Oakland Asian Cultural Center

Book Talk: "Auntie Sewing Squad Guide To Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice"
2022-01-29 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
In the new book, Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice, editors and contributors will talk about their fight to distribute masks to underserved communities, where depleted mask supplies left thousands unprotected against the COVID19 pandemic.
In March 2020, when the US government failed to provide personal protective gear during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Auntie Sewing Squad emerged. Founded by performance artist Kristina Wong, the mutual-aid group sewed face masks with a bold social justice mission: to protect the most vulnerable and most neglected.
Get 20% OFF your copy by purchasing from Eastwind Books TODAY!
Sponsored by Eastwind Books of Berkeley and Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

Book Talk: The Wake Up with Michelle MiJung Kim
2021-12-10 18:30 - 20:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
In The Wake Up, Michelle MiJung Kim shares foundational principles often missing in today’s mainstream conversations around “diversity and inclusion” and urges readers to go beyond performative allyship to enacting real transformation within ourselves and in the world. The Wake Up invites readers to deep dive into the challenging and nuanced work of pursuing equity and justice, while exploring various complexities, contradictions, and conflicts inherent in our imperfect world.
Michelle will join in conversation with facilitator Eunice Kwon, OACC Board member and Director of Asian Pacific American Student Development at UC Berkeley.
Event schedule:
6:30-7:30pm Book Talk + Audience Q&A
7:30pm-8:00pm Book Signing
Learn more and purchase The Wake Up.
This event is brought to you in partnership with Eastwind Books of Berkeley. Donations are greatly appreciated and will support programs. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

About the Author
Michelle MiJung Kim (she/her) is a queer immigrant Korean American woman writer, speaker, activist, and entrepreneur. She is the author of The Wake Up (Hachette, Fall 2021). She is CEO and co-founder of Awaken, a leading provider of interactive equity and inclusion education programs facilitated by majority BIPOC educators, where she has consulted hundreds of organizations and top executives from Fortune 500, tech giants, nonprofits, and government agencies to spark meaningful change. Michelle has been a lifelong social justice activist and has served on a variety of organizations such as the San Francisco LGBTQ Speakers Bureau, San Francisco Human Rights Commission’s Advisory Committee, LYRIC nonprofit’s Board of Directors, and Build Tech We Trust Coalition. Michelle currently serves on the board of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE). Her work has appeared on world-renowned platforms such as Harvard Business Review, Forbes, The New York Times, and NPR, and she has been named Medium’s Top Writer in Diversity three years in a row. She lives in Oakland, California. www.michellemijungkim.com
About the Facilitator
Eunice Kwon (she/her) is the Director of Asian Pacific American Student Development at UC Berkeley. Previously, she was the COO and the Director of Community Engagement at the Sustainable Economies Law Center, an organization working towards a cooperative economy, and a Coro Fellow in San Francisco, where she worked with a range of organizations that included the Haas Sr. Foundation and the Bay Area Community College Consortium. She started her career as a communications consultant for several congressional and local political campaigns and for labor organizations such as the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and the United Food and Commercial Workers. She currently serves on the board of the Sustainable Economies Law Center and Asian Women United, a nonprofit that spotlights the diverse experiences of Asian American Pacific Islander women through publications, digital productions, and educational materials. She received her Masters in City Planning at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design.

"The Shikoku Pilgrimage: Japan's Sacred Trail" Book Talk
2021-11-20 16:00 - 17:30 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
The Shikoku Pilgrimage on the island of the same name is one of the few circular pilgrimages in the world. At 1,200 kilometers in length, the trail includes 88 temples and passes through diverse countryside such as idyllic bamboo groves, deserted beaches and ordinary Japanese neighborhoods. John Lander, long-time resident of Japan, author and photographer, has visited and recorded every temple in evocative images, providing fascinating details about the origin of the trail and what the pilgrimage means to the thousands who undertake it every year. He will give a visually stunning and informative presentation about Japan’s sacred trail as highlighted in his newest publication. Joining him in conversation will be Jeffrey Dym, Professor of History at Sacramento State University.
Learn more and purchase The Shikoku Pilgrimage.

About the Author
John Lander is a freelance photographer based near Kamakura, Japan. When he is not at home, he is often out and about on photography assignments at local events, festivals or indulging in his top of passion: Japanese gardens. Japan has been home for nearly 40 years. John’s photography has been featured in GEO, TIME Magazine, National Geographic, Travel+Leisure, Rough Guides and many others. Please visit John’s Amazon Author page for more information: www.bit.ly/johnlander
About the Facilitator

Jeffrey Dym is a Professor of History at Sacramento State University who specializes in Japanese History. For over 10 years he has been turning his research into documentary films. He has made several documentaries including: Noh Masks: The Spirit of Noh Theatre and Flowers on the Stage: Noh Costumes. He also has a deep love for the Shikoku 88 Temple pilgrimage. He has gone around the pilgrimage 4 times and cannot wait to get back to Japan to visit the temples again. Learn more about Professor Dym: http://www.csus.edu/faculty/d/dym/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/Dymsensei
Special thanks to the Japan Society of Northern California for supporting this event as marketing partners. Donations are greatly appreciated and will support programs. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

OACC Friendsgiving: "In The Land of My Ancestors" Film Screening & Discussion
2021-11-18 18:00 - 19:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
This year, OACC’s Friendsgiving event will recognize Native American Heritage Month and honor Indigenous lands while hosting a canned-food drive. General admission is free if you bring a canned food donation.
“In the Land of my Ancestors” celebrates the living legacy of Ann Marie Sayers, a beloved Ohlone elder. Ohlone people are not federally recognized as indigenous nations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ann Marie used the Indian Allotment Act of 1887 to reclaim her traditional land in Indian Canyon, which is the only federally recognized Indian territory for over 300 miles from Sonoma to the coast of Santa Barbara in California. The film screening will be followed by a conversation with filmmaker Ruch Chitnis.
Learn more about Rucha’s work at www.awomanslens.com.
Learn more about Indian Canyon at www.indiancanyonlife.org.
The event will be held in person at OACC. If you are planning to attend in person, please review OACC’s Onsite Visitor Policy. Donations are greatly appreciated and will support programs. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Centering Senior Care and Aging During COVID-19
2021-11-14 13:00 - 14:30 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
In the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we faced a racial justice reckoning as anti-Asian hate violence escalated across the nation. We witnessed elders in Oakland Chinatown and in other neighborhoods become vulnerable targets of racially motivated violence. While violence against elders and racism against Asians are not new phenomena, there is a renewed urgency to train our attention and ask: How might we center our elders’ voices in the broader conversations and concerns with community safety, adequate direct services, affordable housing, and other issues? Hear the opinions of our elders, community experts, and service providers in tackling this question and find out how you can support local efforts to care for our elders.
This event is part of the “Community Voices to Empower Change” series in partnership with Eastwind Books of Berkeley. This virtual event will be broadcast to YouTube Live. Donations are appreciated and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit calhum.org.

PANELISTS

Nhật Minh Bùi earned her Master’s Degree in nursing at UCSF in 2016 and is certified as an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner. Currently, Nhật’s work focuses on novel approaches to improving dementia care for both patients and caregivers with a particular focus on caregiver education and guidance around managing behavior symptoms.

Art Choi, born in San Francisco, CA, started to worked for the Korean Community Center of the East Bay (KCCEB) in 2009-2014 as the Social Service Coordinator and Immigration Integration Manager. Art began his role as the Rapid Response Coordinator as the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. He has now taken on another program as the Health Equity Project Lead and Program Manager. He focuses on programs that need quick and effective responses to the Korean community’s needs due to COVID-19.
Diana Pang is the Resident Community Building Supervisor at the Chinatown Community Development Center.
MODERATOR

Roy Chan is currently Senior Program Manager at National CAPACD, serves on the City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission, and directs the Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project. Previously, Roy served as Planning Manager at Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco and Co-Executive Director at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Much of his interdisciplinary career has focused around building intergenerational bridges and community storytelling to lift up immigrant neighborhoods across the country.

ILLUMINATION: Literary Works Imagining New Light
2021-11-06 14:00 - 15:30 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
ILLUMINATION is a literary gathering that broadens the theme of Diwali to reframe what ‘light’ or ‘new beginnings’ mean to us. Diwali marks the beginning of a new year, but more broadly how a new year potentially symbolizes new beginnings and new light. While intended to be a space of celebration and coming together, this event seeks to also challenge the oppressive nature of this holiday that is based in Hindu Brahminical practices have historically and till date threatened the survival of Dalit and Adivasi communities in India and overseas. We invite you to join us to enjoy inspirational readings by local artists Preeti Vangani, Nidhi Jaisoor, Anita Felicelli, and Karthik Sethuraman. The event program is curated by Preeti Vangani and presented in partnership with ARTogether.
The event was held in-person at OACC with simultaneous livestreaming to OACC’s YouTube channel for remote audience viewing. If you are planning to attend in-person, please review OACC’s Onsite Visitor Policy. Donations are greatly appreciated and will support programs. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Presenting Authors

Preeti Vangani is the author of Mother Tongue Apologize, winner of the RL India Poetry Prize. Her work has been published in The Threepenny Review, Gulf Coast, Cortland Review among other places. A graduate of University of San Francisco’s MFA Program, Preeti has received fellowships and support from UCross, Tin House, Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, Pen America and the California Center for Cultural Innovation. She currently teaches in the MFA (Writing) program at University of San Francisco.

Nidhi Jaisoor writes fiction centered around themes of immigration, cultural identity, trauma, and disability, which are informed by her own experiences. She was raised in Nigeria and India, and moved to the US to attend graduate school. She is based in San Jose and, when not parenting a rambunctious toddler, is working on a collection of short stories. Some of her flash fiction is at onelittlestory.com.

Anita Felicelli is the author of CHIMERICA: A NOVEL and the short story collection LOVE SONGS FOR A LOST CONTINENT. LOVE SONGS won the 2016 Mary Roberts Rinehart Award. She is on the Board of the National Book Critics Circle and serves as its VP of Fundraising. She is an editor for the California Book Club. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives with her spouse and three children.

Karthik Sethuraman is an Indian-American living in California. His works have appeared in The Rumpus, AAWW, Fugue, and Fairy Tale Review. One work, Saramakavi, was performed at the Asian Art Museum where he was a KSW writing fellow. His chapbook, Prayer under eyelids, is available from Nomadic Press.

Prints & Protest: The Legacy of Poster Making in Social Justice Movements
2021-11-05 17:30 - 19:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Bay Area printmakers and community artists reflect on the role of printmaking in social justice movements. The Bay Area has been the site of powerful protest efforts advocating for radical social change and a more equitable, inclusive world for all communities, especially those disempowered by the status quo. Accompanying these protests are striking artistic expressions in the form of print posters. Hear from a panel of community individuals about the enduring significance and power of print posters in inspiring social change. Speakers include Art Hazelwood, Joanna Ruckman, Michelle Mouton, and Sharat Lin (see bios below).

This panel is presented in conjunction with The Art of Protest exhibition that features protest posters from the 1960s and 70s to the present, the majority of which were created by university students at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz. It is presented in partnership with Sharat Lin (curator of The Art of Protest) and Art Hazelwood (author of Mission Gráfica: Reflecting a Community in Print). Donations are greatly appreciated and will support programs. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

About the Speakers

Dr. Sharat G. Lin is the curator of The Art of Protest. As a community activist, he is the creator of hundreds of graphic flyers and posters for a variety of current events and protests. As a photojournalist, he is a contributor to the street photo exhibit Housing! in Oakland. He serves on the boards of Human Agenda and the Initiative for Equality. He is co-coordinator of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Committee in San José, and past president of the San José Peace and Justice Center. A medical scientist by training, Sharat writes and lectures on global political economy, labor migration, social movements, and public health. He is a contributing author in the book Studies in Inequality and Social Justice (2009). He performs the Dance of Peace (@danceofpeace) to uplifting music at festivals, parades, farmers’ markets, museums, and protests in support of social justice.

For over 25 years Art Hazelwood has created politically charged prints, working with dozens of organizations from arts organizations to unions to grassroots movements. Over that period he has been consistently involved with homeless rights, including working with the Western Regional Advocacy Project, where he is the Minister of Culture. In 2017, he received the Artwork as Revolution Award from the Coalition on Homelessness. At the San Francisco Art Institute, he taught and was part of the founding of the San Francisco Poster Syndicate, which has brought together political poster makers from various levels of experience and backgrounds to create art for activist organizations. He is the author of the forthcoming book Mission Gráfica: Reflecting a Community in Print, as well as Hobos to Street People: Artists’s Responses to Homelessness from the New Deal to the Present. His artwork is in the collections of the Library of Congress, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and many other institutions. He shelters in San Francisco. Learn more at www.arthazelwood.com.

Joanna Ruckman is an anti-disciplinary artist based in Alameda, CA. She designs art for social justice organizations including Vision Quilt, Peace in the Streets and Oakland Frontline Healers. Joanna engages in public and political printmaking projects with SF Poster Syndicate; has completed several public murals projects; engages publics through interactive installations of her Hair Stories oral history project, and is a founding member of SFMAMA (SF Museum of Artists Marginalized by Aristocrats). She received a BA in Cultural Anthropology and Visual Arts from Brown University, an MFA from SFAI in 2019. Her work has been exhibited in SFMOMA and the De Young Museum, and is part of several collections and portfolios. She currently teaches in the Multimedia Arts Digital Imaging Department at Berkeley City College, and is teaching and building an anti-racist kids art curriculum called “We Color the Bay”.

As a San Francisco native, Michelle Mouton has been a social, political and cultural activist for over five decades. She became politicized through participation the antiwar, civil rights and SF State Strike movements. Her commitment to social change and international solidarity was deepened, as a 16 year old brigadista on the 1st Venceremos Brigade. As a result of relationships forged during these experiences she became involved in the West Coast chapter of the 3rd World Women’s Alliance, later transformed into the Alliance Against Women’s Oppression. Currently Mouton is a member of Consejo Grafica, a consortium of Mexican, Latin, Central American, Afro Caribbean print makers and cultural activists, promoting the significant intersection of this rich legacy through social practices toward change in the United States and throughout world. As a curator she has worked with her partner, Juan Fuentes to identify cultural venues to curate visual and cultural collaboration to promote the work of artists of color.

2021 Chuseok Youth Art Contest Gallery
2021-10-27 - 2021-12-18 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Korean Center, Inc. (KCI), in partnership with the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC), invites students from Kindergarten to 12th grade to participate in an art contest. Winning entries for four different age groups will be selected by a group of jurors from the hosting organizations as well as one “Audience Choice Winner” who will be chosen by online voters.
Public voting to select the Audience Choice winners has ended.

The Case for Cancer Screenings | 癌症篩查的重要性
2021-10-23 13:00 - 14:00 | CA
Join us for an informational event about breast health and the importance of cancer screenings. With the double impact of COVID-19 and anti-Asian violence affecting Oakland Chinatown neighborhoods, more residents are delaying critical screening appointments out of fear of leaving the safety of their homes and visiting healthcare providers. Experts from Asian Health Services, Epic Care, and the American Cancer Society will discuss the importance of regular cancer screenings and answer general questions about cancer screening. This event will be presented in English with Cantonese captions.
請齊來參加一個有關乳房健康和癌症篩查的重要性的講座。隨著covid-19和反亞裔暴力事件對奧克蘭唐人街社區的雙重影響，越來越多的居民害怕外出，因而推遲拜訪醫療保健者提供的篩查預约服務。 這次活動由來自亞洲健康服務，Epic Care和美國癌症協會的專家將會討論定期篩查的重要性並回答您可能遇到的任何問題。 本次活動將以英語進行，並附有粵語翻譯。歡迎區內人士擁躍參加，為自身的健康邁出重要的一步。

Our Speakers (listed in order of the photos shown above, left to right)
我們的演講者（按照上圖從左到右的順序排列）

Dr. Irene Lo (Moderator) is a general and minimally invasive who practices at Epic Care, a multi-specialty practice including physicians across Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Dr. Lo is also a longtime volunteer with the American Cancer Society and now currently serves as the Chair of the Greater Bay Redwood Area Board. Dr. Lo holds a Bachelors of Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, obtained her medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and completed her General Surgery Residency training at Westchester Medical Center.
Irene Lo 博士（主持人）是 Epic Care 的一名普通微創醫生，Epic Care 是一家多專業診所，包括阿拉米達縣和康特拉科斯塔縣的醫生。羅博士也是美國癌症協會的長期志願者，目前擔任大灣區紅木地區委員會主席。羅博士擁有麻省理工學院的理學學士學位，在哥倫比亞大學內外科醫師學院獲得醫學學位，並在威徹斯特醫療中心完成了普通外科住院醫師培訓。
Dr. Elaine Lee (Panelist) is a Fellowship-trained Breast Surgeon from Anne Arundel Medical Center, Maryland. She studied at UC Berkeley before going on to The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She currently works at Epic Care as a physician specializing in breast surgery.
Elaine Lee 博士（小組成員）是馬里蘭州安妮阿倫德爾醫療中心接受過獎學金培訓的乳房外科醫生。在進入俄亥俄州立大學醫學院之前，她曾在加州大學伯克利分校學習。她目前在 Epic Care 工作，是一名專門從事乳房手術的醫生。
Dr. Min Yan (Panelist) graduated from Peking Union Medical College in China, pursued cancer research at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, and finished training for internal medicine and oncology in New York and UC San Diego. I like my work as I can help take care of patients in great need, particularly those with breast cancer.
Min Yan博士（小組成員）畢業於中國協和醫科大學，在俄亥俄州克利夫蘭的凱斯西儲大學從事癌症研究，並在紐約和加州大學聖地亞哥分校完成內科和腫瘤學培訓。我喜歡我的工作，因為我可以幫助照顧急需的患者，尤其是那些患有乳腺癌的患者。
Dr. Daveena Ma (Panelist) is an internist and Asian Health Service’s Associate Chief Medical Officer. She is a graduate of Harvard University and New York University School of Medicine. She trained in Internal Medicine at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and joined Asian Health Services immediately after residency. She has had the privilege of serving the Oakland Chinatown community as a primary care physician at Asian Health Services for over 15 years.
Daveena Ma 博士（小組成員）是一名內科醫生和亞洲健康服務的副首席醫療官。她畢業於哈佛大學和紐約大學醫學院。她在聖克拉拉谷醫療中心接受內科培訓，並在住院後立即加入亞洲健康服務。她有幸在亞洲健康服務中心擔任初級保健醫生超過 15 年，為奧克蘭唐人街社區服務。

This event is presented in partnership with Epic Care, Asian Health Services, and the American Cancer Society. Donations are greatly appreciated and will support programs. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
該活動是與 Epic Care、亞洲健康服務和美國癌症協會合作舉辦的。我們社區服務的宗旨是不會把任何人拒之於門外，所有善心人士的捐款及資助都無任歡迎。

25th Anniversary Gala — Lift Up: Change Through Arts & Activism
2021-10-15 18:00 | Online
As an Oakland, CA-born first-generation Vietnamese-American, food justice comes naturally to Chef Tu David Phu, who finds opportunities to use the medium of food as a vessel for meaningful work. From cooking with incarcerated men in San Quentin; to his role as a co-executive producer for First Kitchen Media that involves storytelling, and speaking about diversity and inclusivity; to being a community ambassador in Oakland working with Asian Health Services and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Tu inspires others to support their community, promote the use of sustainable ingredients, and recognize the power of uplifting each other and communities through food. Cut Fruit Collective (formerly known as Save Our Chinatowns) is a grassroots non-profit organization based in the SF Bay Area that supports AAPI communities through art, publishing, and a shared love of food. To move past the current climate of fear and hate and into empowerment and love, the team went beyond a dynamic of “saving” one community to fully joining forces with and uplifting our fellow AAPI communities. Cut Fruit Collective’s name reflects a quiet gesture of care recognized by Asians across the world as the quintessential love language. The group remains rooted in serving Oakland Chinatown as they shape their stepping stone to build and strengthen coalitions across communities. 17-years-old Oakland Technical High School student, Greer Nakadegawa-Lee, excels at both visual art and poetry. Greer was named 2020’s Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. She has written a poem every day for nearly three years now, and her first chapter book, A Heart Full of Hallways is out now with Nomadic Press. In her latest poem, “From the Director’s Chair,” she calls out the misrepresentation that people of color are subjected to in modern media. She writes to “remind people that even though things seem hopeless, even when we have to be physically separated, we can still show solidarity and look out for one another. We still have the power to change what our future looks like.”
Special thanks to our Gala Sponsors!

Revolutionary Sponsor

The Christopher & Fermina Phillips Charitable Fund

Ally Sponsor

Advocate Sponsor

AC Transit
Kaiser Permanente
Matson
Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce
Pixar Animation Studios
The Sumulong Family

Friend Sponsor

Brown & Toland
Roy Chan
Stewart Chen
Richard Cowan
CyberDoc
Eastwind Books Multicultural Services
Tiffany Eng and Ener Chiu
Timothy Law
Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network
Don Lee & Jinhwa Hong
Josephine Hui
Angela Kwon
Evelyn C. Lee
Friends of Lorraine Sumulong
OCA-East Bay
Vince Sales
Virginia Sung
Jerome Tran
Wa Sung Community Service Club

Gala Marketing Sponsor

In-Kind Sponsor

Wholefoods Market

Become a Gala Sponsor! Click here to learn more.
Donate a Raffle/Auction Item! Click here to submit an item.

Gene Luen Yang and Pornsak Pichetshote Write Heroes in APA History Comics
2021-10-09 15:00 - 16:30 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Looking back at APA History in 1940’s , the Exclusion Laws, racism and the KKK has graphically come alive with comic artists and writers Gene Luen Yang and Pornsak Pichetshote’s new graphic novels. Pichetshote’s The Good Asian and Yang’s Shadow Hero and Superman Smashes the Klan have been treasures to comic lovers searching for adventure, heroism, and POW! while learning about Asian American history.

Buy authors’ books at Eastwind Books of Berkeley. If you can’t come to the book signing Oct.9th, you can include in your book order any requests for personalized autographs. Your books will then be held for your shipping or pickup until autographed on Oct. 9th at your request.
Sponsored by Eastwind Books of Berkeley and Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

The Art of Protest: 1960s-1970s to Now
2021-10-02 - 2021-12-17 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, Oakland, CA, 94607
Curated by Sharat Lin, this exhibit consists of approximately 40 original silk screen poster prints documenting campus social protest movements. Long before the availability of personal computers, the most accessible way of making vivid color posters in quantities of a few hundred was silk screen printing. Most of the artists were anonymous students at the University of California campuses at Berkeley and Santa Cruz. The times were different, but many of the issues – war, racism, environment, human rights, right to dissent – remain the same, making the posters resonate among the social issues of today.

Ancillary Events*

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 4-6pm Pacific

Celebrate the launch of “The Art of Protest” at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center with an in-person reception featuring live screen printing demos by SF Poster Syndicate and a Dance of Peace performed by curator Sharat Lin.

Prints & Protest: The Legacy of Poster Making in Social Justice Movements: November 5, 2021 at 5:30-7pm Pacific

Sharat Lin (curator of The Art of Protest), Art Hazelwood (author of Mission Gráfica: Reflecting a Community in Print), Michelle Mouton (contributor to the Mission Gráfica publication) and Joanna Ruckman (founding member of SFMAMA) will discuss the history and legacy of poster printing in the Bay Area and its influence and place in key social justice movements and activism.

*NOTE: Above events are expected to be held in-person at OACC at this time. Depending on the development of external factors, primarily COVID-19, the above events may shift to remote, virtual events. RSVP to receive the latest updates.
This exhibition is presented in partnership with the San Francisco Poster Syndicate and Art Hazelwood. Donations are greatly appreciated to support this program and future OACC activities. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

"Remembering Shanghai" Book Talk
2021-09-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
True stories of glamour, drama, and tragedy told through five generations of a Shanghai family, from the last days of imperial rule to the Cultural Revolution.
A high position bestowed by China’s empress dowager grants power and wealth to the Sun family. For Isabel, growing up in glamorous 1930s and ’40s Shanghai, it is a life of utmost privilege. But while her scholar father and fashionable mother shelter her from civil war and Japanese occupation, they cannot shield the family forever. When Mao comes to power, eighteen-year-old Isabel journeys to Hong Kong, not realizing that she will make it her home―and that she will never see her father again. She returns to Shanghai fifty years later with her daughter, Claire, to confront their family’s past―one they discover is filled with love and betrayal, kidnappers and concubines, glittering palaces and underworld crime bosses.

Click here to learn more and purchase the book.

“Beautiful and rich, with fascinating details―transports the reader to Shanghai and Hong Kong . . . this volume is a treasure.” ―Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of Shanghai Girls and The Island of Sea Women

About the Author
Claire Chao spent much of her youth seeking connections to her parents’ homeland. After thirty years in management with companies such as Tiffany & Co., Harry Winston and Hill & Knowlton, she spent a decade creating Remembering Shanghai, uncovering an uncanny link with the grandfather she never met. She has been designated one of Avenue magazine’s “500 Most Influential Asian Americans” and Tatler Hong Kong’s “Who’s Who in Hong Kong.” She graduated with highest honors from Princeton University and lives in Honolulu with her husband and two dogs.
Donations are greatly appreciated and will support programs. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Agni: Virtual Screening & Talk
2021-08-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
[THIS IS A VIRTUAL EVENT; NO IN-PERSON GATHERING AVAILABLE.]
Enjoy a virtual screening of acclaimed short dance film “Agni.” The virtual screening will be followed by a discussion about creation in India’s kathak dance and the next generation. Featured guests for this event include Chitresh Das Institute Artistic Director Charlotte Moraga and dancers Mayuka Sarukkai, Krtika Sharma, Gauri Bhatnagar, and Shruti Pai.

About the Film
Click here to view “Agni” 30-second film trailer
“Agni” is a meditation on the world burning. The film was awarded “Best Mini Arts and Fashion Film” at the 2021 iHollywood Film Festival. Brilliant filmmaker Alka Raghuram directed this short kathak dance film choreographed and conceived by Chitresh Das Institute Artistic Director Charlotte Moraga, music by renowned musician Alam Khan, and poetry, painting, design by Alka Raghuram. Cinematography by Anjali Sundaram.

This event is presented in partnership with the Chitresh Das Institute. Donations are greatly appreciated and will support programs. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Envision & Enact: Community Thriving
2021-08-14 16:00 - 17:30 | CA
WATCH THE EVENT LIVESTREAM:

OACC YouTube: https://youtu.be/LzIzLaro39Y
BAMBDFEST Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BAMBDFEST2019/videos/296000932318842

[THIS IS A VIRTUAL EVENT.]
UPDATE (7/30/21): In consideration of our presenters’ and audience members’ health and safety, we have decided to pivot this event to a VIRTUAL ONLY format and cancel all in-person components. We will notify attendees how you can access our event remotely. Please RSVP to receive the latest updates.
Oakland-based API and Black artists and community organizations unite for an afternoon of performance and dialogue centering our shared history, challenges, and vision for what safety look like in all communities. The event will open with a land acknowledgment by Kanyon Sayers-Roods, a member of the Costanoan Ohlone and Chumash people. Featured artists include Ayodele Nzinga, City of Oakland 2021 Poet Laureate and founding Producing Director of Lower Bottom Playaz, Inc., and Michelle Mush Lee, Principal and Founder of Whole Story Group. They will join in conversation with Oakland City Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas and moderator James Burch, Policy Director of the Anti Police-Terror Project.
The event is presented in partnership with the Black Arts Movement District Community Development Corporation as part of BAMBDFEST 2021. Donations are appreciated and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
BAMBDFEST 2021 is LIVE!
BAMBDFEST 2021 INTERNATIONAL is 31 days of art, culture, education, civic discourse, and networking events offered as a community celebration of our legacy of resilience, our massive reservoir of talent, and our legendary determination for equity and justice for Black People. BAMBDFEST 2021 is hybrid event offering both virtual and live programming. For more information on festival programming please head to bambdfest.com.

Featured Poets and Speakers

Kanyon Sayers-Roods is Costanoan Ohlone-Mutsun and Chumash; she also goes by her given Native name, “Coyote Woman”. She is proud of her heritage and her native name (though it comes with its own back story), and is very active in the Native Community. She is an Artist, Poet, Published Author, Activist, Student and Teacher. The daughter of Ann-Marie Sayers, she was raised in Indian Canyon, trust land of her family, which currently is one of the few spaces in Central California available for the Indigenous community for ceremony. Kanyon’s art has been featured at the De Young Museum, The Somarts Gallery, Gathering Tribes, Snag Magazine, and numerous Powwows and Indigenous Gatherings. She is a recent graduate of the Art Institute of California, Sunnyvale, obtaining her Associate and Bachelor of Science degrees in Web Design and Interactive Media. She is motivated to learn, teach, start conversations around decolonization and reindigenization, permaculture and to continue doing what she loves, Art. Learn more at https://kanyonkonsulting.com/coyotewoman/.

Ayodele Nzinga is the founding producing director of the Lower Bottom Playaz, Inc., Oakland’s oldest North American Theater Company. Nzinga is a multi-disciplined creative force; a brilliant actress, producing director, playwright, poet, dramaturg, performance consultant, educator, and community advocate. She is the founding Director of the Black Arts Movement Business District Community Development Corporation, Oakland, (BAMBD CDC); and founding producer of BAMBDFEST an annual international month-long arts and cultural festival celebrating and hosted by the Black Arts Movement and Business District in Oakland CA. Learn more at https://www.ayodelenzinga.com/.

Mush Lee is a writer, narrative strategist and CEO of Whole Story Group, LLC, an organizational consulting firm founded on the principles of equity, storytelling and transformative leadership. In 2019, she was invited to serve as one of the Cultural Affairs Division’s Cultural Strategist-in-Government (CSIG), where she worked in City departments to infuse policy-making and practices with new creative and culturally-competent thinking and problem-solving to promote civic belonging and well-being. Mush’s talks and writings have been featured on Vogue, HBO, PBS, AfroPop, Summit Series, Social Venture Network, National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE) and the Berkeley Communications Conference. A Harvard University, Project Zero Fellow, Mush is frequently a featured speaker on contemporary culture, racial justice and women of color in leadership. She has shared the stage with cultural powerhouses like Natalie Baszile, Hope Solo and Harrison Ford and spoken for Stop AAPI Hate and See Us Unite campaigns. Her writing is published in All the Women in My Family Sing, an anthology of essays by women of color at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Mush serves as a Cultural Affairs Commissioner and a member of the Funding Advisory Committee for the City of Oakland. Learn more at www.wholestorygroup.com / @wholestorygroup

For two decades, Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas has been an advocate for working people, leading the passage of policies in Oakland to create the building blocks for regional, state, and national change. A resident of District 2 for over 20 years and a lifelong community organizer, Councilmember Bas started out in Chinatown organizing Chinese immigrant garment workers to win their wages back. She also worked in coalitions to raise Oakland’s minimum wage with paid sick leave, create living wage jobs on the old Oakland Army Base, and reduce diesel truck pollution at the Port of Oakland. Learn more at https://www.oaklandca.gov/officials/nikki-fortunato-bas.

James Burch is the Policy Director for the Anti Police-Terror Project and the Justice Teams Network, and the President of the National Lawyers Guild, Bay Area. In 2007, he worked for the Southern Center for Human Rights where he investigated human rights conditions in GA and AL prisons, jails, and court systems. James left in 2009 to study civil rights law at Georgetown. After graduating, James moved to the Bay Area where he worked with the Frisco 500 before joining APTP’s Black Leadership Committee and assuming the role of Policy Director. Learn more at https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/.

FOODLINE: Mapping Our Diaspora from Culture to Conversation
2021-07-25 11:00 - 13:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
On Sunday, July 25th, join us as our special guests at this special soft-reopening event! We are excited to welcome you back to our center as you get to know our staff, enjoy an insightful program, learn taichi, and meet other OACC community members!
As part of this program, we will screen BLOODLINE followed by a conversation with Chef Tu, Chef Kevin Tang of Claws of Mantis, Chef Trung and Vy of Co Nam — moderated by Anne-Mary Pham of SDBH Podcast and An Choi Pop Up. Other highlights include an introduction to OACC’s team and a taichi lesson led by OACC’s Board Member, Evelyn Lee. Each attendee will also take home a staff curated map of “must-eat/see places” of Oakland plus a parting gift of bánh ít tôm thịt (Vietnamese little cake made with pork and shrimp) courtesy of EatingSaigon! and single-serve packets of Mr. Espresso Steeped Coffee.
Due to COVID-19 safety and precautions, the max capacity for this event is 80 guests, and masks are required at all times inside OACC. Please register in advance to attend.
OACC’s mission is to build vibrant communities through API arts and cultural programs by fostering inter-generational and cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, community collaboration, and social impact. Pre-pandemic, OACC was an affordable incubator for small businesses; a safe space for community organizations to gather; and a cultural hub for classes, public events, and exhibitions. This event will provide a chance for us to rebuild/recover our place in the community since closing our doors for over 15 months due to the pandemic.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Chef Tu David Phu: Phu is an Oakland, CA-born first-generation Vietnamese-American chef whose family hails from the island of Phu Quoc, accredited as the birthplace of fish sauce in Asia. Chef Tu’s family has been producing small-batch artisanal Phu Quoc Fish Sauce, considered Champagne of fish sauces, since 1895.

Chef Kevin Tang: Kevin is a first-generation Asian American from San Jose. He’s previously worked at Mister Jiu’s and most recently as the executive sous of Nari where he created his pop-up Claws of Mantis (CoM). CoM was born out of the pandemic as a way to help pay rent but blossomed into something so much more. Kevin and his team are set to debut a rotating multi-course menu in San Francisco, rooted in Southern Vietnamese cuisine and tastes of Asian American nostalgia.

Chef Trung & Vy: Husband-and-wife duo Trung Nguyen and executive chef Vy Lieou are owners of Co Nam of Polk Gulch in San Francisco and a second location in Oakland focused on Vietnamese street food along with a few options on the higher end. They style Co Nam after the Vietnamese quán nhậu. “It means a place of eating and drinking,” said Nguyen, likening it to a Vietnamese version of a Japanese izakaya or a British gastropub, essentially a neighborhood hangout where residents can stop in on their way home from work, or when they’re just on the hunt for a place to linger in the evening.

Anne-Mary Pham: Anne-Mary Pham, better known as AMP is a first-generation Vietnamese-American from Los Angeles but now calls San Francisco home. She is a retired pop-up chef (An Choi Bep) and co-host of a Bay Area-based food podcast called SitDownBeHungry. You will often find her grinning ear to ear and eating.
COVID-19 POLICY
At the moment, this program will be held in person at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) Auditorium (subject to change). We may decide to shift to a remote-friendly (virtual) format at any time leading up to the event and will notify attendees ASAP if we do so.
Please note OACC’s Onsite Visitor Policy
1. ALL individuals including minors must fill out our online Health Declaration Form approximately 24 hours before the event. If you forget to fill it out in advance, we will have QR codes available onsite for you to access the form as well.
2. ALL individuals will have their temperature checked by OACC staff with a contactless thermometer.
3. In accordance with County recommendations, ALL individuals are required to wear masks AT ALL TIMES while inside OACC’s facility regardless of vaccination status.
*If you are experiencing symptoms typical of COVID-19 (list of possible symptoms: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html), please do not enter our facility and promptly seek medical assistance.
Not vaccinated? We strongly encourage individuals who are NOT vaccinated against COVID-19 to refrain from attending OACC programs in-person and instead utilize our remote-friendly (virtual) options. The majority of our programs will be remotely accessible on OACC’s YouTube channel so you won’t be missing out! For more information about vaccinations, please visit: https://www.vaccines.gov/.
Thank you for your cooperation in making our space safe for everyone,
OACC Staff

ESSENTIAL TRUTHS Anthology Readings - East Bay Showcase
2021-07-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
[THIS IS A VIRTUAL EVENT HOSTED ON ZOOM; NO IN-PERSON GATHERING AVAILABLE.]
Join the East Bay launch of Write Now SF Bay’s newest anthology!
This fourth anthology features 130 BIPOC writers and artists responding our times with prose, poetry, and visual art reflecting today’s Bay Area realities. The pandemic and other events have tested every fiber of our being and shaken relationships with family, community, the nation, and the earth itself. As our basic assumptions about life were upended again and again, what essential truths emerged?

What has it been like living with uncertainty?
What did we lose, what have we released, what have we gained?
What has tested and inspired us as people of color or allies?
What gives us strength to keep going?
What have we learned? How are we working for positive, sustainable change?

Write Now! SF Bay supports writing and art by Bay Area BIPOC.
Learn more here: https://www.writenowsf.com
Click here to order Essential Truths.
This event is presented in partnership by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and Write Now! SF Bay. It is FREE and donations are greatly appreciated to support our programs. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Key Presenters
Invocation by: Rafael Jesús González, Poet Laureate of Berkeley
Readings and presentations by (listed alphabetically):

Adrian Arias, Peruvian visual artist, poet, and performance artist
Avotcja, poet, musician, DJ at KPOO and KPFA radio (https://avotcja.org)
Clara Hsu, Chinese American poet, director of Clarion Performing Arts Center (https://clarionmusic.com)
danny ryu, Asian American healer and poet, exploring themes of interconnectedness, memory, grief, (dis)integration, liminality, and queer trans/bipoc creativity challenging injustice
Darzelle Oliveros, Filipinx poet, student at City College of San Francisco
Dianne Leo-Omine, Chinese American writer and culinary and pastry arts consultant (https://sweetleoomine.com)
Elmaz Abinader, Lebanese American writer and poet, co-founder of VONA/Voices and English professor at Mills College (www.elmazabinader.com)
Hari Srinivasan, poet, writer, journalist at The Daily Californian and advocate tor disability justice
Kelechi Ubozoh, Nigerian American mental health and anti-Black racism writer, editor, speaker and consultant (https://kelechiubozoh.com)
Karen Seneferu, African American artist and curator, founder of The Black Woman Is God project (SOMArts virtual exhibit: https://somarts.org/tbwigvirtual2020/)
Sandra Bass, essayist, UC Berkeley Associate Dean and Director of the Public Service Center
Shirley Huey, Chinese American poet, writer, and zine editor (https://lunchboxmoments.com/About)
Shizue Seigel, Japanese American writer, artist, editor of Essential Truths (https://www.shizueseigel.com)
Sridevi Ramanathan, Indian American writer and scholar in women’s spirituality
Susana Praver-Pérez, poet, Assistant Medical Director, Clinica de la Raza, Oakland (https://www.nomadicpress.org/store/hurricanesloveaffairsandotherdisasters)
Tiny (aka Lisa Gray-Garcia) is a formerly unhoused, incarcerated poverty scholar, revolutionary journalist, lecturer, poet, visionary, teacher, single mama and the co-founder of Poor Magazine (http://www.poormagazine.org)
Tony Aldorondo, Puerto Rican American poet/performer draws from his Puerto Rican heritage, Shakespearean training and well-traveled humanity.
Tureeda Mikell, poet, storyteller, energy therapist. poet in the schools (https://www.nomadicpress.org/store/synchronicity)

MINARI: Virtual Screening & Community Talk
2021-07-09 17:00 - 2021-07-10 14:30 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
[THIS IS A VIRTUAL EVENT; NO IN-PERSON GATHERING AVAILABLE.]
Kick off your summer with a special screening of the Academy Award-winning “Minari” followed by a community talk reflecting on our shared and diverse immigrant experiences. Please check out our schedule below for program details. For the July 10th community talk, you are not required to have watched MINARI in advance to enjoy and participate in the conversation (there might be spoilers tho!).
This event was presented in partnership by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and Korean Center, Inc. The virtual screening was sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in San Francisco.
EVENT 1: MINARI Screening *limited capacity, U.S. viewers only*
[VIRTUAL EVENT]
Length: accessible online to confirmed guests starting at 5pm (film is 1hr 56 min.)

Our virtual screening capacity is limited to 100 tickets, first-come, first-serve. Per A24 terms, tickets are nontransferable once claimed.
Per A24 terms, this virtual screening is only available to U.S. viewers, and unfortunately cannot accommodate guests outside of the U.S.
Learn more about Minari.

Alternative in-person & virtual screening options:

MINARI is currently available to stream on YouTube, Google Play, and Amazon Prime for $19.99. If you have the financial means to rent the film, we appreciate your support in making our screening tickets available to others who may not be able to afford and access the streaming service options.

EVENT 2: ‘What is your minari?’ Community Talk
[VIRTUAL EVENT]
Length: 1pm-2:30pm Pacific (90 min.)
Did you and/or your family immigrate to the United States during the 80s, the time period MINARI is set in? Know someone who has an incredible story about their immigration journey to the States? Join us for an afternoon of story-sharing and reflection upon our shared and unique immigrant experiences. Our guest speakers will share their own stories and perspectives from 1st and 2nd generation immigrant experiences.
Featured Guests:

Jason Bayani – Artistic Director, Kearny Street Workshop
Sarah Kim-Lee – KCI Board Member | Chef & Cooking Instructor (IG: @sarahkim_lee)
Christine No – Advocacy Program Manager, ARTogether
Lorraine Sumulong – OACC Board Member | Senior Regional Attorney, FDIC

Political Inheritance: An Exploration of AAPI Political Agency & Identities
2021-07-01 - 2021-08-31 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, Oakland, CA, 94607
[THIS IS AN ONSITE EXHIBITION DISPLAYED IN OACC’S WINDOWS. IT CAN BE VIEWED WITHOUT ENTERING OACC’S FACILITY.]
For more information about this exhibit, visit: https://www.politicalinheritance.com/
This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Asian American Women Artists Association and will be displayed in OACC’s exterior windows (viewable from outside). No appointments necessary.

Celebrating Our HeART-filled Heritage: Queer Taiko
2021-06-26 16:00 - 17:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Queer Taiko will take center stage with a full live broadcast of energetic, thunderous taiko drumming right from OACC’s Auditorium! Led by acclaimed taiko artist Kristy Oshiro, this Bay Area-based community ensemble is a diverse group of LGBTQIA+ and allies committed to building community and awareness through Japanese taiko drumming

Their spirited performance showcase will be followed by an interactive workshop and audience Q&A session.

About Queer Taiko: https://www.meetup.com/queertaiko/

About the Series
“Celebrating Our HeART-filled Heritage” champions local Asian and Asian Pacific Islander performing artists, with the goal of providing a platform for accomplished local performing artists and exposing our diverse community in the East Bay to compelling, culturally relevant artists and performances that inspire intergenerational and cross-cultural exchange. The performing arts series is supported in part by the Walter and Elise Haas Fund.
Donations are appreciated and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Community Rising
2021-06-25 18:00 - 19:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Community safety starts with us.
OACC invites you to join a mini-concert and conversation with artists, activists, and community organizers to re-imagine what safety can look like for our communities. We’ll open with an exclusive performance featuring jason chu and Alan Z, lead artists of the Face Value album. After the performance, they will join a conversation with Oakland-local community representatives:

Lynn – AYPAL youth
Sakhone Lasaphangthong – Oakland Chinatown Ambassador program
Joy Ng – Hip Hop x Asian America

The recent attacks on Asian Americans are not new – they’re rooted in a long history of white supremacy and xenophobia that pits Asian Americans against other people of color, and scapegoats us in times of crisis. For generations, Asian immigrants and refugees built cultural communities alongside other working class communities of color in Oakland. Neighborhoods like Chinatown and Eastlake became landing places for new immigrants, havens for families to raise kids and grow old. But over the past few decades, our communities have been destabilized by the growing gap between rich and poor, skyrocketing housing costs, and deep budget cuts to our schools and public services.
This month, the Oakland City Council is set to vote on whether to throw even more money into policing that further destabilizes our communities or whether to pass a People’s Budget that puts our tax dollars where we need it most – into housing, critical public services, mental health, arts, and youth services. Community safety starts with us: building trust and connection, repairing past harms, and having each other’s backs.
Narrative Credit: Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)
This event is supported in part by APEN, OCA-Asian American Advocates’ East Bay Chapter, and AYPAL. It is FREE with suggested donations greatly appreciated to support our programs and partners. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Featured Artists

Rapper/Activist jason chu (image left) speaks hope and healing in a broken world. He blends crafted lyricism with high energy performances. Most recently, jason’s work has been curated in the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs virtual exhibition Reimagine Public Art: House and Home. His music has been heard on Warrior (HBO Max), Snowpiercer (TNT), and Wu Assassins (Netflix). He has shared poetry at the Obama White House, been featured in the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, and presented at the Getty Center, Flushing Town Hall, the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, and the Museum of Chinese in America.
A triple threat in the entertainment industry, Alan Z (image right) intricately weaves hip-hop aggression, R&B melodies, and pop sensibilities into a tapestry that defines stereotypes and labels. He is a mainstay in the Atlanta scene with a national audience garnered from performing coast-to-coast and generating viral attention on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. His music has been heard on Wu Assassins (Netflix), iZombie (The CW), and eSports Athletes Rising (Fox Sports 1). Alan Z has worked with several prominent artists, including Full Force, Raphael Saadiq, and Shanice Wilson.

Swimming to Freedom Book Talk with Kent and Freddie Wong
2021-06-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Join us for a special celebration of Kent Wong’s debut publication, Swimming to Freedom: My Escape from China and the Cultural Revolution, a memoir of a childhood amid revolutionary times and a moving testament to the human spirit. Kent will be joined by his son, Freddie (2014 Webby for Film and Video Person of the Year), for a father-son conversation exploring Kent’s journey and the making of this book.
Click here to purchase Swimming to Freedom.
This event is presented in partnership by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and Abrams Books. Special thanks to Mustard Square for supporting this event as well. It is FREE and donations are greatly appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

About Swimming to Freedom
When Wong was a young boy, he lived in the newly established People’s Republic of China. His father was a patriotic Chinese official, hailed as a hero. But as the Cultural Revolution closed schools, plunged the country into chaos, and scattered Kent and his sisters to disparate villages where they struggled to eke out a bare existence, Wong realized he had no future in China. Years later he joined a dissident underground group and heard about fellow countrymen braving extraordinary hardship to reach freedom by swimming across miles of open water to Hong Kong. Wong decided to risk his life for a better future; in 1974, he joined an estimated half million “freedom swimmers” who risked everything to escape hardship and oppression.

About the Speakers
In 1974, Kent Wong escaped the Cultural Revolution over water to Hong Kong, and shortly after moved to the United States as a refugee. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington, his MD at Harvard Medical School, and after a residency at Stanford, he practiced as an anesthesiologist. He is now retired and lives near Seattle. His son, Freddie Wong, is a successful filmmaker, musician, VFX artist, podcaster, and competitive gamer, with a YouTube channel with over 9 million subscribers.
As an online video pioneer, Freddie Wong was featured in Forbes’ 2015 30 under 30, Hollywood Reporter’s Silicon Beach Power 25, and won the 2014 Webby for Film and Video Person of the Year. He co-directed the award-winning series Video Game High School, as well as Hulu’s RocketJump: The Show, and Dimension 404.

Kids Storytime: "Wishes" by Mượn Thị Văn & "When Lola Visits" by Michelle Sterling
2021-06-06 13:00 - 14:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Enjoy two read-a-loud new children’s picture books; Wishes by Mượn Thị Văn, and When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling.
Join us in our kids drawing activity and bring a drawing of your grandparent to share!

Featured Books (click on the hyperlinked titles to purchase your copy!)

Wishes is a new children’s book by New York Times bestselling author Mượn Thị Văn , illustrated by Victo Ngai, published by Scholastic Books May 2021. This is an arresting, poetic journey about one Vietnamese family’s search for a new home on the other side of the world, and the long-lasting and powerful impact that it makes on the littlest member of the family. Inspired by actual events in the author’s life, this is a moving reflection on immigration, family, and home. A beautifully illustrated poem becomes a harrowing refugee flight from home into dangerous ocean waters and an unknown destiny.

WHEN LOLA VISITS is written by Michelle Sterling, illustrated by Aaron Asis and published by HarperCollins May 2021. For one young girl, summer is the season of no school, of days spent at the pool, of picking golden limes off the trees. But summer doesn’t start until her lola—her grandmother from the Philippines—comes for her annual visit. Summer is special. For her lola fills the house with the aroma of mango jam, funny stories of baking mishaps, and her quiet sweet singing in Tagalog. And in turn, her granddaughter brings Lola to the beach, to view fireworks at the park, and to catch fish at their lake. When Lola comes, the whole family gathers to cook and eat and share in their happiness of another season spent together. Yet as summer transitions to fall, her lola must return home—but not without a surprise for her granddaughter to preserve their special summer a bit longer.

This event is presented in partnership by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and Eastwind Books of Berkeley. It is FREE and donations are greatly appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

"Instant Pot Asian Pressure Cooker Meals" Book Talk & Cooking Demo
2021-05-22 15:00 - 16:00 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Pat Tanumihardja joins us for a conversation about her cookbook, ingredients, recipe conversion to instant pot techniques, and how she came to write cookbooks. She’ll also give a quick demo of a recipe!
Click here to purchase Instant Pot Asian Pressure Cooker Meals.

This event is presented in partnership by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and Eastwind Books of Berkeley. It is FREE and donations are greatly appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Celebrating Our HeART-filled Heritage: Leela Dance Collective
2021-05-15 16:00 - 17:30 | CA
After a year of zoom calls, virtual rehearsals, and a lot of alone time, it feels as if we are constantly connected, yet still isolated. This livestream performance represents the many ways in which we have been navigating this unprecedented time, working to channel our art in order to connect when it is more important than ever before.

Tune in at 4pm PT and watch as Leela Dance Collective ensemble members take kathak to the streets, performing against the backdrop of our unusually quiet cityscapes. Featuring excerpts from California Gharana, this innovative repertoire represents the work of legendary kathak artist Pandit Chitresh Das. After the performance, participate in an introductory kathak workshop and experience the way that kathak dance can ground the body, focus the mind, and uplift the spirit. Find a hard floor or surface to dance on and get ready to sweat!

Finally, don’t miss the live Q&A session with Leela Dance Collective ensemble dancers! Hear about how they have been surviving and thriving as a collective during the pandemic, and what it is like for this next generation of dancers to be carrying the tradition forward.

About Leela Dance Collective: https://leela.dance/collective/
Event Access: This event was livestreamed on Leela Dance Collective’s YouTube channel and OACC’s Facebook Event Page.

About the Series
“Celebrating Our HeART-filled Heritage” champions local Asian and Asian Pacific Islander performing artists, with the goal of providing a platform for accomplished local performing artists and exposing our diverse community in the East Bay to compelling, culturally relevant artists and performances that inspire intergenerational and cross-cultural exchange. The performing arts series is supported in part by the Walter and Elise Haas Fund.
Donations are appreciated and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

140 LBS + OVER 140 LBS: A Virtual Double-Feature
2021-05-07 18:00 - 2021-05-09 19:30 | CA
Showtimes & Details
All virtual screenings will be accompanied with an opportunity for reflection and Q&A with playwright and actor Susan Lieu. Each Q&A session after the screening will have a curated focus addressing a particular theme from the productions. Click on the links below to buy tickets, and view more details.

Date
Time (PDT)
Production – Topic & Guests

Friday, May 7th
5:30-7:30 PM

140 LBS – “The Feminine Mystique: Navigating Body Images in Motherhood” with Sarah LaFleur, Founder & CEO of M.M.LaFleur

Saturday, May 8th
4:00-6:00 PM
140 LBS – “Honor Her: Holding Remembrance and Grief with our own Mental Health” with Alica Forneret, creator of The Mourning Herald and Holly Chan & Elizabeth Wong, co-creators of Death Over Dim Sum

Saturday, May 8th
7:00-9:30 PM
OVER 140 LBS – “Reclaiming Our Bodies: Deconstructing & Disowning Female Beauty Standards” with Sophia Sun and Da Eun Kim, co-hosts of bamboo & glass & Elizabeth Scott, Co-Founder & Director of Training for The Body Positive

Sunday, May 9th
2:00-4:00 PM
140 LBS – “Parent-Child Relationships: Processing Trauma & Healing through Artistic Expression” with Melanie Elvena, Programs Manager of Asian American Women Artists Association

Sunday, May 9th
5:00-7:30 PM
OVER 140 LBS – “Preserving the Matriarchy: Bridging Intergenerational and Cross-Cultural Tension” with Philip Nguyen, President of the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations & Christine Tran, Managing Director for the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association

Family is complicated. Whether your mother is alive or gone, close or distant, join us Mother’s Day weekend for Susan’s comedy-dramas about grief, family dynamics, spirituality, beauty, and Vietnamese culture. Following a successful virtual program last November, OACC is excited to once again present 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother along with its sequel, OVER 140 LBS, for a special Mother’s Day double-feature presentation! These solo theater works were written and performed by Susan Lieu, a first-generation American born to Vietnamese refugees. Susan’s performances weaves together several through-lines: inter-generational trauma; parent-child relationships; body insecurity and shame; repression and healing from personal loss; lack of accountability in the medical system; Vietnamese folkloric practice of spirit channeling. These plays speak to a wide variety of communities as it lies at the intersection of different identities and lived experiences. Her work has been featured in the L.A. Times, NPR, The Washington Post (The Lily), NBC News, American Theatre, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Seattle Times.

About 140 LBS
Production length: 65 min | Total event length: 2 hours
Two hours into surgery, Susan’s mother loses oxygen to her brain and the plastic surgeon deliberately does not call 9-1-1 for fourteen minutes. Five days later, while in a coma, she flatlines. The surgeon is charged with medical negligence and her family falls apart; no one talks about what happened. Nineteen years later on her wedding day, Susan’s mother’s seat sits empty and Susan realizes she can no longer ignore what she’s always wanted: to know who her mother was. Sifting through thousands of deposition pages and reaching out to the killer’s family, Susan uncovers the painful truth of her mother, herself, and the impossible ideal of Vietnamese feminine beauty.
Watch the 140 LBS Trailer: https://youtu.be/JlW3EIxVJSc

About OVER 140 LBS
Production length: 84 min | Total event length: 2.5 hours
Almost 9 months pregnant, Susan is terrified of becoming a mother when she didn’t know her own. Stifled by the shame and silence of her mother’s early death, Susan needs to figure out how to deal with the intergenerational trauma she’s inherited before the baby is born.
The sequel to 140 LBS with some overlapping content.

Eat & Watch Together

Food is one of our love languages. Give the gift of chocolates and a show to honor or remember your favorite nurturer out there. Susan Lieu is also the co-founder of Socola Chocolatier, an artisanal chocolate company in San Francisco. She’s teaming up with her co-founder sister Wendy to offer Mother Day Edition: The Little Saigon Box which will feature a “Má Nhớ Con” chocolate which means “mother remembers and misses you, child” in Vietnamese. This line is significant in the 140 LBS show and we hope you find out why.
The Little Saigon Box features nine of Socola’s most iconic Vietnamese flavors presented as a four-course meal including Vietnamese Coffee, Phở, Sriracha, Durian, Passion Fruit, Lychee, and more. Order by 4/30 for guaranteed Mother’s Day delivery. All orders will ship out the week of May 3rd so they can be enjoyed with the show! Order HERE

Thank you to our Key Sponsors!

Naja Pham Lockwood, Founder and CEO of RYSE Media which is dedicated to funding and producing independent storytelling that is engaging with social impact. And of late, supporting stories that conveys the richness and diverse stories of Asian Americans as a deep part of the American fabric.

M.M.LaFleur is the premiere women’s clothing brand for modern working women, founded in 2013 by Sarah LaFleur, a former management consultant, and Miyako Nakamura, the former head designer of Zac Posen. M.M.’s goal is to take the work out of getting dressed by offering versatile, easy to care for luxury-quality pieces. Built on the core belief that when women succeed, the world becomes a better place, the company is committed to using its products and platform to partner on empowerment-based initiatives with organizations including Bottomless Closet, She Should Run, The Girl Scouts, and IRC. The brand’s award-winning digital magazine, The M Dash, offers readers wardrobe advice and career tips, as well as features interviews with inspirational women.

Marketing Sponsors

Alica Forneret
Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA)
bamboo & glass
Death Over Dim Sum
The Body Positive
Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA)
Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA)

Panel Discussion: The AAPI Experience — Listen, Learn, Act!
2021-05-04 12:00 - 13:00 | CA
Together with Dr. Russell Jeung (co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Ethnic Studies Chair at SFSU) and Saly Lee (Executive Director of OACC), Jordyn Lee (Amyris) will shed light on the AAPI experience, discuss the nuances of the current racial justice movement we’re experiencing, and offer ways to get involved locally and nationally. Join us to listen, learn, act!

About the Speakers & Moderator
Dr. Russell Jeung obtained his PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2000. In 2020, Dr. Jeung launched Stop AAPI Hate, a project of Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, and SF State Asian American Studies. It tracks Covid-19 related discrimination in order to develop community resources and policy interventions to fight racism. Saly is a first-generation Korean immigrant. Before coming to OACC, Saly was the Operations Manager for the Korean American Community Foundation in San Francisco, where she learned about non-profit management, grantmaking, and fundraising. Prior to that, she has developed and overseen culturally based arts programs for leading art institutions such as the Seattle Art Museum and Asian Art Museum. Jordyn Lee is a science communicator passionate about the vast potential of synthetic biology. She believes that with the right words, no topic is “too technical” and is driven by the challenge of making complex science understandable – and better yet, exciting. Jordyn is currently the senior manager of corporate communications at Amyris.

46 Years After the End of the Vietnam War: A Conversation About Empathy & Healing
2021-05-01 17:30 - 18:45 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
View the Recording.
In commemoration of the 46th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, Quế Mai, author of The Mountains Sing, and Thi Bui, 2018 Caldecott Honor winner and Eisner Award finalist for her illustrated memoir, The Best We Could Do, will join in a special conversation with Philip Nguyen, President of the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA).
This event will also include a short presentation and wellness exercise by Asian Health Services’ Specialty Mental Health Division staff.

Support your local/regional bookseller!

Brookline Booksmith (East Coast): The Mountains Sing (author signed bookplate included!) and The Best We Could Do
Eastwind Books of Berkeley (West Coast): The Mountains Sing (author signed bookplate included!) and The Best We Could Do

Our Partners
This event is presented in partnership by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Algonquin Books, the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith (Twitter: @TLSBooksmith, IG: @transnational.booksmith), Asian Health Services Specialty Mental Health Division, the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN), the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA), PIVOT – The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization and Eastwind Books of Berkeley.
This event is FREE and donations are greatly appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Our Speakers
Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is an award-winning writer in both Vietnamese and English. Her eight books of poetry, short fiction and non-fiction in Vietnamese have received the Poetry of the Year 2010 Award from the Hanoi Writers Association, the Capital’s Literature & Arts Award, and First Prize in the Poetry Competition celebrating 1,000 Years of Hanoi. Her debut novel and first book in English, THE MOUNTAINS SING, is an International Bestseller, a New York Times Editors’ Choice Selection, Winner of the 2020 BookBrowse Best Debut Award, Winner of the Blogger’s Book Prize 2021, and Winner of the 2020 Lannan Literary Award Fellowship for “a work of exceptional quality” and for “contribution to peace and reconciliation”. Quế Mai is an editor of DVAN’s publishing series with Kaya Press and Texas Tech University Press. She has a PhD in Creative Writing with Lancaster University. Her writing has been translated and published in more than fifteen countries. She has just been named by Forbes Vietnam as one of 20 inspiring Vietnamese women of 2021. For more information, visit www.nguyenphanquemai.com.
Thi Bui was born in Vietnam and came to the United States in 1978 as part of the “boat people” wave of refugees fleeing Southeast Asia at the end of the Vietnam War. Her debut graphic memoir, The Best We Could Do (Abrams ComicArts, 2017) won an American Book Award and been selected as an NEA Big Reads book, a Common Book for UCLA and other colleges and universities, an all-city read by Seattle and San Francisco public libraries, a National Book Critics Circle finalist in autobiography, and an Eisner Award finalist in reality-based comics. It made over thirty best of 2017 book lists, including Bill Gates’ top five picks. She illustrated the picture book, A Different Pond, written by the poet Bao Phi (Capstone, 2017), for which she won a Caldecott Honor. With her son, Hien, she co-illustrated the children’s book, Chicken of the Sea (McSweeney’s, 2019), written by Pulitzer winner Viet Thanh Nguyen and his son, Ellison. Her short comics can be found online at Reveal, The Nib, PEN America, and BOOM California. She is currently researching and drawing a work of graphic nonfiction about immigrant detention and deportation, to be published by One World, Random House. For more information, visit https://www.thibui.com/

Moments of Expression
2021-05-01 - 2021-06-20 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, Oakland, CA, 94607
Support Our Fundraiser: Purchase one of Peter’s paintings between June 20~July 4, 2021 and 50% of the proceeds will go to OACC! View artworks and purchase HERE.

“Staring out the window of the plane I realized that I was painting again. It was only in my mind, but that was enough to make me want to pick up a brush again. I was being called to paint.”

Insights by Sienna Parker
With ebb and flow, between simplicity and cacophony, we yearn for moments of calm and ease, yet we strive for the challenges that often follows a hunger, We let our past experiences guide us, while we also desire transformation anew. At times we are profound beings pondering greater meaning, and in other moments we are but creatures who relent to the base emotions of our unknowing and explorations.
In his paintings, Peter Gee contemplates and expresses these juxtapositions. His paintings contain an intentionality drawing from decades of dedicated mastery and honing of skill. He approaches his artistic practice with a Zen mind allowing forms, flourishes, and accents to occur without explicit analysis. It is with this approach that allows each of Gee’s paintings to tell different stories that together form their ever changing narrative.

In the present body of work “Moments of Expression”, pieces mostly completed within the past five years, Peter Gee invites viewers into his exploration of mind and spirit. Whether alluding to his childhood memory of childhood Chinese school and the repetitive practice of calligraphy, to exploring the boundaries of common concepts like circular discourse, Gee’s paintings insist that identity cannot be segmented and categorized. Rather, his art elaborates on the harmonies with contrasts that compose life, and allow viewers to share in this experience.

Fighting for Immigrant and Refugee Rights: Perspectives from Asian American Community Organizing
2021-04-24 13:00 - 14:30 | CA
View the event livestream here.
From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to present-day Public Charge, the U.S. has a history of enacting government-sanctioned efforts denying rights and justice to immigrants and refugees, particularly those from communities of color. In response, Asian Pacific American communities have repeatedly risen and organized against such exclusionary legislation and continue to rally for APIA and other communities’ most vulnerable populations to this day. Learn from the experiences and perspectives of intergenerational and cross-cultural community organizing, and how you can become an active agent of change for migrant justice. A panel of community experts will engage in conversation with Harvey Dong, UC Berkeley professor of Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies. Panelists include Amy Y. Lin (community member at ASPIRE), Loan Thi Dao (author of Generation Rising), Nathaniel Tan (Co-Director of Asian Prisoner Support Committee), and Sunita Sohrabji (staff reporter at India-West). More info about our speakers are available below.
This event is part of the “Community Voices to Empower Change” series in partnership with Eastwind Books of Berkeley. It will be broadcast on Zoom and YouTube Live. Donations are appreciated and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit calhum.org.

PANELISTS

Amy Lin is a member of ASPIRE. ASPIRE is the first organizing collective led by undocumented API migrants and a program of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus. ASPIRE’s mission is to empower undocumented API young people to educate, advocate, organize, and mobilize for the rights of immigrant families. As a member, Amy has worked to broaden healthcare access for all undocumented migrants via #Health4All local and state advocacy, develop and deliver accessible Know Your Rights and youth political education materials, and on other issues for cross-racial solidarity and migrant justice.

Loan Thi Dao (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor and Director of Ethnic Studies at St. Mary’s College of California. She specializes in Southeast Asian refugee migration and community development, immigrant and refugee youth, social movements, and Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR). Dao has published on topics related to memory and war in cultural productions, Vietnamese American female leadership, undocumented AAPI activists, transnational activism, and Southeast Asian American deportation. She teaches interdisciplinary ethnic studies courses, and her service has included leadership positions in student groups, cultural productions, diversity and inclusion initiatives and training, immigrant rights and policy advocacy, and on boards of Southeast Asian American community organizations. She previously served on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Asian American Commission and as a Governor-appointed advisor to the Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants.
Purchase your copy of Generation Rising from Eastwind Books!

Nathaniel Tan is a Co-Director for the Asian Prisoner Support Committee. He has facilitated Ethnic Studies/Asian American studies inside San Quentin State Prison for over five years through APSC’s ROOTS (Restoring Our Original True Selves). From the relationships he built inside, he began organizing freedom campaigns to release people transferred to ICE from state prisons. Some campaigns that he has participated in include: #KeepPJHome, #FreeNy, #PardonRefugees, and currently #StopICEtransfers. He writes about movement work in his free time. He commits to this work in order to see more loved ones reunited with their families who have been separated by prisons, ICE and deportation.

Sunita Sohrabji is a staff reporter at India-West, a national weekly U.S. newspaper. She covers immigration – with a focus on business immigration – crime, local and national politics, community issues and events. Sohrabji is also a contributing editor at Ethnic Media Services. Since late March, 2020, Sohrabji has organized and moderated a series of weekly Friday briefings for ethnic media reporters, on the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on communities of color. The series has also focused on issues related to the pandemic, such as housing and food insecurity, the increased labor burden for women, the rise of domestic violence and hate crimes against the Asian American community, the inequities of vaccine distribution, and much more. Sohrabji has received 10 local and national awards for excellence in journalism.

MODERATOR

Harvey Dong is interested in research and writing about the evolution of Asian American and Third World social movement activism on campus and in the communities. He was also involved in the I-Hotel History Committee to write a timeline history of struggle. He teaches Asian American Studies at UC Berkeley and was awarded the 2016 American Cultures Ronald Takaki Teaching Award. He uses his community work experience to bring life to his Asian American history, Chinese American history and Contemporary Issues course. Many of his students have gone on to work in social justice causes.
