Two History Books Offer A Path to Cultivating Empathy and Solidarity
by Linda Wing. Posted February 2, 2023. Recently a friend of mine observed that I always seem to be reading history books. She couldn’t understand why, remarking “history is boring.” Perhaps the reason for such boredom lies in this 2020 finding of the American Historical Association: two-thirds of the respondents to its national survey defined…
“Our Queer Family” – Gum Saan Journal 2023
by Susie Ling. Posted February 1, 2023. Introduction: Gum Saan Journal is the annual publication of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. I asked editor Susie Ling to tell us more about its origin and the current issue. “Gum Saan Journal has really evolved and how wonderful is that? It was started by Marjie…
It’s Never Over Until The Last Vote is Counted – Arizona Asian Americans Part of the Winning Coalition in 2022 – Interview with Jennifer Chau
Interview by Eddie Wong. Posted January 29, 2023. Introduction: Arizona remained in the national spotlight well after the November midterm election concluded due to close races for Attorney General and Governor. It wasn’t until December 29, 2022 that the Maricopa County Superior Court confirmed that Democratic candidate Kris Mayes won the race for Attorney…
History and Memory: National Angel Island Day with The Last Hoisan Poets and Del Sol Quartet
by Eddie Wong. Posted January 26, 2023 I’ve been meaning to go hear The Last Hoisan Poets for the longest time, but I haven’t ventured out much during the pandemic years due to a combination of caution and sheer inertia. But this performance with the Del Sol Quartet for National Angel Island Day was circled…
Mike Nakayama and Scott Shimabukuro Speaking Truth to Power at Winter Soldiers Investigation, 52 years ago
By Eddie Wong. Posted January 17, 2023. On the morning of January 31, 1971, over 1,000 people packed into the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in Detroit, MI for the Winter Soldier Investigation, which was organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Two inches of snow had fallen and lay frozen, dirty and grey on…
Backstage – A True Story by Charlie Chin
By Charlie Chin. Posted January 14, 2023. It took me a minute to realize what the ringing sound was. In 1970, 10:00 AM in the morning was too early for me to be alert. I crawled out of bed and answered the phone. Through my hangover, I could just make out a familiar…
An (Atypical) Angel Island Story
by Linda Wing. Posted January 6, 2023 In 1922, my grandfather, Wong Gin Wing, brought my grandmother, Mah Yel Sen, from China to the United States. They departed from Canton on the S.S. Nanking. Thirty days later, after stopovers in Shanghai, Yokohama, and Honolulu, Gin Wing and Yel Sen docked at Angel Island. Entering the…
MOSF 17.15: The Whitney Plantation: Creating Identity in the Miasma of Historical Feelings
A visit to the Whitney Plantation near New Orleans, Louisiana, reminds me of swamps as alternate geographies of freedom for the enslaved, history as a swamp, and the red threads that connects us.
MOSF 17.14: Young, Asian American, and All the Feels: Hua Hsu’s Stay True (EAAPAAO Part 2)
Hua Hsu’s Stay True is a memoir, but also a cultural and mental health intervention, emphasizing that we stay true to the people in our lives and what truly sustains us. It is of particular interest for Asian American men and those who care about them. This review also contains particular notes for Asian American grief, and some snark thrown at therapists by Asian American memoirists!
Culture is My Home: Interview with Leon Sun, Artist and Photographer
By Eddie Wong. Posted December 21, 2022. Intro: Leon Sun’s exhibit “Back to the Culture: A Silkscreen Print Exhibit” concludes on Dec. 31, 2022 at the National Japanese American Historical Society, 1684 Post St , San Francisco. Sun, a longtime activist and community-based artist, shares his views on artwork and politics in this interview with…