Category: Profiles

Chinese immigrants share their tale of coming to America with next to nothing, how they were taught to make burritos from Mexican immigrants, and their "second home" Peking House Restaurant where they serve the San Jose community -- from longtime regular customers to homeless in the area.

As part of a multimedia series called "Arriving and Becoming: The Silicon Valley Story as Told by Immigrant Elders", San Jose Spoken Word Artist, Yosimar Reyes writes about his grandfather in this piece "Mi Viejito" teaming up with Jean Melesaine with visuals of his words.

As part of a multimedia series called "Arriving and Becoming: The Silicon Valley Story as Told by Immigrant Elders", Stephanie Flores tells the story of struggle and happiness of her mother through a powerful photo essay and a moment of shopping.

Andy Gutierrez grew up in Eastside San José, facing the many challenges of poverty -- including being homeless at one point. He now is a Santa Clara County Deputy Public Defender representing indigent defendants.

A look inside the De-Bug Center and the bustling universe of activities conducted there, such as silk-screening, photography, music production, journalism and community advocacy. This video footage was captured and edited by San Jose State Film students.

In memory of India Currents contributor Franklin R. Rogers, who passed away in December 2011

The following video previews several upcoming mini-documentaries on immigrant elders living in Silicon Valley. The project is part of a larger multimedia endeavor chronicling the story of arrival and becoming by immigrants in the region.

New America Media's top immigration pieces of 2011.

Lorenz Mazon Damuk is a San Jose writer and community organizer. He performs his poem "Fat" from his book Ay Nako;Writing Through The Struggle, which deals with the reality of being a man and dealing with body issues but more so self love issues. A poem he hesitated to share, but as he says during his interview, "if you write it, you should share it."

Yul Witherspoon taught himself how to play piano as a young child, and kept learning as he got older. Now known as DJ Lipz, Yul is producing innovative beats that is turning ears all across the Bay.

California is set to shut down its 330 adult day care centers for 38,000 elders and people with disabilities, at huge cost to the state — and families.

Ragini has written for India Currents since 1999. When she submitted her first piece as an 8th grader, titled “Why I Never Became a Girl Scout,” India Currents was just 12 years old.

This exhibition showcased photos taken from cameras from the 50’s and 60’s allowing film photography to be showcased as an art form. Take a look.

Pratima Dharm is the first Hindu chaplain in the U.S. Army.

After foreclosure, homeowners pick up the pieces and re-imagine the California dream of homeownership.

Read the digital version of De-Bug's print magazine. Entitled "Under the Skin of San Jose," this issue features articles from downtown hustlers, homeless youth and a new generation of cultural entrepreneurs.

In episode #4 of Message to the New San Jose Police Chief, Richard Babcock, an artist and mental health client, shares his experiences with SJPD, and his hopes for a new training protocols. The Coalition for Justice and Accountability (CJA) has initiated this multimedia project to inform the police chief selection process.

Vinh Pham, father of Daniel Pham, who was shot to death by police last year, shares his hopes for the future in police/community relations. The Coalition for Justice and Accountability (CJA) has initiated this multimedia project featuring San Jose residents' experiences to inform the police chief selection process.

Silicon Valley De-Bug and the Coalition for Justice and Accountability presents a "Message to the New San Jose Police Chief" — an ongoing multimedia project profiling a diversity of San Jose residents offering their advice and hopes for the next San Jose Police chief. This week's feature is on David Madrid, an East San Jose community member.

When Judge La Doris Cordell took office as the new San Jose Independent Police Auditor this Summer, distrust between communities of color and police was at an all time high. In this two-part radio segment, Demone Carter sits down with the newly appointed San Jose IPA to talk about civilian oversight, Oscar Grant, and her plans for the future of the office.

Schurmann—a renowned journalist and scholar who spoke 12 languages fluently and wrote books on China, the Vietnam war, and Nixon—was 84.

10-year-old Krish Avvari, who trains at the India Community Center facilities in Milpitas, is a national champion for table tennis players twelve-years-old and younger. He says his favorite aspect of the game is striving to be a "good sport."

In 2006 Nancy Gutierrez faced plenty of challenges as she became principal of Fischer Middle School in East San Jose. She has since drawn upon her own East Side roots to connect with the students, and provide them an educational path to success.

Ishan Shah is the youngest candidate ever to run for Fremont City Council. Still a high school student, Shah hopes to inspire a new generation of civic engagement with his political campaign.

Classic soul record collecting may seem out of step with the high-tech Valley, but there is something about the vinyl that younger generations are still drawn to. David Madrid profiles one local collector known as The Duke of Soul.

Future generations will know the cultural and political moment of San Jose through the lens of photographer, Abraham Menor. Having had a wide array of influences from Filipino Veterans organizing to San Jose's graffiti artists, Menor is a documentarian for communities who otherwise would go unseen.

With mariachi music in the background, La Kaliente Radio Station, 1370 AM, celebrated Carlos Duharte, Owner and President. La Kaliente is located in San Jose and has been a staple for Spanish programming in the Bay Area.

Farhana Huq Brings her Immigrant Women’s Entrepreneurial Program “CEO Women” to San Jose to offer language, financial literacy and entrepreneurial training.