Cultural InvASIAN Midterm Reflection

For the midterm we were the poetry group and at first we had some problems actually deciding what to do, but in the end we really pulled through and had something awesome. I felt that by 'bombing' the campus with our lines from poems and personal quotes, we really commemorated the 1968 TWLF strike and showed that we care about our ethnic studies.

I paired up with Jaimie and we attacked the Business building with:
Remember the strike!
Testament For My Students
"They're no different then the administration of this college,

who want to keep education for the select few." ~ Kay Boyle
(student panel) AAS: 40 Years of Struggle & Survival
@ GYM 114 12PM Friday October 31st.

TWLF '68

My experience was cool, despite the fact that i had to get up at 6AM to get to campus at 7AM. I thought it was so cool that we were trying to secretly share, educate, and show people that the Strike is and was very important and we must stand up and fight for our rights again today.
We must save our Asian American Studies and the College of Ethnic Studies now, and not let the work of the people in the 1968 strike be a waste. "The students united will never be defeated!!!"

And in the spirit of our midterm, i decided to write a little poem to get across what i think about the current situation of the budget cuts and what our group did.

That Was Then, This Is Now

The strike of '68
The result is just so great.
But now the problem is back,
and we must be on the attack.
Don't be afraid
we won't let this legacy fade!

Choose poetry book/poems

For this Asian American culture class, I decided to choose the poetry book “Notes from the Divided Country” by Suji Kwock Kim. I went online and researched lots of Asian American poets by using sources such as Wikipedia, which I know is not reliable but they had information on Asian American poets unlike many other websites. So due to limited resources, I really did not have much choice but to use Wikipedia in order to find out who are Asian American poets. Once I put together a list of Asian American poets, I read their biographies and works to make sure that they were Asian American and not just Asian or American. After spending some time browsing information about Asian American poets that I was interested about, I finally settled on Suji Kwock Kim. I decided to choose her and her poetry book “Notes from the Divided Country” for two main reasons. First of all, I wanted to choose an Asian American poet of who was not of Chinese descent. Being a Chinese American, I know Chinese culture very well with all of its aspects, traditions, values, etc. I wanted to learn about a different Asian American culture because I felt like I needed some change in my learning of Asian American culture. Seeing the perspectives of other Asian American cultures is important in order for me to understand what the big picture of Asian American culture is about. Second, I read the summary for the poetry book “Notes from the Divided Country” and I was interested in the plot and poetry presented in the poetry book. I knew that if I used this poetry book for class I would not be bored and that I would learn a lot about Korean culture.

“Notes from the Divided Country” by Suji Kwock Kim is a collection of poems that depict aspects of the journey from Korea to America. There are poems written about historical events that occurred in Korea, family members, Korean occupations, and thoughts and feelings about life and events. The poetry book is short; only 74 pages long, but within its pages lay a wealth of information about the hardships and difficult journey of a lifetime to America. Anyone who reads this book will get a very good inside look into the challenges faced by Koreans and also by immigrants coming to live in America and trying to adapt to the new country that they live in. Suji Kwock Kim does not only write the poems to refer to others but she also makes the poems personal to evoke the emotional sense of feeling in readers. Her poems display the strength and vigor that moves readers to get a sense of the messages that she is giving out.

Three poems from the book that I especially liked are “Flight,” “Nocturne,” and “The Korean Community Garden in Queens.” “Flight” is written about the fleeing from the home country and the disastrous incidents encountered along the way. People were injured and many were violently killed. The setting is full of danger and sorrow. This poem was presented in a unique style where each line of the poem alternated back and forth between the left and right side of the page, giving it an effect that corresponds well with the plot of the poem. “Nocturne” is written about the challenging journey from Korea to America over the ocean. The setting of the poem is that the author is on a ship to America and she is describing what she is seeing on board. She is anxious and scared of the ocean and the environment on board the ship. However, as she arrives closer and closer to shore, she discovers that love has no barriers and that she will get through the rough times. I liked that setting of the journey across the ocean because it is a familiar scene for many immigrants that I could imagine myself going through which embodies the true, difficult nature of coming to America. The descriptions used throughout the poem are so well-worded that they seem realistic and they convey a number of emotions from the heart. “The Korean Community Garden in Queens” is written about fight of the plants to survive and reach up towards the sky like immigrants who fight to come to America. She describes the hardships that the plants have to go through for survival, such as seep through cracks to get sunlight and fight for food and territory with other plants. Near the end of the poem she presents a scene where flowers blossom, and says that they are like human souls who are ready to rise and live life to its fullest. Humans who perform actions only to benefit themselves do not stop to smell the roses and see the bigger picture of the meaning of life. All these poems caught my attention in different ways, but I liked that all of them presented messages through elegant style and portrayed events that personally touched me emotionally.

Midterm Design Paper- Just So SiCK Girls and the Warriors

Summary of what we are doing:
We are going to do a cultural invasian of classrooms at SFSU where we will invade unoccupied classrooms early in the morning and write quotes from poems that were written about the strike (“Testament for My Students” by Kay Boyle) and post announcements to encourage students to attend the events of the 40th anniversary of the strike on the chalkboard.

Message:
We are informing and reminding students about the 1968 strike. We are also encouraging them to attend the events that are going on for the 40th anniversary celebration of the 1968 TWLF strike.

What each person will do:
Each person in our group will research poems that were written about the strike back in 1968 or write their own poem about the 1968 strike and select quote(s) to write on the chalkboards on campus. On the day of the cultural invasian, each person will pair up with another person infiltrate the board in their own creative way to inform students about the celebration happening for the strike. Each person will also take pictures with a digital camera and document the invasian on video.

Bibliography:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Qltu-Bw0hcUC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=poems+written+about+the+san+francisco+state+strike&source=web&ots=-tJhXVOQq9&sig=1X9hnzAkVB1sXbx5mbUYIy9WWEI#PPA47,M1

http://books.google.com/books?id=i05HZYZjTuUC&pg=PA221&lpg=PA221&dq=Testament+for+my+Students&source=web&ots=R8oMdKlc4R&sig=FVXzXAZMVryCz0LJkKi366LszEQ#PPA222,M1

the fight for filipino veterans' rights

For my World Geography class we have this final paper due sometime in December and we get to pick any current event to write about. i decided to write about the issue with our Filipino veterans not getting their full benefits from fighting alongside America in WWII. i chose this because it just sort of interests me and I'm trying to get in touch with my filipino side since i neglected it all my life basically.

I've been doing research for about 2 days now and came up with this timeline. In 1941, the U.S. enters WWII and President Franklin D. Roosevelt later issues an Executive Order that awards Filipinos full veteran’s benefits if they enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces. Then by 1946, President Truman signs the Filipino Naturalization Acts allowing Filipinos to become citizens. Even after approximately 250,000 Filipinos enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces, then fight during WWII, and are now granted citizen rights, the Congress then proceeds to pass the Rescission Act of 1946. In signing this law, Filipino soldiers are then denied the same rights given to other WWII veterans. Outraged citizens fought for these veterans rights and soon in 1990, Congress passes the Immigration Act of 1990, which grants U.S. citizenship and limited veteran benefits to certain Filipino veterans who fought for the U.S. during WWII.

It's crazy how America, this country thats portrayed as AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL and THE LAND OF THE FREE pulls stuff like this. From what i learned in school it seems like the Philippines has been this country that has been taken advantage of all its life. From the spanish conquer to America's "hospitality" (the I-Hotel to this dilemma with veteran rights). The “Filipino Veterans Equity Acts of 2005.” is being up for discussion now. If passed, the bill would finally give full U.S. benefits to Filipino veterans who live in the U.S. and the Philippines, with an expected cost of $100 million to $150 million every year over a 10 year period. It is currently waiting to be reviewed by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

As much as i would like to see this happen, i wonder if america would prioritize to have this law passed now. i mean, with everything that's been happening with the war and the budgets, it makes me kinda have no doubt that the u.s. will put this off (again) in order to deal with things that are "more important" at this time. for now all we can do is to support the filipino vets. i know of many organizations that are sending balikbayan boxes full of necessities to those vets in the philippines and there are many protests that are happening all over the world. we're just gonna have to see what happens next.

midterm; cultural invASIAN

Commemorating the Third World Liberation Strike was insane. Starting off with that film, how can the police especially, have the train of thought thinking they could use guns and batons as a solution to the silent strike for ethnic studies? And how can this college I’m going to integrate a vocational track, underlyingly indicating wealth is needed to be given the chance to succeed? It’s like when your born middle class, you’re already screwed – you can’t become nearly as successful as those already privileged. When Irene asked the class what we strike for, most the class stayed silent. That’s all it took to recognize the unity of our generation. There is none. Our generation is changing by the millisecond and we spend a lifetime tryna keep up and we ain’t got time to fight for what’s happening now. I see most of the world praying for gas prices to go down, for the recession to pass over, for budget cuts not to happen. There are too many hopeful thoughts and not enough hopeful action. Too caught up in getting what’s “mine” and not giving a fuck about what’s “yours.” All this anger and grief had me needing to write a poem, which was perfect for our midterm presentation.

I am in hunger desperation for a thing called
IDENTIFYCATION……..
Cats be so hungry nowadays for a solution,
A conclusion for every damn equation they see.
Like……..
“I ain’t got time for no common sense, no common people,
No common values, no common determination, no common –
EDUCATION……….
And I especially ain’t got no goddamn time to spend a cent
On your common Third World Liberation. *
But it was this implication that
40 years later racism cannot exist – or can it?
Inspire and give me a situation no one has ever considered
Because I still see racism being considered in every
Judgmental potential.
Man, who the hell… really cares?
1968- a silent fight for equal rights
2008 – now you tell me what we strike for

I’m not a pro or anything but I say what is simply there. Why cut ethnic courses here when we’re the only college that has a college of ethnic studies in the U.S? The skit and fashion group went on the 30th and they were awesome! I was so hyped to support this “strike re-enactment” that I wonder, if another one goes down – will I really support it FOR REAL?

Reflection: 40th anniversary celebration of the TWLF strike, the 1968 TWLF strike, and our cultural guerilla class INVASIAN

The Third World Liberation Strike that occurred at San Francisco State University marked its 40th anniversary this month. This was a very critical and significant strike because one of the major results was the creation of the only College of Ethnic Studies to exist in the United States. Back in 1968, students protested for education on ethnic studies as a result of the civil rights movement going on in San Francisco with the huge opposition of the Vietnam War. They led the longest college strike in the nation’s history but it was effective as an ethnic studies program was created to educate students about a variety of cultures.

I thought that marking the 40th anniversary of the Third World Liberation Strike with a bunch of events taking place over the course of four days was an effective way to inform others about remembering the strike. Not only was the celebration giving a reminder but it was also honoring those who endured pain to stand up for what they believed in to get ethnic studies classes that we have today. The anniversary celebration now comes at a time when Asian American studies classes are threatening to be cut. This semester there are 4 classes on Asian American culture with about 50 students enrolled in each class. However, due to the statewide budget cuts on education, Asian American studies classes like Asian American culture will be cut down to about 2 classes with about 100 students in each class. I feel like having so many students in one class to learn about Asian American culture is not an effective way for students to actually learn about Asian American culture. Students need to interact and work with others in these types of classes, and with an environment of about 100 students, making that happen is hard or even making that happen will not work at all. I am grateful for the efforts of the strikers because I am being educated about my culture, one of the important aspects that I will always have because my culture has roots from the past and present that make me who I am and how I perceive other cultures. If the strike did not occur, I would not know much about my culture as I do now and the only taste of cultural experience that I would get is through my family and friends. I would never fully understand culture, even though I have experienced it a countless number of times. The celebration is awesome and fun in the way that a mix of different Asian American groups are represented through performances, student panels, lectures, exhibits, and demonstrations-all interesting events that should not be missed.

Our ETHS 210 class did a Cultural Guerilla class Invasian of the entire campus with the theme of remembering 1968 Third World Liberation Strike. My group, Just So Sick Girls, teamed up with the Warriors to spread poetry throughout the entire campus by using quotes about the strike and writing them on boards. We each paired up and had our own campus building to invade. Gelline and I met up at 7 AM and we wrote on chalkboards and white boards in empty classrooms in the HSS building. I used the quote “We saw the police striking out in a sadly strange fury. Each time the baton fell on bone, the pain was felt by all of us” written by Kay Boyle in “Testament for my Students” and Gelline used quotes from the poem that she wrote about the strike. We were afraid that someone would catch us, but luckily nobody did. I thought that the experience was really fun because we were doing something creative to inform others about the strike and it was a good way to get others to think about the strike 40 years ago. It was not something boring to do for our midterm, like write an essay or read a book, but instead the experience was actually doing something big and influential and I liked that. For the rest of the groups in our class, I liked how they spread the message through their t-shirts, fashion show freeze frame, and giving their own thoughts about the strike. The entire class was letting others know about the big deal of the strike, and we were doing it in an effective and dramatic way. It took some courage and effort to spread the word but we all managed to do what we had to do. This 40th anniversary celebration of the 1968 Third World Liberation Strike will be one to remember because of the events going on, what occurred and resulted from the strike, and what our class did to contribute to its remembrance.

Asian American news

Every night I watch KTSF 26, the Cantonese Bay Area news, on Channel 26. I know it may sound cheesy to some people that I watch Cantonese news (along with regular English broadcasting such as Channel 7), but I see my habit as a way that I get informed in a different perspective and view on issues than on other channels. I also get to practice and refine my Cantonese skills, which I believe is essential in order to preserve my culture, communicate with my family, and interact with others to help them with English if they do not understand.

On Mondays to Fridays after watching Channel 7 news from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, I flip to Channel 26 to watch KTSF 26 with my family while we eat dinner. The newscast starts out with reporting the day’s big headlines around the world, nationally, locally, or a combination of the few. All the reports are given in Cantonese, although people who participate in the news also speak Mandarin and English. On Sundays, the entire newscast is given in Mandarin, but the reports are very much similar to the Saturday newscast in terms of what’s going on around the Bay Area, entertainment, etc. KTSF 26 broadcasts news in very much the same way that other news stations broadcast their news. In comparison to other news stations however, KTSF has not switched nor updated their news to be HD quality. With no HD quality, there are always loud, raspy sounds emitted from the television and poor viewing quality. It is frustrating and annoying to hear those noises while eating dinner.

Besides the aspect of the news and the quality that the news is presented in, there is a much larger issue at hand concerning KTSF 26. According to my knowledge, KTSF 26 is the only news station that broadcasts Cantonese news around the Bay Area. There are many other news stations that broadcast news in English, such as Channel 7, CBS 5, and KRON 4. It was just interesting and unfair that there is only one station for Cantonese news and many more news stations dedicating for broadcasting news in the English language. There should be more Cantonese news stations broadcasting news. With only one station, people who speak Cantonese and do not understand English get limited news and are not as informed as those who speak and understand English. This issue shows the discrepancy that exists with representation of Asian American culture in society where there is not enough people being informed about what is going on when everyone deserves to be as informed as much as they can through the means of the media. With even one more Cantonese news station, an increased significant difference will be made in letting others know about society and Asian American culture.