May 2021 Cultural Work Roundup

/// May 2021 ///

Happy API Heritage Month! We know that the path to liberation is winding and difficult. To quote from Liberation Series– “Nobody knows everything, but together we know a lot. There are many tools we need in our toolkits to bring to life the just, holistic, equitable, and empowering world we want to inhabit. I’m excited to dive deep with you all.” Below is a list of BIPOC makers, radical thinkers, and doers who can guide and ground us, featuring recommendations by Cultural Work Volunteer Alisa Chen at alisa.chen@apano.org and APANO's Arts & Media Project (AMP) members.

WATCH

• Fighting for Family– Following Chuh, a refugee from the Indigenous Xedang group in the central highlands of VIetnam, FIGHTING FOR FAMILY captures the love story between a young family who faces countless challenges, yet continues to be hopeful, resilient, and joyful. FIGHTING FOR FAMILY discusses the U.S. imperialist war machine and the intergenerational harm that it inflicts, from the refugee flight to the school to prison to deportation pipeline, but also highlights the power of resilience and community resistance. You can watch the trailer here.
• Asian Enough?– In this TEDx Talk, Asian-American actor David Huynh is working to bring awareness to the lack of Asian representation and visibility in film and theater.

PRACTICE

• Creating Indigenous Future Histories With Lehua Taitano– an examination of re-indigenizing our daily experiences as Asian/Pacific Islanders. Especially for those of us living in diaspora, what are the ways we seek to cultivate, honor, and utilize Indigenous knowledge--both from our own cultural backgrounds and those of the First Nations people on whose land we are visitors? Taitano will present from her paper, "The Language of Recognition: One Indigenous Approach to Pedagogy," an examination of what it means to honor Indigenous identities as we care for ourselves and each other in education and community. Hosted by the PSU Queer Resource Center and PSU Pacific Islander, Asian, and Asian American Center, this event will be held on Wednesday, May 12th from 5-7pm.
• APANO Liberation in Practice: Anti-Racism Workshops for APIHM– Liberation in Practice gatherings, just like our Resilience Series gatherings, are for and by the BIPOC community. The events on Wednesday, 5/5, Wednesday, 5/12, Tuesday, 518 and Wednesday 519 are BIPOC only. Our white allies and accomplices are welcomed to our event on Friday, May 14, 2021, A Celebration of Asian & Pacific Islander Resilience & Solidarity. Click the link for more details and to sign up!
• Come Thru Black & Indigenous Market– The next market is May 17th 12-4pm at Redd on Salmon. Come Thru Market is an incubator market centering Black and Indigenous Farmers and Makers. A project of the Raceme Farm Collective, the market supports BIPOC growers in taking their small business dreams to the farmers market environment.

LISTEN

• The Deep History of Anti-Asian Violence in the U.S– Recent attacks and violent racism against the AAPI population existed long before the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, what we’ve seen in the past year fits into a deep history of anti-Asian violence in the United States. The Takeaway spoke to Beth Lew-Williams, history professor at Princeton University and author of "The Chinese Must Go: Violence, Exclusion, and the Making of the Alien in America," about this history and why it's so critical to understanding the present.
• Memoirs Pasifika– Despite possessing a wealth of fascinating stories, very few podcasts discuss Micronesia’s unique history or tap into the region’s archival collections. Memoirs Pasifika attempts to meet that need through a deeply researched podcast dedicated to recent Micronesian history — while giving voice to the people who lived it. Each episode explores a different topic, and is largely told through interviews with people who witnessed or somehow participated in the events in question.
• Our Own People– By NPR’s “Throughline,” this episode highlights the activism of Japanese American civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama. Throughline reflects on Yuri Kochiyama’s ideas around the Asian american struggle, and what solidarity and intersectionality can mean for all struggles.
• AAPI Pride– A playlist made to celebrate, amplify, and support LGBTQ+ AAPI musicians. Featuring artists like UMI, mxmtoon, and Runa Sawayama, there are 42 songs in total.

READ

• AIR-YC Anthology #1– a collection of art from the youth council and community that relates to activities that folks find joy and wellness in. AIR-YC will continue to uplift our Black, Indigenous, immigrant, refugee, and communities of color by offering more opportunities to be featured in our upcoming FOOD themed anthology, to see more details and submit, go to https://forms.gle/pJKiir2VAGAj3ycR6. Submission deadline is Friday, May 28th.
• To Where We Came From– By author Richard Lin, To Where We Came From details the exploits of a young scamp in 1973 Taipei, and his experiences growing up as an Asian in America.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Candace Kita and Roshani Thakore from the Cultural Work team has an opportunity for a local artist to work closely with community members, residents, and APANO staff to create a new outdoor mural at the Orchards of 82nd, a mixed-used development and APANO’s home in East Portland’s Jade District. Full details here! Deadline Monday 5/24 at 5 pm.

If you have questions about the Cultural Work Roundup, please contact Cultural Work Volunteer, Alisa Chen, at alisa.chen@apano.org or Cultural Work Coordinator Roshani Thakore at roshani@apano.org



This programming message brought to you by APANO Communities United Fund, a 501(c)3 Non-profit organization.