AAUC Podcast

Our latest episode features an insightful interview with Bill Watanabe, a Japanese American whose birthplace was a Nevada Internment Camp in the 1940s during World War II. Bill has devoted his life to the preservation and promotion of Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, a commitment spanning from the 1950s to the present day. His story serves as a powerful testament to the importance of ethnic communities safeguarding their cultural heritage. This not only acknowledges a history that may have been previously neglected, but also instills a sense of remembrance for all ethnic communities in the future.

Please join us for a powerful and heartbreaking interview with Arash Azizzada, Co-Founder & Co-Director of the nonprofit "Afghans for a Better Tomorrow". Arash provides us with a unique history and perspective on the almost continuous war that has engulfed Afghanistan for the last 45 years. He details the arduous and dangerous circumstances of both the recently arrived Afghan American asylees, the difficult challenges they face here and the legislative assistance that can render very important and necessary help that Arash convincingly argues as an American obligation unfulfilled. And despite the continuing tragedy that occurring, the Afghan community is still resilient, determined to rebuild their country.

With the uncertain times in 2024 and going forward, the best we can do for our AAPI community is to strengthen ourselves through collaboration. According to Cindy Tsai, interim president of Committee 100, we can achieve this by A, appreciating, B, Be Brave in confronting conflicts and C, celebrating each other’s success. Let this ABC be our guide in achieving diversity, unity and equality for our community that we all value.

Recently, there has been a movement and national debate throughout the United States regarding the merit of Ethnic Studies in K-12 and post-secondary schools. In this episode, we interview three University of Washington students, Iris, Tyler, and Frederick, who have studied Asian American Studies under the supervision of Professor Connie So. They describe the impact and meaning of Ethnic Studies for our country’s history and how learning it has impacted their personal lives by providing a justification and perhaps even a necessity as a part of Asian Americans’ civic understanding and personal development. Iris, Tyler, and Frederick also share their challenges and struggles with school, classmates, and even family members in searching for their individual and community identification. Once you hear their stories, you’ll agree that claiming Asian American identity can’t fully occur without understanding the history that goes with it.

"There is a saying that an injustice to one is an injustice to all. No one is truly equal and free until everyone is equal and free." - Helen Zia.

Helen Zia is a second-generation Chinese American activist and journalist. She was named one of the most influential Asian Americans of the decade by A. Magazine. Award-winning writer and social justice activist, Helen Zia was a key spokesperson and organizer in the landmark civil rights movement for justice for Vincent Chin and is the Executor of the Lily and Vincent Chin Estate. Her role is documented in the Academy Award-nominated Who Killed Vincent Chin?

Helen has written articles, essays, op-ed pieces, and analyses about Asian Americans. She has been outspoken in this current pandemic of anti-Asian violence, appearing in the PBS series The Asian Americans; New York Times; USA Today's 100 Women of the Century; Washington Post's Race in America series; and Lisa Ling/CNN's This is Life, among others.

She also testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights about media portrayals of Asian Americans. In 2010 she was a witness in the landmark case for marriage equality that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a co-founder of American Citizens for Justice.

In April 2023, Helen Zia launched the Vincent Chin Institute and release the Vincent Chin Legacy Guide to fight Hate in solidarity.

Some of Helen’s most famous works include her most recent book, Last Boat out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese who Fled Mao's Revolution, was an NPR Best Book of 2019. Her most definitive work on Asian American is through her book Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People. Published in 2000 the book was twice quoted by President Bill Clinton in his Rose Garden address and reprinted 22 times.

For over 30 years, Madalene Mielke of Southeast Asian heritage, has been at the forefront of politically organizing the Asian American and other communities of color along with women throughout the country. Initially starting her political carrier working for the DNC in the mid "90s, Madalene quickly became recognized as a fundraising and political campaign authority in the early 2000's expanding her political alliances with Blacks, Latinos, and other important constituencies. Eventually, she assumed the role of CEO of the famous nonpartisan nonprofit Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies founded by the renowned former Secretary Norman Mineta. In that role, she has promoted a political active and civic engaged Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community, and has focused the organization on training and educating them on campaign skills, congressional staff positions and public policy in general. Please join AAUC's 29th Episode and learn about deliberate and effective way that APAICS and Madalene are making a real difference in preparing our future community leaders to assume the roles of leadership in the public arena.

AAUC's Podcast this May examines a nationally growing trend regarding legislation that attempts to refute what's known as the "caste system". Our interview with Suhag Shukla, a Constitutional law authority, Executive Director and Co-founder of the Hindu America in Foundation, provides a revealing and in-depth examination and explanation of the origin and history of "caste". She also describes the attempts statutorily refute it in addition to the legal and practical issues and consequences that result. Is this concept that was conceived in Europe, employed in Asia, and now alleged to be a problem that should be addressed in America? Join our Podcast and hear Suhag provide an authoritative analysis of why this issue is being debated and the potential consequences of attempted remedies that may be unintended. Will this effort promote or discourage discrimination? The subject is one that is just now starting to be publicly debated and will be even more so in the future.

This month's episode is truly fascinating. It is about KaYing Yang's evolving self-identity while at the same time having a stellar carrier as a national/international non-profit leader and activist. Hear how arriving in the late '70's in the mid-US as a 7-year-old Hmong refugee child, KaYing had an innate sense of justice and community that lead her to the pinnacle the non-profit world in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington D.C., and even in Laos and Thailand. Hear how she adapted to her new country while supporting her ethnic community at the same time, and all the while evolving and developing a new and ever expanding self-identity. From working on local community issues in Minnesota and Wisconsin to national and international policy and services, KaYing's experiences of growing up in the US and then working and living in Laos and Thailand for 10 years provides her with a unique perspective of being Hmong, Asian and Asian-American, along with what is home for her community and herself. I hope this interview provides everyone with insights into themselves and all of our communities of ways that will have an impact on how we can achieve our own individual and community American Dream.

Perhaps one of the most threatening exclusionary efforts by a State in the last 80-100 years, the Texas Legislature is considering at least 3 bills that exclude the rights of people solely based upon their country of origin. Please join our interview with Alice Yi and Ling Luo, two Texas community leaders who, along with their allies, have confronted and opposed this legislation that many say harken back to the Exclusionary Laws of the 19th and 20th centuries. Hear the amazing story of how in less than 2 months Alice, Ling, and others have effectively consolidated and coordinated thousands of supporters in letter writing, lobbying, and demonstrating in advocating that individuals committing no wrong are being targeted for financial restrictions without any legal basis. Hear this story that describes a threat and affront to established civil, Constitutional and human rights.

Gun violence throughout the country continues to increase. Tragically just last week two shootings struck AAPI communities in California,  Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, in addition to a third event in Oakland, all within 72 hours. And although the Oakland event did not specifically involve Asian Americans, they and everyone else living there have been organizing the community attempting to refute the killing and violence that results from guns. Join us in our discussion with Carl Chan, a prominent and longtime Oakland community leader, who describes the problems and efforts they are employing to make their community safer. Carl informs us not only about the problem but also the efforts for solutions while also reminding us of the history of discrimination that we must not forget so as to avoid past mistakes and injustices.

For our final episode for 2022, we end the year having Vivek Pandit join us as our guest. Vivek is a second generation South Asian and a 2020 graduate of Brown University who recently started a national consulting firm for job placement of college graduates. But much more than that, Vivek has become a voice for Gen Z as exemplified by his recent TED Talks Podcast where he described his unique and different perspective on revising capitalism to include values. Here he also discusses how social media impacts his generation's manner of communication and politics, how COVID affected them, and the valuable skill immigrant entrepreneurs have. He analyzes all this while still incorporating and honoring his Asian American values and heritage . This is an interview that provides real insight into our newest generation that should not be missed. 

When you hear the story of Ambassador Sichan Siv, a survivor of the Cambodian killing fields, you truly will be inspired. After arriving in America in 1976 with only $2.00 dollars in his pocket, Ambassador Siv picketed apples, drove taxis, obtained a Masters Degree from Columbia University and then serves in President George H. W. Bush's White House in all of only 13 years. He went on to serve in the United Nations and represented the United states there in a truly unique and very effective fashion. It's an amazing personal story of perseverance and public service that you will not want to miss. He shares with us the special values America has and the determination and sacrifice it took for him to acquire the " American Dream" and what we need do to obtain it collectively.

Even though AAPI are well represented in the legal profession, there are very few of them in the judiciary system as judges.

This Month we host Oregon Multnomah County Judge Chanpone Sinlapasai, the first Laotian Judge in the State of Oregon and perhaps in the country. Hear Judge Chanpone described her family's and heritage's inspiration for her in becoming a lawyer and recently appointed as a circuit court Judge.  This, along with a fascinating and detailed historical description of the laws that have been employed since the country's founding that impeded the rights and discriminated against Asian Americans. 

This episode is not only an inspiring personal profile but also a 230 year recitation of laws affecting immigrants and refugees. It is a case in point of the importance of having Asian Americans be represented in our judicial branch of government. Please join us for this unique examination of the successes and challenges that the law and Judges have on our community.

Individually, AAPIs are quite successful in many different professions. However, we have long been stereotyped as the “perpetual foreigners” and the silent, passive minority. It is the great awakening to see ourselves as an integral part of American society that we all belong here. We should not be silent anymore and wholeheartedly take on our civic responsibility and actively engage in civic affairs to have a strong voice.

In this episode we focus on the perspectives of civic engagements from the speakers of our National Civic Leadership Forum 2022. Together we weave the fabric of the past, present and future of civic engagement of our diverse AAPI communities. Our guest speakers (ordered by first name) include:

• Aziz Haniffa, former Executive Editor and Chief Diplomatic and Political Correspondent of India Abroad           
• Islam Siddiqui, former Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Obama Administration and current President of American Muslim Institution
• KaYing Yang, community activist, management consultant and member of President Biden's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
• Mona Pasquil Rogers, former lieutenant governor of California and current Director of Public Policy for Meta
• Paul Jhin, former Director of Peace Corps' Special Initiatives and current CEO of the Global Initiative on computers for Schools (GICS)
• Suhag Shukla, Executive Director and Co-founder of Hindu American Foundation
• Russell Jeung, Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University

AAUC Podcast is supported by the individual lifetime members and organization members of Asian American Unity Coalition. Visit our website: https://asamunitycoalition.org.

Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are not monolithic and should not be treated as such. Through the works of AAPI Data we learn that within the AAPI communities there are racial differences, conflicts and concerns. It is important that we learn how to use these data to influence decision making, to achieve equal rights and protection from violence, and to leverage it to achieve our Collective American Dream. We are fortunate to have Dr. Janelle Wong, Co-Director of AAPI Data and Professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland to be our guest to discuss this important topic.