Crimes during this time of coronavirus is a subject that i have covered extensively over the past two months. You are seeing some examples of some of the news stories that ive covered, and these are such unacceptable incidents that are happening more and more, especially when people happen to be recording. We are in the age of the iphone and social media. Now, crimes like this have been documented in more than incidents nationwide. This is just scratching the surface. So without further ado, we have two young men with us today that are working with the bay area nonprofit beyond differences. What they do is they in partnership with the community center, they started a campaign called stand up for asianamerican Pacific Islander youth because acceptance and understanding at an early age is one of the best ways to stop racism and hate later on. Taking a look at the other side of my screen right now, a guest that many of you will recognize hudson yang. Hes been a star in the hit abc show appreciate off the boat since he was, gosh, 9. He is 16 years old now. Hudson, thank you so much for joining us. We are such big fans of the show here at abc7. Thanks for having me. As a side note, you had your dad buzzing around in the background because youre also doing school. What else is going on behind you . Well, ive got a lot of construction going on too. Its kind of weird during corona because theres a bunch of people inside the house. Its super loud too, so im glad i got at least a moment of silence right now. Its a good disclaimer to know in case theres a saw going off in the background. Getting right to it, i remember when fresh off the boat debuted, and i had this huge sense of pride because it was like finally theres this mainstream representation of asianamericans on a sitcom. And i know in the past, you have talked about the importance of representation. What does that mean . And also talk about how that meaning of representation has changed because youre older now. We are in these unprecedented times of racism toward asianamericans. What has changed, and what has been your mission . I think what has changed about the importance of representation is like why its important. For the first part, its getting our face out so we can have more opportunity. But its getting our face out so we can educate the masses that were not that different. What i think is important that we can get these stories to show the world that we we are interesting. We are the same. We are unique. Were not people who can be pushed around because we have such intricate and interesting histories like everyone else. So i think thats one thing. I think also as i grew up, i also realized how important it is to have representation because it gives someone, like, a role model. I never had that. My role model was spongebob and cartoons. Ive seen kids come up to me and say, hey, hudson. I love you on the show. I look up to you. It makes me honored. It make me a little bit teary because i just remember me as a kid not having anyone to look up to, thinking that only my dad was a superhero because he was the only asianamerican i knew who had been on tv and had been on interviews. I think thats another reason why, because now that i understand how important it is for Young Children to see like their own faces on tv. Yeah. It just makes it even more powerful. Oh, my gosh. I almost have goose bumps, hudson, because ive always spoken out about how growing up there were no asianamerican women on tv except for connie chung, who is probably older than you even know who she is. Its true. Its not only just recipienting representing by being there but also by speaking out and doing it the right way, and taking that platform and doing something about it. I mean why did you want to speak tout personally . Did you have some experiences in real life . You know, maybe some of the role that you play as eddie, did that encourage you or influence you in any way given those stories that you experienced . I mean theres a lot of reasons why i spoke out. I mean the first part is i was inspired by a lot of people. I saw my dad use his platform really well. I saw constance using her platform to really push her voice out there. I just saw everyone around me was doing so much, and i felt like i wasnt doing enough. Also i kind of you know, i felt like i needed to. It was like my job to kind of protect other people, especially because like my family, my grandmother, who was always the closest to me. I grew up with her. I loved her more than the world. I was thinking about how right now especially, how people dont discriminate based on age anymoany. They discriminate on race. I was looking online and seeing how these old asian women in new york were getting beat up. Its horrible. I mean its horrible the fact that anyone beat anybody up. But if you beat an elderly person who cant defend themselves up, its 1 h00 times worse. Seeing that, i understood how bad a situation it was and it made me want to speak out even more. Because if my grandmother was here today and she was at risk of that, i would stop at nothing to try to protect her and make this world safer. I feel for people who dont have that voice and platform. Yeah. And then finally, also, i mean as a kid, when i was a kid, i was bullied. I had situations where because of who i was and what i looked like and because i was different, i was pushed around. I mean at one point i think in like early middle school, i was thrown off of the playground set and i was held by my collar on the ground because i wanted to slide down the slide and they didnt want me to because it was just the cool kids. So i was asian. I wasnt cool enough. They held me on the ground. I dont want that to happen again. I know how much that hurt me as a kid. I know how much that scarred me mentally. So now that i have the chance to speak out for kids like that, people who have situations like my grandmother and, you know, just i have that opportunity. I want to use it as much as i can. Yeah. Hudson, those words resonate so much here in the bay area, in san francisco, about a year ago we had a story on 89yearold grandma who had gotten beat up on a playground and left for dead. And i remember thinking to myself, oh, my gosh. She could be my grandma. She could be anyones grandma, and its those pivotal moments that really, i think, shape your desire to want to help and to get involved. I think its really hard sometimes to speak out because, you know, through my reporting, ive always said there is this importance of speaking out and fighting those stereotypes. But for asianamericans, maybe you can speak up a little bit about this because growing up, sometimes were told to keep your head down, keep your nose clean. Dont be in the face of adversity. Have you ever been hesitant to take a stand, and what would you tell other young people who see and witness things like this happening . Maybe not on such a violent level, but everyday bullying, and they feel helpless. How would you encourage them . One thing i would say is i was raised, you know, not to be shy for things. My mom was like, if someone is bullying you, hudson, you strike back. Thats not necessarily the best course of action, but thats how i was raised. I was never shy to speak up if someone was putting me down. I was never shy to push back in someone pushed me first. Again, personally, as ive aged and kind of learned, i think thats not the best course of action. You cant sit and do nothing, but at the same time you cant push back because that makes you equally as bad, right . I think the best thing you can do is dont empower them. If you freak out and go crazy, thats what they want. They want to show everyone around you that youre a barbarian, that you freak out. It will just enforce the stereotypes and enforce negative images people have. The best thing you can do is take a step back, be reasonable, be calm, and at the same time, while youre being calm, you being calm also makes them less calm. So then you show everyone how ridiculous and how, like, uncultured that person is. And then after that, the dangerous situation is over, or after the person stops bullying you, you can go and find help. Or even in the same situation you can go and find help during that. The one issue also, its really hard to judge when its the right time just to stay calm and not run away or push back because depending on the person youre dealing with, they might take you staying calm as an insult to them. Its hard to educate people on how to deal with bullying because depending on where you are, who youre dealing with, how big or small you are, the reaction from the other person on the other side of the fight may be more extreme or less extreme. I think the way you respond is so vital because others will see how you respond, and that plays a big role in the outcome. That question, by the way, about how to deal with that racism on a microagression level coming from Deputy District Attorney nancy tong. Im going over questions that are coming in from viewers. We are streaming this show live on facebook. Com abc 7 news. I think some of the questions in youll be able to resonate with. Maria says, ive been teased about my small eyes. If we are going to get better, you know, we cannot be negative. We will never be happy in this world. You know, describe your work specifically with the beyond differences team and the Community Youth center because you guys have already teamed up with a lot of big names out there. But its also important for people famous to get involved. My main role in the beyond differences is kind of to show everyone that were cool. To educate that bullying is happening. Its a big deal. Its a big issue. To use my platform to spread the word, right . Then also just to i mean i do resonate with the things theyre saying, how theyre bullied for their small eyes. At the same time, embrace whatever theyre bullying you about is how you get stronger. My job at beyond differences, whoever said that had a great message. My job is to take that message and say it again or say it louder. Its kind of hard to explain but yeah. No, you done a really great job because its all about amplification, and just your role alone i think inspires other people to then speak out. Especially a young person too, before we get to the break and getting to more of these questions from the audience, do you have anything else that you want to convey to everyone about this program and the importance of spreading it across the country because this is a nationwide campaign. I mean i think everyone should just know that this is not the only program, and its a great one too, though. I think everyone should look out, see what this program does and follow the program, support the program. I mean also support other communities that are doing the same thing, other groups that are doing the same kind of work because i want this problem to be solved as fast as possible. It probably wont be. Its a tough thing to fix but absolutely. Im in that same boat with you. No pun intended about fresh off the boat, but wanting to solve this sooner than later. I think were in this special time where were all starting to use our voices more to take action. So hudson yang, a huge thanks to you. We will be watching this last season of fresh off the boat. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Now, as we head to break, we have another awe inspiring teenager. His name is giovanni on how we need to be making schools a more inclusive place. Were going to take a quick break on air, but the conversation continues on fa once again welcome back, everybody. We continue now our conversation about getting young people to learn about cultural differences at an early age, also how it can stop racism and attacks on minority groups. So weve been speaking with hudson yang, star of fresh off the boat about his involvement in a program called beyond differences, a nonprofit based in san rafael. And the partnership between them and the Community Youth center. They have an initiative together called stand up for aapi youth. Aapi stands for asianamerican Pacific Islander. Now to other guest, another one of our countless young people who are making a really big difference in our community. Giovanni brisuela, who is joining us live. Thank you once again for being here. Yeah. Thank you for having me. Okay. Gio, youve been involved with beyond differences for a number of years now. Tell me about the curriculum specifically and what the campaign of stand up for aapi youth actually entails. Yeah. So the beyond differences, know your classmates, and aapi youth curriculum really inspires inclusivity. We think one of the most important things is being an ally to your peers, your friends, the people around you and just having that bond because when you have that bond, it really creates, you know, the community, and it really creates you coming together with other people. One of the questions i get oftentimes is how do you credit that sense of allyship because its a big, challenging quez because oftentimes we can be scared or we feel like its not our place to speak out. Ive always long believed and i talk about this in my own book make your moment that allyship can be something as small as offering help to someone or maybe when youre oneonone, if somebody is having a rough day, asking, hey, how are you . What do you consider allyship to be, and can you give me some examples of what youve been able to deploy at your school . Yeah. You know, what allyship really is, is listening to the other person, seeing through their perspective, and really being there to help them, you know . Some examples of that are just, you know, if someones having a bad day and you can listen to them, hear what they have to say, and, you know, just be there for them, be supportive, be a role model, and really just be their friend, thats the first step to being an ally. Something i need to address, of course were talking about asianamericans, and you, im told, are not asianamerican, but wanted to get involved. Do you have a personal reason why youve been part of beyond differences for so long and what it means to represent . Yeah. I think the main reason for me being in beyond differences is because, you know, im really passionate about helping others. You know, i think the main thing is to just, you know, be there for other people and be there for your community and other communities around you because you have to create that you know, you have to bridge those differences and bridge the community. You know, i know that for being i am an ally for aapi because, you know, i know that in the start of the pandemic, you know, everything got so much worse for the community. Even at school, you know, ive seen people make jokes and, you know, bully each other because, you know, they wore a mask to school, just because they were asianamerican. And its not right. You know, beyond differences curriculum with the know your classmates curriculum and aapi, you really learn about stereotypes. You learn about allyship, and you learn how to be a good person, and you learn what to do in those situations for yourself and your community and your friends. Its so well said. I think you bring up a great point in that it needs to be taught now because it also changes who you are and helps you be an ally growing up as an adult. Real quickly, we only have a few seconds left. I know this program is really taking off. About 400 schools across the country taking part. You guys want to get to 1,500 schools. How can people who are interested in this program bring it to where they are . Yes. So you can go to beyonddifferences. Org, and we have a link on the website where you can access all eight lessons for free. Okay. Very well. Thank you so much, gio. When we return, a fascinating conversation about whats happening inside the walls of san quentin prison. We are taking a break onair, but the conversation continues with gio o thank you so much for staying with us. Our next guest now is talking about something that i didnt even know about, a publication that was within the walls of san quentin prison. It has been publishing since the 1930s. Now, ever since the pandemic started, we have seen how the virus, also how its side effects have underscored and really amplified the social disparities in our country, from how the virus disproportionately targets minorities to a lack of care and resources for seniors, and also the ways are increasing homeless populations. They are just kicked to the curb. But another major one is the unsafe and unsanitary conditions in our prison. That is why we are so pleased to have with us ali tamboura, a former inmate at san quentin in marin county, that actually just saw a covid19 crisis within its walls just a couple of months ago, undoubtedly ongoing as well. Thank you so much for being here with us. Thank you for having me. Yeah. First, you know, take us within the walls of the prison and what its like on day to day life on the inside. How has that affected you personally into becoming who you are now . Yeah. I now work in criminal Justice Reform for the chanzuckerberg initiative. So prison has had a huge impact on my life. Its given me purpose to come out here and really try to transform our criminal Justice System into something that works, that is equitable. And for you, what have you seen and heard about the san quentin outbreak . You know, we of course have covered it extensively. It is heartbreaking to hear the numbers. Yeah. You know, last i heard, over 2,000 people had tested positive for the virus. That were incarcerated that were still there passed away. Its terrifying for the incarcerated population, and its also terrifying for staff. And i think sometimes for the people who are on the outside, those who do not know what goes on within those four walls, theyre concerned about the goings on inside, and sometimes theres a communication breakdown. You know, youre making some major strides to dissolve that block, also relaunching the san quentin news. Tell me a little bit about why it stopped publishing and also its goal to educate people on the outside as well as the inside. Sure. So the newspaper actually stopped publishing in the 90s, and me and three other incarcerated men reinvigorated it, and we got it up and running. Initially we just published for san quentin. And its kind of ironic because as print publications were going down because of digital publication, we were the only print publication probably in the nation that was going up. We now send out about 30,000 copies of the newspaper, and it goes to all 35 prisons in california. It also goes to district attorneys offices, college libraries, and its really important for people inside to have this newspaper. Some people dont have televisions. They dont have access to news, and i thought no better mission right now during covid than to get the newspaper back up and running and back into the hands of the people who subscribe to it. Yeah, thats a very impressive circulation number, 30,000. We have been looking at some pictures from people who are a part of the publishing process onair as you were talking. Can you tell me a little bit about the makeup of who your writers are and kind what fuels them and what its been like to have the paper back because i can imagine it being a very good activity to also keep your skills sharp and be part of something bigger than you. Yeah. Well, im not a im not a journalist anymore, per se, in my professional career. But one of the things this has really done is czi gave a grant to the san quentin news, and i reached out to formerly incarcerated men who were on the san quentin news staff. One of them right now is in transitional housing and looking for work. So i thought why not put them and myself back to work getting the paper done . And so all of the guys that have helped relaunch the paper along with weve got a really solid set of advisers who are retired journali journalists, you know, were sticking to the mission of the paper, and thats the mission that the men inside san quentin set up. And so were were writing about covid. Were writing about programs. Were writing about the same things that the men inside did, you know, legal issues. But its been exciting. Its really been one one of the projects im most proud of during covid. As you should be, and aly, we have so many more questions and questions from our facebook viewers. Well get to those in the commercial tonight, breaking news the war of words escalating at joe biden goes after President Trump and what he allegedly said about fallen u. S. Troops. The president denying the damaging report, claiming he made insulting comments about fallen american troops, calling them, quote, suckers and losers. His rival joe biden seizing on the report, citing his own sons service and saying, if true, trump is not fit to be commander in chief. Also developing tonight, the antifa activist takedown. Portland on edge after u. S. Mash shalls shot and killed an antifa member wanted for murder. Just an hour after saying in a
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