I'm at work, taking a break from this speech for the Commissioner I've been working on all week about undocumented workers. I really like work, sometimes I'll stay late even when everyone else is gone reading cases. Again, I am such an academic! I'm still astonished how progressive everyone in this office is. While I got bogged down in cases and precedent and jurisdictional issues, the Commissioner slows me down, has me explain arguments and get the big picture. He still has perspective and is concerned about people and fighting injustice - protecting workers in the face of these huge employers who have so much more power and money behind them. I've been communicating with some cool attorney advocate extraordinaires in the field. Of course they are rare and hard to come by, but still makes me have confidence in the idea of doing good through law - makes me want to believe that it is possible to LOVE what you do, be fulfilled by it, make a decent living, and have a family. Perhaps I am a worry wart, but I'm consumed with this finding something rewarding to do - I don't want to believe that earning money and being satisfied has to be a trade off. And of course, it all has to do with the uncertainy of senior year which I wrote about last week...*sigh
So I've been speaking very broadly about what I do, to anyone and everyone who will listen because I'm really starting to become fascinated with employment discrimination, yet everything is political here so it has to stay confidential. One last EEOC plug, we're sponsoring a series of lectures at Georgetown Law Center celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and Title VII (prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age, disability, religious affiliation, and national origin...basically, that long blurb you read at the bottom of every application for everything). They're next Tuesday 7/22, 7/23, and 7/30 in the mornings.
I can't believe I'm 3 weeks into my internship which also means 3 weeks closer to doing thesis research which I definitely haven't planned out - but it's also kind of exciting to be designing my own project. I'm fearful that I won't be forced to think this much ever again since the rest of life/the world isn't quite as academic right? Well, no more work talk, here's a funny survey from some former OCA interns courtesy of Parry Shen's Xanga:
Are You Down?
The Code for Being a Young AA/APA/APIA/AAPI Activist
By Minnie Yuen ’04, Margot Seeto ’04, and Lisa Wong Macabasco UC Berkeley ’03 (guest writer of UC Berkeley’s Hardboiled).
One point for each question answered in the affirmative.
1. You own a BlackLava t-shirt. (+1 if you have the V. Chin shirt, +2 if you wear it to Asian American events.) -I'm cheap, I like free tshirts better so if BlackLava wants to give me one I'll definitely wear it 
2. You own a spoken word CD not quite although I like to listen to spoken word.
3.You are or once were a spoken word artist. (+1 If you performed in a skinny scarf and spaghetti strap tank top.) haha, I can see this in a couple spoken word friends I have. but alas, I am not so linguistically talented
4. You hate Abercrombie & Fitch and dog on Asian Americans who wear it, even if they bought it pre-boycott. -Yes I am a bad person, bad bad Asian American activist
5. You think Yuri Kochiyama is totally rad! Yuri is awesome! Viva Yuri!
6. You own an autographed copy of “Better Luck Tomorrow.” (+1 If you were on the street team for BLT.) -I have several, and the DVD
7. You have a poster of one or both of the following: 1. Che 2. Malcolm. not quite, still working on the Malcolm X autobiography
8. You HELLA think that San Francisco is the center of the universe and the APA Movement. hella? I disagree with this West-coast centrism so stereotypical of Asian American Studies and Activism in general. We may be fewer in numbers on the East Coast, but there's much more opportunity for change here as well - look at UMass Boston and their awesome Asian American Studies Institute - they actually collaborate with local communities: academia + activism = AWESOME
9. You dyed your hair bright red at one point. -I don't need to dye my hair thank you very much. Black & natural is just fine for me
10. You protest the Euro-centric, hegemonic, patriarchal, heterocentric, capitalist petty bourgeoisie of THE MAN. haha, yay for Social Studies!
11. You are a “brother” or “sister” of the “The People’s Movement.” Cnsidering my parents escaped Communism, not quite
12. Instead of saying “goodbye,” you say “peace”. -Don't forget the now, cool "bumping fists" thing. - I'll go with Parry on that (cuz we're best buds and on a first name basis of course)
13. You have a Xanga, are on Friendster, and were a part of Asian Avenue. - facebook all the way!
14. You write your Friendster testimonials in Spoken Word verse.
15. You AIM name includes the words “Angry” or “Asian” or “Yellow Brown Power.” - you don't need to be angry when you're right
16. If you wear glasses, they must be the thick, plastic, black rimmed glasses to show the world how intellectual you really are. -yay for plastic rims
17. You are an APA conference whore. - more like a conference planning whore
18. You cried the first time you heard “I Was Born with Two Tongues”. (+1 If you actually cried and not just claimed you cried.)
19. You majored in, minored in, or helped start Asian American Studies at your school. - still working on how conversative our school is *sigh. We need a coordinated alumni effort.
20. You only listen to hip hop and only really enjoy Talib Kweli or Dead Prez. - who?
21. You have read one, part or all of the following: The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Fast Food Nation, Stupid White Men, or anything by bell hooks. - Asian American Dreams and Roots are also good choices
22. You’re so underground, you’re f****** magma. -magma?!? haha
23. As you chain smoke, you intellectualize how nicotine is the tool of THE MAN. - no lung cancer for me
24. Every time you watch TV or movies, your Asian-dar kicks in. (“Look! Asian woman’s arm in the back! WHAT WHAT!”) - definitely!
25. You mad dog Asian women with White boyfriends (minus 1 if you've ever had a White boyfriend; minus another 1 if you actually admit you had a White boyfriend, but you swear it was when you were really young and before you became down). -interracial dating has always been a heated topic but this issue of "choice" and "intimacy" is really just circumscribed by racial politics. Although I'd like to think that I would not judge friends/relationships based on race, it's foolish to think they're not influenced by my politics.
26. You hate on AZN Asians as much as White people, if not more. not trying to judge
27. You hate on Asian fraternities or sororities, but used to go those parties before you were down (minus one if you ever pledged an Asian sorority, minus two if you were a Little Sis). - is this another West Coast - centric question? What about the Southeast? or the Midwest? They're experiencing the greatest increases in APA (and Latino) immigration.
If you scored 21 or more:
Congratulations, Poster Child de La Revolución. You’re so down, you’re abajo. After finishing your manifesto and reaping vegetables in your biosphere, we’ll see you at ECAASU 2005, fool. Paz.
11- 20:
Poseur. What’s up, poser? Put down that copy of Audrey and read Asian Americans: The Movement and the Moment already. Practice raising your fist and looking hard in the mirror when no one's looking.
Reading it already for the thesis yay books! books should be free! (that's a whole other topic)
0 – 10:
You’re a tool of THE MAN. Proceed immediately to San Francisco and get a picket sign already. | 
