Asian Leaders Alliance Special Bulletin Newsletter #17
ALA is about being that platform that allows us all to connect with each other and make collective impact. If you haven’t already, please join our community on Slack and the Event Portal to directly interact, share, and help each other in the ALA family. And as always, the ALA family is free and open to all ERG leads, DEI experts, nonprofits, and anyone who wants to support the ANHPI community!
As a reminder for everyone, we will be phasing out Google groups and migrating communications to Slack and the Event Portal, to allow the community to connect directly with each other. So join us here!
ALA Slack: https://ala.fyi/join-slack
ALA Event Portal: https://ala.fyi/events
As always, there are many things that are happening in the greater community! You are part of the ALA community to support the different communities and actions that are happening in the different communities. And many have happened in the last month and more is happening now. Let's continue to support, engage, share, and uplift each other!
World Mental Health Day (Oct 10th)
by Jimmy Hua on October 10, 2022
Mental health is extremely important. Many of us have experienced some level of mental health issues during the pandemic. It is something that has not been discussed openly, especially in the ANHPI community. 1 in 5 Americans experience mental illness in a given year (1). Asians are 60 percent less likely to get help in regard to mental health (2). It is important for us all to understand that mental health issues are something many will experience in life and that it is important for us to talk about and ask for help.
Today is World Mental Health Day; it is a day to bring awareness and talk about it. There are many resources that are listed on World Health Organization’s site below. And there are many individuals within the ALA community that works for organizations that support and have resources for those seeking them. You can reach out to them and others in the Slack channel #health-and-wellness. Let's have these conversations and bring more awareness to the communities around us.
From the World Health Organization:
The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.
Indigenous Peoples Day
by Jimmy Hua on October 10, 2022
Last year on Oct 8, 2021; President Biden proclaimed Oct 11 as Indigenous People’s Day. It is a day to honor the past, present, and future of all indigenous people. It is intended for reflection on the legacy and impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities, while also celebrating cultures, resilience, and more.
From The White House:
On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.
The Federal Government has a solemn obligation to lift up and invest in the future of Indigenous people and empower Tribal Nations to govern their own communities and make their own decisions. We must never forget the centuries-long campaign of violence, displacement, assimilation, and terror wrought upon Native communities and Tribal Nations throughout our country. Today, we acknowledge the significant sacrifices made by Native peoples to this country — and recognize their many ongoing contributions to our Nation.
On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today. I encourage everyone to celebrate and recognize the many Indigenous communities and cultures that make up our great country.
Land acknowledgment is one way that you can acknowledge the original caretakers of the land that you are presently on. It is one way of many ways to bring awareness and respect to those original caretakers. If you want to learn more, you can find out by visiting Native-Land.ca.
Let's use our platforms to bring awareness to this community and support them and create conversations!
Free Public Screening of Chosen in San Francisco
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
Since 1903, only two Korean Americans were elected to US Congress. In 2020, five Korean Americans of vastly diverse backgrounds with competing political views ran for Congressional seats.
Director Joseph Juhn’s latest film follows the campaigns of those five candidates, including “David Kim, who is the only underdog with limited resources vying to be the first Korean American representative in Koreatown.”
Join us in San Francisco on Tuesday, Oct 11th, 7 pm for a free screening of this remarkable film. Afterward, Joseph will join us for a live Q&A, along with another special guest.
This free screening is presented by Asian Leaders Alliance, Center of Asian American Media, The Council of Korean Americans, Korean American Community Fund, Stand with Asian Americans, and Stand With Asians
Stanford Graduate School of Business — Asian Alumni Panel: Web3
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
Web3 (Blockchains, DeFi, NFTs, Gaming)
Looking to make a pot of gold in Crypto? Concerned about losing your shirt? Thinking about pursuing a career in Web3? Or are you interested in Web3 for altruistic reasons alone?
Come join us on October 13th, 2022 (5 pm PDT) for a virtual panel discussion on Web3. Zoom link will be provided prior to the event. The event will be a moderated panel discussion focused on Web3.
The panelists will include:
- Alan Chiu, Founder & CEO, Boba Network, M.S., Stanford University, 2011
- Yida Gao, General Partner, Shima Capital, attended Stanford GSB in 2017
- David Gan, General Partner, OP Capital
- The panel will be moderated by Gagan Verma, MBA ‘99.
The panel will discuss issues such as:
- Why should someone get involved with (or stay away from) Web3?
- Where are we in the lifecycle of Web3?
- How have recent events and the bear market in Crypto impacted the industry?
- What are the use cases for Web3?
- What is DeFi?
- What are NFTs?
- How will Web3 impact Gaming?
This event is open to Stanford Alumni, students, and guests.
38 at the Garden
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
PREMIERES OCTOBER 11 AT 9 PM
38 At The Garden | Official Trailer | HBO
38 At The Garden chronicles the extraordinary ascendance of point guard Jeremy Lin during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks. Lin, an undrafted Harvard graduate, shocked fans, stunned his teammates and galvanized the Asian American community when he scored 38 points at Madison Square Garden against the Los Angeles Lakers, solidifying Lin’s hot streak and the “Linsanity” craze.
A decade later, Lin’s stature as a groundbreaking, cultural icon stands in stark relief to the recent hate crimes against the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community. 38 At The Garden recognizes a pivotal moment in time for Lin, and celebrates a phenomenon that was bigger than basketball for the world.
38 At The Garden is a Mr. Fahrenheit and GTG Entertainment production. The film is directed by Frank Chi and produced by Travon Free and Samir Hernandez. Executive Producers, Patricia Sun, Brandon Chu, Kai Huang, Mike Lee, Dave Lu, and Paul Sri. For HBO, executive producer, Bentley Weiner.
Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
On October 17th explore the fight against Asian American hate following the March 2021 mass shootings at three spas in Atlanta. Examine how this critical moment of racial reckoning sheds light on the struggles, triumphs, and achievements of AAPI communities.
The film is narrated by Sandra Oh with music by Jon Batiste and Cory Wong.
Changemakers Summit
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
The Changemakers Summit will take place virtually on October 29, 2022 from 10 am — 3 pm PST.
Changemakers Summit 2022 is a national AAPI Youth Conference created in partnership with Act to Change and Hate Is A Virus. Designed to support, connect & develop the next generation of AAPI youth activists, our conference this year will center around the theme of Intergenerational & Intersectional Activism.
The target audience is AAPI youth ranging from middle school to college students. As a broader forum for the AAPI community to center and support youth leaders, we invite educators, mentors, and other leaders within the AAPI community to participate and share their knowledge. We plan to host a variety of workshops, speaker panels, and community discussions that attendees can choose to partake in, across three different tracks:
- Who Are We? (Identity Development)
- What Impacts Us? (Issue Exploration)
- How Can We Create Change? (Skill-Building)
ACE NextGen Unity Conference
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
The conference theme this year is Unity. We are bringing together the AAPI entrepreneurial ecosystem to strengthen relationships and cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs through discussing and solving their greatest challenges. The broader goal is to support the larger AAPI community by empowering the next generation of community-minded business owners.
Event is sold out!
Very Asian Foundation — Books & Brew
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
On Sunday, October 23rd, join The Very Asian Foundation and Subtle Asian Baking’s Kat Lieu for an afternoon of beer, books, and baked goods at Lucky Envelope Brewing. Michelle Li and Kat will also bring their books A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food and Modern Asian Baking at Home.
The VAF will pick up your first round of culturally-inspired beer to support Asian American small businesses, conversation, and collaboration!
The Scale of Hope | Climate, Climbing and Systemic Change
From Patagonia Films: “Former White House Policy Advisor for Energy and Climate @Molly Kawahata reflects on her time in the Obama Administration, her personal struggle with mental health, and her love of alpine climbing to create a positive vision of how we can respond to the climate crisis.”
Watch this inspirational documentary about Molly’s story of leading with hope, of our opportunities to resolve justice and inequities in all forms, the importance of fighting for it every single day, and how she harnessed a mental disorder to fuel her mission and passion. Molly’s discovery of her family’s history of being imprisoned in the Japanese internment camps led to her work in politics and her drive in expanding the electorate to impact systemic change.
In Molly’s words, “I want climate change to be a concept inextricably linked to hope, empowerment, and opportunity, not despair and gloom”.Directed by Josh “Bones” Murphy
- Produced by Laura Wagner, Josh “Bones” Murphy
- Executive Producers Monika McClure, Alex Lowther, Justin Roth, Kristo Torgersen
- Written by Collin Kriner & Josh “Bones” Murphy Director of Photography August Thurmer, Mikey Schaefer
- Edited by Collin Kriner
- Original Music by William Ryan Fritch
- Featuring Molly Kawahata Kitty Calhoun Rachel Sarah Rushad Nanavatty Russell Kawahata
Watch here The Scale of Hope | Climate, Climbing and Systemic Change
The Power of ERGs — Farzana Nayani
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
This is the first authoritative book on building employee resource groups (ERGs) to empower underrepresented employees and positively impact diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within organizations and in society at large.
In existence for decades, ERGs originated out of affirmative action policies and have evolved into powerful sources of employee activity and engagement. Organizations can leverage ERGs to support business goals, but ERGs can also play a critical role in creating a more inclusive work environment for marginalized individuals. ERGs represent a balance of serving company interests and empowering employees, offering the opportunity for innovative leadership within organizations.
This book is a practical guide on how to manage ERGs effectively and how they inspire a deeper connection between employees and companies while helping us progress toward the DEI goals that we aim to accomplish. Participating in an ERG can help professionals of color and other historically excluded groups advance their careers, thereby increasing diverse representation in leadership. Farzana Nayani provides foundational tools for starting ERGs and outlines the five Ps — purpose, people, processes, planning, and priorities — needed to successfully operate them.
Unlike other ERG handbooks, this book is people-centric and socially conscious and thoughtfully takes into account the experiences of employees and leaders during current times. It also serves as a deeper call to action around how ERGs can foster authentic change within organizations, creating transformative impact in the surrounding world.
Becoming a Changemaker — Alex Budak
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
An Actionable, Inclusive Guide to Leading Positive Change at Any Level.
In Becoming a Changemaker, Alex Budak provides a fresh, inspiring and research-backed guide to developing the mindsets and leadership skills needed to navigate, shape, and lead change and to make a positive impact in our lives, career, and communities.
Through a diverse series of case studies, and brand new insights from his original research on the traits the most successful changemakers have in common, Alex provides an actionable, inclusive guide for people of all backgrounds, levels, ages, and industries to get unstuck and to start leading change from wherever they are.
Based on Budak’s wildly-popular class of the same name at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, the book is a #1 new release on Amazon for “Organizational Change.” Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus says, “it will inspire.” Olympic Athlete Alicia Wilson calls it “life-changing.” And Dan Heath (co-author of Switch and Made to Stick) declares that Becoming a Changemaker “will be a catalyst for a new generation of leaders committed to changing the world for the better.”
The world has never been more ready for you.
9 things you’ll get from reading.
- An invitation to embrace your own identity as a changemaker.
- Inspiration from how people from all walks of life have led positive change from where they are
- Stories of over 50 changemakers, ranging from teenagers to a 90 year old; founders, middle managers and executive assistants; immigrants and indigenous leaders; lawyers, nurses, sales associates, engineers, athletes, students, and even a guy who just really, really wanted his company to start composting.
- A brand new concept called “Microleadership,” which shows how each of us can begin seizing the leadership moments in front of us every single day.
- Confidence to transform your ideas into action, and take those scary — but crucial — first steps towards your vision.
- How and when to take smart risks, and how to get even the strongest cynics to join you in your change efforts.
- The same exercises I give my UC Berkeley students so that you can try them out yourself.
- Access to the “Changemaker Index” to help you track your growth as a changemaker.
- (Hopefully!) some laughs. Changemaking is serious work. But I never take myself or the book too seriously.
TAAF Summit (Sept 28th-29th)
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
The inaugural The Asian American Foundation AAPI Leadership Summit was a day of collaboration, reunions with old friends, and new relationship building as TAAF strives to build collective power to positively impact our AAPI community.
This summit was hosted in partnership with Asian Leaders Alliance, Stand with Asian Americans, Ascend Leadership, and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics.
Read Brian’s recap of the event in his Linkedin post.
Vicha Ratanapakdee Way — Street Renaming Ceremony (Oct 1st)
by Brian Pang on October 10, 2022
Since Mr. Vicha Ratanapakdee‘s passing, Monthanus Ratanapakdee (his daughter) has amplified the voices and contributed her time to fight not only for the Thai community, but for all Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and Southeast Asians, by raising awareness to stop hate against Asians, and to ensure that what happened to her father will not happen to other community members.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, physical and verbal attacks on AAPI and Asian elders have risen significantly throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and across the nation. Mr. Ratanapakdee’s case was the turning point for many Asian Americans in San Francisco. People who saw the video clip of the senseless violence inflicted on Mr. Ratanapakdee as he was shoved to the ground during his routine morning walk were horrified, saddened, and are no longer able to keep quiet. We are asking for justice. Mr. Vicha Ratanapakdee has become a critical icon in the #StandWithAsianAmericans movement.
Monthanus and Eric have attended marches and rallies to increase awareness and stop the attacks on AAPIs. They participated in many events to Stop Asian Hate, spoke publicly, and built solidarity to keep the AAPI community safe. They have worked tirelessly to ensure that survivors and the families of those victims are supported through SF city services, law enforcement, and the justice system. They both worked closely with the San Francisco Mayor’s Office to have a mural painted to commemorate her father in Chinatown as a historical marker that reminds future generations to Stand for Asians, Stop Asian Hate, and Stand With Asian Americans.
They also requested to rename Sonora Lane (located at the intersection of 2300 O’Farrell and Lyon, currently a staircase with no residential addresses) to “Vicha Ratanapakdee Way”. Renaming this street will signify that the City and County of San Francisco values the contributions of Asian Americans, debunks the American perception of Asian Americans as “others,” and believes all SF residents are equal regardless of race. This street will be the landmark for Vicha Ratanapakdee’s last walk in the Anza Vista neighborhood.
The AAPI community in the Bay Area and nationally is not small. AAPIs contribute significantly to the social and economic prosperity of the nation, and AAPIs loyally and dutifully serve the communities they live in. The AAPI community must unite as one to have a stronger impact in our fight for our rights which have been suppressed, unseen, or ignored. We will not be silenced.
Watch the replay here: Vicha Ratanapakdee Way Street Renaming Ceremony
Learn More: https://www.justice4vicha.org/
