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ASB 2010 - Asian American Issues: From Identity to Action - San Francisco Bay Area

Basic Information
Application Process: 
ASB 2010
Trip Name: 
Asian American Issues: From Identity to Action - San Francisco Bay Area
Air Travel Trip: 
No
Number of Participants: 
12
Trip Description: 

What does Asian American mean?  Does it mean being quiet and obedient? Eating rice?  Being good at math?  Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, and Chinese Americans are all “Asian,” but what do they really have in common?  Is the term “Asian American” a paradox? This ASB will explore some of the ways that Asian Americans have been excluded from the image of what an “American” is or should be by looking at issues such as immigration, racism, stereotypes and popular culture.  We will also learn about people who have used different mediums of activism to reconcile this disparity.  The main goal of this ASB is not to give a comprehensive history of Asian Americans in the United States, but rather a framework of how to process the messages we see about Asian Americans with a critical eye and if necessary, how to confront them.  We will travel around the Bay Area and to Los Angeles to meet with different individuals and organizations that actively work within the Asian American community addressing issues ranging from immigration and healthcare to environmental justice.

Trip Leaders
Healy Ko

Hello! My name is Healy Ko. I am an undeclared sophomore thinking hard about majoring in Asian American Studies and Math. I was born and raised in Philadelphia which is where I first became exposed to issues affecting the Asian American community. It was through the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia Chinatown that I saw firsthand how art can be used to mobilize underserved communities. From this experience, I have been involved in public service and the Asian American activism scene at Stanford. In 2009, I participated in the Asian American Issues ASB, which truly opened my eyes to the variety of ways that communities of color can be empowered to achieve social change. Some of my hobbies include watching movies with good soundtracks, watching trashy television, doodling, singing and playing guitar really badly, listening to The Strokes, Bob Dylan, or MGMT, and watching cover videos on YouTube.

Stephanie Otani

Stephanie Otani is a SoCal native and a junior majoring in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and minoring in Sociology.  In 2008, the Asian American Issues ASB changed her life by introducing her to a new world view, teaching her a history of the United States they never teach in high school, and perhaps most importantly, welcoming her into a community where she belongs.   Since ASB, she has been very involved in grassroots organizing on campus and in the Bay Area and has co-led a student initiated course on Japanese American internment and the Manzanar Pilgrimage.  Stephanie’s academic interests are the construction of race, racism, and racial and ethnic identity- particularly that of people who feel stuck in the middle, such as multiracial people, transracial adoptees, and immigrants.  Her other passions include watching copious amounts of YouTube, The Office, Jason Mraz, traveling around the world and breaking it down on the dance floor.