API environmentalist Dorothy Le’s thoughts on minorities and the green movement

Dorothy Le speaks out about Los Angeles transportation issues. Photo courtesy of Dorothy Le.

Vietnamese American Dorothy Le, 24, is a 2007 UCLA alumna who majored in Environmental Science and minored in Geography/Environmental Studies.  As an undergraduate, she led E3: Ecology, Economy, Equity, an environmental and social justice organization at UCLA and was involved in the  UC Divestment Taskforce, The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), and the Statewide Sustainable Transportation Policy.

Dorothy is currently Planning and Policy Director for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), where she works to increase bike facilities and bicycle and pedestrian access to transit hubs throughout Los Angeles County.

Pacific Ties: What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of environmental activism and advocacy work?

Dorothy Le: My favorite part of environmental activism is that I work to protect nature and the world in which we live.  It’s a beautiful world, and I want it to continue being beautiful for my children, grandchildren, and generations beyond.

My least favorite part of the environmental activism is that it sometimes doesn’t address race or social equity.  I have to work, as a woman of color, to incorporate race and equity into environmental work, but sometimes it’s difficult.  Especially with bicycling being such an activity dominated by white males, it’s quite a challenge to incorporate people of color and women, even though there are plenty of people of color and women who cycle.

Do you feel that Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans are proportionately involved in environmentalism and leadership positions?

I think there could be more Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans involved in environmentalism and leadership positions, of course.  It’s difficult though because of many cultural factors.

What cultural factors encourage or discourage activism?

These include parental pressures, societal pressures and confusion.  My parents wanted me to become a doctor, or a medical professional at least.  They didn’t understand how I could make a living doing what I am doing.  They just don’t understand the system very well and are scared that if I take a risk, then I’ll be losing a lot.  They would rather have me be safe.  I, though, am a person who takes risks and is okay with trying new things.  In order to be where I am today, I had to disobey my parents and communicate with them clearly about what I wanted to do.  That’s a difficult thing for anyone to do- to not have that support from your parents to do what you want is tremendously discouraging for Asian American people.

Being a Vietnamese American woman, in a society that is still dominated by white privilege, hierarchy, and power, it took me a long time to understand where I fit in, what my unique contribution was, and what my own privilege was- to overcome and make effective change.  I encourage everyone- Asian American, Latino American, African American, Caucasian, Native American- to understand their privilege, unique contribution and work to make the world a better place with their unique abilities and power.

Portions of this interview, plus Dorothy’s thoughts on women and environmentalism, are  featured in UCLA’s FEM newsmagazine.

– posted by Debbie Chong

Racist Box Designs in Chinese Snacks?

I was walking around 99 Ranch Supermarket in Alhambra, CA when my uncle prompted me to the snacks aisle:

To say the least, I was surprised to find what can be deemed as culturally insensitive and even racist. There it was: a box labeled “Brown Sugar Thousand Layer Cookies” with a drawing of a brown faced man with a band aid. I wasn’t sure what the image really meant and how it helps in advertising the item, and was appalled to find such a drawing. Is this what the manufacturer–Asian people– have of Latinos? Is this box being culturally insensitive or is it just a logo? Take your vote and let me know what you think.

And below are the other “flavors” offered by that company. It looks as if each of these food products represent a race.

Let me know what you think! Leave your comments

Posted by Evelina Giang, who was not moved to buy the Brown Sugar or any other versions of these cookies from that manufacturuer.

Hong Kong night market comes to UCLA: Monday, April 20, 5-10 pm

UCLA's Hong Kong Student Society is bringing the lively streets of Hong Kong to Bruin Plaza this Monday evening!

Information below courtesy of the HKSS Night Market page on Facebook.

Date:	Monday, April 20, 2009
Time:	5:00pm – 10:00pm
Location:	Bruin Plaza (by the Bruin Bear)
Street:	UCLA

Here comes the HKSS Night Market 2009! A taste of Hong Kong is going to spread through the UCLA campus as Hong Kong Student Society (HKSS) is dedicated to bringing the vibrant streets of Hong Kong to you all!

We are holding the first Hong Kong Night Market on April 20th at the Bruin Plaza from 5pm-10pm. The Bruin Plaza will be transformed from an empty space into a crowded Hong Kong style marketplace of street food and merchandise. You can definitely experience the Hong Kong’s unique culture by starting your journey at the Bruin Plaza for Hong Kong style snacks and specialty drinks and enjoy everything HKSS is going to prepare for you!

At the HKSS Night Market there willl be traditional and famous Hong Kong street foods including curry fish balls, dim sum, pot stickers, boba drinks, milk tea, red bean soup, sweet sago soup with taro, egg waffle, and marinated chicken wings and eggs. Street food is an important part of Hong Kong culture with both traditional and foreign influences. The food served are the most common local street food found in Hong Kong. They are fast, hot, and tasty. People will just past by a street food stand grab a skewer of fishball and dim sum at any time.

In addition to the street food and beverages, there will also be a fortune telling stall in the Night Market which will predict one’s future and analyze one’s characteristics and personalities with reference to the year of birth. The fortune telling will be FREE if you buy a package of the twelve Chinese Zodiac jades (these are bought from Hong Kong and are LIMITED!!).

Come and spend some of your precious time to have a walk in the night market! We hope that you will enjoy your experience at the HKSS Night Market and we are confident that you will want to travel to Hong Kong to sample the delicacies of Chinese cuisine and experience the Hong Kong culture time and again…
For more information, feel free to talk to us at our booth on Bruin Walk or visit our website at http://www.hkbruins.org

– posted by Debbie Chong

My review of the International Curry Festival

Trying papaya salad and Thai coffee at the 2009 International Curry Festival in Thai Town, LA.

Last Sunday afternoon my friend and I rode the bus to Thai Town in East Hollywood to check out the International Curry Festival.  We spent about two hours at the festival, trying several food dishes and drinks, browsing one of the Thai grocery markets, and watching singing and dancing performances.  These are my personal ratings on different aspects of the festival.

Ambiance: there were a lot of people and it was challenging to swim through the crowd.  I appreciated that there was always at least one performance in progress: singing, traditional dance, beauty pageant, or rock band.  But it was often difficult to get a good view, especially since I am short.

Simpang Asia, an Indonesian cafe on National Blvd, won this year's Curry King award for best curry vendor.

Food: Most of the curry dishes were Thai and Thai-Chinese. One vendor sold Indonesian dishes (Simpang Asia, who won the Curry King award), one sold Indian curries, and I think there were one or two Japanese curry vendors too.  I was a bit disappointed that there  were few vegetarian options.  I tried papaya salad, Thai sweet-spicy crispy vermicelli noodles, and tapioca cakes.   My friend got Thai coffee, a grass jelly drink, curry egg rolls, and curry croquettes.  I personally thought the food was  good, though the papaya salad was pretty darn spicy, even for a kimchi lover like me!  Most curry dishes were $4-8 and the portions seemed fair.  Waiting time in line for the most popular vendors was about 20 minutes.

A traditional Thai dance at this year's Curry Festival.

Cultural learning: if I hadn’t had time constraints, I would have liked to stay another hour or two to watch the performances more.  It’s hard to rate “interesting-ness” since everyone has different entertainment preferences.  I thought the Thai traditional dance was most engaging.  The wrestling match would have been cooler if I’d had a better view.  The singing performances were not that interesting to me because I didn’t understand the lyrics of the Thai-language musical group and the rock band sang American songs like “Hotel California.”

I think that for a deeper cultural experience, it’s best to go with a friend who is familiar with the Thai language and culture, so that he/she can explain and interpret the significance of performances and food for you.  It is very difficult to get any more than a superficial impression of a culture at a festival this large of a scale.

Overall rating: B.  I would go again, but next time I would bring a Thai friend and try to stay longer.

By the way, when you go to food festivals, reduce trash by bringing your own Tupperware!  To my pleasant surprise, the vendors at the Curry Festival were receptive to putting the food into my Tupperware. In fact, I think I got a larger-than-average serving of papaya salad because of it.   And the Tupperware is also handy when you can’t finish all of your food and need to take the leftovers home.

If you went to this year’s curry festival, leave us a comment on your experience!

– posted by Debbie Chong

Washington D.C. hosts 97th annual Cherry Blossom Festival

This spring break I went with my family to Washington D.C. because, as my dad put it, “It’s just one of those places you gotta see before you die.”

In the mist of visiting numerous monuments, government buildings, and state libraries we had the fortune of being able to attend the opening ceremony of the 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival opening ceremony is held in the National Building Museum in Washington D.C.

The two-week long festival is not only meant to celebrate the coming of spring but also commemorates the gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington on March 27, 1912.

There were a variety of spectacular performances at the opening ceremony, including a “Waltz of the Cherry Blossoms” dance by The Washington Ballet, a unique display of freestyle hip-hop fused with contemporary and ethnic dance by Kenichi Ebina, and traditional taiko drumming and tap dancing by Cobu, the all-female Live Rhythm Performing Arts ensemble that evolved off the off-Broadway hit STOMP.

Kenichi Ebina, the 2007 Grand Champion of "Showtime at the Apollo," performs at the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

REVERED ENKA SINGER JERO PERFORMS AT FESTIVAL

But the performance that most captivated the audience, including myself, was by Jero, the hit African-American enka singer from Japan. Originally from Pittsburgh and a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Jero was recently named “Best New Artist” in Japan after his debut album entered the charts in the top 10.

Jero first began pursuing his dream to become an enka artist because of the influence of his Japanese grandmother Takiko, who had met his grandfather, an African-American serviceman, at a dance during World War II. They married, had a daughter, Harumi – now a department store sales clerk – and eventually moved to his grandfather’s hometown, Pittsburgh. His parents divorced when he was young, and he was reared amid a strong sense of Japanese culture.

Source: wikipedia.com

Jero wows the audience at the National Cherry Blossom Festival. He first got into enka singing through his grandmother, a native Japanese, who would play enka tapes at her house whenever he would visit. To this day, she remains his biggest influence.

For those who don’t know, enka is a musical genre in Japan comparable to American country and western music, where the singer uses a wide range of vocal styles including drawn-out notes with a swelling vibrato to emphasize emotional content. Though it is considered to be more “traditional” music and tends to appeal to older generations, Jero’s youthful contemporary hip-hop image combined with his soulful voice has managed to draw audiences of young and old alike. Most listeners who encounter his music for the first time are amazed to discover that he is not a native Japanese singer.

Although this was the first time I have encountered Jero or enka music in general, it was both comforting and refreshing to see Japanese culture flourish at our nation’s capital, knowing that diversity is still alive and kicking well into the 21st century.

For more information about the festival, check out nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

-posted by Shirley Mak

Korean Culture Night: tickets available starting April 8th

UCLA's Korean Culture Night is Wed, April 15 at 7 pm at Royce Hall. Doors open at 6:15. Tickets are free for UCLA students and are available at the Central Ticket Office starting April 8.

Korean Culture Night is one of my favorite Culture Nights at UCLA.  It is well scripted and performed and FREE for UCLA students!  Mark your calendars!

Courtesy of the event’s Facebook page:

Hanoolim at UCLA proudly presents to you – Beloved Upon a Time: a Korean Culture Night 2009 original musical production.

A play integrated with the traditional arts of Korea, this year’s KCN is a musical in which a brother and sister embark on a life-changing quest in a mythological land.

Filled with references to Korean traditional folklore, Korean proverbs, and amazing original music featuring a live orchestra, KCN 2009 will provide one exciting and mythical night of great entertainment and cultural education for the community.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 15
TIME: 7 PM; doors open at 6:15 PM
WHERE: UCLA Royce Hall

Tickets are FREE for everyone!

For UCLA students, tickets will be available starting WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009 at the Central Ticket Office (CTO).

For more information, check out http://www.lakcn.com.

– posted by Debbie Chong

LA Int’l Curry Fest: Sun, Apr 5, 10 am – 7 pm

The 2nd annual International Curry Festival will take place in Thai Town, Los Angeles on Sunday, April 5 from 10 am to 7 pm. Image from http://thaicdchome.org/cms/festival.

Mark your calendars!

WHEN?

-SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2009 from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM

WHERE?

Thai Town: Hollywood Blvd from Western Ave to Vermont Ave
FEATURING:
-International Curry, Curry King Contest, Raffle Drawing, and Cooking Demonstration
-The 6th Annual Thai New Year’s Day Songkran Festival
-Thai Town 5K Run Walk

TRANSPORTATION:
1) Hollywood/Western Metro Red Line
2) Free parking at Kaiser Permanente (accessible on Vermont Ave. via Barnsdall Drive) and take free shuttle to our event site

HOW MUCH?
FREE ADMISSION to the public!

– posted by Debbie Chong

Colors and culture

A rainbow of umbrellas in Hong Kong.

If you live in Los Angeles, the next time you’re on the freeway or at a busy intersection, take a look at the cars.

How many colors do you see?

I can count them on one hand: white, gray/silver, black, and red.

Sure, occasionally you’ll see a blue or green car (wow!), but it’s really weird how little variation there is in vehicle colors.

When I was in Hong Kong, I noticed that locals were quite colorful in their fashion choices.  Even their umbrellas come in every shade of the rainbow.

People there have no need for cars (public transportation is excellent!), but I imagine that if Hong Kongers had private cars, their roadways would look a lot more vibrant than LA’s.

– posted by Debbie Chong

Studying for finals? Add oil!

As we UCLA students slog through final exams, we like to commiserate about our exams, projects, and papers and then reassure each other that it’ll all be over soon.

In Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China, people often use the expression “add oil (加油)” to encourage each other, especially during final exams season.

Yesterday I said “加油!” to my Chinese American friend and then started wondering where this phrase came from.  How does “add oil” relate to “keep it up!” or “you can do it!”?

Journalist Ben Moger-Williams translated a folktale about the origins of the phrase.  It’s an amusing story, although I think it is more likely that 加油 is the Chinese equivalent of “burning the midnight oil.”

Well, maybe I’ll never know the definite origin of the phrase, but I’ll use it anyway.  To all my fellow students, ADD OIL!

– posted by Debbie Chong

“You’re American? You don’t look like one…”

When I was an exchange student in Hong Kong two years ago, I learned that in Asia, some people (usually the older generation) assume that to be “American” is to be white.

In Hong Kong, I chatted with some elderly Chinese and told them I was an exchange student from the U.S.   “But you don’t look American,” they protested.  I explained that my parents were ethnic Chinese and I was born in America.  “You’re Chinese, then,” they corrected me.  ”Not American.”

I encountered similar responses on the subway in Seoul, Korea.  A few elderly Koreans viewed my Chinese American friend and me with curiosity because we were chatting in English.  “Where are you from?” they asked. 

For the first few inquiries, we said we were from America.  But like in Hong Kong, we got puzzled looks and “No, you couldn’t be” responses.   Finally we gave up and simply said, “We’re from Hong Kong.”  The  confusion ceased.

We felt a tad guilty about taking the easy way out.  We were American, after all.  Isn’t it worth the extra time and effort to let folks know that people of Asian descent live (and are born) in the U.S.?

Check out this blog post by Tony Shen on ModelMinority.com.  Shen, a Chinese American, was denied an English teacher position in Taiwan because he didn’t look “white” or “Western” enough.  Looks like Asian Americans face job discrimination on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

– posted by Debbie Chong