California awards Asian American Media Inc $160,000

Asian American Media Inc, the non-profit that publishes AsAmNews 365 days a year, has been awarded two grants totaling $162,500.

The latest grant of $62,500 will fund our Los Kinjos or Lost Neighborhoods project. AsAmNews will examine the loss of 44 Japanese American communities after WWII. We will look at where members of those communities dispersed, why they left and the impact the disappearance of these neighborhoods had on their culture and livelihoods.

We will also compare what happened after World War II to communities in danger of being lost today from the Asian American, African American, Latino and Native American communities.

We are looking for freelance reporters from the following regions in California to work on this project. They are:

• Sacramento
• San Francisco North to Sebastopol
• San Francisco South to Monterey
• Central Coast
• LA Area Coast
• LA Area Inland
• San Diego

If you are interested in reporting for this project, please send your resume, work samples and letter of interest to info at asamnews dot com. You must live in one of the seven regions listed.

The other grant of $100,000 will fund year two of our involvement in California’s Stop the Hate Project.

The grant will allow us to continue our mission of uplifting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as Americans while highlighting all that AAPIs have done and continue to do for the United States.

Both grants originate from the California State Library in the Department of Social Services. They are both the results of efforts by members of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.

“We are both appreciative and honored by the faith shown to us by both the State Library and the API Legislative Caucus and Commission in honoring us with these grants,” said Randall Yip, founder and editor of AsAmNews and President and chairperson of Asian American Media Inc. “We take our responsibility to our readers seriously and pledge to always put the needs of the community first.”

In April, Yip left his job of 21 years in mainstream media to work with Asian American Media Inc and AsAmnews full-time.

He thanked members of the Asian American Media Board of Directors- Non-profit leader Annie Lam, news consultant and journalism lecturer Dickson Louie and venture capitalist Dave Liu for their ongoing advice and guidance.

He also expressed his gratitude to associate editor Akemi Tamanaha and historian Raymond Chong who helped him write the grant proposal for the Civil Liberties Project.

In addition, he recognized the work of AsAmNews freelancers, many who volunteer much of their time so that AsAmNews can publish fresh material 365 days a year.

Anyone wishing to support Asian American Media Inc can make a donation at the QR code below or this link.

In all, the California State Library awarded $8.1 million in grants to ethnic media outlets and another $1.5 million for 22 projects in the California Civil Liberties program.

“Fear and bigotry were the root cause of internment in World War II. Both are still around,” said Greg Lucas, California’s state librarian. “Better understanding of past mistakes and connecting them with current events helps make sure we remember we’re always stronger together.”

Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) commented on the second year of the ethnic media grants.

“It’s important that multilingual communities know we, as a state, are taking steps to address hate. Our investments in victim services and violence prevention programs say we see them and are prioritizing their needs. Partnerships with trusted ethnic media outlets help us get the word out about the new or expanded resources available,” said Assembly Budget Chair Ting.

AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.

We are supported through donations and such charitable organizations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. December 3 is Giving Tuesday. Will you consider a tax-deductible donation to Asian American Media Inc and AsAmNews?

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