How We Fight: The Power of Asian American Activism
Join us for an evening of performance and conversations that reflect on how Asian Americans have historically used political protest and organizing to advance their community objectives.
In a live storytelling performance, Emily Kwong (NPR host and founder of Inheriting and Shortwave podcasts) and Nicole Salaver (Balay Kreative) will share the legacy of Filipino civil rights leader Patrick Salaver, one of the leaders behind the Third World Liberation Front at San Francisco State University in the late 1960s. The movement brought ethnic studies programs to colleges nationwide and laid critical groundwork for cross-racial solidarity organizing.
Bay Area journalist Cecilia Lei will also moderate two panels that will discuss present-day Asian American activism and organizing: One will feature Russell Jeung (co-founder of the Stop AAPI Hate movement) and journalist Greg Wong (SF Examiner) who will discuss the significance of the Stop AAPI Hate movement and its influence on local elections in November.
In a second discussion, Cecilia will be joined by organizers representing different Asian American groups: Gia Vang (The Very Asian Foundation), Janie Chen (Asian Health Services) and Pyxie Castillo (GABRIELA USA) who will each share their commitments to solidarity, the challenges they face in their work and how they’re making progress in their respective communities.
Bios:
EMILY KWONG:
Emily Kwong (she/her) is an audio journalist working at the crossroads of sociopolitical history, family memory, and mental health. This year, she debuted the 10-part audio series Inheriting, an Asian American and Pacific Islander family history show. The longform podcast explores how a single moment in history shaped the dynamics of individual families over time. Emily is also the co-host and founding reporter for NPR’s Short Wave, which won the Ambies® Award for Best Science Show in 2021.
NICOLE SALAVER:
Nicole Salaver is a San Francisco-based writer, producer, and filmmaker with a background spanning over two decades in the creative and theatrical realms. She has premiered her projects at film festivals including the Asian American International Film Festival in New York City, CAAMfest in San Francisco and the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival.
Currently, she is working on a film that focuses on her uncle, Patrick Salaver, who was the founder of PACE and a member of the Third World Liberation Front at SF State. She is also the producer and host of the “Cultural Kultivators” Podcast where she explores the diverse and dynamic world of Filipino-American art & culture.
RUSSELL JEUNG:
Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, Dr. Russell Jeung is an author of books and articles on race and religion. He’s written Family Sacrifices: The Worldviews and Ethics of Chinese Americans (2019); Mountain Movers: Student Activism and the Emergence of Asian American Studies (2019); and At Home in Exile: Finding Jesus Among My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors (2016).
In March 2020, Dr. Jeung co-founded Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition that was awarded the 2021 Webby Award for “Social Movement of the Year.” Dr. Jeung was named as one of the TIME 100 Most Influential Persons in 2021.
GREG WONG:
Greg Wong is an award-winning reporter for the San Francisco Examiner who covers a wide range of news across San Francisco. He primarily writes about Asian American issues, politics, transit, technology, race and breaking news.
GIA VANG:
Gia Vang is the co-founder of the Very Asian Foundation, a national nonprofit that seeks to shed light on AANHPI experiences through advocacy and education. She is also an Emmy-award winning television journalist for a Bay Area affiliate and has more than 15 years of experience in markets across the country. She is the daughter of Hmong refugees from Laos which has helped shape her lens of storytelling.
JANIE CHEN:
Janie Chen is a second-generation Chinese-American born and raised in East Oakland. She currently works at Asian Health Services as the Advocacy Program Manager in the working-class Asian immigrant and refugee neighborhood where her childhood memories and passion for community advocacy began. Prior to her role at Asian Health Services, she worked as a bookseller and events coordinator at the beloved Eastwind Books where her experiences organizing literary events have deeply shaped her love for storytelling, community education, and histories of activism and resistance. Alongside Harvey Dong, she is the co-editor of the anthology titled Power of the People Won’t stop: Legacy of the TWLF at UC Berkeley.
PYXIE CASTILLO
Pyxie Castillo, GABRIELA USA National Chairperson. Based in the SF Bay Area. Pyxie has been organizing with the National Democratic movement of the Philippines since she was a student at San Francisco State University in 2012, and with GABRIELA USA since 2016. GABRIELA USA is a progressive, grassroots, anti-imperialist national organization and chapter of GABRIELA, a National Alliance of Women from the Philippines.