Welcome to Dispatch #19! This issue we are discussing the Asian-American identity (it’s revolutionary roots and how we can reclaim them), one of the largest student strikes in US history, and more about the intricacies of the relationship between East and West.
By the way - we will be taking a short Summer break for the month of June. We've been going at this for 9 months straight (as neurodivergents, this is a big accomplishment for us!), so we're taking some time to rest, reset, and work on some big new ideas that we want to get off the ground. The next Dispatch will be July 6, 2025! Till then, you can catch us on Instagram.
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Easy Actions to Take
⏱~3min | Send a complaint demanding BBC air Basement Film’s Gaza documentary “Gaza: Medics Under Fire”
Why: 600 industry figures have already signed a letter telling BBC to air this documentary otherwise it “fails in its journalistic responsibility to report the truth, and fails in its duty of care to these brave contributors.” Organized by Unmute Humanity
Why: Israel’s AI program — which required external tech support, including support from Microsoft — “has been a behind-the-scenes force accelerating the death toll in Gaza. Microsoft doesn’t take any responsibility for enabling a genocide. But we’ve forced them to stop remaining silent, to admit that they’re concerned, and that they do provide technology to Israel’s military. Now is the time for us to ramp up the pressure. Organized by No Tech for Apartheid
Why: For generations, birthright citizenship has protected immigrant communities. Ending birthright citizenship poses an immediate and profound threat to Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI), and immigrant families. This policy would create a new class of stateless individuals, leaving countless children in limbo, tearing families apart, and fundamentally calling into question whether AAPIs can truly belong in this country. Organized by Stop AAPI Hate
⏱~3min | (US Only) Call your Senator to demand that they vote NO to HR 1 to protect Medicare and Medicaid
Why: House Republicans have narrowly passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act which, along with many other horrible cuts, will gut critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid to fund tax cuts for the wealthy and mass deportations. This is a matter of life or death for many Americans, especially disabled, elderly, and low-income, and millions could likely love coverage. Organized by 5Calls
Little (Movement) Wins
Tired of resistance that feels like sign-waving without purpose? The Center for Artistic Activism is hosting a free workshop, The Action Energizer Lab, to to help you boost your political effectiveness.
It's a 60-minute, fast-paced workshop designed to give community organizers, artists, campaigners, or anyone ready to stop leaving impact on the table some practical tools and inspiring ideas to level up their activism. Attendees will learn 9 simple techniques to make their actions more exciting, more engaging, and get results.
🗓 Wed, June 25 @ 6pm ET on Zoom
The Third World Liberation Front
Revealing History
In 1968-69, African American, Asian American, Chicano and Native American students at San Francisco State College and University of California, Berkeley (UCB) organized campus coalitions, known as the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), to address the lack of diversity among their students and faculty and staunchly Eurocentric education on their campuses.
The term “Third World” created a common basis of unity for the students in recognition of their shared experiences as minorities.
For the first time in history, a truly wide multi-ethnic coalition formed against institutional racism in a united alliance. They led a student and faculty strike that started on November 6, 1968 and lasted until March 21, 1969, making it the longest strike by students at an academic institution in the United States, all while enduring arrests, injuries, and tear gas.
Their collective efforts ultimately led to the formation of Ethnic Studies programs in California, a victory that set precedent for the rest of the nation, later expanding to 250 universities, colleges, and high schools. Another important achievement from the strikes was the establishment of closer working relationships between students and their local community. The TWLF rippled through Asian American activist communities, inspiring the International Hotel anti-eviction protests and the founding of community centers in San Francisco’s Chinatown and Japantown.
📗 Learn More
The People's Dictionary: Orientalism
In his book of the same name, Palestinian professor Edward Said defines Orientalism as the prejudiced ways Middle Eastern, North African, and Asian societies have been historically depicted in arts and academia by Western scholars or artists. In Said’s analysis, the West reduces all Eastern societies to be “Oriental” cultures that are static and undeveloped—thereby fabricating a view of Oriental culture that can be studied, depicted, and reproduced in the service of imperial power. Implicit in this view, according to Said, is the idea that Western society is developed, rational, flexible, and superior. This allows 'Western imagination' to see 'Eastern' cultures and people as both alluring and a threat to Western civilization.
Here is a great interview with Edward Said himself to learn more.
The Radical Roots of Pan-Asian Identity
Connecting the Dots
In the United States, each May is known as Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month - a time when Americans around the country are encouraged to celebrate Asian diaspora who have made the country home. As Asian-Americans ourselves, we believe there’s certainly plenty to celebrate but this should also be a time for reflection, too.
What we’ve noticed is that while many in the West are eager to celebrate Asian culture, there’s a lot less willingness to talk about Asian struggle. We will clap for Chinese Lion Dances, Hawaiian Hula performances, or Japanese anime but the Asian-American story is a lot more than that. If we aren’t careful, the aesthetics of our culture can become separated from the substance of our history. What does it really mean to be Asian-American? What is the role that Asian Americans play within the American capital system? And on a larger scale, how are Asians viewed in the West, and how does that affect our ability to organize as a people? As with diaspora anywhere, the struggle for our identity is real and if we do not define it for ourselves, it will be defined for us.
Uplift the Conscious Citizens
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- Tell a friend to sign up for the Conscious Citizens. You can even forward this issue to them!
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Imperialism consolidated the mixture of cultures and identities on a global scale. But its worst and most paradoxical gift was to allow people to believe that they were only, mainly, exclusively, white, or Black, or Western, or Oriental. Yet just as human beings make their own history, they also make their cultures and ethnic identities.
- Edward Said, from his book, "Culture & Imperialism"
Artists Confronting Inequalities
Eunsoo Jeong is a Los-Angeles based Korean-American artist and the creator of Koreangry, a hand-built puppet character that acts as her alter ego, to discuss her daily struggles as a US immigrant through comics, zines, poetry, writings, and more.
Jeong leverages humor, sarcasm, and empathy to make light of her own challenges with racism, misogyny, and her mental health while pushing ideas that challenge AAPI communities (confronting anti-Blackness, defunding police), providing practical information (know your rights during protests, bystander intervention), and sharing her struggles living in the United States.
We love how her vulnerability provides a gateway to discuss larger and issues in current society, demonstrating how the politics can be intensely personal. It’s a reminder that all of us, immigrant or not, can more consciously accept, reject, challenge, rebuild, and redefine our identities.
Visit the Koreangry Website | Follow Koreangry on Instagram
Resources & Tools
Please share these links with anyone that might find them helpful:
- 📓 How to Call Your Reps: A Neurodivergent Friendly Step-by-Step Guide
- 🖥 The Wall: Anti-Israel Website Blocker | Add this browser plugin to detect and block 19,000+ Israeli-related websites and their social accounts. Compatible with most browsers, this is an easy way to avoid giving your attention and web traffic to Israel!
- 🪧 Find a Protest | Visit this site to find an active list of protests near you, wherever you are in the world.
- 📋 Palestine Support Masterlist | A helpful collection of resources for anyone looking for effective ways to support Palestinians and stay safe while doing so.
- 🧠 Edward Said on Orientalism | A fantastic 1-hour interview with Edward Said, Palestinian author and professor who coined the term Orientalism in his seminal work of the same name. Though we highly recommend reading the book, this is a great overview of the concepts he presents from the man himself.
SUBMIT A RESOURCE!
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Till next time, do what you can. Care for yourself and the people around you. Believe that the world can be better than it is now. Never give up. And remember, you're not alone. We always have each other.
Onward to the World We Deserve,
Elisa & Ray
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