The Origins of This Initiative
The Asian American Connection initiative came from the realization that we need to be connected with other Asian-Americans professionally. We feel there is a need within our community for a program that can assuage the “culture shock” that many immigrants feel in their new environments. It is important to balance our “Americanness” with our Asian side without delving too deep into either. The need for professional and cultural connections was exacerbated further by the pandemic-induced isolation that many of us felt. All these factors combined gave birth to this initiative.We are not limiting this program (AACI) only to Chinese people. We want to include people of other Asian descents and Americans, Pan-Asian and all Americans, anyone who is interested in cultural exchange, professional development, and healthier lives! Please feel free to contact us if you want to share any of your ideas with us. We love to hear from you!
(We added the following on 8/25/22 as a result of hearing voices from many younger Asian Americans.) However, as we listened to young people’s views on their view of being Asian American, on why they push back on their perceived view of CSEBRI’s “assimilationist’ view”, we feel that we have to explain further our stance on this view. An abridged version of this view is that when the first generation Asian Americans arrived in the United States, they gave up a little bit of their culture in order to get along and fit in the at-large American culture. Over time, Asian American culture has enriched the at-large American culture. America called itself the “melting pot”. Asian Americans thrived and grew within this “melting pot” in spite of the discrimination against them. Anti-Asian discrimination has intensified in the last several years, from 2016 to 2020, especially with the pandemic along with many hostile rhetorics used by conservative politicians that have triggered violence against Asian Americans. Hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased to more than one hundredfold. Cultural Society stands with Asian Americans. But we do it with love and peace because we know peace begets peace and if we respond with hostility, more hostility will come out of it. Just because we appear to be taking an “assimilationist” view doesn’t mean we are letting the anti-Asian sentiment win. Rather, we expect America to be “assimilating” the culture we brought into this country. We believe that every culture has to give in a little in order to be the “United States” of America, emphasis is given to the “united” part of the name. We expect America to accept and welcome our culture brought into this country and think that his hostility will pass if we join hands to fight anti-Asian hate with love and peace. Please access the following link to understand the Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the United States.
The AAC initiative is not just for Chinese people. We welcome Asian descent of all kinds as well as white, Black, and Latinx Americans to join us if they are interested in what we do here. We like to build coalitions to fight racism, discrimination and prejudice in the sphere we have influence over. We will provide more resources for you to learn about Asian Americans on our website. Please come back to visit our site soon.
Mentorship Program
Our mentorship program connects Asian immigrants with suitable mentors based on their specific needs. Once we have made a match, mentors and mentees are given each other’s contact information so that they can meet via video call or in person. To sign up and learn more, click the links below.
Health and Wellness Program
Having good mental and physical health is essential to living a happy life. AAC taps into the Health & Wellness program in CS to provide services that target each of the five tiers of focus.