CROSSCURRENTS 2004-2005 Vol. 28, No. 1 (2004-2005) CrossCurrents Newsmagazine of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center Center Honors Community Leaders and Celebrates New Department at 36th Anniversary Dinner MARCH 5, 2005—At its 36th anniversary dinner, held in Covel Commons at UCLA, the Center honored commu- nity leaders and activists for their pursuit of peace and justice. Over 400 Center supporters attended the event, which was emceed by MIKE ENG, mayor of Monterey Park and UCLA School of Law alumnus. PATRICK AND LILY OKURA of Bethesda, Maryland, who both recently passed away, sponsored the event. The Okuras established the Patrick and Lily Okura En- dowment for Asian American Mental Health Research at UCLA and were long involved with the Center and other organizations, including the Japanese American Citizens League and the Asian American Psychologists Association. Honorees included: SOUTH ASIAN NETWORK, a community-based nonprofit or- ganization dedicated to promoting health and empow- erment of South Asians in Southern California. PRosY ABARQUEZ-DELACRUZ, a community activist and vol- unteer, and ENRIQUE DELA CRUZ, a professor of Asian American Studies at California State University, Northridge, The late Patrick and Lily Okura. and UCLA alumnus. SUELLEN CHENG, curator at El Pueblo de Los Angeles standing Book Award. Historical Monument, executive director of the Chinese UCLA Law Professor JERRY KANG, a member of the Center’s American Museum, and UCLA alumna, and MUNSON A. Faculty Advisory Committee, delivered a stirring keynote WOK K , an active volunteer leader in Southern California address. TRITIA TOYOTA, former broadcast journalist and for more than thirty years. UCLA alumna (Ph.D., anthropology), gave concluding AIKO HERZIG, who spent three years in a Japanese Amer- remarks. DR. SUE ANN KIM, the first Korean woman to re- ican concentration camp and worked as a senior re- ceive a Ph.D. from UCLA, presented a check to establish searcher with the Commission on Wartime Relocation and a major endowment in her name in support of Korean Internment of Civilians, and JACK HERZIG. Both served as American Studies. advisers to the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibition at In his opening remarks, Center Director DON NAKANISHI the National Museum of American History, “A More stated, “This Center and our new Department could not Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the United States have been built without the dedication, contributions, Constitution.” and even occasional protests of thousands of students, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ERNEST M. HIRosHIGE, alumni, community leaders, and organizations over the who received the Asian Pacific American-UCLA Out- course of thirty-six years, and everyone should take pride standing Alumnus Award. in all that the Center has achieved. To all the Center’s sup- YURI KOCHIYAMA, a life-long activist, received special rec- porters—thank you for allowing us to carry on the historic ognition for the publication of her memoirs, Passing It mission and unmatched legacy of Asian American Stud- On (UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press, 2004), ies at UCLA.” which was the recipient of the 2004 Gustavus Myers Out- Please turn to pages 2 and 3 for photos from the dinner. 2 2004-2005 CROSSCURRENTS THE STAFF Photo Highlights from 36th Anniversary Dinner Brandy Liên Worrall-Yu, Editor Photograph by Florante Ibanez [email protected] Photograph by Brandy Worrall Contributors and Photographers Melany dela Cruz Florante Ibanez Mary Uyematsu Kao Snehendu Kar Marji Lee Irene Suico Soriano Joyce Tang Ying Ming Tu Ying M. Tu, Business Manager [email protected] CrossCurrents, the newsmagazine of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, keeps readers abreast of current Center programs, including Center Student & Community Projects Coordina- graduate and undergraduate programs, research Dr. James Yamazaki, Dr. Sanbo Sakaguchi, and projects, publications, faculty activities, student tor Meg Thornton with Honorees Jack and Aiko perspectives, relevant university and community Herzig. Center Director Don Nakanishi. Photograph by Florante Ibanez issues, as well as programs not sponsored by the Photograph by Brandy Worrall Center but in the province of Asian American Studies. CrossCurrents is published twice yearly (Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter) and distrib- uted in the community by Center staff. It is also mailed free to all subscribers of Amerasia Jour- nal. For information on how to submit articles, an- nouncements, images, and so forth to CrossCur- rents, contact the editor at [email protected] For more information about activities and programs of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center: 3230 Campbell Hall, Box 951546, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1546; phone, (310) 825-2974; http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/aasc In This Issue. George Takei, Audee Kochiyama and Honoree Community Reception 4 Yuri Kochiyama. Honorees Suellen Cheng and Munson Denise Uyehara Performs 4 Kwok. Aimee Phan Reading 4 Photograph by Brandy Worrall Photograph by Brandy Worrall JA Civil Liberties Conference 5 Greg Robinson Talk 5 Yong Ho Choe Visit 6 John Trasvina Talk 6 Masumi Izumi Presentations 6 NVM Gonzalez Workshop 7 APC Mixer 7 Bob Santos Visit 7 Department News 8 Faculty Diversity Initiative Update 8 Grace Hong Joins Department 8 Vinit Mujhija Joins FAC 8 Bob Nakamura & Paul Ong Receive Award 9 Center staff Sefa Aina and keynote speaker, Enrique dela Cruz Book Talk 9 UCLA Professor and Associate Dean of Graduate UCLA Law Professor Jerry Kang. Min Zhou Selected Stanford Fellow 9 Programs Shirley Hune and Center Co-Founder Photograph by Florante Ibanez AANCART Funding Renewed 10 and Interim President of Occidental College First UCLA-UBC Summer Class Offered 10 Kenyon Chan. MA Class of 2006 Profiles 12 Center Scholarships and Awards 14 Photograph by Florante Ibanez Hmong Student Conference 14 Yuji Ichioka Basketball Tournament 14 U Hawaii/UCLA Summer Program 14 Graduations 15 Jeff Chang Book 16 Jennifer Tseng Poetry Collection 16 Augusto Espiritu Book Talk 16 Eiichiro Azuma Book 16 Ying Ming Tu New Distribution Manager 17 Vivian Wong New Film 17 Homeownership Study Continues 17 CIC Workshop 17 Asian Pacific American Legal Center President Learning by Doing Conference 18 Stewart Kwoh, Pat Kwoh, and Los Angeles Yuri Kochiyama Receives Recognition 19 UCLA Alums: CSULB Professors John Tsuchida, Community College Board Member Warren New Amerasia Journal Board Members 19 Linda Maram and Dean Toji, and Pasadena City Furutani. New Publications & Order Form 20 College Professor Susie Ling. CROSSCURRENTS 2004-2005 Photograph by Florante Ibanez Photograph by Brandy Worrall Photograph by Brandy Worrall UCLA Alumni families—the Mayedas and the Pais, with Amerasia Journal editor and English professor Russell Leong (right). Yuri Kochiyama’s granddaughter Aliya with her Center Press Distribution Manager Ying Ming Tu Photograph by Florante Ibanez father, Jimmy Kochiyama. and Reading Room Assistant Coordinator Judy Soo Hoo. Photograph by Florante Ibanez Photograph by Florante Ibanez APAUCLA President Mike Fong, Awardee Judge UC Irvine Professor and UCLA Asian American Monterey Park Mayor Michael Eng, Professor Ernest Hiroshige, and speaker Dr. Tritia Toyota. Studies MA alum Thomas Fujita-Rony with UCLA Ailee Moon, and Center Office Manager Jaya Asian American Studies Professors Henry Yu and Vaswani present award to honoree organization Photograph by Brandy Worrall Min Zhou. South Asian Network. Photograph by Brandy Worrall Photograph by Mary Uyematsu Kao Dinner Honorees Professor Enrique de la Cruz and Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, with their son Carlo. UC Riverside Ethnic Studies Professor Edward Chang and Center Press Coordinator and MA student Mary Uyematsu Kao. UCLA alumni Mark Matsuda, Debbie Ching, and Photograph by Brandy Worrall Photograph by Todd Cheney California Assembly Member Judy Chu. Photograph by Brandy Worrall Dr. Sue Ann Kim, who established an endow- MA student Eurie Chung, UCLA alum Erin ment for Korean American Studies, receiveing a Dinner emcee, Mayor Michael Eng, with high Wright, and Asian American Studies Department birthday cake from Reading Room Coordinator school students from Monterey Park. Student Affairs Officer Stacey Hirose. Marjorie Lee. 4 2004-2005 CROSSCURRENTS Center Holds Reception to Thank UCLA Alum Aimee Phan Community for Decades of Support Reads from Debut Book OCTOBER 21, 2004—The Center, the Asian Pacific Planning OCTOBER 25, 2004—The Center and the UCLA Asian Pa- and Policy Council, and the APA-UCLA Alumni Association cific Coalition, in collaboration with the UCLA Center held a “Thank You” Community Reception, celebrating the for Southeast Asian Studies and Eastwind Books, West- establishment of the Department of Asian American Studies. wood, hosted Photograph by Mary Uyematsu Kao an evening with Vietnam- ese American author Aimee Phan in Acker- man Viewpoint Lounge. Phan’s debut publica- tion, We Should Never Meet (St. Martin’s Press), spans time and place with its interlinked sto- A full house of alums, community leaders, faculty, and other supporters Aimee Phan. ries set from come out to the thank-you reception. pre-1975 Sai- Over 300 people attended the event, which took place at the gon, Vietnam to present-day Little Saigon in Southern Empress Pavilion Restaurant in L.A.’s Chinatown, and it California. Phan received her MFA from the Univer- was free and open to the public. UCLA alumnus and SIPA sity of Iowa, where she won a Maytag Fellowship. She Executive Director Joel Jacinto was the emcee. lives in Las Vegas,