At the beginning of each of my classes every quarter, as I introduce myself to my students, I remind them (and myself) that I am a third generation Chinese-American immigrant. And a part of that story is that I am who I am because of people like my grandfather, who had the courage and resolve to move half way around the world to start a new life for his family in America.
Before settling in Detroit, MI (where my parents were born and raised, as well as my birthplace), my grandfather served in WWII with the U.S. along Burma Road as a military truck driver in a larger campaign against the Japanese. The Burma Road area was a strategic location for the famous Flying Tigers, and my grandfather told many stories about the winding mountainous terrain that made driving in a military convoy much more dangerous than it sounds. (more…)
Filed under: activism, hiphop, justice, politics, reading | Tags: Howard Zinn
“You can’t be neutral on a moving train,” Zinn reminds us– such is life in the American empire. You may not like all of Zinn’s work, but you have to give him credit for walking his own path and writing with courage when it wasn’t always convenient to do so.
Despite being written off by some in the establishment as just another “radical leftist,” Zinn’s most notable work, A People’s History of the United States, has sold over a million copies, making it arguably one of the most important works of American History in the 20th century.
Filed under: activism, community, culture, faith, justice, politics, teaching
For whatever reason, I found myself teaching my students protest chants today in class; they had never heard “the people united will never be defeated” and I thought that was a shame.
An Iranian supporter of Hossein Mousavi in the streets of Tehran in 2009.
I think we got there because I asked them what they thought community organizing was, and their responses were mostly about potlucks, block parties, and gardens (not entirely inaccurate, but certainly missing some of the bigger picture). What I wanted to say (but didn’t) was that Palin’s infamous mocking of community organizers during the 2008 presidential campaign was indicative of how many in the general public feel about “activist/protester” types- you know, those angry, aimless nuisances who would have real jobs if only they could get it together and stop blaming others. (more…)
Despite clear skies and ready feet (and an energetic toddler), I unfortunately had to forgo today’s MLK march at the last minute for the sake of meeting my final dissertation deadline. So the only activism I was really able to participate in was through my keyboard from behind my desk.
A year ago, I probably would have hung my head in shame at the way my academic commitments have recently taken priority over simple activities in the community– like the march– which is both a gesture of solidarity and an important event for remembering King’s legacy.
But with a little bit of academia under my belt and more than a few community projects on my plate in process, I think I’m gaining some perspective on this whole activism thing. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past year about the academy and the neighborhood, it’s that the essence of engaging both is a marathon and not a sprint. (more…)
For those (who shall remain nameless in an effort to ignore their delusional idiocy) who may be tempted to explain away the senselessness of natural disasters with supposed insights into some kind of distorted divine order, here’s a word from the Scriptures.
A timely look at the Sermon (the seventh chapter of Matthew’s Gospel in particular) seems appropriate here. (more…)
Filed under: activism, community, justice, neighborhood, urban | Tags: MLK
It’s that time once again– time to put on a warm coat and practice your protest chants– Seattle’s 28th annual MLK march is just around the corner.
This will be my sixth march, and Jonas’ second (third if you count in the womb), and even though the event has some predictable elements, I still think it’s important to get out in the community as a sign of solidarity. We have to remember that justice is (as some Catholic community organizers have called it) a “seamless garment“; we cannot say that we are advocates for equality and yet neglect our accountability to action on behalf of our neighbors. (more…)
A while back I got into an interesting conversation on my front stoop with a local representative from the Freedom Socialist Party (their nat’l headquarters is down the street a few blocks and they do a fair amount of door-knocking; their wiki is here). Somehow I ended up on their contact list and they keep leaving me voicemails at work, none of which I’ve had the time to return unfortunately.
So a few days ago in the car, when I caught the headline about Mary Daly’s passing on NPR, it piqued my curiosity about her particular perspective on radical feminist theology. (more…)
