The views and opinions expressed on this site and blog posts (excluding comments on blog posts left by others) are entirely my own and do not represent those of any employer or organization with whom I am currently or previously have been associated.
Academic Version: Applying my personal experiences and academic research as a professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies to provide a more complete understanding of political, economic, and cultural issues and current events related to American race relations, and Asia/Asian America in particular.
Plain English: Trying to put my Ph.D. to good use.
Here are some more announcements, links, and job postings about academic-related jobs, fellowships, and other related opportunities for those interested in racial/ethnic/diversity issues. As always, the announcements and links are provided for informational purposes and do not necessarily imply an endorsement of the organization or college involved.
The Asian American Justice Center Youth Advisory Council is launching a campaign to highlight the rich, unique family histories within the Asian American Pacific Islander community through the What’s Your Story Campaign. This campaign is a response to this nation’s ongoing debate on immigrant rights and immigration.
Despite this collective recognition that our immigration system is broken, too little attention has been paid to protect and improve the cornerstone of American immigration policy – family reunification. Your stories will help show members of Congress the importance of the family immigration system to Asian Americans community. Please take a a few minutes to fill out this survey and let your story be heard.
Behind every person, there is a story. Together our stories will depict America’s rich diversity but we cannot paint this picture without your story. Take a few minutes to fill out our survey and join our movement to celebrate where we come from and where we are going. You can also send your story and content (ie stories, videos, pictures, etc) to Huyen Cao at huyen.cao1@gmail.com.
The deadline for submissions is July 1. Thank you very much.
The Korematsu Institute advances pan-ethnic civil and human rights through education, activism and leadership development. The Institute is founded in the name of American civil rights hero Fred T. Korematsu. In 1942, at the age of 23, he refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps for Japanese Americans. After he was arrested and convicted of defying the government’s order, he appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1944, the Supreme Court ruled against him, arguing that incarceration was justified due to military necessity.
In 1983, a group of young lawyers re-opened Korematsu’s case on the basis of government misconduct, leading his conviction to be overturned. Until his death in 2005, Fred Korematsu remained a tireless advocate for civil rights, including the rights of Arab and Muslim Americans after 9/11. In 2011, California commemorated its first Fred Korematsu Day, the first day in US history named after an Asian American.
Korematsu Institute internships offer unique opportunities for students interested in civil rights, education & exhibits, design and technology, documentary film and media, event planning and fundraising, and archival research. The program will also help students develop leadership skills in order to foster understanding among different minority communities whose rights have been threatened by racial and religious profiling. There are many internship projects to work on during this early, exciting period of the Institute. Some project areas include:
Education: help design school curriculum about Fred Korematsu’s story and the current relevance of his case. Work with the Institute’s director on introducing curriculum to schools and preparing exhibits for museums
Design and Technology: design fliers and marketing materials for events, enhance web site design, work on technology-related curriculum, such as interactive games
Documentary Film and Media: help produce short films projects, archive historical footage, work with filmmakers to set up film screenings. Track and analyze media coverage
Events and Fundraising: coordinate events, including fundraising and outreach events, museum exhibitions, and collaborations with other civil rights groups across the country. Assist in fundraising research and outreach
Research: research historical archives to supplement/organize our Fred Korematsu library
Depending on your background and interest, we may be able to dedicate most of your internship to one or two of these project areas, however interns are expected to be flexible and willing to take on additional tasks, including some administrative work. Compensation: Our internships are unpaid, but very often, undergraduates can receive college credit for fulfilling their intern assignments.
Requirements:
Fall/Winter internships: Because of Fred Korematsu Day every January 30, the fall/winter internships are longer, running from Sept/Oct to mid-February (we understand that students may be out of town during winter holidays). Please note that start/end dates are relatively flexible to accommodate class schedules. You must be available during regular office hours from 9am-5pm.
We need individuals who are passionate about our cause and committed to following through on every task to contribute to our Institute’s mission. We are looking for extremely organized team members who are skilled at multitasking. Multimedia, web or layout design, and leadership skills are a plus.
Application: Please email the following materials to info@korematsuinstitute.org:
Completed internship application form (available at korematsuinstitute.org )
1-page resume
Name, title, phone number and email address for two school or work references
Deadlines: Fall/Winter 2011-2012 internship application deadline: Friday, July 8, 2011. You will be contacted for an interview within one month if we have decided to advance your candidacy.
Post Doc: Social Justice, Saint Louis University
Social Justice Post-Doctoral Fellow Position
Saint Louis University, a Catholic Jesuit Institution dedicated to student learning, research, health care, and service seeks a full-time postdoctoral research fellowship position in Social Justice Studies which will begin in August of 2011. This is a two-year position with the second year renewal contingent on a satisfactory annual review. Applicants must be a recent doctoral graduate (degree obtained in 2008 or later) who is highly motivated in developing a research portfolio in immigration, aging, and health care, is able to work effectively with ethnically diverse populations, and possesses strong methodological (quantitative and/or qualitative) and communication skills. Individuals who have completed a doctoral degree in psychology, sociology, anthropology, counseling, health care ethics, social work, or other area in the social sciences are welcome to apply.
The postdoctoral fellow will work with an interdisciplinary team on a series of projects designed to investigate immigrants’ experiences with the health care system. The fellow will receive intensive research training under a faculty mentorship model to develop as an independent investigator. Fellowship training opportunities include, but are not limited to, leading project activities, enhancing research and analytic skills, achieving independent research goals, co-authoring peer-reviewed journals, presenting findings at professional conferences, and writing grants.
The position will include a competitive salary for 12-month contract plus health care benefits. Applications will be accepted beginning immediately and reviewed until the position is filled. Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, one writing sample, and three references. Letters are not required. The application must be made online at http://jobs.slu.edu.
For more information, contact:
Hisako Matsuo, Ph.D., Professor, Sociology and Criminal Justice, matsuoh@slu.edu, 314-977-2536
Lisa Willoughby, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Psychology, willoulm@slu.edu, 314-977-2531
Fellowship Cultivates New Generation of Asian Pacific American Filmmakers
Applications Due July 29th
Visual Communications is now accepting applications for its10th annual Armed With a Camera Fellowship. The fellowship fosters the education, training and professional development of up-and-coming Asian Pacific American filmmakers. In doing so, it seeks to shed light on the experiences of communities traditionally underrepresented by visual media.
The fellowship is open to filmmakers under 30-years-old of Asian Pacific descent. South Asian, Southeast Asian and women filmmakers are strongly encouraged to apply. From November 2011 to March 2012 Visual Communications will provide the support and resources for ten fellows to each to create a five-minute digital video. These resources will include:
$500 cash grant
Training, workshops and mentoring from industry professionals
Opportunity for collaborative work with other fellows
Access to equipment and editing facilities
World premiere of completed film in the “VC Digital Posse†showcase of the 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
All-access pass to films, panels and events of the 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Opportunity to network with professional filmmakers and Visual Communications staff and supporters
In the past decade, Visual Communications has supported 70 filmmakers through the fellowship. Last year’s portfolio represents a characteristic diversity of topics. One documentary traces the disappearance of a Filipino-American R&B star. Another tells the emigration story of a filmmaker’s Vietnamese father. Several narrative works explore family relationships. In one, a South Asian lesbian woman spends the Hindu New Year with her partner. In another, a Japanese woman questions her marriage to an American. Settings range from a World War II battlefield in France to a sci-fi future.
Applications are available at www.vconline.org. The Armed with a Camera Fellowship is partially funded by the James Irvine Foundation, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and the Morgan Stanley Foundation. Please contact Daina Solomon (daina@vconline.org or 213 680-4462 ext. 30) for more information.
The 2011 Advancing Justice Conference will be held in beautiful San Francisco on October 27-28, 2011. This year’s conference will pay tribute to the rich history of activism that makes the Bay Area such a special place for all communities, but especially Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. This year, the Asian Law Caucus, a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, will be the local host for the conference, with APALC co-hosting.
Registration is now open!
This year’s conference will include exciting and diverse workshops on:
Civil & Human Rights
Capacity Building
Youth Leadership & Community Organizing
Immigrant Integration & Civic Participation
There will also be five engaging plenary sessions focusing on veteran Asian American activists, emerging Asian American geographic communities, social entrepreneurship, Pacific Islanders, and cross-racial alliance building. The Advancing Justice Conference will be an exciting opportunity to discuss the pressing immigrant and civil rights issues of today and to network with peers. We hope that you will join us in October in San Francisco.
A limited number of scholarships & travel stipends are available to conference participants. Factors taken into consideration include: financial need, geography, ethnic diversity, and area of expertise. Apply today! Deadline to apply is 5 pm PST on Friday, August 21, 2011. Applicants will be notified by Monday, August 31, 2011.
Here are some more announcements and links out that have come my way relating to Asians or Asian Americans. As always, links to other sites are provided for informational purposes and do not necessarily imply an endorsement of their contents. This time around, the announcements are about independent Asian, Asian American, and Asian Canadian films:
My name is Chris and I work for a small Asian American production company, Cherry Sky Films. We’ve produced Asian Am indies: Better Luck Tomorrow, Finishing the Game, Ping Pong Playa.
I wanted to get in touch with you because we’re trying something new for our next film, The Killing of a Chinese Cookie. We’re actually releasing it online through as site called Snag Films and it’s completely free!
It’s a lighthearted look at the origins and history of one of the most ubiquitous foods in American culture; the fortune cookie. We’re trying to get the word out. We hope you’ll like it enough to share it with your readers!
We’re a new fantasy thriller web series called Lumina, and our stars are Asian American (JuJu Chan, also TVB People’s Choice Award for Miss Chinatown USA 2009, Miss United Nation International Ambassador) and Asian Canadian (Michael Chan, star of the viral YouTube hit, Wall Street Fighter IV, and Vince Matthew Chung, winner of The Amazing Race Asia 3).
Although the series itself is not specifically about any Asian American / Asian Canadian identity issues, we’re trying to organically grow the audience for English language entertainment featuring Asian faces! The nine part series is free to view on our website: luminaseries.com and on our distribution partner KoldCast TV.
AsiaPacificFilms.com announces free unlimited access to its on-line library of 500 culturally significant and historically important feature films, shorts and documentaries from Asia and the Pacific. This free trial period lasts until November 1, 2009. After November 1, the monthly subscription rate for unlimited access is $8.99 a month. For more information, visit their site or read their pressreleases.
