(no subject)

I was away from the computer for a good deal of the day yesterday, and neglected to mention that it was Martin Luther King day.

Excerpt from "I have a dream"

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I realized that part of what I was reading and doing yesterday really fit with the general spirit of Martin Luther King.

(no subject)

Yesterday I made a donation to WISH Vancouver . This is a drop-in centre and safe house for women sex trade workers in Vancouver's downtown East side. I could have gone by earlier, but I chose to drop by at 6:00, which is when the centre opens. As a result, I ended up standing around with most of the women who were hoping to get into the centre for a hot meal. When the centre opened, we all trooped inside. I gave my donation to a staff member, and then asked if I could tour the place. I was pretty impressed by the work the staff and volunteers are doing. They provide women with food and toiletries, and have an art and literacy room as well. Currently, they are looking for donations of craft supplies, reading books to give to the women and many other supplies including towels, clothes, and cosmetic items. If you buy a shampoo or makeup, and then only use it once or twice (because it's the wrong colour or you're allergic, etc), WISH will take it.

They are always looking for makeup and toiletries, pants, empty film canisters, plastic grocery bags, or leftover toiletries.

Multicultural reads

I wasn't aware until later in the day that it was in fact, Martin Luther King day. However, yesterday I finished two books about ethnic issues and rights.

1. "The Race Myth" by Joseph L. Graves- This book is a non-fiction book by a leading evolutionary biologist. His main argument was that the concept of race and racial differences are a social construct. Graves explains some genetic differences between humans, and traces some biological differences. He points out that the most genetic difference occurs among different groups of blacks. He begins to trace social and cultural differences among groups. There's a chapter on mate selection and intermarriage. According to Graves, 1 in 5 Americans comes from a mixed race family. First Nations people and Asians tend to marry with Caucasians the most of any other ethnic group. Graves dissects the history of racism and racist thought, patterns of marriage and social dominance theory. He also brings up a lot of good points. For example, he dispels the myth that African Americans are pre-disposed to hypertension because of genetic differences. He explains that economic conditions are to blame for this. Many blacks with lesser income live in areas with high amounts of lead in their housing, which can lead to hypertension. This book was an amazing and thorough examination of the genetic ideas behind race. I'm still thinking about it. I also liked the feminist aspects of the book.

2. "Saltwater City- an illustrated history of the Chinese in Vancouver"- Paul Yee. I had to read this book for a meeting that I have tomorrow. It is an amazing history of the Chinese in Vancouver, complete with interviews with many Chinese citizens. It was quite enlightening and well done. This book was one of the first non academic books on Chinese history published in Canada.

Two very good things

1. One of the stories that I did on spec, was accepted by the Courier. So watch for my story about "The Draw" in the Commercial Drive supplement.

2. I am going home for a visit in April. Watch out Saskatonians, I'll be in town from April 12-22!!

(no subject)

Last night I attended a World poetry session at the Vancouver Public Library. I was actually manning (or womanning) a table for Ricepaper. The event was for Gung Haggis Fat Choy, so the poetry consisted of some poems by Scottish poet Dugald Christie, some Chinese poetry, and various poems done in Gaelic, Spanish and English.

The night was a great mix of culture and community. I was especially excited because I finally got to meet Fred Wah . Fred Wah is a Governor General award winning poet, who was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. He has spent a lot of time in Western Canada and now lives in Vancouver. I first discovered Fred's work years ago. I fell in love with his book "Music at the heart of thinking", which is poetry written in a style that pays homage to the Shaolin monks. For personal reasons, I also liked "Waiting for Saskatchewan." Like me, Fred is a quarter Chinese. His dad is half Chinese. Fred's grandpa was Chinese and he married an Irish woman and they had four children. At one point, they ended up sending two of the children to live in China with some relatives. One of these children was Fred's father.

Fred's writing and the topics he deal with greatly mirror my own family and some of my own experiences. He has written a lot about the experience of hybridity and hybrid poetics. His book, "Diamond Grill" is about his experiences growing up in a Chinese restaurant in a small town. My mother was extremely moved when she read this book and some scenes meant so much to her that they made her cry. So I was quite excited to meet with Fred, chat with him a little bit, and get him to autograph my mom's book. I plan to do an interview with him in the near future.