* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [2021 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration ] [00:00:11] AND YOUR LIFE. I WANT TO SAY ASIAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEE NETWORK OF AUSTIN FOR HOSTING THIS 2021 ASIAN-AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE EVENT, UH, FOR GIVING ME THE CHANCE TO WELCOME EVERYONE. YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY WOULD NOT BE THE SAME. UH, WE ARE A RICHER COMMUNITY FOR THE PRESENCE, THE CULTURE, THE RESILIENCE, THE AUTHENTICITY, THE INNOVATION OF THE AAPI COMMUNITY. THIS HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT YEAR WITH, WITH COVID WITH, WITH HARMFUL RHETORIC, UH, THAT WE'VE HEARD IN PLACES, UH, INSTANCES OF HATE THAT DON'T BELONG IN OUR COMMUNITY. I'M PROUD TO HAVE JOINED WITH OUR CITY COUNCIL ON THE LEADERSHIP OF COUNCIL, WOMAN, ALISON ALTER PASSING, A RESOLUTION, CONDEMNING ALL HATEFUL SPEECH AND BIO AND THE ACTION AND RACISM AND MISINFORMATION. WE ARE HERE TODAY TO CELEBRATE. I AM COMMITTED TO CONTINUE THAT WORK AS AN ALLY TO THE COMMUNITY. AND I AM EXCITED TO SEE OUR OWN. AUSTINITES GIVING CULTURAL PERFORMANCES, OUR CITY EMPLOYEES PROVIDING ENRICHING EDUCATION OR PRESENTATIONS. TODAY. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. WE ARE ONE BIG COMMUNITY, AND TODAY WE GET TO CELEBRATE ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTING FORCES HAVE A GREAT DAY SO I'M THE CURRENT CHAIR OF ASIAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEE NETWORK. I AM THRILLED TO WELCOME YOU TO THIS YEAR CITY OF AUSTIN'S ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER OR AAPI HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION. THE ABI COMMUNITY HAS A LONG HISTORY IN AUSTIN. IT IS NOW THE FASTEST GROWING INCREDIBLY DIVERSE COMMUNITY THAT CONTINUES TO MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELDS OF SCIENCE, EDUCATION, BUSINESS ARTS, AND CULTURE. OUR AAPI EMPLOYEES ARE COMMITTED TO SERVING THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY WITH INTEGRITY AND EXCELLENCE. AND I AM HONORED TO REPRESENT THEM HERE TODAY. TODAY'S PROGRAM FEATURES A PRESENTATION FROM THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER, HIGHLIGHTING ASIAN AMERICANS IN AUSTIN AND A TALK FROM DR. MEDLIN SHU PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN THAT EXPLORES THE HISTORY OF ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN THE UNITED STATES. THE PROGRAM ALSO INCLUDES A RICH CELEBRATION OF AAPI CULTURE WITH PERFORMANCES FROM ARTISTS WHO ARE PROUD TO CALL AUSTIN THEIR HOME AND FROM OUR MEMBER, FROM OUR MEMBER EMPLOYEES WHO PROVIDE A PEEK INTO THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF ASIAN CUISINE. I WANT TO THANK ALL THE PARTICIPANTS FOR CONTRIBUTING THEIR VALUABLE TIME, TALENT, AND RESOURCES. I ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR CITY MANAGER, SPENCER KRUNG FOR HIS DEEP COMMITMENT TO PURSUING AND CELEBRATING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN OUR ORGANIZATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL WHO ARE ALWAYS STANDING WITH THE AAPI COMMUNITY AND SPECIFICALLY TO COUNCIL MEMBER, ALISON ALTER FOR HER KIND WORDS OF SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT, HAPPY ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS PROGRAM. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING. HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE ASIAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEE NETWORKS. FIRST VIRTUAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, CULTURAL CELEBRATION, I'M CITY MANAGER, SPENCER CRONK. AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT TOWARDS THE ASIAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEE NETWORK. DURING THIS MONTH, WE RECOGNIZE THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE OVER THE YEARS AND CELEBRATE THE MANY CULTURES, TRADITIONS, AND ROBUST HISTORY OF ASIAN-AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN THE UNITED STATES. BUT RECENT TRAGEDIES ARE ANOTHER REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANT IMPERATIVE BEFORE US THAT WE MUST DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO STOP THE SPREAD OF HATRED AND VIOLENCE AGAINST SOME IN ORDER TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF ALL. I HAVE BEEN SADDENED BY THE SENSELESS KILLINGS AND ACTS OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM. WE SEE ALL TOO OFTEN IN OUR COUNTRY AND STAND BY OUR ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN RELATIVES, NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, AND COLLEAGUES, AND WE WILL NOT BE SILENT IN THE FACE OF RISING ACTS OF HATRED. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF EVENTS LIKE THIS AND THE WORK OF OUR EMPLOYEE NETWORK. SO TODAY I'M EXCITED TO CELEBRATE ALONGSIDE YOU AND SOLIDARITY AND IN RECOGNITION OF THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY. THAT IS AUSTIN. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND FOR THE UNIQUE CONTRIBUTIONS YOU HAVE HAD IN OUR COMMUNITY. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS YEAR'S EVENTS AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED COORDINATE IT, ENJOY THE PROGRAM. HI, MY NAME IS ALISON ALTER AND [00:05:01] IT'S MY HONOR TO REPRESENT DISTRICT 10 ON THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TODAY TO HONOR ASIAN-AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH AND EXTEND MY SINCERE GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION FOR OUR ASIAN-AMERICAN EMPLOYEE NETWORK AND THE WONDERFUL INDIVIDUALS WHO HELP RUN OUR CITY EACH AND EVERY DAY AS THE MOTHER OF TWO AMAZING INDIAN AMERICAN CHILDREN. I AM SO PROUD TO BE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY. THE RICH CULTURES AND TRADITIONS ACROSS AAPI COMMUNITIES BRINGS SUCH LIGHT TO THE WORLD AND THE INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE AAPI COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN FUNDAMENTAL TO THE SHAPING OF OUR NATION AND THE WORLD. I ALSO WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SPEAK TO THE DIFFICULT EXPERIENCES, MANY EXPERIENCES, MANY ASIAN AMERICANS HAVE FACED IN THE LAST YEAR. THE RECENT RISE IN ASIAN-AMERICAN HATE AND DISCRIMINATION IS UNACCEPTABLE, AND IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AFTER HEARING MULTIPLE REPORTS OF INTIMIDATION FROM ASIAN-AMERICANS IN AUSTIN. IN THE SPRING OF 2020, I TOOK ACTION AND BROUGHT FORWARD A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING ACTS OF VIOLENCE AND HATE AGAINST THE AAPI COMMUNITY. WITH UNANIMOUS SUPPORT FROM MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, I WAS PROUD TO RECENTLY STAND WITH ASIAN AMERICAN LEADERS AT THE STOP ASIAN HATE RALLY AT EASTERN TILLOTSON. LAST MONTH, AS YOUR NEIGHBORS AND AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, IT IS OUR DUTY TO STAND AGAINST HATE AND TO USE OUR PLATFORMS, TO SEND THE MESSAGE THAT VIOLENT EXTREMISM HAS NO PLACE IN AUSTIN. WE ARE LISTENING AND WE WILL ALWAYS STAND WITH YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER. IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO ELEVATE AND CELEBRATE AAPI EXPERIENCES, CULTURES, AND HISTORY. THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO, AND FOR SHARING YOUR STORIES AND EXPERIENCES SO THAT WE MAY LEARN FROM AND APPRECIATE THEM HAPPY ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH . HELLO, MY NAME IS JASON, JOHN MICHAEL, FROM THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN AT THE GROCERY STORE AND SAW SOME WEIRD LOOKING FRUITS? CHANCES ARE IT'S AN EXOTIC FRUIT FROM SOMEWHERE IN ASIA. YOU'RE NOT SURE HOW TO PEEL IT, HOW TO EAT IT OR WHAT TO EXPECT TASTE [00:10:01] OR TEXTURE WISE TODAY. I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE YOU TO FIVE OF MY FAVORITE ASIAN TREE FRUITS. LET'S START ON THE EASIER SIDE WITH A CITRUS FRUIT, SIMILAR TO THE GRAPEFRUIT, THE POMELO. I WAS ABLE TO FIND A POMELO AT THE STORE IT'S NATIVE TO SOUTHEAST ASIA AND A BIT SWEETER AND LESS SOUR THAN A GRAPEFRUIT. LIKE A LOT OF OTHER CITRUS IT'S HIGH IN FIBER AND HIGH IN VITAMIN C. OTHER KEY DIFFERENCES ARE ITS SHEER SIZE. IT'S BIGGER IN ALL WAYS, SUCH AS THE SIZE OF THE SLICES TO THE AMOUNT OF PITH OR THE WHITE LAYER BETWEEN THE SKIN AND THE FRUIT ITSELF. NOW THEY'RE A BIT OF A PAIN APPEAL, AS YOU CAN SEE, I LIKE TO CUT THEM DOWN INTO SMALLER PIECES TO WORK WITH. THEY'RE GREAT, JUST PLAIN, BUT ADD A LITTLE SALT OR OTHER SPICE LIKE CINNAMON, NUTMEG OR PEPPER. AND YOU'RE IN FOR A REAL TREAT. LET'S LOOK AT THE MANGOSTEEN. NEXT MANGA STEANS ORIGINATED ONLY IN A FEW INDONESIAN ISLANDS. THEY ARE HIGH IN ANTIOXIDANTS AND ARE SAID TO HAVE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS TO GET TO THE FRUIT, USE A KNIFE, TO CUT THROUGH THE INEVITABLE PURPLE COLOR GRIND AROUND THE CENTER, NOT TOO DEEP, AND THEN TWIST AND PULL TO SEPARATE THE RHINE FROM THE FLESH OF THE FRUIT INSIDE. YOU'LL FIND A FIBROUS WHITE FRUIT THAT HAS SIMILAR LOOK AND FEEL TO OTHER SEGMENTED CITRUS FRUITS. IT TASTES AMAZING LIKE TROPICAL FRUIT PUNCH YOU'LL TASTE HINTS OF PEACH, BANANA STRAWBERRY, VANILLA, AND LYCHEE, WHICH WE'LL COVER NEXT. OUR NEXT SET OF FRUITS ARE SIMILAR IN SIZE AND TASTE. ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ASIAN TREE FRUITS, LYCHEE ORIGINATED IN CHINA IN CHINA AND THE PROVINCE OF GUANGDONG AND FUJIAN. THE TASTE OF THE LYCHEE IS EXTREMELY UNIQUE. SWEET WITH A LITTLE TART, LIKE A GRAPE WITH HINTS OF PEAR AND ROSE. ALL THREE OF THESE BRING BACK MEMORIES FOR ME FROM CHILDHOOD. AS I REMEMBER MY MOM MAKING POPSICLES OUT OF THESE, THEIR OUTER COVERINGS LOOK FORMIDABLE, BUT INSIDE THE INEDIBLE SKIN REVEALS A TRANSLUCENT WHITE FRUIT LONG. ANNE IS CANTONESE FOR DRAGON. I LOOK AT THESE WOOLY BUGGERS. THE RAMBI TAN IS POSSIBLY ONE OF THE MOST PRETTIEST AND WEIRDEST LOOKING FRUITS IN THE LIST TODAY. ORIGINATING FROM INDONESIA AND MALAYSIA, THE RAMBI TAN HAS THESE CRAZY COLORED HAIRS. THE NAME RAMBI TAN IS DERIVED FROM THE WORD HAIR IN LOCAL LANGUAGES. I'VE SAVED THE BIGGEST AND THE STINKIEST FOR LAST, THE JACKFRUIT AND THE DURIAN LET'S TAKE THE JACKFRUIT. FIRST. IT TAKES A REALLY BIG TREE TO HOLD THE LARGEST FRUIT IN THE WORLD, ORIGINATING FROM SOUTHEAST INDIA AND THE RAINFORESTS OF MALAYSIA, THE TREES CAN GROW TO OVER 80 FEET TALL AND THEIR FRUITS CAN GROW TO BE ABOUT 40 INCHES LONG AND WEIGH WELL OVER 50 POUNDS. IN FACT, THE WORLD RECORD IS JUST OVER 94 POUNDS. WHEN YOU CUT THEM OPEN, I SMELL BUBBLEGUM. AT FIRST, THE SAP IS EXTREMELY STICKY AND IT WILL TAKE SOME TOIL TO GET TO THE FRUIT. THE DEEP YELLOW ORANGE FLESH OF THE FRUIT IS DENSE AND TASTES LIKE A COMBINATION OF APPLE MANGO, PINEAPPLE AND BANANA. AND FINALLY, WE HAVE THE NOTORIOUS DURIAN KNOWN AS THE KING OF FRUITS. THE DURIAN GROWS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A BASKETBALL DERIVED FROM THE MALAY WORD FOR SPIKE FOR IT'S GREENISH BROWN SPIKY TEXTURE. DURIAN IS DELICIOUS. IF YOU GIVE IT A TRY, YOU JUST GOT TO GET PAST THE EXTREME ROTTEN SOUR SMELL. ONCE THE FRUIT IS CUT OPEN. IN FACT, ITS NOTORIOUS SMELL HAS IT BANNED FROM MOST FORMS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN ASIA, INCLUDING HOTELS. SO WHY IS THE DURIAN SO STINKY AND WHY IS IT SO STRONG OF A SMELL? SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE FRUIT RECENTLY AND HAVE IDENTIFIED 50 DISCRETE CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS FOUND IN THE DURIAN FOUR OF WHICH ARE COMPLETELY UNKNOWN TO MODERN SCIENCE. THANKS FOR WATCHING. I HOPE YOU TRY SOME TREE FRUITS FROM ASIA. THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE THEM IN THE STORE. [00:16:02] HELLO AND HAPPY ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH. MY NAME IS AISHA KHAN AND I'M THE ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY ARCHIVIST AT THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER, WHICH IS THE HISTORIC DIVISION OF THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY. MY ROLE IS TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH LONG TIME ASIAN COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ORGANIZATIONS TO COLLECT, PRESERVE AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO AUSTIN'S VIBRANT AND DEEP ROOTED THE STREETS. WELL, MANY OF US KNOW THAT ASIAN-AMERICANS ARE THE FASTEST GROWING DEMOGRAPHIC IN THE CITY. MANY OF US DO NOT REALIZE THAT OUR COMMUNITY STORIES DATE BACK TO THE LATE 1880S. AND I BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECONNECT WITH OUR LOCAL HISTORY AND KNOW THAT WE, AS A DIVERSE ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY HAVE ALWAYS HAD A PLACE IN SHAPING WHAT AUSTIN IS TODAY THROUGH KNOWING OUR HISTORY. WE CAN LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR RACIAL HEALING SOLIDARITY AND STRENGTHEN OUR VOICE IN THE FIGHT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE. SO TODAY I'D LIKE TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO SHARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE IMAGES AND STORIES FROM OUR ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY ARCHIVES. THIS CERTAINLY ISN'T COMPREHENSIVE OF EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE ARCHIVES ON YOUR OWN AFTER THIS PRESENTATION. NO, THANKS. SHANG ALSO KNOWN AS JOE SINGH WAS BORN IN 1860 AND IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES IN THE LATE 18 HUNDREDS. HE LIVED IN BOSTON AND NEW ORLEANS BEFORE SETTLING IN AUSTIN TO OPEN HOMILY LAUNDRY [00:20:01] ON THREE 11 WEST EIGHTH STREET IN THE LAUNDRY REMAINED IN OPERATION FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS. HIS WIFE FRANCIS MARINO WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 17TH, 1879 AND HAVE HIS COUNTY, THE MEXICAN PARENTS. SHE MARRIED JOE SAYING SHE WAS 25. AND AT THE TIME THE WOMEN'S CITIZENSHIP AS STRIPPED HER OF HER CITIZENSHIP BECAUSE SHE CHOSE TO MARRY IT FOR ME. JOE LUNG IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES IN 1876, 76 AT AGE 12 IS AVAILABLE LABOR. HE AND HIS WIFE DORA MOVED TO AUSTIN IN THE 1880S AND OPENED THE JOE LAWN CAFE IN 1897 UNTIL 1948. THE SAN JACINTO STREET EATERY SERVE FRIED CHICKEN STEAKS BURGERS, COFFEE, AND GAVE AWAY APRIL'S FOR FREE 1920S THROUGH THE 1940S AND AUSTIN WERE MARKED BY ANTI-ASIAN RACISM AND HARASSMENT. AND SEVERAL POLICIES WERE DRAFTED BY LAWMAKERS AIMED TO PROHIBIT CHINESE, JAPANESE AND SOUTH ASIANS FROM OWNING LAND IN 1937, A BILL AT THIS TIME WAS PROPOSED. HOWEVER, THIS BILL DID NOT PASS DUE TO A GROUP OF CHINESE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO GATHERED AT THE TEXAS SENATE TO PROTEST THIS BILL. AND I LOVE THIS AS AN EARLY EXAMPLE OF ASIAN-AMERICAN ACTIVISM, THAT CHALLENGES THE COMMON STEREOTYPE THAT ASIANS ARE PASSIVE BYSTANDERS TO ACTS OF RACISM. WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN ORGANIZED BECAUSE DACA WAS BORN IN 1927 IN SEATTLE WASHINGTON, AND WAS A TEENAGER IN SEATTLE WHEN JAPAN ATTACKED OF HARPER, HER FATHER WAS ARRESTED AND INCARCERATED IN FORT MISSOULA, MONTANA. AND AFTER HER FATHER IS RELEASED, THE FAMILY MOVED TO SAN ANTONIO AND VIOLET ATTENDED UT AUSTIN. SHE WAS INITIALLY DENIED MEMBERSHIP TO THE UNIVERSITY'S MORTAR BOARD DUE TO HER RACE, BUT HER WHITE COLLEAGUES AND PEERS PETITIONED TO THE ORGANIZATION UNTIL SHE WAS ACCEPTED, UH, MUTINY GUCCI AND HIS FAMILY WERE FARMERS IN BRENTWOOD, CALIFORNIA WHEN THEY WERE TAKEN FROM THEIR HOMES AND INCARCERATED IN CRYSTAL CITY, DURING WORLD WAR TWO, AFTER THEIR RELEASE, THEY WORKED THE LAND IN THE BONE AND THEIR SONS LATER ATTENDED UTI, MOVED TO AUSTIN IN THE LATE 1960S. HE BUILT THE JAPANESE PEACE GARDENS AT THE SILVER BOTANICAL GARDENS AS A GIFT, A PIECE OF THE CITY. THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS OF NAACP ACTIVISTS, ALMA OVER 10 IN THEIR WATER. YOU WERE SEEING POSING OUTSIDE THE ONE'S CHINESE RESTAURANT. ONE OF THE OLDEST CHINESE RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY. THIS WAS DURING A PERIOD WHERE THEY WERE TESTING, INTEGRATING RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. AND I JUST LOVE THIS PHOTO OF A KOREAN AMERICAN FAMILY BEING REUNITED, DR. SHANTI, SETH AND DR. JK AGRA. WELL, WE'RE MARRIED IN AUSTIN, TEXAS IN 1965 AND THEY BOTH WERE, AND THEY BOTH WORKED AT UT AUSTIN FOR MANY DECADES AND THEY CONTINUE TO BE LONG TIME COMMUNITY. AND THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF A FIELD TRIP FROM NORMAN ELEMENTARY AT THE RESTAURANT LAMPS, YOUNG YOUNG CHINESE RESTAURANT IN 72, I AT 10 WAS A PROFESSOR IN MAGAZINES FISHER IN SAIGON IN 1975. HE IMMIGRATED TO AUSTIN AND FOUND EMPLOYMENT AS A CONVENIENCE STORE DUE TO HIS LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY. JAN BECAME A CHAIRMAN OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE ASSOCIATION IN AUSTIN IN 1976. AND HE ALSO WROTE AND PUBLISHED GRAPHIC NOVELS IN A MAGAZINE FOR LOCAL VIETNAMESE AMERICANS. ALL OF WHICH ARE UNITED STATES ESTABLISHED THE EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM IN 1948 TO FILL US NEEDS FOR PROFESSIONALS, INCLUDING NURSES, THIS PROGRAM, COUPLED WITH THE IMMIGRATION REFORM OF 1965 RESULTED IN A LARGE INFLUX OF FILIPINO NURSES COMING TO TEXAS. AND I JUST LOVE THIS PHOTOGRAPH OF A CLASS OF NURSES OUTSIDE THE HIGHLAND MALL ON WHICH MAYBE FOLKS NOW METAL IS ACC EMPHAS [00:25:01] 1970 FORMED IN 1992. SO HALEY WAS THE FIRST GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION OF ITS KIND IN SERVING PRIMARILY ASIAN FAMILIES IMPACTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. YOU MAY NOW KNOW THEM AS ASIAN FAMOUS AND HERE'S ANOTHER PHOTO OF THE HALEY MEMBERS PROTESTING AT DIAMOND FOUR INTO MINUTES OR IMPART TO ROB ALONG WITH THEIR FAMILY OR FORCED FROM THEIR HOME IN BMR IN 1997. AND THEY FOUND SANCTUARY FOR ALMOST A DECADE IN REFUGEE CAMPS IN THAILAND, BEFORE RELOCATING TO GEORGIA AND COMING TO AUSTIN IN 2008. FINALLY, I'LL END WITH ONE OF OUR MOST RECENT ACQUISITIONS, A SERIES OF LINE DRAWINGS CREATED BY COMMUNITY MEMBER AND STUDENT AND A CHEN. AND I WAS COMPLETING THESE DRAWINGS DURING THE PANDEMIC. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE ASIAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEE NETWORK FOR INVITING ME TO BE A PART OF THE CELEBRATION TODAY AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR CITY OF AUSTIN, ASIAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEES THAT ARE WORKING TIRELESSLY TO MAKE OUR CITY A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL, ESPECIALLY BURNS SUCH A HARD YEAR. IF YOU HAVE A COMMUNITY HISTORY THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CONTACT ME. I LOVE MEETING NEW COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND PROVIDING RESOURCES ON HOW YOUR STORIES CAN BE PRESERVED FOR GENERATIONS, FOR GENERATIONS TO COME FEEL FREE, TO SEND ME AN EMAIL, OR YOU CAN LEARN MORE@OURWEBSITEWWWTOAUSTINHISTORYCENTER.ORG. THANK YOU AGAIN AND HAPPY. ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH. HELLO, FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES. NO MISTAKE. MY NAME IS . I WORK IN WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT OF CITY OF AUSTIN, AND I'M A PROUD MEMBER OF A, LET ME THINK ABOUT CULTURE. THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO OUR MIND IS INDIAN FOOD. THE INDIAN FOOD, MY LACK OF SPICY BACK IN SATISFIED YOUR FACEBOOK TO WRESTLE AND SANDBOX FROM VERY SPICY AND HOT DISHES. SO DELICIOUS INDIAN SWEETS, INDIAN FOOD HAS SOMETHING TO OFFER FOR EVERYONE TODAY. I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT GIVES INDIAN FOOD, THE FLAVOR THAT WE ALL LOVE, THE SPICE, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE WHITE SPICES EDITABLE IN GROCERY STORES. THERE ARE SOME BASIC INGREDIENTS THAT FARM THE FOOD ON THE FACE OF ALL OF THESE SPICES. WHEN THESE BASIC INGREDIENTS ARE MIXED IN DIFFERENT PROPORTIONS AND GRIND IT TO A POWDER IS WHAT WE GET IN GROCERY STORES TODAY. AND WOULD YOU TALK ABOUT THOSE BASIC SPICES? SO LET'S GET STARTED THE FIRST SPACE ON THE LIST. I MUST ASSOCIATES. THESE ARE INDIAN ASSESSES. THESE ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE MUSTER THAT YOU USE HERE ON THE BURGER. THEY ARE BROWN IN COLOR. THEY POSSESS HIGH MAGNESIUM AND HAD THE PROPERTIES OF IMPROVING DIGESTION, AS WELL AS LOWERING BLOOD PRESSURE. THE SECOND SPICE ON THE LIST I CAN DO YOU MEAN HAVE PROPERTIES, LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE BOOST MEMORY AS WELL AS THEY HAVE SOME ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES. THE CARDENAS SPICE ON THE LIST IS STILL MONEY. THIS IS HOW IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN THIS IS GRINDED. IT GIVES THIS YELLOW POWDER, WHICH IS USED IN INDIAN COOKING. THAT IS WHAT GIVES OUR CURRIES. I WAS CURIOUS THE YELLOW COLOR THAT HE SAID MONEY AVAIL, NON ANTISEPTIC HAS A LOT OF HEALTH BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THE NEXT INDIAN SPIKE THAT WE ARE GOING TO DO, THE CATS IS ASPHALT. THIS IS HOW A WHOLE PIECE OF WHAT [00:30:01] THAT LOOKS LIKE. THEN THIS IS BLINDED. IT GIVES THIS POWDER THAT IS USED IN INDIAN FOOD AS 40, THAT HAS BEEN USED FOR CENTURIES IN INDIAN MEDICINE, 50 DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS, AS WELL AS KIDNEY PROBLEMS. THE NEXT FIVE ODD CORIANDER SEEDS. THESE ARE THE SAME SEEDS THAT YOU CAN CLIMB IN THE GROUND TO GROW CILANTRO OR CORIANDER. THESE SEEDS HAVE PROPERTIES TO HELP IMPROVE YOUR GOOD CHOLESTEROL AND LOWER YOUR BACK WITH ITS JOB. THE NEXT SPICE THAT WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT IT'S CLUB CLOSED HAVE BEEN TRADITIONALLY USED IN INDIAN MEDICINE OR IMPROVING LIVER TESTS AND BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS. THE NEXT SPIKE IS A WELL-KNOWN SPIKE, BUT ALL OF US, BLACK PAVERS, BLACK GRIPPERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTEGRAL PART OF INDIAN SPICES. AND AS YOU ALL KNOW THE LIGHT, THAT'S GOING TO SEND THE BENEFITS SOONER. THESE ARE CINNAMON STICKS. SO NONE OF THEM IS THE MOST WIDELY USED SPICE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. AND SO IT IS A PART OF INDIAN SPICES AS CINNAMONS HAVE PROPERTIES TO LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL AND SHE GOT LEVEL. IT ALSO HAS AND GET BACK TO THEM AND BE IN CEMETERY. THE NEXT FIGHT THAT HE EVER GOING TO LOOK AT IS TIDYING UP SID MONTHS. THE MAIN INGREDIENT USED IN MAKING INDIAN SWEET IS IT GIVES A NICE FLAVOR TO ALL THE INDIAN SWEET DISHES. WE ALSO USE HIDING THEM TO DO A NICE NEIGHBORS TO INDIAN CHIEF HIDING ON HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN USED IN INDIAN MEDICINE FOR TREATING ULCERS AS AN ADD FOR STOMACH ISSUES. THE NEXT SPACE THEY'RE LOOKING AT IS NUTMEG. SO THIS IS A WHOLE NUTMEG AND THIS IS WHAT'S INSIDE. THAT COLOR THAT WE USE ON INDIAN COOKING NUTMEG IS A WIDELY USED INGREDIENTS WHILE MAKING INDIANS EAT MAKE HAS ALSO BEEN TRADITIONALLY USED IN INDIAN MEDICINE, INCLUDING DIGESTION AS WELL AS HIGH PIN. THE NEXT PLACE ON THE LIST ARE FINANCES. FINANCES. IN ADDITION TO HAVING LOTS OF HEALTH BENEFITS, OUR USE AS MOUTH FRESHENER, YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THESE SEATS BY LEAVING ANY INDIAN RESTAURANT YOU'RE DOING AT THE DOOR SINCE THEY ARE USED AS MOCK SESSIONS. NEXT ON THE LIST ARE BLACK HIDING US. AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY'RE RESEMBLING THE SHIP WITH THE SMALL CARDAMOM THAT ARE LOOKED AT, BUT THEY ARE DARKER IN COLOR AND HENCE THE NAME BLACK. AND THOSE ARE WIDELY USED IN INDIAN COOKIES AND HAVE HIS BENEFITS OF REDUCING CHOLESTEROL AND HEART HEALTH. THE NEXT ONE, I START A NEED, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE SHAPE OF IT RESEMBLES THE STAR AND HENSON IN THIS LIFE HAS THE BENEFIT OF IMPROVING HEART HEALTH AND THE LAST PLACE TODAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT OUR BAILEY. THESE ARE THE DRY BAILEYS THAT I USE IN INDIAN COOKING. BEN, HE'S REALLY RICH IN, THEY CAN C CALCIUM POTASSIUM AND MAGNESIUM. I HOPE YOU LEARNED SOMETHING NEW ABOUT INDIAN SPICES AND INDIAN GROUP. TODAY. NEXT TIME YOU SEE AN INDIAN RESTAURANT, PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE EATING, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING THIS VIDEO AND NOT MUSTY. WHAT IS IT THAT [00:35:19] YOU USE OTHERS DIFFERENT SONGS YOU HAVE [00:41:32] [00:45:09] I'D LIKE TO START BY THANKING THE ASIAN AMERICAN EMPLOYEE NETWORK FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEE COMMUNITY ABOUT OUR ANNUAL AGING AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATIONS. AND GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ABOUT ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY. I'LL START BY EXPLAINING SOMETHING ABOUT THE CATEGORY OF ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDERS. IT'S ACTUALLY EXTREMELY COMPASSIONATE AND INCLUDES PEOPLE WHO COME FROM ISLANDS IN THE PACIFIC EXTENDING ALL THE WAY OVER TO WEST ASIA. THIS IS A CATEGORY THAT INCLUDES ABOUT 50 DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS SPEAKING WELL OVER A HUNDRED LANGUAGES. AND SO YOU CAN IMAGINE IN PRACTICE, UH, PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE VERY DIFFERENT HISTORIES AND TRAJECTORIES OF MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. NONETHELESS, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON IS THAT THEY ARE LARGELY ASSOCIATED WITH EASTWARD MIGRATIONS ACROSS THE PACIFIC TO COME TO NORTH AMERICA. AND THIS IS IN CONTRAST TO THE WEST. WE MIGRATION ACROSS THE ATLANTIC THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH COLONIZATION OF NORTH AMERICA AND THE ESTABLISHING OF THE UNITED STATES, WHICH THEN EXPANDED WESTWARD ACROSS THE CONTINENT, UH, UNDER THE IDEOLOGY THAT'S COMMONLY UNDERSTOOD AS MANIFEST DESTINY. AND SO INSTEAD WE HAVE AGENTS, UH, COMING, UH, FROM THE PACIFIC, UH, ACROSS THE PACIFIC, ALSO IN SEARCH OF OPPORTUNITIES. UM, THERE WERE SOME HERE AS EARLY AS THE COLONIAL PERIOD, BUT, UH, WHAT REALLY JUMP-STARTED A SYSTEMATIC ASIAN MIGRATION TO NORTH AMERICA WAS REALLY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ON THE WEST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. AND MOST THE TIME PEOPLE THINK OF THIS AS AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE GOLD RUSH. AND SO CHINESE WERE, UH, THE FIRST ASIAN GROUP TO START COMING INSIGNIFICANT NOTICEABLE NUMBERS, UH, INSPIRED BY THE GOLD RUSH, BUT THEN AFTERWARDS IS RECRUITED AND ALSO SEEKING OPPORTUNITY HERE IN NORTH AMERICA WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ECONOMY OF THE WESTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES. AND SO, UH, IN FACT, MANY CHINESE, UH, AND LATER JAPANESE AND THEN ALSO KOREANS, UH, AND ALSO ASIAN INDIANS, UH, AND FILIPINOS FILIPINOS WILL IN FACT, UH, BE WELCOMED HERE AS WORKERS IN SECTORS, SUCH AS AGRICULTURE, UM, IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, IN LUMBERING, IN MINING. UH, AND SO, UH, THERE WAS THIS, UH, REAL NEED, A MUTUAL SORT OF A FULFILLMENT OF QUEST FOR, UM, UPWARD MOBILITY AND OPPORTUNITIES, BUT THEN ALSO, UH, THE NEED ON THE PART OF THE DEVELOPING UNITED STATES, UH, FOR WORKERS AND FOR PEOPLE TO HELP EXPAND AND DEVELOP THE ECONOMY. NOW, WHAT HAPPENS TO ASIANS THOUGH, IS THAT THEY WILL ALSO BECOME THE FIRST TARGETS FOR IMMIGRATION REGULATION IN THE UNITED STATES. UH, ONCE THE, UH, SORT OF THE PARALYZING ISSUE OF SLAVERY IS, UH, SORT OF RESOLVED, UH, WITH THE CIVIL WAR AND THE DISMANTLING OF RECONSTRUCTION. THIS IS WHEN THE U S FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TURNS TO, UH, THE CHALLENGE OF HOW TO MANAGE ITS IMMIGRANT POPULATION. SO IN CONTRAST TO THE IMAGE OF THE UNITED STATES, AS A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS ALREADY IN THE 1870S, THE UNITED STATES WAS THINKING ABOUT WAYS TO RESTRICT IMMIGRATION AND TO MANAGE ITS IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS. IT HAD ALREADY STARTED THIS IN PART IN 1790, THE 1790 NATIONALITY ACT WAS THE FIRST LAW THAT SET FORTH THE TERMS AND THE PROCEDURES WHEREBY IMMIGRANTS APPLY FOR AND CAN BECOME US CITIZENS BY NATURALIZATION. NOW, EVEN IN 1790, THIS RIGHT WAS RESTRICTED BY RACE TO, UH, AND I'M QUOTING HERE FREE WHITE PERSONS. AND SO THIS LAW THEN CREATED A LEGAL CATEGORY THAT OF ALIENS AND ELIGIBLE FOR CITIZENSHIP, WHICH UNTIL 1952 WOULD APPLY TO ASIAN AMERICANS BY RACE. AND SO FOR MOST OF US HISTORY, IN FACT, ASIAN IMMIGRANTS WERE UNABLE TO GAIN U S CITIZENSHIP. NOW THIS, UH, SEGUES, UH, PRETTY, UH, UH, UNDERSTANDABLY INTO IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION. AND THE RATIONALE IS THAT IF CHINESE AND THEN LATER OTHER ASIAN GROUPS, SUCH AS JAPANESE, UH, AND THEN ASIAN INDIANS AND KOREANS AND FILIPINOS, IF THEY CANNOT ARE SEEN AS BEING RACIALLY INCAPABLE OF ASSIMILATING AND BECOMING YOU AS CITIZENS, SHOULD THEY BE ALLOWED TO IMMIGRATE INTO THE UNITED STATES? AND SO THE FOUNDATIONS OF US IMMIGRATION LAW ACTUALLY RESTS ON THIS, UH, DIFFERENTIATION BY, UM, RACE AND NATIONAL ORIGIN. UH, SO, BUT UNITED STATES ALSO FOR MOST OF ITS HISTORY HAS BEEN OPENLY ANTI, UH, ASIAN, UH, AND SO ASIAN, UH, WHO COME HERE AND [00:50:01] TRY TO MAKE, UH, ASIAN AMERICAN LIVES BASICALLY KNOW A LOT OF KINDS OF DISCRIMINATION. AND SO THIS LED THEM TO MOVE INTO DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY THAT WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH, SUCH AS SMALL BUSINESSES, BUSINESSES, UM, MANY OF THEM ENDED UP IN THE SERVICE SECTORS, UM, AND SO TRYING TO CARVE OUT LIGHT, UH, AND SO ASIAN EXCLUSION, UH, WILL NOT START, UM, UH, UH, DIMINISHING UNTIL WE GET TO WORLD WAR II. SO I'LL JUST SKIP TO WORLD WAR TWO IT'S DURING WORLD WAR II THAT WE SORT OF SEE THE WORST RACIALIZATION OF AGENTS AS, UH, LITERALLY ENEMY ALIENS. AND THIS WAS TARGETING JAPANESE AMERICANS. UM, AND SO DURING WORLD WAR II, AFTER THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, UH, THE INCARCERATION OF ABOUT 120,000 JAPANESE AMERICANS WHO HAD SORT OF PAINSTAKINGLY CARVED OUT LARGELY AGRICULTURAL NICHES FOR THEMSELVES ON THE WEST COAST, WHO WERE BEING MOVED INTO, UH, INTERNMENT CAMPS, UH, AT TWO THIRDS, AT LEAST JAPANESE AMERICANS IN FACT WERE U S BORN, UM, WORLD WAR TWO, UM, ALSO WAS SOMETHING OF A WATERSHED FOR OTHER ASIAN AMERICAN GROUPS, UH, CHINESE, AND THEN ALSO FILIPINOS WERE ABLE TO FIGHT ON BEHALF OF THE U S WAR EFFORT AND IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR, UH, UH, THESE POLITICAL ALLIANCES WITH CHINA AND WITH THE PHILIPPINES, BUT THEN ALSO THE, UH, DIMINISHING, UH, SUSCEPTIBILITY OF OVERT RACISM LED THE UNITED STATES TO START LIBERALIZING ITS IMMIGRATION LAWS, STARTING WITH THE CHINESE EXCLUSION LAWS IN 1943. NOW WE HAVE THESE CHANGING KINDS OF VIEWS OF WHO SHOULD BE TARGETED IN IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION, UH, COMING TO, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 1965 IMMIGRATION ACT, WHICH, UM, FINALLY ENDED THE OVERT RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN THE IMMIGRATION LAWS. ALL COUNTRIES GOT THE SAME IMMIGRATION QUOTAS PREFERENCES WERE PUT IN PLACE FOR, UM, IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE, UH, COMING TO FAMILY REUNIFICATION ALSO TO, UM, UH, PROFESSIONAL PREFERENCES. AND THIS CHANGE IN LAW HAS WE MADE THE ASIAN AMERICAN POPULATION AND WE CAN SEE THESE RESULTS VERY CLEARLY IN TEXAS. UH, AND SO TEXAS NOW HAS THE THIRD HIGHEST POPULATION OF ASIAN-AMERICANS. UM, THE ASIAN AMERICAN POPULATION IS LARGELY FOREIGN BORN, UM, IN TEXAS, THE LARGEST POPULATIONS IN FACT, ARE ASIAN INDIAN, UH, WHO COME DISPROPORTIONATELY THROUGH THE, UM, EMPLOYMENT PREFERENCES. AND SO OUR, UM, UH, CAN BE VIEWED AS A MODEL MINORITY, UH, HIGHLY, HIGHLY EDUCATED, ALSO, UH, CLUSTERING AND PROFESSIONAL AND WHITE COLLAR, UH, EMPLOYMENTS. UH, BUT THIS ALSO HAS TO BE SEEN AS A RESULT OF THE SCREENING CONDUCTED BY THE IMMIGRATION LAWS. UH, TEXAS ALSO HAS A VERY LARGE POPULATION OF VIETNAMESE AMERICANS WHO ARRIVED THROUGH REFUGEE LAWS, UH, ESPECIALLY AFTER 1975. UM, VIETNAMESE IS THE THIRD, MOST COMMONLY SPOKEN LANGUAGE, UH, IN TEXAS, AFTER TEXAS, AFTER ENGLISH AND SPANISH. AND SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THIS IS A VERY, VERY QUICK SYNOPSIS OF ASIAN-AMERICAN HISTORY. UH, WE CAN SEE NONETHELESS, UNFORTUNATELY IN 2021 WITH THE, UH, INCREASED LEVELS OF ANTI-ASIAN DISCRIMINATION AND, UM, UH, ATTACKS, UH, STEMMING FROM THE PANDEMIC AND, UH, ALSO THE, UH, KILLINGS OF THE SIX WOMEN OUT OF EIGHT IN ATLANTA THAT, UH, THE CHANGING OF THE LAWS, THE GIVING OF FORMAL CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS TO ASIAN-AMERICAN STILL HAS NOT CHANGED THIS LONGER STANDING, UH, PROBLEM OF, UH, ANTI-ASIAN DISCRIMINATION, DISCRIMINATION, AND RACIALIZATION. AND SO, UM, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES, BUT THERE IS STILL MUCH WORK TO BE DONE. SO I HOPE THIS TALK HELPS GIVE YOU SOME HISTORICAL CONTEXT. UM, IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE, I WILL RECOMMEND AN ONLINE RESOURCE CALLED TEACH IMMIGRATION HISTORY. IT IS LOCATED@IMMIGRATIONHISTORY.ORG. UM, THIS GIVES YOU A TIMELINE THAT SUMMARIZES MAJOR EVENTS. IT HAS A SHORT SUMMARIES OF MAIN THEMES AND IMMIGRATION HISTORY. AND SO YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT IMMIGRATION. THANK YOU. . * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.