Panelists to explore issues in AAPI life
A diverse lineup of Asian American/Pacific Islander community leaders are taking part in a series of panel discussions this month that will explore AAPI identity — a topic linked not only to that group’s heritage month but the disturbing surge in antiAsian incidents recently.
The three free online discussions, which begin Thursday and continue on the following two Thursdays, will feature California Attorney General Rob Bonta; Health Trust CEO Michele Lew; Foothill College President Thuy Thi Nguyen; Pawan Dinghra, professor of American Studies at Amherst College; and Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Johnny Gogo, among others.
Asian Americans for Community Involvement and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian’s office are presenting the sessions. Simitian said they were a follow up to the “Understanding Islam” series his office hosted a few years back and had been in the works for months before the recent surge in antiAsian violence. But it’s those incidents that have lent the series its urgency.
“I’ve been invited to speak at rallies, and I think the rallies are important, but there’s a bigger picture here,” Simitian said. The best way to break down barriers, he said, is to get people to engage with other communities, to listen and begin to understand them. “It begins and ends with understanding.”
The first of the three discus
sions will focus on the history and diversity of the AAPI community, the second on prejudice and violence, and the third on identity — how the AAPI community sees itself and how it is perceived by others. Each starts at 6:30 p.m. and is scheduled for 90 minutes. To register for a panel or get more information, go to tinyurl.com/ understandingaapi or aaci. org.
FALCON DRAMA >> If you haven’t been following Grace and Hopper, the peregrine falcons nesting atop San Jose City Hall, they have had a tough season and are attempting to hatch a second clutch of eggs. Matters were not helped Friday when window washers began their work on the 18-story tower, providing a potentially stressful disturbance for the birds. Fortunately, responsive folks in Mayor Sam Liccardo’s office passed the word to the crew to keep their equipment away from the sensitive area while the falcons are nesting.
FILM FEST GOES VIRTUAL >>
The Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival has opted to go entirely virtual for its 30th annual event, which kicks off May 19 and features 30 movies and documentaries from around the world. Executive Director Tzvia Shelef says by streaming all of this year’s programming, the festival’s audience will be able to enjoy everything from the safety and comfort of their homes.
The festival opens with two documentaries on May 19: “Aulcie,” the story of Israeli basketball legend Aulcie Perry, and “Ruth: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words.” Each will be followed by separate interviews with Perry and with Ginsburg’s daughter, Jane Ginsburg. You can get the rest of the schedule and ticket information at svjff. org.
LANGUAGE LESSONS >> The 49ers have been busy in the off-season, and the team’s educational arm — 49ers EDU — has been working hard, as well. Last November, 49ers EDU launched its “Digital Playbook” to provide STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) lessons and activities for teachers to integrate into their classrooms and delivered more than 10,500 physical copies of the playbook to teachers to distribute to their students who didn’t have access to computers. Now, the team has made another big play by translating the materials into Spanish, with plans to add other languages in the future.
And I was reminded recently that May is Stroke Awareness Month and the Stroke Awareness Foundation has expanded its outreach to Silicon Valley’s diverse communities with its SAF Life Saving Ambassadors. These 14 people, a group that includes front-line-engaged people and elected officials, have helped build a bridge to people in the community for whom English isn’t their primary language. Videos in different languages with lifesaving educational information about stroke warning signs have been viewed more than 15,000 times. Go to strokeinfo.org to see for yourself.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT >> San Jose-based Hunger at Home, which has distributed more than 5 million meals to unemployed workers and needy families since March 2020, is vying for part of more than $50,000 in grant money from communications company RingCentral. Hunger at Home is one of nine finalists for the funding, which will be divided among the five nonprofits that receive the most votes in a public poll this month. You can vote at ringcentral.com/grants.
And reader Holly Weber passed on an idea she read in a Washington Post article about restaurants in Oklahoma that are helping the hungry with the help of their customers. Patrons purchase a meal off the menu for someone who may need it, and the restaurant tacks the order check up on the wall. When someone who needs a meal comes in, they can take the pre-paid receipt from the wall and present it at the counter, no questions asked.
Weber thinks this is an idea that could be replicated here in Silicon Valley.
This is similar to the “Random Acts of Pizza” program that Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Pasta has been running for several years, but there’s no reason it can’t go further. Any restaurants out there willing to give it a shot?