Welcome
Welcome to our very first SAPAC Newsletter! The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you connected with who we are and what we're up to. You'll be informed on the many projects SAPAC is involved in, so you'll have have an idea of what has been going on over the past few months, what we have planned for the next few, and how you can get involved.
General Updates
- We're on Facebook now, and it's open for anyone to join the group.
- VOR has a MySpace page.
- Changes in the immigration bill can be hard to understand. People can go to saalt.org for a breakdown of the various amendments and implications for South Asians.
- coalitionagainstgenocide.org is an ally in communalism issues.
- SAPAC is now a member of the National South Asian Task Force which created southasianforum.org.
Upcoming Events
- June 30, 1pm - SAPAC meeting, contact Purvi for location details.
- June 30, 10:30am to 4:30pm - Urgent Marrow Drive at Indo-American Center (6328 N. California)
- July 14, 9am - 2pm - New Americans Initiative Citizenship workshop at Indo-American Center (6328 N. California)
- July 15, 11am - Sikh Parade on Devon Ave
- July 15, 9am to 6pm - Punjabi Sports Festival at Warren Park (6601 N. Western; 2 blocks north of Devon)
- Weekends of August 11 and 18 - Pakistan and India Independence Festivities (60th anniversary)
Project Updates
2007 Retreat
In June, SAPAC held a retreat to help the group refocus on why we do the work we do, help us stay
motivated and move forward with a more clear direction. Here are what some folks had to say about the retreat:
- "I thought the retreat was a great time to come together and reconnect. I'm happy that we took the time to reflect on our work and push each other, in a respectful manner, on our thoughts about our little group. Yay for us!" -- Aparna
- "It was really great to see everyone and to have a group of people together to really reflect on all things SAPAC for a whole day, both personal and organizational. It was really useful for me to really take the time to think about my own involvement and how that works with future SAPAC plans and projects." -- Sandhya
- "I really thought the retreat went well. I felt I heard a lot of different voices from our group, which was really great. For me it was good to air some frustrations, because now I feel re-energized again. I am excited about what will come from the retreat." -- Ami
- "I thought the retreat was really helpful in getting me caught up on the current state of SAPAC, where we’ve been in the last few months and what ideas we need to develop in order keep SAPAC sustainable. I think all of us saw more clearly what issue areas SAPAC core members currently have a lot of energy for, and what areas we struggle with. Kudos to Asim for leading a great discussion that delved into our own motivations for being involved with SAPAC, that’s the kind of thing we should re-visit more often, so we can tune in to why we all choose to do this kind of volunteer work!" -- Purvi
- "I'm so happy to have participated in the retreat - it was a great introduction to not just the group's vision and efforts, but the people behind it and their motivations. It was helpful to know where both the energy and frustrations are, to get perspective on what joining the group means. Immersing myself in Saturday's type of knowledge dump was one of the better ways to get acquainted... and get comfortable, for that matter." -- Manisha
- "I'm really glad I got be a part of this year's retreat, even if it was only for Saturday. It was so nice to finally get to know some of the names I've seen go across the listserv so many times. Saturday was also the first time I've actually evaluated/reflected on why I chose to get involved in SAPAC and the reasons that I've stuck with it. That conversation alone will be helpful as I set my personal priorities and figure out my role within our group/organization/community of leaders." -- Maryah
- "I participated in most of Saturday's discussions and was really happy to be part of them. I'm glad we got to air out a lot of the big questions about our motivations to be in SAPAC. I came to the retreat with a lot of curiosity about whether and why our members are committed to working in the Devon area, whether and why we're committed to the various projects we're involved in, and whether and why we're all still as committed to SAPAC itself as we may have been in the past (all questions I've been asking myself as well). I'm not sure I got all the answers I was hoping for, but we at least got a lot of discussion going. I hope there is space and time in the next six months or so to do some long-range strategic planning -- to use what came out of this retreat to help build a longer term vision for SAPAC that will help guide our work." -- Ramona
- "It was great to reflect on the motivations of why we do this work and be reminded of the fact that many of us really value and need a space of like-minded folk. Additionally, I'm really glad that we had some newbies in the mix to share their insights, questions, and experiences--it added a freshness to the group. Lastly, I really appreciate the few moments where I could have 1:1 convos with folks that I haven't had a chance to connect with." -- Sonia
- "I am really excited to be back in Chicago, and moreover, meeting all of you and dialoguing at this retreat was an incredible part of this week. I am excited about what SAPAC is and moreover look forward to what it can and will become, and am looking forward to being a more active part of that. I definitely agree that we have a lot more thinking and processing to do as a group, but was thrilled to be engaged in the conversation." -- Karishma
Voices of Resistance
by nikhil
Our annual South Asian political arts show, Voices of Resistance 6, took place April 27, 2007 at the University of Illinois at Chicago Student Center, and was a great success! There was a variety of talent both on and off the stage. People attending the DesiLit Kriti festival and a good crowd of people from our local communities came out to enjoy the art of poets, writers, musicians, painters, and dancers. Pieces covered a range of topics from death, to spirituality, to love, to reclaiming truth, to being queer, to foreign politics, that evoked the human spirit in a complex mix of emotions, from joy, to sadness, to anger.
Off the stage, a lot of work was put forth as well. A great job of outreach to artists was done, and helped bring in new artists to our show who hadn't performed in prior years. VOR now has a MySpace page. This year we had some of the dopest flyers we'd seen in a long time. About 250 people attended. A whole lot of work went into VOR this year from the artists, to the planning committee. Thanks to everyone for a great show!
Also, check out a great article on VOR from The Asian American Community Builder here.
New Americans Initiative
by Asim
What's the deal with immigration? Why is the cost of applying for citizenship skyrocketing (a 70% increase goes into effect July 30)? What's the process to become a citizen? "Comprehensive immigration reform" has been the buzz phrase this past year. Join the New Americans Initiative (NAI) to learn about a piece of the citizenship process.
How Can You Help with the New Americans Initiative (NAI)?
- Connect those you know on the path to citizenship (LPRs) to the Citizenship Workshops
- Volunteer your time completing N-400 applications at the Citizenship Workshops.
When & Where?
Saturday, July 14, 9am – 2pm
Indo-American Center
6328 N. California Ave (just South of Devon)
What services can LPR community members receive at NAI workshops?
- Assistance to complete United States citizenship applications
- Free Pro Bono legal assistance available second Saturday of every month
- Information regarding the exam and interview
- General information to help you become an American citizen
Cardamom
by Lakshmi
Cardamom will be a series of forums and discussions about issues pertinent to South Asians. The events are both informative and social in design. The primary purpose of Cardamom is to create a social atmosphere that is also conducive to discussing intellectual, political and social issues.
To get involved contact Lakshmi - shmi75@gmail.com
Leadership Center for Asian Pacific Americans
by LCAPA Board
The Leadership Center for Asian Pacific Americans (LCAPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping student and community based organizations build their leadership and advocacy abilities through continuing education efforts at the grassroots level. Since 2001, organizing the annual Community Leadership Program (CLP) has been LCAPA's primary focus. Three SAPAC members -- Ramona Gupta, Maryah Qureshi, and Aparna Sharma -- served on LCAPA's board this past year.
After a rigorous selection process in December 2006, the LCAPA Board formed the CLP Class of 2007. From January through May 2007, twenty-one professionals and students—-of Indian, Pakistani, Korean, Filipino, Chinese, Thai, Hmong, and Vietnamese descent—-participated in a leadership training that emphasized the theme of “Voice and Visibility.” They represent a wide range of backgrounds, skills, and sectors: nonprofit professionals, graduate students, government employees, artists, teachers, a lawyer, a businesswoman, and a Fulbright Scholar/Professor. Outside of work and CLP, they are active in numerous Asian American and social justice organizations.
In line with the theme of Voice and Visibility, the participants organized community group projects focused on raising awareness of various APA issues through the arts, media, and special events. This year, LCAPA partnered with Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) Quetzal Center, South Asian Progressive Action Collective (SAPAC), and Asian Health Coalition of IL (AHCI). In the process of applying their group project management, decision-making, and problem-solving skills, participants were able to learn more about APA issues, contribute to successful community partnerships, and become more reflective leaders.
The group that partnered with SAPAC contributed to Voices of Resistance 6: On April 27, 2007, over 250 people gathered at the University of Illinois at Chicago for the sixth annual Voices of Resistance (VOR6), organized by SAPAC. One of the group goals was to contribute to the outreach and marketing components. The group created and distributed survey cards at the event; 30% of the audience completed the survey. In addition to analyzing the survey card results, the group created a document for SAPAC to use for enhanced outreach operations for VOR7 and beyond. They also presented personal reflections of their leadership skills and newfound knowledge of South Asian issues. Check out a video from the VOR group's presentation:
FUTURE PLANS: LCAPA is seeking new board members for July 2007 through June 2008. Successful candidates will be CLP alumni who are able to commit to a two-year term and exemplify the values set forth by the LCAPA Board. For more information or to express your interest, please email LCAPA Board member and SAPAC member Ramona Gupta at ramonagupta@yahoo.com.
Recruitment for the 2008 CLP class will begin in late November 2007. Bookmark their website for details: www.acon.org/lca. We’ll also be sure to post information to the SAPAC listserv!
Third I
by Sandhya
3rd I Chicago is a non-profit organization committed to promoting diverse images of South Asians through independent film. By screening a variety of film styles, we hope to challenge the perception that there is one type of South Asian or one type of South Asian film. The opportunity to screen films from all over South Asia also provides the rare opportunity for the diversity of South Asian images to really be seen. Working with local community agencies allows us to bring to the forefront topics that are often difficult to discuss without something to start the conversation. We are funded by ticket sales and grants.
The most recent 3rd I screening was Traveling Film South Asia, a city-wide collaborative event with Chicago Filmmakers, University of Chicago's South Asia Language and Area Center, and Columbia College Center for Asian Arts and Media, allowed us to screen outstanding programs drawn from the Film South Asia '05 festival, held in Kathmandu. This festival of South Asian documentaries is one of the leading showcases for non-fiction filmmaking from South Asia. The traveling version of the festival features work selected in conjunction with the festival jury and includes several award winners. This exciting event drew people to multiple sites in the city to see films that have never before been publicly screened in the City of Chicago. Future events are being planned right now, but a collaboration with Drishtipat in the early fall will be a great opportunity to explore the issue of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Spain and its relevance to the current debate over migrant workers in the United States.
maahaul
by nikhil
maahaul is a collective of students of Indian classical music. We have created a community to help each other stay focused on our riyaz, and help each other learn more about the various styles of our music through discussions and demonstrations with each other. Our goal is to support one another in our lifelong learning, as well as create spaces for us to perform and educate. We seek an audience of other musicians as well as casual listeners who merely want to learn about Indian classical music, and listen to approachable live music in a comfortable, relaxed environment.
Over the past year, we've organized house concerts for artists in our group to provide ourselves spaces to perform. All our concerts are set up in a small, intimate setting, usually someone's living room or basement (although last summer we held an outdoor concert on Mary Anne's rooftop deck!), and each concert is preceded by a short lecture to give those in the audience who are not as familiar with the music a little background on what they're about to hear.
We held two sets of concerts in the spring. In March we featured two woman vocalists, Vasanatha Kolavennu singing bhajans and Ruchira Gulati singing ghazals and Punjabi folk songs. In April, we featured Neeraj Prem from Toronto on sitar, a fellow gurubhai of mine that I met while studying in India in December of '05. Both concerts went really well.
We're taking a short hiatus over the summer, but look out for our next shows coming in the fall! Check out maahaul.org for more info.
DesiLit
by Mary Anne
We were delighted to announce the 2007 Kriti Festival, held in Chicago April 26-29, 2007. Kriti was a four-day event celebrating South Asian and diaspora literature, with panel discussions, performances, readings, music and song, storytelling for kids, and much more! Our Guest of Honor in 2007 was award-winning author Anita Desai, noted Indian novelist, short-listed for the Booker Prize three times. (Her daughter, Kiran Desai, recently won the 2006 Booker Prize.) Just a few of Anita Desai's wonderful books include Fasting, Feasting; Baumgartner's Bombay; Clear Light of Day, and In Custody (which was made into a Merchant/Ivory film, starring Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, and Om Puri). You can connect with us and hundreds of other literary enthusiasts on our MySpace page!
South Asian Summit
by Aparna
On March 16, South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT) convened a two-and-a-half day Summit of South Asian organizational representatives and advocates to share information, influence policymakers, and engage with others in the movement. The Summit marked the first time that many of the community-based groups met with national policymakers or with others involved in similar work throughout the country. SAPAC was one of eight Chicago-based South Asian serving organizations attending (others included Albany Park Neighborhood Council, Apna Ghar, Council of American Islamic Relations-Chicago, Indo-American Center, Indo American Democratic Organization, SAALT-Chicago, South Asian American Policy Research Institute).
The Chicago groups reconvened in Chicago later in March and began to discuss next steps for this Chicago network. The June 9th Civic Engagement workshop was the first event for this group.
It was great for SAPAC to be at this national convening and present some of the work of the collective. We received a lot of positive feedback on our work and our collaborations with the other Chicago organizations.
More information on the Summit can be found at http://saalt.org/dc_convene.html.
Organizing Youth Conference
by nikhil
On the weekend of April 13, progressive and radical desis from across the country came together to share their experience with organizing youth, and attempt to find answers to larger-scope questions, like "where do we want our movement to be in ten years?" From what I could tell, I was the only Chicago representative there, so it was good for SAPAC to have a voice there. One of the things I god most out of the conference was one of the very first panel discussions they had, where representatives from various youth organizations (YSS, DRUM, RadDesi, OY!, Mango Tribe) came together to talk about their struggles getting started and moving forward. It definitely gave a good perspective and lessons that we might be able to apply to our own organization moving forward.
Read more about the conference here.
Call for Volunteers
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will drastically increase fees for citizenship and other immigration applications. This increase will put citizenship further out of reach for many immigrants. Starting July 30, immigrants applying for citizenship will need to pay $675 (from $400), a 70% increase. SAPAC is looking for volunteers for the citizen workshop on Saturday, July 14 (9am to 2pm). With the pending increase, this is likely to be a busy workshop. I think we could even accept volunteers who came in shifts. If you'd like to volunteer, contact Mithu Mundal at mithu@indoamerican.org or (773) 973-4444, x.111
- To get involved in the Cardamom project, contact Lakshmi - shmi75@gmail.com
- Apna Ghar is looking for volunteers.
- Indo-American Center is looking for volunteers.
What the group's up to
- Maryah and Lakshmi are both going to grad school this fall
- Nikhil's getting married in September
- Mary Anne had a baby in May, Kaviarasi Ann Jacintha Whyte. She's adorable!
- Ramona, Aparna, and Rabya can't get enough of Facebook
- Purvi's in town for the summer after her first year of grad school in Baaah-ston
- Manisha's going to be trekking the Himalayas in October