The Green Papaya

SEA Interncollegiate Summit

2008-10-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Community Leader,

We are writing on behalf of the Southeast Asian Student Coalition (SASC) at the University of California, Berkeley. SASC is working collaboratively with UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, CSU Fresno, University of the Pacific, Stanford and UVSA to plan a Southeast Asian Intercollegiate Summit that would work towards the SASC mission statement:

"To unite Southeast Asian communities, particularly those bounded by the historical context of the Viet Nam War, and to address the social injustices, the economic inequalities, and political under representation that they face."

On behalf of our community, I would like to invite you, your organization, and your community to the Southeast Asian Intercollegiate Summit, "SEA Changes: Continuing the Dialogue, Igniting Action"

WHAT: A gathering of college students and/or young professionals who are community leaders and activists organizing on behalf of advancing Southeast Asian communities in the United States.

WHO: College students and/or young professionals from:
- Various regions of California (but also open to out-of-state participants)
- Various educational institutions: community colleges, state colleges, state universities, private school, etc.
- Various ethnic communities: Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Mien, Vietnamese, etc.

WHEN: Friday, 9 January 2009 to Sunday, 11 January 2009

WHERE: UC Berkeley campus

Please Register by 18 November 2008 by clicking HERE.

Some goals we'd like to accomplish are:
(X) Provide a space to share and update knowledge about Southeast Asians on college campuses and in our respective regions
(X) Develop a network of college students and organizers in the community
(X) Discuss issues and "problems" in our community
(X) Work together on an action plan to tackle some of these issues
(X) Institutionalize a similar summit for the future

For more information, questions, or opportunities to help/contribute, please email: sea.ics@gmail.com

In Solidarity,

Larry Bach & Nora Chandara
External Chairs
Intercollegiate Summit Planning Committee

--
Southeast Asian Student Coalition
University of California, Berkeley
Ethnic Studies Department
506 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-2570
sea.ics@gmail.com

SASC Mission Statement: "To unite Southeast Asian communities, particularly those bounded by the historical context of the Viet Nam War, and to address the social injustices, the economic inequalities, and political under representation that they face."

Asian Week Internship Opportunity

2008-08-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

Please pass this on to anyone who would be interested.

Thank you,

AsianWeek Newspaper
809 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 397 0220
www.AsianWeek.com
------------------------------

-------------------------------

AsianWeek seeks Editorial Interns

AsianWeek is the national English-language newsweekly for the rapidly
growing Asian Pacific American community. We are currently looking for
interns to participate in our Newspaper Workshop at our San Francisco office.

TITLE
Editorial Intern

DUTIES
* Select and digest news stories for weekly publication
* Write brief news stories for weekly publication
* Write announcements of events for weekly publication
* Maintain journal of internship experiences
* Organize news sources: fax, e-mail, mail

SKILLS
* Excellent writing skills
* Computer: MS Word, Internet, e-mail
* Great organization skills
* Ability to work independently and as part of a team

TERMS
* 3 months
* minimum 10-15 hours per week
* monthly stipend

If you are looking to be part of the community and help shape and
develop the voice of Asian America, AsianWeek wants to work with you!

Please email your resume and one writing sample to jobs@asianweek.com.

"wow america.."

2008-05-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

Read the sign...closely. It's hard to believe how ignorant people are....*sigh*
Immigrants are the backbone of this nation!

Link to the source

SASC Benefit Concert

2008-05-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

SASC Benefit Concert 2008
April 5th, 2008
UC Berkeley, Heller Lounge

No Deportation: DO OR DIASPORA!
Keep our communities together

It's been a whole month, but I just wanted to reflect on this year's SASC Benefit Concert. I've been meaning to do it, but just haven't found time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SASC Benefit Concert was pretty banging this year! The house was FULLL and we had some really good line-ups such as SEAYL, Cable Car Stars, Stephen Bor, New City, Jive Theory, Binly and the Cal Breakers + + + MORE!!!

On top of that, beautiful handmade crafts, totes, t-shirts, and Vietnamese sandwiches were sold!

The planning process was pretty complicated, but the event came through just beautifully! I was really happy to see soooo many faces from various communities! We had alums come out, professors, and students from different schools and cities!

All in all, I hope that the concert was able to raise awareness about the Deportation Crisis that is definitely affecting the Southeast Asian Community and many communities of color. But not only that, I hope that the event was able to unite all communities together during times like this. And I think it did. I know this sounds hella cliche, but it's true: Together we can do anything!

SHOUT OUT to UC Davis SeaMic for coming out and spreading knowledge about deportation!

PICTURES can be found at the URL below! Thank you JOHN VIET for taking them!

http://picasaweb.google.com/ucb.sasc/DoOrDiaspora

LOVE LOVE,
SASC LOVERRRR!!

Senate Bill 1108

2008-04-21T02:44:00.000-07:00

PROPOSED

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AMENDMENTS TO S.B.

1108

(Reference to Senate engrossed bill)


Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert:


"Section 1.


Title 15, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by

adding sections 15-107 and 15-108, to read:


START_STATUTE15-107.


Declaration of policy


The legislature finds and declares that:


1. A primary purpose of public education is to inculcate values of

American citizenship.


2. Public tax dollars used in public schools should not be used to

denigrate American values and the teachings of western civilization.


3. Public tax dollars should not be used to promote political,

religious, ideological or cultural beliefs or values as truth when such

values are in conflict with the values of American citizenship and the

teachings of western CIVILIZATION.



START_STATUTE15-108.



Denigration, disparagement or encouragement of dissent from values of

American democracy and western civilization; prohibition; enforcement;

prohibition of race-based organizations; definition


A. A public school in this state shall not include within the program

of instruction any courses, classes or school sponsored activities that

promote, assert as truth or feature as an exclusive focus any

political, religious, ideological or cultural beliefs or values that

denigrate, disparage or overtly ENCOURAGE dissent from the values of

American democracy and western civilization, including democracy,

capitalism, pluralism and religious toleration.


B. This section does not prohibit the inclusion of diverse political,

religious, ideological or CULTURAL beliefs or values if the course,

CLASS or school sponsored activity as a whole does not denigrate,

disparage or overtly ENCOURAGE dissent from the values of American

democracy and western civilization.


C. On request of the superintendent of public instruction or the

superintendent's designee, a public school shall promptly provide

copies of curricula, course materials and course syllabi to the

superintendent of public INSTRUCTION. the superintendent of public

instruction, after providing appropriate notice and conducting an

appropriate hearing, may withhold a proportionate share of state monies

from any public school that violates subsection A. The superintendent

of public instruction may take reasonable and APPROPRIATE regulatory

actions to enforce this subsection. Nothing in this subsection shall be

construed to enlarge the authority of the superintendent of public


instruction to regulate the CONTENT of curriculum in public schools.



D. A public school in this state, a university under the JURISDICTION

of the arizona board of regents and a community college under the

JURISDICTION of a community college DISTRICT in this state shall not

allow organizations to operate on the CAMPUS of the school, UNIVERSITY

or community college if the organization is based in whole or in part

on race-based criteria.


E.


For the purposes of this section, "public school" means any of the

following:


1. A school district.


2. A school in a school district.


3. A charter school.


4. An accommodation school.


5. The arizona state schools for the deaf and the blind.


" END_STATUTE


Amend title to conform


RUSSELL K.

PEARCE

Plan targets anti-Western lessons: Some fear loss of diversity in lawmaker's education proposal

2008-04-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

by Matthew Benson - Apr. 17, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Arizona public schools would be barred from any teachings considered counter to democracy or Western civilization under a proposal endorsed Wednesday by a legislative panel.

Additionally, the measure would prohibit students of the state's universities and community colleges from forming groups based in whole or part on the race of their members, such as the Black Business Students Association at Arizona State University or Native Americans United at Northern Arizona University. Those groups would be forbidden from operating on campus.

The brainchild of Rep. Russell Pearce, the measure appeared as an amendment to Senate Bill 1108, which originally would have made minor changes to the state's Homeland Security advisory councils. The House Appropriations Committee approved the new proposal on a 9-6 vote.

Pearce, a Mesa Republican, said his target isn't diversity instruction, but schools that use taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate students in what he characterized as anti-American or seditious thinking. The measure is at least partially a response to a controversy surrounding an ethnic-studies program in the Tucson Unified School District, which critics have said is unpatriotic and teaches revolution.

SB 1108 states, "A primary purpose of public education is to inculcate values of American citizenship. Public tax dollars used in public schools should not be used to denigrate American values and the teachings of Western civilization."

For schools that violate the anti-Western-teachings provision, the bill provides the state superintendent of public instruction with the authority to withhold a portion of state funding.

Rep. John Kavanagh, a member of the Appropriations Committee, said he hopes the measure helps return cultural studies in the state's schools to a "melting pot" model.

"This bill basically says, 'You're here. Adopt American values,' " said Kavanagh, a Fountain Hills Republican. "If you want a different culture, then fine, go back to that culture."

But Democratic committee members complained that the measure is overly vague, failing to define what constitutes teachings that "disparage or overtly encourage dissent from the values of democracy and Western civilization."

The result, said Rep. Pete Rios, would likely be a chilling effect on public instruction regarding diversity and other cultures.

"There's nothing wrong with being bilingual, bicultural," said Rios, a Hayden Democrat. "I like Mexican music. I like Elvis Presley. I'm bicultural. What's wrong with that? I think kids, students, need to learn about their culture."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/17/20080417unamerican0417.html

Hmong school bill gets a boost: Panel approves bid to include Hmong history in textbooks.

2008-04-13T23:53:00.000-07:00

By E.J. Schultz / Bee Capitol Bureau

04/09/08 23:07:13

SACRAMENTO -- For most of her childhood, Connie Vang had no idea why she was in America.

Then, at age 14, the Sanger High School student found out. She attended the filming of a documentary depicting the plight of the Hmong people, many of whom who came here after helping the United States fight communism in Laos and Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s.

"That was the first time I ever learned about the reason why the Hmong people are here," said Vang, now 18.

Fighting back tears, Vang shared the story with state lawmakers Wednesday as she successfully urged them to pass a bill that would require California to include Hmong history in school text books.

Assembly Bill 2064, by Assembly Member Juan Arambula, D-Fresno, would mandate teaching of the so-called "secret war" in Laos, the role of Southeast Asians in the war, and the "refugee/immigrant/new American experience."

As Vang told it, Hmong children living in California today know little about their heritage.

Their parents, many of whom are refugees, don't like to talk about their painful pasts. Children struggle with their identities.

"For the first 14 years of my life I was disconnected from my culture," Vang said. "I did not know anything about it."

The bill passed its first test Wednesday, clearing the Assembly Education Committee on a 6-0 vote. On hand were about 20 veterans of the secret war who live in Fresno and Sacramento. In full uniform, they stood to attention when asked whether they support the bill.

Fresno City Council President Blong Xiong, California's first Hmong city council member, spoke in favor, saying that the veterans' stories "need to be told."

The committee's three Republicans abstained. They worried the bill would encourage other groups to seek special recognition in textbooks, burdening schools.

"We're just trying to teach the basics to get our high school exit exams passed," said Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar.

Last year, lawmakers passed a bill, later vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger, that would prohibit schools from using textbooks that disparage gays.

This year, Democrats have introduced a bill, AB 1863, that encourages schools to recognize the role of Italian Americans in California history.

Another bill, AB 2034, calls for instruction on American Indians and their "tribal and sovereign governments and their relationship with the California state government."

The governor has not taken a position on any of the bills.

The Hmong bill comes five years after lawmakers approved legislation to "encourage" teaching of Hmong history.

Arambula said the next step is to require such instruction so that all Californians are aware of the Hmong story.

"Many thousands of individuals ... lost their lives," he said. "Entire families were decimated in support of American policy."

Fresno Unified School District began teaching Hmong history this year, using handouts and the "Hmong Voices" film -- the documentary Vang watched being filmed four years ago.

Doua Vu, a Hmong refugee who works at Fresno Unified, developed the curriculum.

The project was launched in response to a series of Hmong teen suicides in the late 1990s that Vu partly blamed on the identify crisis suffered by many American-born Hmong.

Vu encouraged Arambula to introduce this year's bill to spread the teaching across the state.

"Other districts throughout California, they are missing out on this," she said.

The reporter can be reached at eschultz@fresnobee.com or (916) 326-5541.

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/516434.html

SASC-SI 2008 Mentor/Mentee Applications

2008-03-17T01:25:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

As some of you may know, SASC puts on an annual summer institute that brings Southeast Asian high school youth to Berkeley for a 5-day intensive programwhere they learn SEA hystory and contemporary issues, learn more about the college experience, and learn about their own identities and what they can do with their newfound knowledge through workshops, peer-bonding activities, and community building!

Critical to the EMPOWERMENT of the youth, is the incredible effort put forth by mentors--Berkeley students as well as college students from all around the nation! We're looking for energetic, REAL, passionate and hella down folks to mentor these amazing youth.

*Mentorship is open to ANY college student or graduate from ANY campus, not just from Berkeley!*

INTERESTED?!
SASC Summer Institute
June 25-June 29, 2008

[Mentor Application]
[Mentee Application]
[Pictures of past SIs]

For more information, feel free to contact
Phi Nguyen (pdnguyen@berkeley.edu)
Dionne Jirachaikitti (djirachaikitti@gmail.com)

Tutor Kids in West Contra Coasta County!

2008-03-11T01:25:00.000-07:00

Hello beautiful people,

I'm just listing a job opportunity to tutor kids in Oakland. If you are interested, the contact information is listed at the bottom. Please pass this on! They need tutors!

-Romy

Tutors Needed to Help West Contra Costa Kids After School!

A great job for college students, retirees and anyone wanting to help kids in their community while earning some extra income working part-time in the afternoons. We are looking for experienced individuals from diverse backgrounds who enjoy working with children. Love of learning and commitment to children, plus ability to work with children in grades K-8 required. Two years of education at the college level or equivalent experience working with kids also required. Fluency in Spanish, a plus.

ARC, a local non-profit that works to improve student academic achievement for kids who need help, has openings for tutors in Oakland, West Contra Costa, San Francisco & San Jose. You start as soon as school is over, working in a classroom setting, 4 students per tutor, about 2 hours per day, Monday through Thursday. (Positions of 2 days per week may also be available.) Start and end times vary, depending on your school. We have 5 schools this year, all in San Pablo., and all elementary level.

This work is rewarding, the kids are great and you know you are doing something that truly helps your community. Pay is $15/hr. for tutors and $17/hr for SP/ENG bilingual tutors.

Help children succeed and have a great time opening the world of learning to them! Please e-mail your resume and cover letter as INLINE TEXT ONLY to sesjobs@arcassociates.org. Please indicate "Tutor” in the subject line.

NO ATTACHMENTS PLEASE.

For more info. about our organization, please see our websites: http://www.arctutoring.org (for our tutoring program) and http://www.arcassociates.org (for info. about our organization.)

Job location is Oakland, SF, West Contra Costa.
Compensation: $15 per hour for tutors, $17 per hour for Spanish-English bilingual tutors, $18 per hour for K-1 Specialists

If you are interested please contact:

Anna Stout
Director of Recruitment & Training
ARC Associates
1212 Broadway, #828
Oakland, CA 94612

510-834-9455, ext. 117

You Walk in the Afternoon

2008-03-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

Hey SASCfamily! I did a photo collage for a class while in high school and I thought I would share it with you. This was before I learned about a lot about the social injustices, the economic inequalities, and political under representation of our people, so it's a kind of glorified picture...but yea, maybe I'll do a remix someday.

You Walk In the Afternoon
by Trinh Cong Son

You cross the bridge
A wind follows
Blowing the white mourning cloth
In the framed afternoon.

You cross the bridge
Leaves rustle
Above the deep river
Carrying a wounded soul.

You cross the bridge
Carrying the afternoon on shoulders
Holding sadness between lips
The heart is tired
Someone has lain down
Someone remains.

You cross the bridge
Your soul in the clouds
You walk in the afternoon
A life of mourning
Longing alone for one.

You cross the bridge
The gunshot echoing still
The village seems rather sad.

You cross the bridge
A soft wind
Blows your heart
Away into the distance.

Cambodian man shot and killed in Richmond delivering pizza

2008-03-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

yo, whats up folks of the community and fellow Green Papaya readers,

I hope everyone is doing real well and healthy. There's been a crazy epidemic with the flu just going around and getting everyone, including myself. I'm emailing yall to bring attention to something that happened a few months ago, something that continues to affect not just the Southeast Asian community, but all people of color.

Last November, a few SASC folks were kickin it with the SEAYL students late into the evening, as they were working on and editing their personal statements and submitting their applications to UCs and CSUs. Sometime along that evening that lasted until like 3 or 4am in the morning, we took a break and were just talking about the neighborhoods we grew up in, and one of the SEAYL students says, "Oh yeah, that reminds me, a couple of days ago a Cambodian dude was shot and killed delivering pizza, it happened right down the block from my house."

I remember trying to find news about the murder through like google searches, but like after a week, nothing really came up about it. And I just left it at that, until recently. I was having a conversation with my sister and something reminded that I should really continue to look into it. I was able to find a couple of articles about it, thank you John Viet for posting one up already.

It's a really tragic and sad event. What happened to the man who was gunned down and killed could have been any of us, or could have been our mother, father, uncle, sister, friend, or whomever. To think that he leaves behind a wife, 2 young kids, and an aging mother in Cambodia who no longer has a son, this shit fucking kills me inside. To think about how hard he hussled, just like so many of our parents have, to help he and his wife provide for they family..

And this shit hasn't stopped. When I was in high school, my friend's Cambodian mother was shot and killed delivering newspapers in the early morning in Oakland. And I think about how many late nights my parents spent working in a donut store in shadyass areas of livermore, or how my cousin's grandfather was held up at gunpoint, and hit in the forehead with a gun while working by himself at a donut store.

It's really difficult to think that things like this happen so often, yet these are stories that we all have and can share. And whereas it's hella fucking sad to hear about and see our people getting killed while doing whatever they gotta do to put food on the table for they families, this reminds of why we stay as organizers for not just Southeast Asian folks, but for all communities. If you read the articles, which I hope folks do, I hope you realize how fortune we are to just be living and be (or have been) active organizers in SASC, BCSA, SEAYL, STP, reach!, LASR, bridges, or wherever else you find your passion. Moreover, i hope that we continue to use this privilege that we have as student or post-grad organizers to help our communities further find self-empowerment...and just help each other heal.

no justice. no peace.

Pizza Deliveryman Shot Dead in Richmond

2008-03-02T23:36:00.000-08:00

Pizza deliveryman shot dead in Richmond

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

(11-27) 07:55 PST RICHMOND -- Thanh Thach was trying to save up enough money to bring his mother to the United States from their native Cambodia. After losing a temporary job with the U.S. Postal Service, he landed a job a month ago delivering pizzas at night in the Richmond area.

Thach, 38, was on his cell phone, trying to find an address in Richmond on Monday night, when he was shot and killed during a possible robbery attempt, police said Tuesday. He died just two months after becoming a U.S. citizen.

As his wife mourned the loss of the father of two young boys, police sought clues and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the killer.

"This is one of those that really hits home," Lt. Mark Gagan said.

Thach was looking for an address on the 900 block of South 45th Street about 9 p.m. Monday when he was accosted on the 800 block by one or two men, police said. The men shot Thach twice and fled without taking the pizza or anything else.

The motive for the slaying was unclear, although it's possible that it was a "robbery gone bad," Gagan said.

Thach was on his cell phone with the person who ordered the pizza when the phone went dead, Gagan said. Just a few seconds later, the customer heard three shots ring out nearby, he said.

Investigators do not believe the slaying was a setup, as the people who requested the pizza have ordered on at least five occasions. In past years in Richmond, robbers have deliberately ordered pizzas to rob the drivers; in one incident in 2003, a 16-year-old boy suspected of robbing pizza delivery workers was shot and killed after he pointed a fake gun at an undercover officer posing as one.

The people who ordered the pizza Monday night "were very cooperative with the investigation," Gagan said. "They were visibly shaken by the fact that he had been murdered."

Thach worked at the Pizza Hut on San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito, which was closed Tuesday and will halt all deliveries indefinitely when it reopens, the company said.

Thach wanted to bring his widowed mother to the United States from their native Cambodia, said his wife of five years, who didn't want her name used out of concern for her safety. The couple have two sons, ages 3 and 18 months.

Thach had lived in the United States for 13 years and became a citizen Sept. 11, his wife said. She called it the happiest day of his life.

Before going to work for Pizza Hut, Thach had worked at the U.S. Postal Service center on Seventh Street in West Oakland.

"He is a very hard worker," she said. "He loved the kids so much. I feel like - it's unbelievable. I still feel he's alive."

Anyone with information is asked to call police Detective Eric Haupt at (510) 620-6622 or an anonymous tip line at (510) 232-8477.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/28/BA03TJP5C.DTL

This article appeared on page B - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle

[re]-living.

2008-02-26T02:29:00.000-08:00

Tonight (FiComm meeting for SASC-SI)...much like every moment that I spend with SASC family...makes me feel HELLA juiced and inspired of our community.

"SASC SI was the first time of me learning about MY history and MY parent's experiences and when I asked my mom about her experience as a refugee...tears rolled down her eyes because she never thought that her son would ever ask about her story" -Larry Xuan Bach

"DAMN those are a lot of questions. Why do I have to ask WHY I didn't have the things that other people have" -Son Chau

"It sucks and unfair to think that my sister wouldn't be able experience SASC SI because we have a 'budget' " -Tracy Nguyen

"I came to SASC SI as a nobody and I left as a SOMEBODY. If ME being HUMANIZED because of SASC SI isn't a good enough reason for yall to fund us...then I don't know what will" -Stephanie Yang

Nuff' Said yalls...you beautiful beautiful young leaders spoke loudly tonight...you spoken not only for SASC, not only for the Southeast Asian community...but you spoke for the FUTURE LEADERS OF TOMORROW who will have the chance to be able to experience SASC-SI because of you.

Thank you downass community and the rest of the speakers (Danielle, Amy, Jesse, Nhi, Yer, Boun, and much more) for speaking on behalf of SASC tonight. And those who stood there along our side...snapping your fingers...you too, spoke very loudly for our community as well. Because of you, many lives will continue to be inspired and many life pathways will be paved for the better.

With unconditional love and much respect,
SASC-lover

P.S. I apologize if anyone was mis-quoted...I was trying my best to recall the beautiful poetry that yall spit out tonight.

Need Language Help to Outreach to Vietnamese Truck Drivers

2008-02-25T00:34:00.000-08:00

Over the past year, the campaign for Clean and Safe Ports have reached out to thousands of port drivers and built a committee of worker leaders to help lead a campaign for fair wages and benefits all over the country. At the Port of Oakland campaign, organizers are looking for Vietnamese-speaking volunteers to accompany them on visits to more than 100 Vietnamese workers' homes to talk to them about their experiences and encourage them to participate in the campaign.

Visits would take place between 5 and 8 pm on weekdays and between 10 am and 7 pm on weekends in Oakland, between March 5th and March 20th.
If you have organizing experience, here's a chance to use your language skills. If you don't have organizing experience, this is a great introduction and training will be provided.
Organizers will work around your schedule but it is best to sign up for 2-3 hour shift.

Background on the Campaign: Teamsters and the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports are organizing thousands of immigrant truck drivers at the Port of Oakland to demand fair wages and benefits – and to cut back the pollution that is poisoning both drivers and West Oakland residents. Campaign organizers need your help to involve Vietnamese drivers in the campaign!

The campaign: about 2,500 truck drivers – immigrants from all over the world – work at the Port for over 100 small trucking companies. Because drivers are misclassified as "independent owner-operators" instead of employees, trucking companies require them to work long hours for low pay and fail to provide them with Social Security, workers' comp, or other basic benefits because of their status as independent contractors, it is illegal for these truck drivers to form a union to advocate for a better life. And because drivers are responsible for maintaining the trucks, they can't afford to make environmental improvements – so trucks keep spewing dirty diesel fumes that cause asthma among drivers and local community residents.

The campaign seeks to organize the truckers and local communities to demand that trucking companies hire the workers as direct employees, provide them with fair wages and benefits, and provide clean trucks that do not harm worker and community health.

For more information, contact Sarah Norr at the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy at 510-435-9475 or sarah@workingeastbay.org.

Welcome!

2008-02-17T21:44:00.000-08:00

Hello friends, family and all the down-ass folks of the Southeast Asian Community! Once in a printed form, this reborn blog version of The Green Papaya aims to bring the literary arts of Southeast Asian people to everyone! I hope that in this form, people will be able to contribute, view, and share freely about the amazing articles to come. Thanks for visiting and I hope that this can be something worthwhile to our community.

In Love & Solidarity,
JohnViet - SASCtorian 07/08