AAUC Podcast AAUC Admin

Our latest episode features an insightful interview with Bill Watanabe, a Japanese American whose birthplace was a Nevada Internment Camp in the 1940s during World War II. Bill has devoted his life to the preservation and promotion of Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, a commitment spanning from the 1950s to the present day. His story serves as a powerful testament to the importance of ethnic communities safeguarding their cultural heritage. This not only acknowledges a history that may have been previously neglected, but also instills a sense of remembrance for all ethnic communities in the future.




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Please join us for a powerful and heartbreaking interview with Arash Azizzada, Co-Founder & Co-Director of the nonprofit "Afghans for a Better Tomorrow". Arash provides us with a unique history and perspective on the almost continuous war that has engulfed Afghanistan for the last 45 years. He details the arduous and dangerous circumstances of both the recently arrived Afghan American asylees, the difficult challenges they face here and the legislative assistance that can render very important and necessary help that Arash convincingly argues as an American obligation unfulfilled. And despite the continuing tragedy that occurring, the Afghan community is still resilient, determined to rebuild their country.


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With the uncertain times in 2024 and going forward, the
best we can do for our AAPI community is to strengthen ourselves through collaboration. According to Cindy Tsai, interim president of Committee 100, we can achieve this by A, appreciating, B, Be Brave in confronting conflicts and C, celebrating each other’s success. Let this ABC be our guide in achieving diversity, unity and equality for our community that we all value.









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Recently, there has been a movement and national debate throughout the United States regarding the merit of Ethnic Studies in K-12 and post-secondary schools. In this episode, we interview three University of Washington students, Iris, Tyler, and Frederick, who have studied Asian American Studies under the supervision of Professor Connie So. They describe the impact and meaning of Ethnic Studies for our country’s history and how learning it has impacted their personal lives by providing a justification and perhaps even a necessity as a part of Asian Americans’ civic understanding and personal development. Iris, Tyler, and Frederick also share their challenges and struggles with school, classmates, and even family members in searching for their individual and community identification. Once you hear their stories, you’ll agree that claiming Asian American identity can’t fully occur without understanding the history that goes with it.




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"There is a saying that an injustice to one is an injustice to all. No one is truly equal and free until everyone is equal and free." - Helen Zia.

Helen Zia is a second-generation Chinese American activist and journalist. She was named one of the most influential Asian Americans of the decade by
A. Magazine. Award-winning writer and social justice activist, Helen Zia was a key spokesperson and organizer in the landmark civil rights movement for justice for Vincent Chin and is the Executor of the Lily and Vincent Chin Estate. Her role is documented in the Academy Award-nominated Who Killed Vincent Chin?

Helen has written articles, essays, op-ed pieces, and analyses about Asian Americans. She has been outspoken in this current pandemic of anti-Asian violence, appearing in the PBS series The Asian Americans; New York Times; USA Today's 100 Women of the Century; Washington Post's Race in America series; and Lisa Ling/CNN's This is Life, among others.

She also testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights about media portrayals of Asian Americans. In 2010 she was a witness in the landmark case for marriage equality that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a co-founder of American Citizens for Justice.

In April 2023, Helen Zia launched the Vincent Chin Institute and release the Vincent Chin Legacy Guide to fight Hate in solidarity.

Some of Helen’s most famous works include her most recent book, Last Boat out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese who Fled Mao's Revolution, was an NPR Best Book of 2019. Her most definitive work on Asian American is through her book Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People. Published in 2000 the book was twice quoted by President Bill Clinton in his Rose Garden address and reprinted 22 times.


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For over 30 years, Madalene Mielke of Southeast Asian heritage, has been at the forefront of politically organizing the Asian American and other communities of color along with women throughout the country. Initially starting her political carrier working for the DNC in the mid "90s, Madalene quickly became recognized as a fundraising and political campaign authority in the early 2000's expanding her political alliances with Blacks, Latinos, and other important constituencies. Eventually, she assumed the role of CEO of the famous nonpartisan nonprofit Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies founded by the renowned former Secretary Norman Mineta. In that role, she has promoted a political active and civic engaged Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community, and has focused the organization on training and educating them on campaign skills, congressional staff positions and public policy in general. Please join AAUC's 29th Episode and learn about deliberate and effective way that APAICS and Madalene are making a real difference in preparing our future community leaders to assume the roles of leadership in the public arena.


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