ACAM Journal Call for Editors / Coordinators!

Call for Editors / Coordinators!

The ACAM Journal is currently seeking Editors and other Coordinators from the UBC ACAM program for our 2017/18 issue.

Who are we?
The ACAM Journal is a new student-run journal of academic and creative work. Submissions that connect to broader topics and issues around Asian and Asian(-)Canadian identity, experiences, and local and global communities, are welcome from UBC students in any and all disciplines, faculties, departments, or cultural backgrounds. All genres and forms may be accepted. The first issue, “Tributaries,” was launched in print and web form in January 2017.

Who are we looking for?
Editors
– Review and select incoming submissions based on content and quality (any genre/form)
– Attend 1-2 editor’s meetings to discuss selections
– Proofread and edit submissions selected for publication
– Review edits with artists/authors via email

Submissions Manager
– Check email for incoming submissions
– Organize submissions for editors to review
– Manage email account (respond to questions/comments and coordinate messages between editors and artists/authors)

Web/Social Media Coordinator
– Upload accepted submissions onto our website
– Twitter: post updates, deadlines, and launch dates

Positions are on a volunteer basis. Previous or formal experience is not required, although knowledge of the topics at hand and a commitment to ethical community engagement are helpful.

How can I get involved?
Send a short email telling us:
– which position(s) you are interested in,
– general availability (production timeline is Fall 2017 – Spring/Summer 2018)
– anything else you want us to know (why you are interested, who you are, previous experiences, questions/comments…)!

Deadline: Wednesday, February 1st @ 11:59pm

email: acamstudentjournal@gmail.com
website: http://acamjournal.wordpress.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

Yours,
Amanda Wan
Editor (on behalf of ACAM Journal team)

Joe Wai (1940-2017)

The Asian Canadian Community Engagement Initiative (ACCE) and the Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies Program (ACAM) at the University of British Columbia are deeply saddened by the passing of alumnus and former member of the Board of Governors Joe Wai on January 11, 2017. Joe was beloved and respected by the many whose lives he touched with his beautiful designs, his commitment to social justice, and his visionary commitment to building a diverse and vibrant Vancouver.

Between 1999-2002, Joe served on the UBC Board of Governors, where he helped bring awareness to the need for the University to engage more students and faculty in the study of Asian Canadian history, culture, and local communities. The Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies Program (ACAM), which was established in 2014, is a direct legacy of his commitment to enhancing teaching and community engagement at UBC. Joe was also a strong supporter of the UBC Learning Exchange. He mentored generations of activists and community leaders and was beloved for his humility, humour, and generosity.

Born in Hong Kong to a trans-Pacific Chinese Canadian family, he moved to Vancouver in 1952 and first settled in Strathcona, a neighbourhood to which he would devote much of his life. After obtaining a degree in architecture from UBC in 1965, he worked in London before returning to Vancouver. He worked closely with the Strathcona Property Owners and Tenants Association (SPOTA) to fight attempts to build a freeway through the neighbourhood. He would go on to design important landmarks such as the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden, the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum, and the Millennium Gate. These and other projects reflected his deep respect for the cultural heritage of the Chinatown area. He was also committed to providing accessible and affordable housing for area residents, and one of his last (uncompleted) projects was the renovation and expansion of the Villa Cathay Care Home to accommodate more Chinese-speaking seniors.

ACAM and the members of ACCE would like to extend our sincere condolences to Joe’s family, friends, and colleagues. He is deeply missed.

For further information about Joe Wai’s remarkable career, see the following blog post by Professor Henry Yu:

http://henryyu.blogspot.ca/2017/01/joe-wais-passing-losing-community-giant.html

Photo credit: Brian Howell

Bing Thom (1940-2016)

The Asian Canadian Community Engagement Initiative (ACCE) at the University of British Columbia is saddened by the sudden passing of Bing Thom on October 4, 2016. A renowned architect and urban designer, visionary activist, and dedicated educator, Bing was a prominent alumni of UBC, which is home to one of his most magnificent buildings, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. He was a pioneer in establishing ties with China and some of his most transformative projects are located in Shanghai, Tianjin, and his own birthplace of Hong Kong. His life and career exemplified Vancouver’s historic role as the Gateway to the Pacific.

Bing’s devotion to social justice has left a lasting impact on Asian Canadian communities. As a third-generation Chinese Canadian from a trans-Pacific family, his life was directly impacted by legacies of racism and exclusion. As a young activist in Vancouver, he played a key role in movements such the democratization of the Chinese Benevolent Association and the founding of the Chinese Cultural Centre. For decades, he was one of the most respected voices and role models in the community.

His dedication to raising consciousness about Asian Canadian issues continues to inspire educators here and elsewhere to integrate academic studies with community-engaged learning. While an architecture student at the University of California, Berkeley, he played an important role in the establishment of Ethnic Studies there. The flourishing field of Asian Canadian Studies is a direct result of his lifelong efforts, and when UBC’s Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies Program was established in 2014, he was an early supporter. Bing also contributed to, and occasionally stayed at, St. John’s College, an international residential graduate College with deep ties to Hong Kong, China, and other places in the Asia Pacific region.

The members of ACCE would like to extend our sincere condolences to Bing’s family and colleagues. He is deeply missed.

thom_lg

Shaina Somers (BA, Canadian Studies)

After many years as a UBC undergraduate, Shaina will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian Studies and a double minor in Sociology and Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies. Her studies and interests have taken her around Canada, Europe, Asia and East Africa to work, travel, study and live. As a woman of mixed European and Asian heritage, Shaina became more interested in how her own migration story fit into larger narratives of histories of migration to Canada. (Hopeful) plans after graduation include more travelling, continued involvement with ACAM and learning how to swim!

ACAM 10: Our Alumni in 2025

What have you been up to since graduation?

2016: graduation from UBC with ACAM minor
2016-2018: Assistant Language Teacher with JET Programme in Okinawa, Japan
2018-2019: Masters at Toronto Metropolitan University, Immigration and Settlement Studies
2019-present: public servant with federal government, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. I have been a board member/decision maker of the Refugee Protection Division adjudicating in-land refugee claims for asylum seekers requesting Canada’s protection.

What have you learned from your ACAM experience that you still carry today?

My time in ACAM has been responsible for many other opportunities I was able to pursue after graduation, an ACAM professor wrote my letter for JET, and I carried those lessons of learning and interrogating migration history during my time in Okinawa, Japan which has a very interesting migration history with the USA and South America. An ACAM professor wrote my recommendation letter for graduate school, and I used experiences from JET and ACAM when applying to start an entry level job with the federal government in immigration and refugee matters. Now that I am back living in Vancouver, it feels grounding to feel connected to ACAM’s community initiatives even though I am no longer officially a UBC student.

How has your ACAM experience equipped you for the challenges and opportunities you’ve encountered in exploring and developing your career?

Through my Canadian Studies major, I began taking courses related to Asian Canadian immigration in Canada, this was an incredible experience and so different from my other courses in Canadian studies, it felt relevant and it showed me that my family’s story was also part of Canadian history. Since ACAM, I have expanded my interests in migration stories of many different groups, and now I work in the federal public service deciding refugee claims in Canada. I feel ACAM helped me see that interest in learning people’s migration stories is relevant, important, and something that you can make a career out of.

Michael Nguyen (BA, History)

Michael, graduating with a Major in History, has utilized ACAM as a way to encourage Asian Diasporic youth to understand, collect, and preserve their family history in order to forge relationships and identities between two or more home countries.

Angela He (BA, International Relations)

Angela is a 5th year International Relations major and ACAM minor. She was first introduced to the ACAM program when she took Dr. Henry Yu’s History 492 class in her 3rd year, and since then, her academic career followed a new path. She then joined Dr. Yu for his Go Global course in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, and studied abroad for one semester at the National University of Singapore. She is currently working for SWAN, a non-profit that supports Asian im/migrant women who work as indoor sex workers. She is also an avid cat lover and food enthusiast.

Sloane Geddes (BA, Asian Area Studies)

Sloane is graduating with a major in Asian Area Studies and a minor in Asian Canadian & Asian Migration Studies. She will be staying at UBC to do her Master’s degree in Asian Studies.

Christy Fong (BA, English, Honours)

Christy is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature Honours, supplemented by a minor in Asian Canadian & Asian Migration Studies. Her thesis research focuses on the 1968-1979 Barbecue Meats Protests of Vancouver’s Chinatown, specifically on the intersection of racialised legislation, community activism, and oral histories. Through ACAM, Christy was given the opportunity to experiment with different research forms, producing short films, websites, and interactive timelines on this important moment in Chinese Canadian history. After graduation, she will be working at UBC Arts ISIT as the website migrations assistant and the academic journal Canadian Literature as the web/communications assistant.

Allen Fan (BA, Sociology)

Allen is a sociology major who was born in Taipei and immigrated to Vancouver at the age of 2. Growing up in Vancouver, he has had the opportunity to witness and experience the wonders of migration in the place he calls home. With the knowledge and abilities he has received and developed through his time at the University of British Columbia, Mr. Fan hopes to contribute to the world community with his determination and resilience. He would like to thank all of his family, friends, mentors, professors and advisers who have believed in him and teaching him that equality is about giving everyone the same chance.