What is Shared Stories? Click the link to find out.
If you are a high school student living in NYC, download the application here. Email the completed application to cpasharedstories(a)gmail.com by the extended deadline: Tuesday, July 5
Last week, we were proud to 'graduate' our first students from the program. To celebrate, we will post one student narrative per week from now until Sunday July 10, the start of the next semester. Be sure to check back and see what's new with us! What is Shared Stories? Click the link to find out. Join the Summer Session!
If you are a high school student living in NYC, download the application here. Email the completed application to cpasharedstories(a)gmail.com by the extended deadline: Tuesday, July 5
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Final Narrative by Fatima Born in Kyrgyzstan, Gary moved to China at a very young age and was brought up in a small town named Xin Jiang. The town, being notorious for its ongoing conflict between the citizens and the government, did not hold any charm for him. Fed up with the lawlessness, he migrated to the USA in 1990 all by himself. The freedom in the United States attracted him. Therefore, he decided to leave the beautiful country he knew as home, and to abandon the dancing and singing around an evening bonfire. He had to leave it all behind to come to a strange land in search of a better future. Just like every other immigrant, finding a job was a very important task for him. Working at double shift for washing dishes at a restaurant was indeed an arduous task but what kept him alive was his spirit. He had an urge to assimilate as much in this community as possible. Even knowing four different languages did not help him overcome his lack of knowledge of English. It was hard for him to communicate or even to go to bank. But he did not lose hope. Instead he started to attend adult school and would often go to church where old people would help him improve his English. Due to the ongoing conflict and lawlessness in his own hometown, Gary considers USA to be a very safe place. According to him the laws are followed and more things can be bought at a cheaper rate. He worked really hard to earn money because according to him “money equals happiness.” He left his country to earn more money and to get the life style he always desired. Thinking of going back is a tough decision in his life. Going back to that same old conflicted territory is impossible. Even though he wants to go, it would be impossible for him to gain a visa. According to Gary, the people are so filled with hatred towards the US that they won’t let a USA citizen obtain a visa. Now, Gary’s life is in the United States and it would be useless to think about the things you cant get, he says. He is 73 years old now and spends his free time playing piano and enjoying his life. Through his personality, one can guess that his nature is never to give up and stay happy, even in the hardest of times. Fatima (pictured here in pink) is a current student at Emma Lazarus High School. In the future, she hopes to become an international journalist. Final Narrative by Ming
Leo Rosten once said "The purpose of life is not to be happy, but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all." This quote applies to Chris Chan perfectly because he decided to help immigrant families and to make his life more valuable and pursue the purpose of life. Chris came to the United States at the age of twenty-three with his brother in 1984. This was a big turning point for him and it was also when he found his career. Chris Chan was born in Guangzhou and his whole family moved to Macau when he was seven years old, including five brothers, four sisters and his parents. He used to live with his family in a village in Macau. Chris misses his childhood a lot because he spent his time on entertainment all day. Chris was very creative because he made most of his toys on his own such as paper frogs and soccer cards. People were easily pleased at that time so Chris could play with his toys for the whole day without getting bored. Suddenly, his sister had to leave him to go to the United States as an overseas student when he was nine years old. Chris was crying at the corner of the airport as his sister left, but Chris’ American dream had also began at the same time. Final Narrative by Jing Ling Li
In my heart, my aunt is a very brave and strong woman. When she was about 20 years old, she left China to go to Japan by herself. Since it was very difficult to get a visa to go to Japan, my aunt had to go illegally. At that time, my family was very poor and we did not have much money to support my aunt to go to Japan. Therefore, my grandmother borrowed a lot of money from an unscrupulous lender. It was very dangerous because if we could not return the money on time, they would come to my house and destroy everything. In addition, my grandfather argued with my grandmother about letting my aunt go to another country. He angrily told my grandmother, “If people come to our house, I will not tell them that you are my wife.” So, I can feel that my aunt felt a lot of pressure and went to Japan. She chose to go to Japan because it was a very popular place to go, many of her neighbors went there. Maybe someone could help her while she lived there. My aunt and I had a very close relationship before she left China. She was a seamstress at that time. She made a lot of beautiful clothes for me. I really liked her. When she first arrived to Japan, language was the biggest problem for her. She could not speak or understand Japanese therefore she could only work in a factory. Every penny that she earned was sent back home to pay the unscrupulous lender. It was very hard for her because she needed to carry heavy things. She missed home but she could not go back; she missed her family but she was scared to call back. One time, when she called back home, my grandmother asked her about the money. My aunt did not want to hear that poor voice because she felt so bad. She worked so hard by taking three jobs at the same time. After three years, she paid off the debt; her life improved and she began to save a little money. In 2001, she had a son in Japan. After learning about “People Power” at the last session, this week on May 9th, we invited guest speakers, May Chen and Margaret Chin, to bring in their expertise on the topic. May Chen, a former labor organizer for Local 23-25 (for the garment industry), gave a presentation on the Strike of 1982 that took place in New York City's Chinatown. She also gave other examples of activism and 'people power'. Margaret Chin followed up with her own presentation on NYC's Chinatown, and compared immigration and employment trends before and after 9/11. Thank you May and Margaret for taking the time out of your busy schedules to teach and speak with the students! (click the "Read More" link below to read student reflections)
This week, we explored the definition of "power" and which entities exert power over immigrants. We defined "institutional" power as power used by corporations and organizations, and "people power" as power used by communities and individuals who organize to improve the world they live in. We focused particularly on the workplace, employers, money, jobs, and the economy. During class, students and mentors acted out a scenario in which garment workers worked in unsafe conditions, and organized to put pressure on their employers.
As the assignment for the week, students wrote about other instances in which individuals used "people power" to create institutional change. People Power By Fatima: People are considered to be the far most important power in the world. If we all get united, it’s not hard to achieve anything at all. One example for such a group, who united for their rights, is the women suffragists. Those were the women who fought for their rights to vote. The movement started back in 1776 when Abigail Adams wrote letters to her husband, John Adams, about the women rights in the constitution. But one of the most important personalities, who are not even mentioned in the books are Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. These are the two women suffragists struggling for women rights to vote. They used many techniques but the most important one was protesting in front of the White House and being put in jail. Apart from all the hardships they had faced, it ended up being really beneficial for them since they were able to achieve their goals. And their demand for a constitutional amendment for women’s rights was gained. (click the "Read More" link below to see the rest of the reflections) This week and following our trip last Sunday to the Museum of the Chinese in America, Tasha led our class on a retrospective journey and discussion on Asian/Asian American artists. From authors like Amy Tan to representation in shows like “America’s Best Dance Crew”, it is clear that we as Asians/Asian Americans have made significant contributions to American pop culture, although sometimes we don't always 'like' the way we are portrayed.
In response to class, students were tasked with creating an expression of immigration and culture through art. Here is what we produced: Working From Morning Til' Night By Ming: Working from morning til night, Barely rest, We work harder but we earn less money, We do the jobs that the people would not do, This is an American dream. People By Suzanne: Some people spread their wings to fly, Others just wait in the cage rather than be un-free, Some don’t care, and some will fight till the end (if there really is), This is the definition to human beings, All the same, The commons that have Emotions, Thoughts to this and that, Feelings to show or hide, Motions to describe the emotions, All the same because from how we are created, From mommy’s stomach But we are all different which makes us unique and not boring or dull, But sometimes we just don’t know how much we should appreciate to what we are given, Life, to begin a journey Family, to know what caring and loving is Education, to learn things never set towards our minds before Look, to see for ourselves Knowledge, to learn and the past However, since we think differently, Our reactions will too, But it is up to us to show the rights from the wrongs to surrounding, That is if however hard it is, we will be ourselves to the end, For that is what is suppose to be Created. (click the "Read More" link below to see the rest of the expressions of art!) By: Fatima
It is very strange that we are often told to dream big yet no one tells us that for every dream there is a price to pay. I never realized that till the day I arrived in the United States of America, The Land Of Dreams or as I thought. But before that I want to take you back to the place I belong to. I was born and raised in a small town in Pakistan. It is a small settlement where people live in a close community for generations so everyone knows each other pretty well. I still remember my opinion of them as fish in a pond and always feared that I would become one too, never being able to achieve anything worthy in life. I wanted to get out of there so badly that I never actually cherished the things I had with me. I still remember that day very clearly when I got the news that I would be going to USA. I was so happy because finally I got the ticket to get out of that place. I would have opportunities that one could only dream about; I was actually on top of the world. I was so excited that I never saw the pain in my mother’s eyes, the one who I was leaving behind. I still remember what she said to me before leaving “You can always come back if you don’t like it”. In one way she was not preparing me for the hardships but rather giving me a safe passage. Unlike many mothers, she was my mirror who seeing right through me knew my dreams. Now sitting here, I can understand her sacrifice and strength by sending her children away. She did not load me with a bag of advises but just bestowed her trust in me. Throughout the whole journey on the plane I was exhilarated. I remember looking out the window of the plane, making new plans in my head while smiling all the time to myself. It wasn’t until I landed on the airport that I realized that “all that glitters is not gold” after all. The first few months were very hard for me. Not only did I realize the price I had to pay for my dreams, I also knew that I can’t go back and I remember feeling more lonely and weak than ever. I saw the most different and brutal side of life and people. I had soon realized that it is a game of survival where the level gets more and more tougher and life lines get lesser. Unpreventable Obstacles in New Immigrant Life
By: Yishion Immigrants move to America for opportunities to make their American Dream; they are able to live in the U.S. because they can find jobs, but they face unpreventable obstacles. Thanks to my uncle filing the application fourteen years ago, my father received a visa to the United States and left forever the hard farm work in my hometown, a small farming village in China. In March 2006, my family immigrated to New York City; this was a turning point in my life. Like other immigrants, my parents held on their American Dream to begin a new life in the United States. I did not want to live far away from my friends and gave up my original dream of having the same friends at college. I was a senior in high school when my father told me that we were going to my uncle’s house in the United States. I had no memory about my uncle because he had lived in the United States before my father married my mother; this family reunion was the one part of my father’s immigration plan that I felt happy about. Life is not easy, especially my new immigrant life in New York City; the beginning of my new life was filled with unfair experiences for my family members, and I had to become accustomed to my new life. Harper Lee states, “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird,” which means it is a crime to hurt innocent people; my younger brother was attacked by another student from behind on the way home from school. Due to the different education systems in my home country and the United States, I restarted my high school years, and my younger siblings were my classmates in English class. One day after school during the first semester, my brother walked around the playground on his way home, and I walked far behind him. Suddenly, a guy walked behind my brother and in front of me hit my brother on the back and ran away quickly laughing aloud. My brother turned around without enough time to react. I heard sounds of pain, neither a cry nor a help signal. Not knowing how to react, ask for help, or report to the police, my brother looked straight at me silent and helpless. I ran to him, and I asked him what happened rather than asking if he was okay or not. I could not help myself to tell him that I knew what happened since my brother is a year younger than me. He is strong and like an older brother to me when he cooks at home. Considering his manhood, I did not ask anything but walked home slowly. With its decade-long history in New York, The Day of Remembrance event commemorates the approximately 100,000 innocent Japanese Americans that were forced to live in internment camps following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during WWII. This year, the Day of Remembrance coincides with the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. In an effort to support the Muslim community, the Day of Remembrance Committee reached out to invite keynote speakers such as Mrs. Delgado from the Park 51 Islamic Cultural Center, film makers, and other artists and professionals, to recognize the similarities in the way Muslims were treated after the attacks on the World Trade Center. Two of our mentees, Fatima and Jing Ling, attended the event, and were also given the exciting opportunity to interview former Japanese internees. The Things We Remember By Mentors, Bernice and Theresa: On April 9th, 2011, there was an event held at the Japanese American United Church in remembrance of the Japanese Americans who were imprisoned and killed in the Internment camps during WWII. The event also focused on the parallels between the post September 11th treatment of Arab and Muslim Americans in the United States and the post-Pearl Harbor treatment of Japanese Americans. One of the speakers was Janan Delgado. She currently lives in NYC and is the Program Coordinator at Park51, the planned community center in Lower Manhattan. The center is dedicated to providing cultural, social and recreational programs and services to the Lower Manhattan community and help to “weave the Muslim-American identity into the pluralistic fabric of the United States.” After hearing Mrs. Delgado’s moving speech, I spoke with her briefly during the Potluck luncheon after the program. I asked her how she got involved in the program and she told me Michael Ishii, one of the organizers of the event, read her article titled “Learning to See” (http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/4129). |
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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