Series Content
A brand new anti-racism and social justice initiative!
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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 in order to foster a more diverse and inclusive culture in our communities that is anti-racist and anti-discriminatory in the Oakland/East Bay Community.
The two key objectives of the series are:
1) address anti-blackness in API communities and meaningfully confront issues of colorism/racism in a safe space; and
2) address Black-Asian community relations specifically in the Oakland Chinatown area.
What does this program series look like?
This series is currently structured in three phases that will be regularly monitored and re-evaluated depending on capacity and available funding.
- PHASE 1: Develop the Let’s Talk audio series to highlight local stories of cross-cultural solidarity
- PHASE 2: Translate the audio series transcripts into more languages, broadening our audience engagement
- PHASE 3: Develop program series that integrates anti-racist content into concrete local community efforts and a collaborative exhibit
Programs under the Open EARS umbrella can take on a number of formats with the intention of widening audience accessibility and inclusivity of different stages of understanding about anti-racism. In broad strokes, our program seek to fall under the following categories:
- “Activate” – events that help maintain the momentum and energy of informed, engaged individuals already involved in anti-racism efforts and learning.
- “Engage” – efforts that seek to directly engage key community sectors to cultivate a better understanding about the values expressed by the Black Lives Matter movement and address relations between API and Black communities.
- “Inform” – projects that leverage cross-cultural collaborations to help distribute information about anti-racism across a broader audience base.
How can I get involved and learn more?
We cannot do this work alone. We invite community members and organizations to partner with us on this multi-layered effort. Get involved! Got questions or ideas? Email programs@oacc.cc.
We will continue to publish and build content related to this new initiative in this section. Please check back periodically for updates!
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 Transcript, Chinese Transcript
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 Transcript
This program initiative is made possible by the generous contribution of the following funders:
Ginkgo Fund
Press
Diablo Magazine’s “Conversations Across Communities” – published July 23, 2021