Saturday, January 26, 2008

Denver Conference: “Whose America? Who’s American? Diversity, Civil Liberties, and Social Justice”

This sent announcement of early-bird registration sent in by friends at the Japanese American National Museum and by filmmaker Satsuka Ina:

“Whose America? Who’s American? Diversity, Civil Liberties, and Social Justice”
July 3-6, 2008
(Early bird registration closes on January 31, 2008 – Save up to 35%! )
Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center

The conference speakers include:

  • Anan Ameri, PhD, Director, Arab American National Museum
  • Sybil Jordan Hampton, EdD, Former President, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
  • The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. Senator, State of Hawai`i
  • Patty Limerick, PhD, Faculty Director and Chair of the Board of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado
  • Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura, Medal of Honor Recipient
  • Federico Peña, Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
  • George Sakato, Medal of Honor Recipient
  • George Takei, Actor

To learn more about the program, to download a registration packet, to learn how to purchase tickets to the Rockies baseball game on July 4, and to see the ever-growing list of people who have already registered for the conference, please visit our Web site at janm.org/projects/ec/conference/.

Additional updates are available through the project blog at janm.org/ec/blog/7.
If you have any questions, please email ec@janm.org.

Looking forward to seeing you in Denver!

– Enduring Communities Project Team

Major support has been generously provided by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Aratani Foundation.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

MSNBC Dem Debate Tonight on Minority Issues

Watch, Witness, and Weigh In!

Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters Impact on Nevada Caucus Unprecedented but Undervalued; Historic Presidential Debate to Address AAPI Issues

NATIONWIDE—APIAVote invites you to tune into your MSNBC channel or online to watch the Presidential Democratic Debate on minority issues. The MSNBC debate will directly address Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community issues.

Through intense lobbying by local and national AAPI leaders, the Nevada debate will now include discussion of AAPI-specific issues. In addition, the debate comes hot on the heels of efforts by APIAVote and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Las Vegas chapter to increase AAPI participation and to maximize the visibility of the AAPI electorate in local and ethnic media (see links below for media and blog coverage).

"We've conducted outreach to both the Democratic and Republican parties to make them aware of the AAPI community's presence and growing political participation," said Vida Benavides, chair of APIAVote. "The Nevada caucuses are historic in that the unprecedented AAPI vote could sway the caucus outcome, and it is important for parties to understand that we are not going away—our voice as a community will only get stronger."

"AAPIs have electoral impact," said Daphne Kwok, APIAVote board member. "In Nevada, for the 2004 election, 63 percent of eligible voters registered to vote and 77 percent of registered voters turned out to vote. In Clark County, 35,321 AAPIs registered to vote; 26,464 cast ballots - voter turnout reached 75%."

APIAVote's involvement in Nevada dates back to 2004, when many did not realize the electoral significance of Nevada's growing AAPI communities. Now, a once emerging AAPI community is a key electorate in Nevada. AAPIs are the fastest growing population in the state's Clark County. Asian Americans comprise 8% of the county's population, while Pacific Islanders are now 1% of the county's population.

The Nevada debate leads up to the Nevada caucus on January 19, which is the first caucus in the West, as well as the first caucus in which AAPI participation will have significant impact. With Nevada having the 3rd highest Pacific Islander population and the 6th highest Asian American population, AAPIs from across the United States will be watching this debate, particularly AAPIs in the West headed into Super Tuesday. APIAVote encourages all communities to continue watching upcoming Republican and Democratic debates in order to be an informed voter during this primary season.

Watch, Witness, and Weigh in!: MSNBC Debate Information

What: MSNBC's Democratic Debate in Las Vegas
Who: Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama, former Sen. John Edwards, Democratic Presidential Candidates
When: Tuesday, January 15, 2008
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm PST /// 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm EST
Watch: Your MSNBC Channel, www.msnbc.com
Who: Tim Russert (Meet the Press), Brian Williams (NBC Nightly News), Natalie Morales (The Today Show)

1. WATCH the presidential candidates debate and offer solutions to minority issues!

2. WITNESS AAPI history in the making! Our AAPI leaders will be in the debate spin room to respond to the candidates' answers to our questions.

3. WEIGH IN on the debate! How has the candidates' debate answers impacted your decision on who is the best candidate for our AAPI communities? Will the debate have the same effect on your friends, colleagues, and families? Discuss the first presidential debate that directly addresses AAPIs.

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Frances Kai-Hwa Wang Talk

"On Becoming Chinese American" Talk by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 7:00-8:30 pm
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads "China and America: Bridging Two Worlds"
Ann Arbor District Library, Main/Downtown branch
343 South Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Growing up the child of immigrants, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang grew up both part of and slightly outside of Chinese culture and mainstream American culture. What does it mean to be Chinese? What does it mean to be Chinese American? How does one who does not "look the part" become fully American? Who am I in spite of all these labels? As acting editor of IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, Ms. Wang has written extensively on issues of identity and culture as process rather than simply one "Aha" moment in time. She will offer a brief introduction to Asian American history and share the stories of the many different ways she has wrestled with identity and culture--as a child, as a young adult, as a parent, etc.--bringing some of the themes of The Eighth Promise straight to life in today's Ann Arbor.

Check out Frances' website for more events.

Yuja Wang makes UMS Debut

Sunday, January 20, 4 pm, Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

“The current young lions among Chinese-born pianists, Lang Lang and Yundi Li, had better start looking over their shoulders,” noted The New York Times more than a year ago in an article about the rise of the young Chinese pianist Yuja Wang. Born in Beijing in 1987, Wang offers audiences the opportunity to be part of the dawn of an exciting career. She graduated from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music last spring, received the 2006 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and has already made milestone debuts with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the Boston Symphony, where she stepped in at the last moment for an ailing Martha Argerich. Her San Francisco Symphony debut in April led to an ecstatic review from the San Francisco Chronicle: "At 20, Wang has both the energetic, fearless imagination of youth and the probing sensitivity that in most artists comes only with maturity - as well as the keyboard technique to put all her ideas flawlessly into action...extravagantly gifted on every front...."

University Musical Society
Yuja Wang's Website