Saturday, December 29, 2012

Book Discussions: 2013 | Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads

This looks cool: Two trainings regarding leading difficult discussions around race and racism will be offered January 12 and 13th 4:00 pm at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Book Discussions: 2013 | Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads

Friday, December 28, 2012

Can Instilling Racial Pride In Black Teens Lead To Better Educational Outcomes?

African American adolescents tend to have more success in school if their parents instill in them a sense of racial pride, reducing their vulnerability to the effects of racial discrimination from teachers and peers. 
This is the conclusion of a University of Pittsburgh study published this fall in the journal Child Development. Titled "Parental Racial Socialization as a Moderator of the Effects of Racial Discrimination on Educational Success Among African American Adolescents," the research article shows that when African American parents use racial socialization - talking to their children or engaging in activities that promote feelings of racial knowledge, pride, and connection - it offsets racial discrimination's potentially negative impact on students' academic development. 
Preparing the adolescents for possible bias was also a protective factor, though a combination of this preparation and racial socialization was found to be ideal in moderating the possible damaging effects of racial discrimination by teachers or fellow students. The Pitt study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 
"Our findings challenge the notion that 'race blindness' is a universally ideal parenting approach, especially since previous research has shown that racially conscious parenting strategies at either extreme - either 'race blindness' or promoting mistrust of other races - are associated with negative outcomes for African American youth," said lead author Ming-Te Wang, Pitt assistant professor of psychology in education, who coauthored the study with Harvard's James P. Huguley. 
"When African American parents instill a proud, informed, and sober perspective of race in their sons and daughters, these children are more likely to experience increased academic success," said Wang. 

Yes! obviously! And not just African American teens, but all children of color. So pleased to see that studies prove what I've been saying forever. Invite me to come speak for your parents', school, or community group on Raising our Children with Culture(s) and Pride--Practical Strategies, Preparing our Children for Racism, APA Girl Power! Let's start the new year proactively! http://www.multiculturaltoolbox.com/Speaking/foradults.html

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Miso for Life Received! A Melting Pot of Thoughts | 13 Minutes Books



So pleased to receive my copy of Miso for Life first thing in this morning's mail! Here with the star of my love story in "The Musician's Granddaughter," chapter 3. Shout out to fellow writers Kate Agathon May-lee Chai. Thanks to Ahn Mai Xuan Bui and 13 Minutes Books - "Pho for Life: A Melting Pot of Thoughts." for putting together A Melting Pot of Thoughts series. ♥ A great Christmas present!

Photo courtesy of M.

A Melting Pot of Thoughts | 13 Minutes Books

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Friday, December 21, 2012

Funeral Ceremony for Sen. Inouye | C-SPAN

This morning's memorial service for Senator Daniel Inouye. Speakers include Erik Shinseki, Pres Clinton, VP Biden, Pres. Obama...plus the Aloha Boys singing Bradda Iz...

Funeral Ceremony for Sen. Inouye | C-SPAN


Virtually attending Senator Daniel K. Inouye's memorial service right now. Remembering.

Washington National Cathedral : Live Webcast

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Send me your University of Michigan students

Send me your University of Michigan students. I'll be team-teaching AMCULT 301: "Asian/Pacific Islander American History and the Law" Thursdays 6-9 with the lawyers and activists who were there during the Vincent Chin case. Only place in the country you can take a course re Vincent Chin case with the folks who were there at the time. historical and current civil rights issues.

Wolverine Access - Gateway to Administrative Systems at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

ACA Detroit High School Scholarship Awards Dinner Keynote EXCERPT

from last week's keynote (to be published in ACA Detroit Newsletter)
Association of Chinese Americans Detroit (OCA chapter) High School Scholarship Awards Dinner Keynote EXCERPT
Chinese Community Center, Madison Heights, MI
December 9, 2012
Frances Kai-Hwa Wang

“This is an interesting moment to be coming of age as an Asian American. We are post-Tiger Mother, post-Jeremy Lin, post-Gangnam Style. We are supposed to be post-racial too by now, but the news coming in from college campuses around the country clearly suggest otherwise. We are still struggling with issues of bullying, violence, stereotypes, and media representation. At the same time, America is both fascinated and terrified of the possibilities that are China, Korea, India, Pakistan.

As young Asian Americans, you stand at the confluence of history and family and cultures. In addition to all your school and work and extracurricular activities, you are in the process of shaping your identity and cultivating your character in the midst of many contradictory influences. Anything is possible, but it takes courage and intention.

So as you prepare to leave home and begin this next phase of your journey, it is important to know who you are, remember the communities from where you come, and dare to think big/think global for both work and yourself. Then you will have the tools to go anywhere you want, and the courage to create something new….

Your task now is not simply to graduate and go to a good college and give your Tiger Parents something to brag about in the Asian Parenting Olympics.

Your task is also to start thinking about how you are going to cultivate your character and shape your identity beyond school, beyond work.…

So do not be afraid to dream! To live life! To fall in love! To create something new! Poised as we are between different cultures, we have rich resources that uniquely color everything we do, from our relationships to our research, our politics to our art. I think the key is that we all need to learn how to think and how to dream. Do not let society or your parents or fear make you limit yourself. Figure out how things work. Learn to think outside the box. Dare to take chances, get messy. Think hard. What kind of person do I want to be?

We laugh about it, but think about the three most prominent Asian and Asian American narratives of the moment—Tiger Mother, Jeremy Lin, Gangnam Style—and what they show us. Hard work and excellence are an important part of the equation, but so are passion and character and luck and creativity. And community. Your challenges are our challenges. Your successes are our successes. We are all in this together.”

Danny Chen Hazing Trial: Mother, Suzhen Chen, Says No Justice Was Served In Soldiers' Punishments

Danny Chen Hazing Trial: Mother, Suzhen Chen, Says No Justice Was Served In Soldiers' Punishments

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Hurrah! Gov. Snyder vetoed the guns bill!

Hurrah! Gov. Snyder vetoed the guns bill! Now we'll have to move to Tennesee if we want armed teachers in the classroom. 


http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/tennessee-armed-teachers.php

Veto SB 59! No guns in my children's schools! - NAM EthnoBlog

Excerpt from my article in New America Media:
My kids are remarkably blase about fire drills, tornado drills, lockdown drills. They've been prepped for everything. The coded PA announcement that triggers a lockdown is eerily benign. My daughter explains that they have two different kinds of lockdowns with two different protocols--one when there is an intruder inside the building and another when there is something wierd/dangerous going on in the neighborhood/outside the building. It is how unperturbed they are that strikes me.
Thanks to all our teachers. They don't pay you enough to have to deal with this, let alone to have to shoot back.
click on link for whole article: Veto SB 59! No guns in my children's schools! - NAM EthnoBlog

Monday, December 17, 2012

Remembering Senator Daniel Inouye

Telling 8 year old Little Brother the story of Senator Daniel Inouye tonight and hoping he learns integrity and humility and total badassness-- "When asked in recent days how he wanted to be remembered, Senator Inouye said, "I represented the people of Hawaii and this nation honestly and to the best of my ability. I think I did OK.""

senator daniel inouye dies at 88 | AngryAsianMan.com

So badass! here's the story straight from the source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6MCHjb50S20

another badass story about breaking the color barrier in the house of reps http://vimeo.com/5997922

Chicago is the World » Michigan Governor Rick Snyder: Veto SB 59! No guns in my children’s schools!

Excerpt from my article in Chicago is the World:
I remember when my children were small and I would not let them have playdates or sleepovers at homes that had guns. It was embarassing to ask, “Do you have guns in the house?” but I did. I made one relative get rid of the gun I knew he kept before we would come for a long visit. Curious small children. Careless adults. Deadly weapons. Not a combination I was interested in seeing together.
Now Michigan Republicans want me to send my children to schools full of concealed weapons?
Governor Rick Snyder: For goodness sake, veto SB 59! No guns in my children’s schools!
You can tell Michigan Governor Rick Snyder what you think about the gun bill here.

click on link for whole article: Chicago is the World » Michigan Governor Rick Snyder: Veto SB 59! No guns in my children’s schools!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Sing Along with Santa 2012

Nothing I love better than a man who sings, even--no, especially--when he is wearing a big red suit! Last year, Santa met us for tea and baozi at Eastern Accents Bakery, which meant so much to Little Brother (and who was so impressed that Mommy is such a media personality that of course she knows Santa). This year, we managed to get out of our earlier concert and make it to this concert just in time for Silent Night, sung for the families in Connecticut. Thanks, Santa.

Photos from AnnArbor.com:
Scenes from 'Sing Along With Santa' 2012

My article about the 2008 event (published in 2009):
Sing Along with Santa - Ann Arbor Observer

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder: Veto SB 59! No guns in my children's schools!

The night before the school shooting in Connecticut, in a marathon late night session, lame duck Michigan legislature voted to allow concealed weapons at schools, daycares, churches, arenas, hospitals, etc.

Hours AFTER the shooting in Connecticut, Michigan Republicans won the prize for the "second-most awful remark on one of the worst days in American history, coming up behind Mike Huckabee’s" remark about God in schools. Regarding Thursday night's legislation to allow concealed weapons in schools, daycares, hospitals, arenas, etc., House Speaker Jase Bolger said that teachers shooting back might have meant “the difference between life and death for many innocent bystanders.”

My kids are remarkably blase about fire drills, tornado drills, lockdown drills. They've been prepped for everything. The coded PA announcement that triggers a lockdown is eerily benign. My daughter explains that they have two different kinds of lockdowns with two different protocols--one when there is an intruder inside the building and another when there is something wierd/dangerous going on in the neighborhood/outside the building. It is how unperturbed they are that strikes me.

Thanks to all our teachers. They don't pay you enough to have to deal with this, let alone to have to shoot back.

I remember when my children were small and I would not let them have playdates or sleepovers at homes that had guns. It was embarassing to ask, "Do you have guns in the house?" but I did. I made one relative get rid of the gun I knew he kept before we would come for a long visit. Curious small children. Careless adults. Deadly weapons. Not a combination I was interested in seeing together.

Now Michigan Republicans want me to send my children to schools full of concealed weapons?

Governor Rick Snyder: For goodness sake, veto SB 59! No guns in my children's schools!

The children and I are going to Sing along with Santa today. Every year, Little Brother asks Santa some pretty hard-hitting questions--what to do about bullies, how to handle his homework, does Santa like mochi, how does Santa get into houses without chimneys, etc. This year, I want to ask Santa one too. I can't imagine who else has the answer to this.


More from the Michigan Education Association: Michigan teachers union president urges governor to veto gun bill after Connecticut school shooting and from the American Federation of Teachers: AFT - A Union of Professionals - AFT Urges Michigan Gov. Snyder to Veto Gun-in-Schools Bill.

You can tell Michigan Governor Rick Snyder what you think about the gun bill here.

UPDATED 12/17/12 plus links.

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang is a second-generation Chinese American from California who now divides her time between Michigan and the Big Island of Hawaii. She is a contributor for New America Media Ethnoblog, Chicagoistheworld.org, PacificCitizen.org, and InCultureParent.com. She team-teaches Asian Pacific American History and the Law at the University of Michigan and University of Michigan Dearborn. She is a popular speaker on Asian Pacific American and multicultural issues. Check out her Web site at franceskaihwawang.com, her blogs at franceskaihwawang.blogspot.com and rememberingvincentchin.com, and she can be reached at fkwang888@gmail.com.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Quoted in Encyclopedia of Women's Folklore and Folklife

Encyclopedia of Women's Folklore and Folklife [2 volumes]

I am quoted on page 601 in this $199.95 book available on Amazon (in a chapter on Rites of Passage):

Encyclopedia of Women's Folklore and Folklife [2 volumes] [Hardcover]Liz Locke (Editor), Theresa A. Vaughan (Editor), Pauline Greenhill (Editor)

"As activist scholar Frances Kai-Hwa Wang notes, 'You know you've become an adult when you buy your first twenty-five-pound sack of rice." 

LOL!

I'm an "activist scholar," too! Love it!

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Womens-Folklore-Folklife-volumes/dp/0313340501/ref=as_li_wdgt_ex?&linkCode=wey&tag=fkwang-20

UPDATE: I was introduced by the department chair as a "freelance intellectual." I like that, too. lol.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

A Melting Pot of Thoughts | Where to Buy

Miso for Life is now available for purchase online w special holiday rate (includes shipping) through website - just follow the link below.

A Melting Pot of Thoughts | Where to Buy

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Adventures in Multicultural Living: Ganesha, Diwali, and Ravi Shankar too - NAM EthnoBlog

memories of a warm evening with Ravi and Anoushka Shankar long ago, "I think of Diwali as a straw-colored end-of-summer sort of holiday, one of long days and warm nights, set against orange and brown fields—not one that requires the coat and hat and scarf and gloves I just took out of my Michigan closet. What to do, but brave the dark night and icy rain and go to Hill Auditorium and bask in the warmth and gracious charm of Ravi and Anoushka Shankar…and look, the whole community is here."

Adventures in Multicultural Living: Ganesha, Diwali, and Ravi Shankar too - NAM EthnoBlog

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Reading Jeff Kass

Reading local writer (and writing teacher extraordinaire) Jeff Kass' new collection of short stories, Knuckleheads,  published by Dzanc Books. So pleased to finally meet him. Surprised we had not met before. Cool workshop last Saturday at Ann Arbor District Library. We traded books.

Monday, December 10, 2012

"Miso for Life--Melting Pot of Thoughts" Now Available

Miso for Life: A Melting Pot of Thoughts

So excited to see that I'm the third essay! wow! So fun to be a part of this new anthology with BFFs Kate Agathon and May-lee Chai. Thanks to editor ahn Mai Xuan Bui.

Special Edition "Miso for Life--Melting Pot of Thoughts" available from mai@13minutesmag.com for $15.75 (shipping included). 

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Speaking at ACA Detroit High School Scholarship Awards Dinner

Giving the keynote at the Association of Chinese Americans (ACA) Detroit High School Scholarship Awards Dinner tonight, Sunday, December 9, 2012, 6:00 pm, Chinese Community Center, Madison Heights.

Inspiring message planned: Do your homework. Speak your language. Don't be a disappointment and bring home anything lower than 103%. (JUST KIDDING!)

http://www.acadetroit.org/ 

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Miso for Life Book Launch Today!


If you are in southern California, Book Launch Today! Miso for Life--A Melting Pot of Thoughts. So excited to be a part of this new anthology
Saturday, December 8, 2012, 7:00-10:30pm
Come celebrate the release of the anthology "Miso for Life" & enjoy an evening with friends, foods, drinks, and great entertainment. A limited amount of general entry tickets and books are available. 
***Online ticket and book pre-order sales are now closed. Tickets at the door will be $15.***
The evening will include: Two fashion shows (Kimonos) provided by DollDelight and Suehiro Kimono; live performances by Nancy Sanchez, Tj Parker, Phanith Rama Sovann, Sue Jin Kim, Khanh Angela Nguyen, Larissa Lam Chiu; martial arts stunt skit (EMC Monkeys), Hawaiian dance (Crystal Chau); special ping pong demonstration by Soo Yeon Lee, complimentary hor d'oeuvres and cocktails, and more.
Your friendship and supports over the years are the reason why we're still here. Thank you for giving us our voices. Let's celebrate.
https://www.facebook.com/events/543023432378649/

Jumpstart your Memoir continues at WCC


Teaching  the conclusion of "Jumpstart your Memoir" today at Washtenaw Community College. What's your favorite memoir? 

LifeLong Learning @ WCC › Browse All Classes › Writing & Literature

Friday, December 7, 2012

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Team-teaching American Culture 301: Asian Pacific American History and the Law next term

Team-teaching American Culture 301: Asian Pacific American History and the Law next term with the lawyers who were there during the Vincent Chin case, activists who were there during the Internment and internment redress movement, each one feistier and more badass than the next. I just listen. Send us your Univ of Michigan students. Thursdays 6-9.

https://wolverineaccess.umich.edu

Tuesday, December 4, 2012