In ages past, humankind joined hands in solidarity to beautifully birth what we now call “Community,” a word and concept whose origin is rooted in holding “Common Ground.”
It was in Solidarity that the most affluent and diverse cultures in history flourished.
Nineveh, once the largest city of the ancient world, spread itself through the acceptance of varied Mesopotamian cultures, increasing its prosperity and posterity with multiculturalism, tolerance, and learning.
In fact, we can see every center of learning and wealth throughout history is built upon the foundation of a strong heterogeneous community.
Unfortunately, solidarity and unity often find themselves poisoned by the ravages and chaos of cultures holding to the toxicity of envy, intolerance, and isolationism.
Nineveh’s Assyrian Empire, Macedonian Greece, and even Rome have all found themselves torn asunder and ground beneath the heel of infighting.
Will we allow our geat community to suffer a similar fate?
We are all acutely aware of the attacks on Asian Americans who have been targeted by racism, xenophobia, and acts of violence related to COVID-19. An intolerance driven by fear and blame.
However, it’s not only the Asian Americans that are suffering. African Americans have also seen an increase in racism and hate crimes since the advent of Covid.
To make things worse, news media have fueled the fires with misunderstanding, exacerbating and promoting poor relationships between our two cultures within the community.
Our purpose and mission are to break down these formidable walls that separate and isolate us from sincere dialogue that will only foster greater unity and solidarity.
We aim to stand on common ground and lift our voices high above the noise and call our community to appreciate and respect our differences and thereby learn and grow together.
Asians as well as all People of Color have a common goal: making America, our home, a better and safer place for multicultural unity –to live together as one community.
We are more alike than different.
We all bleed red and shed tears. We all experience joy, grief, hope, and fear. We are more than the sum of our geography and upbringing.
We are all one Humankind.
Let’s look beyond Asian America, beyond an African America, and let’s observe a United America built upon the foundations of understanding and solidarity.
Join us Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. (PST) to hear the powerful stories and histories from both our Asian and African brothers and sisters as we hold a sincere and honest discussion that bridges the gap of ignorance and builds greater understanding for lasting solidarity.
We believe this is will be a unique opportunity for Asian Americans and African Americans to learn about each other’s untold stories, gain respect for our mutual journeys and build an ongoing relationship.
Several Asian and African community leaders have committed to speak at this social media event including Mr. Sandy Chau, the chairman of Civic Leadership USA, and Mr. Stephen Ward from the Boggs Center.
Mr. Sandy Chau, a formidable Silicon Valley investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist will share the stories about early Chinese entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.
Ward is the author of “In Love and Struggle: The Revolutionary Lives of James and Grace Lee Boggs.” He will tell us of the impactful life of Grace Lee Boggs, a key figure in the Asian American Movement and a well-respected civic leader in both Asian and African American lives.
Both Chau and Ward will be joined by Kim Sherobbi, Gerald Green, Ken Fong, Carl Chan, Keith Koo, Gloria Young, Piyush Malik, Haipei Shue, Alex Anderson, and Hong Nguyen-Phuong as guest speakers.
California State Assemblymember Alex Lee and San Francisco Mayor London Breed will also join us to deliver keynote speeches.
Following these profound stories, we will hold a panel discussion that touches on
● how we got to this critical point of hate and racism,
● how we can end the madness,
● what’s been done so far, and most importantly,
● how we can rebuild the trust and live in unity.
Be a part of the solution. Join us and help build a united community for the health, safety, and prosperity of our friends and families. The event will be on Zoom and the Clubhouse App on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Please register here.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nLjVwdgLQZK7HDblCELcdg
This forum is presented by Ding Ding TV, Silicon Valley Community Media, Civic Leadership USA, partner with James and Grace Lee Boggs Center, United Chinese American, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, ASEI, APAPA – Asian Pacific Islanders American Public Affairs, Young & Lamei Association, United Asian Americans, AAUC, Care U, and many other organizations and ethnic groups.
