Vol. 2, No. 2 EAST VClNP Fall/Winter1983 Politics and Culture of Asians in the U.S.

2 Editorial: Asian Americans — Take a Stand! No More Viet Nams! by Steve Morozumi 4 Fighting Anti-Asian Violence by Eddie Wong 8 A People's Anger: An Interview with Beth Rosales on the Aquino Assassination 9 Keeping The Flame Alive — A Commentary by Masao Suzuki-Bonzo

11 Justice for Domingo and Viernes! by Denise Imura

12 Deems — From Seattle: Asian Cool by Ken Mochizuki m-'/ K 14 Poetry by A! Rabies

page 4 16 Celebrating Ten Years of Asian American Theater by Sun Hoong Ow and Beth Shironaka 18 Poetry by Lawson Inada

SPECIAL FOCUS: 19 Asian American Students — articles by Erich Nakano, Hope Nakamura and Paul Lee, Pat Catolico, Lynn Yokoe, Lydia Lowe and Mae Lee, Karen Umemoto, Roy Nakano, Marilyn Wu, Eddie Wong, Llorence Noun, Sayo Lujioka, Alex Ming, Taiji Miyagawa vo ■

50 Poetry by Doug Yamamoto 51 Long-term Consequences of the Nikkei internment by Ben Long, Ph.D. 54 Camp Art: Strength, Dignity and Culture in the Concentration Camps by Andy NoguchI page 40 57 Poetry by Doug Yamamoto, Leilani Sauter, and Robert Hsiang 60 Yen Lu Wong — Asian American Dancer by Marion Lay 62 In Memory of Ed Badajos by Orvy lundis

64 Poetry by Thom Lee

65 Five Asian American Poets: A Review of Asian American Poetry by Lred Wei-han Noun

6 7 B o o k R e v i e w s : Yoisho! — reviewed by Lori Kayo Hatta; Kinenhi — reviewed by Lorrest Cok; Texas Long Grain — reviewed by Mike Long

70 Video Review: Silkscreen — reviewed by Duane Kubo

Cover by Leon Sun

FALL/WINTER 1983 1 EDITORIAL

Asian Americans — Take a Stand!

By Steve Morozumi peoples seeking justice. The slogan, "One struggle, many fronts" took on genuine meaning for us as we linked the war to the plight of our communities. We saw the same insensitive and ruthless U.S. govern ment spending billions of dollars on a war machine I hedecades horror of ago the is U.S. being role reenacted in Viet Nam today two in Central while eliminating sorely needed social services. America and the Caribbean. The striking similarities Now it is critical that we rebuild the anti-war between the U.S. policy of covert and overt aggres movement. We need to fulfill our duty to stand with sion in these regions resurfaces angry memories of and support other third world peoples' struggles for the 20-year quagmire, and should underscore the ex actual democracy and freedom from repression. One treme dangers of Reagan's rapid escalation in Central of the important lessons we dare not forget is that we America and the Caribbean. As Asian Americans, we must oppose all forms of imperialism and consist must urgently address ourselves to Reagan's gunboat ently support countries, nations, peoples' struggles diplomacy, take a hard look at its factual underpin for independence and liberation — whether it takes nings, and make our stand against U.S. intervention. the form of opposing the U.S. in Asia or the Soviets in For many Asian Americans, the Viet Nam War, pos Afghanistan, deploring the Soviet's shooting down of sibly more than any other event, shaped our political the Korean civilian jetliner, or the recent brutal inva consciousness, stirred our national and international sion of Grenada by 6,000 U.S. marines. Grenada, in awareness, and influenced the directions and out particular, is a foreboding signal of Reagan's re looks of our lives. Nightly, we watched U.S. bombers newed policy of direct, naked military force and ag and helicopter gunships strafe and bomb the Viet gression. It is a rehearsal for other possible invasions namese landscape, slaughtering two million Vietnam in the region. Today, it is more urgent than ever that ese men, women and children — people who re we put a stop to the U.S. military intervention in Cen sembled members of our own families — in order to tral America and the Caribbean. protect American capital. My initial reaction as a young Asian American was a sense of bitter irony in being subject to a military draft that coerced us into TheandU.S. is thesupports primarythe sponsorruling junta and accessoryof El Salvador, to a leaving our homes to kill other Asians in a racist war. fascist reign of terror. Forty thousand non- We were moved and inspired by the Vietnamese combatants have been abducted, tortured and people's perseverence and courage in the face of murdered in three years, mainly by right wing monumental military might and technology. paramilitary death squads, government security We were compelled to take action and protest the forces and the army. war. We lost our naivete and delusions about Amer The U.S. also opposes the people of Nicaragua. In ican moral sanctity and its pretensions of protecting an attempt to destabilize the Sandinista government, national security and democracy abroad. Indeed, it the CIA funded right wing contras' bombing raids to was a rite of passage for our generation, from in destroy fuel pipelines and food supplies. U.S. nocence to experience and political awakening. nuclear-powered warships holding 16,546 troops As we became involved in that anti-war move loom ominously off the coast of Nicaragua. The U.S. ment, our response to the war evolved to a more so has also installed permanent military bases on the phisticated understanding of third world peoples' le Honduran and Guatemalan borders with 5,000 more gitimate national liberation struggles and their rights troops and tanks poised to threaten Nicaragua. In to self-determination. We began to recognize the sys Grenada 3,000 Marines continue the occupation tematic nature of U.S. imperialism. We felt a deep re while the U.S. installs a new colonial regime. sponsibility to build solidarity with oppressed The U.S. role in Viet Nam began in the same way

2 E A S T W I N D No More Viet Nams!

— 1) provided military and financial assistance to a people to achieve self-determination. The struggle of corrupt and unpopular regime (South Vietnamese the Central American peoples will triumph over U.S. Premier Ky and right wing President D'Aubuisson of imperialism. El Salvador's Assembly both admire Adolf Hitler's But what about our tasks here in the U.S.? As policies); 2) sent in U.S. advisors to train local troops; Reagan and his corporate class prepare to ignite a 3) triggered an "international incident" as a pretext regional conflict, we must take a clear stand against for direct intervention. The U.S. has budgeted $63 this rapid escalation. Reagan has stopped short of all- million dollars in 1984 to train the repressive Salva- out intervention for only one reason — the massive doran government and army. opposition here at home (over 70% of the American A m e r i c a n t a c t i c s i n V i e t N a m a n d C e n t r a l A m e r i c a public have opposed U.S. intervention in opinion are basically the same — My Lai-type massacres; the surveys) and the international outcry against U.S. use of napalm against civilians; the building of stra foreign policy. There is growing support and sym tegic hamlets. The government is once again trying pathy for the guerrillas. to "win the hearts and minds" of the people through Asian Americans must recognize the horror and "Operation Peace and Weil-Being." It is using the challenge of this new Viet Nam War. We must turn same rigged elections forcing people to vote under our revulsion and anger into action. Placed upon us duress and is instituting the same phony government is a new responsibility to stop U.S. intervention and land reform programs. build solidarity with the just struggle of the Central The Salvadoran government is plainly losing the American peoples. Those of us who know the lessons war because it does not have the support of the of Viet Nam must teach others. We can help stop a population. The popular guerrilla FMLN army of the Viet Nam War in Central America if we act now — if broad-based FDR (Revolutionary Democratic Front) we agitate, educate and organize ourselves on cam continues to make gains; their support is growing puses and in the communities; if we can pass initia rapidly among the rural peasantry. tives like Proposition N (San Francisco's ballot Recognizing this, the Reagan Administration is up- measure) which called for an end to U.S. military aid ping the ante: reinstating the military draft; en to El Salvador and the withdrawal of U.S. troops. We couraging the use of mercenaries; increasing the can set up house meetings, raise the issue at union numbers of U.S. military advisors in El Salvador by meetings, engage in public demonstrations. Asian reclassifying job titles and lobbying Congress to send Americans played a special role in protesting the more; staging "war games;" and training thousands Viet Nam War by condemning the racist, genocidal of brutal ex-National Guardsmen of the deposed nature of the war which promoted the lie that Asian Nicaraguan dictator Somoza. The experience in Viet lives are cheap. The same racist attitude is being ap Nam reveals the lengths to which the U.S. will go to plied today to the peoples of Central America. maintain hegemony in the name of a global East- The struggle of the peoples of Central America is a West conflict, to maintain its strategic interests and passionate moral and political commitment to libera overseas investments in its so-called "backyard." tion and social justice that touches all Asian Ameri Viet Nam taught us that small countries can and cans. It is a cause we need to identify with and sup will defeat a superpower. The peoples' legitimate port with all our hearts. and indigenous struggles against misery and crushing Oppose U.S. Intervention Now! □ poverty is the real issue in El Salvador, all of Central America, and the Caribbean. Their goals are simply: Steve Morozumi is a member of the Bay Area social justice, human rights, and self-determination. Asians for Nuclear Disarmament (BAAND) and,the El Indeed, the backbone of the revolution can be at Salvador Libre Committee in the San Francisco Bay t r i b u t e d t o a fi r m a n d f e r v e n t c o m m i t m e n t o f t h e Area.

FALL/WINTER 1983 3 By Eddie Wong Fighting Therenessis a failingdeep, overmenacing America. dark From coast to coast, Asians and other Third World people (Blacks, Chicanos, Na Anti-Asian tive Americans, and other racial mi norities) are facing the ugly spectre of escalating racial violence. Violence Physical assaults and murder, how ever, are not the only forms of racial stituted national oppression, a sys is the reactionary climate being pro violence. Flarassment and psycho tematic denial of rights based on moted by the monopoly capitalist logical intimidation in the form of nationality. class (the owners and top level man racist media stereotypes, chauvinist Toenforcethe inequality of Asians statements by government, labor agers of the multinational corpora and other Third World people, the tions and government officials). leaders, and members of the news white capitalists worked hand-in- U.S. capitalism is in deep crisis — media, and anti-immigrant legisla glove with reactionary trade union the result of inherent contradictions tion — all of which degrade, dehu leaders and racists such as the Klan to in the capitalist system which are ex manize and reinforce the unequal try and smash the movement of jus acerbated by the decline of U.S. im status of Third World people — must tice, equality and political power of perialism. The rate of profit is falling be considered as racial violence. Third World people. and U.S. corporations can no longer Racial violence is endemic to the dominate the world market. Since capitalist system which maintains the end of World War II, national lib the inequality and oppression of anti-Asian sentiment today? eration movements in Asia, Africa Third World people. Thus, the fight Butwhy is there a sharpening of Certainly, conditions are different and Latin America have kicked out against racial violence is bound up than a century ago. Many Asians the U.S. Additionally, U.S. capitalists with the struggle for democracy, have achieved high levels of educa must compete vigorously with Euro equality, and justice for the op tion and professional status, which pean and Japanese capitalists. At pressed nationalities. This article will has resulted in the "model minority" examine some causes of racial vio home, U.S. capitalists in some key in myth. But alongside this "positive" lence and share some examples of d u s t r i e s fi n d t h e m s e l v e s w i t h o u t stereotype, a second image also ex moded factories. But instead of in how communities have combatted ists, i.e. the dreaded yellow peril. this vicious trend. vesting in technological improve What fuels this latter image of Asians ments and trying to find an alterna- Violence against Asians has not been an overnight development. Throughout Asian American history, there have been violent attacks — lynchings, the burning and driving out of Asian farm laborers on the West Coast, and the racist incarcera tion of 110,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Asians, along with Blacks, Chicanos, Native Ameri cans and other peoples, were histor ically used as a source of cheap la bor. Capitalists like railroad titan Charles Crocker profited from the in human exploitation of Chinese rail road workers. The rich farmlands and mines of the West were cultivated by Asian laborers, yet their repayment was exclusion from citizenship, seg regation, and denial of access to edu cation. Besides the low wages, long hours and unsafe working conditions, from which the capitalists derived ex tra profits, Asians faced social, poli tical, cultural and educational re strictions. Taken as a whole, this con Anti-Chinese violence in the 1880's

4 E A S T W I N D tive to throwing millions of workers are much larger than commonly (over 600,000 have entered the U.S.), out of their jobs, the capitalists are perceived. For example. The Spot the Klan and racists have mounted at solely motivated to seek the highest light, the newspaper of the extreme tacks. In 1981, the Klan plastered profit, no matter what the human right wing Liberty Lobby, has 300,000 r a c i s t l e a fl e t s i n a S a c r a m e n t o h o u s costs. Thus, some U.S. capitalists subscribers. ing project where many Southeast have moved their operations to the To fight racial violence, it is neces Asians live. That same year, the Klan third world, where they can pay lower sary to expose the Klan and other fi r e b o m b e d a C h i n e s e t h e a t e r i n wages. Some companies such as U.S. racist organizations. Monterey Park, California. Steel are shutting down factories and Although the main target of the Yet, 1983 stands out as a watershed buying up small oil companies to Klan and racists has been Black peo because so many horrific acts took maintain their profits. The result is ple, Asians also feel the chill of the place — acts which must be bur high unemployment and greater nightriders. Ever since the1975 immi n i s h e d i n t o o u r c o n s c i o u s n e s s t o hardships for workers. gration of Southeast Asian refugees h a r d e n o u r d e t e r m i n a t i o n t o c o m b a t High unemployment combined with already existing anti-immigrant, anti-imports sentiment fanned up by the capitalist media produces the at mosphere of racial animosity. The furor behind anti-imports, protec A Chronology of Violence tionist legislation is meant to divert workers' anger away from the capi talists and toward people who are April 19 — San Francisco, CA. num, a 23-year-old white man, who their potential allies. This is why ra Paul Wu knifed to death in an argu shouted "Co back to Japan, you cial violence is promoted by the rul ment following a traffic accident. k a m i k a z e ! " V a n O r n u m w a s s e n ing class. May 2 — Los Angeles, CA. Trac tenced to write an essay on Laotian Secondly, in times of economic in ThiVu, a Vietnamese widow, shot to culture. stability, racist forces such as the Ku death while standing by her kitchen June 15 — Seattle, WA. Truong Klux Klan have played upon the fears window. Sinh, a Vietnamese man, shot to and insecurities of the working class death after he resisted people who and petty-bourgeoisie (the class of v a n d a l i z e d h i s c a r. small merchants, professionals) to July 25 — Boston, MA. Anh Mai, a promote the view that the U.S., "a Vietnamese man, knifed to death by white man's paradise," is somehow Robert Glass, Jr., a 19-year-old being overrun by "foreigners, Jews, M a r i n e . G l a s s a n d f r i e n d s w e r e o u t a n d c o m m u n i s t s . " I n a n e x t r e m e side Mai's apartment and created a form, the Klan is simply carrying out loud disturbance. The killing oc what the ruling class also desires. The curred at 1:30 a.m. when Mai and r i s e o f t h e K l a n a n d o t h e r r a c i s t friends went to ask Glass to quiet forces is dangerous because it en d o w n . T w o o f M a i ' s f r i e n d s w e r e courages open race hatred and em also stabbed. boldens the individual racists to play Mai's killing was the 14th act of o u t t h e i r s i c k f a n t a s i e s . racial violence directed against Today, the Klan is growing and at Asians in Boston in 1983. Thong Hy Huynh tracting new adherents among September, 1983 — San Jose, CA. women and youth. Although esti Khamkeo Saelee, an 18-year-old mates of Klan membership nation May 4 — Davis, CA. Thong Hy Laotian student, chased home from ally range from 10-12,000, their in Huynh, a Vietnamese high school school by white boys with knives. fluence is larger. Since1980, the Klan student, knifed to death by James The Saelee's home had been previ has received much publicity by hold Pierman, a white student. The kill ously vandalized. ing public rallies and running for Con ing took place after several inci October, 1983 — Sacramento, C A. gress. The new Klan strives for middle dents of racial taunting of Vietnam F i r e c r a c k e r s a n d s m o k e b o m b s class respectability, but their actions ese by white bullies. Pierman will be hurled into a high school English are as violent as those during the days t r i e d a s a n a d u l t f o r m u r d e r i n 1 9 8 4 . class filled with Hmong and Laotian of Reconstruction. The National May 9 — Houston, TX. Chan- students at Rancho Cordova High A n t i - K l a n N e t w o r k h a s d o c u m e n t e d sophea Nhim, a ten-year-old Cam School. 6 0 0 i n c i d e n t s o f K l a n v i o l e n c e s i n c e bodian girl, shot in the back as she 1978. The Network also reports 500 walked to school. STOP ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE! cases of Klan-like violence, most of May 26 — Fort Dodge, Iowa. w h i c h a r e a n t i - B l a c k a n d a n t i - s e m i t i c Thong Souksseume, an 18-year-old FULL EQUALITY AND JUSTICE acts. Rather than being a fringe ele Laotian, assaulted by Terry Van Or- FOR ASIAN PEOPLES! ment, the racists and reactionaries

FALL/WINTER 1983 5 h u m a n e x c r e m e n t o n h e r h o u s e . T h a t was the final straw. "I just said to myself, 'I'm not going to walk around afraid.' After I resolved that, I wasn't afraid to speak out. I guess you could say I became a warrior," added Mrs. Ash. She organized members of the Black community and people of other n a t i o n a l i t i e s t o f o r m N o v a t o a n s f o r Racial Equality. The group ap proached the city council, the mayor, and police department to demand protection against racist attacks. As in other cases, the public officials Vincent Chin in happier times first tried todeny that a problem even e x i s t e d . B u t a s t h e n e w s h i t t h e m e dia, public pressure from churches racial violence. The realization that Because of the increasing number a n d i n d i v i d u a l s f o r c e d t h e o f fi c i a l s t o racial violence can strike anywhere o f i n c i d e n t s o f a n t i - A s i a n h a r a s s m e n t respond. Eventually, agroupof white against an Asian regardless of his/her in northern California, several com youth were apprehended for some of status has propelled many people munity organizations, progressive the incidents. into action. Most particularly, it has ministers, social service workers, Community organizing and public aroused the anger of Asian working labor activists, and revolutionaries exposure were the key factors in the people. After the outrageously leni h a v e u n i t e d t o f o r m t h e A s i a n N e t N o v a t o c a s e . T h e N o v a t o a n s f o r R a ent sentence of a $3,000 fine and pro work for Equality and Justice, an in cial Equality started a hotline and of bation meted out to Vincent Chin's formation/referral network to moni fered rewards for the apprehension killers, hundreds of Asian people ral tor acts of anti-Asian violence, edu and conviction of the racists. "If we lied and marched in Detroit, New cate the public about the conditions had curled up and done nothing," York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles which give rise to such violence, and emphasized Mrs. Ash, "we would to protest the continuation of racist participate in local campaigns to h a v e b e e n d r i v e n o u t . " T h e r a c i s t a t mistreatment of Asians. The sen fight for the rights of Asian peoples. tacks have subsided, but the poten tence not only cheapened the life of tial for violence still exists. A large Vincent Chin but demonstrated that number of Southeast Asians refugees Asians are still unequal and politi All thesemore efforts interest have in the stimulated issue and have settled in northern Marin cally powerless. Only as the result of have raised important questions: county and there have been reports a massive letter writing campaign did How does one fight racial violence? o f r a c i a l h a r a s s m e n t o f A s i a n s i n t h e the Department of J ustice convene a What steps can be taken to stop these schools. federal grand jury which returned in attacks? Community protest also includes dictments on November 2 against A s i a n s h a v e m u c h t o l e a r n f r o m intervention and direct confronta E b e n s a n d N i t z f o r t h e v i o l a t i o n o f the Black community which has been tion of the racists. In 1980, Black resi Vincent Chin's civil rights. Convic fighting racist terror ever since the dents in a predominantly white hous tion on these charges could result in days of slavery and Reconstruction. ing development called Tara Hills in life imprisonment. There are many valiant examples of Richmond, California were shot at, Many local and regional efforts how Black people have armed them received threatening phone calls, -are also underway to stem the tide of selves and organized to fight racist a n d h a d c r o s s e s b u r n e d o n t h e i r anti-Asian violence. In Sacramento, terror. Take the case of Juanita Ash, a lawns. Although the incidents had Asian community groups and individ Black woman in Novato, California, a been occurring for nearly a year, the uals united to form The Coalition of predominantly white community in Richmond police did very little to Asians for Equal Rights (CAER) fol Marin County. In 1978, a rash of anti- stop the harassment. It took a con lowing the stabbing death of 17-year- Black attacks broke out: crosses were certed effort by community groups, old Vietnamese high school student burned, a Black man was stopped at progressive churches, labor unions Thong Hy Huynh. Besides offering gunpoint on a street, and there were and others to form a neighborhood aid to the bereaved family, CAER or acts of vandalism against Black watch to ensure the safety of the ganized a letter writing campaign to homes. Juanita Ash was one of the Black residents. One Black resident, the Davis, California District Attor victims. "I was driving home from a member of Local 6 of the Long ney to ensure that James Pierman, teaching a sewing class when these shoreman's Union, got his union to Fluynh's killer, would be fully prose fellows tried to run me off the road," hire a security guard and solicited cuted under the law. Pierman, who s a i d M r s . A s h . " I w a s s o s c a r e d . 1 volunteers to help on the neighbor has a history of harassing Vietnamese came home and broke down in tears hood watches. and other students, will be tried as an in front of my children." Later the har In Spring, 1981 Vietnamese resi a d u l t f o r m u r d e r i n 1 9 8 4 . a s s m e n t c o n t i n u e d a s r a c i s t s t h r e w d e n t s i n t h e L e m o n H i l l s e c t i o n o f

6 E A S T W I N D Sacramento awoke one morning to Many states also have laws which dents of racial violence, but these find racist flyers plastered on their prohibit specific acts of terrorism steps alone cannot eradicate the root homes. The leaflets, signed by the and uphold the right to live free from cause of racial violence. Racial vio KKK, demanded that Vietnamese get violence, e.g. California's Unruh and lence is embedded into the founda o u t o f S a c r a m e n t o . B u t r a t h e r t h a n Ralph Civil Rights Acts. What be tion of the capitalist system which in being intimidated, several Vietnam comes apparent is not the lack of stitutes a system of national oppres ese went out and purchased guns — a laws but the lack of willingness on sion against Blacks, Asians, Chica- d e c l a r a t i o n o f t h e i r d e t e r m i n a t i o n the part of public officials to enforce nos. Latinos, and Native Americans. n o t t o b e d r i v e n o u t o f t h e i r h o m e s . these laws. The ideology of white supremacy T h i s a c t o f s e l f - d e f e n s e c o m b i n e d Similarly, the public schools fail to and national chauvinism is a weapon with an outpouring of support by take seriously the growing racial ten used by the capitalist class to keep Asian community groups, churches sions in schools. Ethnic studies in the working and poor people of various and public officials sent a clear mes high schools has either been cut back nationalities pitted against one sage that racist harassment would be or is non-existent. There are few pro another. Racist terror is aimed at condemned and repudiated. active programs developed to lessen keeping minorities weak and intimi Legal redress to racial violence is racial tensions. dated. But the history of the Civil a n o t h e r c o u r s e o f a c t i o n . T h e r e a r e Perhaps the most tragic cases of Rights Movement, the Black Libera n u m e r o u s l a w s i n t h e U . S . c i v i l a n d racial violence which have occurred tion Movement and all the Third criminal codes prohibiting racial vio i n v o l v e i n t e r - e t h n i c v i o l e n c e . Ta k e W o r l d m o v e m e n t s s h o w t h a t t h e r e i s l e n c e . S o m e o f t h e s e l a w s d a t e b a c k two economically disadvantaged mi no turning back from the demands of to the post-Civil War period and nority groups, place them inthesame justice, equality and political power. many other statutes were instituted neighborhood, make them compete For Asians, the fight takes on many after the massive protest generated for jobs, housing and public services, forms: for the right to unionization; by the Civil Rights Movement of the and you have a formula for racial ten for redress and reparations for Japa 1960's. s i o n . T h i s i s a s i t u a t i o n r e l i s h e d a n d nese Americans; for affirmative ac In the past20years, numerous law promoted by the ruling class. This tion; for ethnic studies; for the right suits have been filed to stop Klan ac competition combined with cultural to vote; for the right to bilingual bal t i v i t i e s a n d t o s e e k r e d r e s s f o r v i o l a misunderstandings and plain old rac lots; and soon. It is this movementfor tions of civil rights. In 1981, the Gal ist images that some Third World full democracy, that the racists and v e s t o n , Te x a s Vi e t n a m e s e F i s h e r people have of one another gener reactionaries and their ruling class m a n ' s A s s o c i a t i o n s u e d t h e K K K f o r a t e s h o s t i l i t i e s i n t h e s c h o o l s a n d i n backers truly fear. The movements of harassment. They won a federal in t h e c o m m u n i t i e s . C o n s c i o u s e f f o r t s Third World peoples for their full po junction which prohibited the Klan to build Third World unity can be the litical, economic, cultural and edu from burning crosses, and operating only solution to overcoming these cational rights when unified with the a paramilitary camp. Although this racial conflicts. movement of the multinational was an important ruling, it came too working class form a strategic al l a t e f o r o n e V i e t n a m e s e m a n w h o liance against the U.S. monopoly was murdered and for others who had All theously steps are mentioned positive and previ crucial capitalist system. Thus, as we edu their fishing boats burned. ones to remedy the immediate inci- cate people about the trend of racial violence and advocate specific re forms, we must educate people about national oppression and en courage supportforthe just demands of Third World peoples. All indications point towards the continuation and intensification of racial violence against Third World people. Under the Reagan administra tion, national chauvinism is openly encouraged. Rampant jingoism fueled by the invasion of Grenada and military intervention in Central Amer ica, plus increased national oppres sion at home, portend of even harder times ahead. The fight against racial violence will necessarily be bound up in a much larger struggle against the capitalist system. □

Eddie Wong is the editor of EAST The Klan inaugurating a new chapter in Sacramento in 1980 WIND.

FALL/WINTER 1983 7 Most recently there was a confer ence that was organized by a broad grouping of people who either were n e v e r i n v o l v e d o r a t l e a s t h a d n e v e r shown opposition to the government. T h e c o n f e r e n c e w a s h e l d a t t h e D i m a - salang House in the South of Market A People's Anger in San Francisco and attended by well over 200 people .... Previous to the assassination, the Filipino Senior Citizens Association had asked the (Philippine) Consul An Interview with Beth Resales General to come as a main speaker (at) their second year celebration. on the Aquino Assassination They not only disinvited him, but in vited an opposition leader to speak. So in that way, organizations are dis tancing themselves from the Consul General. I think it's an interesting and hopefully developing phenomenon in our community that the commu nity has acknowledged that the pres Beth Resales is a Pilipino American ence or the activities sponsored by who is a member of the Philippine the consulate are political, and that Education Support Committee. She they are representative of the h a s b e e n i n v o l v e d i n t h e a n t i - m a r t i a i government. law movement since 1973, when she w a s a s t u d e n t a t S a n F r a n c i s c o S t a t e EAST WIND: You originally became College. "Through taking (Pilipino) involved as a student. How do you studies," she said, "and through get s e e t h e r o l e o f s t u d e n t s i n t h e m o v e ting involved with the student organi ment today? zations, i started becoming aware of the situation in the Philippines and Beth Rosaies: What we've seen at also the situation of Filipinos here in least in the past few weeks is a re the U.S." sponse from the students. In fact, as EAST WIND Contributing Editor an offshoot of the conference that Masao Suzuki-Bonzo conducted this was held last September, a group of i n t e r v i e w i n O c t o b e r 1 9 8 3 . Filipino students in the Bay Area from San Francisco State, U.C. Berke ley, (and other schools) will be organ izing a (workshop) both to educate E A S T W I N D : W h a t w a s t h e r e a c t i o n t h e m s e l v e s a b o u t t h e s i t u a t i o n i n t h e in the Pilipino community when Philippines and to formulate some Aquino was shot? actions and some support as a par Beth Rosaies ticular part of the community. I think B e t h R e s a l e s : T h e n e w s c a m e a b o u t that's inspiring. I would say in the midnight Sunday morning here in past three or four years students have the U.S. For those of us who heard it b e e n l a b e l e d a s m o r e c o n s e r v a t i v e first, there was total shock. That night and not as community-oriented as some of the Philippine support *'There can be no those in the 60's. I think that the Fili groups and members of some of the pino students' actions belie that. Filipino organizations got together to reconciliation with a respond to this. There was a demon EAST WIND: Why were people in the s t r a t i o n o n M o n d a y t h a t a t t r a c t e d government that has community convinced that it was the about400 people, primarily Filipinos. Marcos government that had killed True to the culture and the religion been at war with its Aquino? of the Filipinos in general, there were many vigils held here in the Bay Area. own people, B e t h R o s a i e s : I t w a s n o t e x t r a o r d i A m e m o r i a l m a s s f o r t h e S e n a t o r w a s nary that Marcos would have Aquino attended by 700 Filipinos and their killed because of past atrocities of friends. his regime against the opposition.

8 E A S T W I N D T h o u s a n d s o f a c t i v i s t s h a v e b e e n government, but (also) to the U.S.'s the U.S. government have in the jailed, killed, sanctioned for express role in terms of supporting the repres Philippines? ing their opposition to this repressive sive government of Marcos. In the government. Workers disappear for past, with the Carter administration, Beth Resales: Well, a number of attempting to organize unions; at least there was some indication things. There are two major and stra priests and nuns working with the that there was some concern about tegic U.S. military bases located in the country. These bases have been poor and squatters have been har human rights in the Philippines. Al assed by the government, a couple though it may have been symbolic, it used as launching pads during the murdered by the military. So, you can was certainly documented. Whereas Viet Nam War. Newspapers have re see that the government has had a with the Reagan administration, ported that there are 20,000 troops at history of murdering and silencing there's been all-out embrace to the this time in Subic Bay being readied the opposition. Even an international point where Marcos was able to for any heightened military engage figure such as Aquino could not be come and visit the U.S. So this ment in Lebanon. tolerated by a government whose staunch support from the U.S. gov Clark Air Force Base and Subic weaknesses are being exposed day to ernment has emboldened the Marcos Naval Base are the two largest U.S. day. regime. military bases. The bases are basi But for some of us in the commu cally "springboards for intervention" nity, we not only point to the Marcos E A S T W I N D : W h a t i n t e r e s t s d o e s in the third world. There are nuclear

Commentary

Keeping The Flame Alive

the past ten years to keep the flame determine what party is "best" for Masao Suzuki-Bonzo of concern alive. the Philippines (of course, we will Those of us here in the U.S., both have our own opinions) but to unite longtime activists and individuals all who can be united to support the becoming involved for the first self-determination of the people of Whenatorformer BenignoPhilippine AquinoSen was time, must be prepared for a pro the Philippines — including the assassinated in Manila on August tracted struggle, even as we hope right to determine their own tactics 21, none of us here knew how events for change coming sooner. We must (violence/non-violence), form of would unfold. In the six weeks since be vigilant against the "change of government and ideology. then, millions of people have paid guards" that would replace Marcos Our support work for the Philip their last respects to Ninoy and with new dictator(s). The downfall pines liberation struggle should not demonstrated their anger at the of the Marcos regime must be fol be pitted against the day-to-day Marcos regime. Reagan was forced lowed by the establishment of a work in our communities for ade to cancel his trip to the Philippines, democratic and independent gov quate and accessible social services and the peso was devalued over ernment committed to social jus and education, against racist immi 20% as business doubts about Mar tice in the Philippines. gration laws, etc. Those of us work cos further undermined the Philip As the struggle intensifies in the ing on these issues should draw in pines' sagging economy. Philippines, more and more ques spiration from our sisters and These events have prompted the t i o n s a r e b o u n d t o a r i s e a s o u r brothers in the Philippines. Our sup largest show of protest in Pilipino media focuses on the threat of vio port for the total elimination of U.S. c o m m u n i t i e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e lence and the "danger of commun aid to Marcos is part and parcel of United States since Marcos de ism." It is important to put events in our general efforts to change the clared Martial Law in 1972. At the the context of Philippine reality and U.S. government's priority from s a m e t i m e , e ff o r t s o f c o m m u n i t y not judge them by our own opin funding dictatorships and a massive activists, like Beth Rosales, must not ions, whether for or against. war machine to meeting peoples' be forgotten. They have worked for Our task here is the U.S. is not to needs. n

FALL/WINTER 1983 9 weapons stored in Clark and Subic. by Marcos which was composed of groups, sectoral representatives These weapons place the Philippines judges and politicians loyal to the from the workers, students, church, as a target for a nuclear war between government. Also, people are calling businesses have called for Marcos to the superpowers. The social costs of for the reconsideration in Congress step down followed by a caretaker the bases are also dear to our people. of the $900 million military aid pack government until such time that Girls as young as eleven become age which is for the U.S. bases in the democratic elections can be held. p r o s t i t u t e s b e c a u s e o f t h e i r s u r Philippines. The people are calling for the return roundings and perpetual poverty of democratic processes in selecting that their families find themselves in. EAST WIND: Aquino was going back government representatives, unlike Drug trafficking and black market home in hopes of achieving national the Batasang Pambansa (National are brisk operations causing per reconciliation. Do you think that Assembly), handpicked by Marcos. meating corrupt and illicit lifestyles. there is any possibility of this? My concern is that Marcos may re Of course, there are other inter sign, but then his government might ests. The U.S. multinational corpora Beth Resales: There can be no recon be replaced by something similar, or tions have raped the Philippines. The ciliation with a government that has there could be a military junta which Marcos regime has welcomed the been at war with its own people. would be much more repressive and multinational corporations to the Aquino was only one of thousands of oppressive than the current govern Philippines. The Philippines is rich Filipinos murdered to squelch their ment. It would be basically a change with natural resources: copper min efforts toward a democratic govern of guards and the interests of the U.S. ing and huge pineapple plantations. ment. When you have a government would still be primary. The Filipino people have been a ma which allows interests of foreign na For us here in the U.S., we must jor source of cheap labor.... tions such as the United States, J apan strive to do our share in assisting our and Germany before the interests people's desire and courageous ac EAST WIND: What kind of demands and well-being of its people, then tions towards a democratic govern are being put out to the U.S. govern there can be no reconciliation. ment. We cannot just sit idly and ment from the community? allow the Reagan administration to EAST WIND: What do you think is go continue to staunchly support an un Beth Resales: There's a call for the for ing to happen? popular, illegitimate and oppressive mation of an international independ regime. □ ent commission, different from the Beth Resales: A broad coalition of commission that was put together the various parties, opposition

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10 EAST WIND Justice for Domingo & Viemes!

Gene Viernes Si I me Domingo

Specifically, the U.S. government won seats as the secretary-treasurer By Denise Imura sought to prevent any prosecution and chief dispatcher of the local. of the Philippine government be They initiated a regularized dis cause it is a"friendly foreign state," patch system to curtail the practice and then the U.S. tried to have the of bribery and job-selling; they entire case dismissed because of made it difficult for corrupt fore "national security considerations." men and officials who ran the gam On JulyJudge 14,1983, Donald U.S. Voorhees District Though former local president, bling operations to circumvent the ruled that the plaintiffs in the Tony Baruso, was fingered as the seniority rules. They also linked Domingo-Viernes $30 million civil person responsible for ordering the up the Pilipino struggle here with rights suit failed to provide evi " h i t s , " a n d s u b s t a n t i a l e v i d e n c e the liberation movement in the dence proving that the Republic of bears out this suspicion, he was not Philippines. the Philippines, or one of its agents, a r r e s t e d u n t i l m o n t h s a f t e r t h e k i l l Tony Baruso represented the op- w a s i n v o l v e d i n t h e 1 9 8 1 m u r d e r s o f ings. He was then released because posingclass interests — thoseof the Gene Viernes and Silme Domingo. o f " i n s u f fi c i e n t e v i d e n c e . " B u t r e a labor aristocracy and capitalists. His order stated that the plaintiffs son to suspect him is mounting: 1) He was more interested in keeping failed to allege that the Philippine Baruso owned the murder weapon; the Pilipino workers under his government, through its agents, had 2) witnesses testified that he prom thumb via racketeering, favoritism, committed "any tortuous acts in ised to pay $5,000 to the gunmen; 3) signing sweetheart contracts with t h e U . S . " ( M u r d e r, a s s a u l t , c o n during questioning, he took the the companies. He also maintained spiracy, etc.) Fifth Amendment 140 times; 4) a key close ties with the Marcos govern Viernes and Domingo were re witness against him was found mur ment. Six months after the murders, formers in the Alaska Cannery dered, and one of his killers fled to Baruso was honored by Marcos for Workers Union (ILWU Local 37) in the Philippines to escape prosecu "Outstanding Service to the Over Seattle. They also organized against tion. Baruso was later arraigned seas Filipino Community." the Marcos regime. Just before be on October 17, 1983, on federal Supporters of Viernes and Do ing slain, they had attended an In charges of embezzlement of union mingo maintain that Baruso was re t e r n a t i o n a l L o n g s h o r e m e n ' s c o n funds. tained by the Marcos government vention and had obtained the pas Baruso may have ordered the mur to execute the two men, and that sage of a resolution to send a labor d e r s b e c a u s e S i l m e a n d C e n e w e r e the U.S. has tried to shield the inves delegation to the Philippines. advocates of change and democ tigation and suppress any evidence T h e c o l d - b l o o d e d m u r d e r s o f racy within the union. They tried to incriminating to the U.S. or Philip these two organizers have angered resurrect the ACWU's principles of pine governments. the Pilipino community. The Com integrity and concern for the masses. In light of the court decision, the mittee for Justice for Domingo and (The ACWU was founded by Pilipino, supporters filed an amended com Viernes maintains that prosecution Chinese and J apanese cannery work plaint to allege the facts of U.S. of the instigators of the crime has ers who experienced insufferable involvement. □ been weak, and charges the U.S. and hardships in the industry.) As rank Philippine governments with com and file dissatisfaction with the D e n i s e I m u r a i s a n E A S T W I N D plicity in the murders and coverups. union's "old guard" mounted, they representative in San Francisco.

FALL/WINTER 1983 11 By Ken Mochizuki hind the piano, holding up his album d a y, " Ts u t a k a w a r e m e m b e r e d . between songs during nightclub en "Everybody was going crazy after we gagements. Deems Tsutakawa knows played, and then I decided, 'I want to h e h a s t o h u s t l e t h e r e c o r d h e do this.'" InistSeattle, DeemsWashington, Tsutakawa couldjazz pian be as produced. Tsutakawa continued studying at much of a household name as his At age five, while waiting for rides the University of Washington and lis father — internationally recognized to kindergarten. Deems Tsutakawa tened to jazz pianists like Ramsey sculptor George Tsutakawa. For the started playing on a neighbor's piano. Lewis, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett, past 14 years. Deems Tsutakawa has Realizing the interest, his mother Oscar Petersen, and Chick Corea. "I gigged in just about every local enter bought the piano and he studied clas collected their albums and studied tainment establishment. If there was sical music until age15. During junior them every day and listened to every live music at any Asian American high and high school, Tsutakawa got note they played and tried to repro c o m m u n i t y e v e n t . D e e m s w a s hooked on jazz and the Black soul duce what I could," he said. usually there, playing with local music that was popular during the Then Tsutakawa hit the road to be A s i a n A m e r i c a n m u s i c i a n s h e '60s. He formed his own group with come a professional musician. He rounded up at the time. Now, his own fellow classmates, composing ori vividly remembers one job: album, "Deems," is out. "No home is ginal material and playing school "I was playing at this club in Idaho complete without one of these," he lunches, assemblies, and dances. with an all white band. Some people has said and will say when seated be- "It hit me hard in an assembly one came in and started yelling, 'Get that

Jang is Coming!

Be on the lookout for Jon jang's new album, (using sheng and taiko drums on some "Are You Chinese or Charlie Chan," which will be selections), and Asian American soul. Featured released on RPM Records in 1984. The album is players include: Jon Jang, piano; Anthony Brown, dedicated to Vincent Chin, Mrs. Chin, and "all multiple percussion; Mark Izu, bassjsheng; Cash Asian brothers and sisters who are struggling to Killion, cello; Francis Wong, tenor saxophone; gether to create a better world for all people." Fred Wei-han Houn, baritone saxophone/horn ar The album includes "Are You Chinese or rangements; Randy Senzaki, alto saxophone; Charlie Chan/East Wind" written by Jon Jang as George Sams, trumpet/vocals; Woody Ichiyasu, well as two compositions, "Sheng Illusion" and vocals; Bob Matsueda, the bad "rapp;" Jose "Wazu's March," written by Mark Izu. Rounding Alarcon, Gary Tsujimoto, and Roy Hirabayashi, out the album are the standards, "Mood Indigo" taiko drums. and "You Don't Know What Love Is." The album promises to be a dynamic expression of Asian Check it out! Write to RPM Records, P.O. Box American jazz, fusing influences from the Afro- 42373, San Francisco, CA 94101 for more American jazz tradition, traditional Asian music information.

12 EAST WIND To convert the studio tapes into a record, Tsutakawa and his wife, Jeanie, perused a Los Angeles tele phone directory and contacted all the record manufacturing com panies, asking for a price list. They settled on Ward Record Manufac turers, who press the Concord Jazz label. The cost for 2,000 finished copies of the record album, "Deems," to taled $11,000, including studio time — an impressively inexpensive figure in the recording industry. So far, 1,500 copies have sold locally and in Hawaii and California, returning approximately $3,000. Sansei friends are employed in Los Angeles and San Francisco to market the album. A lot of records are given away to radio stations and for other promotional purposes. "You have to give a lot in this business," Tsutakawa remarked. B u t D e e m s Ts u t a k a w a i s c o n fi d e n t t h a t h i s a l b u m w i l l s e l l w e l l . H i s brand of accessible, easy jazz per Jap off stage! Send him back where "It's almost a myth," Tsutakawa formed by a racially mixed group of he came from!' There were too many said. "The Japanese look at white and artists is acquiring significant radio people to deal with, so I turned my Black jazz as the real jazz." airplay. amp up. I was getting paid to stay and "There's always been a lot of play." c o m m u n i t y s u p p o r t , " Ts u t a k a w a The management of that club re Informed1976, Kuniyuki their ownand recordTsutakawa label, said. "Lot of Sansei like to be cool; fused to remove the hecklers. "J-Town Sound," and cut two singles they might buy a cool car or buy cool Tsutakawa and the rest of the band at Seattle's Robert Lang Startrack clothes, and they like cool music, walked out. Studios: "Strolling Along" in 1977, too. Sansei culture is definitely Amer Between 1972 and 1976, Tsuta and "The Way" in 1978. Tsutakawa ican culture. I like to make the music kawa and drummer Y.K. Kuniyuki considered recording a third single, I like, and with this album, the Sansei tape recorded their gigs and re then realized he had accumulated musicians get to be themselves, and I hearsals, hopingtofind a record label enough of his own money from work get to be an artist and be what I aspire that featured Asian American artists. ing odd jobs during the day and gig towards. It's an image that's not "Me and Y.K. were in and out of so ging at night to produce his own al stereotypical. When I perform these many different bands," Tsutakawa bum. In 1980, Tsutakawa began work days, I draw a lot of whites and said, "and they were either all white on an album, acting as executive pro Blacks. Theyjustenjoy themusic. It's or all Black. You always had to go ducer. He recorded at Seattle's pres just a cool sound and that's the bot along and do their thing. No one was tigious Kaye/Smith Studios, where t o m l i n e . " really givin' us a chance to express the rate to utilize the facility was Tsutakawa added, "What I have to ourselves. over $100 per hour. After spending do now is move the product, sell — " T h e r a d i o d i c t a t e s w h o t h e s t a r s over two years recording, studio time have this album produce the next a r e , " Ts u t a k a w a c o n t i n u e d . " W e cost $6,000. o n e . I c a n ' t w a i t ; I h a v e t o n s o f were nightclubbin' for years, on the "Since I was the sole producer, it m a t e r i a l . " □ road, and we realized that we could took me two years to produce," kill ourselves nightclubbin' and not Tsutakawa said. "If I had all the Ken Mochizuki, is a former actor. get anywhere. That's why recording dough at my disposal, it would have He is currently living in Seattle and is a became really important to us." taken six weeks, or less. By the time I contributing writer for The Interna Local record producers and com finished recording the album in1983, t i o n a l E x a m i n e r . H e i s a m e m b e r o f panies were not interested in original there wasn't any excitement; it took the Seattle Taiko Group. Asian American jazz. Even the music me a while to regenerate the excite industry in Japan, which Kuniyuki ment I had in the beginning because I and Tsutakawa considered a promis had been working on it so long. I T h e a l b u m " D e e m s " i s a v a i l a b l e ing marketing prospect, did not con heard it so many times, but 1 knew it from l-Town Records, 8818 36th Ave. s i d e r t h e m " a u t h e n t i c . " was a good product." So., Seattle, Washington 98118.

FALL/WINTER 1983 13 POETRY

Rebirth of Wounded Knee

Once Black Elk, a thin reed Holy man The heavy guns shattered of the Oglala Sioux Tribe women and children R o a m e d t h e B l a c k H i l l s i n S o u t h D a k o t a The Wakan-Tanka spirit is more And spilled wild winter snow-tales than just grass bending in " o f a n o t h e r w o r l d . " The mind of a Lakota One day Black Elk painted his face red A handful of buffalo dung and charged the soldiers with has more spirit h i s s a c r e d b o w Bullets passed right by him Than a hundred thousand white men. like the wind. "A THUNDER BEING NATION I AM, I HAVE SAID A THUNDER BEING NATION I AM, I HAVE SAID L o v e s Wa r a n d I r o n Wa s i c h u w e r e a r o u n d t h e n YOU SHALL LIVE looking down from Pine Ridge — The gun fire was loud and clear YOU SHALL LIVE YOU SHALL LIVE The shooting below Pine Ridge YOU SHALL LIVE" carried thru the wind and echoed Red blood Lakota faces A t h o u s a n d w i n t e r b a t t l e s i n t h e r a i n mount your wild horses like wild spirits shooting across The vast plains. Charge with your sacred bows drive the white man out The Sacred burial ground lies south of your sacred ground. of Pine Ridge Come rescue your people A n d s t r e t c h e d f a r e a s t a n d w e s t . grab their hands W h e r e i s t h e W i c h s h a W a k a n Wrap their naked bodies with roaming around now? a t h o u s a n d s u m m e r b u f f a l o h i d e s Why is she not around Wounded Knee One hundred winters ago breaking the spirits loose? a W a k a n w o m a n L I S T E N T O T H E C R I E S O F W O U N D E D K N E E Appeared to two Lakotas L I S T E N T O T H E C R I E S O F W O U N D E D K N E E hunting for game around Wounded Knee. The Lakotas' eyes ran wild after the Wakan woman's body The beauty of the Wakan woman b e n d s a t h o u s a n d c e d a r t r e e s And is like a thunderbolt inside a Lakota's mind .. . Splitting open hidden mountain-red desires and rising like one-hundred foot waves Pushing up like jagged mountains — touching the heavens And flaming like a hundred volcanoes.

14 EAST WIND The Wakan woman turned one Lakota T h e a u t u m n b a t t l e a l o n e i s s a d into a sand bag of winter bones B i t t e r c o l d w i n t e r And the snakes swallowed him up — Frozen hands and feet of children even in the wind the bones did not rattle b r e a k i n t h e s n o w. The Wakan woman told the other pure flowing water mind Lakota — with fresh grass-rain tongue Spring battles bring nothing To carry the message to Hehlokecha Hajin. but hollow-splintered pain And what good is summer the burning red warriors swallowed when the grasses are plentiful the Wakan-Tanka spirit And the buffalo is gone and they were proud and strong A f u l l s t o m a c h i s w o r t h m o r e women sang a thousand songs Than dead grass. to the great spirit Storm over Pine Ridge then bundled their little ones a c r o s s t h e c r e e k t o W o u n d e d K n e e in buffalo skin Lakotas-Lakotas-Lakotas-Lakotas-Lakotas w a i t e d f o r t h e i r m e n to return from battle Lakotas-Lakotas-Lakotas-Lakotas-Lakotas so the feast can begin The spirit of Black Elk after the long battle grows strong in the warriors heart Let the northern geese circle round a spring mouthful of buffalo meat — Wounded Knee then swallow the full moon and cool the spring pain. the white man has sucked onto The Wakan-Tanka spirit lives mountain strong the sioux indians peace pipe in trees, grass, mountains, rivers & streams — too long O n c e t h i s w h i t e b u f f a l o c o w w o m a n too long carried the Sacred pipe to the Sioux now the white buffalo cow woman has blossomed I t i s s a i d ' t h a t t h e w h i t e b u f f a l o c o w w o m a n flowering from will appear again a steel gun barrel At the end of this "world." remembering — T H E S T O N E C O L D - 1 8 9 0 M A S S A C R E The Sacred pipe will bring back 300 dead OF WOUNDED KNEE S i o u x I n d i a n s Massacred in Wounded Knee LISTEN TO THE CRIES OF WOUNDED KNEE like a broken autumn kinoki branch The Ghost Dance will not be empty of falling on the wet grass crying winds red blood cries pulled Whirling inside a blazing Sioux's mind. down blue skies Laughing spirits will rise sioux-mohawk-navaho-hopi arrows and grow wild corn burnt the dark night pain And the buffalo will come to life. o n e h u n d r e d s e a s o n s o f b u f f a l o - s i l e n c e hidden underneath the white man's gun sharp apache winds echoed hunting memories buried deep buckskins flapped in a crying sacred grave Al Robles alcatraz tales pound like a giant rock drum the sound of a thousand whitetail deer.

FALL/WINTER 1983 15 were exciting. "What it (the Work studied acting, voice, movement and By Sun Hoong Ow and shop) accomplished was to establish stagecraft. Beth Shironaka a place for Asian American actors By 1976, the Workshop was pre a n d w r i t e r s w h i c h h a d n e v e r e x i s t e d senting four to six plays per season. before," said Jean Wong, an actress. Some of the plays included: Honey- "It was something new, and we tried bucket, a play by Mel Escuta about a different things like an all-women Filipino American Vietnam War vet version of Year of the Dragon," Wong eran; Lady is Dying by Lonny Kaneko WhenSanFrank FranciscoChin, a Stateteacher College,at added. "We tried to get everyone in and Amy Soles; And the Soul Shall wanted to produce his play Chicken- volved in the final presentation of the Dance by Wakako Yamaguchi. Pre coop Chinaman in 1973, he wasn't work." Chin's plays Chickencoop senting a regular season meant get able to find any Asian American ac Chinaman and Year of the Dragon ting many volunteers to usher, raise tors and actresses to be in his play. were produced by ACT in 1974 and money, do publicity, and run errands. The next thing he did was to advertise 1975. I t a l s o i n t e n s i fi e d d i f f e r e n c e s o v e r in the newspapers. Fie received many T h e i r e n t h u s i a s m a n d i n t e r e s t direction and operation of the group. responses from Asian Americans who sparked them to move out of ACT to In 1978, Frank Chin left the Asian were interested in theater, but most a s m a l l o f fi c e o n B u s h S t r e e t . H o w American Theater Workshop. He had did not have any experience in act ever, in order to put on plays, they his own ideas about what plays to ing. Frank then approached the needed a larger space. They found an produce. The group used that season A m e r i c a n C o n s e r v a t o r y T h e a t e r old storefront on 4535 California to restructure and formed an artistic (ACT), the major repertory theater in Street and after months of hard work committee to decide which scripts San Francisco, and got them to spon converted it into a 99-seat theater. would be selected and to determine s o r t h e A s i a n A m e r i c a n T h e a t e r The Theater Workshop continued who would be producer for each Workshop. Over 100 students ap t o o ff e r c l a s s e s i n t h e i r n e w l o c a t i o n . production. plied for the classes. Hundreds of students, manyofwhom In 1980, the group decided to The early days of the Workshop never participated in theater before. change their name to Asian American

16 EAST WIND Theater Company (AATC), which re Dennis Myers. "We're a community "We have kept the comm itment to do flected their desire to become a pro theater, yet we're seeking to be pro plays written by Asian Americans . . . fessional theater. The Company is a fessional. We want to pay actors, ac We also have a strong commitment stable group of actors, actresses, pro tresses and playwrights, which is a to train actors/actresses . . . We need d u c e r s a n d d i r e c t o r s w h i c h f o r m s t h e way to retain talented people and A s i a n A m e r i c a n a u d i e n c e s t o c o m e core of the theater. give them a chance to perfect their in to see the work, judge it and criti Throughout the personnel changes, craft. A lot of people here are from cize it," Myers concluded. the Company has tried to create and the Asian American community and In a time when all Asian American define Asian American theater. "The have that sense of community. They art and cultural groups are on shoe Theater Company will continue to feel it's important to serve the com string budgets, AATC is struggling perform exclusively Asian American munity. . . and theater is one way. If and looking forward to another 10 plays, (plays written, directed, pro we lose our sense of that, we would years of work. The Company recently duced and performed by Asian Amer be soulless as an organization." suffered a setback in September i c a n s ) . T h e s e p l a y s r e p r e s e n t a n One issue for the Company to con when the San Erancisco fire marshals Asian American experience," said sider is how to expand its scope. Most cited the Company for fire code vio Dennis Kinoshita Myers, AATC's Ex of the plays have reflected the experi lations. The AATC Board voted to re ecutive Director. The plays which ences of English-speaking, American- locate rather than incur the high ex have been produced are historical, born Asians. The works have pre penses necessary to bring the build social and political by nature. They dominantly reflected the Japanese ing up to code. While the Company show the American public that there American and Chinese American looks for a new permanent facility, is something distinctly Asian Ameri experiences. t h e c u r r e n t s e a s o n c o n t i n u e s w i t h a can besides the typical stereotypes The AATC is lookingfornewblood. reprise of Shiomi's Yellow Fever at a of the quiet, passive, harmless Asian Myers would like to see "more con temporary location. The spirit of characters portrayed in white theater sistent development of writers; now sacrifice, and dedication which are and films. it's hit and miss." "If you have better c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f t h e T h e a t e r w i l l writers," said Myers, "then a lot of serve it well in the years to come. □ other things will turn around in terms Oneplishmentsof the important of the Companyaccom is of opportunities for the artists." Sun Hoong Ow is a counselor with the production of original works by the Chinatown Youth Center. new playwrights. Among the Asian Beth Shironaka is a volunteer at the American plays premiered at AATC Broadlyof thespeaking, Asian Movement.AATC is Atpart the National Asian American Telecom are R.A. Shiomi's Yellow Fever, Genny outset of AATC, its initiators were m u n i c a t i o n s A s s o c i a t i o n . B o t h S u n Lim's Paper Angels, Philip Gotanda's fighting for more adequate represen Floong and Beth are members of the Song of a Nisei Fisherman and Dreams tation of Asian peoples in theater. S.F. Er/ends of EAST WIND. of Kitamura, Hiroshi Kashiwagi's Live Oak Store, and others. Many of these plays have since been produced by t h e t h r e e o t h e r A s i a n A m e r i c a n t h e a ters: New York's Pan Asian Repertory, Los Angeles' East West Players, and S e a t t l e ' s P a c i fi c N o r t h w e s t A s i a n American Theater Company. A l l t h e a c t o r s a n d a c t r e s s e s a t AATC are volunteers — most are pro fessional actors, who support them selves by doing other jobs. But their dedication and commitment have paid off. Among the AATC alumni are Marc Hayashi, co-star of Chan is Missing, who is now appearing in a television series and Lane Nishikawa, an actor/director who took his one- man show Life in the Fast Lane across the country with Sansei Productions. Several AATC productions such as R . A . S h i o m i ' s Ye l l o w F e v e r a n d D a v i d Efenry Hwang's F.O.B. have garnered critical acclaim. After ten years of work, the AATC is facing a number of questions. "AATC is in a 'funny position,'" says Scene from Frank Chin's Chickencoop Chinaman.

FALL/WINTER 1983 17 POETRY

On Being Asian-American

For Our Children Of course, not everyone can be an Asian-American. Distinctions are earned, and deserve dedication.

Thus, from time of birth, the journey awaits you — ventures through time, the turns of the earth. When you seem to arrive, the journey continues; when you seem to arrive, the journey continues. Take me as I am, you cry. 1, I, am an individual. Which certainly is true. Which generates an echo. Who are all your people assembled in celebration, with wisdom and strength, to which you are entitled.

For you are at the head of succeeding generations, as the rest of the world comes forward to greet you.

Lawson Fusao Inada June 9,1983

u

18 EAST WIND Asian American Students

themselves describing the struggles and prescribing di CollegePacked— intoa time four for or learning, five shortgrowth yearsand is thestruggle. stuff rections. Some of the major concerns on the minds of that shapes the future of each new generation of Asian Asian students today are wrestled with — we hear from students. College is like an intensive preparatory a leading activist in the student movement talk about course on life; hopes and aspirations are shaped, self- the current struggle on the campuses for educational identity is molded, political views are crystallized, and rights; four students give their viewpoints on choices commitments are forged. and implications for that biggest of questions — ca Abqve all, college is a time of struggle. There is the reers and commitment; Asian men and women talk classroom struggle — surviving through the next set of about relationships and interracial dating; student ac exams; the social struggle — in search of friendship in tivists give us the inside line on prominent Asian stu the jungle that is the University; finding one's self in the dent organizations on the campus scene today. historical struggle — learning of the history of oppres These articles cannot hope to paint a complete pic sion and resistance that is the story of Asians in Amer ture of the broad diversity among Asian students today. ica; coping with today's societal realities — searching But they can give us some sense of the climate on the for solutions to pervasive racism and injustice; and for campuses, as a reflection of developments in society each of us, tackling the many personal struggles in overall. And as Asian students come to establish their volved in mapping out our futures, solidifying our place in society and in the community, they can give us values, and making our commitments. some insight into the future of the Asian Movement In this issue's FOCUS section, we hear from students w h i c h t h e y i n h e r i t . □

Erich Nakano

A L o o k A t To d a y ' s A s i a n P a c i f i c s t u d e n t M o v e m e n t b y E n c h N a / c a n p 2 0 A s i a n P a c i fi c S t u d e n t U n i o n : I n t o t h e 8 0 ' s b y H o p e N a k a m u r a a n d P a u l L e e 2 2 P i l i p i n o S t u d e n t s S t a n d i n g S t r o n g b y P a t C a t o Z / c o 2 3 E C A S U : S t r e n g t h T h r o u g h C o l l e c t i v e A c t i o n b y L y n n Y o k o e 2 5 E C A S U I n M o v e m e n t b y L y c Z / a L o w e a n d M a e b e e 2 7 Fighting For Our Educational Rights: An Interview with Karen Umemoto 28 Special Feature: Career Choices/Life After College L a w y e r s , L a w S c h o o l a n d t h e C o m m u n i t y b y R o y N a k a n o 3 1 S t u d e n t s a n d R e v o l u t i o n b y M a r i l y n W u ' 3 3 S e r v i n g t h e C o m m u n i t y : A P r o fi l e o f K e n K o n g b y f d d / e Wo n g 3 6 S o Y o u W a n t T o B e A D o c t o r . . . b y F l o r e n c e H o u n 3 8 B e c o m i n g A W o r k e r . . . b y S a y o F u / Z o Z c a 4 0

O n S t r i k e ! S h u t I t D o w n ! b y A Z e x F Z / n g 4 2 T h e P o l i t i c s o f I n t e r r a c i a l D a t i n g b y T a Z / Z M Z y a g a w a 4 7

FALL/WINTER 1983 19 A Look At Toda/s Asian Pacific Student Movement

This has meant tightening the By Erich Nakano screws and closing the doors to edu ''The Asian Pacific c a t i o n T h i r d W o r l d s t u d e n t s h a d fought so hard to open during the student movement early 70's. Skyrocketing fees, cuts in Thes tcontemporary u d e n t m o v e mAsian e n t h aPacific s b e e n special admissions and other Third growing and developing in step with World programs, and an increasingly the changes that have occurred on today is part of the intense academic "weeding out" the campus and in society since the new generation con process are leading towards a virtual late 60's. Today, the economic crisis, exclusion of all but a handful of Reagan and the conservative tide of B l a c k a n d L a t i n o s t u d e n t s f r o m the 80's have brought the Asian Pa fronting the chal higher education. For Asians, these cific student movement face to face attacks have made it harder for work with many urgent challenges. lenges of the move ing class families to send their chil What is the Asian Pacific student dren to college. movement today? Alongside the to the right in The conservative political climate Asian Student Unions and Asian Pa throughout society has not left the cific Student Alliances born in the society," campuses untouched either. Some early 70's are growing numbers of na university administrators and faculty tionality organizations — Chinese don't even bother to come off as lib Student Associations (CSA), Korean erals. An elitist, often cutthroat aca Student Associations (KSA), Pilipino demic atmosphere is encouraged. student organizations, etc. Many of The word is: some will make it, and these groups reflect the particular some won't, so you had better make social and cultural needs of the rising s u r e " n u m b e r o n e " c o m e s fi r s t . immigrant populations which, on Themirrorssituation manyon the of campuses the contradic Right wing forces have been grow many campuses, comprise over 50% tions in society overall. The eco ing in strength on the campuses as of the Asian student populations. The nomic crisis and tightening job well as often organizing through the growing immigrant sector includes crunch are felt by everyone. The pres- rejuvenated fraternity system, stu Vietnamese, Cambodian, and other sure to make the grades is ever- dent governments, campus newspa Asian nationalities. present; the uncertainty of the future pers, and through publications like There are also countless career- is in the back of everyone's mind. the Dartmouth Review,a conserva related organizations and service This high pressure climate is ulti tive journal. groups including pre-med, engineer mately rooted in the fundamental Finally, we find on the campuses ing, and pre-law Asian student clubs. changes taking place in education to the rise of more blatant racism. In The level of inter-campus organ day. The concept of a "liberal edu deed, this too starts with the changes ization has grown as well. Broad net cation" — learning about and crit in the educational system itself — works of Asian student organizations ically examining the society and the with the racist nature of the attacks like the East Coast Asian Student world — has been all but thrown out on Third World programs like Ethnic Union, a network in the Midwest, and of the window. In education today, Studies, with the exclusion of Third the Asian Pacific Student Union on anything that doesn't specifically World students from education. the West Coast help to amplify and meet corporate high-tech skill, re R a c i s m t o w a r d s A s i a n s i s o f t e n a unify the voice of Asian students. search and managerial needs, or that double-edged sword. On one hand, Also growing are networks and ties doesn't help to crank up the U.S. mili we find "success story" and "model among the CSA's, the KSA's and Pili tary machine is seen as a "luxury." minority" mythology rampant in the pino student organizations. Emphasis is on the sciences, engi classrooms and the campuses, gloss The diversity and the myriad of ac neering and "computer literacy" ing over the actual oppression and tivities give the Asian Pacific student with the social sciences generally worsening conditions of the masses movement its vitality and strength. taking more and more of a back seat. of Asian people.

20 EAST WIND But alongside the "model minor key role in community struggles dat unionization and other labor strug ity" stereotyping is the rise of more ing back to the anti-Viet Nam War gles, the fight against the Simpson- straight-up anti-Asian racism. Out of movement, in fighting for decent Mazzoli Bill andforimmigrant rights, university think tanks and intellec housing and needed social services, a n d i n t h e n u c l e a r d i s a r m a m e n t t u a l c i r c l e s h a v e c o m e m u c h o f t h e and in supporting labor struggles movement and support for the hiba- anti-immigrant, anti-Japanese import among many other things. By joining kusha (Japanese American A-Bomb furor being whipped up in society to community organizations and coali survivors), just to name a few. day. Countless examples of racist in tions, students can truly integrate Today, students are in the midst of c i d e n t s d i r e c t e d a t A s i a n a n d T h i r d themselves, and draw inspiration a movement, galvanizing various World people can be found on cam from the lives, struggles and aspira Asian nationalities together to chal puses today — whether in the form of tions of the masses of Asian people. lenge rising anti-Asian racism in its r a c i s t " h u m o r " o f t h e D a r t m o u t h We realize that not everyone has the ugliest form: racist violence. The Review variety in campus news opportunity to go to college, that the cases of Vincent Chin in Detroit, papers, harassment of Asian activ majority of Asians are working peo Thong My Huynh in Davis and other ities, or physical harassment like the ple, and we can reject the elitism we similar violent incidents bring home beating of four Chicanos by racist are fed in college — that somehow, a a clear message to Asian students: no fraternity members at Berkeley last degree and professional career make m a t t e r w h a t e d u c a t i o n a l o r e c o year. All of this adds up to increasing u s " b e t t e r " t h a n t h e " o r d i n a r y nomic gains individuals can achieve, tension and alienation on the cam worker." We get an education you Asian people still don't have equality puses today. c a n ' t fi n d i n a n y c l a s s r o o m . U l t i and still don't have true political mately, community involvement calls power. upon students to make a long-term On the campuses themselves, ThisA sis i a the n s t settingu d e n t a within c t i v i s mwhich t a k e s commitment to the struggle. Asian student organizations face the placetoday. Itiswhatmakesthemul- In recent years, students have critical challenge of confronting the t i t u d e o f a c t i v i t i e s o f A s i a n s t u d e n t helped provide needed social serv attacks upon the educational rights organizations so critical. ices. They participated in the now- of Third World and working class stu At a very basic level, Asian student victorious struggle to free Choi Soo dents. Fifteen years ago, Asian stu organizations bring students to Lee, the movement for redress and dents fought alongside other Third gether to address common concerns. reparations for Japanese Americans, World and progressive students dur They provide a vehicle, away from ing the Third World Strikes to open the intense cutthroat atmosphere of the doors to education. Today, Asian t h e c l a s s r o o m t o m e e t o t h e r A s i a n s students play an active role in the stu and develop friendships. dent movement's struggle to defend Affirming an essential sense of those early gains. identity and taking pride in being Asian — this is what all the social ac tivities, cultural programs held dur ThementAsian todayPacific is allstudent these move things. It ing Asian Pacific Heritage Week, and is ultimately part of a broader picture educational programs on Asian — part of the student movement on American history and community are the campuses; part of the new gen all about. It's the fuel keeping the eration of the Asian national move movement running. Today's genera ments — confronting the challenges t i o n o f A s i a n s t u d e n t s i s u n f a m i l i a r of the move to the right in society with the struggles of the 60's and 70's. overall, Reaganomics, and deepen They have been denied any formal ing class and national stratifications. education about their history, and The movement provides a vehicle are often from non-Asian neighbor to act — to take a stand, to work to hoods and are shut off from struggles gether to fight racist violence or at w i t h i n t h e c o m m u n i t i e s . S t u d e n t s a r e tacks on educational rights. Through bombarded daily with pressures to this process of learning and acting, assimilate and are alienated by rising c o m m i t m e n t i s b u i l t a n d s o l i d i f i e d — racism. Understanding history and a commitment that will carry Asian building identity and pride are pre students today beyond their college requisites for collective action and years as it has for past generations of struggle. Asian students in the struggle for a Community involvement is a ma more just society. □ jor component of the Asian Pacific s t u d e n t m o v e m e n t . S t u d e n t s a r e a Erich Nakano is a senior majoring in part of the overall struggle of Asian Political Science at the University of people for full equality and political California, Berkeley, and is a member power, and have historically played a San Francisco State University, 1983 of the ASU.

FALL/WINTER 1983 21 Asian Pacific Student Union

Into the 80's

period. By Hope Nakamura APSU itself was founded in 1978, and Paul Lee Newabout students the purpose often ask of us the out of a period when the issue of the "My own involvement in the Asian Asian Pacific Student Union (APSU). day was the Bakke Decision — which student movement was based on my Our usual reply is that we are a com threatened affirmative action, spe desire to find out what being Sansei munications network made up of cial admissions, and many of the meant Being involved in APSU not over 20 Asian Pacific student groups gains students had won in the 60's. only helped me learn about my peo in California. APSU promotes the Thousands of students, joining with ple, it also gave me a clearer purpose sharing of ideas, resources and expe T h i r d W o r l d c o m m u n i t i e s w e r e o r for my education. I now see myself as riences so we can support and learn ganizing between campuses, across partof the Asian Pacific communities f r o m e a c h o t h e r ' s a c t i v i t i e s a n d the state, and across the country and the struggle for equality that all struggles. against the Bakke Decision. Out of Third World people are involved We t r a c e A P S U ' s r o o t s b a c k t o t h e t h e e x c i t e m e n t a n d t i e s t h a t d e v e l with.'" turbulent 60's and early 70's. It is not oped between Asian student groups — Hope Nakamura easy for young people like ourselves came the birth of APSU. to remember or understand that pe Since then, we've come a long way. "/ immigrated from Hong Kong eight riod. It was a time when Asian Pacific APSU has put on major annual con years ago. Within the short time I got students joined other Third World ferences drawing hundreds of Asian involved in APSU, I learned the strug students nationwide demanding ac students together to discuss and act gles I went through as an 'F.O.B.' are cess to higher education, rather than upon important issues and interests. struggles shared by other Asian stu a c c e s s t o t h e f r o n t l i n e s o f t h e V i e t In the regionals — Southern Cal, Sac dents. Seeing and talking to these stu Nam War. Students brought the ramento, Bay Area, South Bay — a dents helped me to realize that Ameri growing awareness of our people's wide range of social, cultural and ed can-born Asians share those struggles. ongoing struggle for equal ity and jus u c a t i o n a l a c t i v i t i e s h a v e i n v o l v e d APSU can help us develop our com t i c e f r o m c o m m u n i t i e s o n t o t h e c a m many more. Community activism has mon Asian identity and the role we puses to form Asian student organi been a big part of APSU all along. play in society." zations. Much of what APSU stands We've found strength in numbers, — P a u l L e e for today is a legacy from that early whether in brainstorming on activities

22 EAST WIND or figuring out problems, calling out tween the East Coast Asian Student strengthened APSU's commitmentto racism in a school newspaper, sup U n i o n a n d A P S U s h o w u s t h e m o v e build up this united front. porting issues I ike Choi SooLeeorthe m e n t i s n o t i n C a l i f o r n i a a l o n e . T u i A P S I J s t a r t s o f f a s a n a d v e n t u r e fight for Japanese American redress tion increases and the dismantling of through the Asian American experi and reparations. Ethnic Studies, for example, are part ence. In the process of trying to un We've learned that even with the of the inequities that all Asian stu derstand ourselves better, we learn diversity in the interests and priori dents face. In fact, they are part of that many struggles must be waged ties of our various member organiza the inequities all our people face, in among ourselves and within society. tions, we have a solid basis of unity. the communities and on campus. And as we struggle, our commitment Concerns around building our iden grows. tity, our education, building pride in APSU is a tool we can use to fight our culture, and promoting equality Currently,ing we're need toseeing work a withpress other the inequities our people face. With for our people are shared among us progressive student groups in build the unity we build in APSU, we know all. Sharing different ideas and ex ing a united front in the student we can make change to better our periences have helped many of us to movement against attacks on our condition. □ build better student organizations. educational rights. We formed an I n the process of working together, educational rights task force out of w e h a v e a l l c o m e t o a f fi r m a n d r e a f last Eebruary's APSU Conference to Hope Nakamura was a 7 982-83 Co firm the importance of an ongoing investigate the issues. We've partici ordinating Committee member. She n e t w o r k l i k e A P S U t h a t c a n u n i t e a n d pated in the formation of STERN graduated from Stanford and is now build a strong Asian student move (Statewide Educational Rights Net attending UCLA Law School. ment. It has helped us understand work). Learning from the struggles of Paul Lee is currently a Coordinating that struggles on our individual cam Chicano students in MEChA, and un C o m m i t t e e m e m b e r . H e i s a s e n i o r puses are struggles Asian students derstanding the concerns of various majoring in industrial technology at face statewide. Communications be- progressive student groups have San Jose State.

Pi I ipi no Students Standing Strong

Is it true that we are politically amor By Pat Catolico phous? If we "chance" to address politics, are we shunned for being too radical? Successfully unraveling the social/political knot will not be cred ited to rash and random pulling, bind TheEAST publishing WIND coincidesof this issue with of the ing solutions to our predicament is beginning of another school year. not necessarily resigning ourselves to We've got quite a juggling act ahead doing only either social or political of us. As we gear up for another round (we have the potential to do both), of academia, we are also gearing up nor is it suggesting that we need to be for our Filipino Student Organiza social first and then political (we can tions (PSO's). be both within a given period of The stereotype has it that we are time), but more importantly asking mainly socially oriented, and we are the question; What does it mean (for pretty keen at organizing social and our PSO's) to address the needs of cultural events (cultural nights, Filipino students? What is the role/ dances, lumpia salesj, but doesn't it purpose of our PSO's? bother us to think that that's all we Let's start at a common reference are good at or even capable of doing? point — we are more or less familiar On the other hand, what polarizes us? with the fact that Cultural Night is Pat Catolico

f a l l / w i n t e r 1 9 8 3 2 3 "the event" (of the year) on our agen firmative action, then who is next — das, and unmistakably so. In many Chicano, Black and/or Native Amer respects, Cultural Night represents i c a n s t u d e n t s ? A f fi r m a t i v e a c t i o n i s a the unifying theme of our existence. campus-wide issue; we need to build Yet, it is only one aspect of our work. multinational unity and look to our We need forums for not only tradi MEChA's, ASU's and other Third tional, artistic, culinary, and popular World and progressive student organ expression, but also for dealing with izations for support. the issues that impact and shape our The issue is bringing us together daily lives (what's happening in our not only at our own campuses, but Filipino communities, what's hap regionally as well. At the last Asian pening to our education, what's hap Facific Student Union (AFSU) State pening in the Philippines?). Address wide Conference at SF State in Feb ing issues and politics is a necessary ruary, at least one quarter of those aspect of our work within PSO's. students attending were Filipino. Within the last year, the struggle This reflects a significant increase for educational rights has been a ma and interest in our participation in jor campaign for the vast majority of AFSU, and the potential for support students — fee hikes, budget cuts, and motion around the AA issue is imposition of first-time tuitions are already affirming its impact. UCSD hitting us left and right. Filipino stu Samahang Filipino staged a militant dents have been waging their share of rally and march just weeks after the the battle also. In the Fall of 1982, the AFSU Conference. U.C. Davis Mga University of California (U.C.) system Kapatid immediately drafted a sup decided to no longer recognize Fili -jT ^ port statement following word of pino students as being eligible for U.C. Berkeley, 1983 the UCB FAA rally. SF State FACE admission under affirmative action (Fhilippine-American Collegiate En on the assertion that we had reached deavor) has taken a stand also. Yet al parity, i.e., that we were adequately in the decision making process, and though the issue is particular to Fili represented at U.C. Members of the demanding our reinstatement on af pino students, it is one that concerns Filipino American Alliance(FAA), the firmative action. Tick, tock, tick, tock all Asian students. The affirmative Filipino student organization at U.C. ... no response from the Administra action issue for Filipino students re Berkeley, were numbed by the cold tion. Did they care? ceived overwhelming support at the and indifferent informality by which Figuring out a strategy and tactics AFSU Conference because it is a key the decision was "passed on" to us — prompted another round of struggle issue we can unite on in refuting and via a front page article in the student and debate. We decided that staging challenging the increasing media newspaper. We were the group who a protest and rally would be the most stereotyping of Asians as having would be directly affected by the e f f e c t i v e m e a n s t o a r t i c u l a t e o u r made it, as being the "model minor decision and we had not even been concerns and demands. The ques ity." We need to challenge the claim consulted!! tions poured out: Would people that Asians are overrepresented in in show? (they sure did — where did all stitutions of higher learning. those Filipino students come from?) Finally, we can effect change — Raisingmembershipthe issue to broughtour general many Were we being too militant? (no) our efforts finally moved the U.C. Ad questions: Why do we need affirma Would we pull it off? If it was not the ministration to reinstate Filipino stu tive action? What is the University most spirited display of U.C. Berkeley d e n t s o n a f fi r m a t i v e a c t i o n f o r o n e implying by dropping Filipino stu Filipino student unity in years, then more year. The reinstatement was a dents from affirmative action? Some maybe we were sleeping — but I clear victory, but not an end in itself. claimed that we no longer needed it; know we weren't sleeping! The rally W h a t d o e s t h e f u t u r e h o l d f o r a f fi r m that we were "qualified" students highlighted countless lessons for us: ative action? What other issues will already. Discussion and debate con Firstly, that taking action fundamen come up? As Fi|ipino students, we tinued, and finally we united on tak tally dispelled the many stereotypes need to be able to look at the broader ing a stand. Affirmative action was of Filipino students; we proved that picture and see ourselves as part of it. necessary to redress the historic ex we are not passive, apathetic, and in O u r r o l e s a n d c o n t r i b u t i o n s a r e d i s clusion of Filipinos from higher edu different to what is going on around tinct, yet varied. We need to stand cation. Furthermore, our upcoming us. Taking a stand, articulating our s t r o n g . We a r e o n l y b e g i n n i n g t o generation of Filipino brothers and concerns and demands was the right makewaves. □ sisters had every right to access thing to do; being political can unite P a t r i c i a C a t o l i c o i s a s t u d e n t a t higher education. An ad hoc commit us, can be a valid aspect of our work, U.C. Berkeley majoring in Nutrition tee emerged and immediately drafted and can be fun, too! a n d F o o d S c i e n c e . S h e i s t h e e d u c a an open letter to the Administration, Secondly, we are not alone! If Fili tional officer of the Filipino American citing U.C.'s failure to solicit our input pino students are dropped from af Alliance.

24 EAST WIND sored events on their campuses throughout the East Coast every No vember. Opposition to the infamous Bakke decision's "reverse discrimi nation" cry, where affirmative action and special admissions for minorities ECASU: were labeled as discriminatory against whites, became a focal point of the clubs and therefore, of ECASU. Strength Through The campaign to save C.C.N.Y.'s Asian American Studies Dept. — the only one remaining on the entire East Collective Action Coast — received letters of support and hundreds of petitions from as far away as Oberlin, Ohio. Huge dances and cultural events introduced a new t h e " r e v e r s e d i s c r i m i n a t i o n " r a t i o n era of fundraising and "Asians get By Lynn Yokoe ale for attacks on Third World peo ting together." Conferences of over ple. The conservative trend in society 200 people gave the movement a was seeing its impact on the cam sense of its own significance and puses. On the East Coast, the Inter- breadth. We couldCoast say Asian that Student the East Union Collegiate Liaison Committee (ICLC) At last year's Mid-Atlantic confer (ECASU) began in 1978, but that formed in reaction to the Bakke issue ence, many remarks reflected why wouldn't be historically accurate. to bring together Asian students and scores of organizations join ECASU: We cou Id trace its origins to the Asian insure the continuation of minority "I've never seen so many Asians all nationality clubs of the 30's and 40's programs. Out of this motion came together in my life." "I never realized but that would take too long. It t h e 1 9 7 8 U n i t y c o n f e r e n c e a t we could have such an impact on col makes more sense to examine ECASU Princeton University where ECASU lege admissions policies. I always as an outgrowth of the Asian student was founded with regions in the Mid- thought — we're only students, what movement of the late 60's and early Atlantic and New England areas. The can we do?" Our "Asian Students In 70's. founding of ECASU was followed by Action" conference urged new stu The now-legendary 60's coined the development of the Asian Pacific dents to become active in their clubs and popularized slogans like "Asian Student Union (APSU) on the West and in their communities. It stressed Unity" and "yellow power." Inspired Coast and the Mid West Asian Pacific the need to train ourselves as leader by the Black liberation movement, American Student Association Net ship, define our own destinies, and the Asian peoples' movements grew, work (MAPASAN). These networks continue to contribute to our move reaching across nationality lines and heightened the consciousness of the ment. The conference was particu into communities, workplaces and Asian student movement, raised the larly significant in reaffirming the campuses. New Asian student organi level of organization, and set a strong goals and direction of ECASU: it was zations emerged out of the struggle b a s i s f o r c o l l e c t i v e a c t i o n . the Mid-Atlantic's first since a spl it in for Asian representation on the col 1978. lege campuses. They forged the way I n the falI of 1978, the Mid-Atlantic for Asian Studies — the right to learn Withthe studentsbirth of sawECASU, that theirAsian cam region of ECASU separated from about our people's history and con pus clubs were part of a broader and New England, and by the following tributions. These new groups gave an larger motion. ECASU allowed activ spring, ceased functioning. These organizational form for the Asian stu ists and memberships to communi events were initiated by a small dent movement to continue and cate through newsletters and jour group of individuals in the Mid- grow. By combining political activ nals. Through East Coast-wide meet Atlantic who failed to work towards ism with services, educational pro ings, they exchanged lessons and unity in the face of different opinions on how to build the network. Instead grams, social and cultural events, campus and community resources, of trying to resolve the questions in they involved students from diverse and deepened their analysis and an open and principled manner, they backgrounds and with all kinds of in strategy for tackling the problems terests. Inter-campus activities were facing Asian students. Cultural pride, launched personal attacks on two part of the picture from the begin combatting isolation for the distant representatives with whom they dis ning but these activities were clubs, equal access to the campus for agreed. Innuendo, suspicion and dis trust predom inated. For example, one sporadic and limited. Asians, community awareness and The late 70's drew the campus or support, unity with Third World and rep was publicly browbeaten for try ganizations together as activists other progressive struggles are both ing to "sabotage the newsletter" when l o o k e d f o r a n s w e r s t o i n c r e a s e d c u t our past and current themes. his article was two days late. Two en backs on minority programs, the ECASU coordinated Asian History tire organizations were locked out of the meeting which decided to kick out dropping Asian admissions rate, and Month as Asian student groups spon

FALL/WINTER 1983 25 those clubs' elected ECASU reps. Con fused and demoralized, students dropped out and the destruction of ECASU's Mid-Atlantic region was complete. After a two-year void, the Mid- Atlantic regrouped in 1980 and today has a functioning network. The de s t r u c t i o n o f t h e M i d - A t l a n t i c d e m o n strates the importance of mutual respect and the open airing of views as we work together towards our goals. We must keep in mind the fun damental purpose of the ECASU: to unify Asian students so that our col lective strength will effect change. T h e C o l u m b i a C o n f e r e n c e w a s t h e culmination of years of rebuilding and brought together over 250 enthu siastic people from 27 Asian and Asian nationality campus organizations. Its great success reaffirmed the impor tance of ECASU. It represented the maturity and heightened sophistica tion of the Asian student movement on the East Coast and the strength of 1982 ECASU Mid-Atlantic conference at Columbia. the individual organizations.

Through the network, the stronger nual Asian College Days in Boston Ourvarious student ways groups to bringstrive in to and larger clubs have provided inval and New York Chinatown, targeting gether, raise the consciousness, and uable assistance and support for the inner-city, economically disadvan unite the Asians on campuses. Erom n e w a n d s m a l l e r c l u b s . taged Chinese and other Asian youth. t h e c i t i e s t o t h e m i d d l e o f m o u n t a i n s Through ECASU we have been Student organizations and/or Asian with sporadic access to the few Asian able to contribute to making change recruitment committees set up communities on the East Coast, the in our communities through the force booths and jointly present bilingual clubs are often the only places to go o f o u r c o l l e c t i v e a c t i o n . We h a v e workshops on financial aid and appli f o r e d u c a t i o n a b o u t A s i a n A m e r i c a n come out in numbers to protest racist cation/interview pointers. In this history, psychological reinforce films like Charlie Chan. We've voiced way, ECASU has been able to rein ment, advocacy, advice and support, our concerns in community board force, complement, and maximize or even a little Asian food. They intro meetings for better housing condi the individual efforts of the campus duce Asian identity, community t i o n s i n C h i n a t o w n a n d t h e e v e r clubs. Regional surveys, rap sessions, awareness, Asian American singers, threatening city plan of gentrifica- strategy-sharing, and an East Coast- musicians, writers and speakers to tion. We submitted testimony and wide Task Force help develop an unfamiliar ears. At Penn, Yale, U. spoke at the Commission hearings on overview of the issue, previously im Mass-Boston, and other schools, we Redress and Reparations in New possible for any single organization. tutor and learn from the experiences York. Annually, the Mid-Atlantic par This spring opens yet another of newly arrived Asian immigrants. ticipates in the Asian Pacific Her chapter: the ECASU, MA and ECASU, We become aware of and give sup itage Day Fair; the New England,in NE will jointly sponsor an East Coast port to Black, Latino, and Native the Dragon Boat Festival. On the c o n f e r e n c e f o r t h e fi r s t t i m e i n f o u r American struggles through the Third campuses we have lent support to years. Linking up the two regions Wo r l d C e n t e r s l i k e t h o s e a t P r i n c e t o n countless other concerns: justice for again will open even more possibili and Brown. Choi Soo Lee and Vincent Chin, and ties for growth and expansion. The Drawing on this collective strength in the process deepened our under strength and breadth of the Asian and experience of the memberorgan- standing of what it means to be Asian S t u d e n t m o v e m e n t i s i n d e e d o n t h e izations, ECASU, Mid-Atlantic (MA) in America. Upon graduation, most move. The future is bright; the future and ECASU, New England (NE) have of us help make up the moving, pro i s o u r s . □ flourished and grown. We have held g r e s s i v e f o r c e i n C h i n a t o w n s a n d s u c c e s s f u l A s i a n C o f f e e h o u s e s a n d other community groups — utilizing Asian Spring Festivals, featuring per our skills and professions to better Lynn Vokoe is a student at C.C.N.Y. formers and drawing audiences from the lives of our people. She is on the Executive Committee of the different campus organizations. We are planning for the Sixth An the ECASUIMA.

26 EAST WIND i s s u e s . T h i s m u c h - n e e d e d m a n u a l oped between member organiza By Lydia Lowe will bare the story of declining admis tions through activities such as the s i o n r a t e s a n d a n t i - A s i a n b i a s e s t o o Asian Spring Festival. The individual long glossed over by the "model mi m e m b e r s i n E C A S U h a v e a l s o b e e n nority" image. (For a sneak preview, strengthened. In the upcoming year, Wepacked per rentedsix or carseven andbodies drove see "Admissions: Impossible" in we will continue to work along these west on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Bridge, Vol. 8, No. 3.) lines and in addition to that, there are The leaves were still green along Asian American Spirit, a collection still questions that we need to ad the Pike. We talked about courses of original graphics and writings from d r e s s e v e n m o r e . and homework, fall plans for the ECASU's member campuses, is in its Here on the East Coast the student Asian clubs, dorm food, the global second year of publication. make-up is very diverse. There are situation, inter-campus gossip and re Our Spring1984 conference will be many immigrants as well as Asian development in Boston Chinatown. held at Brown University in Provi Americans. The City University of Somewhere around Chicopee, a dence, Rhode Island, this March. New York and the State University of freshperson from Harvard remarked, Jointly sponsored by the Mid- New York are two of the largest net " I ' v e n e v e r s e e n a C h i n a t o w n . W h a t Atlantic and New England ECASUs, works of public schools in this coun are they like?" the conference will merge the two try. There are thousands of Asian stu It was the f al I semester's first meet regions into a functioning East Coast- d e n t s w h o a t t e n d t h e s e s c h o o l s . I n ing of the East Coast Asian Student wide network, separated since 1978. c r e a s e d t u i t i o n a n d c u t b a c k s i n fi Union/New England . . . Scheduled events include workshops nancial aid and bilingual education Founded in 1978, the East Coast and speakers on admissions and an make it more important than ever for Asian Student Union/New England expertly Dj'ed party. ECASU to try even harder in encour (ECASU/NE) is a network of Asian stu With a lot of new blood and a aging immigrant and working class dent organizations from about 15 strong constitution, it looks like a students to become active in their campuses in the central New England g o o d y e a r f o r E C A S U . □ Asian student organization and in states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, ECASU. Through learning from the Massachusetts and New Hampshire. d i f f e r e n c e s w e c a n c o n t i n u e t o a d We work to strengthen the Asian stu d r e s s a n d m e e t t h e n e e d s o f t h e dent movement by strengthening the Lydia Lowe is a student at UMass- students. There is a greater need to campus clubs as social, cultural, po Boston and active in the East Coast unite immigrant and American born litical and educational outlets. Asian Student Union/New England. students, students from private Interest in ECASU might just as schools and public schools. There is often grow from personal curiosity as also a need to draw in more groups f r o m c o l l e c t i v e o u t r e a c h . B u t f o r l i k e t h e C h i n e s e S t u d e n t s A s s o c i a suburbanites and townies alike, "get t i o n a n d K o r e a n S t u d e n t s A s s o c i a ting involved" is a learning process t i o n a s w e l l a s t h e A s i a n A m e r i c a n By Mae Lee — bringing us together, organizing Student Associations. for action, involving us in the lives For ECASU this will mean organiz and struggles of our peoples. ing events and programs that will This academic year, ECASU is enable all students to work together. coordinating efforts to increase TheECASU,ECASU, NewMid-Atlantic Englandand are the now We will need to find out the interests Asian admissions to the university. in the middle of organizing their first and goals of immigrant students and Our fall semester Asian College Day joint conference which will take students from the city and state complemented the recruitment work place March, 1984. The conference schools. Through workshops, group of individual campus groups and will link up the two regions and pro discussions and talks on a one-to-one helped Boston's youth examine alter mote even greater unity among the basis, we want to be able to bring out n a t i v e s f o r t h e i r f u t u r e s . T h e w e e k different sectors of students on the these different ideas and to be able to end included a workshop for college East Coast. The past three years have u n d e r s t a n d e a c h o t h e r b e t t e r . □ students on the history and status of been very exciting and busy ones for Asian admissions, reminding us why the ECASU Mid-Atlantic. We have we've held College Day every fall for concentrated our efforts on attract six years. Throughout the year, an Ad- ing as many students as possible from Mae Lee is a graduate student in missions Task Force will compile and many different schools. Engineering at City College of New publish the statistics from the cam We have also worked very hard to York and on the steering committee of puses in an East Coast analysis of the strengthen the ties that have devel the ECASU, Mid-Atlantic.

FALL/WINTER 1983 27 Fighting For Our Educational Rights Interview with Karen Umemoto, Asian student activist

EAST WIND: How did you become in economic, social, or political condi San Francisco State looked into what volved in the Asian student move t i o n s w e l i v e u n d e r. was happening and got involved. We ment and in the educational rights A couple of years ago, another felt that as students we should take campaign? wave of cuts started coming down on up the educational rights issue and education to the point that today, take it up as part of our struggle for Karen Umemoto: I grew up thinking education is considered one of the democratic rights, full equality and that Asians have made it and that I biggest statewide issues in California. political power and to improve the should join them. In Cardena, Cali For Asian people, this was really im lives of the majority of our people. fornia, which has the largest concen portant because we always fought tration of j apanese Americans on the hard and worked hard to get an edu EAST WIND: How are educational cation. Not only the right to go to mainland, the mayor, city council- policies affecting Asian students? men, many small business owners, my high school counselor, and even Karen Umemoto: I think it's affecting our state senator were all Japanese us in a number of ways: fee increases Americans . . . what more could we are changing the class composition ask? .... At least that's what they "With ethnic of students and we're seeing more ex w a n t u s t o t h i n k . clusively middle class and upper I heard about evictions happening studies teaching us middle class Asian students in the in Little Tokyo. Longtime residents universities. At the same time that w e r e k i c k e d o u t o f t h e i r h o m e s t o o u r h i s t o r y w e fees are rising, financial aid is being make way for big business from cut. At San Francisco State, one-third Japan. I was pretty outraged by the o f a l l A s i a n s t u d e n t s a r e o n s o m e fact that there was clearly a need for threaten them with form of financial aid. On top of this, more decent, low-income housing for the Solomon Amendment requires the community, and here they were becoming more proof of draft registration for all building an expensive tourist hotel. draft-age men, before they'll release So I got more involved in the issue than mere "good the money. A lot of low-income stu through the Little Tokyo People's dents are being driven out of school Rights Organization. I started taking workers," but peo and many of them into the military. s o m e A s i a n A m e r i c a n S t u d i e s c l a s s e s Changing admissions policies are and realized a lot of other things ple conscious of our cutting out Asian students, too. This about Asian people. Mainly that, last year, the U.C. Board of Regents sure, we may have some token repre identity and willing tried to cut Filipinos out of affirma sentation, but we have no real politi to take charge over tive action. This year, the California cal power or equality in this country. University and Colleges (CSUC) I learned of battered wives of U.S. board of trustees is trying to under servicemen, INS raids of Japanese our future." mine the Educational Opportunities restaurants, cuts in social service pro Program (EOF), the special admis grams, racist Supreme Court rulings sions program that admits students like the Bakke decision, and U.S. sup who don't meet the regular admis port for the only remaining apartheid school, but our right to learn about sions requirements. They're also rais government of South Africa. I our history, struggles and contribu ing entrance requirements. I know couldn't understand how they could tions of Asian people came only after that at the Cal State universities, they say Asians, or any one else for that mass protest. Now, even those basic raised the English requirement to matter, have "made it." Not only are rights are threatened and we can't af four years of English not including there many Asian people living ford to let the government and uni ESL. They're putting more emphasis below poverty level, but we as a versity boards turn back the clock. A on standardized test scores. Some in whole don't have real say over the lot of us in the Asian Student Union at ner city high schools don't even offer

28 EAST WIND four years of English. Asian immi would make ethnic studies a general campuses to get involved and find grants will have less of a chance of education requirement for the U.C.'s, out what's happening. getting into college. Cal State's and community colleges. One really significant develop Some universities are using the Even in a state with an almost 60% ment this year was the formation of a r a t i o n a l e t h a t " A s i a n s a r e o v e r - Third World population, the bill was s t a t e w i d e n e t w o r k c a l l e d t h e S t a t e represented" as an unwritten policy voted down. I guess this isn't surpris wide Educational Rights Network for denying us admissions to depart ing given the fact that it took a mas (STERN), which includes students ments like engineering and computer sive movement which even shut and organizations from the three science. This "over-representation" d o w n u n i v e r s i t i e s i n t h e 6 0 ' s t o w i n campus systems. . . J.C.'s, Cal State's argument shows the hypocrisy of the ethnic studies in the first place ... a and U.C.'s. . . and private colleges. Its universities. On the one hand, they statement indicating how little con unity is built on "mutual respect for u s e s t a t i s t i c s — l i k e 2 0 % A s i a n s a t ditions have changed since the 60's. various political views, the need to U.C. Berkeley — on Asian enrollment involve and struggle for the particu to prove how high minority enroll lar concerns of Third World students, ment is, and how Asians have made it. a n d t h e n e e d t o s e e k a n d s e c u r e But at the same time, they use those broad support among the majority of statistics against us to deny us minor students and people in ourcommuni- ity service and support programs, and ties." (STERN Statement of Purpose) to put ceilings on our enrollment. It's STERN is trying to coordinate ac really racist when you think about it tivities so the different forms of pro — you never hear administrators say test can complement each other ef ing there are "too many" whites, or fectively. Along with voter registra that whites are "over-represented." tion, there's a major action being I think the other way it's affecting planned for the Spring of '84 before us is just by the content of education the '84-'85 state budget is passed. these days; everything is so special ized and technically oriented. I EAST WIND: What kind of campus mean, that's okay, but only as long as organizing has happened? people can get a fairly well-rounded e d u c a t i o n t h a t a l s o d e a l s w i t h v a l K a r e n U m e m o t o : M y m a i n e x p e r i ues, ideals, history, philosophy ... or ence in the Asian student movement else we'll be cranking outtechnically was at San Erancisco State. We have a skilled specialists with no moral judg Karen Umemoto strong ASU and worked with other ment .. . that's dangerous. It's been Asian and Third World student organ well documented how the universi izations. We're part of a Third World ties were established and developed EAST WIND: What is being done to coalition, called the United People of to serve the changing labor needs of protest the cuts and fee increases? Colorfor National Liberation(UPCNL) big business and government. I guess along with six other Third World stu the most blatant example now is the Karen Umemoto: Because of the se dent groups. We found out through U.C. ties to the Livermore Labs which verity of cuts, all kinds of people are "leaks" and our own investigation is one of two nuclear testing labs that taking itup. Peoplefrom student gov that there were plans to decentralize all nuclear weapons have gone ernment associations, student organ the EOP program. We organized a lot through. izations, and statewide networks like of support on campus and initiated a This "mission of higher learning" t h e M E C h A a n d A s i a n P a c i fi c S t u rally in Sacramento and brought nine explains why they keep chiseling dent Union (APSU) are involved. Peo b u s l o a d s f r o m o u r c a m p u s . W e away at Asian American and ethnic ple are using every tactic from lobby worked with other concerned organi studies. With ethnic studies teaching ing, voter registration for the '84 elec zations and put enough pressure to us our history of inequality, heritage tions, to networking, demonstrating, get a bill passed preventing the de and struggle and instilling pride in and doing mass education on the centralization for a year. That was our culture, we threaten them with campuses. Some campuses are ac really a big victory. We were able to becoming more than mere "good tively taking up struggles at their do broad education around the issue, workers," but people conscious of s c h o o l s l i k e t h e E O P i s s u e . raise student consciousness, and our identity and willing to take A growing number of Asian student build the movement on campus. charge over our future. That's how organizations are getting involved. important to us and threatening to This year, the statewide APSU formed EAST WIND: What kinds of questions them ethnic studies is. Programs are an educational rights task force to have you faced in organizing Asian now being cut, like the one at U.C. compile and distribute information students? Riverside, and even efforts to try to and solicit input to formalize a posi expand ethnic studies are meeting tion paper that would express the par Karen Umemoto: Involving more o b s t a c l e s . A b i l l w a s i n t r o d u c e d i n t i c u l a r c o n c e r n s o f A s i a n s t u d e n t s . Asian students and building the Asian the State Assembly last year which The task force will be reaching other s t u d e n t m o v e m e n t i s n o t a n e a s y

FALL/WINTER 1983 29 thing. We're all trying to figure it out, qual, we re all unequal. at large. So for those concerned, we and I think we're learning a lot The The struggle for educational rights have to all try to collectively figure whole conservative trend in the has to be built in a broad way so that out how we can make change. It's a country is making it harder in gen it not only raises the issue of educa critical time all the way around and eral. People have to work more, are tion, but the issue of equality and po as students, it is hard to get a well- under pressure from parents to stick litical power for Asian people in gen rounded education, confront ques to the books and the four-year plan, eral. To do this, we should link up dif tions of society and get involved in and there's more competition. Edu ferent issues happening in our com making needed change. Sure, there cation is so narrow; people don't munities with educational rights so a r e s o m e a c t i v i s t s w h o h a v e b e c o m e readily understand the significance people see it's all just one basic strug cynical, but it is also a fact that of the struggle and general inequali gle. Bringing in community support people have always made change, ties that we face and that they'll even for ethnic studies and EOP can help in from the time of slavery until today. face after they graduate. So a lot of this. The campaign should be waged S o m e t i m e s i t s e e m s s l o w o r n o n - our task is to re-educate. Find out in a creative way, too, building a sense monumental, but it is up to us to more information on what is happen of pride in our history and heritage figure it out or speed it up. Getting to ing on our campuses and in our com and a sense of justice in what we're know people, figuring out how to in munities and let students know. We fighting for. We should also tap the corporate the positive ideas that they need to figure out how people can creativity of Asian students on cam have, and collectively come up with get involved, given the time that they pus, using culture to express our feel ideas to build the movement and ef have. We need to encourage a lot of ings and views. fect progressive change is key. Build discussion; that's the only way peo Sometimes it's not that easy, espe ing broad, mass organizations is im ple can learn and even evaluate cially bucking a system that doesn't portant to facilitate the collective what's important to their own lives serve our needs. Sometimes people discussion and action. □ and figure out how to change things, resign themselves to feeling power especially when there's so much indi less. I feel that way sometimes, but vidualism promoted on campus . . . it's a fact that those who control the it's all-out for Number One .... We universities and colleges are few and Karen Umemoto is an activist in the have to promote more camaraderie they can't run them without the Asian Pacific Student Union. She is and collectivity .... If one is une students. The same is true for society currently a graduate student at UCLA.

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NorCal (415) 642-6728 SoCal (213)283-3602 UC BERKELEY ASIAN STUDENT UNION T H E C A L I F O R N I A S T A T E SOSEshleman Hall ASIAN STUDENT NETWORK B e r k e l e y 9 4 7 2 0

30 EAST WIND Lawyers, Law School and the Community

issues. The situation is even more in By Roy Nakano tense in other Asian/Pacific Ameri can communities. The Filipino com munity, for instance, exists with one lawyer for every 8,000 Filipino Forsayyears, thatI have they wouldheard likepeople to be Americans, according to a recent come lawyers so that they can Census report. There are more Sa- "serve the community." My imme m o a n s i n S o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a t h a n diate reaction was always the same: in American Samoa. Yet, there are "What's stopping you from serving virtually no Samoan lawyers in it now?" Heading up the local bar Southern California. In all Asian association or attending cocktail communities the needs far outstrip parties in a three-piece suit or par the available legal services. ticipating in an endless exchange of Law has a certain community ap b u s i n e s s c a r d s n e v e r s t r u c k m e a s peal. It is one of the few fields that an avenue for helping those most in cuts across all economic lines. Blue- need of help. Indeed, I believed that c o l l a r w o r k e r s c a n u s e t h e s e r v i c e s there were too many lawyers and of a lawyer as much as white-collar far too many people who wanted to workers. Lawyers can exercise mo go to law school. bility in ways not always open to However, being out of school for non-lawyers. Access inside jail- seven years and working in various Roy Nakano houses is one example of this. Ac sectors of the local community has cess to the courts is another. We live c o n v i n c e d m e t h a t t h i s d o e s n o t in a country that is governed, for the necessarily hold true, particularly Many gains were and are being most part, by laws. Although the in regard to servicing Third World made through the redress effort. I power behind knowing the law is and other low-income people. A soon realized, however, that few often overblown, it does exist and it series of events have taken place people with legal expertise in Los c a n s o m e t i m e s b e u s e d f o r t h e t h a t l e d m e t o t h i s c o n c l u s i o n . Angeles were involved in this partic benefit of the community. My own decision to pursue a le ular issue. For that matter, I realized gal education was galvanized in the that relatively few lawyers were in Affirmative Action r h o v e m e n t t o s e e k r e d r e s s f o r t h e volved in community issues I be Japanese Americans who were in lieved were important. For instance, At first glance, the obstacles that carcerated over 40 years ago. My di it astounds me at times to think that many Third World students face in rect involvement with this particu it took the community 40 years to seeking admission into law school lar movement dates back to Spring, successfully challenge the Supreme appear insurmountable. At UCLA 1979, when a group of us formed the Court decision that legally justified Law School, a poll was taken in one Los Angeles Community Coalition the evacuation order against Japa of the first-year sections, revealing on Redress/Reparations (LACCRR). nese Americans. that one-fourth to one-third of the L A C C R R b e c a m e a f o r e r u n n e r f o r a Today, the ratio of Japanese and class consisted of (white) students n a t i o n a l g r a s s r o o t s m o v e m e n t Chinese American lawyers remains whose parents were attorneys. A towards redress. One year later, the significantly lower than that of the large number of the students come f o u n d a t i o n w a s l a i d f o r t h e N a dominant white population. Even from preparatory school back t i o n a l C o a l i t i o n f o r R e d r e s s a n d more alarming, however, is the lack grounds and have been groomed for Reparations (NCRR). of lawyers involved in community law since entering high school.

FALL/WINTER 1983 31 These facts can be discouraging ing my second year), we spent an en tune of being able to work at the to Third World students thinking tire hour learning how to bring do A s i a n L a w C a u c u s i n t h e S a n F r a n about law as a career alternative, mestic servants into this country for cisco Bay Area. My supervising at particularly for those who have t h o s e w h o c o u l d a f f o r d t h e i r s e r v torney once told a story about how spent their time working their way ices. Some students, fortunately, he almost got kicked out of law through public schools. One fellow have taken affirmative measures. school. Apparently, he was very ac A s i a n l a w s t u d e n t a t U C L A w a s s o One professor, for example, was tive with the Third World law stu discouraged that he didn't bother to persuaded by progressive students dent coalition on that campus, apply. His sister took the initiative in one of the property law classes to which in turn had impacted his to fill out an application for him and c o v e r l a n d l o r d - t e n a n t i s s u e s . grades. The dean of the school sent it to UCLA. Ironically, this stu Working with the Asian/Pacific called him into the office one day dent is now one of the recruitment Law Students Association (APLSA) and stated, "Well, there is a chance coordinators for the Asian/Lacific a t U C L A h a s a l l o w e d m e t o m a i n y o u ' l l g r a d u a t e f r o m t h i s l a w L a w S t u d e n t s A s s o c i a t i o n a t U C L A . tain a certain touch with reality. school. But, there is no chance that My own background is a typical you'll pass the bar, so why don't you case for affirmative action. During quit now." Fortunately, he ignored my formative years, my father suf the advice and ended up passingthe fered a stroke and was forced to ''The community bar on his first attempt. quit his gardening route that he had maintained for 20 years. After years should define the Community Law as a homemaker, my mother took on outside employment working on role played by com The first image that comes into an assembly line for General Instru my mind when I think of a"commu- ments Corporation. She was even nity" lawyer is someone working for tually laid off, and I eventually be munity lawyers. a government-funded neighbor came the head of the household, hood law co-operative. I still con working 30 hours a week while con Court litigation, sider this to be an area of great need tinuing school. for the Asian/Pacific American Neither of my parents went be however, always communities. However, I have yond elementary school for formal since learned that the problem is education. Surprisingly enough, I carries the potential not a lack of people who want to had not been informed of this until pursue this area. On the contrary, the night before submitting my law n u m e r o u s l a w s t u d e n t s a t U C L A — school application. As it turned out, of reversing the b o t h A s i a n a n d n o n - A s i a n — h a v e this fact was kept from me for fear expressed interest in working in that it might affect my desire to pur roles, in which the such a capacity. The problem lies in sue higher education. the lack of job openings in public in I have always felt a definite con lawyers begin dictat terest law. The question then is: nection between my background " W h a t a l t e r n a t i v e s a r e a v a i l a b l e t o and my involvement with the Asian ing the role of the students who would like to practice c o m m u n i t y i n L o s A n g e l e s . T h i s 'community law?"' connection later played an impor community. It has at times been suggested tant role in making practical sense t h a t T h i r d Wo r l d l a w y e r s a r e out of law school study. needed in corporate firms just as much as they are needed in public Law School: Rite of Passage or APLSA programs as well as other interest firms. I've always believed Indoctrination? programs held by progressive law that the degree of need varied con student organizations have pro siderably between the two. How During my first year in law v i d e d s o m e o f t h e c o n n e c t i o n s b e ever, the point is still well taken. The school, I was struck by the amount tween law and the community in Committee to Reverse the Japanese of pressure that permeated in the ways that classes usually do not. The American Wartime Cases, for in hallways to conform to an estab m u t u a l w o r k b e t w e e n T h i r d W o r l d stance, received the legal assis lished ideology. Most of the pro law student groups has also pro tance and resources of volunteer, fessors had automatically assumed v i d e d m e w i t h a b r o a d e r v i e w i n large-firm lawyers. that students want to go into large which to examine and do something B e t w e e n t h e t w o e n d s o f t h e corporate firms in order to make a about the critical issues facing spectrum, however, there is a grow lot of money. Thus, even in seem many similarly situated people and ing gray area consisting of several ingly minority-conscious classes communities. alternatives. One alternative taken such as immigration law (taken dur This past summer, I had the for by some progressive lawyers has

32 EAST WIND been to start up an independent practice, specializing in areas such as union-side labor, immigration, criminal defense, landlord-tenant, or employment discrimination. An attractive aspect of this alternative has been the freedom to set one's own hours. Small-firm lawyers al ways seem to have more time for community work. Large-firm law yers are often working so many hours (60 to 70 hours per week) that they have little time for anything e l s e . S t i l l o t h e r a l t e r n a t i v e s t a k e n by progressive lawyers have in cluded teaching, writing, or pursu ing other legally-related work such as public policy planning and administration. I believe that a legal education can be applied in many ways to Asian Students formed an important part of tfte Anti-Baiske Decision Coafition in change conditions in our communi 1977. ties that need changing. However, I a l s o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e l i m i t a t i o n s o f legal channels must be recognized in thecontext of solving community Students and problems. Community-based or ganizing and pressure is often a more efficient and effective avenue Revolution towards a remedy than court litiga tion. Moreover, the lawyer's rela From Self-Awareness tion to the community can some times follow the analogy of the "tail to Political Consciousness wagging the dog." The community should define the role played by State University and later at the Uni community lawyers. Court litiga By Marilyn Wu tion, however, always carries the versity of Massachusetts in Boston. potential of reversing the roles, in I w a s a l s o a c t i v e i n t h e E a s t C o a s t which the lawyers begin dictating Asian Student Union, a network of the role of the community. Hope campus Asian organizations. fully, through the remainder of my My recentcollegegraduation and queries from from My commitment to the Asian stu legal education, I can get a clearer friends and family about my future d e n t m o v e m e n t w a s m o t i v a t e d i n i — whether I intend to go to gradu grasp of these legal limitations as tially by a desire for personal en well as a better understanding of ate school or get a job — led me to richment, self-awareness and ethnic the viable legal avenues that can pause a moment to reflect upon my consciousness but it developed into best be used to help those most in years as an activist in the Asian stu a desire to serve Asian people and need of help. □ d e n t m o v e m e n t . M y e x p e r i e n c e s to build a movement to change the during these years, more than any society that oppressed us. Through thing else, shaped my world out A s i a n A m e r i c a n s t u d i e s c o u r s e s a n d look and direction in life. Through student-sponsored events I discov organizing Asian students, I be ered that I was not alone in my came a communist. struggle for self-definition and self- My early student years were tur respect, that my identity crisis was bulent ones colored mostly by con part of the collective experiences of flicts stemming from my identity Asians in the U.S. Justas my lifewas Roy Nakano is a third year law stu crisis. Seeking to develop a real part of the 130 year history of op dent at UCLA. He is a member of the sense of being an Asian American pression of Asians, my activism in A s i a n / P a c i fi c L a w S t u d e n t s A s s o c i a woman, I became involved in Asian the movement was part of the his t i o n a n d a n a d v i s o r t o E A S T W I N D . student groups at San Francisco tory of resistance.

FALL/WINTER 1983 33 The Asian student movement s e r v e s t h e i n t e r e s t s o f A s i a n s o n campus by providing social and cul tural outlets, promoting issues af fecting Asians (e.g. non-racist ad missions policies, adequate finan cial aid, support and implementa tion of Asian American studies pro- grams, condemning violence against Asians) and connecting the campus struggles to the Asian com m u n i t i e s a n d t h e o v e r a l l A s i a n » movement. It encompasses a broad spectrum of individuals, trends and points of view. I fi r s t w o r k e d w i t h c o m m u n i s t s o n a c e l e b r a t i o n f o r I n t e r n a t i o n a l Women's Day. The first shock of my organizing life occurred when I was asked to help write the keynote ad New York garment workers strike, 1982 dress; the second, when I was asked to give it. Thinking that I was not particularly intelligent, articulate commiserate about the ignorance or profound, it was totally beyond and apathy of students. The fresh ''What gives me my comprehension why others man class is a lost cause, they'd say; would see these qualities in me. they all believe in the model minor hope and optimism Having no recourse — mypleadings ity myth. I'd hear Asian student is witnessing the to beg off fell on deaf ears — I con leaders complain that "nobody is fronted my insecurities, and re behind the admissions issue," and ceived encouragement and support I'd ask them: "What have you done power of mass from my fellow ASU members. Re to educate the membership? Why struggle, the calling this event still gives me heart do the frosh believe in the model palpitations. There, on the stage be minority myth?" What helped you strength and endur fore a l^lur of faces, was I — who change your ideas? (Most of us are % never spoke a word in any class (the not born revolutionaries!) I am glad ance of the people TA ' s i n o n e A s i a n A m e r i c a n s t u d i e s that movement people wanted to and the role of course made it their goal to get me work with me, to educate me out of to talk before the end of the semes my sheltered enclave, and to strug good revolutionary ter) and whose palms sweated pro gle with me about my incorrect atti fusely at the prospect of having to tudes. Communism isnotaquestion leadership. speak at meetings. Though this of being "lefter than thou." It is a e v e n t w a s n ' t h a i l e d a s a m i l e s t o n e scientific approach to building the in Asian student organizing, it was people's movements for democ one for me. For the first time I real racy and justice by relying on the tellectually with this view, though ized I had something to say and, masses and uniting the broadest not entirely convinced of its appli more importantly, that others possible sectors. cability. My middle class upbring thought so too. Those most willing Practical leadership to the move ing told me itwas"too much." What to take a gamble with me were the ment through scientific, Marxist fed into my skepticism were com communists and their supporters. m o n d i s t o r t i o n s o f w h a t r e v o l u t i o n analysis was a key distinguishing * This attitude towards working with f e a t u r e f o r w h i c h I l o o k e d t o t h e and revolutionaries are, ranging me helped me to understand how communists. But beyond the imme from, at best, the idealistic preoccu a c t i v i s m a n d c o m m i t m e n t t o t h e d i a t e c o n c e r n s o f t h e m a s s m o v e pation of a bunch of college stu movement set the context for per ment, I sought from them a long- dents to, at worst, the rantings of sonal growth. term view of building a society free s o c i a l m i s fi t s a n d m a l c o n t e n t s . of exploitation, oppression and in However, the more I was exposed to justice. What the people needed the realities of American capitalism A criticalthe organized part of building strength of up the w a s a r e v o l u t i o n t o o v e r t h r o w m o the more convinced I became that masses is to train new activists. Too nopoly capitalism and to establish a revolution was the only way that we often I have heard ECASU activists socialist society. I was intrigued in- could win equality and justice.

34 EAST WIND claim that Asians are superior or "graduated" into a new set of cir that our enemy is white people. cumstances and questions about my C o m m u n i s t s b e l i e v e i n m u l t i n a future. But as I go through these Whatbrought f o r r e v ohome l u t i o n wthe a s need b e c o m tional unity because the source of transitions what hasn't changed is ing involved in Chinatown through our oppression is the monopoly my commitment to the movement, the community support component capitalist system. For Asians to win t h e f r a m e w o r k f r o m w h i c h I w i l l of the student organizations. Work equality and political power, the make decisions about going to grad ing with residents and activists in Asian movement must join with uate school or getting a job, and in struggles to keep Chinatown a com other oppressed nationalities, the my personal life. The most impor munity for Chinese people, not for working class, the women's, stu tant message I retain from my stu big business, I came face to face d e n t s ' a n d o t h e r s o c i a l m o v e m e n t s dent life is that my, future'is inex with forms of oppression I hadn't to establish socialism. tricably tied to the destiny of Asian known in my life in the suburbs. There is nothing contradictory people. Nothing exemplified the gross con about a communist supporting an Right now, I'm involved in the tradictions of capitalism more than organization like ECASU. True mul Chinatown committee to elect Mel the fight to preserve our communi tinational unity is built on the basis King mayor of Boston. As a Black ties. In Boston, the Chinatown com of equality and respect for each candidate he offers real changes for munity has been waging a struggle movement. A strong Asian student minorities in a city riddled with rac against Tufts New England Medical movement which builds the pride ism. He also offers the most signifi Center's expansion. It has been tak and understanding of Asians in the cant progressive changes for the ing land and housing from China U.S. enlarges Asian students' capac city as a whole. I am also active in town while receiving huge tax ity to unite with other struggles. Asian Sisters in Action, a local Asian breaks because it is a teaching insti women's group. tution. It has given nothing to the Though I'm still contemplating community in return. AsI leave hind my me, Ischool willvaluethemanyyears be the choices before me regarding my When confronted with seemingly experiences and lessons gained "career," I've made my fundamen insurmountableodds, some individ from my associationswiththe many tal decision: I am a communist. My uals become cynical and drop out talented, enthusiastic and commit personal satisfaction and fulfill of the movement and feel burnt out ted individuals on my campus and ment comes from knowing that I am because they think no real change in the ECASU. Friendships have doing the best I can for myself and can happen. But what gives me been built through our common m y p e o p l e . □ hope and optimism about our fu goals and aspirations for our peo ture is witnessing the power of mass ple. Oftentimes our directions in struggle, the strength and endur life diverge but our bonds are ance of the people and the role of sealed through our commitment to good revolutionary leadership in the movement. Marilyn Wu is a member of the building the movement. Despite the League of Revolutionary Struggle freezing Boston winter, elderly ith the last grueling final (M-L). She has been a longtime activ Chinatown residents and young w exam a fading memory, I've ist in the Asian student movement. m o t h e r s w i t h t h e i r c h i l d r e n i n t o w were out there with the rest of us to demand a halt in Tufts' expansion. From being involved in the struggles on campus and in the communities I saw that the communists had deep ties among the people, were re spected and provided good leader ship in building the movements. I wanted to be a part of a systematic effort to build the revolutionary forces that would one day over throw the system and build a soci ety free of oppression. Occasionally, I've been asked, "If I'm a communist, why did I work in ECASU? Aren't communists against nationalism?" First of all, there is nothing nationalistic about ECASU's principles. It does not 1982 ECASU Conference, Boston, Mass.

FALL/WINTER 1983 35 Serving the Community /A Profile of Ken Kong

*'Instead of being a teacher, I wanted to be friends with them. I find it hard to see myself above them . . . because they have more experi ence than me. I learned a lot from them about

Chinese culture. Ken Kong

America meant leavingfamiliarsur- satisfy the history requirement. You By Eddie Wong roundings and friends to enter an would have thought that 1 would alien society. "Like a lot of immi get involved then, but the stuff just grants, my parents simply gave up w e n t i n a n d o u t b e c a u s e I w a s i n what they had to provide a better fu volved more with physics and ture for their children," said Ken. "If chemistry. Two years later when I KenKongKong andwas immigratedborn in Hong to the I grew up in Hong Kong, I wouldn't got involved more with the Chinese U.S. when he was 12 years old. Heat- have the opportunity to go to col community, I could see that what is tended the University of California lege and get a degree, much less happening today has a historical at Berkeley where he got his degree an engineering degree." Thus, in basis." in chemical engineering. Today, he 1969, the Kong family moved to works for Chevron Oil Company in Newman, California, a small dusty Richmond, California and by all ap Central Valley town where Ken's Likestudents.many immigrant Ken choseand a Asian techni pearances is the typical, successful aunt owned a grocery store. cal field. "I don't know if I really Chinese American engineer. But After Ken graduated from high wanted to be an engineer," said that isn't the whole story. school, he decided to attend U.C. Ken. "The way I looked at becoming Every Sunday morning you'll find Berkeley and his father, mother, an engineer was that it was the Ken down at the Chinese Progres and brother moved with him to the quickest way I could get out of col sive Association teaching English to Bay Area. "Even when we lived in lege and get a fairly stable job with a Chinese immigrants. Being involved the Valley," said Ken, "we would high placement rate. I think a lot of with the Chinese community is an go out once or twice a month to immigrant students have a lot of important part of his life. "I started San Francisco Chinatown. I really pressure to get through college and teaching English classes at CPA in wanted to be near a Chinese com get a good job. And talking to those the summer of 1980 when I was still munity, so that was the basis of my who graduated and got an engineer a student at Berkeley," said Ken. decision to go to Berkeley. ing job, they always had family " T h e s t u d e n t s w e r e m u c h o l d e r "When I first got to Berkeley, I commitments, whether it was put t h a n I , b u t t h e i r s i t u a t i o n w a s know I wasn't prepared for college ting their brother through school or similar to mine and my parents. I so I really had to get down to busi supporting their family, which was could see how they struggled to ness and study. I really didn't get in my situation. There's a lot of pres learn Epglish and 1 wanted to con volved with the Asian Student sure to go into the technical field tribute in some way." Union and community activities un even though a lot of people would For Ken's father, a transportation til later in college. like to go into liberal arts. But they worker, and mother, a part-time "When I was a freshman, I took go into computerscience because it seamstress, deciding to move to a n A s i a n A m e r i c a n s t u d i e s c l a s s t o will get them a job.

36 EAST WIND "When a lot of engineering stu and my other friends are garment understand English, they feel they dents graduate, they think they workers,' they see you differently." are blind, deaf and mute. And they have 'made it' because they got a Yet it is precisely his experiences feel very uncomfortable." job. But there's a conflict because teaching in Chinatown that bring they know they're not going to get great personal satisfaction to Ken. very far. In the corporate structure, "Instead of being a teacher," he ex Beingnityin the is anChinese essentialcommu part of I find the Asian engineers at the plained, "I wanted to be friends with Ken's life. "It's this feeling I can't lower levels. There are a few who go them. That is a hard, traditional bar really explain that well. I just feel up to supervising engineer but none rier to break. I find it hard to see my most comfortable in Chinatown. I are at the executive level. And a lot s e l f a b o v e t h e m a s t h e t e a c h e r b e wouldn't want to I ive out in the sub of times, there's pressure on them to cause they have much more experi urbs. For one thing, my parents move into the 'mainstream' of soci ence than me. I learned a lot from would have nothing to do out in the ety to the point that they don't want t h e m a b o u t C h i n e s e c u l t u r e . suburbs. Right now, they go to to speak their language and they "Most of the students are gar Chinatown in the morning to shop, feel somewhat ashamed of associ m e n t a n d r e s t a u r a n t w o r k e r s w h o have lunch, see their friends and to ating with Chinese. I think that's a work 10-12 hours a day. Sunday is go to the family association for m.j. l o t m o r e f o r t h e A m e r i c a n - b o r n the only day they're off and some (mah jong). than foreign-born Chinese. people are off for just half the day. "When I got involved with the " M a n y t i m e s , s o m e e n g i n e e r s It's really bad that they have to community, I found that students don't want to get involved in the w o r k s o h a r d t o r a i s e t h e i r f a m i l i e s . " are very welcome because they community because of how they What impresses Ken the most is have an educational background view their job or their relationship the immigrants' desire to learn that can help the community. But with white people. Engineers are English. "In their view, they have to it's hard getting people involved. promoted as professionals with a learn English to get a better job and There's a real, tight tension just go certain amount of prestige. There's not have to work 10-12 hours a day. ing to school and dealing with the a lot of social pressure to act as a They feel that after they learn Eng family pressures. So when you have professional, to dress nice, wear a lish, they will be equal and be able free time, many people just want to tie, etc. And as you go around say to get all types of jobs. It's some relax and go to a dance or movie. ing, 'This friend is an engineer and what true, but the dreams some That's why the Chinese Student this friend is a doctor,' it gives you have of really getting high up really Associations have such large mem much more prestige. You are in a so- aren't true. And many don't have berships. But that doesn't mean that called elite group. But if you go those kinds of dreams. They just all of them are into dancing. When I around saying, 'Oh yeah, my friends want to know how to go places. Be was in the Asian Student Union, I w a s h d i s h e s i n a C h i n e s e r e s t a u r a n t cause they can't read, speak or did a presentation to the Chinese Student Associations on the pro posed elimination of the 5th prefer ence immigration category. There w a s a l o t o f c o n c e r n b e c a u s e i t a f fected them. The important thing is to be aware of what Asian people are going through, and not just shut yourself in. The main thing is to be with the people and see yourself as part of their movement. "There's some important issues right now such as anti-Asian vio lence. It's a very dangerous situa tion. A lot of people want to see it as an isolated thing — this guy went crazy, that guy went crazy — they d o n ' t s e e i t a s a n o v e r a l l a t t a c k o n Third World people. Chinese people have to physically fight for their lives. It's very important that peo- pleunitearoundthisissue." □

Eddie Wong is the editor of EAST Ken teaching English at the Chinese Progressive Association WIND.

FALL/WINTER 1983 37 t h e c l a s s m o l d . B u t n o w I r e a l i z e that statement is like the line, "just because you're a minority doesn't mean you've faced racism." It's So You Want To Be true, but almost extinct.

Thetraining problems and medicine with medical seemed very clear to me. I was aware. I A D o c t o r . . . would resist socialization, and I would remain principled. My strat egy would be to divorce myself from schooling, but absorb facts, m e t h o d s a n d s k i l l . I w o u l d t a k e t h e science and not the values and pur poses the science serves. I would then contribute to the progressive brother's or college roommate's movement by practicing medicine By Florence Houn place in med school. Instead of my in inner-city areas and participating name tag on my hospital white coat, in Asian community politics. But Don't let anyone bullshit you. The I should have had a badge saying, can one use the system without get reason why any Asian student activist "I'm nota nurse, foreign radiologist, ting abused in the process? would go to professional school is or anesthesiologist." Finally, I knew I was trained in my Asian organiz because they are concerned with e v a l u a t i o n s o f s t u d e n t s i n c l u d e d ing through the East Coast Asian numero uno, theyselves. They have "relations with colleagues," "ap s t u d e n t m o v e m e n t . T h e i s s u e s w e to be. propriateness on clinical clerk took up in undergraduate campuses "I want to acquire skills to share ships," and other deliciously sub were increasing Third World admis with my community." "I want to jective criteria. I n order to enter the sions, supporting Affirmative Ac train myself and be effective helping professional mainstream, you had tion, instituting Asian American my people." "It's my social respon to socialize in the "right" circles. Studies, obtaining a Third World sibility to work through the system Even asapre-med in college I was Cultural Center, agitating for the di and serve the people." These state confronted by my political friends vestiture of university investments ments abound on applications. But about going into medicine. Medi in South Africa, and opposing rac investing up to $25,000 a year on cine is defined by the existing social ism on campus. These were issues oneself is a bit of a self-indulging ad system. If society is based on the dear to my heart, and I fell in love venture. Not everyone can sacrifice division of people into classes with politics. Not the politics of three to ten years accumulating which own and reap profit and Democratic or Republican clubs, prized scraps of Western knowledge t h o s e w h i c h l a b o r f o r s a l a r i e s a n d not the politics of connections and and technical skill. wages, then medicine is a tool to cocktail parties, not the politics of preserve the status quo. The rich die committees, appointments and * i f i t of diseases of aging while the poor titles, I thrived on the juices of die of diseases of neglect. change through mass struggle. While the corporate and upper- M e d i c a l s c h o o l w a s d i f f e r e n t . middle professional class consti M e d i c a l i s s u e s s u c h a s a b o r t i o n Whenschool, I entered I knew medical that medi tutes 20% of the U.S. labor force, it rights, health care distribution, en cine was a profession riddled with comprises 100% of the boards of vironmental and occupational chauvinism, bureaucracy, racism trustees for foundations and private safety, and medical aid to Third and profiteering. I had to be wary of medical teaching institutions, 90% W o r l d c o u n t r i e s w e r e n e w t o m e . socialization forces which sought o f t h e b o a r d s o f s t a t e m e d i c a l Also present were the same old to make me "one of the boys." Intel schools, and 85% of the boards of issues of alienation, isolation and lectually I understood that com voluntary hospitals. All those prob racism minority medical students petition promotes individualism, lems I would face in my medical faced. Only this time, because there rank fosters hierarchy, and speciali education were shaped by health were only a handful of minorities zation encourages elitism. I knew professionals who had vested inter per class, the experience was in many a male colleague believed ests to protect. Thus, to become a t e n s e . M o r e o v e r, m a n y m i n o r i t y M. D. stood for Macho Degree. They doctor would be to take a class posi students had taken a stand that they resented "unqualified" minorities tion. I would argue that individual had come to school for defined pur and women for occupying a little d o c t o r s d i d n o t h a v e t o c o n f o r m t o poses: to be a surgeon, to make

38 EAST WIND from the campus. Secondary lead ership in organizations must take over after only one year of "train ing," unlike the three years of train ing in college organizations. Many ''It is imperative m i n o r i t i e s w o u l d r a t h e r c o n s e r v e energy than attempt to change insti that Asian profes tutions which only affect them for four years. "When I get out of sional students be school . . ." the song goes.

involved in commu Thus,p r oit fis e simperative s i o n a l s t uthat d e nAsian t s b e involved in community issues, nity issues to make whether cultural, political, or pro fessional, to make abstract commit abstract commit m e n t s r e a l . A n d n o t t h a t " t h e c o m munity" is a mystical entity of sal m e n t s r e a l . " vation. Rather, it's yet another test of one's priorities. Some Asian pro fessionals seek to be recognized as Florence Floun a leader in this field, a spokesperson on that topic. After all the years of self-grooming, they deserve some money, to train under a specific Minority students who had come thing, right? Interestingly, some doctor, and not necessarily to be from organizing backgrounds were community organizations distrust minority. In addition, itwas hard for further drained by the knowledge of all professional students. Students the school to understand Asians inequities in the health care system, are seen as pimping off the commu who wanted to be on minority af experiences of racism on campus, nity to stuff resumes. This paranoia f a i r s c o m m i t t e e s . A f t e r a l l , t h e and the monocultural approaches is just as devastating in establishing American Medical Colleges Asso towards psychiatry or community constructive relations. c i a t i o n d o e s n ' t c o n s i d e r A s i a n s m i health, and the inability to rectify Realize that without group and norities; we could have joyously s i t u a t i o n s v i a t r a d i t i o n a l m e a n s . personal struggle over commit chosen not to be a minority! The traditional minority refuges in ment, direction, and motives, it's Some students got involved in college were the large student or very easy to get suckered into the the politics of medicine; I got in ganizations or Third World Centers, cyclotron of self-aggrandizement v o l v e d i n c o n c e r n s o f T h i r d W o r l d the minority lower echelon adminis or the sewer of cynicism. This is not medical student organizations. It trators, sympathetic social science a tale of cynicism, it is a tale of cau was familiar to me. When you're try departments, and a nearby commu tion. Professional training is long, ing to memorize the names to every nity which gave one purpose, be difficult, and demanding. Too many muscle, bone, nerve, ligament, longing, and food. Because we are Asian college activists get lost and bursa and vessel in the human body, f e w a n d a r e n e w c o m e r s i n t o m e d demoralized under this pillar. They you need familiarity. icine, minorities don't have the in retreat into themselves. But no mat However, commitment towards stitutional/organizational mechan ter how trite, it is true. Skills and organizations and their activities isms to forge change. Moreover, the knowledge are needed to serve peo by med students was different. Be Bakke Decision did as much for ad ple. Asian professionals can rein cause of the pressure cooker atmos ministrators' commitments towards vest skills in either community prac phere generated by compressing m i n o r i t i e s a s n u c l e a r r a d i a t i o n d o e s tice, supporting community issues, v a s t s u b j e c t s i n t o f o u r - w e e k for life. Indeed, Third World medi or taking progressive stands in the courses, students had their own cal student organizing presents politics of their profession. The key agenda. The desire to fulfill individ awesome challenges. is to integrate academics and career ual needs, goals, and desires forces Third World medical student or with political commitment and de many a sincere soul to pursue ganizations cope with recurring velopment. The solution to implo trimmed priority lists: Study, Sleep, problems of membership, embrac sion isexplosion. □ Eat, Socialize. It is easier to be sym ing diverse needs, time/commit pathetic, supportive, and a true be ment restraints, and lack of initia liever than actually commit words tive. Plus, after two years of basic F l o r e n c e H o u n / s a m e d i c a l s t u a n d i n t e n t i o n s i n t o d e e d s a n d science, med students go on to hos dent at Albert Einstein College of action. pital clerkships which divorce them Medicine. She will graduate in 1984.

FALL/WINTER 1983 39 Becoming A Worker. ..

A Matter of Choice

the time and material to investigate what society is all about and a place to discuss it with people of various backgrounds. There are different skills you can learn, such as those in the arts. And you learn to think, al ''The more I got to m o s t a s a m a t t e r o f s e l f - d e f e n s e . I hated what they were trying to know people at teach me and I would end up doing work, the more I outside research just to argue my point of view. But no matter what came to identify you studied, it was still just study — something abstract and detached. I with them and this did presentations in my classes on the concentration camps and on the changed the way I My Lai massacre, but it didn't seem to affect people; they just absorbed looked at myself it on an intellectual level. That how I looked at really disturbed me. I decided to drop out for awhile working people. and worked a series of jobs in the hotel/restaurant industry. I also de cided to go back to school at S.F. State and study filmmaking. I Sayo Fujioka wanted to make documentary films about the Asian community, but I didn't know much about the com good education, something that m u n i t y o r t h e M o v e m e n t . M y By Sayo Fujioka they couldn't take away from you. friends would say, "Do you really From the time we were in junior high know what you're talking about?" school, my parents tried to gear my So, they had me there. I learned that brother and me for college. But I the best way to portray people on Igrew borhoodup inin Berkeley,an all-white California.neigh didn't know what I was supposed to film is to get to know them and see Before our family could move in, be doing in school and just went them as they see themselves. the neighbors took a poll and de along taking college prep classes. During this time I continued cided it would be OK; they figured My parents (a mechanical engineer working part-time while getting that we would, at least, keep our and a secretary) wanted me to more involved with the Asian stu garden looking nice. Growing up in become a professional, but I didn't dent movement and community is an all-white environment was alien know what I wanted to do. sues. I'm nearlyfinished with school ating. There was a lot of racism. I re I went to U.C. Santa Cruz for two now and after I graduate I plan to member my parents telling me not years and studied social sciences. stay at my job as a cashier at the to confront people. They thought There were things that I liked about Floliday Inn. It wasn't an easy deci the best way to fight racism was to college and other things that I sion and was one that I came to over study and concentrate on getting a couldn't stand. College gives you a period of time. I had always

40 EAST WIND looked at waltressing as perfect for only ruin your health." ing with my co-workers and workers working my way through college: it How could I just quit and go on to in other departments. The main required no training; it offered part- do"something betterwith my life?" problem for everyone was that the time positions and it was the kind of I was the only one there who had the bosses kept us understaffed and job I could go home and forget option of quitting. Everyone else f o r c e d u s t o w o r k t w i c e a s h a r d t o about. I assumed that I'd be walt had to stay. They had families to fill in. Our supervisor kept everyone ressing for two or three more years. support and parents to take care of. in line by his constant harassment Butthemore I gottoknow people at And, for them, quitting the Holiday and intimidation. He tried to keep work, the more I came to identify Inn wouldn't solve anything; condi the cashiers quiet by stealing cash with them and this changed the way tions in the service industry were from our registers and writing us up I looked at myself and how I looked the same everywhere. I wanted to for mishandling our banks (three at working people. do something to help change the write ups and you can be fired). It hit me, on my first day of work, c o n d i t i o n s a t w o r k . The ynion was there to back us that no one at the Holiday Inn up, but most of the time if we called looked at work the way I did. They them in, they would handle every h a d w o r k e d i n r e s t a u r a n t s a n d Duringinvolvedthat time inI also thebecame National thing without consulting us. This hotels all their lives; most of them Coalition for Redress and Repara happened all the time if the griev had worked there for over ten years. tions (NCRR), helping to prepare for ances involved Third World work They are there, on time, five a.m. the government hearings on the ers. The unions might have kept the every morning, working overtime incarceration. We put together bosses in check at times, but they whenever needed; they're sick community programs and work did not organize the workers. maybe once a year. shops to discuss the campaign for After talking it over, we decided It was summertime, du-ring the redress and reparations and to en to take direct action. A few of us got height of the tourist season, when I courage Nikkei to testify at the together and wrote a letter listing s t a r t e d w o r k a n d t h e r e s t a u r a n t hearings. all the grievances of the workers. staff was being overworked to the I was brought up outside the Nik Then we called a meeting and the breaking point. Every week, the kei community and all my life whole department went up to the bosses experimented with our teachers gave me the sterile praise general manager's office and read scheduling, laying off as many peo of being the "model minority," the the grievance to him. The general ple as they could and forcing the Japanese American "success manager put on a good show, but rest of us to work two jobs at once or story." Working on the hearings he was visibly shaken. Within the overtime shifts. Our supervisor made me realize just how much of month, our supervisor was fired. would follow us around telling us these racist myths I had accepted. C o n d i t i o n s a t w o r k h a v e i m we were lazy and threatening to fire T h e t e s t i m o n i e s o f t h e I s s e i a n d N i proved since then. The biggest us. The paranoia and exhaustion sei had the biggest impact on me. change is that the workers, even wore everyone out. Their personal histories gave me a some of those who refused to take One day, during our break, we no f r a m e w o r k t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e s c a t part in the meeting, feel that we can ticed one of the waitresses had what tered stories my parents told us actually change things. There is a looked like paint on her fingernails. when we were young: kneeling in sense of community at work. We She told us that her fingernails were the strawberry fields in Santa Maria; face the same conditions together getting torn up and the only way she standing drenched in the pesticides and support each other day in and could hold them together was to at falling from fruit trees; working in day out. I guess that's why I decided tach pieces of bandaids onto her the factories in Chicago during the to stay at my job. There are many nails with crazy glue. That started war. I began to understand that the ways you can contribute to the the other waitresses talking about history of Japanese people in Amer movement for social change — me infections that they had been get ica is a history of working people dia work, community work or labor ting. One waitress had an infection who built up the wealth of this organizing are all needed. It's a mat t h a t n e v e r h e a l e d a n d h a d w o r k e d country and in return were denied ter of what opportunities arise. I its way into her joints. The whole all their rights. d o n ' t k n o w i f I ' l l b e a c a s h i e r t h e knuckle looked deformed. They fig The redress and reparations cam rest of my life, but I do know that I ured it was caused by some chemi paign helped me understand the sit want to be part of the working class' cal or citrus that the restaurant was u a t i o n a t w o r k . I w a s c o m m i t t e d t o struggle toend exploitation. □ using. I was shocked and asked my friends and to helping to improve what we should do about it. A friend the immediate working conditions of mine replied,"Well, you shoi^ld there. But I also came to see that Sayo Fujioka is a student at S.F. get out of here as fast as you can. beyond that was a battle against the State and a member of the Asian Stu You're going to school; you've got a source of those conditions, a whole dent Union. She is also a member of chance to do something better with system of exploitation. Local 2 of the hi otel I Restaurant Em your life. If you stay here, you'll I started spending more time talk ployees Union.

FALL/WINTER 1983 41 Reminiscences of the S.F. State Strike

house and doing improvisational po Guards, along with students who left By Alex Hing litical satire at that time, having the campuses to do community dropped out of school two years ear work. lier. I was already a revolutionary and beginning to see the shortcomings of Background to the Strike the anarchist politics that I held — It's called San Francisco State Uni particularly as they related to the op T h e s t r i k e i t s e l f w a s t h e c u l m i n a versity now and a futuristic-looking pressed Third World peoples in this tion of nearly a decade of organizing Student Union building dominates country. I was becoming enlightened by students at SFSC to bring about the western edge of the quad where to scientific socialism as expressed in more relevant education. Many stu once stood the squat, ugly Commons. the writings of Chairman Mao. There dents were influenced by the Civil The dilapidated construction huts was no Asian Movement to speak of Rights Movement and took part in which housed the student organiza then and I was compelled to seek out the Freedom Rides to register Black tions are finally gone — replaced by other Asians who were fed up enough v o t e r s i n t h e S o u t h . A s s t u d e n t s b e comfortable carpeted rooms. with the racism of capitalist society gan to get involved in progressive po Fifteen years ago, it was called San to make revolution. I began to rees litical struggles, however, they found Francisco State College (SFSC) and t a b l i s h t i e s w i t h t h e A m e r i c a n - b o r n it nearly impossible to raise these is r e v o l u t i o n w a s t h e m a i n t r e n d i n t h e Chinese street youth with whom I sues on campus. State students thus world. The year 1968 saw the flag of grew up. They had formed an organi launched their own Free Speech the National Liberation Front of zation called Leways and purchased Movement, three years prior to the South Viet Nam raised above the roof a pool hall. Berkeley students' highly publicized of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon during Because the strike was aimed pre movement, and forced the Adminis t h e Te t o f f e n s i v e . B l a c k A m e r i c a w a s c i s e l y a t g i v i n g o p p r e s s e d T h i r d tration to build an outdoor speakers' seething as city after city ignited with World people access to college, platform on the quad. From this be the flames of resistance and anger Leways became the staunchest sup ginning, students pressed for more following the assassination of Martin porter of the TWLF in Chinatown. r e l e v a n t c o u r s e s a n d m o r e i n v o l v e Luther King. People from Leways were often out ment with the communities. At San Francisco State College, a at the picket lines, as well as out in Leading this motion was the Black coalition called the Third World Lib t h e c o m m u n i t y r a i s i n g f u n d s a n d Students Union (BSU), formed in 1966. eration Front (TWLF) began a strike popularizing the TWLF strike de The BSU used the student tutorial pro o n N o v e m b e r 6 t h a t w a s t o b e c o m e mands. This strike support activity gram to educate Black youth in the the longqst student strike in U.S. helped to broaden the outlook of Fillmore District, and the Experimen history. many Leways activists who later tal College to set up the beginnings of I was washing dishes in a coffee f o r m e d t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y R e d a Black Studies Department.

42 EAST WIND T h e B l a c k s t u d e n t s d e m a n d e d t h a t faced by all of the non-white students made to join the coalition, and the Academic Senate pass a proposal on campus, many of whom were in M a s o n w a s e l e c t e d I C S A c h a i r m a n . for a Black Studies Department. The volved in student programs, such as B y s e c u r i n g A s s o c i a t e d S t u d e n t s proposal called for a Black studies the Tutorial Program, the Commu funds, the ICSA then proceeded to extension in the community which nity Involvement Program, the Work set up a field office in Chinatown in would be facilitated by students do Study Program, and the Experimental order to work with an immigrant ing field work, and suggested a five- College. youth gang arrd expand the tutorial year plan which would serve a mini T h i s s i t u a t i o n l a i d t h e b a s i s f o r a program. The field office helped to mum of 2,000 students. Third World coalition, and the Third m o v e s o m e o f t h e s t u d e n t s t o t h e The importance of this demand World Liberation Front (TWEE) came Left, and at the same time, attracted was underscored by the abysmal fail into being in March1968. Itconsisted more working class students to the ure of the colleges to serve the mi of the BSU, the Latin American Stu ICSA. nority communities. In 1968, 54% of dent Organization (LASO), the Mexi PACE'S main emphasis was recruit San Francisco's high school students can American Student Confedera ing college applicants from the were minorities, but only 10% of tion (MASC), the Intercollegiate Chi Pilipino community and running a tu SFSC's student body was Third nese for Social Action (ICSA), the torial program. But they quickly saw W o r l d . B l a c k s t u d e n t e n r o l l m e n t h a d Philippine-American College En t h e n e e d f o r t h e T W E E a n d b e c a m e actually declined every year since deavor (PACE) and the Asian Ameri one of its founding members. Many the implementation of the 1960 Cali can Political Alliance (AAPA). of the PACE membership became po f o r n i a S t a t e E d u c a t i o n M a s t e r P l a n . liticized during the strike as they at F o r t h e f e w h u n d r e d T h i r d W o r l d The Asian Organizations tended teach-ins, agitated others at students on campuses, the curricu mass rallies, and organized commu l u m w a s t h e s t a n d a r d W A S P e d u c a T h e f o r m a t i o n o f t h e T W E E r a d i nity support. The historic fall take tion right down the line. There were calized the Asian organizations. o v e r a n d s i t - i n o f t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n n o e t h n i c s t u d i e s c l a s s e s a i m e d a t The ICSA was originally formed by Building was led by Pat Salaver, one promoting the history or culture of fairly well-to-do students who had o f p a c e ' s l e a d e r s . Third World people in this country. missionary attitudes toward the Chi AAPA was led by revolutionaries While the proposal for Black stud nese community. They worked as vol from the outset. Itwas a pan-Asian or ies was being lobbied, the political u n t e e r s i n v a r i o u s s o c i a l s e r v i c e ganization, although most of its forces in the state were making it im agencies and ran an English tutorial members at SESC were Japanese possible, not only for Black studies, program with assistance from the Americans and mostly women. but for any type of relevant educa churches. At the urging of the BSU, A A P A ' s a i m w a s t o u n i t e A s i a n s tion. Ronald Reagan was governor however, two military veterans, Al around a perspective that would en then. Fie took office in 1966 vowing and Mason Wong, led an intense able them to deal with issues such as to "cut and trim and squeeze until we struggle within the ICSA to ally with t h e V i e t N a m W a r a n d d o m e s t i c have reduced the cost of govern the TWEE. The more conservative racism to break the stereotype of the ment." For higher education, Reagan s t u d e n t s f e a r e d t h a t s u c h a n a l l i a n c e passive, submissive Asian. AAPA proposed a 10% cut and a $200-400 would jeopardize their standings in conducted political study groups us tuition fee. This would discourage the community, while the insurgents ing, among other material, Marxist- those who went to school to "agitate argued that what was really needed Leninist works. By participating in and not study." was a program that was independent the TWEE, AAPA was able to test rev Needless to say, the opposition of the agencies. With the help of olutionary theory in the heat of ac which the BSU faced was also being Leways, the decision was finally tual struggle.

FALL/WINTER1983 43 on campus to Implement the BSU de Socialism, on the other hand, exists Prelude to the Strike mands. Murray was subsequently for the benefit of all working people fired. In whose hands political power rests. The newly-formed TWLF united Meanwhile, the rest of the TWEE In order to unleash the full potential with the radical white students and joined the BSU's call for a strike and of the working masses and build so collectively established a slate to bid Issued 15 non-negotiable demands. cialism, there must be active support for control of the Associated Stu The key demands were that a School of demands for full equality and self- dents (AS). The slate successfully of Ethnic Studies be set up; that there d e t e r m i n a t i o n f o r m i n o r i t i e s . swept the vote by a three-to-one mar b e s t u d e n t c o n t r o l o v e r t h e c u r r i c u M o s t o f t h e l e a d e r s o f t h e T W L F gin over the "jock" slate. Ron lum, as well as, over the hiring and re were revolutionaries; many of them, KItachal, an activist In PACE, was tention of any faculty, director and Marxist-Lenlnlsts. They carried the elected AS President, and Pat Salaver administrator; and that all Third Red Book and tried to apply Mao's won a seat on the Foundations Board. World students applying for admis thoughts to their situation. This put the TWLF In control of a sion be accepted In the fall of 1969. The Strike Begins $400,000 budget from which It could, T h e s e d e m a n d s w e r e a d e c l a r a t i o n at least, partially, Implementsomeof t h a t T h i r d W o r l d s t u d e n t s ' n e e d s h a d On an overcast, drizzly November Its programs. to be recognized; that ethnic studies day, when Nixon's portrait graced the However, the State College Board be seen as a legitimate academic dis entire front page of the S.F. Examiner, of Trustees, which represented Cali cipline; and that students have a the strike began. fornia's leading businessmen and rightful voice In making decisions Governor Reagan said, "San Fran politicians proposed revising the concerning their education. The Im cisco State College Is a domestic State Education Code, giving them pact of these demands was tremen Vietnam," so Intense was the con selves control over student funds as dous. Students across the nation took flict. But during the first few days, the well as veto power over student- up similar demands as the State strike external appearance of the campus Implemented programs through the became a living example of the slo was quiet. Inside, however, a guer State College Chancellor, a reaction gan, "Dare to struggle. Dare to win." rilla war was being waged. Groups of ary named Glen Dumke. The stage To fully Implement these de T W L F m e m b e r s w o u l d e n t e r c l a s s was thus set for a confrontation be mands, Third World people have to rooms, explain the demands, and tween the Third World students and have full equality — the ability to t h e n " d i s m i s s " t h e c l a s s . S m a l l fi r e s California's entire system of higher d e t e r m i n e t h e i r o w n d e s t i n i e s . W h i l e were set In trash cans. Windows were education. demands like these can conceivably broken. The Administration was The November 6 strike deadline be granted under the existing capital forced to rely more and more on the was first announced at a rally held by ist system, It will take nothing short of police. At the end of the first week, the BSU. At that time, George Mason a revolutionary struggle to obtain c l a s s r o o m a t t e n d a n c e w a s o f f a s Murray, a teaching assistant In the them, and even then, only socialism m u c h a s 5 0 % . English Department and Minister of can guarantee full equality. This Is By that time, the campus was thor E d u c a t i o n o f t h e B l a c k P a n t h e r because a system whose existence Is oughly occupied by the Infamous Party, ran down the Party's pro solely based on obtaining the max Tactical Squad — Mayor Alloto's gramme as It related to Black stu imum profits for a few monopoly elite corps of political police. The dents, Including the right to armed capitalists will not willingly grant TAG Squad would attack students In self-defense against racist attacks. higher education to a sector of labor discriminately and without provoca Immediately, the press raised the ing people from whom they are ex tion; however, their most brutal as scareof Black Panthers bringlngguns tracting an extra measure of profits. s a u l t s w e r e r e s e r v e d f o r T h i r d W o r l d

44 EAST WIND s t u d e n t s a n d s t r i k e l e a d e r s . B e c a u s e was brought about mainly through s t a c k o f b o o k s u n d e r o n e a r m a n d of the widespread police violence, the efforts of the Third World women clutching a slide rule. His eyes were the Administration closed the cam who became united as they quickly intently focused on the ground as he pus indefinitely. discarded the old stereotypes by ignored the exhortations of the Asian The victory was short-lived. After bravely and tirelessly taking up all strikers to not betray his community rejecting several attempts at coopta- aspects of strike activity. and scab. The brother then proceeded tion by the Administration, most of The police were everywhere, but to enter the campus, never lifting his t h e s t r i k e l e a d e r s w e r e i n f o r m e d t h a t the people were defiant. "Pigs off eyes off the ground. He subsequently they were being suspended. The trus campus!" "On strike, shut it down!" walked smack into a group of TAC tees had found a new president who "Power to the people!" they chanted. Squad officers who brutally clubbed, would reopen the school, violence or Suddenly, Hayakawa's voice came handcuffed and arrested him. The not. This honor fell on the despicable on the loudspeakers ordering the next day, the brother was back, his banana, S.I. Hayakawa. His strategy crowd to leave, only to be drowned head bandaged, walking the picket for reopening the campus was simply out by more intense chanting from line. martial law: the speakers' platform the people. The TAC Squad then The police would seize upon any was declared off-limits, amplified charged the crowd with riot batons, incident on the picket line — real or sound was forbidden as well as gath mercilessly beating anyone they imagined — to attack the strikers. In erings of five or more persons. Stu could reach. The shock of the people the face of this, the TWLF, just prior d e n t s a n d t e a c h e r s w h o m i s s e d quickly turned to anger as they to the semester break, called for an classes were to bef ired or suspended. responded by burling everything that other mass rally on the quad. As the A veritable army of police called in wasn't nailed down at the police. rally was beginning, cordons of po from the entire Bay Area was to en On January 6, a new element was lice completely surrounded the quad force these policies. a d d e d t o t h e s t r i k e a s t h e l o c a l and arrested all of the rally partici The atmosphere was tense on the chapter of the American Federation pants, except for the lucky few who day the campus reopened. 1,500 peo of Teachers (AFT) at SFSC began their were able to break away. By the ple gathered to challenge the ban on own strike. The beginning of the semester's end, over 700 strikers and rallies. There were faculty members teachers' strike had the immediate supporters had been arrested on who were no longer teaching classes; effect of broadening the TWLF strike campus. community supporters, many of a s t h e A F T s t r i k e i n c l u d e d t h e d e The arrests and ensuing legal bat whom had never been on a college m a n d t h a t " ( t h e ) B l a c k S t u d e n t s tles placed a huge drain on the ener campus before; medical workers in Union and Third World Liberation gies of the TWLF. Many of the Asians white smocks with large red crosses Front grievances must be resolved i n t h e T W L F t o o k o n t h e d i f fi c u l t t a s k painted on their backs; legal observ and implementation assured." The of organizing the legal defense. Bail ers with cameras and note pads; large main tactic of the AFT was to engage m o n i e s n e e d e d t o b e r a i s e d . F u n d - numbers of white students; and the in massive, legal picketing of the raising events were organized to pro TWLF. The solidarity among the dif campus, hoping to shut it down that vide for legal fees. Students handled ferent peoples of color was truly way. the double duty of picketing and amazing. Nowherewasthereahintof The police responded with vio speaking to community groups to superiority or jealousy, but rather a lence. While walking the picket line raise more support. desire to learn about each other's cul one morning, I saw a Chinese brother W i t h t h e m a s s a r r e s t s a n d t h e tures and discover the commonality who intended to cross the picket line strike tactics mainly in the hands of that comes from being non-white in and go to class. He was sporting a the AFT, the new semester began this country. This cross education crew cut and thick glasses, carrying a with what were to become insur-

FALL/WINTER 1983 45 m o u n t a b l e d i f fi c u l t i e s f o r t h e T W L F. demands that allegedly served to "di were felt nationwide. Hayakawa tightened his grip by ini vide the working class." It was a turning point in the devel tiating mass suspensions and expul Given this situation, the TWLF was opment of Asian consciousness as sions of strikers. Falsely accusing the forced to retreat. So, after nearly six people asserted a new identity for Associated Students of using student months of intense struggle, an agree A s i a n A m e r i c a n s — o n e t h a t w a s n ' t body funds to "buy guns," he then ment was signed that formally ended stereotyped but defined by the peo got the Attorney General's Office to the strike. ple themselves. The strike welded to effectively dissolve the Associated For some of the participants the gether the diverse Asian nationalities Students and placed its funds in re settlement meant the strike was a into a full-blown pan-Asian move ceivership. The student newspapers f a i l u r e , b e c a u s e a n u m b e r o f d e ment for equality and political were also suspended, as was the Edu mands were not granted. But overall power. Ethnic Studies, with varying cational Opportunities Program. the strike was a victory, albeit a lim degrees of student control, were While desperately trying to deal ited victory achieved against great fought for and established on cam with these new attacks, the TWLF re odds. puses throughout the country. ceived what was to be the strike's Two major achievements stand More importantly, many revolu fatal blow. The college trustees out. First, the strike forced the Ad t i o n a r i e s w e r e c r e a t e d o u t o f t h e adopted new grievance procedures ministration to grant a School of Eth strike, and while they became disen for the teachers, which was one of the nic Studies. Today, the SF State pro c h a n t e d w i t h i t s a c t u a l r e s u l t s a t AFT's main strike demands. Coupled gram is one of the few remaining SFSC, the struggle served to increase with vague promises of a reduced schools of ethnic studies. Secondly, t h e i r c o m m i t m e n t t o o v e r t h r o w t h e work load, the Labor Council urged t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n w a s f o r c e d t o i m capitalist system. Activists left cam the AFT to accept this as a settlement plement the recruitment of minority pus to establish community organi to their dispute or have their strike students which brought in hundreds zations that would fight for the needs s a n c t i o n l i f t e d . A s a n a d d e d i n d u c e of new students. of their people. Ex-students, includ ment, Hayakawa threatened to fire True to form, the Administration ing myself, got working class jobs and all of the striking teachers. At the end began to renege on its agreements eventually helped to develop rank of the fourth month of the TWLF shortly after the strike settlement. a n d fi l e w o r k e r s ' m o v e m e n t s i n s e v strike, the AFT returned to work. A S t u d e n t d e m a n d s f o r c o n t r o l o f e t h e r a l i n d u s t r i e s . S o m e s t u d e n t s r e n u m b e r o f t e a c h e r s r e f u s e d t o a b i d e nic studies were ignored as the Ad mained on campus to consolidate by the AFT sellout and continued to ministration exerted dominance over the gains made by the strike. strike. However, the TWLF, seeing hiring and firing and curricula. Funds For many, the education that they the end at hand, urged all of them to for ethnic studies were always in received during the six months of the return to work. jeopardy. T W L F s t r i k e w a s t o b e c o m e m o r e i n By this time, the cohesiveness of But these counterattacks by the delible than the ink on their diplomas. the strike was in bad array. Most of Administration should not cloud □ the strike leaders were facing huge over the significant political victory. legal battles, as were a great number The strike showed the power of stu o f r a n k a n d fi l e T h i r d Wo r l d s t u d e n t s . d e n t s w h o a r e u n i t e d . T h e s t u d e n t s The white students were beginning to literally took over the campus and Alex Hing is a longtime activist in vacillate in their support of the shut it down to force concessions the Asian community and labor move TWLF. A group call the Progressive f r o m t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n . T h e s t r i k e m e n t s . H e w a s t h e M i n i s t e r o f E d u c a Labor Party even attacked the TWLF was a tremendous example for other tion of the S. F. Chinatown Red Guards as being "petit bourgeois" for raising Third World people, and its effects in the late 1960's.

46 EAST WIND By Taiji Miyagawa

Y e s N o

1 A s i a n m e n , d o y o u f e e l yourselves being con s t a n t l y r e j e c t e d b y Asian women? I Politics 2. Asian women, do you feel that Asian men are insecure wimps?

3 A s i a n m e n , d o y o u t h i n k A s i a n w o m e n a r e too inhibited and that white women are sexier?

4 A s i a n w o m e n , d o y o u Dating feel that Asian men are domineering, and that white men are more liberated?

5 S h o u l d A s i a n s d a t e a n d ■ marry Asians just be c a u s e o f e t h n i c b a c k ground?

6 I f y o u r g r a n d m o t h e r tells you not to marry a white person, does that mean she's a racist?

Askanber Asian of the (especially ypungera generation)mem wimmMm what they think about Asians dating WWW" whites and you can be sure that if the issue is*pressed and discussion pur sued, emotions will quickly shift into Km fourth gear. Interracial dating/mar riage stands out as a hot topic on Vi ViVl campus and in the Asian communi ties because of the fact that there ex ists a high rate of interracial dating b e t w e e n A s i a n s a n d w h i t e s . S o m e studies have indicated that for Japa nese Americans and Filipino Ameri cans, outmarriage actually super cedes intra-nationality marriage. If present outmarriage trends continue, w h a t i s t o b e c o m e o f " A s i a n America" two or three generations from now? For younger Asians this i s s u e h a s t o d o w i t h h o w o n e s e e s

FALL/WINTER 1983 47 ^bccflWS®

someo«« going standee'' ' ^ andeflch one dimensional molds or as flatly in her/himself and how one sees 15> MOT AcUWAVf> her/himself fitting into U.S. society. ferior to whites. (This holds true for When confronted with the ques V / v j H A r r G t B T / Third World men in general). The tion of why so many Asians date and prevalent stereotype on campus, pro marry whites, one finds that there are moted by the campaign against j apa- no simple "check-one-box-only" an nese imports and runaway shops in swers. Each individual case of mixed Asia, is that of the quiet, hard dating/marriage is different. How working, robot-like Asian with thick ever, there must be some explanation glasses and a calculator for a mind. for a phenomenon which can be la For Asian sisters who have been in belled as a "trend." Perhaps we can fluenced by these images, the ten recognize some possible common dency will be to "go for the white factors which in combination help to ideal." This "desirability" (plus the promote interracial (white) dating. fact that white men earn more than This article is not intended to be an Asian men) implies that Asian men exhaustive analysis of the interracial a r e " u n d e s i r a b l e . " H e n c e , t h e s e dating patterns among Asians so women end up in a place where they much as an effort to help promote don't know what they're missing. healthy debate and discussion. My Asian men contribute to their s e n t i m e n t s r u n c o u n t e r t o t h o s e w h o " u n d e s i r a b i l i t y " b y s o m e t i m e s see dating and outmarriage with responding to these media contriv whites as being a progressive motion. too many Asian males can grow to be ances in a way which only aggravates I f e e l m o r e f a v o r a b l e a b o u t i n t r a - 6' 3" with round blue eyes, looking the situation. Some brothers end up Asian nationality relationships. This like Robert Redford. Likewise, it is overcompensating and capitulating isn't because I believe in "preserving hopeless for the majority of Asian to male chauvinist posturing ("like a purity of blood," but because in the women to try and compete to be maybe I need to be more macho larger societal context, I see that the whiter than white. And yet some of us . .."). Some of this domineering atti basis for this high rate of interracial wear platform shoes (or at least tude also has roots in the Asian feu dating and marriage is Asian inequal thicker heels) and padded bras. If we dal tradition. I've heard women com ity and white racist rationales. This can't accept who and what we are be plain about their fathers and how v i e w i s d i f f e r e n t t h a n o n e w h i c h cause someone is telling us that we they treat their mothers, and the would explain things in terms of "free don't match the standard, we're go mothers tell me that the grandfather choice love." ing to end up hating ourselves and was worse. Obviously, Asian men each other. have to change this. Asian males are consistently por The Asian woman conversely faces Fromcountrythe day (andwe alsoare inborn colonizedin this trayed in the popular entertainment a double oppression; she is looked countries like the Philippines or pre m e d i a e i t h e r a s p a s s i v e s e c o n d upon by white men as being subser viously defeated ones like Japan), we bananas to white males {Hawaii Five- vient both by way of race and gender. are taught that the standard of O, Star Trek, Charlie Chan movies, This double oppression manifests beauty for humans is the tall white Quincy, etc.) or as sinister, insensi itself in the dehumanizing white man and the robust white female tive, villainous chauvinists (Fu Man- male fantasy of the "sleazy subser (preferably blonde at that). Accept chu, the brutal husbands in Shogun, vient oriental girl with the slanted ing these standards makes life con etc.). In other works, Asian men are vagina." Because of the way Asian fusing and difficult for Asians. Not cast in unrealistic stereotypical and women have been portrayed in the

48 EAST WIND / men and f oppose the th1sZ""''-^Sht seetZZ"'"'''''' - ^JZZZ'videus."

media [Courtship of Eddie's Father, white woman seeks to prove herself are tacitly consistent with our une Hawaii Five-O, and The World of as being "liberal" by going with a qual status in the U.S. Racist assump Susie Wong), white men see Asian non-white male and the Asian male tions often underlie these cloudy women as being "exotic/' existing as feels that he has proven his (false) love affairs. Even if it is possible for objects to satisfy their needs. Some masculinity by winning a white an individual Asian and individual white men, because of male insecuri woman. The premise in these above- white to have a good relationship in ties (not restricted to whites), will also m e n t i o n e d c a s e s s h o u l d b e c l e a r : today's society (and some may chal chase Asian women because they A s i a n s a r e i n f e r i o r. lenge this), I would still advocate feel that they are more easily domi Couple these media images that intra-Asian nationality relationships nated than white women. Asian pervade our consciousness with cen because this seems to be a practical b r o t h e r s k n o w t h i s b e c a u s e s o m e o f turies of colonialism in the Philip way of resisting forced assimilation. us have heard these things in places pines and the forced dispersal of Jap For Asians who decide "voluntarily" where women don't go (e.g. the a n e s e A m e r i c a n s a n d o n e c a n s e e to enter relationships with whites, locker room). The reason so many of why outmarriage rates run so high: they should still try to support the ef us get sharply perturbed when we see We're made to think of ourselves as forts in the communities to continue an Asian sister going with a white guy i n f e r i o r t o w h i t e s a n d o u r h a t r e d o f the work begun by our parents and has to do with the pain of seeing an this perceived inferiority turns us grandparents: to construct a society Asian woman being degraded and against each other. where equality is enjoyed by all forced to capitulate to a white racist peoples. □ stereotype because they can't fulfill the white woman ideal! Perhaps Asianshouldmen and opposewomen the stereotypestogether Taiji Miyagawa is a senior at U.C. s o m e A s i a n w o m e n l o o k a t t h e A s i a n that degrade us and fight this system San Diego in the Film/Communica male-white female relationship in a w h i c h s e e k s t o d i v i d e u s . To o o f t e n tions Dept. He is a member of the s o m e w h a t s i m i l a r f a s h i o n — t h e A s i a n s d a t e w h i t e s f o r r e a s o n s w h i c h A s i a n P a c i fi c S t u d e n t A l l i a n c e .

FALL/WINTER 1983 49 Retired Japanese Workers' Hall, Turiock, California

w o r k b o o t s a n d c l o t h z o r i r u b b e d t h e fl o o r d o w n past the bark finished like a workingman's hands rough, swollen, scarred b e d s s t o o d s t i l l s t a t i o n e d l i k e s e n t r i e s 97 years old waiting for exhausted bodies h e l i v e d f r o m t h e t i m e to lean into creaky springs before electric lights and groan in broken raku dreams to watch the tv landing o l d t i m e r s ' s n o r e s s w a l l o w on the moon warm Turiock nights he knew the farming people issei bachelors' as some men knew the grapes sun-braised faces and honeydew, crenshaw and grunt over go boards strawberries and hanafuda tables the nisei children grew rubbing closely cropped heads i n t o h i s s t u d e n t s bald shiny domes caretaker, confidant, counselor w o r n k h a k i s a n d w h i t e s l e e v e l e s s u n d e r s h i r t s community conflicts and Ibarra-san the elder problems raised pigeons their found their way to his wisdom cooings his orange white carp tangled with twilight finned silent music new grass and dew under lily pads a b o v e h a r s h s u m m e r d u s t in the pond he followed their flight he sees tiny ripples like Kyushu waves his mustache a giant grey white shrimp koisongs perched on his lip rice harvest songs his eyes two distant suns of childhood glinting over water dance underwater Turiock, Ceres, Keyes, San Joaquin Valley towns know the bachelors and the migrants the wives and daughters by their Fuji mountain sacrifice f o r t h e c h i l d r e n like eight or nine in the morning

Doug Yamamoto

EAST WIND like it really was. After all these years, a struggle still continues to forge the right kind of language to shed the most accurate light on the experience. Long-term The reluctance of the internees themselves is understandable. As one Nisei put it during a practice hearing in Seattle preceding these official tes timonies: "This is a part of my life that's been buried for 30 years. I Consequences of the wanted to bury it, to forget it. I'm still e m b a r r a s s e d t o t a l k a b o u t i t . " Another factor has been the whole sale imposition of white Euro-Amer ican concepts and perspectives by certain white social researchers who were obsessed, back then in the early 1940's, with making a name for themselves. Nikkei Internment It is not true, contrary to Professor Moos' undocumented claim, that most Nikkei "recovered well after their release." Some problems Iqng repressed are just now manifesting themselves in a manner analogous to Japanese-Americans while reinforc the delayed action of Agent Orange, By Ben Tong, Ph.D. ing their determination to do well a chemical defoliant employed in the within the American system."(p. 334) Vietnam War that made its way into This article is based on Dr. Tang's This is a familiar litany of dismissal the biochemistry of thousands of presentation at the Commission on and denial: If Japanese America American soldiers. Allow me to cite Wartime Relocation and Internment somehow emerged from the camps three select "cases" of disturbed Nik of Civilians hearing on August 11, with enough gumption to send their kei behavior that beg for a language 1981 in San Francisco, California. kids to good schools, make decent of comprehension. wages, and live quietly in white sub * * * urbs, they could not have been in jured by the experience. Thefemale, first is 28-years-old, that of a Sansei who saw The case for long-term conse me for about a year and a half at a Until spectednow, many individuals highly and re or quences does exist, of course, as the community mental health center. ganizations have written up — and, long rounds of testimony before the The initial "diagnostic impression" in the process, written off — the J apa- 1981 Commission on Wartime Relo was"chronic dependent personal nese American internment as a phe cation and Internment of Civilians ity" with "features of immaturity, dis nomenon that had little, if any, seri have madeabundantly clear. It isnot proportionate rage, and extreme pre o u s a d v e r s e e f f e c t o n t h e h e a l t h a n d a difficult case to argue even though occupation with self." Among other well-being of the incarcerated. A the Internment in all of its complex things, she had been falling in and out prime example is a book by Stanford ity has yet to be fully understood and of short-lived heterosexual relation professor, Rudolph H. Moos, Human properly documented. Many of the ships in which she demanded that her Adaptation: Coping with Life Crises victims have recounted their painful intimate partners take care of her in (D.C. Heath, 1976). He concluded stories in clinical case studies, ethnic the most complete fashion. All of the that: journals, Sunday newspaper maga men in her life were white and Black. ' ' A s i d e f r o m t h e s e v e r e e c o n o m i c zine specials, and secret letters to no N o t a o n e w a s A s i a n A m e r i c a n . setbacks suffered by many families, body in particular. Her family history included a dom and the premature end of the educa One fact that has made it difficult inating, suffocating mother and what tion of some Nisei (resulting in perma to comprehend the camp experience s h e h e r s e l f r e f e r r e d t o a s " a n e x nent occupational handicaps), most resides in the reality that there has tremely weak" father. "Sansei men people recovered well after their re yet to appear a language for de are just like him — dull, cowardly, lease. By 1960 Americans of Japanese scribing and explaining what took uninteresting and plodding." Particu descent ranked very high in educa place some 36 years ago. In gather larly irritating to my client was her tion, professional status, and income ings stimulated by the current efforts father's practice of taking tuna fish levels, and one observer has con at redress, we have heard metaphors sandwiches to work. "Every year for cluded that internment toughened like "rape" and "incest" to tell it 20 years he's been going to work in a

FALL/WINTER 1983 51 place where he's the only Asian. pretty bitter days because of the Man- fools. I've never been mistreated by Everyone else is hakujin. He makes churian crisis. The papers were full of white folks. If the world is hostile, it's my mother pack him goddamned tuna t h o s e t e r r i b l e c a r t o o n s o f b u c k - t o o t h because my parents said it is so." This fish sandwiches with chopped celery japs. (He blames his parents for paint is what psychotherapists call "de and mayonnaise — hakujin food that ing such a hostile world, but at the fense by intellectual containment." he hates! — because he had to 'get same time, he is aware it isn't just what It is a way of taking all the over along' with hakujins. How can you re he's heard from his folks.) And yet I've whelming, unmanageable feelings spect anyone who's so utterly, total ly never been referred to or made fun of and just binding them. Unfortu frightened like that? I sure as hell ... and looking back we made our nately, it really did not work. can't!" One possible working con selves miserable, sort of. Of course "Again, I saw two worlds. My own cept, then, would be contempt for with my parents it was more real be world where I had my friends, my Cau one's own, growing out of negative cause they never really associated on casian friends, and my mother's role modeling. a social level. They never had any world, her church friends, her all- The second case is drawn from the white friends. And when a group of Japanese friends. And looking back, I records of a white psychoanalyst Japanese would get together they had a choice then — to be Japanese, who did many years of psychoana would talk about the war, about dis to be part of the Japanese community, lytic therapy with a Nisei male who is crimination. My parents.. . they think or to take up this more comfortable now in his mid-50's (Charlotte G. Bab- of this hostile world outside."(Brack American, meaning white culture. cock and Mark J. Gehrie, "Psycho analysis and Follow-up: The Personal and Cultural Meaning of the Experi ence of a Nisei in Treatment," The Annual of Psychoanalysis, 1977, Vol. 6). This man, Mr. B., was not in the camps. ' ' E v a c u a t i o n a n d P e a r l H a r b o r w a s a traumatic kind of world shaking event It's like, oh, the one thing I always sympathize and identify with . . .(in) Anne Frank typeof stories. And the life that we led during most of our c h i l d h o o d w a s l i k e A n n e F r a n k . You've got to be quiet; the enemy is outside. But we'll carry on our own feud inside, you know, between our selves, relatives you know. Within the family you could just kill each other or just raise hell. But outside ... we can't go outside. If we do go outside, we have to put on our mask, our fa cade, you know. And that's the type of ets contain my observations. B.T.j. And anyways, so way back, I see there devastating kind of upbringing, like (p.368) was a choice. I kind of made a deliber the Anne Frank type of situation. It The rage that Mr. B. experienced, ate choice of not pursuing the Japa really gets to me, where one is sort of particularly rage toward white peo nese part of it"(p. 377) running away."[pp. 371-372) ple, was a natural response. At the My interpretation of this passage is same time, it was something that felt that this is an individual from a group unmanageable. There were tens of Anotherconcept interpretive might well or be clinical this: that was terrorized and humiliated, thousands of yellow people with that When Asian Americans, out of con who, despite not being in camp, very same natural human response: tempt for themselves, submerge n o n e t h e l e s s s u f f e r e d m u c h o f t h e Japanese Americans were angry at themselves in the white world, they very same anxieties of people who whites. But they did not know which hide their feelings by saying that it is were in fact incarcerated. The world whites to be angry at, or how to ex a natural metamorphosis. "To grow f e l t u n s a f e . I t w a s a m i n e fi e l d : Yo u press their rage, and what might hap up is to be this way, to let go of cer had to be still, for anything could set pen if they did. tain things. When I was a child, I was white people off, and you never quite As the psyche is wont to do, the Japanese. Now that I am an adult, I knew what that m ight be. The fol low anger was shifted over, and other fig let go of those things." ing paragraph is even more revealing: ures much less threatening and om Lastly, I would like to mention a "The only kind of discrimination nipotent were blamed. Mr. B. blamed c a s e t h a t l e f t c l i n i c i a n s b e f u d d l e d . A was in what my parents thought... his parents even though he did not be 21-year-old Sansei female was dis (They) instilled in us that this is lieve his own lies. It were as though covered running about in the wee a h o s t i l e e n v i r o n m e n t . T h o s e w e r e he were saying, "My parents are the hours along a major highway, a four-

52 EAST WIND lane highway, clad only in a negligee. therapeutic activities is to encourage very things they wanted them to ac Having swallowed a huge quantity of the person to talk about the event quire: "What are you now? Upstart? lye, she was hoi lering at the top of her over and over again until s/he can You're not one of us anymore?" lungs, "Mother, Mother, hide! We've find a language, a cognitive handle, Everyone was put in a terrible bind. got to hide! They just bombed Pearl with which to deal with the situation. The self-hatred, the contempt for Harbor!" After the Highway Patrol That is, to be able to look at what hap one's own race, the self-deceptive brought her into an emergency psy pened and not be overwhelmed by it. displacement of rage onto non- chiatric facility, she revealed that Until recently, instead, a goodly threatening objects, the wish to whenever her parents wanted to nee number of Nisei said, "We dare not "pass" — these and other psycholog dle her or punish her, they would ex e v e n t a l k a b o u t i t b e c a u s e i t w o u l d ical issues are directly traceable to claim, "You think you're having a awaken all those old feelings." the cruel legacy of the Internment. hard time in your life? You think Another reason for withholding reve- Over 70 percent of Nikkei females you've suffered? We've suffered, and lations was "to spare the kids." who married in the last couple of you don't have the vaguest notion "Spare the kids" meant: "Our kids years "married out," mostly to white what it was like!" Behind the words, have to live in a world where those men. I myself do not oppose inter they were also communicating, "You w h o t o r m e n t e d u s w o n t h e w a r . I n racial marriage. Neither do I actively don'tknow what itwas likeanc/we're order for us and the kids not to go encourage it. It is an individual mat not going to tell you, because you're nuts, we must encourage them to be ter. The statistics, however, most cer tainly represent something that goes beyond romantic love and hetero sexual compatibility. There are some psychological prob lems that do not lend themselves to di rect psychological solutions. When we look at the Sixties, we can recall, with nostalgia and awe, the fact of thousands of Blacks putting away hair-straightening devices, stopping t h e u s e o f s k i n c r e a m s a n d s k i n bleaches, and starting to take pride in being Black and beautiful. These things did not take place because Blacks suddenly dropped into psy chotherapy or marathon encounter groups. Other resources, chiefly of a collective nature, did the trick. I think redress or the attempts at res titution will have the same kind of ef fect. As a matter of fact, I would strongly suggest that Nikkei Ameri supposed to know." what white people expect us to be." can proceed to sue for damages if Out of conversations with the par Hence, the kids were told, "go to compensation in eight figures is not ents (as well as many other Nisei par school, clean up your accent, make forthcoming. Money is needed for ents), some of my colleagues and I nice with whites." long-delayed debriefing and inten came away with certain impressions Some Sansei, in fact, took it even sive psychotherapeutic programs, as to why so many Nisei, for so long, farther and attempted to "pass" for not to mention in-depth research into h a v e n o t i n f o r m e d t h e i r o w n c h i l d r e n white by putting silicone in their the themes I have suggested. If there of their own personal history. There breasts, going for eye-widening surgi is to be any hope of recovering shat are certain psychological purposes cal transformations or lightening tered humanity and suppressed his to this kind of enforced secrecy. One their hair color. What the parents did tory, redress will be the critical cat is that the person himself will not re- not count on when they "spared" the alyst. It must facilitate, to borrow the experience the trauma and humilia next generation and urged them to term from established psychothera tion and, very often, the uncontrol live up to white expectations — in peutic language, "the return of the lable rage surrounding the experi cluding live with obliterated history, r e p r e s s e d . " □ ence of camp. This is not exactly culture and sensibility — was that healthy behavior. Specialists in "cri the youngsters would come to view Ben long is a clinical psychologist s i s i n t e r v e n t i o n " w h o w o r k w i t h t e r their parents as an embarrassment. at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, a rorized human beings — individuals Mom and Dad spoke in "foreign" ac social researcher for U.C. Berkeley's released from hostage situations, in cents and were deficient in white pro Institute for the Study of Social dividuals victimized by catastrophic tocol, habits, and taste. Parents then Change, a lecturer in Asian American loss, etc. — tell us that one of the best berated patronizing children for the Studies, and free-lance writer.

FALL/WINTER 1983 53 the injustice, to support for Japan, to resigned acceptance of the situation, to grudging support for the Camps (due to the fanned-up racist hysteria Camp Art: outside the Camps). By talking to many artists and read ing some of the very few resources on Strength, Camp art, we learned that another response was a huge renaissance in art. For example, Tanforan Assembly Dignity and Culture Center held its first hobby show July 10-12, 1942. The first day only 50 pieces of work were exhibited. As in the Concentration word of mouth spread about this show, the number of pieces grew to over 600. Out of 8,000 men, women, and children, over 9,000 registered to Camps see the show, proving that people saw it more than once. According to Professor Chiura Obata, head of the Tanforan and attended. later Topaz art schools, 636 people By Andy Noguchi Eleven Issei and Nisei artists, pho from the ages of 5-78 enrolled in Tan tographers, and historians gener foran art school. Over 90% of those ously lent us their works. These in enrolled had never been in art class cluded pieces by Mr. Haruo Imura, before. WhenOutreachthe San Jose CommitteeNihonmachi (NOG) Mr. Kohei Kogura, Mr. Suiko Mikami, decided to organize the first-ever Professor Chiura Obata, Mr. Hisao Camp art show, it sounded like a very Omori, Mr. Eiichi Sakauye, Mr. Ta- Despitepoor lack living of conditions, art materials, and good idea. However, it also seemed dashi Toyota, Mr. Rinji Tsubamoto, low wages, Nikkei artists showed like a journey into the unknown. How Mr. Fred Tsujimura, Mr. Paul Zaima, their ingenuity. They made carving were Kathy Higuchi and myself, the and Mrs. Tetsuko Aima. tools out of pocket knives, screwdriv coordinators of this show, supposed W e e x h i b i t e d a l m o s t 2 0 0 w o r k s i n ers, and junk auto springs. They to organize it? cluding paintings, drawings, photo saved paper and string to make deco- After all, what did I knowaboutthe graphs, wood carvings, kobu (pol tage. They bleached duffel bags to Camps? Like other Sansei, there had ished natural wood forms), camp make canvas for painting. They used been I ittle or no talk about the Camps documents, stone carvings, poems pear boxes from which to carve intri in my family. My main exposure to and rock jewelry. cate figures. the Camps had been one Asian Amer One thing we found out early was Besides painting and drawing, ican Studies class and a pilgrimage to that Camp art wasn't just "art for art's which every Camp had, each Camp Tule Lake in 1978. As a non-artist, my sake." Camp art reflected and was had its own specialties. Based on the understanding and appreciation of shaped by the J apanese American ex Japanese appreciation for beauty a r t w a s l i m i t e d . perience in the U.S. and nature, many people looked to All this was to change. Through During World War II, the U.S. gov t h e n a t u r a l m a t e r i a l s a v a i l a b l e t o talking to the Issei and Nisei artists ernment locked up 120,000 Japanese them. about their lives, the Camps, and see Americans in 10 concentration camps In Topaz and Tule Lake, shell jew ing their artwork, I've grown to under located in the most barren areas of the elry abounded due to those Camps stand the importance of Camp art to U.S. People lost their freedom for being located on dry lake beds. Roh- Japanese Americans, both then and over two and one-half years on the wer and Jerome specialized in kobu now. average; were denied democratic polished natural wood shapes be Through a lot of hard work, NOC, self-government; and got paid only cause of an abundance of gnarled alongwith the ASIAN(Asian Students $12-19 per month. They lived in tar cypress trees nearby. Bonkei (minia I n A c t i o n N o w ) S t u d e n t C l u b a n d paper barracks, suffered from lack of ture tray landscapes) made of sand, Asian American Studies of San Jose privacy, and endured temperatures rocks, and twigs flourished in Ama- State University, held two very suc ranging from over 120° in Poston, che. Manzanar and Topaz saw many cessful Camp art shows. The first was Arizona to 30° below zero in Topaz, suzuri (ink stone carvings) since slate held on campus on April 20 and the Utah. deposits were located there. Even at second was held in the Japanese Once inside the barbed wired As the desolate Gila River Camp, lo community on April 24, during Nik sembly Centers and Camps, people's cated in a desert, people displayed kei Matsuri (Japanese American festi responses took many forms. These numerous cactus gardens in front of val). To our surprise, over 500 people ranged from active protests against t h e b a r r a c k h o m e s .

54 EAST WIND The War Relocation Authority farmer and gardener, carved a Mexi horse can cross. When I got out of (WRA), seeing this art blossoming can man on a burro just after he got Camp I wanted to go across the spontaneously, actually encouraged out of Heart Mountain. Mr. Omori ocean to visit my family, my old it. There were few channels for ex told us the story of this piece. "There homeland, but the American govern pression open to Japanese Ameri is an old Japanese tale that says ment would not give me a pass. So cans and the WRA didn't want the in horses can cross some streams easily there is me on the burro and we can ternees' frustrations to erupt in riots. b u t t h e r e a r e o t h e r s t r e a m s t h a t n o not cross." However, the WRA wanted tight con- trol over art and culture. They seemed to equate anything Japa nese, anything not100% white Amer ican, with being subversive. The WRA held the power to ap prove all teachers and classes, in cluding for art. Of course, schools were headed by whites and not Japa nese. In Heart Mountain, the WRA banned the use of the Japanese lan guage and cultural practices in the high school. They banned and later censored the use of J apanesetit com munity talent shows. However, Nik kei resisted these policies too. Groups like the Heart Mountain Man dolin Band, Hawaiian Band, and Taku- ragawa Band played for people's en joyment in the mess halls without WRA endorsement. A few people be lieved that Japanese Americans had a "good time" in Camp. Former Sen ator S.I. Hayakawa believes that the flourishing of Camp art proves this. Few Camp artists looked at their

work as simply having a "good time." Wood Carving of Mexican Man on Burro Their art not only served to express their individual creativity as all art does; it also served to maintain the strength, dignity, and culture of Japa nese Americans, keeping people to g e t h e r s o t h a t r e s i s t a n c e t o t h e Camps could grow. Camp art showed the creativity and ingenuity of the Nikkei. Camp art recorded history, exposed the government's unjust treatment of Japanese Americans and united Nikkei people. Chiura Obata, an art professor at U.C. Berkeley, tried to "find one's growth wherever one was at" and "looked to nature for strength." He believed that through art "the gen eral morale of the people would be uplifted." Mr. Fred Tsujimura, a former ship ping clerk and now a landscape gar dener, had his camera confiscated, so he turned to painting for the first time in his life. He "wanted to docu ment the daily lives of the people." Some artwork told the story of the internees. Mr. Hisao Omori, a former Drawing of Shooting of Mr. Wa/casa

FALL/WINTER 1983 55 P r o f e s s o r O b a t a d o c u m e n t e d n u a s I ' v e s e l d o m s e e n b e f o r e . W e s a w the continuing problems today, such merous conditions within the Camp. Mr. Tsujimura meeting former Camp as securing redress and reparations. One drawing depicts Mr. Wakasa, an art teachers, Mr. Mikami and Pro After this experience, the Nihonma- Issei man, shot while he was looking fessor Obata, and his family for the chi Outreach Committee of San Jose for his lost dog near the barbed wire first time in 40 years. We saw Mr. feels strongly committed to promot fence. The outrage of Nikkei proved Omori standing by his woodcarvings ing Camp art work as one of our prior so great it forced the WRA to disarm explaining the moving stories behind ities. We plan to organize future ex the MPs and place them on the outer h i s w o r k s t o v i e w e r s . W e s a w N i s e i hibits and encourage others to do so perimeters of the Camp. overcome with painful memories and also. Camp art stands out as a val Some artists actively protested leaving the exhibit with tears in their uable tool to teach us more about our government policies. The WRA hired eyes. We saw young Sansei parents past in order to build a stronger, more Mr. Rinji Tsubamoto and other artists holding the hands of their Yonsei chil united Nikkei community for the to paint street signs when the WRA dren, explaining where their parents future. was building Topaz. The government and grandparents were interned. wanted the street signs to be drab like These two exhibits sharply brought Camp Art Resources the rest of the Camp, using names like out to me the importance of Camp "A, B, and C Streets." Mr. Tsubamoto art, photos, and artifacts to the Nik The Nihonmachi Outreach Com a n d o t h e r s w a n t e d n a m e s t o b r e a k kei community today. Without these mittee has the following camp art re the monotony of the Camp. After vivid reminders, the true history of sources available for others: — a description and sum up of the many arguments with the WRA, they the Camps, the injustices suffered, won the right to use names like and the struggles of the people would Camp art shows in San Jose. — a guide to organizing Camp art "Cherry, Plum, and Blossom Streets." remain clouded. Mr. Eiichi Sakauye, a photog Without this history, many Japa shows. — copies of the written program rapher, farmer, and historian, told us n e s e A m e r i c a n s w o u l d f a l l v i c t i m t o about his photographs and the fre assimilationist distortions fostered containing artists' biographies used quent presentations on the Camps he by the media and educational sys in San Jose. — a n e x c e l l e n t s l i d e s h o w o n does to this day. He said, "There are tem: "That Japanese passively ac only two paragraphs on the Camps in cepted this racist internment." "That Camp art developed by Janet Miyoko the history book . .. (The American Nikkei are a 'model minority' better Tsubamoto. people) have to learn how Japanese t h a n t h o s e o t h e r ' c o l o r e d f o l k s . ' " A m e r i c a n c i t i z e n s w e r e d e n i e d t h e i r "That the government always looks For more information, write NOC, rights and placed in Camp — all for out for the just treatment of Nikkei." P.O. Box2293, San Jose, CA 95109. □. economic reasons, not sabotage." Upon seeing these exhibits, many people felt a stronger sense of iden tity as members of a proud and strong Andservedlearn they to did. educateThese andshows unite Japanese American people. We were Andy Noguchi is a member of the the Japanese American community even more united and ready to face Nihonmachi Outreach Committee.

CON^ POETRY ; ■ ;

COLORBLIND

"They just wanted something to shoot at. I think if it had been a Chinaman or a Mexican they would have killed him. It just happened to be a black man."

Clayton D'Arcy Mayor of Oroville

Driving down the road they could not find a d e e r c o u l d n o t fi n d a c o w e v e n b u t t h e t r u e s o l d i e r s i n s i d e t h e m d i d n o t give up a chance denied them to kill charlie gripping the steering wheel they turn the motor d o w n t h e b a c k a n d s h o o t t o k i l l .

H e h a d t h e b l a c k h a i r a n d t h e d a r k s k i n . The brown eyes that they never saw. His back turned, we all look alike.

Back door back room deal plea bargain nazi hero living in America they were just kids a whole life behind them behind them.

Doug Yamamoto

FALL/WINTER 1983 57 POETRY

english lesson: hands

the new student has dirty fingernails

h i s h a n d s l i e m o t i o n l e s s on the formica table crippled flightless birds struggling to flutter free "what did you do in laos?" i ask conversationally, his gaze takes on weight, h i s f e e t s h i f t u n d e r t h e t a b l e . before the war i planted gardens (he says) hot pepper, rice. pumpkin, onion. sweet potato, each plant a song, a ghost a story sent from heart to heart, he puzzles at his hands and i look at his fingernails and imagine his hands fluttering soil spraying seed, harvesting: hot pepper, rice. pumpkin, onion. sweet potato.

l i f e h a r v e s t e d i n a s h o w e r o f r a i n , death harvested in a shower of napalm.

leilani sauter

58 EAST WIND POETRY

P O E M T O D A D

i can still hear those ancient operas you brought from shanghai to fifth avenue in your executive suit, melancholy love poems sung in falsetto, and slow vibratos blown out from bamboo into smoke filled air of n.y. summer night. the boy in me did not understand why you lived so far away in the imaginary world of the T'ang whose characters spoke in that flowery dialect and wore face masks / deep red, black and white, with sleeves that looked much too long. how glorious it all seemed to be able to relive the past secluded in memory and always pushing toward with piercing rapid erh-hu melodies, the smell of dark resin, jasmine tea and johnny walker red. experts say that your music is archaic, that only few masters are remaining i n t h i s w o r l d . do you still remember the music made before you were born ? i can still hear those ancient operas as i gaze at that old photograph / of you sitting upon a wooden horse before the boxer rebellion and ask you a hundred questions.

robert hsiang September 1983

FALL/WINTER 1983 59 YEN LU WONG

Asian American Dancer

By Marion Fay

Shecage,beats dressedand inwrithes fantasticwithin finery,a like an exotic creature fighting for its freedom; battles cardboard figures dressed in nuns' habits, with stylized kung fu movements; sits by an imagi nary stream in a cloche and sequined d r e s s — a d e m u r e m a i d e n f r o m a f a miliar genre of Hong Kong calendars; Scene from "Cicada Images Molting." and finally emerges triumphant, the Woman Warrior. Yen Lu Wong is a dancer, choreographer, and student go to Hong Kong. There, Yen Lu was ing an artist. of many cultures. Her most recent baptized into the Catholic Church at As the youngest child in afamilyof work, "Cicada Images Molting," in age fourteen after a girlhood of Cath six girls and one boy. Yen Lu acknowl which she is symbolically an exotic olic school, but she has since re edges her luck in having had a wise insect in different stages of transfor jected missionary Catholicism, one and progressive father. "In old China, mation, reflects upon and is enriched senses, as strongly as she was once girls were born to die," she says with a by various elements of her past. mesmerized by it. Her battle with the trace of a British accent. YetTsin Forn Born in Kunming, China, a place cardboard figures dressed in nuns' Wong, a Presbyterian banker origi she describes as "mythic," she has habits is a powerful and angry se nally from Shao-Hsing, did not op distinct memories of her birthplace quence. She now reflects upon the pose Yen Lu's early choice of religion in the Himalayan ranges, mild in cli struggle she waged as one against and supported all of his children, in mate, rich in the dance of the many convention, guilt, easy answers, and cluding his six daughers, through c u l t u r e s t h a t h a v e l i v e d t h e r e i n h a r hypocrisy. In a sense, it was probably college. mony. She left it when she was five to a necessary step towards her becom Ye n L u w e n t t o N e w Yo r k i n 1 9 5 9 .

60 EAST WIND religion. Yen Lu believes that art is linked to religion in its broadest, unorganized sense — artists are shamans who help to cure society's ills and help to bring about change. A n o t h e r r e a s o n a r t i s t s a r e o f t e n anathema to society, then, is that change is never easy; there is always tremendous struggle. Yen Lu dis cusses works by Asian American art Yen Lu Wong ists that exemplify this idea: the Max- ine Hong Kingston book Women War rior, the David Hwang play "F.O.B.," a n d t h e B e r n a d e t t e C h a w o r k " S a l t e d Linen." She sees each of these as ex While in high school, shewas aschol- places where the dances were per amples of the strength, depth, and arship student of the renowned inno formed would never be quite the courage of the emerging Asian Amer vator and genius of dance, Martha same for them again; and for all, the ican consciousness, expressed and Graham. Yen Lu was, in her time, sharing as a group in creating the sometimes defined by its artists. They Graham's only Chinese student; but performance. use a history rich with factual and she points out that Graham was the Yen Lu has been performing as a dreamlike material to help us to grow only dancer in the 50's who would in dancer since1961, and has appeared strong, individually and collectively. tegrate her work with people of all or choreographed works in San They sow the seeds of change. colors, so that the company had Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, New Blacks, Latinos, and Asians. York City, Bali, Flong Kong, Taiwan, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles Inebratingone of Yen the Lu's naturalrecent elements,works cel the w h e r e s h e n o w l i v e s . S h e i s t h e dancers and musicians appear on Amongperhapsher many the mostachievements, striking is mother of two daughters; Pia, 20, is a stage at the end and slowly parade Yen Lu's ability to inspire and in junior at U.C. Berkeley, and Maya,13, off, up the aisles and out the back tegrate hundreds of people, most of attends school in Los Angeles. door. Candles illuminate the way. them amateurs, into herdance works. Yen Lu is married to Flerbert Shore, The audience, without being told, fol A trip to Sydney, Australia funded by a writer, director, and Provost of In lows out into the night, where every a grant from the Australia Council in ternational College, and together one is invited to dance together with 1979 resulted in a three-day work per they have formed TNR, The New Rep the performers under the stars, formed in three historic locations, in ertory. TNR creates small works for among the trees. The moment is quite volving 300 dancers. It took her six touring and large, architectural works magical — an affirmation of a shared weeks to devise. "It would be pre like the one performed in Sydney. The humanity and joy of celebration of sumptuous of me to come to Aus latest project, funded by the Mobil the beauty of the earth together. tralia and tell the inhabitants about Corporation, is a video project in At 41, Yen Lu Wong's contributions themselves," she says, "so I was a which the camera moves along with to the Asian American community as seeker asking them about their his the dancer, creating a new art form. it struggles to define its disparate ele t o r y, t h e i r c u l t u r e , a n d t h e i r f o l k Yen Lu's skills are many: She is an ments, and to the art of dance are, lore." The Aborigines or keepers of o r g a n i z e r a n d a d m i n i s t r a t o r, c r e a though considerable, just beginning. the land encounter destroyers of the tive artist, parent, wife, and spokes □ land; the settlers and those who seek person for art as a vehicle of social to enter or immigrate are also repre expression and change. "Artists are sented. Afterward, it was apparent anathema to a society," she says that the experience had been positive gravely, "because we are not part in a variety of ways: for some, as an of it. We are its conscience, or its Marion Fay is an attorney practic emotional grasp of their heritage; for curios." In spite of, or perhaps be ing in Los Angeles. She is an advisor to others, the recognition that the cause of, her rejection of organized EAST WIND.

FALL/WINTER 1983 61 mm

Left: "'Reagan's Pajamas' Below: "Adapting"

In Memory of Ed Badajos

born and raised in Hawai'i, was a bril h o n e d h i s a r t i s t i c t a l e n t s . By Orvy Jundis liant practitioner of this art form. During the late 60's, Ed Badajos Badajos' knowledge of world con w o r k e d f o r t h e L . A . F r e e P r e s s a s a n ditions and events, keen insight on editorial cartoonist. He depicted the human motivations, and skill in cari sinister manipulation of the masses Majornewspapers zines throughoutand themaga world cature, enabled him to produce by corrupt leaders and exposed the today feature political cartoons. s t r o n g i m a g e s a n d p r o f o u n d purveyors of pollution and destruc Themes dealing with the struggle for statements. tion. His wry sense of humor, daring power and the acquisition of wealth Travels in Europe and the United graphics, boldness and veracity are among those drawn, focused, and States gave Ed the opportunity to gained him a following in the under highlighted by the perceptive and m e e t a n d i n t e r a c t w i t h i n d i v i d u a l s o f ground press. A collection of his work often satirical pen of the political diverse economic, social and educa was published thereafter. cartoonist. tional status. A stint in the U.S. armed Around the same period Badajos In the United States not too many forces added an understanding of the experimented with cartoon panels in A s i a n A m e r i c a n s h a v e b e e n i n v o l v e d role of the military in peoples' lives. sequences to tell stories. He did not in this particular field. Ed Badajos, G r a d u a t i o n f r o m a r t s c h o o l f u r t h e r u s e w o r d s . H i s i n t e n t w a s t o c o m m u -

62 EAST WIND nicate ideas in the language most people understood, pictures! From this, the book Filipino Food emerged. The outrageous visualizations and in novative compositions captured the mood and essence of the 60's. Ed Badajos received international rec ognition for his creative effort. The 70's brought a meaningful change in the direction of Ed's life. While visiting San Francisco, he met Filipino American artists involved with community work. Fie was intro duced to the problems of the Interna tional Hotel, Manilatown, and the world of the Filipino elderly. Ed decided to stay in San Francisco and set up his studio in an area where many young Filipino American writ ers, artists, and musicians lived. When Ed was fully settled, he was joined by Kevan Miller, also an artist. Shortly thereafter, their son Edan was born. In his new role as a family man and a father, Ed Badajos became more deeply aware of the difficulties confronting Asian Americans in this culture. He began to read about his heritage, and learned aboutthe injus tices suffered by his people. While continuing his artistic ex plorations, writing poetry, drawing Fusion: traditional motifs on copy-art comic books, and playing guitar, he worked for The Berkeley Barb doing covers and layouts, produced posters for the South of Market Cultural Cen ter and the Galeria de la Raza. with his son Edan. They went biking together all over the streets and parks BadajosWorkshopjoined andthe theKearny LiwanagStreet Art of San Francisco, They were constant ists Group. He became interested in companions. Ed was the ideal dad, a the sounds and tones of Filipino buddy and a father at the same time. words, particularly Visayan and He had lost a lot of weight and had Tagalog. He fused these sounds with pains in the neck area; the medical his guitar and brought forth with his diagnosis, cancer. Despite the news, music a strange hybrid of electronic Ed Badajos carried his burden with primal rhythms that flowed like mon dignity, uncomplaining. He finished soon waves with the intensity and s e v e r a l n o v e l s a n d c o n t i n u e d t o w o r k fury of a raging typhoon. Delving into as a poster designer for punk rock Fhilippine mythology and folklore, events and also as a security guard. studying symbols and designs of tri He still had a sense of humor and con bal crafts and artifacts, Badajos t i n u e d t o c o m m e n t o n m a n ' s f o i b l e s created graphic art that imbued the and idiosyncracies. spirit of ancient Filipino culture Though mentally he refused to ac utilizing contemporary technical c e p t d e f e a t f r o m h i s i l l n e s s , i n tools such as color xerox machines August, his body finally succumbed and Gestetners. during a visit to Hawai'i with his During the 80's, Ed concentrated a youngson Edan. □ lot of time and energy into writing novels. As if sensing that his life was Orvy Jundis is a Bay Area poet, ebbing away, he spent quality time Ed Badajos and son Edan writer, and artist.

FALL/WINTER 1983 63 POETRY

1984 is a State of Mind

We're the 80's generation. The T.V. generation. Static colors our thoughts. T h e m a n f r o m F. C . C . has got us dolby tested plugged,socketed hooked on to wired In out & around . . . When JIml Hendrix get the picture? threw up amerlka • Our kid brothers & sisters on the lap of Uncle Sam, are turning Into sit-com characters people got hip. & soap opera queens. Now It's coked-up White boys with lacerated tonsils They have obnoxious appetites & a divinity complex. shrieking on a guitar solo Movie cameras constantly follow them about. t o t h e d a r k s i d e o f t h e m o o n . Pulp magazines like The Media, Inc. has a monopoly POPULAR NIHILISM on our thoughts. are hot sellers these days. They remember Soweto, China, & Watts & are launching a vinyl This steady diet of food commercials, drugs propaganda campaign aimed at the genitals of teenagers. & paranoia Their billion dollar slogan runs; has taken Its toll. Cut turning 'MONEY. POWER. SEX.' world churning We are white mice multitude vomiting up t o t h e i r w h i t e c l o a k s . kentucky fried culture. They use videogames to program our every Impulse. It's a perpetual State of surreallty. Jackhammers pound from walkmans making mincemeat of our attentions. We are One Nation They Inject mainstream culture sloshing Inside the belly up our veins of a racist cartoon character, & Invade our cerebellums who can't stop guffawing. w i t h a l o t o f t o x i c v a l u e s . Nazi humor Is really killing us all.

Thorn Lee San Francisco

Robert Hsiang is a freelance photographer in San Doug Yamamoto is a member of the JAM Writers Lawson Inada is a Professor of English at Southern Francisco and a member of the Kearny Street Workshop (San Francisco) and editor for Voisho!, an Oregon College and a contributing editor to EAST Workshop. anthology of Japanese American literature. WIND,

Al Robles is a member of the Kearny Street Work Leilani Sauter is part-Hawaiian. She teaches sociol Thorn Lee is a student at San Francisco City College. shop [San Francisco) and a longtime activist in the ogy and multi-cultural studies in San Diego. Filipino community.

64 EAST WIND B O O K R E V I E W

YELLOW LIGHT GARRETT RAORU HONGO /ummit/ niove With The Tid« Five Asian American Poets

By Fred Wei-han Houn tity. Gone is the anger, raw, soul- bearing anguish and passion. It now appears that Professor Tanaka is at ease with his identity as well as his people's struggles. A sense of con IsAsianthat coincidentallyAmerican Poetry is writtenpoetry by sciousness and outrage toward the someone who happens to be Asian continual inequality, injustice and American? Or is it a genre of Ameri oppression of his people is absent. can literature, a collective body of Tanaka's politics are now quite tame, folk and art traditions that reflects a n o n - c o n t r o v e r s i a l ( n o w o n d e r h i s definitive and common experience book received such a prestigious shared by Asian and Pacific Islander award). Indeed, he might assert that nationalities in America? Reviewed his writing is "apolitical." below are several new books by But, rather, his politics have ac A s i a n A m e r i c a n w r i t e r s w h o l o c a t e tually changed: from a consciousness th e m s e l v e s w i th i n A s i a n A m e r i c a n T H E S H t N O S U I T E of his community and people's strug Poetry: Ronald Tanaka, Mei-Mei sansci poctr>' by ronald tanaka gle, Tanaka is now individualistic, Berssenbrugge, Garrett K. Hongo, pedantic and subjectivist. To cele Fay Chiang and Janice Mirikitani. brate his present "apoliticalness" Winnerofthe1982 American Book he writes: "intellectuals who turn/ Award, Ronald Tanaka's The Shino anti-intellectual/turn into fascists." Suite: Sansei Poetry, Opus 2 (The by his poem, "I Hate My Yellow The noncommittal attitude of intel Greenfield Review Press) is a cohe Wife" which first appeared in the lectuals actually divorces them from sive, fluid collection of poetry. The fiery pages of GIDRA (and later cited the people's lives as they elevate language is terse and utilizes Japa in Asian American anthologies and their art above social responsibility nese words and expressions. Tanaka most recently appearing in Miya Iwa- and thereby (consciously or uncon explains: taki's essay in EAST WIND). This sciously) perpetuate the status quo. "The every day language of even early 1970's poem captured the an Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge's most re monolingual Sansei (third generation guish of self-hate and shame sympto cent book. Summits Move with the in America — ed.j like myself cannot matic of the humiliating self-images Tide (The Greenfield Review Press), be adequately represented without held by victims of racism — the so- seems to justify being an "individual some Japanese expressions though it called "Asian American identity fi r s t " a n d t o m i n i m i z e t h e " e t h n i c . " must be borne in mind that their sig crisis." However, Tanaka's present In her own life, Berssenbrugge has nificance is grounded in a distinctly volume of poetry is tranquil, tepid not dealt with the lives of the major Japanese American Lebensform." and self-complacent with his Japa ity of Asian Americans in Chinatown, My interest in Tanaka was piqued nese American sensibility and iden- Japantown, Manilatown communi-

FALL/WINTER 1983 65 B O O K R E V I E W ties. She seems to only have a superfi speaking, alienated, and out-marry. cial grasp of Chinese American iden m m s s o H G They are removed from any concen tity — a mostly intellectual fascina tration of Asians and lack the posi tion. Her Chinese images and refer tive strength of an Asian community ences are like ornaments to add color life. To fight forced assimilation (the to her writing and not much more. white-out of Asian American iden Having a Chinese heritage and iden tity), Asian American writers must tity seems novel and intriguing to her. participate in the struggles to unite S u c h i s h e r r e v e l a t i o n : and build Asian American commu Grandfather talked to me, nity life and not be divorced from taught me. their communities except for occa At two months, my mother tells sional poetry readings.

me, Sansei writer, dancer, choreogra I could sniff our flowers, pher and activist Janice Mirikitani's stab my small hand upward to Awake in the River (Isthmus Press) moon. moves solidly within the continuum Even today I get proud and tradition of the strongest Asian when i remember American literature. She is ever push this all took place in Chinese. ing forward, never complacent — a T h e G r e e n fi e l d R e v i e w P r e s s h a s source of burning strength and com published several books by Asian mitment. Her poetry is never passive, A m e r i c a n w r i t e r s ( o n e o f t h e f e w apologetic, "subtle" or "ambigu presses to do so), albeit of uneven ous." (A petty bourgeois Asian Ameri quality. It would behoove the editors Chiang's Miwa's Song retreats from can poet told me that he thought to more deeply understand the vital the dynamism and evocative stance "good poetry" should be ambiguous t r a d i t i o n s o f A s i a n A m e r i c a n l i t e r a of her previous work. The writing is — i.e., confused, unclear, and non t u r e — f r o m i t s f i e r c e f o l k t r a d i t i o n l e s s f o r c e f u l a n d m o r e i n t r o v e r t e d . committal.) Mirikitani's stand is such as the Angel Island poetry, the The poems become individualistic clear. There are no wasted words. Her militant works of premier Asian musings. poems are passionate and penetrat American novelist Carlos Bulosan, Garrett K. Hongo's Yellow Light ing. They fiercely condemn sexism, t h e v i b r a n t e a r t h i n e s s o f L o u i s C h u ' s (Wesleyan University Press) makes racism and imperialism. Her outlook stories of Chinatown and immigrant ample use of West Coast Asian Amer i s i n t e r n a t i o n a l i s t w i t h u n i v e r s a l lives, to the powerful anti-imperialist ican references and images — the messages of love for human dignity, works of today's Asian Movement — places, smells, foods, music and man self-respect and freedom. "Univer- and select contemporary writers for n e r i s m s f r o m G a r d e n a t o S e a t t l e . Ye t s a l i s m " i s n o t t h e a b a n d o n m e n t o f future publications who are most much of this is more for flavor and Asian American identity, but rather, strongly connected to their people's color — a superficial hipness — than upholding and uniting the Asian communities and struggles. actual meaning and depth. A promis American experience with the pro Basement Workshop director Fay ing, though aborted, poem is "Step gressive traditions and struggles of Chiang's Miwa's SongfSunbury Press) child." While the first five of seven all cultures and peoples. is more effective in combining per parts are a poignant and passionate A w a k e i n t h e R i v e r n e v e r r e t r e a t s sonal introspection and exploration tribute to Asian American history, his into solipsism (individual personal in with the collective experiences of conclusions are disappointing. In the trospection and self-absorption to Chinese America. Miwa's Song is a final two parts, by Hongo's own mar the exclusion of the world). Mirikitani tribute to her parents. For the most riage to a white woman, he has rid is an artist who not only conveys real part, Chiang places their lives in the h i m s e l f o f " b i t t e r n e s s " a n d " h a t r e d " ity vividly, but also seeks to change it. context of the hardships and sacri t h a t h e f e e l s c h a r a c t e r i z e s A s i a n Though some of her poems have an fi c e s o f C h i n e s e A m e r i c a n w o r k e r s . I t American consciousness. He has "anti-white" tone (i.e., tending to is a moving account as it connects "made peace" with the history of op blame white people per se and not with our collective shared experi pression and now "seeks to cure the the system of white racist monopoly ences and emotions. However, I find condition of cultural amnesia within capitalism), the thrust of her focus is t h i s s e c o n d b o o k t o b e w e a k e r t h a n (his people)." Hongo advocates: to condemn racism and imperialist her first tour de force. In the City of "think about nothing." oppression. Also, Mirikitani at times Contradictions, a powerful and in " C u l t u r a l a m n e s i a " o r l a c k o f is preoccupied in an ecstatic enrap spirational work filled with rhythmic Asian American identity is more com ture with her sexual experiences and vitality, clear images and sharp, hard mon to middle-class, suburban Asian images. But she does not pander sex hitting lines. However, by deciding to A m e r i c a n s w h o t e n d t o b e m o r e a s uality. Rather, her love is sensual, ac be "less political, more personal," similated, confused, only English companied by a vituperative attack

66 EAST WIND B O O K R E V I E W

of sexism. Check out "Bitches Don't critical annointment but can and Wait." should make strong connections to INTHE Most of these new works evince the Asian American communities similar common ideological weak RIVER Poelry ami f^ose and organizations to publish, dis nesses: a tendency towards white as JANICE tribute and present Asian American similation, privatism and a peripheral novels, plays, poetry, and short involvement and commitment to the stories about Asian American life. struggles of Asian American commu nities. This is in contrast to the dy * * * namic tradition of pride in Asian her Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge's Summits itage, social responsibility and close Move With the Tides ($4) and Ron ties with the Asian American commu Tanaka's Shino Suite ($5.95) can be nities that pulsates through Asian ordered from: Greenfield Review American culture. While it may be Press, R.D. 1, Box 80, Greenfield Cen argued that these are experiences of ter, NY 12833. individual poets who may not empha size their "Asian Americanness," their Garrett K. Hongo's Yellow Light is available from Wesleyan University writings can and should be evaluated according to the thrust of the tradition Press, Middletown, CT for $5.95r and continuum of Asian American lit Fay Chiang's Miwa's Song can be erature and culture. Granted that the ordered from Sunbury Press, P.O. Box characterization of such a tradi 274, Jerome Avenue Station, Bronx, tion/continuum needs further discus NY 10468 for $4.50. sion, debate and clarification, yet, it is ture there exists opposing ideologi Janice Mirikitani's Awake in the this author's contention that there is cal stances as reflections of differing R i v e r ( $ 3 ) c a n b e o r d e r e d f r o m really no other point to begin to genu class outlooks in Asian American so Isthmus Press, Box 6877, San Fran inely understand and criticize Asian cial life itself. On one hand, the Asian cisco, CA 94101. □ American Poetry. By and large, the cri American middle-class experience teria of the mainstream establishment has been more toward white assimila of American letters is grossly racist tion and acceptance through accom with its monolithic primacy upon the modation. They are removed from Fred Wei-han Houn is a poet, Euro-American and wholesale omis the concentrated Asian American sion of the literature of Asian, African, communities and face "identity writer, musician and political activist in New York City. Latino and Native American peoples. p r o b l e m s . " R a c i s m c a n n o t a l l o w Art necessarily begins with the cul them to ever become totally white ture of a specific people, their experi (read: equal), yet they are and feel ences, history and life conditions. more privileged to be living in white And a beginning evaluation of Asian suburbs, to attend white campuses, American Poetry must proceed ac to have white collar jobs, etc. cording to its relationship to Asian On the other hand, the Asian Amer Yoisho! American peoples. It is my position ican working class by and large lives that the strongest Asian American lit and/or works in predominantly Asian erature is most deeply reflective of or minority communities and work and connected to the lives of the ma places. Bydintof this class condition, jority of Asians in America. Asian their concern is less for "finding one YOISHO! An Anthology of the American literature as a genre must self" and "self-actualization" but for japantown Art & Media Workshop, necessarily embrace the collective fighting to survive and to improve JAM Writers' Workshop, 1852 Sutter, experience of Asians in America — their lives as a whole. San Francisco, CA 94115, $3.75. i.e., a common history of racism, op A s i a n A m e r i c a n w r i t e r s s h o u l d pression and the struggle for survival, draw more from the Asian American dignity and equality. Individual art communities and working people's Reviewed By Lor! Kayo Hatta ists contribute creative and fresh per lives and struggles as sources for ceptions of this collectively shared new, creative works, to inherit the reality, i.e., slices of life, with which progressive traditions of Asian and we can identify, gain fresh insights to Asian American culture and to inno better understand our condition, to vate new forms of expression. Asian Asianall American other literature, literature, is part of like an keep struggling forward. American writing mustn't be depend evolving tradition — not necessarily Throughout Asian American litera- ent upon white publishers or white rooted to a "tradition" in the strict

FALL/WINTER 1983 67 B O O K R E V I E W

voices of elderly Asian community f r o m t h e A s i a n A m e r i c a n c o m m u leaders, the old immigrants who built nity, from readers of Yoisho!, we will the early Japantowns, Manilatowns, hopefully witness a parallel develop a n d C h i n a t o w n s . A s h e s e e s t h e ment of the writers in J AM's Writers' younger generation fleeing these Workshop as well. But for now, the community strongholds, he says, important thing is, as Oyama says at "You are like my sons — my crazy the end of his Tule Lake poem, that: sons. They left the reservation to look "We come together/ to gather, to re for work in the big city and they say member/ the rage, the sorrow,/ the they will return. But years have laughter, the loss./We come to passed and still they don't come gether/to tell our stories." □ back. They're like wild, young ani m a l s w h o h a v e r u n o ff a n d l o s t t h e i r way . . . Maybe it's because they lose Lori Kayo Hatta is a writer and touch with their tribe and try to live aspiring filmmaker living and working like white men. Who knows?" in San Francisco. The poetry in this varied anthology also displays a broad range of voices. There is the extremely personal, pri vate musings of Hayami Miyasato's "Why Should I Care," and "Friend s h i p , " t o t h e m o r e o u t w a r d l y - oriented poems such as Richard Kinenhi Oyama's "Poems for the Survivors of T u l e L a k e " a n d G r a c e M o r i z a w a ' s "At the Rainbow Sign," a poem dedi sense of the word, but something c a t e d t o o n e o f t h e f a t h e r s o f A s i a n K I N E N H I : R e fl e c t i o n s o n T u l e more organic, that is, something nec- American poetry, Lawson Inada. Lake, by Tule Lake Committee, San e s s a r i l y i n v o l v i n g g r o w t h a n d The writing workshop where this Francisco: 86 pages. Price: $8.50. change. And this is what reading anthology was produced serves as an Yoisho! really brought home to me. excellent model for other groups of According to the editors, the word A s i a n A m e r i c a n w r i t e r s t o f o l l o w . Reviewed By Forrest Gok "yoisho, " can mean many things. The Japantown Art and Media (JAM) "The roar of a crowd getting ready for Writers' Workshop is sensitive to the a match. The grunt of Sumo wrestlers fact that regular creative writing Kinenhi, which means "tower of pacing the ring. The thud of a mallet c l a s s e s c a n n o t m e e t t h e n e e d s o f memories," is primarily a compila pounding against rice ... — a word Asian American writers and people tion of excerpts of interviews con rooted in our collective past." In this of working class backgrounds. By ducted with Tule Lake internees by collection, there is a striking range of meeting and exchanging ideas and m e m b e r s o f t h e T u l e L a k e C o m m i t voices making contact with the "col personal/political concerns with tee, a volunteer group of Asian Amer lective past." The editors evidently o t h e r w r i t e r s o f c o l o r, t h e A s i a n icans, predominantly Sansei, formed d i d n o t w a n t t o l i m i t t h e i r s e l e c t i o n s A m e r i c a n w r i t e r c a n l e a r n m o r e t h a n to explore the camp experience of by including only those writings re simply the craft of writing. I look, for the Issei and Nisei. flecting a high level of writing ability example, at some of the very early K i n e n h i i s a w e l l - i l l u s t r a t e d c o l l e c and maturity. Indeed, it is important silkscreened posters produced by t i o n o f r e m e m b r a n c e s f r o m t h o s e to give audience to young, aspiring JAM and then the bold, stylistically who were forced to give up their writers who might otherwise not be original and exciting posters they put homes, property and possessions by published. We have the young, awk out now. The growth and maturation the government and to spend the war ward, flip voice in Warren Kubota's of the styles we see today obviously years behind barbed wire. story, "The Outside Jap," and then did not happen overnight; by regu Kinenhi describes life at Tule Lake the more cohesive, mature voice in larly contributing its efforts to the as not that different from life at the S h e r i d a n Ta t s u n o ' s " T h e M e d i c i n e community and by working with other camps although Tule Lake was Man's Lament," both stories dealing o t h e r A s i a n A m e r i c a n a r t i s t s , t h e the home for all those the govern with themes about "finding yourself" JAM graphic artists managed to ment considered recalcitrant. Over while neglecting your own people, achieve very high levels of originality half of the some 8,000 persons who those who care most about you. The and skill. With more critical discus were repatriated or expatriated to weary voice of the medicine man in sion and feedback not only withinthe Japan after World War II were de Tatsuno's story echoes the many workshop, but more importantly. tained at Tule Lake.

68 EAST WIND B O O K R E V I E W

Texas Long Grain

Texas Long Grain

Texas Long Grain. A book of photo graphs published by the Kearny Street Workshop, San Francisco, CA1982.

Reviewed by Mike Feng Photographs by the l&amy Street Workshop

presented simply with a title, place The book delves into many of the Abig whitebowlful photographsof 42 black greetsand the and date. Captions or short explana internees' experiences returning to reader of this anthology by Asian tions might have helped draw out the the fold after detainment and incar American photographers. Arranged significance of the picture and held ceration. Many of the surviving Nisei under five themes, the 15 photog the reader's attention a little longer. had not talked about their experi raphers present diverse views of the The concept of Asian American e n c e s u n t i l t h e s e i n t e r v i e w s w e r e everyday lives of Asians in America. photographers pooling their works conducted. As the editors say, the "photographs comes through very strong. Texas This book is heartfelt reading with are as familiar to us as a sack of rice." Long Grain's editors Jim Dong, Zand out being excessively sentimental or The five themes, which are used to Gee and Crystal K.D. Huie affirmed didactic. The interviewees are can categorize the works, include China the need to develop Asian American did, down-to-earth, and revealing. towns of America, Life Has Flowed photographic expression: "We hope Kinenhi provides a concise historical From My Ancestors, She Sews . . ., that Texas Long Grain will encourage background to the entire chapter of Manong Freddy, and Hey Grandpa. . . other Asian American artists to par internment as well as a varied re I thought the strongest section was ticipate collectively to evolve an ex membrance of Tule Lake. Life Has Flowed From My Ancestors pression of their experiences as Asian Despite the seriousness of the sub which features the diverse offerings A m e r i c a n s i n t h i s c o u n t r y. " □ ject matter, Kinenhi manages to con of eight Asian American photograph vey a sense of positiveness, a sense of ers. There is warmth, affection and * * * learning from the past, and a sense humor expressed in many of these that we, today, can overcome the in photographs. Janet Yoshii's "A Favor Texas Long Grain is available from justices and humiliation suffered at ite Place" depicting her Issei grand the Kearny Street Workshop, 1550 Tule Lake and other American con mother sitting down for a lunch of Lombard Street, San Francisco, CA centration camps as long as we ac burgers, fries and soda, offers a funny 94123. Each book costs $7.00, plus knowledge and respect their painful visual contrast. Another memorable 50

FALL/WINTER 1983 69 VIDEO REVIEW

can themes .. . we'd like to have Silk mentaries and has recently com By Duane Kubo Screen viewed as a resource, an option pleted her first dramatic short for the for stations who are looking for Asian American Film Institute. J.T. Takagi American programming." has worked as a sound recordist, and NAATA's first presentation, hosted was associate producer on To Love, by Robert Ito, co-star of the NBC Honor and Obey and Delta Missis We haveview aAsian rare American opportunity film to series, Quincy, will include: sippi Chinese. Bittersweet Survival is a n d v i d e o w o r k s o n t e l e v i s i o n t h i s a production of Third World News- fail. Starting October 30, the Na Program One reel of New York City. tional Asian American Telecommuni cations Association(NAATA) will pre Bittersweet Survival by Christine Program Two sent Silk Screen, a series of six half Choy and j.T. Takagi. hour programs made by and about A compilation of the relocation ex Sewing Woman by Arthur Dong Asian Americans, on the Public periences of Southeast Asian refu and Pinoy by Deborah Bock. Broadcasting System (PBS). gees, Bittersweet Survival examines Sewing Woman is a beautifully After years of pressure being the hostility faced by the refugees as constructed personal account of an placed on PBS by the Asian American they struggle with resettlement diffi immigrant Chinese woman's experi community, the Corporation for Pub c u l t i e s a n d c u l t u r a l d i f f e r e n c e s i n ences. Based on oral histories as well lic Broadcasting initially funded the t h e i r n e w h o m e l a n d . V e t e r a n fi l m as the experiences of the filmmaker's e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a c o n s o r t i u m f o r maker Christine Choy and her asso own mother, the sewing woman en Asian American programming. (CPB ciate J.T. Takagi combine dramatic tered into an arranged marriage at is the funding arm of public televi documentary footage of Vietnam age 13, was separated from her hus sion). The consortium's executive di with recent interviews of refugees, band when he went off to America, rector, James Yee, explains, "NAATA some of whom express the hope that and later had to leave her son behind hopes that the Silk Screen series will the violence and hardship is behind in China in order to join her husband. serve as an outlet, a source of pro them. But not so. Shortly after the In the end, though she has not given grams and information about Asian completion of the film. Lam T. us her thoughts on the condition of A m e r i c a n s t h a t h a s n o t b e e n t r a d i Duong, one of the most outspoken of her fellow Chinese immigrants, the tionally available or accessible the interviewees, was murdered. sewing woman reflects, "The many within the general media." Christine Choy is a founder and co- years of hard work have paid off — Yee added, "CPB has a sorry and dis d i r e c t o r o f T h i r d W o r l d N e w s r e e l . my family is all here." mal record in producing Asian Ameri S h e h a s d i r e c t e d n u m e r o u s d o c u San Francisco producer/direc-

70 EAST WIND VIDEO REVIEW

tor/cinematographer Arthur Dong field producer on a number of docu Emiko Omori reveal a highly person has received numerous awards for mentaries. Vincent DiCirolamo, who alized approach to cinema. Emiko, Sewing Wonf)an. He Is currently seek has worked as a freelance writer, is filmed in 1969, explores the role of ing funding for a Chinese language now teaching English in Beijing. women image makers. As Emiko version of the film. films a group of people, she asks Pinoy recalls the lives of Filipino Program Four them about their reactions to seeing immigrant laborers in the Pacific a woman behind the camera. Tattoo Northwest through the story of Al With Silk Wings: On New Ground City also reveals an intense personal Masigat, a labor organizer dedicated by Loni Ding. involvement. While making this film to the unionization of fellow cannery In On New Ground producer/direc about San Francisco tattoo master workers. In one scene, Masigat and tor Loni Ding gives us glimpses of Don Ed Hardy, Omori's back was tat younger cannery workers who still nine Asian American women in pro tooed with a Japanese design. travel to Alaska to work, share their fessions not traditionally associated contempt at the similar dismal work with women or Asian Americans. Per ing conditions. One of these younger sonal interest, ambition, and persist workers, Silme Domingo, was later ence is a common thread in the inter murdered in Seattle for his union ac views with a pharmacist, dress de NAATAable has groupfashioned of film a andrespect video tivities and anti-Marcos organizing signer, judge, park ranger, coxswain, works from a developing Asian Amer efforts. police officer, bartender, television ican media movement. If there is a Producer Deborah Bock helped to news anchor, and welder. consistent weakness in this first pre produce Pacific Bridges and Pearls, On New Ground is part of With Silk sentation (and in Asian American two series on Asian Americans aired Wings, a project about Asian Ameri media in general) it lies in the diffi on PBS. Pinoy was originally part of can women at work by Asian Women cult task of giving us highly personal, the Pearls series. United of San Francisco. sensitive portraits of a Sewing Among her many projects, Loni Woman, but with the larger context Program Three Ding has produced the PBS children's and contradictions brought out in series Bean Sprouts, 600 Millennia, Bittersweet Survival. Dramatic narra and How We Got Here: The Chinese. tive film can be effective for this, and Monterey's Boat People by She has worked as a producer/di Spencer Nakasako and Vincent we eagerly await NAATA's second DiCirolamo. rector forKQED-TV in San Francisco. season for which several Asian Amer This documentary focuses on the ican filmmakers have already sub controversy surrounding Vietnamese Program Five mitted their narrative stories on film. fishermen in the Monterey Bay area of California. The filmmakers draw a China: Land of My Father by Felicia parallel between the current conflict Lowe. and the anti-Asian attitudes faced by Chinese American journalist Feli the Chinese, who first developed the cia Lowe traveled to China to film this personal account. She captured NAATA has developed into much area's fishing industry, and the Japa more than an entry into PBS. The nese who owned 65% of the fish mar interviews not easily obtained by long-overdue need for a center of kets until they were forced into Western reporters, and also sought her own family roots. In a moving Asian American media has dictated World War II concentration camps. that NAATA become a clearinghouse Interviews with local fishing indus conclusion, Lowe is united with rela tives and a grandmother she has of information, referral services, con try representatives try to bring out sultation, even job placement for the economic and environmental n e v e r s e e n . Now an independent producer, Asians in media. Mediamakers are problems the Vietnamese fishermen Felicia Lowe has worked as a pro encouraged to contact NAATA at: have created, but the narrative National Asian American Tele points to a long history of racist ducer and reporter for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles and KCO-TV in San communications Association legislation directed against Asian Francisco. 346 Ninth Street, Second Floor fishermen. Since the videotape was San Francisco, CA 94103 completed, the State of California (415)863-0814 □ has banned the type of gill net fishing Program Six in shallow waters that the Viet Duane Kubo was the co-director of namese fishermen can afford. Tattoo City and Emiko by Emiko Visual Communication's film, Hito- Spencer Nakasako is currently Omori. Hata: Raise the Banner. He is active in operations director at the Bay Area These two films by pioneering the San Jose Nihonmachi Outreach Video Coalition. He has worked as a Nisei cinematographer/filmmaker Committee.

FALL/WINTER 1983 71 KINENHI

Visitthe Whereworld youof Uwajimaya. will find the finest and freshest ingredients for w F U E c n o N S < m m t i a u Asian home cookery. Custom cuts. — Interviews with 21 Tuleans on Special Asian foods and cookware. ORIENTAL FOOD E AT I N / TA K E O U T the internment, everyday life, And the Northwest's most impec loyalty questionnaire, segregation, cable and tasteful gifts. CATERING and the return from the camps

Newly Expanded UWAJIMAiA — 95 rare photographs and drawings .. .Always in good taste. Tel. (213) 475-0400 Send $10.00 to SEATTLE 1949 Westwood Blvd. 624-6248 Los Angeles, Calif. 90025 The Tule Lake Committee

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72 EAST WIND ON DECEMBER 13th, BEGIN THE DISCOVERY OF OURSELVES... T H E B L A C K N AT I O N ,

Asian Women United & Wing Productions proudly announce ttie nationwide premiere of

"To be... OURSELVES"

OURSELVES Is the first TV special wtilcti focuses on lite experience of growing up Asian and female In America.

This candid and moving afflrTnallon of our common experiences and visions appeal to women and men of all ages and nationalities.

• t U N K i n O N D B C B M B B R 1 3 t l l , 1 0 P M O N Y O U R L O O M , P B S S TAT I O N New York City - JANUARY 5tti, 9 PM ON WHYC, CHANNEL 31 Featuring Tom Feelings: "OURSELVES is the spear lip plan emerging Asian women's consciousness Ifial strikes the jugular ot sexism and racism, ft Is only the beginning." A People's Artist

Felipe Luciano AVA I L A B L E N O W Journalist, D.J.. poet Send $2.50 + $1.00 postage Add 6.5% tax for LA & BART coun ties; 6% other California counties; no tax for out of California. T H E B L A C K N A T I O N E A S T W I N D M A G A Z I N E S u b s c r i b e N o w ! P.O. Box 29293 Oakland, OA 94604

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MATSURI FESTIVAL Subscribe to UNITY November 20, 1983 - January 7, 1984 UNITY newspaper brings you reports on the Asian movements, includ ing the fight for decent housing in Chinatown, the Japanese Redress Japanese Folk Arts, Film, Music and Reparations Movement, unionizing restaurant workers, Asian stu dent struggles and much more. UNITY is published twice monthly, ex and cept for winter and summer breaks, by the U.S. League of Revolutionary Struggle (M-L). One-year individual subscription $10, institutions $15. Japanese-American Crafts P.O. Box 127 Oakland, OA 94604