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ASB 2012-2013 - Asian American Issues: From Identity to Action

Basic Information
Application Process: 
ASB 2012-2013
Trip Name: 
Asian American Issues: From Identity to Action
Trip Location: 
Bay Area, CA and Los Angeles, CA
Air Travel Trip: 
No
Number of Participants: 
12
Trip Description: 

Does being Asian mean being quiet and obedient? Eating rice and being good at math? Do these images even begin to capture the diversity that falls under the umbrella of "Asian"? Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, and Chinese Americans are all “Asian,” but what do they really have in common? Do “Asian” and “Asian American” mean the same thing? What place do Asians have in American society? How does someone embrace integrating into American society while retaining their native roots? 
    

The main goal of this Alternative Spring Break is to create a framework by which we can critically process and confront the messages we see about Asian Americans, and project our analysis onto contemporary issues. The objective of the winter quarter directed reading course consists of three components. Firstly, we will explore the "Asian American" identity, discuss what it means to be Asian American today, and analyze our own identity formation together. Secondly, the class will look at pivotal events in Asian American history, from the immigration of various groups to the birth of the Asian American movement. Lastly, the class will see how we can apply these concepts regarding identity and historical oppression(s), onto a broad range of contemporary issues--from workers' and immigrant rights to racism, healthcare, LGBTQ intersectionality, education disparities, and more--affecting Asian Americans of all ages and backgrounds. On the spring break trip, we will learn about how different mediums of activism--art, community organizing, health services, and others--are used to reconcile such social, political, and economic inequalities. By exploring this spectrum of issues, students will be able to examine root causes as well as develop a deep sense of their connectedness and commonalities. Engaging in the diversity and ubiquity of the Asian American Movement, we will spend half of the trip in the Bay Area and the other half in Los Angeles and meet with individuals and organizations actively working within the community. By the end of the trip, students will understand the importance and value of integrating social justice and equality into their own lives.

Trip Leaders
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James Huynh

James Huynh identifies as Vietnamese American and is currently a hard-working sophomore at Stanford University. Born in 1993 and a product of the holy Southern Californian weather, he is a triple whammy package of compassion, commitment and humor, as witnessed in his interests and activities. As a core member in both Stanford Vietnamese Student Association (SVSA) and Asian American Student Association (AASA), he strives to learn more about and make a difference in the API community. As a counselor for Stanford’s Medical Youth Science Program, he devoted much of his post-freshman summer to teaching younger students about the importance of education and the values of awareness and action. And as a friend, his exceedingly humorous stories are equivalent to a strenuous ab workout, as it is a common sight to see his peers bowling over with laughter. These attributes are what led him to lead the Asian American Issues Alternative Spring Break. Affable, but serious about Asian American issues, and coming from a community where he was able to witness such issues firsthand, he wants to lead a group of students on a 10-week inspirational journey that will forever broaden perspectives and form lasting friendships. And most of all, he wants to and most certainly can accomplish this on top of a grueling schedule as a prospective premedical student. Now this man is for reals.

Peter Moon

Peter Moon is a sophomore studying Biology while simultaneously dedicating his time to the rigorous pre-medical life. Although he attended Seoul International School and lived in Korea for the past five years, Peter actually was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. This past year, Peter participated in the Asian American Issues ASB Trip, which has led him to realize how pertinent issues of race, ethnicity, identity, and inequality hold such prevalence in the API world as well as in other cultures and settings. Peter is a powerhouse in that he has served as a freshman intern and is currently a core member of the Asian American Student Association (AASA) in addition to being a research assistant in the Etkin Lab, which is part of the Stanford Psychiatry Department and a member of the Stanford Asian American Activism Committee (SAAAC). It’s quite fitting that Peter devotes his time to the Etkin Lab; besides loving to analyze the psyches of his peers and other subjects, this wizened soul enjoys having discussions of life and all that life encompasses. His gentle, comforting professor-like demeanor makes Peter a great asset to curing headaches and an awesome person to talk to whenever you’re awake at 2 in the morning. In Peter’s spare time, he listens to kpop (SNSD is his favorite group and of course GANGNAM STYLE is his favorite song of all time), plays the violin and even jogs once in awhile (supposedly he’s ran a race in Guam!). “Professor” Peter, as his friends like to call him, cannot wait to meet his new ASB participants and create new, everlasting memories of bliss and ridiculous amounts of obnoxious laughing.