CONTROVERSY: Kenneth Eng's "Why I Hate Blacks"

A February 23 column in AsianWeek (circulation: 48,000+) by Kenneth Eng has created a huge uproar among Asian-American community leaders, politicians such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Asian American Journalists Association. The column, "Why I Hate Blacks," is not nearly as ironic as I thought it might be; it's a straight-out, racially-supremacist diatribe that claims the following:

• Asians are superior to blacks
• Blacks are weak-willed (eg., tolerating 300 years of slavery before deciding to "fight back")
• 90% of blacks exhibit bigotry towards Asians

The entire piece is meant to justify why Asians should discriminate against blacks. The entire column can be seen here, in pdf format. Here are some excerpts:

"Blacks hate us. Every Asian who has ever come across them knows that they take almost every opportunity to hurl racist remarks at us."

"Contrary to media depictions, I would argue that blacks are weak-willed. They are the only race that has been enslaved for 300 years. It is unbelievable that it took them that long to fight back. On the other hand, we slaughtered the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War."

"Blacks are easy to coerce. This is proven by the fact that so many of them, including Reverend Al Sharpton, tend to be Christians. Yet, at the same time, they spend much of their time whining about how much they hate "the whites that oppressed them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Christianity the religion that the whites forced upon them?"

"In high school, I only remember one black student ever attending any of my honors and AP courses. And that student was caught cheating. It is rather troubling that they are treated as heroes, but then again, whites will do anything to defend them."

The writer, who was a NY-based contributor, has been expelled AsianWeek, which has pulled the article from its website and issued an apology. Earlier this year, Eng wrote another piece for AsianWeek, called "Why I Hate Asians", in which he calls himself an "Asian supremacist." Before that, he wrote "Proof that Whites Inherently Hate Us," at the end of which it states he's written two books, Reincarnation and Dragons: Lexicon Triumvirate.

The San Francisco Chronicle ran a front-page piece on the story. David Lee of the Chinese American Voters Education Committee said Eng's column "echoes the feelings of some Asian-Americans":

"There is a segment that feels the way Eng does, but the sentiment is underground and not brought to the surface," Lee said. "If you don't have a discussion, then I think it allows these types of views to fester and turn into something much more negative. Rather than refute and bury this, we should be calling for a community dialogue to address this."

Read a response from Asian-American leaders to the column. Post your thoughts in the comments section below.

More on Kenneth C. Eng here; he claims to be the youngest  published science fiction novelist (at 20) in America. Below is the full-text of a non-AsianWeek 2005 article he wrote about his adventures at NYU.

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ASIANS AT NYU
By Kenneth C. Eng

   NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts is thought to be one of the most intellectual schools in the world, but it is also one of the most corrupt. As an undergraduate student who is not afraid to express his opinion, I have faced extreme consequences for merely speaking my mind. The story of the troubles I had to go through to maintain my virtues sound so fantastic that one would think it came from a movie, but believe me – it is 100% true to the last word.
I worked my rear end off to get into NYU, achieving a 3.8 average in computer science at SUNY Stony Brook just so I could be admitted. In fact, when I was at Stony Brook, I received at least 10 death threats from students who hated my opinions, and was once thrown out of a philosophy class for bringing up racial issues. When I entered Tisch in May 2002, I assumed that the people there would be more intelligent and that I would be more tolerated. Thence, when I took my first film production class, I expressed my negative views on America, religion and African Americans.
Unfortunately, my assumptions were na‹ve, for NYU’s populace was just as mindless as any other. The class shouted, threatened and loathed me after hearing of my views, often referring to me as “racist fuck” and “terrorist” whilst staring at me as if I were a bestial outcast (in an odd counterpoint, no one cares when racist comments are made against Asians as I will prove later in this article). In fact, the professor reported me to the dean in an attempt to have me expelled for my beliefs, but did nothing when a white person made sexist comments against women. Furthermore, since I always speak my mind, I also made negative remarks about students’ films in class critiques in an attempt to help them improve their work. A student punched me in the back of the head just for being honest about his film. Expectedly, my request to call security was ignored, and the professor just laughed at me, saying it was a joke. In response, I punched the white student in the face three times and told him that I was being a comedian.
Nevertheless, I was not going to surrender to the brainwashed majority. Determined, I voiced my convictions loud and clear in my next film course, but this time, I gave the new professor fair warning about them before the class started. Despite my kind gesture, he immediately reported me to the dean just like the other one did. Luckily, the dean decided I was doing nothing illegal, so the worst I got from this class was the occasional chuckle from the white students who laugh at anything different from them.
Later though, a more extreme action was taken against me. An anonymous person with a voice similar to my own impersonated me in February 2003 and made a threatening phone call to the dean in an attempt to have me expelled. It was then that I realized how serious this situation was getting. Not only would this person had to have found the dean’s home phone number, he must also have known my class schedule to time his call correctly, and he had to have known that the dean and I had an argument early that same morning. Since I never show anyone my schedule and the call was made almost precisely when one of my classes was set to end, the only way the imposter could have discovered when I was out of lecture was to have information from numerous people. That implied the frightening possibility that multiple people were observing my life. The only thing that saved me from being implicated for this offense was sheer luck – the class I was taking when the impersonator committed his crime was running late that day. I had quite enough alibis (students and teacher) to exonerate me.
I was later asked to speak to the Tisch Chairman David Irving about my conflicts. At first, he seemed like a rational man who could be reasoned with. However, when the conversation shifted to my controversial views, I told him that I thought Hitler was not a coward and that African Americans were receiving unfair aid from the American government at the expense of Asian Americans. He immediately called the dean, furiously wanting to get me expelled. In fact, when I spoke to Irving again, he blatantly informed me of his own orders to have professors watch out for and report any of my renegade activities. As if it weren’t bad enough that students were stalking me, I now had professors who were watching me as well. The only person who wasn’t going after my head was the dean.
Again and again, every time I vocalized my sentiments, I was attacked, threatened and/or harassed by students and faculty. Three more professors gave me nearly failing grades and tried to have me thrown out of NYU during the summer of 2003 because I told other students truthfully how bad their work was, and believe it or not, some anonymous person tried again to frame me for phone-harassing a professor. This call was seemingly timed to be made on a day before I was to meet with the professor to discuss my grade. In addition, the dean told me that Irving’s rumors had gone so far that they were actually influencing the professors to discriminate against me. Nevertheless, I did not need to be told that. It was pretty obvious that in virtually all of my classes, whenever a white student made a negative comment about someone’s work, they were accepted, but whenever I did the exact same thing, the professors docked down my grade by a letter. The only reason my GPA plummeted like a suicidal maniac was because I was not afraid to say what was on my mind regarding touchy issues.
One would think that is as unfair as it gets, but the plot thickens yet. In September 2003, I took a class in which the professor stated clearly: “…don’t use stereotypes”. For the sake of being nice, I was about to comply to this rule just this once, but a week later, a black girl in that class pitched her script, which was loaded with Asian stereotypes. It was so unambiguously racist that a dolt would have been able to notice. Yet – surprise, surprise -- none of the whites made a passing comment about it.
Although I believe that she has the right to express her racist opinions just like I have a right to express mine, the class treated her completely differently than they treated me. When I expressed my negative perspectives on blacks, 90% of all the students call me a “racist fuck” and harassed me physically and verbally, but when a black says something insulting against an Asian no one gives a darn. Not even the professor who said, “don’t use stereotypes” made a single comment of it. In fact, when I defended myself against the black student’s remarks, the whites were outraged and the professor threw me out of class, stating “I cannot imagine any way in which [the student] insulted you”. Gee, she would have practically kissed my scrotum if I were black and I was discriminated against, but since I’m just a yellow-skinned Asian guy, I guess I just don’t have the same right to express opinions as the whites and blacks do.
To hell with that.
I certainly wasn’t going to take this lying down. When I entered my last film class, I wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine. Every session, I flooded the conversation with derogatory remarks about every ethnic group conceivable, spewed loads of anti-American remarks and blared out against the weak-mindedness of religious followers. As expected, the professor tried again to censor me, claiming that it was my fault that the class was getting angry. All the while, the white students clung to each other like cells of a giant superorganism, muttering to each other whenever I said something they were afraid to say, laughing whenever I created art that wasn’t as cliched as theirs. At first, their ignorance was so animalistic that it was disgusting. However, after reflecting upon how most of them only do what society tells them to and live in fear of being despised, I did not hate them anymore. I pitied them. I may not have the “pleasures” of having human companionship like they do, but at least I am not a coward. To this day, I stand by all of my opinions no matter what the consequences.
I tried to take this article to the Village Voice in New York. The editor shouted at me: “That is hyperbole! I don’t believe you.” He had no logical reasons. He just didn’t want to believe it was true. That is why no one ever hears about these incidents. White people only hear what they want to hear. I also took it to the New York Times and Daily News and received no responses.
Despite all this ruckus, I do have to thank former Dean Elliot Dee for remaining objective throughout my conflicts and fellow filmmaker Pamela Love, who made a documentary about my case.
(And the contact numbers and emails of some of the professors are available through me.)
Again, while this account may sound unbelievable, it is absolutely true to the last word (Elliot Dee and my very large file in the NYU dean’s office can confirm it all). Many students have privately told me that they share similar opinions to mine, but that they are too afraid to express them. Is everyone in art school that afraid to say what they’re thinking? No wonder there’s so much rubbish in Hollywood!

Kenneth C. Eng is the twice-published youngest science fiction novelist in America at age 21 and a current undergraduate student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He has articles on metaphysics and philosophy as well at Down In The Dirt magazine and at Circle Magazine.

Post your thoughts in the comments section below.

Comments

[Jaya Kamlani]

Oo! La! La! What disturbing thoughts spilled out of Kenneth Eng's heart and onto his journal. What is in one's heart eventually finds an outlet.

Over a decade ago, I was consulting on a project for IBM and I was working with the company's Executive Director, an African-American, a straight-A graduate student from Stanford University. One evening while we were dining, she said to me that it took her community so long to be accepted by the whites, then the Asians came along and looked down on them (paraphrased). She and I were good friends, we stayed at the same hotel, traveled in the same car to work, often dined out together (as we were both on a traveling assignment), so I know she could not be referring to me, for she even invited me to visit her if I was in her town. In fact, she was so helpful that she brought me up to speed in the business area she was heading and the global computer system we were designing for the company. Reading this article and looking back to that moment I now understand what she meant. That means this animosity between the two groups goes way back prior to 1994.

Kenneth Eng eventually tripped on his ego. He forgot that in God's eyes we are all equal.

Jaya Kamlani

[Keith Kamisugi]

Thanks for posting this Arun. The organizations that came together to challenge AsianWeek on this issue have a blog at http://dontspeakfor.us. We welcome comments on the various announcements, news/blog coverage and updates.

What's appalling is that in one of their earlier statements, AsianWeek blamed the whole thing on community leaders for not doing enough work on race relations.

[Rage]

While I believe that AsianWeek should be held accountable for their poor editorial choices, I think that David Lee had a much better response than some of the mainstream Asian American groups that put out their first press release, which did not really acknowledge that Eng's article and the fact that AsianWeek printed it, underscores the need for antiracist work in all segments of the American community.

Tracking the media hits on a flare-up tangentially related to this core subject seems a little like missing the point. With most mainstream media run to make money, the controversy sells papers, but doesn't really build or change anything.

What also bothers me is that the positive stories of communication, understanding, and coalition between communities seldom make it into the big headlines, but these incidents (and this one is just a crazy example, but I'm also thinking of more serious moments when bias and disconnect result in tragedy) get far more play. We should be working against that trend, rather than just feeding it.

[nirvana]

"A black girl in that class pitched her script, which was loaded with Asian stereotypes. It was so unambiguously racist that a dolt would have been able to notice. Yet – surprise, surprise -- none of the whites made a passing comment about it."
I agree with what Kenneth Eng said about the whole sterotyping thing.It has almost become inherent in Hollywood to Sterotype every Indian character as being clumsy or funny mimicing their accent and wear. Look at Kal Penn's role in National Lampoon's Van Wilder. Isn't that sterotyping asians? Had people perceived Asians to be any better then roles like this wouldn't exist be it comedy or not. So while it was quite acceptable for the girl that he was referring to sterotype Asian's why then didn't it occur to his professor that she was in fact being racist.That just goes to show how discrimination against Asians is not looked at as being a grave issue here.

[C. M. Naim]

Reading the original story I noticed that the writer described himself as 'God of the Universe.' That should have been enough of a warning to the editors of AsianWeek not to publish the diatribe. It should also inform our reactions. I only hope Kenneth Eng gets the medical treatment he badly seems to need.

[dchads]

Rage brought up some good points. Regarding the media response, I don't want to pressure organizations to not print these types of articles. Then they'd not be publishing them out of fear and self-interest. Their underlying thoughts on the issue would not change and the bitterness of being forced to do something can get in the way of introspection. That this article was published offers a certain transparency in racial views that we might not otherwise have, and I mean those of the publishers and audience moreso than the author.

That being said, there are serious perceptions out there that this article brings to light that need to be refuted. That African-Americans are "week-willed" as evidenced by the duration of slavery. Barack Obama addresses that perception in his first book. Also, what nirvana brought up about the tolerance of Asian stereotypes is not a unique sentiment.

[Anirvan]

Of possible interest -- commentary on the issue from Neelanjana Banerjee, former editor-in-chief of AsianWeek:

http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archives/2007/02/asianweek_takes.html

[Timothy Nishimura]

"...On the other hand, we slaughtered the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War."

Excuse Mr. Eng, the last time I checked, you are not Japanese. In fact, the conflict you refer to took place in Korea and Manchuria, a part of China. Perhaps you would like to revise your future diatribes to include hatred for the Japanese people?

It's funny how bold people become when they are safely behind a camera, a blog, a publication or within the confines of academia. It appears that Mr. Eng posses so much cowardice, that it would be inconceivable of him to voice his apparent hatred of humanity, at Holcombe Rucker Park on a Saturday, with a loudspeaker, sans security.

"Look at Kal Penn's role in National Lampoon's Van Wilder."

What about the socially awkward Jews that need Van Wilder's party liaison services? You can pick apart almost any film today as reinforcing stereotypes, or on a case-by-case basis they can be accepted at face value (Taj did get the girl at the end and returned to lead the sequel).

I think your point might hold more weight, if The Namesake wasn't on it's way to theaters soon.

Let's keep Kenneth Eng out of the diplomatic corps, recognize that racism/prejudice exists in the Asian American Community, address the issue and move forward without him.

[Diana Rohini LaVigne]

We see ourselves as far more advanced than last generation. Are we? We are still battling with the same stigmas and the same racist slurs we were years ago; even the younger generation, evident by Eng's 'Why I hate blacks' article, is learning the language of hate, not tolerance, understanding, acceptance and global equality.

I was once told that my children, who (when born) will be part Native American Indian and part Asian Indian (mixed race), will have issues with racism if we decide to raise them in India. But I'm honestly equally as worried about raising them in America.

Is each generation learning from the previous one's mistakes or are we drawing a line in the sand deeper with each generation? I'm a bit of an idealist and so perhaps my vision of a global nation is further off than I could have ever imagined.

However grim it seems, I invite others to share in my 'hopeful' thoughts that we can create a well-balanced global envirnoment. Maybe there is a way to build this community. Just Maybe.

[John Laxmi]

Kenny Eng gets umpteen hours
Of fame, and why?

Has SAJAforum nothing else
To blog about?

Who cares what Engs write?
AABA, of course, CAPA too.

NAPALC jumps in, SAJA too,
MULTI, CULT, URAL, ISTS.

Art Schlesinger
Rest in peace :-(

Regards,
John

[Anonymus]

Anonymous

In my view, there is no denying that article is obnoxious. But the debate around racism is very relevant. I, as an Asian hear racist remarks day in and out. Whites mimicking Indian accent, mocking the Indian software professionals whom they call to get their computer fixed, repeatedly saying – excuse me – to make you aware of your accent to simplest of words that any child can understand. We are able to understand their accent. Are they so dumb that they can not understand simple words such as ‘report.’ I am a north Indian professional educated in ‘English medium’ schools in India. I am fine with my Indian accent, but I am very aware that it is not so heavy that these dumb White American’s can not understand it. Racism against Asians is so under-exposed. I did not feel like this when I moved to the U.S. Facing racism constantly has made me hate Whites. Superiority is so internalized in them that even most ‘liberals’ don’t realized how racist they are.

We are a submissive – docile community – still struggling to get out of our colonial past. I wonder if Whites are as aggressive with Blacks in racist remarks and get away with it. We respond with our sheepish laughs, Blacks respond with ‘f’ word. May be we should learn from them and fight back the monster of racism.

[Cal]

It is very clear that There is a alot of racism in Asian communities. My Asian fiends even say so. The good part is that it is mostly the older generation, and many of the younger ones that grow up and are educated in America are more open minded. And if this idiot thinks America is so bad, why did his family come here? Oh yea, because America is the best, and most fair country on earth, and life in China sucks for the vast majority of the population (forced abortions, organ harvesting, party members stealing peasants land, no religious freedom etc etc etc).

[Anonymus]

Wow, unless you are native America, why the hell your ancestors came here? They even killed people to make America their own country. Have you ever heard of economic compulsions for migration?

Yes, China has lots of problems so does every country on this earth. Can you name one country where there are absolutely no problems and any country on earth from where people do not go to live in other countries? You sick of American superiority. Yes, there is racism in Asians, but does that condone racism in America? Does it give right to so fair White Americans that they can bully Asians on the name of 'why you came here' now that you did - you got to say America does not have racism and suffer.

Even without the question of Asians, there are lots of problems in America- you seem to be very aware of forced abortions and so on in China, are you aware of poverty, difficulties to exercise reproductive rights, racial discrimination, torture practices and so on in America.

[Anonymous]

I have always found it rather strange that African-American students dont seem to get the support as a community they so badly need to do well in life. There's so much pressure on them to be cool, more than any other community, that sometimes other things they need in life are overlooked.
Ken Eng is racist no doubt but he does bring up an interesting point - Statistically speaking, this community should have shown a huge rise in success rate after going through such hardships. Thats what happens to other communities around the world when they undergo inhuman suffering in some form or other.
Indians, Chinese, Japanese after independence did not have enough resources to be brilliant and hardworking and be known for that around the world.
Having the resources and the murky past they left behind, why did they resort to having to justify themselves all the time?
What could possibly be different in this case?
Why do we still resort to either pitying them or looking down upon them rather than giving them incentive to buck up and join the rest of the world?Why do we still isolate them and target them all the time?
why do they isolate themselves?

[Jaya Kamlani]

We as a minority group ourselves in America, feel for other minorities who have suffered, or are suffering. What happened to Eng and the Asian community which is perplexed over this situation, could very well happen to any one of us and our community. If even one Indian writes something bad about another community, our community will be targeted too. So, it is better that we keep our hearts clean and accept everyone as we would like them to accept us. We should understand what the Asian community is now grappling with, because I have heard our Indians too talk against other communities. We are not perfect either. We make our share of mistakes too. Since 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there has been so much tension between communities.

I believe it is imperative for colleges throughout the country to have townhall meetings on the subject of DIVERSITY.

Earlier on someone mentioned that the older Indians in America tend to be more prejudiced and younger generation born in this country assimilates well with other groups in America. I have found that to be true as well. That is because those who came from India were a bit set in their ways of thinking and tended to hang around among other Indians for comfort and security, and in so doing they found it comfortable to speak of other groups. Fortunately, I have always worked in the corporate world since my arrival here in America, and due to my exposure I did not feel that way. Even today, I feel blessed to have a varied group of friends.

Jaya Kamlani

[Reb]

To all of you bad mouthing America and whites..I have just one question..who the hell invited you anyway? I didn't..It was the insanity of the 1965 immigration act that opened the flood gates to our dispossession. Look at it from our standpoint. The neighborhoods where we grew up now look like a polyglot boarding house for the world. Can't even go to the gas station without encountering a Tower of Babble. Worse..we are expected to shut up and not complain..denied the right to look after our own like every other ethnic group does. Diversity is good for you..to paraphrase Churchill, never before have so many pretended to believe something so absurd.

[Jaya Kamlani]

Dear Reb, I don't mean to offend you, but since you mentioned Churchill, maybe someone should have asked him why so many British came to India, and then stayed on to rule India for two centuries. But what is past is past. We must look forward. It is true that if people of any country dislike America, they should go back home. I agree with you there. You cannot come and live in a country only to abuse it. The same should also apply for Americans who are working in any Asian country. But what about the immigrants who love America? After all, this is a country of immigrants, and children/grandchildren of immigrants. Since your name does not sound like a native Indian, I am sure your ancestors were immigrants too.

You may not realize how our Indian engineers and doctors have helped America in its many innovations and research areas. Our journalists are among some of the very best too. We should not judge a whole group by the mistakes of a few, because every community has a few bad apples. We have them in the Congress too. So can we all stop picking on each other and see how we can all get along instead. This is after all a secular America. And if you tell me that I don't know what I am talking about, I will have to write back another note telling you I have lived in this country for decades, and I am probably more American than most Americans, simply because of the number of years I have lived here, and I have lived coast-to-coast. So, please everyone of every color, every race, let's all get along together. We have a lot to learn from each other. There are major wars being fought out there, and people are dying for our country. Let's not quibble over race, or where we migrated from. At this time, we need to come together for our country, for America.

Jaya Kamlani

[Jaya Kamlani]

Hello all,

Here is my PROPOSAL for all Asian-American groups, regardless of which Asian community you represent:

I believe we need to discuss race relations at a forum where Americans of all communities are represented and our voices can also be heard. We can discuss this on the blogs until the cows come home, or TAKE ACTION AND MAKE A COMMITMENT TO IMPROVE RACE RELATIONS IN AMERICA. If the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Koreans, Indonesians, Malayasians, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, people of Myanmar and others that I may have missed on this Asian list, would like to have a forum with the African-Americans and all-encompassing white Americans ... I think it can be arranged this summer in Atlanta. After all, Atlanta was the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement.

The convention runs for several days and is expected to be attended by tens of thousands of people. I know the person who is heading the planning committee. She is an African-American friend who specializes in conflict management, and is the key organizer of the convention. I have not run this proposal by her, but if the Asian-American organizations are interested, I can talk to her about it, and then we will have to submit a proposal within six weeks.

If there is interest in the Asian community (including South Asian community) to follow up on this, I will update this column with more details. I have been thinking about this option since the day Kenneth Eng's article was published on SAJA blog two days ago, and wanted to help bridge the gap between all Asian communities, African-Americans and all other Americans.

Could some of you PLEASE POST THIS PROPOSAL ON MY BEHALF ON OTHER ASIAN-AMERICAN BLOGS, or direct that blog to this SAJA site, or publish it in a daily or weekly Asian newspaper. Those interested can post their responses on this SAJA site. Thanks.

Jaya Kamlani

[TerraTango]

Jaya,
You forgot to mention WHAT conference. Please be specific, and please give us a url. Otherwise we have no idea what you are talking about.

You may have written your post in a hurry, but its a bit patronizing to say "the African Americans." Which ones? You get my drift...

This could be an interesting opportunity to bring Asian American leaders in with key other leaders of color, especially media folks, who in part could call attention to the fact that all the amazing inter community work that goes on daily does NOT for the most part get reported, and if it does, it NEVER makes the front page.

The people to ask to help plan whatever forum you're thinking are the Asian American leaders who called attention to this issue. They have already done lots of thinking and conceiving around this, as have tons and tons of Asian American leaders around the country; so there is no need to reinvent the wheel.

Lets also not forget that class, historical dynamics, and personal immigration history figure strongly into the dynamics of race relations.

[Jaya Kamlani]

TerraTango, thanks so much for your response. After I read your comment and received an email response from Keith Kamisugi, an Asian leader who said he would discuss the proposal with others at a meeting, I wrote an email to my African-American friend who is the key organizer of the event, and sent her a copy of my SAJA posting to ensure that my proposal was indeed feasible for the convention, and if so, who would be the person to contact. GIVE ME A DAY OR TWO TO HEAR FROM HER BEFORE I WRITE ANY MORE ON THIS SUBJECT. But at this juncture I feel very positive about it, for all proposals are due in 6 weeks and we have some time. But I don't want to mention names or events in this comment, just in case they cannot accomodate us. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity for all races to come together if things work out.

Jaya Kamlani

[Jaya Kamlani]

Hello Everyone,

The 5-day forum I was referring to where Americans of all races and colors will come together is the USSF Forum, to be held from June 27 – July 1, 2007. Each year it is held in a different country. This year it is being held in Atlanta, USA. It is the first time it is being held in the U.S. Last year it was held in Venezuela, and attended by over 100,000 people. The Forum has a very wide agenda to address various issues important to the Americans. Organizations signing up for the forum will bring their own large tents and set it up on the grounds to hold discussions or give presentations. I assume that means making arrangements for the chairs for the tent as well. Asian-Americans, for example, could set up a tent to discuss race-relations, or select a subject from the wide array of topics suggested on the website.

From the menu displayed at the top of the website www.ussf2007.org select “FAQ” option (Frequently Asked Questions). You will read why the South, and why Atlanta was chosen as the city to host the first USSF conference in the U.S. Why? Because it is the birthplace of Reverend Martin Luther King and the Civil Right Movement.

When you select the “News” option from the Menu, you will find various articles worth reading. One of them explains that the African-Americans want to open a dialogue with the Mexicans because undocumented Mexican workers in the U.S have been taking away their jobs in the south. On the “News” index page, you will also find an article “Bringing it back home…” written by Eric Tang, an Asian-American from New York, who is involved with the USSF effort. Eric declares, “The Social Forum process is not so much about putting aside differences, as it is about placing them at the center—of bringing whole movements and whole selves to the table…” Perhaps the Asian-American leaders would like to get in touch with him for his views on USSF participation and the proposal submission process.

The “Materials,” option from the Menu guides you through the proposal submission process, how to plan for it, how to register, who should attend the 5-day seminar to be held from June 27 – July 1, 2007.

Given below is the response I received from my friend Alice Lovelace, National Lead Staff Organizer of the USSF Forum. She has a Masters in “Conflict Resolution,” is a social activist and known in the African-American community. If you select the “Contacts” option from the website Menu, you will find her name and other contact names with their pertinent information. Also read “About USSF” and Home page for more details on the social forum. I hope the USSF Conference can provide a platform for the Asian community to connect with the African-Americans and find ways on how we can all work together in the future.
Jaya Kamlani

*****************************************************************

Jaya,

The social forum is self organized. This means we do not organize any sessions, organizations that will attend the social forum submit proposals for programs and as long as they are in line with the social forum principles, they are accepted.

If you have a group that will be attending the social forum they can submit this proposal. You do not need anyone’s permission or approval.

In terms of getting involved in programming for the USSF, the process for getting a program on the schedule includes:
You must register as an organization: registration for organizations is on a sliding scale—you can register up to three people from your organization for one fee between $125-$300. You may register as many people as you wish.

Once you register, you can submit proposals for programs.

Please visit the website to view the call for submissions.

www.ussf2007.org

I hope this is useful.

Alice

[Tashun Jackson]

I think this is the most sicken thing in the world for someone to post. If you can't see the thousands of sucessful blacks, you must live in a hole. And for you to set an example about slavery, that was a time that we could do nothing about, but with the help of GOD, we got out of it. It is people like you who try to put us back there. But, the devil is a lie!! You need to do more research and get your facts straght. And this is from another sucessful black person.
I challenge all the professional BLACK people that see this to give your opinion about this.

[John]

Kenneth Eng can't be racist. Only white people can be racist because only white people have the power to be racist. Kenneth Eng isn't white. Therefore Kenneth Eng cannot be racist. Sound familiar?

[Jaya Kamlani]

Tashun, the journalist (Arun Venugopal) who posted this article did not post it to hurt the African-Americans. He posted it here because it is so much in the news, and also to have an honest discussion on how best to prevent such situations in the future. In fact, I too was disturbed by the racist article.

I personally know successful and highly educated African-Americans, so I am very much on your side. Somehow, there is a disconnect between the "East-Asian" and African-American communities, and it needs to be addressed and ironed out. We also need to remember, one racist writer of a community does not make the whole community racist.

I am originally from South-Asian country of India (the Gandhi country) and have visited Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta. I don't need to get involved in this heated 'race' issue, but I choose to, because I would like to see us all get along. You will notice from my postings that I have been attempting to do just that. If you have suggestions that might be helpful, we would really appreciate your input, and from your friends as well. This is a forum for all who want to contribute their thoughts and make this country a better place for all.

Jaya Kamlani

[A Black Muse]

Eng's the kind of person who abuses freedom of speech, pushes his opinions on others and anyone who disagrees or get angry with him, is a moron! And then he plays the race card. The TRUTH is, if you're not likable, people won't like you and if you aren't respectable, you won't be respected. If people hate him wherever he goes, he might want to look in the mirror for the cause. His article was a juvenile, irresponsible, uninformed, badly written POS the editors should never have published.
Had they wanted to open some constructive dialogue on the subject, an essay should have been published entitled "Why is there annomosity between Asian and Blacks?"
I don't know what's going on in Frisco, but I have NEVER seen this kind of hate or fear between Blacks and Asians in MY social circles in DC, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta or anywhere else, so it could hardly be as rampant as this guy claims. I do know that thanks to bad western influences, many Asian people have very low opinions of Blacks, but that misinformation needs to be corrected.
Years ago at the computer networking expo called the Interop, I saw a booth with products for wireless networking. It was way in the back, away from the big booths like Sprint, Netware and MS...just a little non-descript table with an Asian guy sitting there by himself lookin kinda bored. I was thinking 'minority solidarity' and went to take a look. I had also done a lot of business with an Asian computer parts place in Miami where I was always treated with respect. Wireless was pretty kewl technology several years ago, so I was interested to say the least. Up until then, I had only studied the technology in school, but hadn't seen it IRL. I looked at the simple diagram on the package and asked the guy how much they were going for. He started to give me a price with installation costs and whatnot when I told him that I didn't need anyone else to install it. "How much is the package all by itself?" He responded "Ohhh, but you need someone who knows computers!" I told him that I have that covered. I knew what I was looking at, knew what to do with it and that I wanted it in my house. AGAIN, he questioned me. "But you need someone who knows computer NETWORKING." I said that I did and he responded with "YOU know computer NETWORKING???" THEN I got snippy. "NO, I'M A HAIRDRESSER!!! This IS a computer networking expo isn't it? I'm a computer networking professional...UNIX networking if you must know! I don't need any help!", and THEN he acted like the $300 pricetag was out of my budget! By then I knew why his sorry butt was way back in the 'cheap seats'. Not only that, he didn't even have any cool promotional goodies to give away! But it didn't matter if it was 9.95 and came with a free laptop, he wasn't getting a dime from me!! What we need are more organizations like JAFA (The Japan African American Friendship Association), where cultures learn how to do business with each other. In a professional arena such as the Interop, you cannot afford to treat ANYONE like that. True, at that moment, I was a UNIX Network Engineer with no purchasing power, but two years prior, I was a senior systems manager at a different company, yes the BLACK GODDESS of all things PC, (pun intended) MAC, UNIX, and telephony. But you know what? In Atlanta, I was completely ORDINARY as there are many accomplished Black men and women.