March 15th @ CAAMFest + Grace Lee + "Off the Menu: Asian America"

The new Grace Lee film, an hour long documentary where Lee travels across the U.S. in search of the intersection between food and APIA communities will have its premiere at the Castro on March 15th (2:20pm to be exact) and I hope that all of you who can go, do go.



Because it looks great (and I'm hoping someone will steal a copy for me, or at least send me some shaky HEVC video).



Here's a little more from the release:

==

In the one-­‐hour documentary, Lee travels from Houston, Texas to New York’s Lower East Side, from Oak Creek, Wisconsin to Oahu, Hawaii seeking stories that reflect an evolving Asian Pacific America and the role food plays in peoples’ lives. “We wanted to find unexpected stories that embodied the Asian American experience,” Lee said. “Asian America is already such a vast, complex, and contested idea. Focusing on food was a way to explore the deeper connections of culture, family, and ideas of authenticity and adaptation that link us all.” "KQED is deeply committed to independent films and filmmakers and we are proud to partner with CAAM to highlight the work of such a talented and unique filmmaker like Grace Lee," said Michael Isip, KQED’s chief content officer and co-­‐executive producer of the film. "Off the Menu brings audiences closer to Asian American culture through something we can all appreciate: food. Grace takes us on a cultural journey with thoughtful observations of how Asian traditions around the preparation, sharing and creation of meals can bring people and communities together."

In Houston, Lee meets two entrepreneurial food pioneers: third-­‐generation Japanese American Glen Gondo of Gondo Co., dubbed “the sushi king of Texas” and Gary Chiu, whose family-­‐run factory, Banyan Foods, has been providing tofu throughout Texas since 1978. Over the decades that their businesses have grown, they have re-­‐defined Asian staples like sushi and tofu into uniquely Asian American dishes that cater to the Texan palate, offering items like sushi rolls with deep fried jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and spicy crab and Asian Tex-­‐Mex fusion with tofu tamales.

In New York’s Lower East Side, French-­‐trained chef Jonathan Wu and his business partner Wilson Tang open Fung Tu, a modern Chinese restaurant based on family stories and recipes as well as Wu’s desire to cook food that was personal to his upbringing. Wu applies classic French techniques to ingredients more familiar to Chinese cooking, resulting in menu items that he says have “an authenticity of spirit.”

Just south of Milwaukee, a growing immigrant community at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin participate in langar, a centuries-­‐old practice that shows how the making and sharing of a meal can feed a community spiritually. The temple made headlines in 2012 when a gunman killed six people and wounded many others during a racially motivated shooting spree. Temple members tell the story of how the people who were preparing the meal that morning continue with this tradition, and how langar became an essential part of the healing process for this tight-­‐knit community.

Finally, Off the Menu travels to Hawai’i, the only state in the US where Asian Pacific Islanders make up the majority, to explore how native Hawaiians are working to make their food system sustainable. On an island where most food is imported, Hi’ilei Kawelo is is dedicated to preserving her family’s tradition of fishing for octopus, but it is her commitment to restoring an 800-­‐year-­‐old fishpond that will resurrect a long lost Hawaiian practice. Neglected in the last 100 years, Kawelo’s organization has rebuilt an 88-­‐acre pond designed to grow fish for the community. Across the island, young adults work the land at MA’O Organic Farm, the largest on the island. Cheryse Sana, the farm co-­‐manager, along with other young people working the fields express how they’re following in the footsteps of their ancestors who took care of the land, in hopes that the land would take care of and provide for them. “So many times, people associate food with Asian or Asian American culture. With Off the Menu, I hope we can expand the conversation to explore our stories as well,” Lee said.

CAAM has created a robust companion website, www.caamedia.org/offthemenu, that delves into these Asian American food stories and beyond, including interviews, essays, articles, recipes, cooking tips, and videos.

Director  Lee  and  producer  Eurie  Chung  will  attend  the  premiere and will be available for questions.

==

Read It: Rapper Nah Nguyen’s "Địt Mẹ Cộng Sản" (DMCS) or "Fuck Communism" Part 3 (With Links To Parts #1 and #2)

http://diacritics.org/2015/rapper-nah-nguyens-dit-cong-san-dmcs-fuck-communism-part-3:

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we saw Vietnamese rapper Nah’s viral video for his new song, “Địt Mẹ Cộng Sản” (“Fuck Communism”), and his open letter to the Vietnamese government and the people, respectively. In this third and final portion of the post, Lac Su, author of I Love Yous are For White People, interviews the rapper about the trajectory of his career and the impacts of his recent revolutionary moves. At the bottom of this post, you can watch Nah’s interview on Saigon Broadcasting Television Network (SBTN).

4X: Kick Ass Viet YouTubers

Richie Le



LeendaDProductions



Kyle LeDotNet



Gina Darling

Film Pix: Maggie Q + Insurgent

And yes...I still really do need to check out Stalker at some point.

You're A First: Michelle K. Lee

Straight outta the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association's PR:

MICHELLE K. LEE FIRST WOMAN TO LEAD
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

WASHINGTON – WASHINGTON — Last night, the U.S. Senate confirmed Michelle K. Lee as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Lee is the first woman and person of color to lead the USPTO.

“We congratulate Michelle Lee on her historic confirmation,” said George C. Chen, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Ms. Lee is breaking barriers not only for the Asian Pacific American community, but for all women and communities of color in the tech and legal industries.”

President Obama nominated Lee for the position in October 2014. Lee has over twenty years of experience in intellectual property and patent law. Prior to her confirmation, Lee served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the acting Director and Deputy Director of the USPTO, and she also headed the USPTO Silicon Valley office. Prior to her public service, she was Google’s first Deputy General Counsel and Head of Patents and Patents Strategy.

Lee holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and Masters of Science in computer science from MIT. She received her JD from Stanford Law School.

###

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and approximately 70 national, state, and local bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA engages in legislative and policy advocacy, promotes APA political leadership and political appointments, and builds coalitions within the legal profession and the community at large. NAPABA also serves as a resource for government agencies, members of Congress, and public service organizations about APAs in the legal profession, civil rights, and diversity in the courts.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt + Ki Hong Lee + Dong + Tina Fey

I'm not sure how I feel about this as I haven't seen the show - but I do wonder a little about the guy called Dong with a thick accent who also tutors in math and then marries someone to get a green card. I mean I'm glad Ki Hong Lee is making connections and all...but you know...

I Can't Believe I'm Missing This: CAAMFest 2015 + Suboi + Awkwafina + CHOPS

One of the shows I absolutely will lament not seeing while not being @ CAAMFest this year is Suboi with Awkwafina hosted by CHOPS.

Dubbed the “Queen of Hip-hop” in Vietnam, Hàng Lâm Trang Anh started listening to rap as a rebellious teenager. Known as Suboi, the Vietnam-based rapper makes her U.S. debut on Friday, March 13, 2015 at Directions in Sound at Mercer. She’ll be co-headlining with New York-based rapper Awkwafina. The show will be hosted by hip-hop producer CHOPS of Mountain Brothers with beats provided by DJ’s Kronika, DJ Vinroc and Bluz.

Take a pic?

Send me an autograph?

Teleport me?

When You Name Your Band "Viet Cong" Prepare To Get Banned

You can name your shitty punk band anything you want.

Go for it.

But don't be surprised when some Vietnamese Americans don't like it - because you know - it's called history - and you get banned.

And yes - I do in fact know punk.

And no - good punk - good alternative music - doesn't mean you can just say "fuck it" when it comes to race and racism.

Sorry.

That aint punk.

That's just lazy.

Random Reads: #MyBananaStory + Off the Menu

http://college.usatoday.com/2015/02/27/asian-american-students-share-their-struggles-in-mybananastory/

"After moving to the US, I tried to fit in for sure, but it wasn’t my appearance that I tried so desperately to change. I was proud of being different. I was proud of the fact that I ate hotdogs for breakfast and packed rice for lunch. What I wasn’t proud of was my accent. I don’t know why, but I tried really hard to ‘normalize’ it. Maybe it’s because that was the only way I could think of for them to listen to me without immediately branding me as a foreigner…so I could make them understand that just because I have a Filipino lifestyle, that doesn’t mean I’m a foreigner. I’m just really glad I found the few, open-minded people in my earlier years in the US who invested time in getting to know me while appreciating my culture, and not just judging it from afar,” said Charmaine Balisalisa, director of creative enterprises of Paradox.

http://colorlines.com/archives/2015/03/Off_the_menu_goes_inside_asian_american_kitchens.html

"Off the Menu: Asian America,” filmmaker Grace Lee’s newest food documentary is, in her words, “a food show, but not that kind of food show.” Meaning: you won’t find any Ken Burnsian pans across close-up shots of glistening bowls of noodles in this film, which which will premiere CAAMFest in San Francisco. Instead Lee, whose previous films include “Janeane from Des Moines” and “American Revolutionary,” about the activist Grace Lee Boggs, embarked on a four-state tour across the U.S. to talk with folks about their Asian-American culture, identities and communities, and the role food plays in all of it. She met a multi-generational family of octopus hunters in Hawaii, the Japanese-American man who introduced sushi to the Texas masses, and a young Chinese-American chef mining the flavors of his childhood for a new, upscale audience. There are plenty of mouth-watering shots of food and cooking in action, but that’s not what Lee’s here for.

Nisei Return To Selma

Good article down at the RFS:

Endo will be sponsored and accompanied by a delegation from the Japanese American Citizens League, the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization.

He was born only 23 days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Despite his American citizenship, Endo and his family were uprooted from their Los Angeles home and incarcerated in Rohwer, Ark. solely because of their Japanese ancestry. They were incarcerated for over two years before moving to Ohio in 1944 with the help of the Quaker-based American Friends Service Committee.

Following the war, the Endo family finally settled in the Washington, D.C.-Maryland area, where Endo found himself the lone Asian American student in his elementary, middle, and high schools.

Why Are Media Outlets Blurring Out The Face In The Racist Sigma Alpha Epsilon Video?

If you haven't heard - now you have. A few random thoughts/questions:

1. Glad to see they got their ass handed to them (but honestly - what are they going to do in this day and age...oh wait). Gives me some hope though.

2. I wonder what the POC count is for alumni (percentage wise).

3. How come the media blurs out the dude in the beginning? I say show him in all his White Racist Glory which the video embedded does.

4. Notice the fist bump action. Racists get so fired up in all their racist "glory"...

5. Sure - free speech does exist - and so do consequences for that free speech.

6. I'm sure I can debate the similarities between yelling "FIRE!!!!" in a theater and Racist Hate Speech...

Not Found On Google: "Asian American fan of literary genius dies in ice shaving accident"

No really.

Put that into Google and you will find nada.

Nil.

Nothing.

Yeah...

I know...

You are indeed welcome for useless factoids of what you can't find.

47 Hours Left + Almost Funded (So Close) + Josh Fu + Main In Ceiling + Kickstarter

I posted up on this before and wanted to make another post just because there is roughly two days left and the project is almost funded. So if you happen to like what you see and haven't donated to the project yet - give it a spin.

See if you can get them over the hump.

Random Read: Reinventing Asian American Cinema

From the post:

If there is a cinematic genre called Asian American film, then every Asian American feature should be an invention until we find a formula that can do well and sustain the genre. If we don’t have a formula, every movie must be a new invention or a re-invention. That’s the real excitement about Asian American cinema; precisely because there is no formula for success every movie can essentially be experimental and innovative.

Worldly: Conan Goes To Cuba

Well - the doors are open.

This is what's coming.

Here's to seeing another trip.

An Open Letter To The Selfie Stick

Dear Selfie Stick,

While I'm writing you this letter solely because I was reading this article on how the Smithsonian no longer welcomes you - in addition to other museums - which I get since they have bans on tripods and monopods - I guess I just wanted to say that while I get you, and don't hate you by any means, and I've been known to take a selfie or two myself...

Sometimes...

Just sometimes now...

It's okay to ask someone to take your picture...

We don't always have to rely just on you...

Or the hand that holds you...

I'm not saying you aren't useful...

Because isn't all existence useful?

I'm just saying...

Sometimes humans are O.K. too...

Umm...okay...guess that's it.

Gripping you,
Adam

Random Wall Of America Pic

On View March 7-Nov. 29, 2015: We are Hmong Minnesota Exhibit

http://www.minnesotahistorycenter.org/exhibits/we-are-hmong-minnesota

November 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the Hmong migration to Minnesota following the war in Southeast Asia. Today, the Twin Cities metro area is home to 66,000 Hmong, the largest urban Hmong population in the United States. Developed in partnership with the Hmong community, this exhibit will commemorate the anniversary and celebrate the significant political, social and economic contributions the Hmong have made to Minnesota and the nation

Justice Dept Confirms What We All Knew (But It's Good To Collect That Data): Ferguson Police And Officials Are Completely Batshit Racist

Fine - don't take my word for it - take theirs, theirs, theirs, theirs, and theirs.

Things we've learned...

1. Ferguson Police and Municipal workers made racist jokes and comments in emails.

2. Stops and arrests of African Americans without probable cause and using unreasonable force, has been, and continues to be a pattern for Ferguson police.

3. While Black Americans in Ferguson are stopped 2x more than White Americans they are less likely to be doing anything illegal/have anything illegal on them.

4. The Justice Department highlights the fact that Ferguson used its Black residents for $$$ (jaywalking, tickets, etc.) - to help feed the economy - and in the process violating their constitutional rights.

Here's to hoping the DOJ takes this all the way.

March 4th: Honoring an American Revolutionary: A Celebration and Fundraiser for Grace Lee Boggs

Sounds like this should be a great event - and what a great cause it is - hats off to the organizers and everyone helping to put it together. While I won't be able to go, I have purchased tickets to donate up to the cause and if you are so inclined, you can too.

Here's more info from the FB page:

Wednesday, March 4th from 6-9pm
Penumbra Theatre
270 North Kent St., St. Paul, MN 55102

Parking & Directions: There's an adjacent lot and plenty of street parking. http://bit.ly/1zMmljU

Grace Lee Boggs is an Asian American social activist, writer, philosopher, and feminist who focused her efforts on women and people of color for over seven decades, specifically the struggles of the African American community during the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement. Grace Lee Boggs is now 99 in hospice care and in need of assistance. Come join us for a night honoring the contributions of Grace Lee Boggs with a film screening of "American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs" and a silent auction! This event will also be an opportunity to promote community and facilitate discussion. In the face of present injustices, an event like this - in addition to others that have been occurring throughout the Twin Cities - can help build our communities' strength and voice by bringing us together in celebration and in action.


Purchase Tickets at : http://graceleeboggsmn.bpt.me/
Suggested Donation is $25; More if you can, less if you can’t. No one will be turned away.
You can also pay at the door (check or cash.)

6PM - Reception, Silent Auction
7PM - Introduction/Opening Performances, Screening of "American Revolutionary"
8:30PM - Post-screening Discussion, Closing Performances
9PM - Silent Auction Closed

Co-sponsors:
Penumbra Theatre
Nexus Community Partners
Oyate Hotanin and Raving Natives
Aurora St. Anthony NDC
Community Action Against Racism (CAAR)
Bo Thao-Urabe
Bao Phi
Pan-Asian Voices for Equity-Minnesota (PAVE-MN)
Judge Gail Chang Bohr
Brotherhood Inc.
Embody Deep Democracy
Kaohly and Kong Her
Nick Kim
Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood

Our MCs for the evening:
Damon Drake (with Tribal Peace)
Margie Andreason (with PAVE-MN & CAAR)

Performances by:
Sha Cage + members of Million Artist Movement
Eva Song Margolis
Tom LaBlanc