nd Anniversary Show 7pm Artisphere suludc.com

Muslim Student Association Dawah

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Chinese Student Association Herbert Wells Ice Rink 9pm-11pm, $3 admission/skate rentals

was conceived after she facilitated a workshop on race and asked students what they were sick and tired of hearing about in regards to racial issues.

While some people fear public speaking most, as a performer, Lares gets worried if she is not nervous before a performance.

“It’s not so much about laying my life out there that makes me nervous or whether or not people like it,” she said. “When you’re true to an audience and you leave it all on stage, the audience responds with such love that you can’t not be honest or true.”

If Sulu DC Director of Community Outreach Peter DeCrescenzo could use any word to describe Lares, he said it would be “fierce.”

“She works a part-time job at a local college while dedicating much of her time to Sulu DC, [which is] completely volunteerrun,” DeCrescenzo said. “Without her work ethic and passion to provide empowering spaces for APA artists, Sulu DC would not be celebrating its second birthday on Nov. 19.”

Aside from driven, genuine, honest and funny, Lares believes ambitious is all encompassing of her personality.

“I have really high expectations of myself,” Lare said. “I am very organized, but also spontaneous, and constantly reflecting and learning.”

B-Terps Breakdance Competition 4pm-11pm Colony Ballroom Indian Student Association Fall Charity Dinner 7pm Grand Ballroom in Stamp FACES Fashion Show Grand Ballroom Tickets $10 (at Hoff starting Nov. 14) AASU F.U.E.L. Stamp Atrium and PG Room

3 17

Makan Foundation “Iran, The Forgotten Glory” Screening 7:30pm Letelier Theater in D.C. Sigma Psi Zeta Sex Trafficking Event 8pm-10pm Jimenez Room in Stamp Thai Student Association Loy Krathong 6:30pm-8:30pm McKeldin Mall Vietnamese Student Association Game Night GBM 6pm-9pm Art/Soc 3207 Filipino Cultural Association Turkey Bowl Pep Rally 7pm

Arts & Entertainment | 9

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Vietnamese Student Association Turkey Bowl George Mason University

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op inions

The PublicAsian | November 2011

AASU Unedited Andrew Li, VP of Advocacy Glass Ceiling I squat down with all my might, Legs like a spring coiled ever so tight.

Jump in the air - I’m done with kneeling!

Just up ahead - to the glass ceiling!

In a flash, I smash and crash, The glass that shatters before me.

Unaware of the endless clash, As far as I can see.

Lightning jolts up my spine, Such a feeling, feels oh so fine!

This is my time to shine, Because victory, yes victory, is finally mine!

But…

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW LI

These two poems, written by Li for the Yuri Kochiyama program hosted by the Asian American Student Union, illustrate the glass ceiling dilemma that women face and the various stereotypes perpetuated in the U.S.

What goes up, Must come down.

An innocent smile, Turns into a frown.

Shards of glass, Cut through my skin, Deep down, To the soul within...

Stop in midair, Bleeding everywhere,

Stop the Hate I begin my descent, Back to the depths of familiar torment.

Crash into the floor, Can’t take this anymore!

I gave it my all, tried my best, Only to have my efforts suppressed.

And so I ask, this simple question, Will no one step up, and ever take action?

Open my eyes?

They’re already open.

Beneath your lies, I see hate and tension.

MLK had a dream, But it wasn’t this.

Equality and love?

Something’s amiss.

No.

Fight and spite, All the nonwhite.

You call this right?

Our hopeless plight?

No time to wait!

No more of this hate!

There’s equality to create, And stereotypes to negate!

Fear and hate, Who isn’t straight.

You call this great?

This heavy weight?

Stand up with this goal, My spirits rising!

Look up at the hole, In the glass ceiling.

Let’s set our sights, To whole new heights!

And continue the fights, For woman’s rights!

Mock and tease, All the obese.

You call this peace?

When pain doesn’t cease?

And as for me, I’ll fight again and again.

Until this body of mine has died.

Because even then, I’ll still have tried.

This dreadful despair?

You call this just.

Then where’s the trust?

You call this free.

Then where’s the liberty?

People are suffering, People are dying.

Everything is collapsing.

But you aren’t listening.

Save me from this cell, You call freedom.

Save me from this hell, You call heaven.

Wake me up from this fantasy, You call reality.

Wake me up from this nightmare, You call a dream.

Push and shove, All of the above.

You call this love?

Your bloodstained glove?

We’re all Americans, That much is true.

So why does color matter, When we’re all red, white, and blue?

Murders here and there, Racism everywhere.

You call this fair?

Andrew Li is a sophomore neurobiology and physiology major.

Organization Spotlight ASSIST

Ribka Gemilangsari, Media Publication Officer Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world, belongs in the top 20 major economies (G20) and is named one of the world’s largest democracies. Furthermore, President Barack Obama spent a few years of his youth attending elementary schools in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.

Now, one may wonder why many Americans know so little about Indonesia or fail to identify Indonesia as an Asian country. For this reason, Association of Indonesian Students (ASSIST) was established.

ASSIST was created in the summer of 2010, with the goal of becoming an intermediary for all students, professors and faculty members who want to learn all aspects of the Indonesian culture.

With the presence of ASSIST, we hope that American and international students will be more knowledgeable about Indonesia, not only with the different cultures that one can learn and explore, but also about its importance in the

global arena.

The nation with the largest Muslim population consists of more than 17,000 islands and a home to nearly 250,000,000 people and 300 ethnic groups.

In the past 15 years, Indonesia was struck with some of the most devastating events, economically and naturally, such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis, nightclub and hotel bombing attacks, 2004 massive Indian Ocean tsunami and earthquake and volcanic eruptions.

However, Indonesia has revitalized itself, with the government administering various projects for national improvement and sustainability, and the GDP growth has increased every year since 2001.

Indonesia is also actively involved in a number of high-profile international organizations such as the UN system, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Here are some interesting facts

you need to know about Indonesia: • Bali, an island in Indonesia famous for its tourism and an international celebrity hotspot, was one the locations of Julia Roberts’ movie, “Eat, Pray, Love.”

• CNNGo has selected “rendang,” a beef Indonesian dish, as the most delicious food in the world.

• Goldman Sachs Investment Bank named Indonesia as one of the nations, along with Brazil, Russia, India and China, with a high potential of becoming the world’s largest economy in the 21st century.

• “Kopi Luwak,” or civet coffee, the most expensive coffee in the world, is made from the beans defecated by civets living in Indonesian forests.

ASSIST works closely with the Indonesian Embassy and other cultural groups that aim to promote Indonesian culture through dance and music in the D.C. metropolitan area.

If you want to get involved, please join our monthly meeting

PHOTO BY RYAN ALPHONSO

in the Student Involvement Suite of the Stamp Student Union. You may also contact us at assistumd@ gmail.com and find us on Facebook: ASSIST UMD .

Ribka Gemilangsari is a senior history major and serves as the media publication officer of Association of Indonesian Students (ASSIST).

The PublicAsian | November 2011

hyo’s corner

A Walnut Garden I recently found myself sharing a freshly prepared dinner with a generous Chinese family in their dimly lit outdoor kitchen next to a coal stove.

My belly was filled with enough food to get me through the next three days, but the grandmother kept pouring food into my bowl without giving me an option to decline her kind offer.

Five hours earlier, three friends from my study abroad program (Scott, James & Joe) and I randomly picked our final destination to explore the Tiger Leaping Gorge from our Lonely Planet travel guidebook.

We didn’t realize what awaited us were randomly painted green arrows to follow through the woods, random families’ backyards and farm terraces.

About an hour of a challenging hike through the gorge, we finally arrived at the Ancient Walnut Garden. We walked through their outhouse where their livestock of cows, pigs and dogs all welcomed

our arrival.

The roosters and the grandmother came out to greet us and gestured us to come inside.

Within minutes, she brought out a pot of tea and sunflower seeds.

We talked to her with our limited Chinese and body language. Although her dialect of Chinese was difficult to understand, we managed to put a smile to her face and let her know how thankful we were to be at her home.

The thing you learn as you travel to foreign places is that there is more than just a common language to communicate with others.

Her son, Luke, the owner of the Walnut Garden soon came, bearing apples, pears and walnuts and began the process of interrogating.

“Where are you from? How old are you? Are you really not Chinese?”

Once I told him that I was born in Korea, he began sharing his knowledge about the quality of life of Koreans. He compared the lives of Chinese from Koreans and romanticized about the lives of those

11

who lived in more developed countries. He shared how he wanted that life for his children.

I tried to explain to him that his home, surrounded by the beauty of nature, was priceless, and how coming to his hometown helped me escape the hectic life of the city.

Luke was wearing a sheepskin vest he hand made and chainsmoked as he shared his life with us. He spoke with pride about his hometown, his home and his life.

He shared how happy he was to be able to share his life with his new friends.

When the sun began to set, he told us to wait and went into a shed and came out carrying a canister of home-brewed sunflower ‘baijiu’, Chinese vodka, and sheepskin vests for us to wear. He filled up each glass and raised his glass for a toast for a great day and great company of new friends.

His mother came over and shared with us how happy she was that we were there at her home and asked us to stay for the night.

Then his wife came down from the mountain with some 50 goats and asked us to stay for dinner.

We couldn’t stay the night but we stayed for dinner.

The food was wonderful and our company, even better. After dinner the sun had fallen and the cold air of the night came through the mountain. It was time for us to leave their delightful company.

I already knew I would often reminisce about their home and miss the peace the place provided for my mind and heart. And most importantly, I knew I would remember their hospitality and their genuine kindness.

We left their home with a bag filled with apples and pears Luke’s mother put together.

During our hike down from the walnut garden, no one spoke.

Our path was lit by thousands of stars and the moon. There were no words to describe the beauty of the night and the generosity we all experienced from Luke’s family.

We came into their home as

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

strangers and left as friends. They welcomed us with open arms and hearts, and we gratefully accepted.

Actually, we left without having done anything but receive and enjoy their generosity.

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

ZGet active for a good cause

12 | Events Recap

oomed In :

The PublicAsian | November 2011

Terps Walk fAAST Photos by James Levin

Students, faculty and children gathered at Lake Artemesia on Oct. 22 for the first ever Terps Walk for AAST walkathon, created to raise money for AAST scholarships. Some ran while others preferred walking to enjoy the view and the chilly but, nontheless, beautiful weather.

Check out page 8 for the full coverage!

Clockwise: Seniors Lillian Tran and Nancy Tang hold a sign to encourage participants to stay strong until the end; Two runners cheer excitedly as they head towards the end of the path; AAST Director Larry Shinagawa (fourth person from the left) and other particpants prefer to take it slow and walk their way to the finish line; Students, staff members and children stop by the activities tables for some creative crafts.

Visit our online gallery at www.publicasian.com for more photos of both events!

Cultural Cup Photos by Ryan Alphonso

The teams got a suprise snow shower on Oct. 29 during the second annual Cultural Cup, hosted by the Asian American Student Union, the Multiracial Biracial Student Association, the Latino Student Association and the African Student Association.

Despite the cold weather, the participants put on their game faces and gave it their best. In the end, team F.C. Greenbelt was declared this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champions.

Clockwise: A focused player braces the cold for a friendly but competitive game of soccer; Different team members huddle together for a group photo; Players compare their muddy cleats after having played soccer in the snow; Members from team F.C. Greenbelt pose for a victory group photo after becoming this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champions.