Sunday Read: America protests Trump's border abuse with nationwide rallies

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Scores of Japanese Americans at Tule Lake believe history might be repeating itself.

JAPANESE AMERICANS gathered at Tule Lake, the site of one of the infamous incarceration camps where their families were interred during World War II.

They came to this isolated Northern California site to remember the past, which they believe is repeating itself in the Donald Treump administrations hysteria against immigrants by separating parents from the children at the U.S.-Mexico border.

They chanted, "Kodomo no tame ni (For the sake of the children), They're Our Children Set them Free!"

Hundreds of thouands of people marched and rallied today -- some in stifling summer head, to send a message to the Trump admininstration, who were taking the day off. (Trump was at one of his golf courses.) According to a document outlining the Families Belong Together messaging strategy, protesters have three primary demands:

• Reunite families now. Permanently end family separation and immediately reunify those that have been separated. ICE must release parents immediately so that ORR can reunify them with their children.
• End family detention. Children and families deserve due process, not indefinite imprisonment. Children do not belong in baby cages and internment-like camps. Family incarceration is not the solution to family separation.
• End ‘Zero Humanity.’ Reverse the Trump administration’s policy that created this crisis and chaos to begin with. Parents should not be criminally prosecuted for doing what all parents do, which is bring their children to safety. This horrible nightmare for families will only end when Trump permanently stops his 100% prosecution policy.

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In Chicago, Japanese Americans raise the alarm

In Chicago, a contingent of Japanese Americans, included Talbert Shinako, who was interred as an infant along with his family,

“I wanted to show support for what’s going on and to stop what’s happening to people,” Shinsako told the Chicago Sun-TImes. “We don’t want to see what happened to us happen to anyone else.”

About 100 Japanese Americans and other Asian Americans gathered outside of the Chicago Cultural Center to call for changes in immigration policies and to unite Asian American groups in opposing the Trump proposals.

“This is happening again and we need to work together to make sure this stops and to make sure our history is being told, the history of the oppression of people of color,” said Tomoko Ha, an educator who attended the rally in the Bay Area suburb of Concord, Calif. with her 9-month-old son strapped to her chest. She held two signs, one which read: “Japanese Americans say NO to racism and xenophobia,” according to the East Bay Times.

Ha, who belongs to the Diablo Valley chapter of the national civil rights group Japanese American Citizens League, is also a new mother, so the issue hits especially close to home, she said.

“Just the idea of your child being taken away from you…” she said, looking away and her voice trailing off. “That’s saying to me that you’re not human and you’re less than. That’s the message that I get as a mom, that you have no regard for human life.”

California Sen. Kamala Harris, whose mother was an immigrant from India, fired up a the demonstrators in Los Angeles with a rousing speech extolling her theme: "We are better than this!"

"This is a moment in time that is requiring us to look in a mirror and ask a question, and that question is 'Who are we?' said Harris. "I believe the answer is 'We are better than this."

Thai American Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend brought their children to the Los Angeles rally. While there, the supermodel, TV host and social media queen took to the stage to make a passionate speech with baby Miles strapped to her chest and holding daughter Luna's hand,

"This is his first rally," Teigen told the crowd referring to Miles. "I'm really proud to be here, obviously. You guys are so incredible and give me so much hope. . . . I'm incredibly proud to be a daughter of an immigrant. My mother grew up in a very small village in Thailand . . . we love that the American story is filled with people who come from all over the world to have a better life here. America at its best is big, beautiful, and diverse. It's not small, it's not petty, and it's not exclusive, like Mar-a-Lago."

Popsugar News and Culture Director Lindsay Miller was there to record it on the video below:

From the tens of thousands taking part n America's big cities and dozens who joined in in the country's small towns, people took to the streets -- many for the first time -- to express their outrage over Trump's immigration policies that separated babies and young children from their mothers and fathers.

NEXT STEPS

The marches and rallies served as a form of therapy after the dismal week we just experienced, what with the SCOTUS rulings on the Muslim travel ban and the fake health clinic then the announced retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy.

We know it will take more than marches to change the direction of this administration. So what's next?

Build on the momentum of the protest rallies and marches.

• Town halls: During the July 4 recess, activists plan to pressure members of Congress to hold town halls to discuss immigration. Believe it or not, politicians are sensitive to pressure from their constituents, especially in face-to-face situations. That may mean doing your homework and learn some facts, such as crime does not rise because of immigrants; by the second generation, English is the preferred language in the home and immigrants make a positive contribution to the economy, not only through the taxes they pay but by the products they purchase or services they use. There are many websites to learn about immigrants but Pew Research Center site is a good starting point.
• Corporation campaign: Colors of Change, an advocacy organization that helps people of color, will take the lead in urging corporations to take hard stances on this issue. Some of these corporations have AAPI in influential positions, but even more cater to the lucrative AAPI and Latino markets, do business with Asia and Latin America, or depend on Asian American and or Latino immigrant employees.
• Voting: As with all issues, the biggest factor in successfully garnering change is with voting, AAPI need to register to vote and when November comes around, overcome their apathy and busy schedules to make time to vote.

"It is imperative that we hold our leaders accountable for the separation of immigrant families. These inhumane policies are part of larger issues found within the ICE and CBP agencies, which must be defunded," stated Aisha Yaqoob, Policy Director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta.

INSTAGRAM / JAYAPAL

Washington's Rep. Pramila Jayapal (center) marches in Washington D.C.

The day of protest was organized by scores of organizations forming a coalition Families Belong Together, including Move On, ACLU, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Council on American-Islamic Relations, National Asian Pacific American Women's League, South Asian Americans Leading Together, Japanese American Citizens League and more.

(Updated June 1, 1:20 p.m. PDT, to include commends from Concord, Calif. and Atlanta.)

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Kamala Harris: Donald Trump's SOTU fell short of the truth

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U.S. Senator Kamala Harris panned the State of Unioin speech. 'It fell short of the truth," she said.

IMMIGRANTS were a big part of the State of the Union address by Donald Trump. He used immigrants and immigration as a wedge to further divide the nation in his 80-minute speech.

He began the topic of immigration by talking about MS-13, a violent criminal gang with ties to El Salvador that has been linked to grisly killings around the country.

Trump recognized two families from Long Island whose daughters had been killed by members of MS-13 as the camera focused on the grieved parents.

“Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as unaccompanied alien minors,” Trump said.

“Tonight I am calling on Congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13, and other criminals, to break into our country,” Trump said.

He then went on to tout the “four pillars” of his immigration plan: creating a path to citizenship for an estimated 1.8 million Dreamers; $25 billion for border security; attacking family reunification visas for relatives of U.S. citizens; and ending the diversity visa lottery program.

Harris, formerly the Attorney General for California and a former D.A. in San Francisco, argued that Trump acted irresponsibly by citing MS-13 crimes in attempting to justify his demand that broader immigration reforms be attached to helping Dreamers.

“We’re not supposed to convince the American public of policy because we make them afraid. And that’s what this president apparently thinks he needs to do and it’s irresponsible,” Harris said.

Harris further blasted Trump, “MS-13 is an example of some of the worst of criminal gang behavior. To equate that with Dreamers and DACA was completely irresponsible and it was scapegoating and it was fear-mongering and it was wrong,” Harris said, speaking of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, in an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.

“It was wrong technically in terms of the nature and character populations, and in terms of the difference — in terms of who they are and how they live their lives,” said the Indian/American senator. “And it was wrong because that’s not what leaders are supposed to do."

Dreamers are young adults who brought into the country as young children by their parents and became eligible for protection from deportation under the Obama-instigate DACA program set up in 2012.

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., released the following statement after President Trump delivered his 2018 State of the Union Address:

“With the world watching, I hoped Donald Trump would finally remember some of the promises he made to the American people and display the leadership needed to unify this nation. I hoped he would present a serious infrastructure plan that makes the investments we desperately need to rebuild our crumbling roads, tunnels and bridges. I hoped he would offer a plan to rebuild rural communities that have been left behind like Cairo, Illinois. And I hoped he would finally propose a realistic bipartisan proposal to lift the inhumane threat of deportation countless Dreamers face because of him.

“Instead, the President engaged in more of the reckless rhetoric that divides instead of unites—and that already caused countless diplomatic crises and brought us to the brink of nuclear war with north Korea. He made little mention of smaller communities across America that he promised to help rebuild during his campaign. He failed to propose an infrastructure plan and focused only on public-private partnerships, which would force new tolls and taxes on middle-class families and fall seriously short of what is needed.

“We need our commander-in-chief to change course, try to forge bipartisan agreements on issues like immigration, and present the American people with a more positive and inclusive message that moves us forward as a nation. Tonight, President Trump failed on each of these counts.”

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Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, showed her support of the members of the Black Congressional Caucus by wearing a Kente cloth and wore a monarch butterfly on her lapel. The butterfly was recently adopted by immigration activists for its ability to fly over borders without visas.

At a counter-State of the Union event held a few blocks away from the Capitol, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-WA, joined her colleagues who boycotted the SOTU. She called on members of the audience to hold hands, who stood, lifted their arms and reached for a “vision” of progressive values. There, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal told the crowd that diversity is what makes the State of the Union strong, as members of the audience held hands, stood, lifted their arms and reached for a “vision” of progressive values.

“The state of our union is strong when fearless people stand up against tyrannical policies and don’t confuse xenophobia with patriotism or vitriol with values,” said Jayapal, vice chair of the Progressive Caucus. “You just ground yourselves, and you reach for that vision of the State of the Union that is strong, because of us, because of love, and stories, and listening. My name is Pramila Jayapal. I believe in the power of our union, and I pledge to fight for all of us.”

After the speech, she was interviewed on MSNBC and asked about Trump's comments on immigration. "It was so horrendous," said Jayapal. "I say that as an immigrant myself. I came when I was 16 and now I'm a member of Congress.

"It is so insulting to see him continuously scapegoat immigrants trying to make us the division, when we know all our ancestors came here and helped build this country."

When Trump mentions "chain migration, "He really means family reunification, the cornerstone of immigration in this country for the last 50 years," said Jayapal.

By emphasizing MS-13 first as an intro to the portion of speech about immigration, CNN factcheckers called the claim misleading and false.

"Roughly 50,000 immigrants per year arrive on diversity visas and hundreds of thousands annually come on family-related visas. The Trump administration has linked a fraction of a percentage of those to terrorism.

"But while diversity lottery winners are chosen at random, it is not true that there are no requirements or screening before they actually receive permission to come to the US.

"By law, they are required to have at least a high school education or equivalent and work experience that requires specialized training, and they also must be screened for any form of ineligibility, including security risks, and interviewed before they receive a visa," said CNN.

Rep. Judy Chu introduced her guest to the SOTU, Jung Bin Cho and other Dreamers invited by other members of Congress. Cho's family emigrated to the U.S. from Korea in 2001 with the hope of attaining the American Dream for their children. Thanks to DACA, Jung Bin was able to work and save money that allowed him to graduate from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Information Technology. 

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Marvel Rising: superheroes of color in feature film next year

ASAM NEWS

MARVEL COMICS has unveiled its new multi-platform offering, Marvel Rising: Secret Warrior and it’s going to feature quite a diverse cast.

The featured length animated film includes a number of prominent Asian/Americans already part of the Marvel universe. Chloe Bennet will voice Quake, the S.H.I.E.L.D operative and inhuman from ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Bennet’s S.H.I.E.L.D. castmate, Ming Na Wen, will play the villain, Hala. Kathreen Khavari will return as Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, Marvel’s first Muslim hero.

“To have this brown girl who’s a Muslim, who’s a superhero, who doesn’t fall under these stereotypes … [and] is just a good, decent human being who wants to bring that out in other people — I feel really fortunate to be able to portray her,” Khavari told BuzzFeed.

Sana Amanat of Marvel

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Among the champions leading the project is Marvel’s director of content and character development, the New Jersey-born Pakistani/American, Sana Amanat.

“It came out of a desire to be able to tell stories about characters that we think are the next great heroes of the Marvel Universe,” she said.

AV Club reports the plan is to launch the project with a few shorts before diving into the full length feature. The cast will showcase much of Marvel’s younger characters and a strong women cast.

“It’s all stuff you can connect with and feel like, these heroes are a lot like me,” Cort Lane, executive producer on the project, said to ABC News.

Watch for Marvel Rising: Secret Warrior in 2018.

It's completely amazing to see that the world of comics, so often derided as a form of literature, is coming into its own and that the industry is doing what it can to reshape pop culture, especially in the impressionable minds of its readers.

The more young people see characters of color, even in comic form, represented in all forms of media, the more accepting our society will be of people who are different from what was considered -- up to this point -- the norm as defined by the dominant culture. The new normal includes people -- as well as fictional characters -- of color.

(Views From the Edge contributed to this post.)

Kamala Khan will provide the voice for Ms. Marvel.

Chloe Bennett will provide the voice for Quake.

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