NEWS & EVENTS

Get on the Bus with the No Casino in the Heart of Our City Coalition

If there’s any question about how predatory and exploitive the gambling industry is toward Asian communities, take a look at some of Steve Wynn’s recent comments in an investor call he made last week about coming to Philadelphia:

• The Vietnamese are part of the group he calls his “old friends” who like to “shoot craps and gamble”;
• He loves his proximity to “these people” and the Philadelphia neighborhoods overall;
• He called his Asian workforce in Macau “totally delicious.”

As he puts it, in his own words:
“I love the proximity to these people. I love the proximity to the Vietnamese neighborhood. And I’m gonna put in a beautiful Vietnamese restaurant for them.”

When it was announced that a casino would be built on the edge of Philadelphia Chinatown in September 2008, Asian Americans United and many of you rose to fight off one of the most powerful monied and politically-connected industries in the nation. In the process, we became politicized about the exploitive and predatory nature of the casino industry, an industry that uses everything within its power to boost its bottom line through exploiting vulnerable Asian communities, particularly our seniors, recent immigrants and young people. We’re not alone as targets – the industry loves college kids, neighbors and “every stripe of ethnic group” that loves to gamble, as Wynn puts it.

But Wynn’s comments and casino industry practices should make it clear, we’re in their sights.

On Wed. March 3rd, we’re headed to Harrisburg to make sure Steve Wynn hears from Asian communities who aren’t playing to stereotypes and seeking to exploit our people for their profit. We’re coming to Steve Wynn tomorrow not because he’ll offer us food and ply us with “pretty colors” and noxious and bizarre labels. We’re coming to Steve Wynn because these are our communities, these are our children and we’re standing up to say he’s not entitled to them.

SIGN UP HERE!

JOIN ASIAN AMERICANS UNITED in Harrisburg! Buses leave at 7:15 a.m. from 30th Street Station and return mid-afternoon. $25 pp or contact AAU at 215.925.1538. If you can’t make it, pass it along to someone you think might be interested and please help us spread the word!

Casinos don’t belong in neighborhoods where people live, play, work and go to school. Help us KEEP CASINOS OUT OF PHILLY!

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Case Dismissed for the Sugarhouse 14!

Fourteen of Philadelphia’s citizens, arrested in September for blocking the entrance to the SugarHouse construction site, were acquitted of all charges.

The judge dismissed the case. As a result, all Philadelphians should feel empowered to work for a more transparent, democratic and sustainable future, even when political forces are stacked against them.

• WATCH THE VIDEO on Fox News: Casino Site Protestors Found Not Guilty – Feb. 16, 2010
• The Philadelphia Inquirer: Charges dropped in SugarHouse protest case – By Jennifer Lin, Feb. 17, 2010

Casinos don’t belong in neighborhoods where people live, play, work and go to school. Help us KEEP CASINOS OUT OF PHILLY!

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UNDER AUTUMN MOON:
Reclaiming Time and Space in Chinatown

@ Philadelphia Folklore Project
735 S. 50th Street
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 6 and by appointment
FREE
www.folkloreproject.org

Joan May Cordova and Kathy Shimizu share photographs and block prints documenting Chinatown’s Mid-Autumn Festival, a vital celebration of culture. a resource for sustaining this last remaining community of color in Philadelphia’s center city, and a means for pushing back against predatory development schemes.

Part of a series of events organized in celebration of Asian Americans United’s 25th Anniversary

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Angry Reader of the Week: Helen Gym

Angry Asian Man features AAU’s Helen Gym on his blog on January 29th, 2010.

AAU Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
and Makes Front Page News!

AAU makes the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday, February 1st, 2010! Read Asian American group fights against injustice by Jeff Gammage.

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Top Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Unsung Hero 2009 – Helen Gym

Asian Pacific Americans for Progress have put together a list of the Top Asian American Pacific Islander Unsung Heroes for 2009 and AAU’s Board Member, Helen Gym, is one of them! Yay Helen! You can read about all of the hard work Helen has been doing and the incredible list of her achievements on the APAP site.

A shout out for Helen and the other heroes can be read at Angry Asian Man.

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Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School
is Searching for a new Principal and Executive Director

The Folk Arts–Cultural Treasures Charter School (FACTS) seeks nominations and applications for the position of Principal and Executive Director. Founded in 2005, FACTS is the first public K–8 charter school in the Chinatown neighborhood. FACTS students develop strong academic skills through a curriculum that integrates folk arts, social justice, respect for languages, and the histories of many cultures. There are approximately 440 students enrolled at FACTS, with nearly one-third of the students receiving ESL services.

Read the details here.

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AAU Bowl-a-thon
Saturday, April 24 @ 1pm
Help AAU raise $10,000 & have fun doing it

AAU is raising money so that we can revive our old (and expensive!) model of summer youth leadership programs: teenagers tutoring smaller kids and at the same time developing their own leadership skills and doing a community action project.

Here’s how you can help us reach our goal:

• get three other people to form a team with you (or if you’d rather, we can put you on a team)
• get people to pledge you money for AAU
• come bowling with us on April 24
• collect your pledges
• win prizes and the admiration of your peers

For more information, write us at aau @ aaunited.org.

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AAU Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
Save the Date!

AAU 25th Anniversary Celebration & Fundraiser
Saturday, November 13th, 2010

Celebrate AAU’s 25 year legacy of building leaders, strengthening our communities, and standing up for justice.

If you’d like to join the planning committee, email us at aau @ aaunited.org or call 215.925.1538

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