AAS 119: Asian American and Pacific Islander Labor Issues
CLASS PROJECTS
Health-Safety Comic Book for Immigrant Workers in Koreatown restaurants (in Korean, Spanish and English)
- Created by Grace Chang, Yvonne Chen, Danila Conde, Kristine Gonzales, Maria Kim, Victoria Le, Christopher Lee, Steven Lee, Brian Lim, Hubert Ng, Lynne Nguyen, Mina Song, Helen Tang, Kristine Tapia, and Lin Annie Xiang
March 17 Reception: Comic Book Release Event
Asian American and Pacific Islander Labor Issues and the Office of Residential Life invite you to this very special reception and comic book release:
Demand Better!
Koreatown Workers and Students Connect for Safety and Workers' Rights
Friday, March 17, 2:00pm
De Neve Plaza Rooms A/B (3rd Floor)
- [West on Bruinwalk, between Charles E. Young Dr. and Gayley Ave.]
- Come dine with us in this completely free restaurant-style celebration!
- Students from Asian American Studies 119 (Asian American and Pacific Islander Labor Issues) class are releasing their publication of a comic book dedicated to health and safety tips and workers' rights for Koreatown restaurant workers.
- Koreatown workers--Korean and Latino immigrants--have united together in order to fight for social justice. Students are learning from these workers, who share knowledge not found in textbooks.
- Participate in games and activities relating to labor rights, safety, and health education
- Come hear a distinguished series of guest speakers from the Restaurant Workers Association of Koreatown (RWAK) and the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA).
Contact: Cherish Hirano, cherishkimiko@gmail.com
Organization of campus showing of "Grassroots Rising"
FREE SCREENING of "Grassroots Rising"!!!
UCLA premiere showing
Produced by Visual Communications
When? March 9, 2006
Time? 6PM
Location? De Neve Auditorium
Sponsored by: UCLA AAS 119 students
Co-sponsored by numerous campus groups
Featuring special appearances by filmmaker Robert Winn, Visual Communications Executive Director Leslie Ito, performance artist Alison Delacruz, and surprise guests!
Fun and educational activities!
At the film screening, students from AAS 119 will also be sharing fun and educational activities about ways that the experiences of Asian Pacific immigrant workers connect to the lives of UCLA students. Find out how students can learn from immigrant workers about new models of promoting leadership development, protecting immigrant rights, and forging interethnic alliances.
Special preview information: AAS 119 students are creating a comic book to help Latino and Korean immigrant restaurant workers in Koreatown mobilize for health and safety rights! This comic book will be presented to workers at a campus reception on Friday afternoon, March 17. Attending the reception will be leaders from the Restaurant Workers Association of Koreatown and Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance.
What is "Grassroots Rising" about?
GRASSROOTS RISING is the first film telling the story of Asian immigrant workers in Los Angeles. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Robert Winn and produced by Visual Communications, this is an old story, and it is new: From enslaved garment workers in El Monte to Ktown restaurant and market workers, labor continues to be a vital part of the Asian American experience. GRASSROOTS RISING shares the stories of Asian immigrant working families as they struggle to claim their place in Los Angeles and America. This important film was produced by Visual Communications of Los Angeles, the nation's oldest Asian Pacific community-based media production organization in the nation. Initial research for this path-breaking film was done by UCLA students in Winter Quarter 2002 in AAS 197A, "Asian Pacific American Labor Studies." See their work at the following website:
www.sscnet.ucla.edu/aasc/classweb/winter02/aas197a/index.html
The following projects will help immigrant workers in their campaigns for justice. In addition, they provide ways for UCLA students to re-direct campus resources for needs in immigrant communities, while providing opportunities for students to learn from immigrant workers (about creating interethnic alliances, transforming gender relations in our communities, and expanding democracy), to develop new leadership skills, and to educate and mobilize fellow students in support of workers. All of these projects will be finished this quarter.
1) Creation of trilingual children’s health and safety comic book for Koreatown restaurant workers (20 to 25 students needed)
- Students will organize the comic book around important themes based on worker rights and worker experiences
- Students will make at least one hundred copies for distribution by KIWA to workers and their families
- Students will write the comic book in three languages: Spanish, Korean, and English (for children of workers)
- Students will work with KIWA staff
- Students will work with UCLA LOSH staff
- Students will hold several meetings with immigrant restaurant workers in Koreatown (Spanish-speaking and Korean-speaking) to discuss this project at key stages of development (initial meetings to gain ideas and later meetings for feedback on drafts)
2) Organization of a campus reception for KIWA staff and Koreatown restaurant workers to present the health and safety comic book (10 to 15 students needed)
- The reception can be held in late afternoon or early evening on the day of our last class session (March 17) or another day during the last week of classes
- Students will be responsible for all aspects of planning for the event (e.g., reserving a room, room set-up, publicity, content of program, etc.
- Students will serve as the main speakers at this event (e.g., emcee, student speakers) and organize a few other educational presentations, such as skits, or other activities
- Students will specially invite KIWA staff and restaurant workers and be responsible for obtaining guest parking for them
- Students will mobilize some additional UCLA students for this event and recruit some solidarity speakers from campus groups
- Students should also co-sponsor this event with other campus groups to help obtain funding
- Students are responsible for implementing the approach of Shared Leadership and help each member of the committee develop their specific new leadership skill
3) Organization of campus forum for the UCLA premiere of “Grassroots Rising: Asian Immigrant Workers in Los Angeles” (10 to 15 students needed)
- Students will organize a campus event for late February or early March
- Students will handle all aspects of planning for this event — e.g., reserving a room, room set-up, publicity, content of program, development of educational materials, etc.
- Students will go to Visual Communications to preview the film and discuss event planning with filmmaker Robert Winn and Leslie Ito, executive director of Visual Communications
- Students will serve as main speakers at this event (e.g., emcee, student speakers)
- Students will specially invite Mrs. Jung Hee Lee, organizer for Restaurant Workers Association of Koreatown, who is featured in the film, and obtain a small honorarium for her to briefly speak at the event
- Students will invite other key contributors to the film, particularly Robert Winn, Leslie Ito, and Alison Delacruz and have them briefly speak at the event
- Students will obtain guest parking for the above invited guests
- Students should also co-sponsor this event with other campus groups to help obtain funding
- Students are responsible for implementing the approach of Shared Leadership and help each member of the committee develop their specific new leadership skill
4) Coordinating committee (seven to nine students needed)
- Students will serve as overall liaisons from our class to KIWA, the restaurant workers, UCLA LOSH, and Visual Communications
- Students will facilitate communication among committees and encourage sharing of resources developed by each committee
- Students will help committees to efficiently get work done while at the same time guarding against common bureaucratic problems that crop up at UCLA
- Students will obtain funding from various campus sources to support work of each committee
- Students will help the committees organizing the reception and film showing gain co-sponsorship of these events from campus groups.
- Students are responsible for implementing the approach of Shared Leadership in all committees and help each student in the class to develop their specific new leadership skill through the class projects
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