Category: Race & Ethnic Relations

On Friday, November 9th, local San Jose artist Bu Nation held her much-awaited solo show at Cukui Clothing Company.

Four years ago, Obama enjoyed overwhelming support from Muslim American voters. Today observers say that enthusiasm has waned.

"Immigration" may seem key to what will determine the Latino vote but Angela Clexton interviews Zelica Rodriguez-Deams, a community organizer for Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network(SIREN) who explains why education matters most.

Big majorities of California blacks, Koreans and Latinos support the health reform law, says a new Field Poll.

Sikh youth say the tragic events at Oak Creek earlier this month have only strengthened their sense of community and identity.

Recently, San Mateo County Coalition for Immigrant Rights held a county wide forum to urge decision-makers to stop reporting youth to ICE. More than 250 people attended.

Crash an India Wedding reception!

A video re-cap of the opening night of Sam Rodriguez solo art show at the San Jose based store Cukui.

San Francisco's DA apologized last week for failing to respond to complaints from Chinese-speaking victims of elder financial abuse.

On the streets of Northern California, it’s more than just a battle over turf and power but an internal issue of struggling with self identity.

Democrats in Alameda County will face a tough choice this November between two progressive candidates of color for the state assembly seat.

Immigrants of all backgrounds and ages come to the San Jose Flea Market to sell their goods to survive and create their own American Dream -- to be their own boss. Commentator Manuel Rocha shares his story of working at the Flea Market as a young man, selling shoulder to shoulder with elders from around the globe.

For two Oakland teens, caring adults and mentors were the difference in creating a life -- and a future -- worth leading.

At institutions of higher education across the nation, students have been engaged in efforts to create new Asian American-related programs.

While seeking out her own personal destiny, Dian Alyan helped form a bridge from Silicon Valley communities to youth and families in countries such as Indonesia who are rebuilding their lives after natural disasters.

Block2Block radio host David Madrid talks with Michael Lopez, the Executive Director of the Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA). Michael talks about the services provided at their East San Jose youth center and their current community work out in South County, Gilroy and Morgan Hill.

Artist and "Undocumented American" AD Avila shares his position that President Obama's new immigration policy is a hurtful one to immigrant families, through a comic and an audio description of the experiences behind the art.

On the eve of the Trans March in San Francisco, the Two Spirit Movement hope to bring their native beliefs around sexuality to the forefront.

With the DREAM Act once again compromised, the words of Langston Hughes ring as true as ever: "A dream deferred is a dream denied."

The California Catholic Conference and the Bishops of California announced their support of a new anti-deportation bill.

The Supreme Court could end leeway at colleges on affirmative action. Asian advocates say that could hit API students, despite their bookish stereotype.

The heads of three of the most important, yet rarely talked about, legal institutions in the Bay Area are moving on. Author Raj Jayadev says the measure of their work can be found in the partnerships they formed with the communities they served.

Documentary photographer Jean Melesaine explains a Pacific Islander's month in photography as May is Asian Pacific Islander month.

The suicide of a Chinese-American software engineer in Silicon Valley shocked the Bay Area Chinese-American community and sparked discussions in China's blogosphere.

Civil rights advocates are celebrating new legislation signed into law by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is poised to release his version of the DREAM Act — one that would create a legal category of second-class citizens.

A daily conversation is taking place on Latino news sites and blogs about where Latinos see themselves in the context of race in America.

Congratulations to Danny Pina, who first walked into De-Bug with a dislocated elbow, a busted nose, and a false resisting arrest charge. Three years later, he finally found the justice he was seeking.

A look back at the 10-year-old Berkeley sex trafficking case that changed the conversation around trafficking in California.

Sometimes cross-ethnic connections can save lives.

Elder abuse and neglect are growing problems with the rapid aging of the United States, but Chinese seniors in this country face special challenges, according to a new study presented at the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) annual convention.

After successfully suing California for discrimination, Trilochan Singh Oberoi, a bearded Sikh American, will finally begin working at Folsom State Prison.

Little has been done to examine the impact of Agent Orange on the Vietnamese American community, even as symptoms continue to emerge.

Silicon Valley De-Bug's Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project presents a new publication that shares the stories of eight families who changed the outcome of their criminal cases through their active participation. The book is also a guide on how communities can measurably impact their local criminal justice system.

A week after Kenneth Harding was killed during an altercation with San Francisco police officers on a light rail train, his mother Denika Chatman talked with San Francisco BayView reporter Natasha Reid.

Weeks after SJPD announced they will bring on two federal immigration officers, they consider participation in an initiative which calls on local police and residents to be reporting agents for federal enforcement agencies.

Silicon Valley De-Bug interviewed Bayview youth/community and young people on their thoughts and feelings on the shooting in BayView Hunters Point of the 19-year-old.

The unity proposal came in reaction to the new redistricting commission’s first set of maps, which carved up many communities of color, diluting their political power.

Though repeatedly stating their department would not work with ICE, budget cuts and a climbing homicide rate has brought Chief Moore to take on two federal investigators from Homeland Security.

Former Abercrombie and Fitch employee, Hani Khan, says she was told she had to take her hijab off at work. When she refused, she was fired.

The Gandhi legacy has returned to popular and scholarly venues as of late. Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan explores why and what Gandhian thinking means to today’s contemporary world.

The work of LibForAll Foundation has found international approaches to quelling Islamic extremism.

Author Ras Siddiqui comments on the diversity of Islam, and the misconceptions that have fostered an environment of hate and suspicion.

Writer Diane Solomon, a San Jose State graduate, profiles a current student and reflects on how their different economic landscapes impacted their educational pursuits.

There are over 800,000 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California who are eligible for citizenship but haven't been naturalized.

Editors of La Opinión write that it is worrisome that members of the Latino community are not ready for a future where they play a central role.

Author Kevin Weston says three very different high profile cases tell important stories of the conditions and realities facing African-Americans in the Bay Area.

Author Jean Melesaine reflects on how preconceived notions of size and physicality impact her two younger brothers and a generation of Polynesian young men.

Author Andrew Lam writes that the latest census numbers showing a rise in Asian-Americans points to a larger cultural shift in Bay Area, one that reaches across all races.

Latinos and Asians accounted for most of the state's growth over the last decade, while the proportion of whites and African Americans declined.

"All the Ladies Say" is a film that profiles female street dancers who have carved a niche in the physically challenging, male-dominated breakdance world. One of the featured dancers is Aiko Shirakawa, who held the film's South Bay debut at the De-Bug Center.

AD Avila was selected as one of a handful of community leaders from around the country by the Knight Commission to present a digital story of his immigrant experience. Through his artwork and advocacy he breaks down the fear of the American immigrant.

With the implementation of new screening technologies at airports, writer Jaski Singh warns Sikhs should expect full-body pat-downs.

San Jose has already registered seven homicides in 2011, nearly matching half of the total killings from the previous year. The victims are often young and brown. Marcos Reyes, who lives in the same neighborhoods where sidewalk memorials are springing up, describes what it feels like to be a part of a community in peril.

Days before news broke that the City Manager had picked the Interim Chief Moore as the next San Jose Police Chief, CJA sent a letter detailing why Chief Batts was most qualified to meet their community criteria. The City Council is expected to make their decisions regarding Chief Moore on Tuesday.

The two California women convicted of killing men who abused them received 11th hour relief from outgoing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In an unprecedented collaborative effort, the two agencies have developed an approach to help inform and assist the Latino community learn about their rights to file complaints against police officers.

As the City goes into the final stages of selecting the next police chief, the Coalition for Justice and Accountability presents their Community Input Report, which shares the findings compiled from 3,000 hand-filled surveys, conducted in three languages, on what San Jose's diverse communities say they require in the next chief.

Writer gives a glimpse of "Desi Hybrid English" and the cultural subtleties of ordering lunch at an Indian restaurant.

The local Sikh community is concerned that a graphic that appeared in a Bay Area English-language newspaper may have sent the wrong message about the origins of the faith, reports Punjabi newspaper Sade Lok.

The Vietnamese community of San Jose came together to discuss their criteria for the selection of the next San Jose Police Chief. The dialogue centered around officer-involved shootings and building back trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities.

This year marked the 40th Year of Chicano Movement in San Jose. Carlos Velazquez reflects back on the historical significance of the achievement, and the activists who made it happen.

In 2006, Art Calderon's father, who was 68 at the time, was beaten by SJPD officers. The Calderon family was given a $97,500 settlement by the city of San Jose as a result. In episode #5 of this series, Art Calderon Jr. speaks about how the new chief can create new positive relationships in the Latino community.

An undocumented immigrant writes, "The way I look at it , I don’t need the DREAM Act for me to live my American dream. I will always be a dreamer, no matter what."

Participants at a recent press conference by SIREN — the largest immigrant rights advocacy organization in Santa Clara County — discuss the DREAM Act, scheduled for a congressional vote before the turn of the year.

A young Indian student takes pride in living up to the stereotype... of being different.

On the heels of a Congressional vote on the Dream Act, a bill that would offer a path to legalization for some immigrant youth, one San Jose writer shares his story of being undocumented and American.

Despite widespread community concerns, an officer involved death, and a viral video of a police beating all last year, San Jose City officials say the police department has no problem with use of force.

The African American Services Community Service Agency held a forum that brought the African-American community together with leading San Jose city elected officials to discuss the selection of the next police chief. The effort was done in collaboration with the Coalition for Justice and Accountability.

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.

Duniya Dance & Drum Company and Ensambles Ballet Folklorico de San Francisco will give a bhangra-folklorico performance commemorating Punjabi-Mexican fusion heritage at the Brava Theater in San Francisco.

Writer Rebecca Solomon profiles Alianza News editor Gerardo Fernandez and the challenges he faces in representing the Latino community to mainstream media and culture.

In late October the Service, Immigrants Rights and Education (SIREN), in coordination with the Coalition for Justice and Accountability, held an open forum at the Tully Library. The dialogue, held in Spanish, brought together Latino immigrant families to discuss their concerns with the police and offer selection criteria for the next San Jose Police Chief.

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 California Governor candidate Meg Whitman was found to have employed an undocumented immigrant, many of the public expressed shock. Commentator Gil Villigran says what was exposed in the Whitman home speaks to a legacy of how immigrants are treated in this country.

This October the Coalition for Justice and Accountability began a forum series to bring input from impacted communities to the selection process for the next San Jose Police Chief. The following multi-media coverage is highlights from the Youth and Families Forum held at De-Bug.

The term "Asian Pacific Islander" has been used as a pan-ethnic term which identifies those from the Pacific Islands such as Samoa and Tonga, alongside those from the continent of Asia, such as China or Korea, as one large group. But does the lumping together help or hurt Pacific Islanders living in the U.S.?

A multi-ethnic coalition has launched "Immigrant Vote!," a statewide effort to help immigrant communities be heard on the November 2nd ballot. They will be campaigning for Proposition 24 and 25, as well as Santa Clara County's Measure A.

San Jose's well-attended gurdwara goes through a decision-making process to determine who should be have a say in the temple's affairs.

Alzhiemer's impacts families across all ethnicities. This month communities will be conducting charity walks to help build a movement to stop Alzheimer's.

Arizona's anti-immigrant laws have brought the border debate to campuses across the country. At Stanford University, students are connecting with workers who maintain the campus to talk through a just vision for immigration reform.

When Time Magazine columnist Joel Stein’s wrote a piece called "My Own Private India", about Indian immigration in his New Jersey town, it set off a fire-storm of controversy in Indian circles. A teacher of Indian culture offers her own take on the discussion.

Artists and activists gathered recently at the Mexican Heritage Plaza to celebrate the Chicano Movement in San Jose and remember their work in connecting culture and community, art and politics, history and the generations.

Two views on whether the recent Metro PCS commercial starring two Indian characters, Ranjit and Chad, is harmless fun or racial stereotyping

About 14% or one out seven new U.S. marriages is interracial or interethnic, based on the latest Pew Research Center survey released this month. It's also an increasing trend in the Silicon Valley, but one that many Indian parents back in the motherland are still trying to get comfortable with.

Silicon Valley NAACP President Reverend Jethroe Moore II has been a leading advocate for civil rights since he was elected into office in 2007. Moore speaks with The Globe on the NAACP's legacy and the organization's ambition to reach out to other San Jose communities.

In a 9-2 vote, the San Jose City Council approved a resolution to condemn Arizona's SB 1070, but fell short of calling for a boycott.

Ramon Vasquez was facing a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. Due to his perseverance, he was not only released, but given a “factual finding of innocence” — a rare court order which clears his name.

On May 7, 2010 several City Council members held a press conference to announce their proposed call for an end to Arizona's SB 1070.

When the California unemployment rate reached 10.5 percent last year, the rate for black males was 16.3 percent. Writer La Mar Williams talks about the struggles of being young, black and homeless in San Jose.