International Hotel anti-eviction rally, 1976. Burning an eviction notice emphasized the determination of the tenants and their supporters to not back down. At that time, the hotel struggle had attracted citywide support and became a symbol of resistance to redevelopment efforts that were destroying communities like the Fillmore District and Western Addition.
Photo by Jose Delgadillo.

It's Never Ever Boring! Triple Jeopardy from the Korean Side

By Miriam Ching Yoon Louie

It ain't easy being bi

Bi spells one helluva bumpy ride whether

Bi-racial

Bi-sexual

Bi-polar

Or just plain bi-ethnic, like me

"So you're Chinese and Korean, eh?

Then when your right hand is raised into a fist to strike

Your left hand is holding it back"

Being bi- meant the "On strike! Shut it down!" adrenaline-rush of running for your life from baton-wielding cops while engulfed in long-searing tear gas just because you believed there was more to history than stories of "great white men."

It meant tutoring immigrant kids in Chinatown getting mangled in the public school system. It meant learning construction skills to rebuild the International Hotel and organizing programs for the elderly about to be evicted by "redevelopment" -- now they call it "gentrification" in San Francisco's Manilatown/Chinatown.

No, it's not easy being Bi. But it's never ever boring.

[01 Transforming Ourselves]     [02 Not Without Struggle]     [03 Serve the People]
[04 Listening to the Small Voice]     [05 The Big Picture]     [06 Revolution]
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