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Media MentionInternational Examiner: "The growing APA peace movement"International Examiner While some bemoan the death of the American peace movement, growing numbers in Asian Pacific American activist groups seem to provide evidence of the contrary. On Saturday, Feb. 15, Filipino American protesters in downtown Seattle could be heard chanting "Stop the U.S. war machine, from Palestine to the Philippines!" and "Support the troops - send them home!" during the large anti-war rally that attracted over 50,000 protesters, ending at Hing Hay park in the International District. KPFA Apex Express: "Civil Liberties Showdown"KPFA Apex Express Vivek from ASATA and Rakesh from Trikone spoke about the South Asian Progressive Conference; Vivek discussed ASATA's work around special registration. KPFA, APEX EXPRESS: 94.1 FM Starting this Thursday, Feb 13th 7pm-8pm, kpfa radio 94.1 fm hosts a series called "Civil Liberties Showdown". The first of the series begins with members of the South Asian community filling us in on the South Asian progressive conference and also addressing issues around social justice for those deemed detainable in this time of fear and flag-waving. By ASATA at Feb 13 2003 - 00:00 | Media Mention | Special Registration | Continued... | 43 trackbacks
AsianWeek: "South Asian Progressive Gathering Hopes to Set Agenda for Activism"AsianWeek In a community divided by 15 major languages, 1,600 dialects and over five major religions, the desire to unite under a common goal has become imperative, especially in a post-Sept. 11 world. The South Asian Progressive Collective gathering — which will take place on Jan. 25 at the California Institute for Integral Studies in San Francisco — will attempt to merge common interests, set an agenda for community activism and unite communities from different fronts. India-West: "South Asians Join SF Anti-War March"India-West SAN FRANCISCO -- South Asians enthusiastically participated in a mammoth anti-war protest here Jan. 18, though their numbers were not large, nor did the demonstrators represent a cross-section of the community as widely as the mainstream community participants. Amid hotly debated, wide disparities of crowd estimates, police later revised the estimated crowd to be about 150,000, considered by many to be the largest anti-war protest here since the Vietnam war. A similar protest was held in Washington, D.C., and many other cities around the world. AsianWeek: "Communities Brace for Second INS Registration Deadline"AsianWeek Husain Qazi, a Jackson Heights jewelry store owner from Pakistan, could hardly contain his anger at the Immigration and Naturalization Services’ latest initiative aimed at Muslim communities. “You have successfully tried to harass people, snatching food from the mouths of families, you have done what you wanted, Bush. But you forget that our ancestors tried to bury this racism years ago,” he said, referring to the hard-won gains of the civil rights movement. By ASATA at Jan 10 2003 - 00:00 | Media Mention | Special Registration | Continued... | 4527 trackbacks
AsianWeek: "The Year in Review: 2002"AsianWeek 2002 was a year of reconstruction, reaction and organizing. As the Bush Administration tried to expand the “War on Terrorism” on all fronts, Asian Pacific Americans had to deal with the nasty side effects, which ranged from secret midnight deportations and continued detentions to the loss of jobs. In response, community-based organizations and leaders doubled their efforts to make their voices heard. More than a few APAs said the reason they ran for office in 2002 was because they saw the need after Sept. 11, which led to some 200 APAs being elected this year. Overall, it was a year of storm clouds and well-earned silver linings. ColorLines: "Zero Tolerance: Racial Harassment in School Worsens for Scapegoated Students"ColorLines RaceWire It didn’t start on Sept. 11. But it did get significantly worse. People are afraid to sit next to you on the bus. Random strangers on the street point their finger, shouting that you’re a terrorist. Kids on the opposing soccer team throw rocks at you while you’re trying to play. AsianWeek: "Local and National Reports Document Sept. 11 Backlash"AsianWeek More than a year after Sept. 11, two detailed reports have been released documenting hate crimes and government backlash as a response to the terrorist attacks which rocked the nation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California and the international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) have called attention to the extraordinary change that has happened in the last year. San Francisco Bay Guardian: "The tensions come home"San Francisco Bay Guardian In Berkeley, strife over the U.S. role in the Middle East is spilling over from campus into the halls of government. Prominent members of Berkeley's Jewish community are charging progressive council member Kriss Worthington with anti-Semitism – and putting their weight behind Worthington's challenger, outspoken Zionist and UC Berkeley sophomore Micki Weinberg. SF Bay Guardian: "The tensions come home"San Francisco Bay Guardian In Berkeley, strife over the U.S. role in the Middle East is spilling over from campus into the halls of government. Prominent members of Berkeley's Jewish community are charging progressive council member Kriss Worthington with anti-Semitism – and putting their weight behind Worthington's challenger, outspoken Zionist and UC Berkeley sophomore Micki Weinberg. India Currents: "Being Brown in America"India Currents Syed Mahmood, a marketing consultant in Union City, CA, who grew up in Pakistan, decided to run for the 13th Congressional District in California this year. Then his campaign headquarters started getting calls describing him as a "turban head" and "camel jockey." Hitesh Tolani, a 20 year-old junior in Columbia, SC, who came to the U.S. when he was 18 months old, was applying for permanent residency so he could accept scholarships from Ivy League colleges. Then the INS informed him and his mother that they needed to leave the country. His mother had omitted to file their papers years ago while coping with his father's death and her own breast cancer. His 15-year-old brother Ravi, an American citizen by birth, could stay. Journal of Asian American Studies: "So our history doesn't become your future"Journal of Asian American Studies Excerpt In the San Francisco Bay Area, members of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) explained that, in the process of becoming more visibly racialized, South Asian communities witnessed similar inner-communal shifts and polarizations. Along with the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, San Francisco Chapter (ADC SF), Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Intergroup Clearinghouse (IC), and the Islamic Networks Group (ING), ASATA joined the coalition,"United Response Collaborative. The United Response Collaborative came together to provide assistance to community groups and individuals negatively affected by the backlash following the attacks of 9-11. This coalition focused particularly on working with Arab, Muslim, and South Asian groups to increase community capacity and identify appropriate strategies for preventing and addressing bias-motivated violence and discrimination." [22] For South Asian activists, multi-racial coalitions have served as key sites for addressing anti-South Asian racism and forging new links with Arab, Muslim, and other organizations committed to racial justice. Multi-racial coalitions additionally opened up new spaces for confronting antiMuslim sentiments within and between South Asian communities. [23] While South Asian activism since 9-11 has increased the visibility of South Asians within the organizing spaces for racial justice, it has also entailed confronting divisions within and between South Asian communities. For example, since 9-11, South Asian activism has brought heightened attention to the role of U.S.-based right-wing Hindu fundamentalist community groups, who lend financial support to anti-Muslim projects, such as mosque demolitions, in India. By ASATA at Oct 1 2002 - 00:00 | Hate violence | Media Mention | South Asia | Continued... | 4555 trackbacks
PR Week: "Minorities Under Pressure"PR Week The year since 9/11 has shown that minorities seeking US acceptance have much work to do. But several ethnic groups are progressing by working together. We have made it past the first anniversary of September 11, and a quiet relief is palpable across the nation. AsianWeek: "South Asian Community Condemns Sexual Assault"AsianWeek South Asian community organizations gathered at a press conference Sept. 4 in front of a Longs Drugstore in Palo Alto, Calif., to voice sympathy for a 15-year-old Muslim girl who was raped by Sanjay Nair, a 19-year old Hindu man who allegedly followed the victim to the basement bathroom of the store where they both work and sexually assaulted her. News India-Times: "Hindus, Muslims of South Asian descent hold press briefing to condemn alleged rape of minor Muslim girl"News India-Times Hindus, Muslims of South Asian descent hold press briefing to condemn alleged rape of minor Muslim girl Sanjay Nair, an 18-year-old from East Palo Alto, has been arrested and charged with assault with intent to rape a 15-year-old girl at a drugstore on Aug. 30. India-West: "Anti-Discrimination Groups Forge Collaborative"India-West Five anti-discrimination organizations have formed a "United Response Collaborative" in their efforts to address the backlash against Bay Area South Asians, Arab Americans, Muslims, and others perceived to be Middle Eastern since last year's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The Collaborative, which consists of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of San Francisco, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Intergroup Clearinghouse, and Islamic Networks Group, will call upon public officials and agencies, ranging from law enforcement to health, to also prepare for a potential spike in bias-motivated assaults against the targeted groups. BBC News: "US city tackling race hate"BBC News Civic leaders in San Francisco who fear reprisals against Muslims in the run up to the first anniversary of 11 September have launched an anti-hate campaign. The message the city fathers want to send out is very clear. "In this city, which has always been known for its tolerance, the only thing we will not tolerate is intolerance," declared District Attorney Terence Hallinan. AsianWeek: "We Are Not the Enemy"AsianWeek On a typical weekday afternoon, the San Francisco Muni bus for Line 1 passes every 10 minutes. When it halts and picks up its patrons, riders or passersby may glance at an ad posted on the bus tail with a message and four faces. A young woman with dark skin and long dark hair, a short-haired, dark-skinned businessman, a man with a turban and a girl wearing a bhurka represent a sign that reads: “We are not the enemy. We are your community.” SF Chronicle: "Anti-hate campaign begins in S.F."San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco civic leaders unveiled an anti-hate poster campaign Monday, calling for an atmosphere of racial tolerance on the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. AsianWeek: "Bay Area South Asians Discuss Communal Violence in Gujarat"AsianWeek “Bay Area South Asians Discuss Communal Violence in Gujarat” June 28, 2002 by Avy Mallik http://www.asianweek.com/20020628/bay_gujurat.html In a continued effort to raise awareness about the communal violence in Gujarat, India, Bay Area South Asian American groups organized a screening of Indian filmmaker Gopal Menon’s documentary Hey Ram: Genocide in the Land of Gandhi (the title comes from the last words spoken by Mahatma Gandhi moments before his death), which vividly shows the Muslim genocide in Gujarat in all its uncensored brutality. Held on June 22 at the Artists’ Television Access in San Francisco, the film was preceded by a panel discussion led by Surina Khan, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and Raka Ray, professor of sociology and South and Southeast Asian Studies at UC Berkeley. Organizers included EKTA, CAC (Coalition Against Communalism), Narika, Third I, Alliance of South Asians Taking Action and Trikone.  |