Inspired by a school mural of peacemakers, atist and poet Fereidun Shokatfard published the book “Colors of Love and Peace” with artwork and hopeful messages to children receiving treatment in hospitals. With the help of Shokatfard, the students of 186th Elementary in Gardena created an art-filled book promoting harmony, peace, and respect. In a cover…
DetailsNothing personal against Korean cinema (quite the contrary), but when I think Korean movies, my mind immediately goes to titles such as The Classic (along the lines of The Notebook, but more memorable, in my humble opinion) and the smash-hit rom-com My Sassy Girl (whose American adaptation, predictably enough, failed to achieve the same success).…
DetailsAnime fans have cause to rejoice – revered animator and living legend Hayao Miyazaki is making a rare U.S. appearance this Saturday at the Zellerbach Auditorium in UC Berkeley. The event involves a conversation with Roland Kelts (Tokyo University lecturer and author of Japanamerica – a book I conveniently happen to own due to my…
DetailsOn July 16, the University of California Board of Regents voted to grant honorary degrees to approximately 700 Japanese-Americans forced to discontinue their studies at the UC for internment during World War II. After Roosevel’s 1942 executive order, students of Japanese ancestry at UC Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Davis were removed by the…
DetailsOn Tuesday, Judy Chu became the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress. Winning nearly 62% of the vote, Chu succeeds current U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis in the 32nd Congressional District. She managed to tap into Asian voters which compose 13 percent of voters in the congressional district, as well as Latino voters who…
DetailsAllison Chin is one of my Asian American eco-heroines. She is the current president of the Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. As president, she is the top leader of the Club’s volunteer structure. Even before I was hired by the Sierra Club, I’d seen her blog on the Sierra…
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