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Download application and flyer here For any questions or additional information: contact us at [email protected]. Thank you. On August 11th, 2012, a rally was held in NYC's Columbus Park to "demand respect and honor in the army" for Danny Chen's death. Shared Stories' facilitator, Linda Shum, spoke at the rally. Here is her speech: "My name is Linda Shum and I am a volunteer with the Chinese Progressive Association where I help to run an immigrant youth program. Last January, some of our students attended their first rally ever here at Columbus Park, for Danny Chen, for the march and vigil. And, I’d like to take this time just to read aloud one of their reflections that the students wrote: 'When we began the vigil at Columbus Park, we literally began to think about something important that would have an impact on us and our futures. We hoped we would’ve encouraged more students to join or at least to let them realize the kind of society we are still in now and what responsibilities we have here. Before, we believed that as time went by, the cultural differences and prejudices between each race would be eliminated. After this event, we realized we came to the United States, not only with our expectations toward personal wealth but also came with our identities. As Chinese Americans, we are endowed with the responsibilities to protect our rights. It’s possible that we may not be exposed to the dangers of discrimination; but this event alarmed us that we will be the victims of our own selfishness with the degradation of our dignity and pride, if we do not realize the existence of racial discrimination and stand up against it. We can accomplish our life’s values by being part of a world where people devote their efforts to the preservation of justice, especially in our society.' 'We believe that people of justice must stand together. It will be a promise to win this battle. Now it’s our responsibility to reach out with our understanding and realization to others who are still not aware of the existence of discrimination and to improve ourselves and to carry our mighty weapons, knowledge and the sense of justice, into the war against discrimination.' That is word for word of what they wrote. These students are mostly all immigrants, and have only been in the country for four years or more. I would like to add one more thing, which is, the fight for justice is not over yet. It is our responsibility and members of this community to serve as role models for our young people. And, thank you so much for everyone who is here today to lend their support to Danny Chen, his family members and to our community." To read the original reflection, click here. Great job Linda! This summer, Shared Stories students are making media. Jasmine Li, Zhoufeng Ni, Suzanne Tan, and James Wu are all asking "what does immigration mean to you?" We hope this video will inspire more young people to be social activists. Are you interested in joining Shared Stories this September? We will be posting a new application soon. Register to vote!
CPA is working hard this fall and summer to register new voters to increase our voice in this year's elections. Zhoufeng Ni, Ann Tang, Amy Tang, Kily Wong, and James Wu have joined the efforts. They are volunteering at CPA's booths at street fairs and festivals to educate more people about voting. If you are interested in joining in the fun and helping out, send an email to [email protected] Reflection by Bernice Chan: We went to the Tenement Museum to start off our last Shared Stories meeting. The whole tour took place inside 97 Orchard Street, one of the oldest tenements in Chinatown. Our tour guide started by giving us the legal definition of a tenement: a building with more than three related families living in it. That definition hit me. My grandparents, aunts, and uncles have lived, and currently are still living, in a tenement. That's why I wasn't that astounded when I stood inside the cramped apartment lined with dust and peeling walls. My cousins still live in a space like this, albeit roomier. To an affluent European tourist, perhaps this was an amazing part of their history, but today there are still modern day tenements in the same condition. What surprised me most about the tour were the little anecdotes, pictures, charts that Ya Yun, our tour guide, showed us. In the U.S Census for 97 Orchard Street, my eyes widened when I saw a category for Children Born, followed by Children Born Alive. I had no idea that infant mortality was so high that there was a need for two separate categories. What's more is that there was a significant difference in the numbers. One family had 10 children born, and 6 born alive. I later found out the infant mortality rate was 25%. Incredible. Ya Yun then asked us how our traditions were different than our parents'. At first, I thought they weren't. I still celebrate Chinese New Year and go to the cemetery every year. But then Jeff, a mentor, mentioned how we lose little things with the generations. For example on Chinese New Year, my grandparents believe that you shouldn't wash your hair. However my sister and I do it anyway. It makes no sense to us why we shouldn't, especially if we need to. I wonder what other parts of our traditions we lose. It's interesting how, I think (mentor) Linda mentioned, that the youth today are working towards their future, while the older generation is so rooted in preserving the past. If little parts of traditions keep slipping, does this mean that three generations down the line, Chinese New Year will no longer be like it is now? Does this mean when we go to the cemetery, we will no longer be bringing a whole pig, hard boiled eggs, and carrot cake to eat in front of the gravestone? We got back to CPA to hold our small graduation ceremony. It's then that I realized that it's been 10 weeks already. It hit me because I didn't realize 2 months had passed since we started the program. The program's been great in educating me about gentrification, Asian American history, and the Dream Act, to name a few, but what I value most are the small conversations I've had on the side during the program. While walking to the Tenement Museum, for instance, Linda mentioned to me that she was on the Young Professionals committee at MOCA. She saw my name on their Community Youth Action Committee, and asked me about that program. I mentioned that I was really interested in doing my research project on mentally challenged Asian American youth and study how Asian culture and values affect how they're treated. Linda then mentioned, to my pleasant surprise, that she knew someone I could talk to at the Sino American Community Center. It's these interactions that I'll remember when I look back on my Shared Stories sessions. *Thank you Bernice Chan for all of your thoughtful reflections! For more information on the session, click here. Congratulations to all of our students for all of their hard work. We are very proud of you. Good Luck with the rest of the school year including exams, regents and SATs. We hope to see you in the Summer. For those of you going to college, congratulations on this milestone and good luck! This week, students utilized what they have learned throughout the semester and through their interviews to create a presentation about the Economic Development of Chinatown. ALL THE STUDENTS DID A GREAT JOB WITH THEIR PRESENTATIONS! WE ARE PROUD OF YOU AND ALL YOUR HARD WORK! Click here to view the student presentations. Part two of our session consisted of a tour led by CAAAV's (Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence) Jason Chan. We explored the history of Chinatown and the current issues of gentrification experienced by residents of Chinatown. Jason took us around to different apartment buildings where CAAAV have organized in the past and are currently assisting.
THANK YOU JASON CHAN for assisting us in leading the tour! Click on the photo for more pictures of the session. By: Bernice Chan
Gentrification-- I didn't know about it until a few months ago. It's interesting because the teens who hang out in Chinatown, going for the bubble tea or pho, don't see the problems in the residencies they pass by. In the skit our group did, we acted out a scene where 2 young professionals were looking for a place in live in an apartment that was already full. The owner then told some tenants that rent would be raised and if they couldn't pay, they'd be kicked out. The tenants then rushed to the community organizer for help. While acting as one of the young professionals, I realized that I'd much rather have been the community organizer helping out the tenants. It felt wrong asking for the space, knowing that there was a family I'd be kicking out. I wonder how much this scene applied to real life, and if, in reality, the tenants would have been kicked out. Here in the scene, there was a happy ending because the apartment was rent stabilized, but I've heard of other ways to get the family to move (e.g. not doing the proper repairs). We were asked about our roles in the community for fighting gentrification. I think mine is to be informed about the issues at hand. The ideal would be for more teenagers to get involved with CAAAV, but I think a simpler/ much needed starting point is to inform my peers around me about what gentrification is and current efforts against it. How does gentrification affect my life even though I don't live in Chinatown? Hm. To view what we did during the session, click here. Click here to view the pictures. Why are immigration stories important? How have immigrant stories impacted you as an individual?
By: Bernice Chan It is vital that immigrants' stories are heard. Today, majority of the residents in Chinatown are the elderly. They've seen Chinatown from the beginning, when there weren't nearly as many Asians. They remember the high gang activity and crime rates. Over the decades, Chinatown has completely changed, with entirely new issues. These immigrants are the ones who are being affected by gentrification. They are the ones who have the languge barriers and have never learned English in this ethnic enclave. Their stories need to be heard because once they're gone, there is no story. If their stories aren't told, it'll be as if they never lived. In terms of advocacy, it's important to have voices behind the issues we are fighting for. Without faces and stories of those being affected, there is a lost of connection between those advocating and the general public. Hearing stories evokes sympathy and discussion, with those similarly affected wanting to also take a stand and raise their voice. However when asked about how immigrant stories have affected my life, I tried to think of which story I knew that I could use in answering this question. The problem is that there hasn't been one. No impact comes to mind. This is precisely the reason why more stories need to be told. And on a larger scale. I know my mother's story but it hasn't really impacted me other than a recurring realization of how lucky I am. It's so easy to just hang out in Chinatown with my friends and be completely ignorant of the stories behind the worker at the bakery, for instance. I also feel like many people, which I may be part of, think they know the immigrant story- there seems to be this all encompassing one with the idea that an immigrant came from China for better working opportunities and educational ones for his/ her children. I think we need to emphasize the specifics. There isn't one story that describes every immigrant coming here. There may be themes they share, for instance, falling victim to the negative impacts of new industries and businesses that have sprung up in Chinatown. (This reminds me of last session where one of the mentors brought up that the new popular businesses in Chinatown, for instance, bubble tea, or the new condominiums and hotels being built, aren't catered towards the residents of the community). Answering these questions about the importance of conducting interviews and oral histories reminds me why i joined Shared Stories. Also a wandering/unrelated thought I had on my commute from CPA: the subways need more signs to suggest that people give up their seats for the elderly. Every time the large crowd of Asians gets on at Grand Street, I see the old chinese woman scanning the car and eyeing the seats. I notice some move to a strategic location: towards the middle of the 2 doors to have more of a chance to sit down. Meanwhile, a teenager is playing Temple Run on his phone, completely unaware of, or used to disregarding, common courtesy. If there were signs that caught people's eye next to the bulletin advertisements, more people would realize they should be being more respectful towards the elderly. *Please think about these questions and add your comments to this blog post. To view what we did during this session, click here. Reflection of session:
By: Bernice Chan Today the fact I learned that I won’t forget is that the Chinese Exclusion Act limited the number of Chinese immigrants to 105. I got it wrong in Jeopardy because this whole time, I thought the Chinese were excluded entirely. It’s interesting because in school, the Chinese Exclusion Act was mentioned incredibly briefly and even when brought up at other Asian American conferences I’ve attended, no one mentioned the specific details. I think this represents the broader issues with educating the Asian American youth about their own history—there’s first a need to bring up the events and issues they are unaware of, but the second is a need to constantly revisit them because I, personally, learn something new each time. It’s only when I learn information again and again that I remember it well enough to tell others. Now, whenever someone mentions 1882 in Asian American history, I’m almost entirely sure of what they’re referring to. We also learned about writing an Op-Ed piece, which is exciting. We’re using the stories from our interviews. Hopefully, we’ll compile them into one piece that’s good enough to be sent to other organizations and published. I interviewed Robert Louie, who works at Posh Jewelry in Chinatown. I feel like I should have been more specific in my interview because it ended up being more of a generic story of how he came to America from Hong Kong for the better employment and educational opportunities. I should’ve had more follow-up questions about the living conditions and opportunities in Hong Kong before he left. During that interview, I became more aware of how my Chinese is lacking. It was conducted in Cantonese, the language I can communicate to my grandparents with, but there’s still so many phrases I don’t know simply because we don’t normally use them in everyday life. To view what we did during the session, click here. To view the pictures from the session, click here. Reflection of session:
By: Bernice Chan After the name game we wrote down 5 important events in our lives. The process of asking my mom about these events and her experiences in America were eye opening. I've known that she had to work in the evening after going to English classes in the morning, but every time I ask about her initial experiences in America, she tells me more than she did before. It's the little details like how back then, it was hard to find a job in Chinatown because you needed a referral, which many immigrants didn't have. I didn't know my mom was so self-sufficient and independent in making her own money, while I'm just handed a weekly 20. We then went over an indepth review of the history from Asian American industries including railroads, construction, agriculture and mining to the Chinese Exclusion Act, to 1980's events concerning Vincent Chin, and present day Chinatowns. There's so much history that I know about but don't know enough to tell to others. After today, I realized (mentor) Linda was right. I need to find out my great grandpa's story, who's been in America since pre-1960's. My grandpa told me his dad told him to not come to America because life here was too hard. In my family, there's a rumor that my great great grandmother-- was half white. There's so many stories waiting to be uncovered. To view what we did during the session, click here. To view the pictures from the session, click here. |
Shared Stories
educates and empowers young people to become advocates for their communities. Focusing on issues that directly impact immigrant communities, youth gain an opportunity to increase their awareness about social issues that have shaped Asian America and develop leadership skills through project-based activism.
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