September 23, 2022

Volume 2, Issue 19

Dear Friends,

Happy Autumn!

Check out our Spotlight section below to see what’s new at the 1990 Institute, and see our video on Asian American voting activists for National Voter Registration Day.

Thanks for your continued support of the 1990 Institute and newsletter. Please share this newsletter with your friends and family and encourage them to subscribe.

 

For National Voter Registration Day, see our New Asian American Voices profile of the first Chinese American woman to vote in a presidential election. Learn more about Tye Leung Schulze in our video "Voting is Your Privilege: Unsung Heroes."

 

How do we vote for our families and communities?

By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang

 

For the tenth annual National Voter Registration Day, Michigan nonprofits APIAVote-Michigan and Rising Voices of Asian American Families were out registering people to vote on college campuses and local Asian grocery stories – 168 Mart, Patel Brothers, Desi Fruit Market –  and reminding people, “We vote for our families, loved ones, and Asian American communities.”

When I teach at the University of Michigan, I always remind students to double check their voter registration and local voting laws because every state is different. Reregister to vote every time you move. Find out if your driver’s license needs to match your voter registration address (because college students often keep their parents’ address on their driver’s license). Find out if you can vote absentee and apply for an absentee ballot early. If you are already registered to vote, bring two friends to get registered. Make it a celebration, especially if this will be your first time voting.

“In recent years, we have seen a tremendous uptick in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voter turnout,” said Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) said in a statement. “Because of this participation, AAPIs are now the fastest growing electorate in our nation. However, communities of color have historically faced barriers when accessing the ballot box, and our voting rights across the country are continually under attack.”

In addition to voting, there are other ways to advocate for our communities. 

Univ. of Tennessee Knoxville Professor Anming Hu, along with APA Justice, 1990 Institute, and other Asian American advocacy groups are calling upon the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject the nomination of Casey Arrowood for U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Tennessee. As Assistant U.S. Attorney in Tennessee, Arrowood wrongfully and doggedly prosecuted Professor Hu for spying without sufficient evidence as part of the former administration’s China Initiative which unfairly targeted many Chinese American scientists for spying. 

Last week, the ACLU gave oral arguments for Xi v. United States before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi’s lawsuit seeks to hold the FBI accountable for its fabrication of evidence, discriminatory profiling, and baseless prosecution under the now defunct China Initiative, as well as the lasting trauma he and his family have endured since his wrongful arrest.

The next day, the White House hosted the United We Stand Summit, the first convening of its kind, bringing together families, faith leaders, and activists impacted by hate violence. The Filipina American grandmother attacked in the lobby of a New York City office building spoke about her ordeal for the first time. The Sikh American son of a religious leader killed at Oak Creek talked about partnering with a former white supremacist to bring youth together across differences. Sikh American filmmaker Valarie Kaur was honored as a Uniter for her work building Revolutionary Love.

“We remain in the battle for the soul of our nation,” Biden said. “When I look around at all of you here today, I know we’ll win that battle. I know we’ll win it. The power is within each of us to transform the story of our time, to rise together against hate, to show who we are. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing — nothing beyond our capacity.”

And the first step is to make sure your college students and elders and new neighbors are registered to vote!

 

 
 

You’re invited to the Street Renaming Ceremony for Vicha Ratanapakdee Way followed by a documentary film
screening in San Francisco on October 1 .

 

Curated News

Biden calls on the country to unite against white supremacy at a summit on hate | NPR  "We need to say clearly and forcefully, white supremacy, all forms of hate... have no place in America…It's about power and profit. Too much hate that's extremist violence has been allowed to fester and grow." WATCH LIVE: President Biden delivers remarks at United We Stand Summit | PBS NewsHour

The Kohinoor diamond was obtained by the British Empire. Some argue it should be returned to India. | NBC News  "It has a history of being part of war booty or trophies taken as the result of war in South Asia. So in a lot of ways, it is a symbol of plunder and represents the long history of plunder imperialism.”

Public grief over Queen Elizabeth II in Hong Kong seen as both nostalgia and dissent | PBS NewsHour  The Queen is nicknamed “si tau por” in Hong Kong, which translates to “boss lady.” “People in Hong Kong love her…Because when we were under her rule, we enjoyed democracy and freedom.”

Idaho’s Far Right Suffers Election Loss to 18-Year-Old Climate Activist | The Intercept  High school senior Shiva Rajbhandari won elected office in Boise, defeating an incumbent school board trustee backed by local extremists.

Rhode Island becomes fourth state to require Asian American history in schools | NBC News  The Asian American population has grown by 32% in the state over the past decade, according to census data.

Don't touch foreigners, warns senior health official after China's first monkeypox case | CNN  "This is a bit like when the pandemic began, when some people overseas avoided any Chinese people they saw out of fear,”  a Weibo user wrote. “I don't believe these two things have any scientific basis, they are too broad and will exacerbate public panic."

China’s Envoy to US Warns Against Cutting Nation Out of EV Chain | Bloomberg  Ambassador Qin Gang warns the US against decoupling from China. Trade tensions span semiconductors, EV batteries, tariffs.

China and the Lore of American Manufacturing | The New Yorker  In Ohio’s Senate race, both candidates are employing anti-Asian rhetoric and neglecting to hold corporations to account.

Temple professor continues long legal journey to sue FBI for wrongful prosecution | WHYY  “It’s not because the agent made a mistake or misunderstood something. He knew he was wrong. He knew I was innocent, and he went ahead.”

The great resisters of Japanese American history have a powerful story to tell | Boston Globe  Teaching about their contributions to civil rights is essential for building unity and solidarity with Asian Americans.

 

Spotlight

  • LEARN ABOUT ASIAN AMERICAN TRAILBLAZERS WHO LED THE WAY ON VOTING RIGHTS – Our video called "Voting is Your Privilege: Unsung Heroes" tells the stories of two women who paved the way for us to vote: Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, unable to vote herself due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, and Tye Leung Schulze, an American by birth who was the first Chinese American woman to vote in a presidential primary. These Asian American suffragists and trailblazers, shown in our video courtesy of PBS and the Smithsonian, show us we cannot take our right to vote for granted. September 20 was National Voter Registration Day. Be sure to check that you’ve registered in time to vote in the midterm elections on November 8 so your voice is heard. And see our profile of Tye Leung Shulze on New Asian American Voices on Instagram.
     
  • SPECIAL RENAMING EVENT FOR “VICHA RATANAPAKDEE WAY" – The unprovoked January 2021 attack on 84-year old Thai grandpa Vicha Ratanapakdee shocked the San Francisco AAPI community and the nation. Join in-person or via livestream for a historic renaming ceremony of "Vicha Ratanapakdee Way" in San Francisco on October 1. Hear from his daughter, Monthanus Ratanpakdee, activist Amanda Ngygen, actor and activist Daniel Dae Kim, and more. Following the ceremony, you’re invited to the San Francisco premiere of the upcoming PBS documentary “Rising Against Asian Hate,” which recounts Vicha’s story and legacy in the context of anti-Asian hate. RSVP for the ceremony and screening plus a Q&A with the director and producer at the Roxie Theater: www.justice4vicha.org.
 

Dim Sum - A Little Bit of Heart

 
 
 
 
 
 

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