Asian American Alliance

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Our statement in support of the Climate Strike this past Friday, September 20th:

As a political organization, Asian American Alliance not only strives to support Asian Americans in Oberlin, but also to address the diverse issues facing Asians Americans in the U.S. We are here today because we know that the full scope of the devastating impact of climate change does not fully extend to us in Oberlin--climate change compounds and complicates the systemic violence Asian American communities already face today. We recognize that our organization does not comprehensively encompass the vast range of socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, citizenship statuses, histories of migration, experiences with state violence, and other racialized experiences that Asians in America experience, thus, it is critical that we center the struggle of Asians in America who are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change, and for those of us holding relative privilege to mobilize and strive for holistic climate justice.
In addition to fighting for issues that directly affect Asian Americans, it is also our responsibility to stand in solidarity with other communities of color that are deeply and immediately affected by the climate crisis. We are committed to struggling alongside Black, Native, Latinx, Q***r, and working-class movements for justice. We recognize that acting immediately to quell the climate crisis is crucial to challenging various forms of oppression. As a crucial element of this, we are calling for a Green New Deal in order to reduce our climate footprint while also lifting up America’s backbone, the working class. We stand with all communities in distress, from Laotian refugees in Richmond, California living beneath an exploded oil refinery to Black residents of Cancer Alley, to Inuit and Alaskan Natives facing the destruction of their land, to Latinx migrants being brutally punished for fleeing the effects of US imperialism, and the countless other instances of a past, present, and on-going climate crisis.
Asian Americans must continue to fight the injustices that our communities and the communities bound up with ours are facing. Climate change affects those from all walks of life, and we must unite to rise against it, attacking its very basis in exploitative and capitalistic systems. The Asian American identity emerged out of the civil rights movements of the 60’s as a political identity to unite a diverse group of Americans against the tide of racism. As an organization, we look to return to our roots and continue this legacy of political revolution, as part of this backing the Green New Deal, as well as the work of restoring power to people through unity, determination, and hope for a better world.

huge thanks Sunrise Movement for facilitating and organizing the walkout, rally, and teach-in's, and everyone who helped us craft and read the statement.

from yesterdays AAA ramen night! shoutout to our NOAA alums who encouraged us to keep up the "tradition", and the mrc for hosting

hi AAA!

David Seo and i are organizing a "Q***r Asian Panel" for May 4, 2019 at 2pm that would feature 4-5 q***r asian obies discussing our experiences with q***rness, generationality and asian identity. if you identify as asian and q***r/TLGBQIA+ and would like to participate, let me or david know!! we are looking for diverse range of experiences and identities (trying to stray away from having only cisgender/skinny/affluent/2.5-3rd gen East Asian Americans)

Hello everyone!

Some context to this post: The speaking event we scheduled for this Thursday was cancelled on short notice––Professor Nishime informed us that she was unable to make it to campus for Thursday because of a family emergency. In the process of taking down the event page, the apology we wrote for using the term "m*latto" in publicizing was unintentionally removed. We are reposting this apology below.

EDIT: Added a clarification as to why the event was cancelled on short notice. The original wording was vague.

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cw: anti-blackness, slavery:

"Dear Oberlin community,
It has come to our attention that the original subject and title of our event used derogatory language steeped in the violent and dehumanizing history of slavery and anti-Blackness in this country. This usage, and our initial failure to recognize its implications, was inappropriate and careless. We deeply apologize for the impact that our actions have had, especially on members of the mixed and Black communities.

We regret that our original event did not include the context with which Professor Nishime uses the term “m*latto”. We did not communicate that the scope of Professor Nishime’s essay was not just limited to multiracial Asians. That is, that the term “m*latto” was not being applied to Asians in particular. In her essay, “m*latto” is used in reference to the “tragic m*latto” trope in literature and film. She explains in a note at the end of the text that the term is derogatory, and that “by calling this article, ‘The M*latto Cyborg,’ [she] wish[es] to invoke the use of the term in early American fictions of passing. Furthermore, [she] want[s] to yoke together a term that recalls the highly technical posthuman and one that retains the sense of a physical, racialized, politicized body” (37). That said, upon closer reflection, we should have been more critical of the use of this term in Professor Nishime’s work and especially in our advertising.

We apologize for both misrepresenting the nature of Professor Nishime’s work, and for our lack of consideration for how our positionalities can contribute to perpetuating harmful systems and histories of oppression.

Lastly, we thank those who put in the labor to call us out and call us in on this to take responsibility for our actions. Beyond the scope of this event, we will be having many serious conversations and taking actions to improve and better AAA; we are not serving ourselves nor the other communities of color we are connected to, specifically the Black community, if AAA is not prioritizing an intersectional mindset and advocacy."

QUESTIONS FOR TODAYS WORKSHOP "GENERATIONAL DYNAMICS":

- Does your generation facilitate a different experience with racism and/or discrimination?

- What does your generational identity mean to you in regards to immigration, your family, being Asian American?

- How do experiences with generational differences create a divide in the Asian American community?

- What does it mean to be “white-washed”? Is there an unspoken bias against 3rd or 4th gen Asian Americans for not being “Asian enough”?

- How does religion intersect with generational identity?

- What is our definition of first generations/second generation experiences?

Hey everyone! This week we will be having a workshop on conflict resolution! It might be a longer session than usual, so y'all don't need to stay for all of it.

feel free to bring friends!

The workshop created by APIENC––a California-based org that does work increasing visibility for q***r and trans API communities in the bay area. This workshop was facilitated last year by a member of AAA who worked with them. The meeting last year was really interesting, so we'd like to bring it back!

Please check out APIENC! Their website and pages are linked below. Ayaya!!! They also have a twitter and an instagram!

Website: https://www.apienc.org/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/apiequality/

API Equality — Northern California | Building LGBTQ API power to amplify our voices and increase visibility of our communities. Through organizing, we inspire and train leaders, establish intergenerational connections, and document and... Building LGBTQ API power to amplify our voices and increase visibility of our communities. Through organizing, we inspire and train leaders, establish intergenerational connections, and document and disseminate our histories.