Bridesmaids. (Photo Credit: cheapbridesmaiddresses.me)

Last week, my sister dragged me to go see ‘Bridesmaids’ while she was in town. I say ‘dragged’ because I wrongly assumed that it would be just another predictable romantic comedy where the female lead is written as a sad sap who is a failure because she is alone and has no man by her side to speak of. And I thought that the whole movie might revolve around her relationship to men and the only way she can find true happiness is by landing a boyfriend/husband. Think Bridget Jones’s Diary, Someone Like You, 27 Dresses, He’s Just Not That Into You, the list goes on and on.

As I’d already seen an overabundance of poorly written, female-led romantic comedies in my lifetime, you can bet I was a little skeptical about going to see ‘Bridesmaids,’ a movie that seemed to center on all those cliches I hate about a woman’s ‘pathetic’ singledom. As the movie began and we saw the protagonist, Annie (played by Kristin Wiig), in bed with a man who doesn’t seem to have an iota of respect or compassion for other human beings and working at a jewelry store where she dissuades engaged couples to marry because it’ll all end in disaster anyway, I thought, ‘here we go again.’ I prepared myself for two hours worth of self-pity from Annie about how empty her life is because she has no one to share it with but was pleasantly surprised about how wrong I was.

While Annie’s life does seem to be in tatters, the movie doesn’t revolve around the notion that finding a man will make everything better. Instead, the film chooses to focus on the theme of friendship and its importance in these women’s lives. Yes, Annie would like to find a partner who isn’t a complete and utter jerkface but at the end of the day, her bond with her best-friend-since-childhood Lilian far surpasses any of that. Throughout her struggles with accepting Lilian’s [played by Maya Rudolph] impending marriage, we are allowed to see some of the worst of Annie in the form of getting completely hammered on the plane to Las Vegas and making an utter fool of herself [a scene that still makes me chuckle just thinking about how ridiculous it was and how well Wiig pulls it off] and some of the best of her [putting aside her deep-seated hatred for condescending Helen to join forces and find Lilian, the runaway bride]. But most of all, we get to see a flawed and fully-developed human being in Annie, something that is all too rare in female characters these days.

But this is not to say that ‘Bridesmaids’ is perfect by any means. I couldn’t help but be blinded by all the whiteness in the cast. Now, don’t misunderstand. By no means am I dismissing the comparable significance and influence a three-dimensional, all-female led mainstream, widely-released film may have on the movie industry today. But seeing the lack of racial diversity harkened me back to my days in my Gender Studies classes in undergrad.

It wasn’t uncommon for me to be the only Asian American woman in my Gender Studies classes, let alone the only woman of color. And when we discussed feminist theories and texts, an Asian American or Pacific Islander female author was usually nowhere to be found and it was incredibly aggravating. Our discussions always seemed to revolve around the Black-White dichotomy with other women of color as an afterthought. All of this would always remind me of the argument that white suffragists would make in regards to giving women the right to vote: sure, we want women to have the right to vote but only white women, women of color need to wait.

Which brings me back to ‘Bridesmaids.’ One might argue that the cast isn’t all white, what about Lilian? And okay, yes, Maya Rudolph is indeed mixed and they do allude to the fact that her character is part Black, but her race is still very much ambiguous. And then what about the rest of the cast? There are incredibly few comedic roles for women but there are far less for women of color. Besides Margaret Cho and Wanda Sykes, name another comedic actress of color. And what about an Asian American woman in comedies? Tough one, ain’t it? Even when I was doing research for this blog post and reading other reviews of ‘Bridesmaids,’ barely anyone mentioned the lack of racial diversity in the movie, instead choosing to ignore it.

Like I said before, I am not trying to undermine the importance of ‘Bridesmaids.’ It was refreshing to see women be funny. Not to mention the hilarious way they pulled off some cringe-worthy physical comedy; when do we ever get to see women participate in any kind of gross-out humor? But I want more. I want to watch entertainment that shows that any woman can be funny if given the opportunity. I want to see more fully-developed female characters who aren’t written solely in relation to men. I want to watch a movie that reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of the world I live in. So while ‘Bridesmaids’ may certainly be a start towards showing audiences that women can actually be funny and three-dimensional, it is not the end all be all for women in comedies or movies in general. We’ve still got a long way to go.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Contact:

Hemi Kim, hkim@nakasec.org, 202-299-9540 (English)

Integration Bill Offers English Language & Civics Education Learning Opportunities

NAKASEC statement on the Re-Introduction of SUCCEED Act

Washington, D.C. – The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) welcomes the re-introduction of Representative Mike Honda’s (D-CA) Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Development Act of 2011 (SUCCEED), which enables communities across the country to increase English language and civics education opportunities for immigrants seeking to integrate into U.S. society [for details of the bill, please refer to the 1-page fact sheet provided with the statement].

“The SUCCEED Act is particularly important to the AAPI community because one in three Asian Americans are considered limited English proficient, and one in four Asian American households are linguistically isolated, meaning that everyone over the age of 14 speaks English less than very well. America can no longer afford to have significant segments of our population linguistically isolated,” stated Representative Mike Honda. “The SUCCEED Act establishes the right foundation to ensure that we provide practical resources to allow our new Americans to integrate themselves into our civic fabric. In these difficult economic times, it makes sense to invest in the education and integration of immigrants to maximize their contributions to our country. English language acquisition and integration programs help newcomers raise their wages and work productivity, participate in civic life as citizens and voters and fully use their skills to contribute to their communities.”

The SUCCEED Act will be beneficial specifically to the Korean American community as well. It is estimated that about one in five Korean Americans are eligible for naturalization, and nearly one in three are Legal Permanent Residents (2008 figures). Furthermore, nearly two out of three Korean Americans are born outside the United States and are limited English proficient.

“We are called to activate new Americans to participate in all aspects of citizenship, from naturalization to service and voting,” said Jane Yoo, communications director. “Through the SUCCEED Act, local community-based organizations that we work with across the country can be better equipped to build and increase the civic participation of our community members.”

NAKASEC affiliates, the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC) in Chicago and the Korean Resource Center (KRC) in Los Angeles, provide programs in education, social services, culture, civic engagement and organizing that address the full human & civic needs of community members. Our centers particularly support the integration of low‐income new American families in applying for naturalization, healthcare and instate tuition; in filing income taxes; in English language learning and civics education; in exercising their right to vote; in becoming computer literate; in building good credit and homeownership; in filing workers rights claims and in foreclosure prevention.

In the 111^th Congress, Rep. Honda introduced the bill as the Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Skills (SUCCESS) Act of 2009 (HR 3249), which was supported by 21bi-partisan co-sponsors.

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The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) was founded in 1994 by local community centers to project a national progressive voice and promote the full participation of Korean Americans as a part of a greater goal of building a national movement for social change. NAKASEC is based in Los Angeles and has an office in D.C. NAKASEC also has affiliates in Los Angeles (Korean Resource Center) and in Chicago (Korean American Resource & Cultural Center).

Celebrate Family Unity

Join a Conference Call for
Asian American & Pacific Islander Communities

Featuring Congressman Mike Honda

Monday, April 18^th
1 p.m. PST / 4 p.m. EST / 10 am HAST

Participate in a call with Rep. Honda, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Immigration Task Force, and leaders of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Let’s mobilize for family-based immigration reforms!

For the call-in number, click here (http://bit.ly/idZKYP) and
RSVP by Friday, April 15th at
1 p.m. PST / 4 p.m. EST / at 10 am HAST

Questions must be sent with your RSVP prior to joining the call.

I have been blessed to know and work together with many wonderful groups of people, but today I am focusing on Korean Resource Center (KRC) & NAKASEC.  Especially for Korean American students in a similar situation to mine, I want to share about the support, motivation and encouragement I found with the people at these organizations. To do this, I will tell you the stories of some key moments so far in my journey.

Applying for College

During my senior year in high school, I learned that my visa had expired and that I was living here without documentation. I was eventually too discouraged to even apply to college. However, my mother did not give up on me; she soon referred me to someone from KRC to get some support regarding my options. Several KRC staff members guided me through the entire application and helped me understand about California’s AB540 law and the DREAM Act. Because of KRC, I was able to learn about the broader context of immigration issues and renew my hope to attend college.

Scholarship (AKA Attending College)

With the help of KRC, I was able to file an AB540 affidavit and enroll in community college.  Nevertheless, it was still difficult to stay enrolled in school because of my status. As an undocumented student, I am unable to get a job or receive financial aid, so I am completely dependent upon my mother’s income. To lift some of the financial burdens on her shoulder, I looked for private scholarships that do not require social security numbers. Fortunately, I was able to find KRC and NAKASEC’s DREAM Scholarship Fund and applied. Several weeks later, they informed me that I was one of two recipients who had won the scholarship.

It was an incredible feeling because it was my first successful scholarship application. Without this opportunity, I wouldn’t have been able to finish my two years at community college and transfer to UC Berkeley, where I study now.

Activism

Shortly after I was awarded the scholarship, I heard about the Citizenship Day mobilization organized by NAKASEC. Without any hesitation, I decided to attend the event. Though I half expected it, I really had an amazing experience. To start off, we drove cross-country from LA to Washington, DC and we had unforgettable time with youth leaders and staff members from NAKASEC.

Secondly, it was my first time visiting Washington, DC, and I had the opportunity to participate in visits with Congress members on Capitol Hill. Additionally, I met prominent politicians as well as community leaders at the Citizenship Day town halls. Each one of them truly inspired me toward activism and motivated me to serve our community.

A Sense of Belonging

I will probably not forget the moments that I spent with KRC & NAKASEC, from Citizenship Day to many more I haven’t mentioned: the AKASIA youth retreat, the Texas incident where a freak snowstorm prevented us from reaching DC for the March for America, enjoying Korean BBQ at the KRC & NAKASEC backyard, 민족노래방 (KRC’s In-House Karaoke) and meals at the family-style kitchen table. In short, KRC & NAKASEC gave me sense of belonging as a part of their family.

Through these organizations, I was able to gain life and learning experiences that shaped my attitude and personality. Without these organizations, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I hope much more of my journey with KRC & NAKASEC is yet to come.

Image credits to Human Rights Campaign.

Today, Monday, October 11th, 2010, is National Coming Out Day, which has every year for over two decades served as a day for those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Intersex (LGBTQI) to openly declare their sexuality and to show support and solidarity for the LGBTQI community.

In light of the tragic suicides by gay youth within the month of of September alone, National Coming Out Day is more important than ever. As someone who is a straight ally, I know that I can never fully understand what it means to be LGBTQI, but I can show my support for the community by discouraging degrading insults like ‘faggot’ or ‘that’s so gay,’ advocating for LGBTQI equality and treating a person with the respect and dignity regardless of how they identify. Specific to my community, I can also show my support by shedding light on the relative lack of resources for queer Asian American women.

Being both Asian American and a woman, what I’ve found oftentimes is that it’s difficult to find resources that are specifically for Asian American women — more often there are Asian American resources and women’s resources separately available. Intersecting identities are impossible to separate, nor should we have to. They intersect to create a self that has its own unique experiences and particular issues, which also need to be addressed and talked about in their own forums and spaces. However, this isn’t always the case.

Being part of the feminist movement, for example, a movement that is still somewhat heavily dominated by white women, I experience moments where I have to ‘choose’ between my racial and gender identities. It was rare that we would read feminist theories by Asian American women in my Gender & Women’s Studies (GWS) classes or that any of my professors openly identified as Asian American. Moreover, I was usually the only Asian American woman in my GWS classes.

Helen Zia (right) & her partner, Lisa Shigemura. Zia is one of the first openly queer, Asian American women.

So I can only imagine how much more the discrepancy widens when looking for resources that are specifically made for queer Asian American women. As many LGBTQI communities are still largely tailored to white, usually middle-class, men, they continually fail to address issues that affect those who do not fit into all of these categories like cultural differences, language barriers, immigration, tokenization, etc.

Within the Asian American community, cultural differences like the notion of ‘saving face’ are especially important. Asian American women are generally ‘supposed’ to find an Asian American man, marry them and build a life together. The stereotype is that we need to be our family’s caretaker, do as we’re told and we never openly discuss our sexuality. Along the lines of this stereotype, to do otherwise is to bring shame upon the family. This additional pressure can exacerbate the already difficult process of coming out to one’s family.

Additionally, LGBTQI organizing is often approached in English, not recognizing that a large percentage of Asian American communities do not speak English or have limited English proficiency. Another challenge is that Asian Americans are lumped into one category, so while an LGBTQI publication may be printed in both Chinese and English, for example, what about other languages like Tagalog, Malaysian or Korean?

The experiences of being Asian American, queer and a woman should not be mutually exclusive, as if there were only red lights at every intersection. Asian American women and other women of color within the community face their own particular, complex struggles when it comes to their individual LGBTQI experiences. There needs to be more discussion, understanding, acceptance and action around these multiple intersecting identities. We can let our youth know that It Gets Better but that is not enough; no one should have to experience the type of hate and bullying facing most LBGTQI youth, even with the knowledge that things might get better in the future.

We all need to Make It Better.

Below are some website resources for queer Asian Americans (note: this is just a handful, not a comprehensive list):

1. API Queer Sisters of DC (APIQS): (based in Washington, DC)
2. API Queer Women and Transgender Coalition (APIQWTC)
3. Invisible to Invincible (i2i): (based in Chicago, IL)
4. KUE (Korean-Americans United for Equality): (based in LA, CA)
5. National Queer API Alliance (NQAPIA)
6. Queer Asian Pacific Alliance (QAPA): (based in Boston, MA)
7. South Bay Queer and Asian (sbQA): (based in San Francisco, CA)

I still remember one of my first immigrant rights rallies in San Francisco. I marched with over two thousand energetic and hopeful participants in front of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office, urging her to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Though we were a diverse group of people, we were chanting together in unison, holding up our signs and fighting for social justice. In the midst of rallying, I realized that I was one of the very few Asian American people there. But this was not the first time. I’ve been to many immigration reform rallies and events, and usually I see just about a handful of Asian Americans.

I’ve since begun to wonder why Asian American communities are not addressing this important issue. Is it because Asian Americans are not affected by immigration laws? Modern day stories and statistics will tell you otherwise, with one in ten AAPIs being undocumented and so many families stuck in backlog wait periods that could last for years.  Even looking back to our history, there are too many examples of discriminatory incidents and laws specifically targeting Asian Americans.

One of the harshest discriminatory laws that comes to mind is the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 – the first major immigration legislation that restricted people of Chinese descent from entering the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act was simply wrong and singled out Chinese and Chinese American people. Similar to what’s happening right now with immigration, the law would tear family’s apart, deporting innocent immigrants, and violating human rights. Even without the hostile law, Chinese Americans had to fear racial persecution. “Chinese treated worse than dog. The hoodlums, roughnecks and young boys pull your queue, slap your face, throw all kind of old vegetables and rotten eggs at you,” recalled Huie Kin in his account of San Francisco’s Chinatown during the 1870s.

It has been over a hundred years after Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed. And yet, our current immigration system continues to embody much of what was explicitly wrong about the Chinese Exclusion Act. If the situation does not change, the immigrant community at large continues to suffer. It is especially painful for me to see fellow young people who are downtrodden at the fault of our broken immigration system. Where is justice today in this country?

As President Lyndon Johnson said of the Chinese Exclusion Act, “This system violated the basic principle of American Democracy the principle that values and rewards each man on the basis of his merit as a man.” When we remember this history together, when we recognize its echoes into modern history-in-the-making, can we still do nothing?

Today, Asian American community and immigrant communities as a whole are still facing discrimination. If we don’t speak up, we will continue to be marginalized by our society. Therefore, it is crucial for us to collectively join in one force and fight for justice and for comprehensive immigration reform. For this country to stay true to its values and its dreams, there can be no second class citizens.

What would you do in the face of a law titled the Asian American and Pacific Islander Exclusion Act?

Is our current immigration system a means of exclusion under more subtle names?

Contacts:

Olivia Park, NAKASEC, 213-605-1255
Sik Son, KRCC, 847-208-5426
Dae Joong Yoon, KRC, 213-434-4267

US District Judge Susan Bolton Blocks Portions of SB 1070
Communities Continue to Wage Grassroots Mobilizations for Justice

On July 28, Judge Susan Bolton issued an injunction blocking some of the most controversial aspects of the far-reaching anti-immigrant law, SB 1070.  They:

1. Require law enforcement to investigate if they have reasonable suspicion that someone is undocumented
2. Make it a state crime to not carry federal immigration papers
3. Make it a state crime to solicit work if undocumented or lacking work authorization
4. Allow law enforcement to make an arrest without a warrant if they believe a suspect has committed a crime that makes them removable

NAKASEC and our affiliates the Korean Resource Center (KRC) of Los Angeles and the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center (KRCC) of Chicago embrace and celebrate this victory for immigrants and people of color. Today, we continue to join with thousands across the country to call for full repeal of this racist law.

Making their fourth trip to Arizona, KRC joined a mobilization led by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, which garnered 550 participants united under the theme “We are all the same. Todos somos iguales.” The contingent of labor, community and faith leaders traveled to Arizona to oppose the human rights crisis plaguing immigrant communities.

“I have marched many miles for comprehensive immigration reform for our community, including the DREAM Act for our youth and I will march more miles to see the rights of immigrants protected and served with dignity” said Ki Tae Lee, a 73 year old senior member of KRC’s Community Health Promoters.

In Chicago, KRCC participated in a Unity Event with various labor, community and faith groups that included a delivery of over 2,000 petitions asking the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox to take a stance against the 2011 All-Star Game and move their spring training facilities out of Arizona.

“We joined with our brothers and sisters to say no to Arizona and yes to civil rights, to families, to education and to real solutions. We need to address the real problems of our broken immigration system, not criminalize immigrants who are contributors and builders of our nation,” said Eun Young Lee, Youth Program Director with KRCC.

NAKASEC and our affiliates will continue to monitor and challenge SB 1070. Moreover, we will propel efforts to address humane immigration reform and civic engagement by building a more empowered base of immigrant voters in time for the mid-term elections this year.

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NAKASEC is a national organization founded in 1994 by local Korean American community organizations to project a national progressive voice and promote the full civic participation of Korean Americans as part of a greater goal of building a national movement for social change.

NAKASEC welcomes President Obama’s public remarks on immigration and immigrants and hopes it will kindle a more thoughtful and pragmatic dialogue on the urgent need for immigration reform. President Obama began by recognizing the contributions of immigrants – including the most renowned and the countless millions of hardworking, intelligent people who enrich this country. He added that the current system designed to enable people to come to this country – whether to study, to work, or to be with family – is “fundamentally broken.”

President Obama outlined the common elements of comprehensive immigration reform to include a pathway to citizenship for individuals, migrant workers and AgJobs, students and the DREAM Act, border security, and punishing unscrupulous employers while holding businesses accountable. On the presence of 11 million undocumented immigrants who are “intricately woven” into the fabric of the United States, he called for reasonable solutions that were neither blanket amnesty nor deportation. Further, while he recognized that we are a nation of laws that have to be enforced, he reminded us that it cannot be at the cost of violating the rights of innocent people.

With regard to timing, he said he is ready to work on enacting immigration reform:

So we’ve made progress.  I’m ready to move forward; the majority of Democrats are ready to move forward; and I believe the majority of Americans are ready to move forward.  But the fact is, without bipartisan support, as we had just a few years ago, we cannot solve this problem.  Reform that brings accountability to our immigration system cannot pass without Republican votes.  That is the political and mathematical reality.  The only way to reduce the risk that this effort will again falter because of politics is if members of both parties are willing to take responsibility for solving this problem once and for all.

In sum, President Obama’s speech was necessary for the administration to outline their policy position and readiness to enact changes to our immigration laws. But actions speak louder than words. Each day, we continue to see communities devastated by family separations and workplace raids, students graduate uncertain of their future and workers exploited in the underground economy. We urge President Obama and Congress, Republican and Democrats to find the political courage and exercise the forceful leadership absent today to fix our nation’s “fundamentally broken” immigration system.

Our communities have been ready for too long and we will continue to participate, from dialogues to action, to realize immigration reform.

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This Thursday, July 1^st at 5pm, NAKASEC, Korean Resource Center and other Asian American and Pacific Islander groups are joining MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans) to protest at Arclight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood for the opening of “The Last Airbender” (Director M. Night Shyamalan). It was obvious enough for an 11-year-old Korean American girl from our center who first pointed out to us that this film was racist—unlike the original Saturday morning cartoon series “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” with its cast made up entirely of Asian and Inuit people, the Hollywood version features three white main characters and “Slumdog Millionaire’s” Dev Patel who is playing the villain. Dev Patel joined the cast only after Jesse McCartney dropped out from playing the role. From the start, casting notices called for “Caucasian or other ethnicities”, which primarily highlights Caucasian as the desired race to star in the film.

The “white-washing” of films and mainstream media is prevalent. For example, the film  ”21,” based on a true story of a MIT professor teaching his college students how to win at blackjack in Vegas was played by a white cast, when in real life, they were all Asian Americans. None of the core cast for the film “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” is of Middle Eastern descent. The main character in the ”Prince of Persia” is played by none other than the white actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

Read correspondence letters between MANNA and Paramount:

1. The Last Airbender: Letter to the Producer (February 11, 2009)

2. Letter from Paramount on The Last Airbender (March 25, 2009)

3. MANAA’s response to Letter from Paramount on The Last Airbender (April 9, 2009)

Also click here to read more about the movement and how you get involved!

We will be protesting with many children from our community who have seen the problem for themselves. Young Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders do not need to grow up discouraged and feel like they need to seek other avenues to feel proud and confident of their identity and race. This is our America that we helped build and an America we are continuing to make vibrant and dynamic. America is changing and the youth of today will not support continued whitewashing of their history, culture and community. Help us raise their voices.

The event will be a peaceful protest and we will not keep anyone from going inside the theatre.  Nonetheless, we will make our voices heard. We want a large crowd for the cameras, to be interviewed and to be covered on the 6pm news.

Please RSVP with Jiwon Park (jpark@nakasec.org) for Korean or Hayeon Lee (hayeon@krcla.org) for English if you are able to attend.

What: Protest against “white-washing” of mainstream projects/”The Last Airbender” by M. Night Shyamalan

When: Thursday, July 1^st Meet at KRC @4pm, Protest starts @ 5pm

Where: Meeting location- Korean Resource Center 900 S. Crenshaw Blvd. LA, CA 90019 Protest Location-Arclight Cinerama Dome. 6360 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA

For those interested and leaving from another location, please contact us for parking and other info.

You can read more at ABC 7 or other news sources.