An Orphan For You Conference
2020-02-22 - 2020-02-23 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
OACC is proud to host Day 2 of “An Orphan for You”: The Rise of Korean Adoption in the 1970s and 80s, a free conference in Berkeley and Oakland, CA. The conference will take place over two days, from February 22-23, 2020.During the 1970s and 80s, South Korea sent the largest number of children overseas for adoption – over 112,000 out of an estimated 200,000 globally – leading some to refer to the country as “the land of orphans.” But many Korean children, perhaps the majority, who were sent overseas for adoption were social orphans who had at least one living parent and, in some cases, an intact family.
What were the factors in South Korea that resulted in so many children being sent overseas at a time of rapid industrialization and rising wealth? What fueled interest in adopting Korean children among parents in the U.S.?
Co-presented by Me & Korea, Mu Films, Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies (U.C. Berkeley), and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
Visit https://meandkorea.org/conference to learn more.

Recalling the Ancestors: Buddhism and the WWII Japanese American Internment
2020-02-22 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Nearly all Japanese Americans were subject to accusations of disloyalty during World War II, but Buddhists aroused particular suspicion. In this pathbreaking account, Duncan Ryūken Williams reveals how, even as they were stripped of their homes and imprisoned in camps, Japanese American Buddhists launched one of the most inspiring defenses of religious freedom in our nation’s history, insisting that they could be both Buddhist and American.
About Duncan Ryuken Williams
An ordained Buddhist priest in the Soto Zen tradition, Duncan Ryūken Williams has spent years piecing together the story of the Japanese American community during World War II. A renowned scholar of Buddhism, he is now the Director of the Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture at the University of Southern California.
In honor of Day of Remembrance, Buddhist priest and scholar Duncan Ryuken Williams will be leading a reading and discussion of his book American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War.
This event is free with a $3-5 suggested donation. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Reflections on Home
2020-03-01 - 2020-03-28 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
“Reflections on Home” features the work of Bay Area immigrant artists, each expressing their reflections on “home” and “belonging”. As these themes become political points in national policies, especially for people of color living in the US, the immigrant women showcased in this exhibition are firmly making their roots known through a proclamation of their “home” though the visual arts.
Co-sponsored by Oakland Asian Cultural Center, ARTogether, and Gathering All Muslim Artists (GAMA).
Image credit (detail): “Finding Home” by Patricia Rojas-Zambrano
Save-The-Date!
Check out “Tea Around The World” in support of the artists and this exhibition on Sunday, March 22nd, 2-5pm! Details TBD.

Memory Vignettes & Poem-Paintings Series
2020-03-06 - 2020-06-30 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
UPDATE: This exhibition has been extended to June 30, 2020.
“As a woman, Hindu, Muslim, artist, and mother, I work to create harmony by expressing the universality of humanity through paintings, sculpture, and calligraphy…I use my artistic voice to break down the barriers that divide in order to foster peace and understanding.” – Salma Arastu
Salma Arastu started these series in 2005 driving inspiration from her childhood memories from Rajasthan, India and stories of youth spent in Hyderabad, India, Iran and Kuwait. The paintings from these series are three dimensional, mixed media on Board. Predominantly square in shape these are smaller in size but innovative works that are driving inspiration from Indo-Persian miniature paintings and Folk art while pushing the boundaries of form, composition, and narrative to emphasize the messages visually.
After moving to San Francisco Bay area in 2007 she did several paintings of small homes in the bay Area with courtyards and Cherry Blossoms in the yards which she says were reminiscent of homes back in India. Later she adopted same soft colors palette, creating process and technique to translate Rumi’s spiritual poems in paintings. She says these works offer relaxation, meditative moods.
Press:
Los Angeles Times – With canvas and Quran, one artist aims to make Islamic calligraphy a universal language By Kimberly Winston

Closed to the public
2020-03-15 - 2020-03-31 | CA

Community Voices to Empower Change Series
2020-04-19 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States

Our Communities, Climate Change, and COVID-19
2020-04-19 13:00 - 14:30 | CA
Missed the event? View the recording below.

Author and scholar Julie Sze will discuss how the climate crisis connects with struggles against racism, gender violence, and the exploitation of people and natural resources. In conversation with environmental justice activist Ratha Lai, Asian Pacific Environmental Network representative Shina Robinson, and the Chair and Professor of Asian American Studies at SFSU Dr. Russell Jeung, the panel will discuss how the immigrant and refugee communities are impacted by urban and rural pollution and how communities mobilize for change and justice. The panel will also explore recent questions on the COVID-19 response in our communities.
This event will be streamed live via Zoom – RSVP is required to obtain access details. A recording of the event will also be posted online afterward for further viewing.
This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-pro t partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit calhum.org.
~~~
About the author and panel:
Julie Sze is Professor of American Studies and Founding Director of the Environmental Justice Project at the University of California, Davis. She has authored and edited two other books and numerous articles on environmental justice and inequality, culture and environment, and urban and community health and activism.
Ratha Lai has worked for 10 years as an environmental justice activist with the Greenlining Institute, Greenlining Action, Sierra Club Bay Chapter, the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Richmond Our Power Coalition, and the Solidarity to Solutions Week of Action in 2018. He is currently Executive Director of Critical Impact Consulting and a devoted father to his 4-year-old daughter.
Shina Robinson currently serves as the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)’s Local Policy Associate. She organizes our member leaders to pass and implement policies for community resistance and resilience in Oakland, Richmond and statewide partners.
Dr. Russell M. Jeung is Chair and Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. The author of books and articles on Asian Americans, religion, and race, he’s a community activist and church leader in East Oakland, CA.
~
Sponsored by Eastwind Books of Berkeley, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, California Humanities, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Asian Pacific American Student Development.

"Textures of April 30th" Traveling Exhibition: Call for Submissions
2020-04-30 - 2020-06-30 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
We are proud to announce Textures of April 30th: Traveling Exhibition.
This exhibit is an extension of the “(Re-)membering” April 30th “Texture Poems” series diaCRITICS initiated last April 30th, 2019. With the collaboration of Exhibit Envoy, the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN) will curate and launch the exhibit at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in April 2021.
With this traveling exhibit initiated, we wish to reflect on this day in terms of both the past and the present with more artistic representation in contemplation of April 30th to include in the exhibit. To help us capture this, we welcome your submissions of visual art, audio works, or audiovisual pieces. Visit https://diacritics.org/2020/04/re-membering-april-30th-a-submissions-call-2/ to learn more and submit!

APA Heritage Month List of Community Events
2020-05-01 - 2020-05-31 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Celebrate APA Heritage Month from your home! Here are some of the larger events happening this month that can be accessed remotely. Please check in with your local arts & cultural organizations (including us!) to see what they are planning to present for APA Heritage Month!
Asian Pacific Heritage Month SF – https://apaheritage.org/
CAAMFest Online: Heritage at Home – https://caamfest.com/2020/
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival – https://watch.eventive.org/laapffvirtual/
Celebrate APA Heritage with the Poetry of J.Bayani, A.Cassinetto, M.Win (Saturday, 3pm, 5/23) – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/104488568120
Book Club: How Much of These Hills is Gold (Saturday, 2pm, 5/30) – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/103729513768

Closed for Memorial Day
2020-05-25 | CA

Celebrating Our HeART-filled Heritage
2020-05-30 12:00 - 13:30 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St. #290, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Join us in celebrating APA Heritage month via YouTube Live!
OACC is bringing a celebration of API arts and culture right into your home. As we face an unprecedented global health crisis, we strive to put a spotlight on the beautiful diversity and creativity within our local API communities. Our rich cultural roots manifesting in artistic expression can give us strength, resilience, and positivity particularly during challenging times.
We hope to uplift your hearts and homes with our celebration of API arts and culture.

**IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE**
– Vietnamese Hat and Fan Dance featuring students from Oakland Tech High School’s Vietnamese Student Association (@oths.vsa)
– Introduction to Vietnamese Traditional Instruments by Van-Anh Vanessa Vo, Emmy Award-winning Vietnamese musician (https://www.vananhvo.com/)
– Making Mayak Gimbap with Sarah Kim Lee, Korean cooking and crafts instructor (@sarahkim_lee)
– All About Tamarind with Malina Svoravong, Laotian chef (http://www.msyvo.com/)
– Introduction to Chinese Traditional Instruments featuring various Chinese youth orchestra alumni
– Khmer Scarf Dance featuring Brigette (@oakkhmerangkor), Davina, Erica, and Jade from AYPAL’s May Art Festival (www.aypal.org)
– Lazy Man Eight Brocade Qigong featuring Sifu William Dere
– Folding Origami Cranes for Solidarity featuring OACC and Tsuru for Solidarity (www.tsuruforsolidarity.org/tsururising)
– Learn about Kathak Dance with Chhandam School of Kathak (www.kathak.org)

Foundational Cooking Class Series: Session 1
2020-06-23 11:00 - 12:00 | CA
Missed this session? Watch the recording.
Learn foundational cooking skills this summer!
Join the Cooking Project for a 4 week class series, meeting online Tuesdays at 11 am starting on June 23rd.
Award-winning Chef Sicily Johnson guides cooking through themes like Food + Community; Shopping and Budgeting; Sustainability, Versatility and Leftovers; and Food Trends. Students will have the opportunity to make recipe requests for the final class.
Visit thecookingproject.org to learn more about the organization.

Foundational Cooking Class Series: Session 2
2020-06-30 11:00 - 12:00 | CA
Missed the session? View the recording here.
Learn foundational cooking skills this summer!
Join the Cooking Project for a 4 week class series, meeting online Tuesdays at 11 am starting on June 23rd.
SESSION 2: Flatbread and Manipulating Temperatures
Please prepare the ingredients listed below to follow along during the class.
Ingredients for Blooming the Yeast (you are welcome to finish this step prior to class, but it’s not required):
– Water – 1/4 cup (110 degrees)
– Sugar – 1 tsp
– Yeast – 1 packet
* You don’t have to stir it – just let it bubble and do its thing for about 30 minutes!

Dough Ingredients:
Dry:
– Flour – 3 to 3 3/4 cups
– Salt – 1 tbsp
– Sugar – 2 tbsp
Wet:
– Egg – 1 whole
– Yogurt – 1/3 cup (keep cold)
– Butter – 1 stick melted
– Oil – 1/4 cup
– Water – 3/4 cup (boiling)
Award-winning Chef Sicily Johnson guides cooking through themes like Food + Community; Shopping and Budgeting; Sustainability, Versatility and Leftovers; and Food Trends. Students will have the opportunity to make recipe requests for the final class.
To sign up and receive additional details, simply RSVP. Classes are free, donations appreciated.
Visit thecookingproject.org to learn more about the organization.

Closed for Independence Day
2020-07-03 - 2020-07-04 | CA

Foundational Cooking Class Series: Session 3
2020-07-07 16:00 - 17:00 | CA
Missed the class? View the recording here.
Learn foundational cooking skills this summer!
Join the Cooking Project for a 4 week class series, meeting online Tuesdays starting on June 23rd.
Theme: “Sustainability, Versatility & Leftovers: Shrimp Pasta”
Ingredient List:
– Dry pasta noodles, 1lb
– Oil, 1tbsp
-Salt, 2 tbsp
– Black pepper, 1tsp
– Shrimp, 1/2lb
– Butter, 2tbsp
– Red pepper flakes, 1 1/2tsp
– Lemon zest from 1 whole lemon
– Lemon juice from 1-2 whole lemons
Award-winning Chef Sicily Johnson guides cooking through themes like Food + Community; Shopping and Budgeting; Sustainability, Versatility and Leftovers; and Food Trends. Students will have the opportunity to make recipe requests for the final class.
To sign up and receive additional details, simply RSVP. Classes are free, donations appreciated.
Visit thecookingproject.org to learn more about the organization.

Healing Around Race: Creative Writing Workshop #1
2020-07-11 13:00 - 15:00 | CA
Missed the workshop? View the recording here.
Information shared during the workshop:

Presenter books and links:

– Shizue Seigel
Websites: https://www.shizueseigel.com/ https://www.writenowsf.com/
Shizue Seigel, ed. Standing Strong! Fillmore & Japantown (Pease Press 2016)
Shizue Seigel, ed. Endangered species, Enduring Values (Pease Press 2018)
Shizue Seigel, ed. Endangered species, Enduring Values (Pease Press 2019)

– Tureeda Mikell. https://www.treeoflifefound.com/.
Poetry: Synchronicity: The Oracle of Sun Medicine

– Ravi Chandra, MD
Websites: https://ravichandramd.com/ https://www.sflovedojo.org/
The Pacific Heart blog
Psychology Today: The Assault on the American Mind
https://ravichandramd.com/press-and-other-writing/
– Kelechi Ubozoh https://kelechiubozoh.com/
Anthology: L. D. Green and Kelechi Ubozoh, eds, We’ve Been Too Patient: Voices From Radical Mental Health – Stories and Research Challenging the Biomedical Model, North Atlantic Books 2019

Other Resources

Recommended Readings from Eastwind Books: https://www.asiabookcenter.com/apps/search?q=black+lives+matter&filter=product
James Baldwin Go Tell It On The Mountain
3. The People’s Free Medical Clinics

Brene Brown Values exercise (PDF): Dr. Chandra spoke about love as his central value. There are other values. Pick a value from the list on this PDF, and write a paragraph about why it is important to you, and how it has and has not been fully present in your life.
It’s About Time Black Panther Party Legacy and Alumni photo gallery

Upcoming Related Events
– 7/19 “Panel: LET HER TELL IT! Black Women Healing Through Writing” featuring Kelechi Ubozoh
– 7/25 “Healing from Racism # 2: Creativity and Social Justice” Creative Writing Workshop by OACC, Write Now! SF Bay, UC Berkeley Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, UC Berkeley Public Service Center, and Eastwind Books of Berkeley.

Call to Action: contact Congress about the ICE ban on International Students!
Templates & instructions available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1traDiLhSKTC2PHTsLgiXtWwXyMn1V3sPvqCbi_YRTeI/edit

Struggling to process and confront anti-Black and anti-Asian racism within your social networks? Explore the healing power of creative writing!

The July 11th creative writing workshop focuses on “Mental Health and Multiracial Solidarity.”

Mental health advocates Kelechi Ubozoh and Shizue Seigel, psychiatrist Ravi Chandra, and storyteller/medicine woman Tureeda Mikell discuss anti-Black/anti-Asian racism with tools for self-care, and creative writing for healing.
Participants will be invited to engage in creative writing exercises around questions like: What are you thinking and feeling right now? How were you personally impacted by George Floyd’s murder and subsequent events. Have you personally experienced or witnessed anti-black or anti-Asian racism? What was your response? How would you respond differently today? How do you respond to stress? What are you doing for self-care? How to deal with parents and peer pressure?
NOTE: The workshop will be hosted on Zoom and YouTube Live with a sliding scale fee of $5~$15 to help support our presenters, organizers, tech and labor costs. If you are interested in participating but are unable to afford the ticketing tier, please email programs@oacc.cc and we would be happy to work with you on making this event accessible.
This workshop is presented in partnership with Write Now! SF Bay, UC Berkeley Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, and Eastwind Books of Berkeley.
Recommended Readings from Eastwind Books of Berkeley.

THE ARTISTS

Photos from left to right: Kelechi Ubozoh, Shizue Seigel, Ravi Chandra, Tureed Mikell.

Kelechi Ubozoh is a Nigerian-American writer, mental health advocate, and public speaker. For nearly a decade, Kelechi has worked in the California mental health system in the areas of research and advocacy, community engagement, stigma reduction, and peer support. She began her career as an investigative reporter in New York City, and was the first student-reporter ever published in The New York Times. Learn more about Kelechi at KelechiUbozoh.com. Photo Credit by: Adrianne Mathiowetz.

Recent Works: L. D. Green and Kelechi Ubozoh, eds, We’ve Been Too Patient: Voices From Radical Mental Health – Stories and Research Challenging the Biomedical Model, North Atlantic Books 2019
Shizue Seigel is a Japanese American writer born just after her family’s release from WWII incarceration. She’s led community writing projects for Centers for Disease Control/UCSF, National Japanese American Historical Society, African American Arts & Culture Complex, and others. She was written or edited six books, and her memoir and poetry have been widely published elsewhere. She directs Write Now! SF Bay, which supports Bay Area writers of color through workshops, events and anthologies.
Recent Works:
CIVIL LIBERTIES UNITED, Pease Press, San Francisco, 2019. www.peasepress/com
ENDANGERED SPECIES, ENDURING VALUES. Pease Press, San Francisco, 2018
“Who Do You Think You Are?”, L. D. Green and Kelechi Ubozoh, eds,
We’ve Been Too Patient: Voices From Radical Mental Health – Stories and Research Challenging the Biomedical Model, North Atlantic Books 2019
“Swimming in the New Normal,” Deborah Santa, ed, All the Women in My Family Sing, NTTB Press 2018
Ravi Chandra, M.D. is a psychiatrist and writer in San Francisco, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Facebuddha: Transcendence in the Age of Social Networks is his full-length nonfiction debut, and is the winner of the 2017 Nautilus Silver Book Award for Religion/Spirituality of Eastern Thought. He is also the founder of SF Love Dojo, an organization teaching compassion and self-compassion.
Recent Works:

A Dream Deferred: Langston Hughes, Then and Now | Psychology Today

After Charlottesville: Is Racism a Mental Illness? | Psychology Today

Fighting Racism Against Asian Americans During COVID-19 | Psychology Today

Calling COVID-19 a “Chinese Virus” or “Kung Flu” Is Racist | Psychology Today

Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings and Asian American Erasure | Psychology Today

Tureeda Mikell, Poet, Story Medicine Woman, named, D’jeli Musa, Woman of Truths, called an activist for holism, is a Chi Gong Energy Therapist, lyricist, executive director of, Tree of Life Foundation Literacy Health Project, has published over seventy student anthologies of poetry for as risk youth via CA Poets in the Schools, throughout San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa and Jefferson Unified School Districts since 1989.
Recent Works: Synchronicity: The Oracle of Sun Medicine, Nomadic Press

Foundational Cooking Class Series: Session 4
2020-07-14 11:00 - 12:00 | CA
Learn foundational cooking skills this summer!
Join the Cooking Project for a 4 week class series, meeting online Tuesdays starting on June 23rd.
7/14 Theme: “Food Trends, Cookies & Ice Cream”
INGREDIENTS (Cookies)

4 1/2 oz. Butter, unsalted
6 oz. Sugar, granulated
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
7 oz. Bread flour
1/8 oz. Salt
1/8 oz. Baking soda

INGREDIENTS (Ice cream)

1 cup Heavy cream
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups Powdered sugar

TOOLS/EQUIPMENT

Whisk
Large bowl
Sheet pan
Measuring cups & spoons
Spatula

Award-winning Chef Sicily Johnson guides cooking through themes like Food + Community; Shopping and Budgeting; Sustainability, Versatility and Leftovers; and Food Trends. Students will have the opportunity to make recipe requests for the final class.
To sign up and receive additional details, simply RSVP. Classes are free, donations appreciated.
Visit thecookingproject.org to learn more about the organization.

Open E.A.R.S. for Change
2020-07-15 12:00 - 2024-12-31 12:00 | CA
Our goal is to foster a more diverse and inclusive culture that is anti-racist and anti-discriminatory in Oakland and the greater Bay Area.
Scroll down for series content.
What is “Open E.A.R.S. for Change” about?
“E.A.R.S.” stands for Engage. Activate. Rise-up. Series. This series is an on-going initiative that aims to build stronger allyship and co-conspiratorship among our API audiences with local Black communities. Our goal is to foster a more diverse and inclusive culture that is anti-racist and anti-discriminatory in the Oakland and the greater Bay Area.
As part of this initiative, our “Let’s Talk” audio series highlights stories of cross-racial solidarity and anti-racist programming led by local community efforts.
Other efforts include exhibitions, programs, and cross-cultural collaborations.

Events
Click on the thumbnails below to learn more about each event/project.

Episode 9: “Let’s Talk: Eastside Arts Alliance’s Revolutionary Roots”
What role does the arts play in community activism?

In this episode, part two of “Let’s Talk: Eastside Arts Alliance’s Revolutionary Roots” we talk with Elena Serrano and Susanne Takehara, two of the founders of Eastside Arts Alliance, and staff member Aubrey Pandori. We will hear the history that led to the formation of Eastside and about their deep work around multi-racial solidarity.
This conversation is facilitated by OACC’s Program and Communications Coordinator, Emma Grover.
Click here to access the full transcript: English, Vietnamese, Spanish

https://oacc.cc/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Eastside-Ep-9.mp3

Episode 8: “Let’s Talk: Eastside Arts Alliance’s Revolutionary Roots”
What role does the arts play in community activism?

In this episode, part one of “Let’s Talk: Eastside Arts Alliance’s Revolutionary Roots” we talk with Elena Serrano and Susanne Takehara, two of the founders of Eastside Arts Alliance. We will hear the history that led to the formation of Eastside and about their deep work around multi-racial solidarity.
This conversation is facilitated by OACC’s Program and Communications Coordinator, Emma Grover.
Click here to access the full transcript: English, 中文, Vietnamese, Spanish

https://oacc.cc/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/East-Side-Ep-8.mp3

Episode 7: “Let’s Talk: I’m a Blackapina!”
What can our multi-racial community members teach us about inter-racial solidarity?
Evangeline “Vangie” Cananizado Buell, a Filipino and African American activist, was born in San Pedro, California, grew up in West Oakland, and has been aptly described as a Renaissance woman: a musician, author, human rights activist, community organizer, and historian. Her activism dates back to the 1960s, when she was involved in multiple civil rights and anti-war movements. In this episode, Vangie recounts her grandfather’s experience as a Buffalo Soldier and her own experience as one of the first few Filipinos growing up in West Oakland during the 1930s and 40s.
This conversation is facilitated by OACC’s Program and Communications Coordinator, Emma Grover.
Click here to access the full transcript: English, 中文, Vietnamese
https://oacc.cc/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vangie-Final-Cut.mp3

Episode 6: “Let’s Talk: Tackling Anti-Blackness in Chicago Chinatown”
How can we address anti-Blackness in our own communities and foster real relationships?
People Matter’s co-presidents and co-founders, Consuela Hendricks and Angela Lin discuss their organization and the work they do to counter anti-Black narratives in the Asian community while fostering cross-cultural relationships and community among Black and Asian communities in Chicago Chinatown. Their conversation is facilitated by OACC’s Facilities Coordinator, Pamela Ybañez.
Click here to access the full transcript: English, Vietnamese
https://oacc.cc/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Lets-Talk-Episode-6-People-Matter-Final_mixdown.mp3

Episode 5: “Let’s Talk: Asian-Black Solidarity through Hip Hop”
How does hip hop culture positively impact and encourage Black & Asian solidarity?
Hip Hop For Change‘s Education Director, Marlon Richardson aka Unlearn The World (@unlearntheworld) and former Communications Director Stephanie Liem dive into the influence of hip hop in their lived experiences and explain how hip hop culture can meaningfully foster cross-cultural understanding among Black and Asian communities. Their conversation is facilitated by Jason Chu (@jasonchumusic), a Los Angeles-based Chinese American rapper.
Click here to access the full transcript: English, 中文, Vietnamese
https://oacc.cc/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Lets-Talk-ep5FINAL_compressed.mp3

Episode 4: “Let’s Talk: The Art in Cross-Cultural Collaboration”
How can art help break down silos and bring communities together?
Visual artists Tomye Neal Madison and Pallavi Sharma discuss themes of cross-cultural collaboration, the harm perpetuated by the model minority myth, police reform vs defunding the police, and their perspective on the importance of artistic practices fostering connection among diverse communities. Their conversation is facilitated by Pamela Ybanez, a visual artist and OACC’s Facilities & Rentals Coordinator.
Click here to view a PDF of Tomye & Pallavi’s Artworks.
Click here to access the full transcript: English, 中文, Vietnamese
https://oacc.cc/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/LetsTalk-PallaviTomye1_compressed.mp3

Episode 3: “Let’s Talk: Poetry and Art as Rapid response”
How can artists play a role in providing rapid response support to communities in crisis?
In this episode, poets Chun Yu and Michael Warr talk about their ongoing collaborative project, “Two Languages, One Community.” With facilitator Hoi Leung (Curator, Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco), they also talk about how they expanded their connections with other artists and organizations to address violence against Asians in the wake of the Atlanta spa shootings.
Click here to access the full transcript: English, 中文, Vietnamese
https://oacc.cc/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Lets-Talk-ep-3-FINAL.mp3

Episode 2: “Let’s Talk Vietnamese Community!”
How do we address anti-racism through the lens of community building and leveraging the virtual space?
We hear from Dr. Jennifer Tran (Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce) about her on-the-ground efforts to support local Vietnamese community members through the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and BLM. Vina Vo and Josie Nguyen share how The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization (PIVOT) has shifted their social media outreach to be more outspoken about anti-racism and focusing on the upcoming elections to engage and inform Vietnamese voters.
Click here to access the full transcript: English, 中文, Vietnamese
https://oacc.cc/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/20200921LetsTalk.mp3

Episode 1: “Let’s Talk Oakland Chinatown!”
What does anti-racism look like in our communities?
Local business owner Alicia Wong shares how Oakland Chinatown-based Fortune Cookie Company incorporated anti-racism as a business priority and achieved national visibility as a socially conscious enterprise. She is joined by Jessica Li (OCA-East Bay) and Trinh Banh (Good Good Eatz).
Click here to access the full transcript: English, 中文 , Vietnamese
https://oacc.cc/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20200723LetsTalkOC.mp3

This program initiative is made possible by the generous contribution of the following funders:

California Department of Social Services – Stop the Hate Award

City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program

Ginkgo Fund

Healing Around Race: Creative Writing Workshop #2
2020-07-25 13:00 - 15:00 | CA
Struggling to process and confront anti-Black and anti-Asian racism within your social networks? Explore the healing power of creative writing!

The July 25th workshop focuses on “Stand Together – Creativity and Social Justice”

Eth-Noh-Tec storytellers Robert Kikuchi Yngojo and Nancy Wang, poet Jennifer Hasegawa, poet/KFPFA journalist Dennis J Bernstein, poet/musician/KPFA & POO DJ Avotcja discuss how social justice informs their art.
Participants will be invited to engage in creative writing exercises around questions like: What arts do you resonate with and why? What are your creative outlets? If I could, this is the story I’d tell.
NOTE: The workshop will be hosted on Zoom and YouTube Live with a sliding scale fee of $5~$15 to help support our presenters, organizers, tech and labor costs. If you are interested in participating but are unable to afford the ticketing tier, please email programs@oacc.cc and we would be happy to work with you on making this event accessible.
This workshop is presented in partnership with Write Now! SF Bay, UC Berkeley Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, and Eastwind Books of Berkeley.
Recommended Readings from Eastwind Books of Berkeley.
THE ARTISTS

Photos from left to right: Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo and Nancy Wang (Eth-Noh-Tec), Jennifer Hasegawa, Dennis Bernstein, Avotcja.

Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo are Eth-Noh-Tec‘s founding artistic directors. Since 1981, Nancy’s dance, choreography and theater experience synthesizes with Robert’s musical talents, composing and theater experience, exploding their duality into a unique and choreographed expression unlike any other. Combining stylized gesture and movements with their mutual vision of the interplay between the arts and humanities, the spoken word, and music, Nancy and Robert quickly became a dynamic creative partnership, recounting age-old Asian folktales and contemporary Asian American stories. Together their performance style is a multiple of dualities: the Spiritual and the Human, the Eastern and Western, the Social and the Personal, the Traditional and the Experimental.
Together they perform around the world with several programs and workshops. They have received various awards including ‘Artist of the Year’ by National Young Audiences, and NSN’s ‘Circle of Excellence’ and ‘International StoryBridge’ awards. They are also the recipients of numerous grants.
Recent Works:
Nancy Wang, A New Pair of Wings, Parkhurst Borthers Publishers, 2016
Visit their online store for DVDs, CDs and more.
Jennifer Hasegawa is a poet and photographer. She’s sold funeral insurance door-to-door and had her suitcase stolen from a plastic surgery clinic in Paraguay. The manuscript for her first collection of poetry, La Chica’s Field Guide to Banzai Living, received the Joseph Henry Jackson Literary Award. Hasegawa’s work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, has appeared in The Adroit Journal, Bamboo Ridge, and Tule Review; and is forthcoming in Bennington Review and Vallum. She was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai‘i and lives in San Francisco.
Recent Works: La Chica’s Field Guide to Banzai Living, Omnidawn Publishing 2020
Dennis J Bernstein lives in San Francisco. is an award-winning poet and investigative reporter. He is the host and executive producer of Flashpoints on Pacifica Radio. He is the award-winning host/producer of Flashpoints, syndicated on public and community radio stations across the United States. Bernstein is the recipient of many awards including the 2015 Pillar Award in Broadcast Journalism. His essays have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Denver Post, Philadelphia Enquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, the Boston Globe, Der Spiegel, and many more. He is the author of Special Ed: Voices from a Hidden Classroom and Five Oceans in a Teaspoon.
Recent Works: Five Oceans in a Teaspoon, Paper Crown Press 2019
Radio: Flashpoints, Mondays-Fridays, 5-6 pm
Avotcja (pronounced Avacha) has been published in English & Spanish in the USA, Mexico & Europe. She’s an award winning Poet & multi-instrumentalist. She’s a popular Bay Area DJ & Radio Personality & leader of the group “Avotcja & Modúpue.” She is featured on the CD Matter Is by the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra + voices.
Spoken word with Electric Squeezebox Orchestra:
“Matter Is” and “Soundly Metaphysical,” Matter Is, Electric Squeezebox Orchestra + Voices
Poetry online (see poem below):
http://www.avotcja.org/oaktown-blue.html
http://www.avotcja.org/poetic-offerings.html
Radio:
Bebop, Cubop and the Musical Truth, Tuesdays 8-10pm in KPFA.org or KPFA-FM 94.1
La Verdad Musical (the Musical Truth), Fridays njoon-3pm on www.KOO.org or 89.5 FM
Monthly Open Mic:
Every 4th Saturday 3-5pm. The Music of the Word (La Palabra Musical)
YouTube performance Avotcja and Modupue – Concert at Bird & Beckett Books, Jan 5, 2020, featuring Avotcja Jiltonilro, Sandi Poindexter (violin), Francis Wong (sax & flute) Jon Jang (piano), Sascha Jacobsen (bass), Raul Ramirez (Afro-Peruvian multi-percussion). Video by Lenore Chinn.
I Know We Can!!!
We have been here before
We’ve sang in the face of the Klan
And danced with feet all bloody
On the decks of Slave Ships
On the “Longest Walk”
On Freedom Marches, in Jail cells
And Concentration Camps
Oooops Ghettos
That we we’re supposed to call our home
We know this place
The Concrete Jungles, the Reservations
A curse of & by the uncivilized
Who have forgotten
The healing beauty of Grass & Trees
And the gift of clean Water to drink
And have lost their ability to love
We are familiar with
The senseless mayhem of perpetual War
The addictive lust for power
The intoxication of blood lust
And those who prefer
The inhumane sacrifice of their Souls
As they try to steal ours
Yes
We have been here before
We know the Hanging Tree, the rope
The rape of our bodies, our Cultures
The theft of our Songs & our Children
We have swam through the slime of misogyny
We’ve been here… we know
Racism, greed & stupidity have no conscious
And it is only a matter of time
Before the insatiable self-destruct
Before they devour each other
We’ve been through it all before
And we can get through it all again
We just have to be careful
Very careful…
The madness of this Narcotic is contagious
We must not get drunk on the stench of this poison
We have too much work to do
We must turn this suicidal Drug
Into fertilizer & let our tears
Fall down on deserts, glaciers & jungles
And run down the faces of
Good hearted people everywhere
I cry & I cry & I cry &
My tears come down like a Waterfall
An unending Waterfall for all the victims of
“Civilization”
We have been here before & together we can heal!
I know we can!!!

CREATIVE WRITING FACILITATOR

Shizue Seigel is a Japanese American writer born just after her family’s release from WWII incarceration. She’s led community writing projects for Centers for Disease Control/UCSF, National Japanese American Historical Society, African American Arts & Culture Complex, and others. She was written or edited six books, and her memoir and poetry have been widely published elsewhere. She directs Write Now! SF Bay, which supports Bay Area writers of color through workshops, events and anthologies.
Recent Works:
CIVIL LIBERTIES UNITED, Pease Press, San Francisco, 2019. www.peasepress/com
ENDANGERED SPECIES, ENDURING VALUES. Pease Press, San Francisco, 2018
“Who Do You Think You Are?”, L. D. Green and Kelechi Ubozoh, eds,
We’ve Been Too Patient: Voices From Radical Mental Health – Stories and Research Challenging the Biomedical Model, North Atlantic Books 2019
“Swimming in the New Normal,” Deborah Santa, ed, All the Women in My Family Sing, NTTB Press 2018. https://aerbook.com/maker/productcard-3248263-3202.html

San Francisco Beginnings of Korean Immigration (1902-1920)
2020-08-08 - 2020-10-04 | Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, Oakland, CA, 94607
Click on the banner above to access the virtual exhibit.
Watch the exhibition overview featuring curator Rosemarie Nahm and special guest Gail Whang:

This exhibit examines the lesser-known history of the early Korean immigrant community that began right here in the Bay Area. As Japan rose to power in Korea in the early 1900s, Koreans from diverse backgrounds fled their country and landed in San Francisco. San Francisco Beginnings is a rare glimpse into the lives of these early immigrants, their community and their legacies.
Curated by Rosemarie Nahm, a first generation Korean American who has been researching Korean immigration history since 2015. She is a board member of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation.
Questions about the exhibit? Email Rosemarie at rynahm@gmail.com with the subject line “OACC Exhibit.”
Exhibition sponsored in part by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in San Francisco and Korean American Community Foundation of San Francisco.

Love Me As I Am: How to Have an Inter-generational Conversation on Beauty Standards and Self-Worth
2020-08-29 14:00 - 15:00 | CA
Tickets are free to $5 – Please register here:
https://oacc.liveimpact.org/li/8737/sevent/evt/home/140115/69
Love Me As I Am: How to Have an Intergenerational Conversation on Beauty Standards and Self-Worth
You look fatter than last time — have you eaten yet? Criticism and ironic love all in one sentence — or is it? Join Susan Lieu, Cindy Nguyen, and Nelly Nguyen as they break down real Asian American family conversations, their meanings across generations, and practical tools to navigate sad awkward conversations with a hope of emotional connection.
On Saturday, August 29th, OACC will host a preview of the 140 LBS with a virtual panel discussion on beauty standards, self-worth, and how to come out of a conversation feeling more closer. Inspired by the themes conveyed in 140 LBS, the panel will examine the tension in parent-child communication and share tools to improve relationships while maintaining healthy boundaries.
Speakers:
Cindy Nguyen, a postdoctoral fellow teaching Southeast Asian history at Brown University and creator of Family Notes, a conversation toolkit to help facilitate intergenerational, multilingual conversations between loved ones
Nelly Nguyen, a retired CM analyst, Vietnam War refugee, and mother of Thi Bui, author of The Best We Could Do
Susan Lieu, playwright and performer of solo theatrical show 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother
OACC is excited to bring “140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother,” to a broader API audience through a virtual screening event hosted on Saturday, November 14. The solo theater work is written and performed by Susan Lieu, a first-generation American born to Vietnamese refugees. The performance 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.
This program is supported by a grant from the Alameda County Arts Commission

Read more about the speakers:

Susan Lieu is a Vietnamese-American activist, playwright, and performer who tells stories that refuse to be forgotten. With a vision for individual and community healing—made possible through the interplay of comedy and drama—her work delves deeply into the lived realities of body insecurity, grieving, and trauma. Her first theatrical solo show, “140 LBS: HOW BEAUTY KILLED MY MOTHER” is the true story of how her mother died from plastic surgery malpractice when Lieu was 11 years old and her search to find her mother’s killer. Susan self-produced a nearly sold-out 10-city National Tour with press from L.A. Times, NPR, The Washington Post (The Lily), NBC News, American Theatre, and The Seattle Times. Lieu has performed her show and its sequel 51 times to 6000 people in the past year. Her work has been showcased with The Wing Luke Museum, The Moth at Benaroya Hall, On The Boards, and Bumbershoot. Susan has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from Yale, and is the co-founder of Socola Chocolatier, an artisanal chocolate company in San Francisco.

Cindy Nguyen is an artist-historian who works between film, poetry, and visual narrative. Her scholarship and art defies dominant narrative and meditates on the subtle textures of translation and memory. Her current multimedia project, “Mẹ [Mom], Translated” explores intergenerational language and love. Nguyen’s other major project includes MISS/MIS, a feminist exploration of all things deemed ‘mis-’ –wrong, dirty, or defiant. Her art experiments on translation, categorical impulses, and misreading emerged from her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley on Vietnamese libraries and print culture. Her essays, poetry, and film have been published in PANK Magazine, Diacritics, Ajar Press, and the Viet Film Festival. Nguyen’s scholarly research has been funded by Fulbright, Social Science Research Council, and the National Academy of Education/Spencer. With funding from the Brown Arts Initiative, Nguyen is currently producing a poetic documentary film on the language of Vietnamese refugee remembrance and history. As a postdoctoral fellow, she currently teaches Southeast Asian history at Brown University.

Nelly Nguyet M. Nguyen came to the U.S. over 42 years ago as a refugee and successfully rebuilt her life through a number of career transitions while raising her family of four children as well as caring for her husband. Now a retired CM analyst, Nelly lives in California’s Bay Area and enjoys her golden years as a mother and grandmother. Born in Cambodia to Vietnamese parents, Nelly was raised in pre-Communist Vietnam and attended French private schools throughout her childhood. After graduating from the renowned French prep school Lycee Yersin de Dalat, she went on to the University of Pedagogy of Saigon and received her Bachelor degree in 1965, specializing in French literature. She taught French at high schools all over South Vietnam until the country fell to Communist rule in 1975. An idealist who believed in the idea of a de-colonized Vietnam, Nelly remained in the country and continued to teach through the regime change. Three years later, having experienced the economic and social decline of the country and seeing no future for her children, she sought the chance for freedom and escaped Communist Vietnam by boat, bringing her entire family with her. (The family’s refugee & immigrant story is depicted in the graphic novel The Best We Could Do, by Thi Bui, Nelly’s youngest daughter.) Adapting to life in America was not without struggles and challenges, but Nelly was resolute in her aim to provide her children with a life of opportunities. As is the case with many other immigrants, she managed to overcome the numerous difficulties with hard work and dedication, eventually learning to thrive in a rising career. When she looks back on her life now, Nelly sees her ultimate achievement in her children. To have raised good human beings who are compassionate, intelligent, active in their lives and their communities – this is her definition of success and a dream realized.

Moderated by:

Terri Le has been OACC’s Development Manager since September 2019. As a first-generation Vietnamese American, Terri has a demonstrated history of working in the museum and nonprofit field in the San Francisco Bay and Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. For over ten years, Terri has worked at notable institutions including the U.S. National Archives, The Phillips Collection, Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, VisArts at Rockville, CalShakes, Charles M. Schulz Museum, San Francisco Heritage, the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN), and the Asian Pacific-Islander Americans in Historic Preservation. Passionate about civic service in the arts, culture, and humanities field, she has an M.A. in Museum Studies and M.B.A. focused on Nonprofit Organizational Leadership from John F. Kennedy University.

Closed for Labor Day
2020-09-07 | CA

Quarantini Mixer: Spritz, Mix, & Drink From Home with Viridian and OACC
2020-09-25 17:00 - 19:00 | CA
“The Theory of Cocktails” Featuring Viridian
OACC is excited to bring you Quarantini Mixer — an online mixology class and social club! This first mixer focuses on “The Theory of Cocktails” — learn the foundations of flavor to create easy cocktails at home with everyday ingredients featuring your friends at Viridian!
On Friday, September 25 at 5:00 pm, come hang out with us over zoom, enjoy a signature drink while learning how to recreate the tasty libation for yourself at home, and get a chance to win great auction items and raffle prizes! This event is a virtual fundraiser, in which proceeds from ticket sales and auction support both Viridian and OACC.
GENERAL ADMISSION INCLUDES ZOOM LINK ACCESS TO EVENT/DEMO ON SEPTEMBER 25, RECIPE FOR SIGNATURE COCKTAIL, RAFFLE TICKET FOR A CHANCE TO WIN SOME VIRIDIAN SWAG & 4 BOTTLES OF WINE
PRICE:
$30 — General Admission and a ready-for-pick-up bottled cocktail ($20 value) from Viridian​
$45 — General admission and delivery service by OACC Staff of Viridian cocktail, recipe, and raffle ticket in a 10-mile radius of Oakland, CA
$55 — General admission and delivery service by OACC Staff of Viridian cocktail, recipe, and raffle ticket in a 15-mile radius of Oakland, CA
$65 — General admission and delivery service by OACC Staff of Viridian cocktail, recipe, and raffle ticket in a 25-mile radius of Oakland, CA
IMPORTANT DELIVERY NOTE: Please order by Thursday, September 24. The delivery service ends at 2 pm on Friday, September 25. The delivery fee covers staff mileage and a small portion serves as a general donation towards OACC’s programs.
Deadline to place all orders: Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:00 pm
RAFFLE PRIZE:
Viridian T-Shirt & Hat plus 4 Wine Bottles and 2 wine glasses
LIVE AUCTION ITEMS:
1) Viridian E-Book & 12 piece cocktail kit and stand. Qty: 1 | Value: $90 | Starting Bid: $30
2) “Cook at Home with Chef Tu” Kit — $40 digital gift card towards Chef Tu Virtual Cooking Classes and 3 Pack of Tumami Spice Blends: 3 Vietnamese Queen Pineapple Jerky Artisan Vietnamese Fish Sauce [Son Fish Sauce, 5 oz. bottle]. Qty: 2 | Value: $136 | Starting Bid: $40

Virtual Chuseok Festival Youth Art Contest
2020-09-30 - 2020-12-31 | CA
Congratulations to our contest winners!
Artwork Returns: If you submitted a physical artwork, you can schedule to retrieve your artwork from either OACC (388 Ninth St., Ste 290 Oakland 94607) or KCI (1362 Post St, San Francisco 94109) facilities. Pickups must be requested at least one week in advance and confirmed by an OACC or KCI staff member. Please email programs@oacc.cc or chuseok@koreancentersf.org depending on which location you would like to pick up the artwork. We are unable to mail back artworks.

"In the Land of My Ancestors" Film & Conversation
2020-10-12 18:00 - 19:30 | CA
Missed the event? View the recording here.
“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 and special guest Kanyon Sayers-Roods.
Learn more about Rucha’s work at www.awomanslens.com.
Learn more about Indian Canyon at www.indiancanyonlife.org.
This event was broadcast on Zoom and YouTube Live.

Banchan Cooking Workshop 1
2020-10-16 18:00 - 19:00 | CA
Download: Uhmuok Bokkeum recipe
Download: Yangpa Jangahjji recipe
View the recording here.
What is banchan? Find out with this special cooking workshop!
Watch Korean cooking instructor Sarah Kim Lee as she teaches simple, delicious recipes for several types of banchan dishes that you can enjoy making this Fall! Workshop details including ingredient list will be shared with RSVPed participants prior to the workshop. Follow Sarah’s cooking activities on Instagram (@sarahkim_lee) and learn more about the new EATogether program that ARTogether has been providing for our communities at www.artogether.org/eatogether/.
This event was presented in partnership with ARTogether and broadcasted on Zoom and YouTube Live.

Chinatown Pretty Book Talk
2020-10-17 13:00 - 14:00 | CA
Missed the event? Catch the recording here.
Chinatown Pretty features beautiful portraits and heartwarming stories of trend-setting seniors across six Chinatowns located in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Vancouver. Andria Lo and Valerie Luu have been interviewing and photographing Chinatown’s most fashionable elders on their blog and Instagram, Chinatown Pretty, since 2014. The book talk will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience.
RSVP to receive the Zoom link to participate in the live Q&A! The event will also be streamed via YouTube Live.
This event is presented by OACC in partnership with Eastwind Books of Berkeley.
Follow the authors at @chinatownpretty (IG) and www.chinatownpretty.com.

About the Authors
Valerie Luu is a writer and one-half of the Vietnamese pop-up restaurant Rice Paper Scissors. She lives in San Francisco.
Andria Lo is a freelance photographer whose work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, and Wired. She lives in Berkeley.

Sari-Sari Story Time 1: Amina and the City of Flowers
2020-10-24 10:00 - 10:30 | CA
Click here to watch the livestream.
Enjoy children’s stories featuring Filipinx folklore narrated by Christina Newhard! Each story is accompanied by fun, at-home craft activities. This event was broadcast on YouTube Live.
Featured story for October 24th: Amina and the City of Flowers: a Chavacano Tale
Amina, a young Yakan weaver, is homesick for Basilan, but she finds inspiration for her loom in the diversity and color of her new home, Zamboanga City.
Christina Buhain Newhard is a designer, publisher, and former New Yorker who now lives in Oakland. Learn more at www.sarisaristorybooks.com.

Oakland Chinatown Today, Oakland Chinatown Tomorrow
2020-10-24 13:00 - 14:30 | CA
View the event recording here.
Oakland Chinatown is at a critical turning point. What are the issues affecting this historic neighborhood and how can we address them?
Moderator William Gee Wong is joined by Ted Dang (Commercial broker/developer, also EBALDC co-founder), Alvina Wong (APEN Campaign & Organizing Director), Tiffany Eng (Friends of Lincoln Park co-founder), and Joyce Pisnanont (CAPACD Director of Economic Empowerment) to discuss complex, interwoven factors such as immigration and gentrification trends affecting Oakland Chinatown. Learn from their expertise and lived experiences as well as discover local resources and ways to support Oakland Chinatown today and tomorrow. Part of the “Community Voices to Empower Change” series.
This event is presented in partnership with Eastwind Books of Berkeley and will be broadcast on Zoom and YouTube Live for free with a suggested donation of $5 to help support our program expenses. 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

Photos from left to right: Ted Dang, Alvina Wong, Tiffany Eng, and Joyce Pisnanont.

Ted Dang is one of the original members of the grass roots group of students and community activists who started the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC). He is an Oakland native and grew up in the Chinatown area. For over 40 years, he has been in the commercial real estate business as a broker, manager, investor, and developer as well as involved with organizations such as the Oakland Housing Authority, Shoong Chinese Cultural Center, Oakland Chamber of Commerce, and Family Bridges.
Alvina Wong is the Campaign & Organizing Director at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN). In her role, she fights the displacement of low-income and working-class Asian immigrants and refugees while building their leadership to fight for environmental justice. Leading her team in intergenerational organizing towards community governance and power at the neighborhood, city, and regional levels, she has led campaigns to stop evictions of SRO tenants and win major community benefits. Alvina began organizing in the Chinese immigrant community as an Eva Lowe Fellow at Chinese Progressive Association, SF and prior to this, spent eight years developing and organizing young people around education access and youth incarceration issues.
Six generations of Tiffany Eng’s family have lived in and around Oakland Chinatown since 1906. She is a co-founder of Friends of Lincoln Square Park, an exciting initiative to build an expanded recreation center in Oakland Chinatown. She is also a Founding Member of Old Oakland Neighbors, a Founding Family Member of Yu Ming Mandarin Immersion Public Charter School, and co-founder of Family Friendly Oakland. She is a passionate advocate for public parks, civic engagement and family friendly cities. Tiffany earned a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley, and is a Program Director for Grounded Solutions Network, a national affordable housing nonprofit dedicated to creating more inclusive and equitable cities. She lives in Oakland with her husband, two daughters and a pitbull.

Joyce Pisnanont has over 15 years of experience working with Asian Pacific Islander community development organizations, including for several National CAPACD members in New York, California, and Washington. Most recently, Joyce worked with Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority as the Director of IDEA Space – an economic development resource and design center. Her previous experiences have ranged from fund development and grants management, to advocacy and community organizing, to establishing and growing programs that build local leadership capacity. Joyce is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley’s Masters in Social Welfare program.
MODERATOR

William Gee Wong, a retired journalist and author, was born and grew up in Oakland, California’s Chinatown, and has written for, among others, the Wall Street Journal, Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, Asian Week, East-West Chinese American Journal. He is author of Yellow Journalist: Dispatches from Asian America, and Images of America: Oakland’s Chinatown. He is writing a memoir that includes Oakland Chinatown history and the issues of immigration, race, exclusion, inclusion, multiculturalism, identity, and what it means to be American. Headshot Photo Credit: Jim Stevens/Bay Area News Group

Banchan Cooking Workshop 2
2020-10-30 18:00 - 19:00 | CA
VIEW WORKSHOP RECORDING
Download Oii Muchim recipe
Download Pa Kimchi recipe
Join Korean cooking instructor Sarah Kim Lee as she teaches simple, delicious recipes for several types of banchan dishes that you can enjoy making this Fall! Follow Sarah’s cooking activities on Instagram (@sarahkim_lee) and learn more about the new EATogether program that ARTogether has been providing for our communities at www.artogether.org/eatogether/.
This event was presented in partnership with ARTogether and was broadcast on Zoom and YouTube Live.
