Asian Pacific Islander Leaders and Luminaries Presented by the API Affinity Group Leaders in Justice Grace Lee Boggs

Asian Pacific Islander Leaders and Luminaries Presented by The API Affinity Group Leaders in Justice Grace Lee Boggs

Grace Lee Boggs was an outspoken author, social activist, civil rights leader in Chicago, Detroit, and nationwide. Her activism was focused on workers’ rights and the rights of Black Americans, and she paved the way for conversations related to the intersectionality of Asian and African American oppression and our collective liberation.

Her commitment to social justice for African Americans is a reminder of the power and privilege we yield as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to do anti‐racist work. Grace Lee also reminds me that while the world believes me meek, I am not.

Photo: Robin Holland Larry itliong

Labor activist and colleague of Cesar Chavez, Larry Itliong lead the Delano Grape Strike in 1965. A common tactic used by oppressors is to pit the oppressed against one another, and this method was exploited by the growers. Understanding that solidarity would bring strength to the movement, Itliong united the Filipino migrant workers and the Mexican migrant workers.

Itliong and Chavez founded the United Farm Workers labor union together. “Itliong’s leadership helped spark the farmworkers movement, one of the most important social justice movements of the 20th century.” –Paula Mejia

I learned about Itliong in college, but I learned about the labor movement and Chavez in 3rd grade. I believe this was not an accident, and it is another way to divide the people. Itliong’s exclusion from social justice history is a reminder Photo: George Ballis to me to question the stories we’re told. Sili Savusa

Sivi Savusa is a local community organizer and trailblazer. As a leader in the Pacific Northwest’s Samoan community, she established the first Parent Teacher Student Association in the nation that focuses on students of color, specifically those of Samoan/Pacific Islander descent.

Savusa continues to build power in communities of color as the Executive Director of the White Center Community Development Association. Amanda Nguyen

Founder of Rise, a civil rights accelerator designed to train people to organize and participate more actively in politics, Amanda Nguyen used her own sexual assault as a catalyst for change. She drafted the Sexual Assault Survivor’s Bill of Rights which established consistent rules and procedures for prosecuting sexual assault crimes, and was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for this work. Nguyen continues to fight for the rights of sexual assault victims internationally.

So often sexual assault victims are silenced or gaslighted, and Amanda Nguyen is a perfect example of someone reclaiming their story and using their voice to amplify the voices of others not heard. Wing Luke Born in 1925 to immigrant parents, Wing Luke was a voice for his community and inspired many people of color (POC) to run for office. In 1952, Wing Luke was the first POC to be elected onto the Seattle City Council and the first Asian American to hold public office in the Pacific Northwest. He fought hard for civil rights and advocated for fair housing. He helped pass the open‐housing ordinance that prevented discrimination in the selling or renting of Seattle real estate.

He is the namesake of Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. Learn more about his legacy and the discriminatory housing practices that he fought so hard against by visiting the museum and its new Redlining exhibit.

“Don’t do things because of who is right, but because of what is right” MINORU YASUI Never Give Up! Click above link for video!

Minoru "Min" Yasui (安井稔 Yasui Minoru, October 19, 1916 – November 12, 1986) was an American lawyer from Oregon. Born in Hood River, Oregon, he earned both an undergraduate degree and his law degree at the University of Oregon. He was one of the few Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor who fought laws that directly targeted Japanese Americans or Japanese immigrants. His case was the first case to test the constitutionality of the curfews targeted at minority groups. His case would make its way to the United States Supreme Court, where his conviction for breaking curfew was affirmed. After internment during most of World War II, he moved to Denver, Colorado in 1944. In Denver, Yasui married and became a local leader in civic affairs, including leadership positions in the Japanese American Citizens League. In 1986, his criminal conviction was overturned by the federal court. In 2015, Senator Mazie K. Hirono nominated Yasui for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States.[1] On November 16, 2015, President Barack http://www.minoruyasuifilm.org/#!film/ctvh Obama announced that Yasui would receive a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom.[2] The Medal was presented to Lori Yasui in a White House ceremony November 24, 2015.8 9 Ruby Chow was the first Asian American to serve on the Ruby Chow King County Council, and she served for three terms, fighting to provide her community the same services that predominantly white communities were already given. Prior to running for County Council, Ruby was an established restauranteur and already a prominent community activist. She met her husband, Ping, who at the time was a famous Chinese opera singer in NY. They moved back to Seattle together and opened the first Chinese restaurant in Seattle outside of the Chinatown‐ International District. It was frequented by the city’s elite, politicians, and visiting diplomats. She used this opportunity to help educate her patrons about Chinese culture and bridge the perceived divide. She was well‐ known for speaking up for underserved immigrant communities and for using her influence to improve the lives of those that needed the most help. She was a leader in her community and dedicated much of her life to social service. She paved the way for many women and people of color to run for office, including her daughter, Cheryl, who served on the Seattle City Council. Many Uch Many is a Cambodian refugee who has been fighting his order of deportation for almost 20 years. It is also the story of how refugees and permanent residents may be deported for mistakes they made in their youth –mistakes they’ve already paid their debts for.

Today, Many is a proud husband and father, a dedicated mentor and a nationally recognized advocate. He has a pardon from the governor of Washington, runs a nonprofit and has been appointed to serve on the statewide WA Reentry Council.

Recently Many has finally had his deportation order lifted!

Thank you Many for all the social justice work you are doing locally and nationally!

Read more: http://aditibhandari.github.io/migrahack‐2016/ Leaders in Arts and Culture Yayoi Kusama Artist • Born in Japan, she came to the US as a young, female artist experiencing aural and visual hallucinations • She spent several years homeless and has lived in mental hospitals for the better part of 4 decades • Her art has been a form of therapy and helped her with neurosis and hallucinations • In the Japanese community, discussing mental health and illness has always been taboo, but Kusama’s artwork has served as a platform for mental health awareness and advocacy while being wildly popular • For me, art never detracts from the world. It’s a way to see the world through someone else’s eyes, to feel their thoughts and emotions, and to connect on a sensory level. Blue Scholars Hip-hop duo • Local artists who started in the early 2000’s, their music focuses on growing up in the Seattle area and the social, political, and economic issues as experienced by second generation Americans • Their music is both conscientious and catchy, and carved a new path in Seattle’s music scene. • Their name is a play on the term “blue collar”, and the “scholar” portion found its way into the name as they met at UW. • Music has been both an outlet and an avenue to channel change, and this duo has https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcm7VbFCXno been uniquely Seattle. Eddie Huang

Edwyn Charles Huang (born March 1, 1982)[1] is an American author, chef, restaurateur, food personality, producer, and attorney.[2][3] He co‐owns BaoHaus, aGua‐Bao restaurant in the East Village of Lower Manhattan.[4] He previously hosted Huang's World for Viceland. Huang's autobiography, Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir, was later adapted into a television series of the same name, which airs on ABC. David Chang David Chang (Korean: Chang Seok‐ ho 장석호; born August 5, 1977)[2] is an American restaurateur, author, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group, which includes Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Milk Bar, and Momofuku Koin New York City; Momofuku Seiōbo in Sydney; Momofuku Noodle Bar and Kojin in Toronto; and Momofuku CCDC in Washington, DC.[3][4]In 2009, Momofuku Ko was awarded two Michelin stars, which it has retained each year since.[5] In 2018, Chang created, produced, and starred in a Netflix original series, Ugly Delicious.[6] 17 History of Racism and Immigration

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