File under: want to go to there.
Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirrored Room–The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away” is up in New York at David Zwirner Gallery through December 21. More.
Asian American Undocumented Activist Interrupt the President
Asian Students Promoting Immigrant Rights through Education (ASPIRE), the nation’s first undocumented Asian immigrant organization, asked President Obama today at his speech on immigration reform in San Francisco’s Chinatown to stop deportations.
Ju Hong, an ASPIRE member, spoke out during the President’s speech. He asked, “Mr. President, please use your executive authority to halt [deportations]. We agree that we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform, but at the same time, you have the power to stop deportations.” Members in the crowd joined ASPIRE and SF Dream Team members, who were next to Hong, in chanting, “Yes, you can. Stop the deportations!” Mr. Obama replied, “Actually, I don’t, and that’s why we’re here.”
As the Obama administration approaches almost 2 million deportations, ASPIRE requests the following from President Obama:
Explain your legal analysis for why you, as the chief executive, do not have the authority to stop deportations today. An average of 1,100 immigrants are deported every day under your administration. How can you support immigration reform while at the same time brutally enforcing our broken immigration system at the rate and speed that you do? You referred to the holidays in your speech. Isn’t this the perfect time to finally exercise your executive powers to halt deportations and keep our families together? And won’t that put much needed pressure on the House to pass real immigration reform? We respectfully await your prompt response.
The President has broad discretion in law enforcement in general and in immigration law enforcement in particular. This discretion includes: the power to choose whether to bring enforcement actions against specific individuals or categories of people, and the power to interpret existing laws and regulations. The President also has the authority to end or modify existing enforcement programs, including Operation Streamline and Secure Communities. Both are merely programs created by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that are not required by law. Executive power made possible Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which can be expanded more broadly to protect families.
“As an undocumented immigrant, my power comes through my voice. President Obama, you have the executive power to stop the pain in our communities. You said you are just following the law. But as you have acknowledged, our immigration laws are broken. The law also does not require you to deport 400,000 a year. You cannot support us while deporting thousands of our community members every day. We don’t need any more speeches. We need you to take real action,” says Ju Hong, ASPIRE member.
“An executive order from President Obama is the catalyst for immigration reform. As ASPIRE, we have organized countless lobby visits in Washington D.C. and throughout California to try and fix our broken immigration system. We also have hosted townhalls supporting just and humane reform, and put ourselves at risk engaging in civil disobedience. But the suffering of our communities who are facing deportation and languishing in detention centers continues unabated. So we are using our voices to tell you directly what our community needs and what you can do today,” May Liang, campaign organizer and member of ASPIRE.
Rest in peace, Aaron Vu.
The 10-year-old was shot during an armed robbery at his family’s nail salon. More here.
Take Back the PRISM!
Okay y'all. You may have seen our petition floating around to tell Katy Perry her Orientalist, racist, yellowface garbage is unacceptable. She’s a racist and a creep.
I discovered something amazing today, while clicking around the Perrynet. Her label has just launched this interactive social media thing to collect user photos. Here’s the prompt:
PRISM is all about letting the light in. What or who is the light in your life? Share an Instagram of what unconditional love means to you. Tag it #KatyUnconditionally and upload it along with your story and a location to illuminate the PRISM.
We want to take over #KatyUnconditionally and show Katy Perry (and the world) that Asian/Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are vibrant, complex human beings. Here’s the plan.
- Pick an Asian/Asian American or Pacific Islander person who is the light of YOUR life. Maybe it’s your grandma. Maybe it’s your sibling. Maybe it’s Yuri Kochiyama.
Take a picture on Instagram (get it here for iOS, here for Android).
In the caption, describe why this person is your light. Add the hashtag #KatyUnconditionally and the hashtag #AAPIprism.
Surf on over to http://prismlights.katyperry.com, login, and find yourself (and other brilliant Asian/Asian American or Pacific Islander people) on Katy’s map.
Even though Katy Perry’s racism is incredibly hateful and dehumanizing, we want to keep it positive, so our pictures make it through their content filters. Let’s see the faces and hear the stories of the people who really do light up our lives!
Katy Perry has a disgusting, long history of talking about–and treating–Asians and Native Americans as costumes and props. Last night’s AMA performance was just the most bombastic.
Remember when she told Jimmy Kimmel about her Japanese homestay sister, who she was so obsessed with that she “want[ed] to skin [her] and wear [her] like Versace”?
We’ve had more than enough. Join us to let her know that this is disgusting, dehumanizing, and racist.
Shut down Adelanto! The California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance is locking down an ICE detention center now. Watch live!
Great Moments in Internet History: the face that launched a thousand selfies is Jennifer Lee, an Asian American life and business coach in Oakland, CA. Thank Buzzfeed for their sleuthing. Now you know who to thank.
“By putting leaves of cabbage kimchi on a slice of pizza, you’re destroying the notion of the nation-state and unknowingly mimicking the ways in which many Korean American children took their first awkward steps into assimilation, one bite at a time, until they stopped using kimchi altogether…You look at a map of the world and point a finger to Mongolia. “Really good barbecue.” El Salvador. “Mmm, pupusas.” Vietnam. “I love pho!“ When you divorce a food from its place and time, you can ignore global civil unrest and natural disasters (see: Zagat declaring Pinoy cuisine the “next great Asian food trend” this past fall as deadly floods swept through the Philippines), knowing as you do that the world’s cultural products will always find safe harbor in your precious, precious mouth.”
—
Soleil Ho, “Craving the Other”
(Read this thing. You won’t regret it.)
“So, transform yourself first…Because you are young and have dreams and want to do something meaningful, that in itself, makes you our future and our hope. Keep expanding your horizon, decolonize your mind, and cross borders.”
— Yuri Kochiyama (via conversationpeace)
(via fireballarchive)
Steven Yeun is one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive. I’m not mad.