API Collegiate Press: Chinese-Americans are really Chinese, American, neither and both.
When I went back to China in the Summer of 2010 to study abroad, one taxi ride truly made me question my identity as a Chinese-American. There were two Chinese-Americans who did not speak Chinese, with one Chinese-American student who did. By default, she instructed the driver where to go and the…
Holt's 2012 Happy Trail in Korea for Korean adoptees
The trip is July 11th - 24th , 2012
Application Deadline: March 31, 2012!
Info at the link:
http://www.holtinternational.org/adopteestoday/pdfs/2012Programguide_application.pdf
Beyond Two Worlds: Musings of an Asian American Adoptee
Meet Marijane, a Taiwanese adoptee. She has an interesting story to tell along with her dialogue about cross-culture adoption and her journey as a Asian American, Taiwanese American Adoptee. Please subscribe to her blog, Beyond Two Worlds. =)
API Collegiate Press
Hello everyone, please bookmark and follow API Collegiate Press!
API Collegiate Press is a collaboration between API presses from UC Berkeley, UCLA, Duke, NYU, and USC.
Asian American Awareness Week Art Exhibit Call for Submissions
ATG Against The Grain Productions PSA
JB:
I was at work and was waiting on a customer. She comes in pretty often with a son and daughter of hers. I found out later after politely asking her if they were adopted before she left and that she adopted them from Guatemala.
When she told me that they were adopted I told her I was as well. She then asked from where and how old and I told her that I was adopted from the Philippines at the age of three. She then told him that I was adopted too and I thought it was cute because he asked if I was Guatemalan as well. She then told him “Not all adopted children are Guatemalan”, since his adopted sister is from Guatemala as well.
This made me think of past times that I was working and she has come in, her adoptive son that is probably around six years old, would stare at me all the time. I told her how he would do that after today and also noted that he probably thought I was Guatemalan too. She smiled back and told me, “Yeah I think he looks for other people who look like him as well”.
Many flashbacks of when I was his age came into existence and when I would subconsciously look for other people who were like me or looked like me too.
There’s a lot going on during the next couple of weeks as Audrey gears up for the release of our exciting spring issue! Purchase tickets now to the highly anticipated San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Savor a one-night only collaborative dinner at LA’s The Tar Pit restaurant made by guest Chef Roy Choi. Asian American New Yorker artists: apply to be featured in the upcoming Locating the Sacred festival in Brooklyn. Be inspired to execute those brilliant ideas via a hot off the press book by a leading idea maker. For more, read on!
WHAT: Purchase tickets to the upcoming San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF)
The Center for Asian America Media (CAAM) presents the 30th annual largest and most prestigious showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, music, and digital and interactive media in North America.
The festival will kick off with a screening at Castro Theatre of White Frog starring Joan Chen, B.D. Wong, Harry Shum, Jr., and Booboo Stewart, followed by a decadent opening night party at the magnificent Asian Art Museum.
The line-up this year includes: Hawaiian love story, Knots, starring Michael Kang; indie horror film, I Am a Ghost, directed by H.P. Mendoza, starring Anna Ishida and Jeannie Barroga; a live audience participation Filipino musical, and films honoring those affected by the Japan tsunami and earthquake.
WHEN: March 8-18
WHERE: San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Jose, CA
HOW: Purchase tickets to your films and events of choice today!
(via fascinasians)
Racially Insensitive Campaign Ad of the Day:
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) has come under fire for a “racially charged” Super Bowl campaign ad that relies on a variety of stereotypes to depicts Chinese people, including gong noises, a conical straw hat, and a Charlie Chan-ish command of the English language.
The ad is part of Hoekstra’s campaign for Democratic Michigander Debbie Stabenow’s seat in the Senate.
Asked to explain the ad, Hoekstra spokesperson Paul Ciaramitaro called it “satirical,” and rejected its characterization as “racial.”
“I think that China is our global competitor and the facts are what they are,” said Ciaramitaro. “They hold $1.1 trillion of our debt, their economy is booming, ours is not. It’s not a racial overtone to compare yourself to competitors on the global stage. I think the viewer of an ad is going to recognize satire.”
[politico / thanks alex!]
Kadtong dili molingi sa gigikanan, dili makaabot sa gipadulongan. (Cebuano Version)
“He who does not look back from where he came will never reach his destination.” -Jose Rizal
Here is my interpretation of looking back at where I came from. I edited in and faded my passport picture. This is the earliest picture of me before my adoption. Thank you everyone who has wished me birthday wishes. Love you all. Mahal ko kayong lahat. Gihigugma kaninyo tanan.
Habang may buhay, may pag-asa.
“While there is life, there is hope.”
Made in the Philippines 1.24.90
Asian American Identity Development
From Kim J. (1981) The process of Asian American identity development.
1. The Ethnic Awareness Stage begins around the ages of 3-4 when the child’s family members serve as the significant ethnic group model. Positive or neutral attitudes toward one’s own ethnic origin are formed depending on the amount of ethnic exposure conveyed by the caretakers.
2. The White Identification stage begins when children enter school where peers and the surroundings become powerful forces in conveying racial prejudice, which negatively impacts their self-esteem and identity. The realization of “differentness” from such interactions leads to self-blame and a desire to escape their own racial heritage by identifying with White society.
3. The Awakening to Social Political Consciousness stage means the adoption of a new perspective, often correlated with increased political awareness. Kim believes that the civil rights and women’s movements and other significant political events often precipitate this new awakening. The primary result is an abandoning of identification with White society and a consequent understanding of oppression and oppressed groups.
4. The Redirection stage means a reconnection or renewed connection with one’s Asian American heritage and culture. This is often followed by a realization of White oppression as the culprit for the negative experiences of youth. Anger against White racism may become a defining theme with concomitment increases of Asian American self and group pride.
5. The incorporation stage represents the highest form of identity evolution. It encompasses the development of a positive and comfortable identity as Asian American and consequent respect for other racial/cultural heritages. Identification for or against White culture is no longer an important issue.
For those of us who are Asian American, this might provide some insight and clarification into our own experiences. For those of us who are not Asian American, I would stress that White Identification is a difficult stage that some never move past.
Identity development models like these are flawed in one way: identity isn’t linear. It’s not as though you make it to stage 5 and boom, you’re done, you’re enlightened. A change in environment may trigger someone who was in stage 5 to progress to stage 3. I’ve heard identity described as a spiral staircase; you are always moving forward, and each step is unique, but you can look back on all the steps you’ve taken.
(via fascinasians)
우리가 돌아왔다 (We Came Back)
Around 5000 to 6000 Adult Korean adoptees come back to Korea yearly. Mostly of them come back for a short time looking for their roots or satisfying their curiosity. Organizations as InKAS or GOA’L are here to welcome and help them connecting back to their birth country providing cultural/field trip, translation, housing and scholarship to learn Korean.
However, lately, more and more adoptees tend or wish to stay in Korea but they do face hardships as making a living or finding their place in the Korean society. These are new goals for InKAS and they started an awareness campaign to motivate Korean companies to include Korean adoptees into their international recruting policies and support/invest in adoptees professional projects.
Things are going on and right now, thanks to GOA’L, Korean adoptees are the only ones to be granted to obtain Korean dual citizenship.
Campaign produced by InKAS.
www.inkas.org
