On August 22, 2024, JACL (Japanese American Citizens League) published a press release about the adoption of R-1, a resolution addressing the humanitarian crisis in Palestine and opposing domestic hate crimes and bias against Palestinian, Arab, and Jewish Americans.

The following is their press release:

Last month at its 54th National Convention, the JACL National Council adopted R-1, a resolution addressing the humanitarian crisis in Palestine and opposing domestic hate crimes and bias against Palestinian, Arab, and Jewish Americans. The resolution outlines several actions that JACL National and JACL chapters partake in. These include the release of several statements, of which this is one, announcing the adoption of the resolution. 

In accordance with the resolution, we call for the United States government to continue to work with our allies in the region to pressure the Israeli government and Hamas to release all hostages, negotiate a ceasefire, and establish an enduring peace agreement. We denounce and call for an end of the U.S. government’s funding of the Israeli military where it is in violation of international humanitarian laws or the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and call for the increase and assurance of the free flow of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza. JACL condemns all forms of hate and bias that occur in the United States, especially those targeting Muslim, Arab, and Jewish Americans. The related documents and additional information will be sent to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary of State Blinken, and Congressional leadership.

During WWII the Japanese American community was falsely associated and accused of being in collaboration with the hostile actions of the Japanese government. We are acutely aware of the challenges faced by members of the Jewish and Palestinian communities here in the United States today who face similar stigma today due to what is happening in the Middle East. Earlier this month, many Japanese Americans joined in services to commemorate the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, joining in a call for peace, and in solidarity with the country of our ancestry in a way we could not 80 years ago. In this spirit of calling for world peace, we recognize the desire for Jewish Americans and Palestinian Americans for their affiliated places and people of ancestry to live in peace and with the right of self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

The adopted resolution can full can be found on the JACL National website HERE.

AAPIC President Laurie Fong and Vice President Grace Cheung-Schulman attended this conference at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in downtown Oakland. It was a wonderful event, very well attended, and informative, and gave us a lot of good ideas for what AAPIC needs to do for our AAPI Community.

To start off the conference in an uplifting mood, you should watch a hilarious opening performance by Kristina Wong! Click here!

This is the organizer Asian Pacific Fund’s report on the event on Thu, June 6, 2024. Reprinted with permission.

Dear Asian Pacific Fund Community,

Thank you for joining us for our 2024 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Summit on Reclaiming and Redefining Mental Health. With nearly 180 registrants from community organizations, corporations, government, philanthropy, and media present, we highlighted the importance and power of AANHPIs advocating for mental health resources and culturally competent services. 


The 5th Annual Summit was a unique mental health gathering, catering to a diverse community with varying opinions. It was a platform that some found unconventional, while others saw it as exactly what they were seeking. As a community foundation, our role is to bring together people with diverse perspectives, introduce new viewpoints, and create a safe space for “big family conversations.”

A significant moment occurred during the final panel session, featuring four remarkable youths discussing mental health successes and challenges. During the Q&A, an attendee, a parent of a transgender child, asked, “How do I support them and let them know that I love them?” The youth panelists offered empathetic and loving responses. I was moved to tears, touched by the parent’s courage and love for their child. I wondered if this attendee would feel safe asking such a question among well over a hundred strangers elsewhere. “This,” I thought, “is why we do this work—creating safe spaces where our communities can be seen, heard, supported, and loved. This is what impact looks like.”

This impact would not be possible without our partners, speakers, and sponsors, and we are grateful to our nonprofit affiliate, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, and its staff for providing us with the perfect venue for these discussions. Special thanks go to all our speakers: Kristina Wong, Amy Lam, Ph.D., Connie Wun, Ph.D., Kevin Niuatoa, MDiv, ThM, Anni Chung, Tone Va’i, Yuan Wang, Amulya Mandava, Ph.D., Daria Cisper, Kim Luna, Aly Pascual, and Dan Pascual, for sharing their knowledge, insights, and tireless dedication.

We extend our gratitude to our official media sponsor, NBC Bay Area, and our partners, Robert Handa and Jay dela Cruz, for helping to promote awareness of AANHPI mental health and our Summit. Thank you to Chuck Siu, Amy Siu, and the Samoan Community Development Center for leading us in the arts and cultural practices. A special thank you goes to our outstanding volunteers from Kaiser Permanente and Enterprise for supporting our staff throughout the day. Our appreciation also goes out to Thai Rice Spoon and Verbena Catering for providing exceptional catering services.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate, share our stories, and work towards a brighter future for our community’s mental health. Your presence, bravery, and support are a testament to our collective strength and unity. Together, we will drive change.

With gratitude,

Photos at the Summit. View the full photo album here.

Insightful Resources

Throughout the Summit, our speakers and panelists highlighted several insightful resources and readings. We encourage our community to explore these valuable materials:

• 2024 AANHPI Summit Slide Deck
• “Up to Us” Transgender API Needs Assessment
• Lavender Phoenix’s 2023 Year-In-Review
• Queer Possibilities: Intergenerational Solidarity
• Kapasa Community-Led Needs Assessment
• Senior Street Smarts Videos from KCCEB (Available in English, Korean, Mandarin, & Cantonese)
• Kona Report
• Asian and Pacific Islander Mental Health Services Utilization in Alameda County: Community Reports Analysis 
• Article: Advocating for Language Equity: A Community-Public Health Partnership 

Read the original newsletter from Asian Pacific Fund about the Summit.

Dear Community,

As we contemplated our response to the suspension of SSU’s President, Dr. Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee, we also thought about what we wanted to say about the Israeli/Hamas conflict. As an organization that values all ethnic groups and strives to recognize those who are most at risk, we offer this collective thinking on the current, horrific, and urgent conflict.

Sincerely,

Laurie Fong
President, AAPIC North Bay
Laurie@aapicnorthbay.org

---

An Open Letter On the Israeli/Hamas Conflict

AAPIC, the Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay, mourns the loss of lives in the on-going conflict between the Israeli government and Hamas. We condemn the actions of Hamas against Israeli citizens and of the Israeli government’s violence against Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. These are crimes against humanity: we advocate for the release of all hostages on both sides and a humanitarian ceasefire.

AAPIC knows the history of the Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander people—our histories of oppression, exclusion, resettlement, internment, violence, and genocide are well-remembered. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinians and Israeli people who are currently enduring unfathomable violence and fear.

As an organization, AAPIC recognizes the value of every individual and stands behind the deep humanity of heritage and all cultures. We cannot be silent during this crisis.

This unrestrained conflict is affecting our local communities, even far from the fields of war. Antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric and acts of hate are increasing, reminiscent of the surge in anti-Asian hate and violence witnessed during the pandemic.

We call on President Biden and Congress to reach bi-partisan agreements to direct diplomacy and the immense resources of the United States to de-escalate armed conflict in the region, not fund it.

We call for the end of the killing of innocent civilians, and importantly, innocent children.

We call on our national, state, and local elected officials to support a permanent ceasefire to end the violence in Gaza and the West Bank and to support impartial humanitarian aid.

We call for a solution that will allow for the self-determination of Palestinians, and to protect and safeguard the Israeli and Palestinian people.

We must put human beings first, not power. We recognize that there are other conflicts in the world where innocents are being displaced and killed. The need to save lives is urgent. It is our shared humanity that is at greatest risk.

The Board of Directors of AAPIC recently sent out an open letter of support for Dr. Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee who was put on administrative leave by the California State University Chancellor Dr. Garcia after he entered into an agreement with the student protestors on the Sonoma State Univerisity campus averting violence as the school year ended. The following is our open letter.

Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay
Santa Rosa, California

May 25, 2024

The Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition (AAPIC) of North Bay celebrates Dr. Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee’s extraordinary career and leadership in the California State University (CSU) system, where he dedicated over 30 years to uplifting students from all backgrounds and held significant faculty, administrative, and financial positions. Dr. Lee has received numerous honors and awards for advancing BIPOC leadership. AAPIC applauds the incredible contributions Dr. Lee has made to enhancing higher education, promoting mental health in the AAPI community, and raising political awareness of Asian Americans in the State of California.

Coming out of retirement, Dr. Lee served as Sonoma State University (SSU) Interim President in 2022 and then was appointed President in May the following year. During this short tenure, he was recognized for his willingness to interface and engage with faculty and students directly in a welcoming open-door policy.

We were privileged to have Dr. Lee as our keynote speaker at our AAPIC community gathering in January 2024 where he exuded joy with being a part of our North Bay community. He expressed a commitment to elevating the voices of those who have been historically marginalized, including the AAPI community.

In his true collaborative nature, Dr. Lee engaged in conversations with students, administrators, and faculty at SSU regarding the war in Gaza. We laud Dr. Lee for protecting student protestors against violence and incarceration as seen at other universities, standing up for fundamental human rights, and maintaining deep kindness and integrity in the face of division.

We condemn the rash punitive actions taken by CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia placing Dr. Lee on administrative leave for insubordination. This shortsighted decision led to Dr. Lee choosing to return to retirement. His departure is a huge loss for SSU, the CSU system, and the larger North Bay community. We condemn the tactics used to shame and silence Dr. Lee from taking a stance against the senseless killing of innocent people – the same tactics historically used on the AAPI community to mute dissent.

We agree with this sentiment from Dr. Lee’s message to the SSU community:

“Student activism, protest, and dissent in service of social and political change are key democratic principles that allow us to imagine a more perfect union — not only for ourselves, but also for others. None of us should be on the sidelines when human beings are subject to mass killing and destruction. I have said this before and it merits repeating: There is no political, religious, or cultural principle that merits the murder of the innocent, and the one battle we should all be engaged in is the fight for inclusion, respect, and freedom for all people, regardless of their background or identity.”

We are immensely saddened by Dr. Lee’s departure and firmly stand in solidarity with his call for a cease-fire so that a process for permanent, peaceful resolution can be established.

Sincerely,

AAPIC Board of Directors

President, Laurie Fong
Vice President, Grace Cheung-Schulman
Secretary, David Chen
Treasurer, Judy Chen
Board Member, Elizabeth Escalante
Board Member, Savenaca Gasaiwai
Board Member, Henry Huang
Board Member, Katherine Nguyen
Board Member, Claudia Sisomphou
Board Member, Brian Tajii
Board Member, Nancy Weber
Board Member, Barry Wu

“Our Communities. Our Leaders. Our Legacy.”

[Newsletter reprinted with permission of APAICS (Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies)]

President Joe Biden’s Keynote Speech

On Tuesday evening, President Joseph R. Biden gave the keynote address at the APAICS 30th Annual Gala at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on May 14, 2024, to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of the Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI) community during AA & NH/PI Heritage Month.

Founded by the late former Secretary Norman Y. Mineta in 1994, APAICS is the leading organization dedicated to promoting AA & NH/PI participation and representation at all levels of the political process. The gala, titled “Our Communities. Our Leaders. Our Legacy.” gathered 1,350 attendees, the highest-attended in organizational history, from across the country to celebrate the organization’s 30th anniversary and the rich contributions of the AA & NH/PI community. It is the largest gathering of AA & NH/PI elected officials and government appointees at the federal, state, and local levels.

The event, emceed by evening news anchor Eun Yang, featured special remarks from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries; honorary gala co-chairs Congressman Ted Lieu and Congresswoman Jill Tokuda; and Congresswoman Grace Meng. The evening’s honorees include CAPAC Chair and APAICS Board Member Congresswoman Judy Chu with the Norman Y. Mineta Lifetime Achievement Award; former U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta with the Pioneer Award; screenwriter and producer of Crazy, Rich, Asians Adele Lim with the Vision Award; and Papa Ola Lōkahi with Community Leadership Achievement.

“All of you represent a simple truth that there is no singular Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander identity. The diversity of your cultures and the breadth of your achievements have shaped and strengthened the fabric of our country,” said President Biden. “You represent how we are a nation of immigrants, a nation of Dreamers, a nation of freedom. That’s the America we share. That’s the America we know.”

“We are a gorgeous nation of people from all across the world and central to it is this community. Central to our future is this community,” said Leader Jeffries. “Together, I am confident that our future can be brighter than our past.”

“There was a time when we were invisible in the halls of Congress. As a result, there was no one to speak up for us when one of the most discriminatory acts in our nation’s history was passed, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and when Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II,” said CAPAC Chair Chu. “This is why it is so significant for me to see the immense growth of our power. Today, we have 21 AANHPI Members of Congress and 76 CAPAC Members, a historic high. And we have used our seat at the table to push for the rights and needs of our communities.”

“I have seen firsthand depend on coalitions we build,” said former U.S. Associate Attorney General Gupta. “Coalition is something inherent to the AANHPI communities. We ourselves represent so many different cultures, languages, religions, and ethnicities.”

“We are no longer the exception. But we will not stop until that shiny beacon of Hollywood is a representation of all of us, not just some of us,” said screenwriter, director, and producer Adele Lim.

“Equity isn’t a word. Equity is a practice. Equity must be practiced,” said Sheri Daniels, executive director of Papa Ola Lōkahi. “So tonight I challenge us all to practice equity intentionally.”

“We are a community of communities, and we are so much stronger and better for it. When one of us is at the table, we will uplift our sisters and brothers who are still fighting for representation until we are all seen and heard,” said Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke, president & CEO of APAICS. “The success of APAICS is not singular, but takes all of us.”

View the full video recording of the President’s remarks HERE.

You May have noticed in e-newsletters and social media posts that events are put on this month – May – in honor of AAPI Heritage Month. But do you know what it is and how this designation came about? Be sure to check out our Events Page listing of AAPI events in the area.

What is AAPI, APIA, or APA?

When we think of AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander), APIA (Asian Pacific Islander American), or APA (Asian Pacific American), we usually think of the 51 countries and territories in Asia, the most populous continent in the world. But AAPI, APIA, or APA covers much more.

According to the U.S. government webpage about the Asian/Pacific Heritage Month, the term Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent AND the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island). So we also have the acronym of AANHPI, which stands for Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander.

Each of the Asian and Pacific Islander countries has a distinct language and dialect, culture, customs, and food. This is what we are celebrating – our uniqueness, our differences, and our commonality.

So why May?

The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

How did the Asian/Pacific Heritage Month come about?

Like most commemorative months, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month originated with Congress. In 1977, Representative Frank Horton of New York introduced a resolution to proclaim the first ten days in May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week. In the next 15 years, several resolutions were passed. And finally, in 1992, Congress passed Public Law 102-450 to designate May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.

Where can I find out more about the Asian/Pacific Heritage Month?

Read more in the digital and physical holdings available in the Library of Congress at this Web portal, which is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The contents of this site highlight only a small portion of the physical and digital holdings of the participating partners.

By Keiko Ohnuma

At age 41, Rena Charles had already reached the pinnacle of her arts management career. Four years after moving here from Tampa, she was elevated from art consultant to director of gallery sales at the multimillion-location Aerena Galleries. That’s when she took a step back to focus on her own art.

Charles had been painting since her undergraduate days at Emory University, but only in the last fifteen years did it become a serious thing. “The first five years, the work was not good,” she laughs—and she should know. Her career was built on understanding what art buyers want, and identifying the artists who can deliver it.

Embracing the easel was hardly a business decision, but investing in herself paid off in ways she could not have imagined. An art gallery in Albany where she had been selling small-format works offered her a solo show, and she ended up selling fourteen of the eighteen large-format paintings she created. When her life partner wondered aloud why she’d never thought to open her own gallery, the wheel of fortune began to spin.

“Could I? Dare I?” she remembers asking herself. “It’s in my DNA to assess all the factors, so we were uploading and downloading, starting with the idea of what artists would I represent?” Seven months later, Charles opened the wall-size folding glass doors to the Rena Charles Gallery in downtown Healdsburg, with the work of nine artists filling the former architectural office flooded with natural light.

Sales during the summer tourist season were “amazing,” she said, and the local community has proved excited to support a new gallery in Sonoma County and discover the artists it is showcasing.

“It was one of those things where everything started to align—almost eerily,” she says. Charles credits the backing of family and friends for her strong launch, but she hardly left the process to chance. Top of mind from day one was how she would survive. “I didn’t want the mindset of ‘If you build it, they will come.’ ”

She also had a clear vision of what she wanted in her own space. Charles’ gallery features painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, and textiles with a focus on local and regional artists who may not be widely known, but have what it takes to succeed: a cohesive body of “polished” work elevated enough to appeal to designers and other sophisticated art buyers.

“I also wanted to give a platform to women and BIPOC artists,” she says, knowing they face systemic barriers to gallery representation. Of some forty artists represented at Aerena, for example, she remembers only one or two that were a person of color. “I just wanted to be sure I was mindful of that element.” 

Charles herself has a Taiwanese mother and black father, and one of her artists, Korean/black painter Lina Chambliss, shares a strangely similar background, down to the echo in their names. So alongside her spreadsheets and business know-how, Charles relied on her intuitions and personal connections.

“Of course, you want to be self-confident,” she says of starting a business, “but it was really the confidence of others saying ‘you can do this,’ along with resources like the AAPI and small business groups. They can help when you have a great idea but don’t know the next steps.”

“I thought that was an amazing example of how people in your community—however you define that—will support you,” Charles says. “It’s a matter of using your platform and influence where you can.”

---

Meet Rena at her Holiday Sip & Shop

Sat, December 2, 4-7 pm! 

Rena Charles Gallery
439 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg
renacharlesgallery.com
Instagram @renacharlesgallery
(707) 813-2033, hello@renacharlesgallery.com
Open Thursday through Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment. 

Keiko Ohnuma is an editor, newspaper reporter, and freelance writer/editor, continually diverting her passions to art, outdoor sports, and animals, now semi-retired and working on personal writing projects.

Photos by Grace Cheung-Schulman.

Author Erin Masako Wilkins’ new book, Asian American Herbalism: Traditional and Modern Healing Practices for Everyday Wellness brings her knowledge to your home. 

By Jen Hyde

Erin Masako Wilkins’ path to becoming an herbalist began while she was studying Japanese acupuncture in Berkeley. She soon realized that herbalism was a profound component of this discipline and quickly fell in love with their healing powers. The more she learned about herbalism, the more Erin realized that many medicinal herbs grow abundantly in the San Francisco Bay Area. Herbs such as chrysanthemum, mugwort, rose, and various mints became essential ingredients in her practice. After school, she was eager to bring her knowledge to her community.

At first, herbal workshops served as a platform for sharing knowledge and breaking down barriers to herbal medicine. Erin believes that herbalism is not just about healing the body but also about reconnecting with cultural traditions and the earth. She often highlights the concept of “food as medicine” and encourages participants to explore their own cultural connections to herbs and food, fostering a sense of belonging and pride in one’s heritage.

Erin’s workshops have attracted a diverse community, a testament to her dedication to inclusivity and the power of online platforms during the pandemic. Her online presence has allowed her to reach a broader audience, leading to greater Asian representation in her classes and workshops, and eventually a book deal.

Her new book, Asian American Herbalism: Traditional and Modern Healing Practices for Everyday Wellness, explores the intersection of Asian American identity, herbalism, and cultural connections to the land. The book provides guidance for those seeking to incorporate herbalism into their lives both for wellness and cultural connection. It is one part recipe book, one part memoir as Erin delves into her family’s history, their experiences during World War II, and their role as farm laborers in Sonoma County to provide a framework.

Erin’s grandfather, Hiroshi Yamamoto, was a second-generation American from Ukiah. His family fled to Utah to escape Japanese incarceration during WWII. Hiroshi later fought in the war, and afterward moved his family to Sacramento. Erin’s mother moved the family back to Santa Rosa while Erin was in high school, a move which Erin attributes as the catalyst for her calling.

As a mixed-race individual, Erin’s journey to finding her heritage and identity has been a nuanced exploration. Before the pandemic, Erin called her business East West herbalism, a name that placed her cultural experiences side by side. This is a method of identifying oneself that is common among mixed Asians for whom preserving family histories is a crucial part of our identity formation. For us, cultural reclamation is deeply personal. Asian American Herbalism is a term Erin created for herself. Her self-realization not only aligns with her identity but also serves as a source of inspiration in the pages of her new book.

Join us on Friday, October 20th at 7 pm to launch Erin’s book: Asian American Herbalism: Traditional and Modern Healing Practices for Everyday Wellness at Copperfield Books in Petaluma! Reserve a free ticket here. Order your copy of the book at Copperfield’s Books online.

Jen Hyde is the author of Hua Shi Hua,华诗画 [Drawings & Poems from China]. She lives in Sonoma County with her family.

To apply for a membership of RECA (Redwood Empire Chinese Association), please contact RECA Secretary Judy Cheung by emailing her here.

 

All RECA Members, Family, and Friends,

You are invited to join us for the 2023 RECA Autumn Moon Festival Potluck Social on Saturday, September 30, 5:00 p.m. until dark at RECA Center, 3455 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95407. Just show up, no need to register.

In addition to our usual food, fun and entertainment, we will have a special eye-painting ceremony for our two new lions purchased with funds from the CAB Grant and for our new dragon purchased with funds from our Diversity Grant from the Arts and Cultural Grant of Northern Sonoma County. Once the eyes are painted, our lions and dragon will be able to see and will perform for us for the first time. Don’t miss this fun and excitement. We will also have our Adult Cultural Dancers, RECA Adult Chorus, Wu Academy Martial Arts, and more acts of excellent RECA talent.

Be sure to bring a jacket for when the sun goes down and it gets chilly. See you there with your entire family of all ages and generations!

**** To join RECA Membership and receive RECA Newsletter, please email RECA Secretary Judy Cheung.

Upcoming Regular Meetings

RECA Board Meeting

Every other month on the 3rd Wednesday, 7:00-9:00 p.m., RECA Center. All interested members are welcome to join us in planning and carrying out RECA business and community involvement. Be part of RECA’s less advertised activities. Be on committees where you can meet civic leaders. Be a special guest to invitation-only events to which RECA is invited. Enjoy special snacks brought to share by traveling board members. Share your talents, contacts, and knowledge. We meet every other month on the 3rd Wednesday at 7:00 at our Center unless otherwise announced. Our next meetings are scheduled on October 18 and December 20. To receive information to attend, please contact a board member: President Nancy Wang 707-576-0533, Youth Group Leaders Jong & Lorraine Mira 707-364-5327,

Vice President and RECA Chorus: David Chung, 707-340-6045, Recording Secretary: Judy Cheung, 707-528-0912 or any board member listed on the front page of this newsletter, or email Judy Cheung.

RECA YOUTH GROUP: 

Usually each 1st Friday, 6:00-8:30 PM, RECA Center. Youth Group focuses on Chinese and Asian cultural issues and situations. We begin with a lion or dragon dance rehearsal, have a light meal, then a topic of discussion. We end the meeting with some fun and games. If you are a teenager and would like to join us, please contact our YG Leaders, Lorraine and Jong Mira

Our next meeting will be Friday, September 8. 6:00 lion dance practice. 6:45 ice cream social. Please contact the Mira Family for specific information and to be sure they count you when they buy the ice cream.

RECA LION & DRAGON DANCERS Practice:

Each Youth Group Practice and meeting is usually on the 1st Friday at 6:00-6:45 plus special rehearsals before performing. Performances are community-wide. Please contact Lorraine and Jong Mira for rehearsal information. You do not have to belong to the Youth Group to be a lion or dragon dancer. We have junior and senior (elementary school and high school or older) lions. To be a dragon dancer, you must be big enough to hold the pole and keep up when the dragon runs. Less tall and less energetic participants can be Happy Buddha dancers or percussionists with cymbals and gong, or general support person to carry, drive, etc. There is always something for everyone to do.

Next performances: Sept. 30 RECA Moon Festival, RECA Center; Oct. 7 Alzheimer walk, Sonoma State University; Dec. 2 RECA Christmas Party at Santa Rosa Vets Building.

RECA ADULT CULTURAL DANCERS: 

Practice each Wednesday, 3:30-5:30 p.m. At Snoopy’s Ice Arena Studio. Leader is Lisa Gardener. These adults learned cultural dance in China. To join, they hope you already know the basics of Chinese cultural dance. Rehearsals are conducted primarily in Mandarin. They practice weekly and perform throughout greater Sonoma County and beyond. Their performances include senior homes, all levels of schools, private parties, business parties, special dinner events, and many more exciting venues.

RECA ADULT CHORUS:

Tuesdays 7:00-9:00 p.m. at our RECA Center. Please email David Chung or Lisa Gardner for more info in case the time has changed for this month. The Chorus recently performed at the Sonoma County Fair and will perform at RECA’s Autumn Moon Festival on September 30, our December Christmas Party at the Santa Rosa Vet’s Building on December 2, and many additional community events.

RECA SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE: 

At least two $500 scholarships are given each year to high school seniors who live in Sonoma County and are of Asian descent or who are members of RECA. Applications may be obtained on our website or from public and most private school counselors. 2024 applications may be turned in starting February 2024. Interviews are planned for May 2024. The interview committee will be assigned in March or April.

For 2023, our recipients were:

• Elizabeth (Ellie) Mira, RECA, Maria Carrillo High;
• Katrina Gong, RECA, Maria Carrillo High;
• Melanie Raymond, non-member, Maria Carrillo High;
• Andrew Simmalaychanh, non-member, Windsor High;
• Rijan Chapagain, non-member, Sonoma Valley High.

Funds for these scholarships come from the RECA Scholarship Fund and from generous donors. This year’s donors were The Lok Family and David Chung in memory of his brother Steven.

RECA CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

August 19: Skyhawk Neighborhood Meeting in soccer field near Austin Creek School. RECA Lions perform.

September 9: Grand Opening of the Sonoma County Stories exhibit at the Sonoma County Museum. RECA is a contributor and has been closely involved. Nancy Wang is on the board of directors.

September 19: Building Bridges Between Communities, Congregation Shomrei Torah, Nancy Wang is featured speaker

September 23: South Park Day & Night Festival, RECA will have an info booth and lion dancers in Martin Luther King Park, 1671 Hendley St., Santa Rosa, near the fairgrounds. Begins at 2:00 pm. All day fun, free movie at night.

**September 30: RECA Autumn Moon Festival, RECA Center. Setup 3:00, begins 5:00, entertainment 7:00. Everyone is invited. Bring food to share, family, friends and a jacket for when the sun goes down.

October 7: Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Sonoma State University, RECA Lions & Cultural Dancers perform. *October 18: RECA Board Meeting RECA Center, 7:00. Please contact Nancy Wang or Judy Cheung for more info. All interested members are welcome.

October 21: Finding History Day, Finley Center, Sonoma County Historical Heritage Society exhibition. RECA will have an information booth and is a sponsor.

October 21: Building Bridges Between Communities, Congregation Shomrei Torah, RECA Youth Group member Kevin Zhai is a featured speaker.

November 5: Building Bridges Between Communities, Congregation Shomrei Torah, RECA has an info table POSTPONED TO JANUARY 2024. November 11: Asian American Pacific Island Coalition of North Bay Annual Meeting. 

**December 2: RECA Christmas Party: Santa Rosa Vet’s Memorial Building Dining Room (east side parking), Setup 4:00, begins 5:00, entertainment 6:30. Everyone is invited. Please bring food to share, family and friends.

*December 20: RECA Board Meeting RECA Center, 7:00. Please contact Nancy Wang or Judy Cheung for more info. All interested members are welcome.

Date TBA: RECA Youth Group to help paint street art at intersection of 2nd & D Streets with artist Judy Kennedy with funds granted by Santa Rosa CAB (Community Advisory Board.)

2024

January 19: Finley Park Chinese New Year Celebration, Program presented by RECA.February 3: Sonoma County Children’s Museum Chinese New Year Celebration, RECA is invited to perform.

February 16: Oakmont Senior Singles performance of lions, dancers, and chorus

February 17: Healdsburg Chinese New Year Celebration, RECA is invited to perform. RECA YG to help paint street art at intersection of 2nd & D Streets with artist Judy Kennedy with funds granted by Santa Rosa CAB (Community Advisory Board.)

January 19: Finley Park Chinese New Year Celebration, Program presented by RECA.

February 3: Sonoma County Children’s Museum Chinese New Year Celebration, RECA is invited to perform.

February 16: Oakmont Senior Singles performance of lions, dancers and chorus

February 17: Healdsburg Chinese New Year Celebration, RECA is invited to perform.

By Katrin Ciaffa, 10,000 Degrees Regional Director for Sonoma and Napa Counties.

For students who identify as AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander), people often assume that they have the financial resources and know-how to access, persist, and succeed in college. But that’s not always the case. There are a lot of misconceptions about AAPI students, Jin Choi told NBC Bay Area recently. Choi is Asian American and the director of scholarships at 10,000 Degrees, a leading, equity-focused scholarship provider and college success nonprofit in California.

We Are Not A Homogenous Group

“A lot of people think we are this homogenous group, that all of us graduate college, that all of us have engineering jobs… but of course, that’s not true,” Jin said. “There are over 60 different Asian nationalities and cultures in the Bay Area, and they all have their unique, different college outcomes … for instance, if you look at the Hmong community, the Vietnamese community, the Cambodian community, many are living under the federal poverty guidelines. They need as much help as any other community out there.”

Jin Choi, 10,000 Degrees Director of Scholarships, with Samuele Esperon, recipient of the Filipino American National Historical Society scholarship in 2017. Samuele graduated from UCLA in 2020.

Eighteen percent of 10,000 Degrees scholarship recipients identify as AAPI. Last year, they awarded nearly 600 AAPI students $788,000 in renewable, need-based scholarships. 10,000 Degrees has several scholarships specifically dedicated to AAPI students, including the Nas Scholarship for students of Indian descent, and the Asian Scholarship Fund for students who have one parent of Asian descent, are graduating seniors from Sonoma, Marin, Napa, or Contra Costa high schools, and are planning to enroll in college fulltime. All of 10,000 Degrees’ scholarships are need-based and renewable until baccalaureate attainment.

Through a potent combination of scholarships plus comprehensive support, 10,000 Degrees annually helps over 12,000 high school and college students from low-income backgrounds get to and through college so they can realize their full potential and positively impact their communities and the world.

Juliana Z.

Like 10,000 Degrees scholarship recipient Juliana Z., the daughter of Chinese immigrants, who hopes to give back to her community. “Growing up, those around me, including my immigrant parents, worked two to three blue-collared jobs, struggling with language barriers impacting their job security,” Juliana recalled. “My passion for languages stems from my realization that I could use this knowledge to advocate for others.

“I hope to use my language skills as the foundation of my work to further immigrant advocacy”

Juliana Z.

Juliana graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco in 2021 and is now attending UC Berkeley. She is determined to make a difference for other Asian immigrants.

“As a Chinese-American female, often underrepresented in today’s political stage, I strive to use my voice to help voice the needs and concerns of Asian Americans on the national policy agenda to combat the dominant model minority narrative,” Juliana said. “I aim to advocate for the provision of interpretive services to help the diverse population of Asian immigrants in their dealings with public/private agencies on a local, state, and national level. I seek to change our educational institutions to teach about multiculturalism and the histories, cultures, and contributions of Asian Americans.”

Amanda Doan

“I’m proud to say that I will be one of the first in my family to attain a college degree. I feel grateful that I am in a position where I can pursue my boldest dream of graduating without any debt during my undergraduate career, and I can assure that 10,000 Degrees, its staff and the various scholarship donors generosity will never be forgotten. Thank you for your investment in the youth!”

Amanda Doan, wearing a traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai to honor her Vietnamese heritage as a first-generation college student; Yerba Buena High School, Santa Clara 2018, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2023.

100% of 10,000 Degrees students come from low-income backgrounds, 93% are from communities of color, and 92% will be the first in their family to attend college. 10,000 Degrees also provides extensive support to undocumented students, including scholarships.

Hy L.

Hy L. is a 10,000 Degrees scholarship recipient from Sonoma County who graduated from Piner High School in Santa Rosa in 2022 and is now majoring in mechanical engineering at UCLA. “My family and I immigrated from Vietnam in 2010, and being able to make my parents proud after all the hard work they’ve put in makes me very happy,” Hy said. “My parents always assured me that money wouldn’t be an issue, that we can take out loans and make it work, especially since engineering is a stable career. But I definitely wanted to seek out opportunities where they existed if it could ease the burden on our family. I am incredibly grateful for this scholarship and its easing of not only our financial burden but my mental burden as well.”

10,000 Degrees services include college and financial aid counseling, near-peer coaching, financial aid management, and career and graduate school support for students and alumni. Unlike most other college success organizations, there is no GPA requirement to participate in their programs. Their Fellows, near-peer coaches who are recent college graduates and often alum of 10,000 Degrees, are embedded in high school and college campuses to help students navigate life both on and off-campus and throughout their college success journey. With this innovative support model, 10,000 Degrees achieves unmatched success rates: Over 80% of 10,000 Degrees four-year college students earn bachelor’s degrees. 10,000 Degrees community college students transfer to and graduate from four-year colleges at a rate that’s three times the national average. 10,000 Degrees students also graduate with 88% less student loan debt than the national average.

Eight Bay Area Counties Served

10,000 Degrees programs reach students and families in eight Bay Area counties – Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara – and partner with 41 high schools, 56 community colleges, and 170 four-year colleges and universities across the nation.

Application Period

The 10,000 Degrees scholarship application period coincides with the FAFSA® (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and California Dream Act (for undocumented students) application periods, which will be opening at the end of the 2023 calendar year. 10,000 Degrees’ team provides extensive support with all financial aid applications and always strives to work closely with each student’s family.

Please check 10,000 Degrees’ website at 10000degrees.org for more information. 10,000 Degrees strongly encourages all AAPI students with financial needs to apply and take advantage of this life-changing, free resource.

Questions? Please contact:

• Katrin Ciafffa, Regional Director for Sonoma and Napa County: katrin.ciaffa@10000degrees.org
• Jin Choi, Director of Scholarships: jchoi@10000degrees.org