Greetings!!! This post started as a result of a meeting I attended on the topic of "Asian Americans on Long Island." It was co-hosted by the Long Island Poor People's Campaign and the Islamic Circle of North America. Here's a section of the email sent by LIPPC co-chair, Susan Karbiner:
"NEWS FROM THE LONG ISLAND POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 6:00 – 7:00 PM
The topic for the next webinar in our Dynamics of Long Island speaker series will be Asian Americans on Long Island. This new series, presented in conjunction with the Long Island Chapter of the ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America) Council for Social Justice, is aimed at addressing some of the systemic injustices embedded in our society here on Long Island.
Guest speakers will be Prof. Gary Mar, professor of philosophy and founding director of the Asian American Center at Stony Brook University, and Patricia Shih, musician and filmmaker." End of email excerpt.
There's a link to the recorded one-hour meeting at the end.
Very inspirational – lots of stories about courage to speak up. Both presenters – Patricia Shih and Prof. Gary Mar - are Americans of Chinese ancestry and have worked extensively with students, as role models. We got a looooong way to go but these events give me hope that a change is gonna come.
Seeing that one of the presenters - Patricia Shih, a Huntington, LI resident - was a musician and filmmaker, I went online to see what I could find.
By Patricia Shih
Thematically-related
Lady of the Harbor – Brother Sun (song used in Patricia Shih's “Undocumented”)
Version with creative video imagery
Solo version of Lady of the Harbor with Joe Jencks (part of Brother Sun)
An Early Personal Encounter with Racism...
In 1974, I was attending California State University at Fullerton. As part of a sociology class, I chose to interview a woman of Japanese origin who, though she was an American citizen, was interned in a detention camp during WWII. Like what Nazi's did to people of Jewish origin...and what we're doing in the US to individuals and families on our southern border...
A Current Personal Encounter...
Here are some recent signs along my walking route. When I stopped the other day to snap these, the dad (of Asian descent) was in the yard playing with his young children. I gave him a thumbs up for posting these around his home! Think of it as protecting his family from the evil spirits of racism - in all their forms and disguises...
GOOD EXAMPLE for his children AND for us!!!
"Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?"
These haunting words from prophet Bob Dylan can be applied to all forms of injustice, including racism.
While written to protest war, the Peter, Paul and Mary lyrics also apply to racism because it's a form of war against our fellow human beings...
To Learn More...
Check out a Long Island Poor People's Campaign Monthly Meeting - just email me (ttittmann@icloud.com) and I'll ask that you be added. AND, if you don't want to be added to yet another list, just email me when you're interested in checking us out and I'll get you connected. Deal?
Recent posts:
#music #racism #LongIslandPoorPeoplesCampaign #IslamicCircleNorthAmerica #PatriciaShih #GaryMar #BobDylan #PeterPaulMary #JoeJencks #BrotherSun #PlayingForChange