As the year comes to an end, I’d like to spotlight some organizations that work throughout the year serving the community in special ways.
Vision New America is only seven years old. Its mission is to increase civic participation of underrepresented groups, starting with the Asian Pacific America community. VNA enrolled over 250 high school and college students in its Public Policy Internship program, with elected official’s and government agencies in the Bay Area, Sacramento or Washington, D.C. This year, VNA launched a focus on public health issues. At a recent ceremony, executive director Ron Muriera recognized Leadership Awardee Congressman Michael Honda and Community Partnership Awardees, Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute and Asian Americans for Community Involvement. Board members to be commended for forming and leading this group are Anuradha Basu, Sandy Chau, Pam Fong, Martha Kanter, Hsing Kung, Ken Leonard, Arthur Louie, Dang Pham, David Tsang, Albert Wang and Belle Wei. For more info, visit www.visionnewamerica.org.
Gay Asian Pacific Alliance is an 18-year-old organization furthering the interests of gay and bisexual Asian/Pacific Islanders. At its recent 18th annual banquet, over 250 were welcomed by co-chair Robert Bernardo, and entertained by the GAPA Men’s Chorus, vocalist Shima Uta and comedian Nick Santos. Introduced by S.F. Pubic Defender Jeff Adachi, keynote speaker George Takei spoke that traditionally groups have been discriminated in America’s history. He cited examples of discriminatory laws denying the rights of African slaves, women, Chinese immigrants, Japanese internment camps and now, gay bisexual men and women. Takei concluded saying, “Our civil way of today is to fight for the ideals of our forefathers, that our country can work together so we in America can boldly go where others may have never gone before.”
Another community group,The Chinese Performing Artists of America (CPAA) celebrated their 15th anniversary, with a spectacular dance production, “Eternal Moon River” at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts before an enthusiastic 1500 supporters in the audience. Featuring the best original works of CPAA Artistic Director Yong Yao, three of the original troupe members also performed: Zhou Hui, Christina Cheng and Jie Huang. ED Ann Woo told of the time 15 years ago when Diana Hong, Dennis Fong and Polly Kam shared their vision with Ann and a group of young artists newly arrived from China to introduce Chinese culture to the mainstream.
CPAA has brought their flagship production, Dances of China on national tour, while in its home base of Cupertino, over 800 students attend dance and martial arts classes. For more info, visit www.ChinesePerformingArts.org
Continuing on stage, let’s salute San Jose’s American Music Theatre for bringing back old favorite The King and I, starring San Francisco hometown actor Francis Jue as the King, and Los Altos Hills native Lisa Yuen in the winning role of Tuptim, the ill-fated lover. Proud grandpa Saratogan John Kao pointed out his grandson, Cameron Kao, who along with a stage full of other Asian children, won the audience’s hearts with their songs.
Kudos to AMT for bringing the multitalented Asian American performers Fred Isozaki, Phong Truong, Irene Liu Trapp and Eric Chan on stage in this old favorite. The next must-see production from AMT is world-premiering Christmas Dreamland.
The Foon Hay Chinese Seniors Golf Club, a fledging group by comparison, celebrated its 3rd anniversary with a holiday dinner at Cupertino’s 1,000-seat restaurant, Dynasty, in Vallco Center. Receiving awards of commendation were officers led by president James Gate and board members Chuck Leong, Don Wong, Ken Gee, Chris Houlihan, Lane Lee and Clarence Bakken. Club champions named from a two-month tourney competition were Ronnie Wong and Pauline Lee. Tom Jones came via Hank Quock to entertain and keep all the guests in holiday spirits. For more info, visit www.foonhay.org
Holiday Get-Togethers
Peninsula Children’s Auxiliary founder Helen Leong welcomed friends the Roy Wongs, Irene Lee, Dr.Vernon Wong, Victor Chinn and Pearl Wong to its annual Festival of Trees fashion show/boutique. This fundraiser supports Achievekids, which serves children having difficult emotional and developmental disorders.
Bargain of the Season
Self-Help for the Elderly wanted to introduce local citizens to the soon-to-be-opened elder care facility, Amber Glow, in the heart of San Jose’s Willow Glen. So, co-chairwomen Barbara Why and Virginia Bakken decided to throw a $50 bargain-priced eight-course banquet dinner dance at Dynasty in Cupertino on Dec. 10. Guests, in addition to seeing a video presentation of the new senior care home, will be treated to a fashion show plus a bevy of door prizes and dancing to a live band. Need I say more? For more info, call (408) 243 6637.
A SEARCH FOR HISTORY
For the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project (CHCP), my co-founder and fellow author Lillian Gong-Guy and I are searching for pictures to be included in an Arcadia Publishing Company book of its Images in America series to be titled The Chinese in San Jose and Santa Clara Valley. For too long, the history of Chinese Americans in now-Silicon Valley from 1850s to the present has not been told.
From the early farmers, to the five Chinatowns before the 1930s, to the 1960s wave of second-generation professionals and the 1970s to 1990s population surge of immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, we hope to show via photographs the changing lifestyles of the Chinese for the past 150 years. You can help! We are searching for old-time families who lived in Santa Clara Valley, and/or individuals with ancestors whom they knew lived in San Jose and the vicinity. We would appreciate your assistance in helping us chronicling this bit of Chinese history. If you have pictures — may we borrow them? This is for history! For more info, call (408) 264 8432 or (408) 738 1969.