GMU AAPI Studies Minor

Capping off our daily posts in collaboration with the GMU Colony Chapter of alpha Kappa Delta Phi International Sorority, Inc. (GMU Akdphi)

✨ Mazie Hirono - Japanese American Senator from Hawaii ✨

Mazie Hirono is a Japanese-born American politician serving since 2013 as the junior United States Senator from Hawaii. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Hirono served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1981 to 1995 and as Hawaii's ninth lieutenant governor from 1994 to 2002, under Ben Cayetano. From 2007 to 2013, she served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district.

Hirono is the first elected female senator from Hawaii, the first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate, the first U.S. senator born in Japan, and the nation's first Buddhist senator. As a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and a trailblazer for Asian American women in politics, Senator Hirono is a huge inspiration for the next generation of AAPI public servants.

Kicking off in collaboration with the GMU Associate Chapter of Lambda Phi Epsilon International Fraternity, Inc. (LPhiE)

✨Yul Kwon - Spokesperson for the Asian American Donor Program✨

Yul Kwon is a Korean American TV host, former government official, lawyer, and management consultant. He is best known for being the winner of the reality TV show, Survivor: Cook Islands in 2006. Yul is also a brother of the Theta Chapter of LPhiE from Stanford University who helped to establish their philanthropy when organizing a bone marrow campaign for his best friend Even Chen when he was diagnosed with leukemia back in 1995. He is now serving as a national spokesperson for the Asian American Donor Program to raise awareness for the need for more minority bone marrow donors.

This month, we’ve discovered our roots, uplifted our part in activism, and took a look at what our community today looks like. As we wrap up our celebration, this week, we look INTO THE FUTURE.

How are we supporting tomorrow’s AAPI leaders? From creating the pipeline of the next AAPI politicians or seeing the emerging leaders in AAPI activism, to educating the youth about our own history, what does this future look like?
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💻 APAHM Webinar #4 - Environmental Impact on AAPI Communities: Exposing Vulnerable Communities 💻

WHEN: Wednesday, April 29, 6pm EST

With the spread of COVID-19, there is a heightened divide exposing inequalities in race, wealth, and health. The environmental justice movement began with people of color who sought to address the inequity of environmental protection in their communities. Lockdowns with little to no support have caused some communities of color to lack access to food, water, and/or shelter.

In this workshop, we will take a look at the role AAPI communities have in the environmental justice movement and why the environment shapes the opportunities and certain privileges we carry. We hope to inspire those who attend to discover their personal interactions with nature to aid in strengthening your identity and community. This webinar will be led by former APAC President Jasmine Baccam and outgoing President Justine Suegay.

REGISTER AT bit.ly/APACWebinar4

💻 APAHM Webinar #3 - Confronting my Anti-Blackness: Taking Responsibility in the APIDA Community 💻

TODAY: Friday, April 24, 4pm EST

With the spread of COVID-19 came an emergence of blatant discrimination and hate crimes against Asian Americans nationwide. The virus has also revealed structural inequalities that make the Black community particularly vulnerable to the disease; in Louisiana, African Americans accounted for 70% of COVID-19 related deaths which mirrors an overall trend throughout the nation.

Although our communities face separate struggles, we have something in common: oppression under white supremacy. In the 1960s, recognizing this led to multiracial alliances between Asian Americans and the Black Community, birthing phrases such as “Yellow Peril Supports Black Power.”

The aim of this workshop is to uphold this legacy of solidarity by recognizing that before we can show up for the Black community and other marginalized communities, we NEED to turn inwards and evaluate the ways systems of white supremacy makes us—Asian Americans—susceptible to anti-Blackness.

📝 Register here: http://bit.ly/APACWebinar3

Capping off our week in collaboration with the GMU Japanese Student Association (JSA) 🇯🇵

✨ Frank Emi - Japanese American Civil Rights Activist ✨

A Los Angeles native, Frank Emi was among the thousands of Japanese Americans forced to relocate to internment camps shortly after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. At the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming, Emi was a leading figure of the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee, an ad hoc group that protested the drafting of Nisei and Sansei (second and third generation Japanese American immigrants) into military service. For refusing to take part in the draft, Emi served 18 months in a federal prison.

At the time and in the decades following World War II, the actions of the Fair Play Committee and other draft resisters were criticized as cowardly and disloyal by most of the Japanese American community. However, beginning in the 1970’s, a younger generation of Japanese Americans began to reexamine the wartime experiences of their parents and grandparents, and in 2000 the Japanese American Citizens League offered Emi a formal apology.

Continuing week in collaboration with the Filipino Cultural Association of George Mason University (FCA)

✨ Larry Itliong - Filipino American labor organizer ✨

At the age of 14, Larry Itliong immigrated to the United States to find work as a laborer and farmhand. Though only having an elementary education, Itliong taught himself multiple languages and read law. In the 1930s, he began organizing agricultural workers along the West Coast to improve the hours, wages, and working conditions of his fellow laborers.

In 1965, Itliong was a leader of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, a predominantly-Filipino sponsored labor organization, which began the Delano grape strike. After five years, the grape growers acceded to the workers’ demands to raise their wages and to have the right to form unions.

The Delano grape is most notable for its effective boycotts, the unprecedented cooperation between Filipino and Mexican farm workers to unionize, and the resulting creation of the UFW labor union, revolutionizing the farm labor movement in America.

Continuing week in collaboration with the Alpha Alpha Chapter of Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. (Gmu Kappas)

✨ Helen Zia - Chinese American Journalist and Civil Rights Activist ✨

Helen Zia is a Chinese American Journalist and Civil Rights. At the time Vincent Chin was murdered in Detroit, Zia was working in the city as a community organizer. As a co-founder of the non-profit organization, American Citizens for Justice, she became involved in the city’s Asian American movement that arose in response to the murder and the lenient sentiencing of its perpatrators. Her writings helped to create a more cohesive Asian American community and pressured the federal government to press civil rights charges. Later in her career she would testify before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on the racial impact of the news media in 1997.

In addition to her civil rights activism, Zia is also a champion of women’s and LGBT rights through her investigative journalism. Several of her works have been featured in numerous publications, books and anthologies, such Ms., The New York Times, and OUT.

Kicking off week in collaboration with George Mason University-Sigma Psi Zeta, Alpha Nu Charter

✨ Amanda Nguyen - Vietnamese American Civil Rights Activist and Founder of Rise ✨

Amanda Nguyen is a Vietnamese American civil rights activist, social entrepreneur, and the CEO and founder of Rise; a non-profit civil rights organization aimed to protect the rights of sexual assault survivors.

After facing a her own experience of sexual assault her senior year at Harvard, she found that the criminal justice system was flawed and did not protect the rights of sexual assault survivors. Rather than accepting injustice, she chose to rewrite the law. She founded Rise and helped draft the first Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights that unanimously passed legislation in 2016. She aims to pass the bill in all 50 states as well as on a national level.

In 2019, Amanda Nguyen was named a 2019 Nobel Peace prize nominee for her activism.

Our community today is built on movements by those who came before us. This week, we introduce you to AAPI ACTIVISM as we continue our series of educational posts to celebrate APAHM 2020: As I Am.

Recognizing the AAPI leaders of movements for justice. Asian America has a rich history of activism, from leading movements for the liberation of our community to fighting alongside Black and Brown communities, we have always fought for justice and continue to do so. At the end of the week, join us for the third part of our webinar series where Sarah Mae Dizon, will address a central topic in AAPI Activism.
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💻 APAHM Webinar #3 - Confronting my Anti-Blackness: Taking Responsibility in the APIDA Community 💻

WHEN: Friday, April 24, 4pm EST

With the spread of COVID-19 came an emergence of blatant discrimination and hate crimes against Asian Americans nationwide. The virus has also revealed structural inequalities that make the Black community particularly vulnerable to the disease; in Louisiana, African Americans accounted for 70% of COVID-19 related deaths which mirrors an overall trend throughout the nation.

Although our communities face separate struggles, we have something in common: oppression under white supremacy. In the 1960s, recognizing this led to multiracial alliances between Asian Americans and the Black Community, birthing phrases such as “Yellow Peril Supports Black Power.”

The aim of this workshop is to uphold this legacy of solidarity by recognizing that before we can show up for the Black community and other marginalized communities, we NEED to turn inwards and evaluate the ways systems of white supremacy makes us—Asian Americans—susceptible to anti-Blackness.

📝 Register here: http://bit.ly/APACWebinar3

💻 APAHM Webinar #2 - COVID19: Health, Community, and Resiliency 💻

TONIGHT, Friday, April 17, 6 - 8pm EST

For the past month or so, we have gone through unprecedented change, uncertainty, chaos, and even grief. For us and our AAPI community, we not only suffer through health concerns, uncertain work situations, and interrupted schooling, we also worry about our families abroad, the many small businesses struggling, and increased occurrences of racism & xenophobia. While an international pandemic like COVID-19 is not something just anyone can prepare for, it is something we can respond to through community dialogue and action.

In this webinar, we will focus on three aspects of our pandemic experience: health, community, and resiliency. We are constantly bombarded with news about COVID-19 and most of it is discouraging - this webinar will not be an echo of this. Rather, we will hold space for us to discuss, cope, and plan ways to best serve our community and selves.

📝 Register here: bit.ly/apacwebinar2

✨ Fatimah Asghar - Pakistani American Poet and Screenwriter ✨

Fatima Asghar is a Pakistani American poet and screenwriter. Her works have been featured in prominent publications such as POETRY Magazine, Gulf Coast, and the BuzzFeed Reader. Themes central to work are her identity as an orphan and the legacy of the Partition of India, its impact on her family history.

Asghar is best known as the creator of the Emmy-nominated comedy web series, Brown Girls, which is loosely-based on her own life experiences as a woman of color navigating her twenties. She is also the editor of Halal if You Hear Me an anthology celebrating Muslim writers who are also women, q***r, gender nonconforming, or trans.

In collaboration with the Iota Nu Delta Fraternity, Inc. - George Mason University (IND) for today’s post about our

✨ Arjit Singh - Critically Acclaimed Playback Singer ✨

Arjit Singh is a Hindi and Bengali-language playback singer. His songs are produced to be part of movie soundtracks in the Indian film industry. In 2013, he became well known for his songs, “Tum Hi Ho” and “Chahun Main Ya Naa” that were featured in the 2 of the year's highest grossing Bollywood productions. In 2019, he was recognized by Spotify as the most-streamed Indian singer worldwide.

Singh is also notable for his humanitarian work. In 2017, he started the NGO “Let There Be Light” to aid those living below the poverty line through providing blood banks and distributing clothes, books, and stationary to children.

Continuing our week in collaboration with Korean American Student Association (GMU KSA) 🇰🇷

✨ Ryu Hyun-jin - Korean MLB Superstar ✨

Ryu Hyun-jin is a South Korean professional baseball player and the starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. He previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2013 to 2019.

During his time with the Dodgers, Ryu was especially noted for his immense popularity and intergenerational support among Korean American baseball fans.

Greater Los Angeles is home to the highest population of Korean Americans in the United States. Ryu was able to connect with Korean Americans as a symbol of national pride for providing excellent play and Asian representation in a major league sports.

Kicking off week in collaboration with the Alpha Gamma Chapter of Pi Delta Psi Fraternity, Inc. (Pi Delta Psi at GMU)

✨ Richard Lui - Chinese American Journalist and News Anchor ✨

Richard Lui is a news anchor for MSNBC and NBC News, having joined in 2010. He was formerly at CNN Worldwide where he became the first Asian American man to anchor a daily, national cable news show (CNN Headline News) in 2007. Lui is also a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and was elected Member of the Year in 2013.

Lui’s reporting often focuses on humanitarian issues such as gender inequality, human trafficking, and affordable housing. As a field reporter, he provided live coverage of incidents and events such as the Ferguson unrest, Hurricane Sandy, and the 2012 U.S. Presidential election.

Outside of his career, Lui is heavily involved in community service and charity work in the US and abroad, volunteering much of his time for organizations like the United States Capitol Historical Society, the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, and APIA Vote.

After a glimpse of our roots, this week we introduce you to our COMMUNITY TODAY. This continues our series of educational posts to celebrate APAHM 2020: As I Am.

Uplifting today’s leaders and trailblazers in the AAPI community. From politics to food movements, journalism to entertainment, AAPI leaders and influencers are defining what popular culture is and who has power to create real change. At the end of the week, join us for the second part of our webinar series where the GMU APAC President, Justine Suegay, will address a topic very relevant to our community today.

💻 APAHM Webinar #2 - COVID19: Health, Community, and Resiliency | Friday, April 17, 6 - 8pm EST

For the past month or so, we have gone through unprecedented change, uncertainty, chaos, and even grief. For us and our AAPI community, we not only suffer through health concerns, uncertain work situations, and interrupted schooling, we also worry about our families abroad, the many small businesses struggling, and increased occurrences of racism & xenophobia. While an international pandemic like COVID-19 is not something just anyone can prepare for, it is something we can respond to through community dialogue and action.

In this webinar, we will focus on three aspects of our pandemic experience: health, community, and resiliency. We are constantly bombarded with news about COVID-19 and most of it is discouraging - this webinar will not be an echo of this. Rather, we will hold space for us to discuss, cope, and plan ways to best serve our community and selves.

📝 Register here: bit.ly/apacwebinar2

Last post of week In collaboration with the GMU Indian Student Association (ISA) 🇮🇳

✨ Dalip Singh Saund - First Asian American elected to Congress ✨

Dalip Singh Saund was a member of the US House of Representatives who served the 29th District of California from January 3, 1957 to January 3, 1963. He was the first Asian American, the first Indian American and the first Sikh-American to be elected to Congress.

In 1930, Saund wrote a book called “My Mother India" which pleaded for an end to the British Empire's occupation of the Indian subcontinent. Saund wrote that his book was intended to “answer various questions that commonly arise in the minds of the American people regarding the cultural and political problems of India.” His book addressed India's caste system as one of those questions and "pleaded for the civil rights of the downtrodden in India as he compared caste in India to racism in America and elsewhere."

Later, he campaigned to allow people of South Asian descent to become naturalized citizens. After the Luce-Celler Act was passed in 1946, he applied for naturalization and became an American citizen in 1949. He ran for a local election in 1950 and won. However, his election was thrown out as he had been a citizen for less than a year. He later ran again for the same post and won before becoming a trailblazing Asian American politician in Congress.

In collaboration with Vietnamese Student Association (GMU VSA) 👏🏽

✨ Operation Frequent Wind - The Evacuation of Saigon & the First Vietnamese Refugees ✨

The Vietnamese community in America is largely made up of refugees from the Vietnam War and their descendants. Among the first to leave Vietnam in search of a better life was the nearly 6,000 Vietnamese evacuated from Saigon in Operation Frequent Wind, a significant number of which were orphaned children. Over two days immediately before the Fall of Saigon, American forces successfully airlifted American civilians and “at-risk” Vietnamese from the US Embassy off-shore to US Navy aircraft carriers.

As the war came to end, many South Vietnamese also decided to self-evacuate by sea or air. In total, approximately 140,000 Vietnamese ended up in American custody to be processed as refugees.

Day 2 of week, in collaboration with the Thai Student Association of George Mason University (TSA) 🇹🇭

✨Dr. Krisana Kraisintu - Prominent Thai Pharmacist ✨

Dr. Krisana Kraisintu is a prominent Thai pharmacist whose career has been driven by a belief in the right to health. In 1995, as a leading researcher in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Dr. Kraisintu helped formulate a genericized version of the antiretroviral medication, Zidozuvine and the first wholly-generic combination drug. Her work significantly lowering the cost of treatment for HIV/AIDS in the developing world. Later, she became a pharmaceutical consultant for the local production and access to life-saving drugs in Africa.

In Thailand, she is known as the “Gypsy pharmacist” for her far off travels to help those most in need. For her commitment to affordable healthcare, Dr. Kraisintu was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for public service, the highest award given to Asian individuals and organizations.

Kicking off week for APAHM 2020, in collaboration with Indonesian Student Association 👏🏽

✨ Sukarno - First President of Indonesia ✨

Indonesian author, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, once said that he was “the only Asian leader of the modern era able to unify people of such differing ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds without shedding a drop of blood.”

Beginning in the 1920s, Sukarno was a leader of Indonesia’s independence movement during the Dutch Colonial Period. Following World War II, Indonesia declared independence from the Netherlands on August 17, 1945. Sukarno was appointed President at this time and led the country as it resisted Dutch re-colonization efforts. Indonesian independence was formally recognized in 1949.

Indonesia is a diverse and fractious country with varying cultures, languages, and religious beliefs. Sukarno is considered to be the Father of the Nation, as he was successful in maintaining the nation’s fragile post-independence unity.

💻 APAHM Webinar #1: AAPI History 101 💻
WHEN: Friday, April 10, 5pm EST

Whether you know the history of the AAPI community or not, this workshop is meant for you! AAPI History 101 aspires to spotlight keystone individuals in the past, present, and future who uplift the AAPI community and encourage individuals to tell their story. Overall, AAPI history is a story of diversity, complexity, and perseverance as the AAPI community continues to remain resilient despite the monolithic myth placed on them. This workshop is brought together by undergraduate student assistants advocating to diversify Mason academia with an AAPI Studies Minor.

📝 Register here: https://forms.gle/Lnsxn4QFmWFY9tgc7

To kick off a month of daily educational posts for AS I AM: APAHM 2020, we start with our Roots.

This week, we will be highlighting members of our community and diaspora who have been pioneers in their fields and have enriched history. Whether it’s Asian American history or the world’s, these prominent figures have played important roles in creating progress and building the foundation for our community today.

Stay tuned for more information about our FIRST webinar hosted this week 😮💻

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Mason!

The theme for APAHM 2020 is "As I Am" which uplifts the individuals who lead and make up our community, as well as the many intersections of their identities. Among the many challenges within the Asian and Pacific Islander American communities, the myth of a monolithic community and lack of support or acknowledgement for its leaders hold importance. This APAHM, our community has chosen to celebrate the diversity of our identities and empower our leaders: past, present, and future!

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In 1978, Congress passed a Congressional Resolution for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans to be celebrated during the first week in May. It was the anniversary of the first wave of Japanese immigrants to the U.S. and the completion of the transcontinental railroad, predominantly built by Chinese Americans. In 1992, the celebration was extended through the entire month of May. Here at GMU, we celebrate APAHM in the month of April to give the Mason community a chance to experience what our AAPI leaders have to offer before the end of the school year.

Save The Dates!

As part of our APAHM celebration this year, we will be hosting weekly webinars on a range of topics. Join these wonderful student leaders from across APAC as we engage in dialogue on issues important to our AAPI community! Make sure to attend the workshop on next Friday, 4/10 at 5PM, led by our student assistants!

Stay tuned for more information about how to attend virtually 💻

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) 2020 is almost here!

We hope that you are all staying safe during this time, but we promised you all that we would be back and are happy to announce a month of celebration and learning opportunities for you all. Here at George Mason University, we celebrate APAHM in April - while it is nationally celebrated in May. Stay in touch with us through our social media for more APAHM content coming soon!

⚠️ IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ⚠️

Greetings from Pittsburgh, PA! AAPI student leaders and allies are here to attend the annual ECAASU conference this weekend! 🏙

“The East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) aims to inspire, educate, and empower those interested in Asian American and Pacific Islander issues. As a student and volunteer led nonprofit, the annual ECAASU conference is the oldest AAPI conference in the nation.”

We are thrilled for the workshops tomorrow to gain new knowledge regarding AAPI topics! 🔍

On behalf of the AAPI minor team, we’d like to wish a Happy Lunar New Year to those who celebrate and wish everyone good health and lasting prosperity 🎇🎉

Are you interested in gaining experience in event planning and working with a dynamic team with other students, faculty, and staff? If so, join the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Planning Committee!

In collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education GMU, Mason celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage here every April before the end of the semester in May, when it is nationally celebrated. During this month, Mason students, faculty, and staff will celebrate the cultural significance of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American as well as focus on issues of defining the APIDA identity, including other identities members of the community hold. Events throughout the month celebrate cultural heritages, acknowledge contributions and achievements, as well as provide an in-depth exploration of the roles of APIDA society.

We will be hosting planning committee meetings to organize our calendar of events and programming on Fridays from 2:00-3:00 PM in the ODIME MPR, please sign up with this google form if you are interested in joining/attending and we will send you more information as we approach the meeting dates!

📣🚨 https://forms.gle/FvFJ2h8UcXT6Vkiu6 🚨📣

The Decade in Asian America Asian Americans are moving past stereotypes of being apolitical and perpetually foreign, but there's still work to do.