Asia Pacific Forum
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
8:00-9:00 pm EST

WBAI 99.5 FM, New York City
Podcasting and streaming live at Asia Pacific Forum

*********************************************************

NYC Solidarity with Immigrants in Arizona: On July 29th, the State of Arizona is expected to implement the controversial immigration law SB 1070. To stand in solidarity with those fighting the law, groups in New York have organized a march across the Brooklyn Bridge and protest on Thursday, July 29th. We speak with the event organizers, MONAMI MAULIK of Desis Rising Up and Moving and MICHELLE FEI of Immigrant Defense Project, about the solidarity action and how laws like SB 1070 are relevant to immigrant communities here in New York City.

Experimental Prison Units for Muslims and Environmental Activists: The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates two “Communications Management Units”–experimental prison units in Illinois and Indiana designed to isolate prisoners from the general population.  Two-thirds of the prisoners housed there are Muslims who have been banned without explanation from interacting with other prisoners and regular phone calls and visitation. Environmental rights activists are housed there too. RACHEL MEEROPOL, Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, joins us to talk about the recent federal lawsuit she filed against the Federal Bureau of Prisons challenging the CMUs, and the government’s recent attempt to have the suit dismissed.

MI21:  Mother India–the 21st Century Remix: MI21 reimagines and reworks Mother India, the epic Bollywood film that captures the post-colonial Indian psyche, into a performance piece–60 minutes of visual images accompanied live by a DJ and musicians. We’ll talk about the relevance of the film for contemporary audiences and the creative process behind adapting such an iconic film with JOYOJEET PAL and INDY HUNJAN of Kala Phool in advance of the U.S. premiere of MI21 at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Thursday, July 29th.

*********************************************************

This program is brought to you by Silky Shah, Chitra Aiyar, Naureen Shah, and Amna Akbar of the APF Collective.

For last week’s show on Chenoan and US militarism, gentrification in Chinatown, and a “non”Asian-American arts exhibition, click here.

Every Tuesday from 8-9 PM EST, Asia Pacific Forum brings you coverage of Asian American and Asian news, politics, and culture. For more information see Asia Pacific Forum or contact them via info@asiapacificforum.org.

Anida Yoeu Ali is a Chicago-based artist, activist and performer. Anida is completing her graduate work at the School of the Art Institute. Her recent installation, “1700 % Project: Otherance,” focuses on hate crimes against Muslims, Arabs and those perceived to be either Muslim or Arab.  From the website description: “The project challenges monolithic stereotypes of a ‘Muslim’ identity while acknowledging the significance of historical persecution.” The number 1700 represents “the exponential percentage increase of hate crimes against Arabs, Muslims and those perceived to be Arab or Muslim since the events of September 11, 2001.”

Anida’s installation was vandalized this week. The phrase “Kill All Arabs” was highlighted from the exhibit. The Chicago Police are currently investigating the incident, and the Council on American Islamic Relations is working with Anida in addressing this act of hate.

Chicago Public Radio  featured Anida as part of its Islamic Reform series last week, and interviewed her today to discuss the vandalism attack.

In response to the vandalism, Anida has sent out a public invitation to take a stand together as a community against this hateful attack:  “Transform Defacement into Defiance,” this Saturday, May 15 at 12:30 pm at the installation, Sullivan Galleries, 33 S. State Street, 7th floor. The closing performance is on Friday, May 21 at 4:30 pm. The galleries are open to the public Tuesday- Saturday, from 11am-6pm.

And, come see Anida perform at Takin’ it to the Streets, an Urban International Festival which will be held on Saturday, June 19, 2010 in Marquette Park.

Please bring your friends this Saturday, May 15 and/or next Friday, May 21 to show your support. Spread the word!

Additional media clips can be found on the 1700% News section.

Eboo Patel @ Columbia College Chicago
Tuesday, May 4 @ 3:00pm

Patel, founder and director of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core (and a former RA in my totally awesome college dorm), discusses his memoir Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation.

The Gundecha Brothers @ Old Town School of Folk Music
Wednesday, May 5 @ 8:30pm

The Gundechas are billed as the premier practitioners of Dhrupad, the oldest style of Hindustani classical music.

Farhan Noorani @ Indo-American Center
Friday, May 7 @ 3:00pm

Writer Noorani discusses and signs copy of his new novel Mea Culpa.

Jhumpa Lahiri @ University of Chicago
Monday, May 10 @ 7:30pm

Lahiri has been tapped to be the 2010 Kestnbaum Writer-in-Residence at the University of Chicago. She’ll read from her work and sit for an interview with book critic Donna Seaman.

Sapna Kumar @ Women & Children First
Saturday, May 15 @ 7:30pm

Chicagoan (and Friend of SAPAC) Kumar performs her stand-up comedy as part of WCF’s Sappho’s Salon: A Provocative Night of Lesbian Diversions.

Raman Sukumar @ University of Chicago
Monday, May 17 @ 6:00pm

Ecologist Sukumar presents a lecture titled “The Cultural History of the Asian Elephant.” “Using literary sources and artistic representation of elephants in painting and sculpture, the talk traces the changing paradigms in the elephant-human relationship through history, and provides possible ecological explanations for the same.”

Revathi @ Jane Addams Hull-House Museum ADDED 5/12
Tuesday, May 18 @ 12:00pm

Association for India’s Development (AID) Fellow Revathi, a science teacher turned farmer activist based in Tamil Nadu, joins Hull-House Museum’s weekly Rethinking Soup event to discuss the growing organic farming movement in India, and how members of the Indian community in Chicago are playing a small part through a local chapter of AID.

Subcontinental Drift South Asian Open Mic @ Ethiopian Diamond II ADDED 5/19
Thursday, May 20 @ 7:00pm

Artists come out for an open mic event that celebrates the South Asian community. Invited performers include comedy, spoken word, music, and dance.

Muhammad Yunus @ Hilton Chicago
Friday, May 21 @ 11:30am

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs hosts the founder of Grameen Bank and 2006 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for a lecture and signing of his new book Building Social Business.

Voxtrot @ Lincoln Hall
Friday, May 21 @ 10:00pm

This show by the Austin, TX band fronted by vocalist Ramesh Srivastava is significant because it’s their last in Chicago–they’re taking an indefinite leave of absence to explore other opportunities.

Farhan Noorani @ Chicago Cultural Center [PDF]
Thursday, May 27 @ 5:30pm

Noorani discusses and signs his first novel Mea Culpa for an evening hosted by the Chicago-Lahore Sister Cities Committee.

Raja Krishnamoorthi @ Hub51 ADDED 5/19
Thursday, May 21 @ 6:00pm

The former IL Deputy Treasurer and former candidate for IL Comptroller discusses his experience running for statewide office during an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month reception hosted by Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century.

Brownstar @ Loyola University
Friday, April 9, 2010

“Formed in 2007, Brownstar is a two-man spoken-word duo bursting forth from the pens and dreams of emcee-poet-performers Pushkar North Star Sharma and Sathya South Star Sridharan. Grown in the Heartland of America but Flavored with the Masala of the Motherland, Brownstar shouts what often goes unheard, giving BROWN a voice and song—presenting a fresh perspective and exploring the contradictions, complexities, and epiphanies of South-Asian identities.”

Raspberry Magic film @ Gene Siskel Film Center
Thursday, April 15, 2010

Directed by Leena Pendharkar, Raspberry Magic “is a coming-of-age story about an 11-year-old girl who believes she must win the science fair in order to bring her father back after he runs out on the family.” It will be the closing night film of the 15th annual Asian American Showcase.

Kalyani Devaki Menon @ DePaul University
Friday, April 16, 2010

Menon, a professor of religious studies at Syracuse University, discusses her book Everyday Nationalism: Women of the Hindu Right in India as part of DePaul’s Women’s and Gender Studies program’s brown bag lunch series. Also appearing are Kathleen McInerney, St. Xavier University; John Duffy, National Louis University; and Morgan Halstead. Ph.D Candidate, to present “Visibility Matters: LGBTQ issues in Illinois Higher Education.” 12-1:30pm at Levan Room 301. Contact the dept. for more info.

Sarwat Rumi @ Columbia College Chicago
Saturday, April 17, 2010

SAPAC favorite Sarwat Rumi performs her moving poetry at Gender Fusions 6: Our Temple of Transgressions, Columbia’s annual “queer spectacle.” Sure to be a blast.

Vidur Kapur, Shazia Mirza, Dan Nainan @ IIT
Sunday, April 18, 2010

Three up-and-coming desi comedians take the stage at the Illinois Institute of Technology for a benefit for the Indo-American Heritage Museum.

Jasbir Puar @ Northwestern University ADDED 4/20
Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Puar, a professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Geography at Rutgers, will discuss her book Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times (2007) at Northwestern’s Evanston campus.

Amartya Sen @ Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate and professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University, addresses the topic “International Law and Justice: Folly or Fair Play?”

Amartya Sen @ Northwestern University
Thursday, April 22, 2010

Prof. Sen speaks for free at Northwestern’s Evanston campus.

Susan Koshy @ DePaul University ADDED 4/21
Friday, April 23, 2010

Koshy, a professor of English and Asian American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will discuss “Asian American Studies in the Wake of Globalization.” “She will address changes in the field of Asian American Studies since its emergence in the 1970s, examine newer paradigms for organizing Asian American Studies in recent years, and consider the specific challenges for setting up Ethnic Studies programs in the Midwest.”

Anoushka Shankar @ Prairie Center for the Arts
Saturday, April 24, 2010

Sitar player and composer (and daughter of Ravi, sister of Norah) Anoushka Shankar performs at Schaumburg’s arts center.

Mira Nair @ Columbia College Chicago
Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Filmmaker Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, Amelia) gives a free public talk at Columbia College. Reservations recommended–this event was previously listed as sold out, but it looks like tickets are available again online.

Minal Hajratwala @ Women & Children First ADDED 4/22
Wednesday, April 28, 2010

In her 2010 Lambda Literary Award finalist debut, Leaving India: My Family’s Journey from Five Villages to Five Continents, San Francisco-based queer writer and activist Minal Hajratwala mixes history, memoir and reportage, tracing her family’s history from the beginning of the twentieth century and across five continents. Delving into the relationships between the personal choices and historical forces (colonialism, apartheid, Gandhi’s Salt March, American immigration policy) that shaped her family’s experiences, she brings to light the epic story of the Indian diaspora. Minal is another SAPAC favorite and has spoken at 2 of the 3 Kriti Festivals held here in Chicago.

………..

And one that’s far off, but for which you’ll want to buy your tickets now:

Aziz Ansari and Russell Peters @ Just for Laughs Festival
June 17 & 19, 2010

The second Just for Laughs Chicago festival features two of the biggest desi comics around, Aziz Ansari (Thursday, June 17, 7pm and 9:30pm, at the Vic) and Russell Peters (Saturday, June 19, 8pm, at the Rosemont Theatre). Aziz’s last Chicago show at DePaul was all-new material and generally hi-larious, plus he’ll be hot off his gig hosting the MTV Movie Awards and will hopefully have some juicy celebrity dish to share.

The cause of unemployment is generally broken down by economists into three categories:

1. Unemployed by choice–Say if you were between jobs or left a job to start your own business

2. Cyclical–Unemployment caused by a business cycle recession, i.e. a period of low aggregate demand

3. Structural–Unemployment as a result of a lack of demanded skills, most likely because of technological innovation

Illinois has lost about 390,000 jobs since 2000. Nearly three-quarters of those jobs were in manufacturing. The remainder is in service industries like construction.

What does this mean? Certainly some of those manufacturing jobs have been lost because of the recession and will return as the economy recovers, but a large proportion won’t come back because they are no longer in demand. While some of those skills maybe transferable to other jobs, others will not and they will persistently struggle to re-enter the labor market.

Obviously this is a simple analysis, but in a period where difficult budget choices have to be made by policymakers, it seems that a focus on education and skill development opportunities would make a significant difference in our short- and long-term fiscal health.

Clearly this won’t solve all our long-term budget problems as we have still have to deal with pensions and the stickiness of wages (I’m lookin’ at you, Unions) . But I’ll save that for another post.

Cosponsored by SAPAC and presented by the Program in Asian American Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Monday, March 15, 2010
4:00 p.m.
University of Illinois at Chicago
Student Center East, 3rd floor, Cardinal Room
750 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607

Free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For questions or more information, please contact Bill Gallaga in the Program in Asian American Studies at (312) 355-3448 or gallaga@uic.edu.

About the Program
SAPAC invites you to “Taking on Postracialism: Racial Justice and Asian Americans Today,” a talk by Rinku Sen, executive director of the Applied Research Center and publisher of ColorLines magazine.

What does it mean to study Asian American politics and identity when colorblindness is dogmatically pushed in the media and in policymaking? Postracialism undermines our ability to promote API empowerment, equity and inclusion, as well as alliances with other communities, but there are promising alternatives. Ms. Sen will talk about the nexus of racial justice, immigration, and Asian American identity, and historicize seemingly race-neutral policies that affect Asian Americans today. Using video, research studies and story-telling, she will explore the ways in which institutional racism and colorblindness foster resistance to racial justice standards for APAs and people of color communities.

This event is also cosponsored by the UIC Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP), the UIC Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC), Chicago Foundation for Women, and DesiLit. It is a Women’s History Month event.

Accessibility
UIC’s Student Center East is wheelchair accessible. The elevator is located inside the Halsted Street entrance. If you have accessibility questions, please contact Bill Gallaga in the Program in Asian American Studies at (312) 355-3448 or gallaga@uic.edu.

So, when I began reading about two friends’ journey, I didn’t think much of it at first as being new. And then I began to read about what they were going to attempt to do.

Anirvan and Barnali (both of whom I met through their ASATA connection, another progressive-y collective–this one in the Bay Area) have committed to a new way of traveling.

As they describe it, they are “spending a year trying to live aviation-free, traveling across continents, and talking to people exploring solutions to transportation and the climate crisis.” Ridiculously awesome.

As many of us travel back to our respective motherlands–for weddings, adventures, and hopes of reconnecting–Barnali and Anirvan have taken it to another level. They are exploring more responsible options for travel and engaging with local activists, scientists, and cool folks to share their stories.

They also talk about how to not continually submit ourselves to the “tourism industrial complex.” You know what I’m talking about–when we participate in making our people into subjects to observe or when we create “tourist-y” areas only to then dis-invest in them because they have become, well, too touristy.

Barnali and Anirvan’s adventure began with taking a container ship traveling from Seattle to Yokohama, Japan.  It evokes memories of a time when our families sailed to their new homes and created our diasporic identities, so eloquently described in Minal Hajratwala’s Leaving India and Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies–stories of our people–some voluntarily and others not so–boarding the ships for South Africa, Fiji, and beyond.

You will love reading Anirvan and Barnali’s adventures like “Agriculture 2.0,” connecting urban dwellers with healthy local food, while supporting farmers and educating consumers and how they spent their holidays in Cambodia. This month, our fearless travelers went to Bangladesh talking to a wide range of people about climate change, development issues, social change, and art.

Year of No Flying is a really great example of good folks who practice what they preach, and while you or I are unlikely to hop onto a container ship in the near future, it will remind us how we can be more conscious of how we travel and contribute to the Tourist Industrial Complex.

Safe travels Barnali and Anirvan….