UCSB Southeast Asian Union

Here's one for our graduation SEAniors! Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) along with alumni from UCLA/Berkeley/Davis are putting together the first national SEAGRAD! This is an opportunity to celebrate how far we as individuals, families, and communities have come, especially as similar events have been cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The format will be virtual, and will feature performances from community artists, keynotes from Southeast Asian Leaders, and grad...uate speeches. Everyone is welcome to come!

Hello, SEA-U. As you may know, rallies and protests have sparked across the nation to demand a murder charge for the recent incident of the four cops that murdered George Floyd. We recognize that this is not an isolated incident as this remains a culmination of systemic and institutionalized racism in the United States. Southeast Asian Union understands the importance of not only advocating and providing a space for Southeast Asian students but for all students. We understa...nd that we need to make an effort to educate ourselves everyday and to learn new ways to build stronger relations with other communities in order to foster understanding and solidarity. Our staff wanted to take time to both vocalize our support for the Black community and provide resources to help our community members be effective allies in the Black Lives Matter Movement. As a collective, staff members of Southeast Asian Union staff will individually donate $10, totaling to $75 to Reclaim the Block and $75 to Black Visions Collective [receipt provided]. We understand that college students may not be able to donate as much but we encourage all of our general members to donate whatever they can. To encourage donating, for every donation of $10, you can ask one of our staff members for the following. Kelly To - one piece of artwork Bella Lee - one 1-hour photoshoot or video Felix Dong - one 1-hour photoshoot or one graphic design Angelina Sam - one personalized Spotify playlist We have provided a Google sheet with resources below as a way to help us educate one another and learn how to be a stronger and more supportive ally during this time. We encourage you all to comment with any other resources not listed here, ask questions for clarification, and/or share relevant readings. If there are any other ways we can support you during this time, please let us know. tinyurl.com/SEAUforBLM tinyurl.com/SEAUforBLM tinyurl.com/SEAUforBLM tinyurl.com/SEAUforBLM tinyurl.com/SEAUforBLM Together, we can create change. BLACK LIVES MATTER!

Hello, graduating class of 2020! In case if any missed it, the Asian Resource Center is holding a graduation for you AAPI-identified students on June 12. Registration continues through today, so be sure to sign up if you'd like to participate! Registration Link: tinyurl.com/apidagraducsb2020

Many Southeast Asian Americans are content touting that they have less structural advantages than East Asian or White Americans. Few will will admit that they still benefit from how American culture and policy deliberately disenfranchises black lives. When Tou Thao looked the other way, let it be known that a community looked with him.... The very idea that we could integrate into American society was predicated on the idea that we would not be like existing "problematic minorities" (read: Black folks). Anti-blackness in our communities does not start with complicity in literal murder; it goes down to the interpersonal level. When we use the n* word, when we stare at Black folks on the street, when we purposefully avoid being next to them, that is anti-blackness. When we steal blaccents to be "cool" like Awkwafina and when we perform music with roots in Black culture (rap, hip-hop, disco, R&B, etc.) without participating in conversations on racism, that is not just anti-blackness; that is exploitation. If Black folks continue to be disenfranchised by our institutions for expressing themselves this way, what room do we have to use it as a cosmetic? Our parents and grandparents left their homes fleeing the ravages of American terror; we must do better than to become accomplices to such terror ourselves. No Justice, No Peace. #BlackLivesMatter

"How many names do we have to say before our black brother and sisters are allowed to be free? How long are we going to be complicit with a system of violence that brutalizes people based on the color of their skin? The Pan Asian Network particularly calls upon our own community that has been notoriously anti-black and a by-stander to the reality of a racist system. Tou Thao and other cops were complicit in the murder of a black man begging for his life. As a community we must call out these members, educate those in our community and stand in solidarity with black people to take down a racist capitalist society."