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In the News

“Independence Day: From What & From Whom?” – Shakeel Syed

July 1, 2022 by Cynthia Chockalingam

Shakeel Syed wrote this Op-Ed about Independence Day, the path this nation has been down since our independence, and how independence from the British centuries ago has not meant independence for all.

______________________________________________________________________________

We know that the lonely Native American female warrior as the statue of freedom atop the Capitol Dome was cast in bronze by a foundry that used enslaved labor. No different is lady “liberty” (in New York), which was also erected by the enslaved.

And, the White House could not be standing shining all these years if not for the sweat of the enslaved blacks.

Without forgetting this sordid past, let’s fast forward.

The claims of the more recent Presidents occupying the White House ranged from: “Government is not the solution to our problem, Government is the problem,” (Ronald Reagan) to “Money is not the only answer, but it makes a difference,” (Barrack Hussein Obama) to the most recent one by the orange hair monster “Make America Great Again.” In these words, there’s very little of greatness and a whole lot of pettiness. Here is why.

Our petty Presidents and politicians of all persuasions continue tounashamedly plot policies that set back the lives of 99% Americans and advance the lives of the 1%.

Our petty Presidents and the Congress always find ways to give more to thewrongly named “Defense Department’s” budget of $800+ billion, while neither are ashamed to trim down the resources to education, healthcareand other social services.

Today’s Supreme Court is like the Torquemada of American law. Tomas de Torquemada, the 15thcentury Dominican friar who became the grand inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition, who was largely responsible for torturing and the burning of heretics. The modern Tomas de Torquemadais yet to be found with bloody instruments in their hands, but they are the owners of their blood stained pens banishing women of their rights to their bodies.

While the “free” America continues to insist for a safer world for herself, at any cost, it fails to protect her very own.  Every day, armed men and women wearing blue uniforms kill unarmed black and brown men and women.

The most dramatic wealth gap is between middling millionaires, who have seen only “modest” gains, and the booming billionaires, who now seem to defy economic gravity.

We claim our nation to be the richest, but it is more debt-ridden and even more debt-dependent than ever before. This indebtedness is what Thomas Jefferson feared the most when he said, “I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared.”

While celebrating this Independence Day let us not forget the immeasurable human pain and poverty that continues to exist amidst us, and let us continue to fight for the oppressed and against the oppressors, in it we shall find our true collective independence and not by waving the cheap Chinese made American flags!

——–
Shakeel Syed is the Executive Director of South Asian Network.

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“Rise my people. If now now, then when and if not us then who!” – Hina Ahmad in India West

June 29, 2022 by Cynthia Chockalingam

Hina Ahmed, the Deputy Director here at SAN, recently had an Op-Ed published in India West regarding the recent Roe v Wade ruling. Keep scrolling to read!


Anti-abortion ruling is not taking our country backward. It is moving our nation forward, but to a future that is going to be far more sinister than the pre-abortion era. Here are a few reasons for my concern.

  • As a woman of South Asian descent and co-leading a three-decade old organization serving South Asian community, I know the anti-abortion ruling will not affect all women equally. It will disproportionately harm and hurt women of color.
  • I will be fearful to search online for an abortion pill or a clinic for the women who come to my organization for help. It is very likely that my online search history can be used against me in myriad ways in this post- Roe, surveillance era.
  • Women coming into my organization for help from another state will be leaving a trail of their location data that then can be used against them.
  • I have every reason to believe that the tyranny of mostly male-led supreme court will not stop at abortions but will move forward to reverse contraception, same sex marriage and racial segregation, yes even racial segregation.

And I can list a few more reasons, but you get my point.
So, what do we do and where do we go…? I suggest we make a few concrete demands from those whom we elected.

  1. The Biden Administration must immediately open abortion clinics on federal lands in States that have banned abortion. This will help women avoid travel and a myriad of other expenses that they cannot afford to seek abortion in States like mine.
  2. The tyranny of supreme court can and must be ended by “codifying” the right to abort. We elected our representatives to represent us, and if they do not, we must throw them out this November.
  3. Now that we know beyond a reasonable doubt that the supreme court has become a dangerous political institution and has abdicated its duty to render justice and instead meting out unjust laws, we must limit their service term to no more than ten years.

In the interim, we must remain agitated and re-commit ourselves to help women access abortions and other reproductive health care and to protect them from the harsh burdens we all will inevitably face.
We can neither afford our nation to go backwards nor can we allow our country to go forward with laws that sets us on a path of self-destruction and for future generations to come.
Rise my people. If not now, then when and if not us then who!


Hina Ahmad serves as the Deputy Director of South Asian Network.

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“Making Sense of ‘Senseless’ Violence” – India West

June 25, 2022 by Cynthia Chockalingam

Shakeel Syed, our Executive Director at SAN, recently had an article published in India West—an Indian/Indian-American online publication. Access this link to read the article!

Here are a few short excerpts from the article:

“The recent murder of the innocent people on both coasts reminds us of the mordant wit of the Sufi mystic who said ‘I love the moon because it brightens the sky and helps us navigate the dark night. And I hate the sun because it only comes out during the day when it is bright anyway.’ 
Most of us are capable of missing what is perfectly obvious, especially when we allow our thinking to become fogged with strong emotion.
Yes, we should condemn the murder and mourn the loss of lives from Laguna Woods to Buffalo but we should also struggle to open our eyes and discern the perfectly obvious patterned behavior here.”

“In an age of connecting the cosmos, America must learn to make connections here on earth between corrosive psychological violence and lethal gun violence, between our tribalism and ‘their’ isolation and alienation, and most obviously between all those bullet-riddled corpses and the smoking guns that any lost soul can so easily buy or steal. Otherwise, we may continue to believe that sunlight is a waste because the days are always bright anyway.”

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California Today: And before you go, some good news!

March 23, 2022 by South Asian Network

NY Times

The South Asian Network, an advocacy group based in Southern California’s Little India in Artesia, will soon receive $200,000 to expand its programs around mental health, citizenship assistance and small business support.

Manjusha Kulkarni speaking last year against the hate and recent violence against Asian Americans at a rally in Los Angeles. Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Bank of America today announced the five winners of its Racial Equity Award, part of its philanthropic efforts. One of the honorees is Manjusha P. Kulkarni, who in 2020 co-founded Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that tracks anti-Asian harassment nationwide.

The award allows Kulkarni, who lives in Los Angeles, to direct $200,000 to a nonprofit of her choice — and she decided on the South Asian Network.

Part of the funds will go toward creating a small business mentorship program to help combat negative effects on local South Asian small businesses from the pandemic and anti-Asian hate. The program will get started in a few months with at least 50 mentors.

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Community Organization Spotlight: South Asian Network (SAN)

February 24, 2022 by South Asian Network

APASA Spotlight

PART III OF APASA’S COMMUNITY ROAD MAP, HEADED BY OUR EXTERNAL COMMUNITY CHAIR, MINAH YANG

Hello! Welcome back to APASA’s Community Roadmap, an initiative where we spotlight an organization that serves the APIDA community and hear more about their mission and how we can get involved. This month, we are taking a stop at the South Asian Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing culturally and linguistically specific services and advocating for the South Asian community in Southern California. 

Thank you so much to Hina Ahmad, the Program Manager at SAN for taking the time to speak with me about SAN’s history and the amazing services they provide for their community. 

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign_id=49&emc=edit_ca_20220323&instance_id=56468&nl=california-today&productCode=CA&regi_id=60803198&segment_id=86286&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2Fa57833f2-24d2-5c44-a297-9b0d0925c65a&user_id=60d24373a86991a50f4c0ec8cea0910b

You can watch the interview above or read the transcript below:

How and why was the South Asian Network first founded? 

We were founded in 1990, and we really came about because there was a need for advocacy and orientation for the South Asian community. We saw that there was no organization serving the South Asian community that could speak South Asian languages: Hindi, or Urdu, Punjabi. And there was a need, there were domestic violence cases, but no one was there to address it. And 1990 is when there was a huge migration of South Asians to the nation to California specifically. And so we wanted to create some routes for South Asians to go to, to connect with other community members and to get the services that they need.

What have been the main challenges the South Asian Network has faced while trying to meet the needs of the South Asian community here in Southern California? 

That’s a difficult question. Because we do so much, we do domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, case management. Since the pandemic started, we’ve definitely seen an increase in those cases, folks are stuck in their homes, they no longer have school or work to kind of go to as a place of refuge. We realized that we don’t have enough case managers that were trusted, and community members want to come to us and we want to be able to serve them in more South Asian languages than our staff has. We also do a lot of COVID education and outreach. So we’ve been doing clinics in gurdwaras, masjids, places like that. But just like every other community, in the beginning, there was a lot of misinformation about the vaccine and the side effects. So we were really pushing that work, letting folks know that it’s safe, it’s a lot better to get it than to not get COVID and dealing with that and being hospitalized. We were doing a lot of that footwork, doing cold outreach on the streets, going to businesses, and letting folks know that it’s important to get vaccinated and to stay safe and vigilant. And then I’d say one of the difficult things in the beginning of the pandemic as well was technology. A lot of our clients are older adults not used to what we’re doing now on Zoom, so providing them assistance through Zoom and over the phone is just not what what they were used to, because before they’d be able to come in and we’d be able to read mail for them, assess them face to face in their language, maybe give them some chai and some tea, just make them feel comfortable. Whereas now I kind of feel like it’s a colder conversation. But we opened the office pretty early, so community members are now able to come in and we can assist them in person.

South Asian Network’s vaccination & legal clinic at Buena Park’s Gurdwara Singh Sabha.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected SAN’s programming?

It’s been difficult. We went through a transition in the pandemic and the Executive Director left, we got a new one, you know, a lot of staff left due to their home situations and needing to take care of their children. So this was really a rebirth for us at SAN, we’ve grown our team from four to twelve. We were doing everything. We had a server in the office that we could only utilize in the office, so when the pandemic started, we switched to Google Drive. Now we’re back in the office and just updating our phone systems or computers, everything like that. Like I mentioned before, folks want to do things in person, or in their language, and we just didn’t have that at the start of the pandemic. But luckily, we’re open now in a safe way.

You mentioned that your team grew from four to 12. Do you think more people were trying to find ways to get involved during the pandemic and so they gravitated towards this organization? Or was it more just like you were actively looking for people to recruit? 

Yeah, I think a little bit of both, right. I mean, just from the news, we hear folks are getting out of certain industries or thinking more about what they really want to do. The new Executive Director and I both came in during the pandemic as well. We wanted to rethink what the South Asian Network was, and how we really want to work for the community. We wrote job descriptions to fit current events, and what we really need and what the community really needs. Right when we put out those applications, they just came pouring in, so I think folks just were interested in helping their community and just wanting a job with a cause and passion. 

What is one program the South Asian Network offers that you wish more people knew about?

Oh, that’s a good one. Obviously, all of our services are free, but I think we could always do more outreach about the public benefits work that we do. We provide assistance with filling out the CalFresh application, which is food assistance, CalWorks, which helps you get a job, general relief, or if you don’t have a specific immigration status, you can still apply for public benefits, especially if you’re in LA County. I think folks may not know or be scared to apply to certain government relief programs, but they’re available to us. In 2016 in that administration public charge was in effect, so folks who had green cards were hesitant to get public benefits. In 2020, that rule was reversed so folks can now get public benefits and it won’t affect their citizenship at all. But still, we have some community members who are reluctant but still need that assistance,so I think letting folks know that we provide assistance with filling out public benefits applications MediCal, CalFresh, CalWORKs. 

How is the South Asian Network looking to grow or expand in the future? 

I think there’s a lot of different routes we should be taking. I think one is just on the communications front. Like I mentioned, we’ve been here since 1990, so that’s 30 years of experience, trust, knowledge. But I think our digital footprint isn’t where it should be. I feel that we should be really utilizing social media more than we are. We hired some comms staff, so I’m very excited to get that work going. Also our civil rights work, what we were founded on is the civil rights work and workers’ rights and things like that. I think over the years, we’ve kind of been focusing on domestic violence work, which is great, but I think now that our staff number is getting bigger, we can start doing that civil rights work again. 2022 is a really important year, because it’s an election year, so we really want to start doing our GOTV work and getting folks registered to vote, but also at this time, we want to start doing some anti-Asian hate work. Election season is when people get nasty and we want to make sure that folks are equipped, that they have bystander intervention training, self defense, and things like that, we want to bring that into the community. So I think we’re going to be focusing a lot more on building up our Civil Rights unit.

What are some ways that people interested in the South Asian Network’s mission can get involved? 

I think we still have a couple of job openings on our website, but we’re always looking for interns or volunteers to help us out in the office. We’re always looking for volunteers and interns for every unit: the Civil Rights unit, the mental health unit, our domestic violence unit, citizenship, etc. What we do is we have an intro meeting where we talk about what your interests are, and then we place you with the specific staff member who does that work. We want it to be a mutually beneficial relationship. So folks who are more interested in immigration, for example, they could volunteer and do citizenship applications. We would base it off your interest. You could go on our website, sign up to be a volunteer, and then we’ll reach out to you from there

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South Asian Network Hosts Covid Vaccination & Legal Clinic at Buena Park Gurdwara

January 30, 2022 by South Asian Network

South Asian Network

After successfully assisting almost 400 people with getting vaccinated a fortnight ago, SAN returned to Buena Park’s Gurdwara Singh Sabha on Sunday, January 30th, in its continued effort to help people get immunized against COVID-19. 

The event was a symbiotic effort between the Buena Park Gurdwara, South Asian Network and Orange County Health Care Agency and welcomed walk-in attendees along with those that had pre-registered appointments. Three booths set up with pharmacists administrating doses for adults and children ensured a minimal wait time and all of the shots (1st/2nd/booster) were made accessible.

Surjeet Singh’s family of three all received their 1st COVID-19 shot and were very happy with their experience. “Everything has been so smooth, and very nicely arranged. The staff has been very co-operative and helped us to feel at ease.

SAN’s Executive Director Shakeel Syed was overjoyed to witness that the event not only attracted Sikhs & members of the South Asian community, but even the residents of the Buena Park neighborhood. “You notice around here a sense of serving the community irrespective of one’s faith, ethnicity,

language and age. That spirit is what South Asian Network tries to foster – that we need to transcend our own traditions for the common and greater good of the society”, he said.

Programs Manager Hina Ahmad expressed that education and outreach within the community on COVID-19 has been a rocky road but the event was “very much like them welcoming us and saying yes, we believe in the science, we believe that we need to get vaccinated.”

The event also welcomed members of the community with green cards interested in applying for American citizenship. Programs Assistant Shakuntala Chugani eagerly helped those interested to make an appointment for further case-specific assistance. For the benefit of citizenship applicants with limited proficiency of English language, Community Outreach Coordinator Balvinder Kaur translated the citizenship application and interview flashcards in Punjabi. 

“It takes a village to serve the community”, Shakeel said, and the success of the event was a true reflection of that.

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Medi-Cal update! We can help you begin your applic Medi-Cal update! We can help you begin your application today, reach out to us!

#medical #socal #healthcare #healthcareforallnow #california #southasian #nonprofit #socalnonprofit #applicationassistence
Some food for thought this Independence Day. 🇺🇸 #independenceday #july4th #happyindependenceday
Pictures from SAN's Pride Rally 2022! 🏳️‍🌈Pioneer Blvd was louder, brighter and definitely prouder as we were joined by @saharacares , @satrangsocal & @cpaforg along with other members of our community in promoting the visibility of the South Asian queer community. A big thank you to everyone who came out to make this possible. #punintended #queerrightsarehumanrights #southasiannetwork #nonprofit #southerncalifornia #pride #pridemonth
Final Pride Spotlight for this year! We hope you w Final Pride Spotlight for this year! We hope you were able to find comfort in representation and learn something new about our spotlighted LGBTQ members.

#representationmatters #bisexualrepresentaion #Pride #pride2022 #nonprofit #southasian #southasianrepresentaion
06.24.2022 #roevwade #abortionrights #humanrights 06.24.2022 #roevwade #abortionrights #humanrights #advocacy #nonprofitorganization #southerncalifornia #southasiannetwork
The weekend was colorful & vibrant for SAN as we s The weekend was colorful & vibrant for SAN as we spent great quality time with our community! 

We spent Friday prayers at The Islamic Center of Santa Ana @icsa.youth & on Saturday, we tabled at Hot Person Summer Event, a fashion-forward resource fair and gender-affirming clothing swap centered on addressing the needs of LGBTQ+ BIPOC community members in Orange County, held by @vietrainbowoc 

On the same day, SAN’s EMH Unit conducted a workshop on Intergenerational Trauma & Self Defense at the Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley, hosted by @cpaforg. Swipe to see us do what we do best: Spread awareness and reaffirm our presence and support for our community. 🤝 #communityservice #socialservice #nonprofitorganization #southerncalifornia #southasiannetwork #socal
Our team is growing! Visit the link in our bio to Our team is growing! Visit the link in our bio to find the full JD or contact us to learn more. 

#southasian #jobopening #nonprofitcareer #socal #nonprofit #domesticviolencesupport #sexualassaultsupport #newjob #hiring
Today we commemorate the emancipation of African A Today we commemorate the emancipation of African American slaves across the United States. The celebration began in 1865 in Texas and is now recognized as a federal holiday. We must take this opportunity to recognize the Black activists that paved the way for other communities of color in this country. SAN stands strong in solidarity during this continuous fight against inequality and the racism that still pollutes our society today.

#juneteenth #juneteenth2022 #blm #southasian #solidarity #activism #nonprofit #socal #california
Join us for our 2022 Pride Celebration! March star Join us for our 2022 Pride Celebration! March starts at 130, Speakers at 230 & lunch at 3! If you have any questions please contact Tanya at (562) 403-0488 ext. 217

#pride #lgbtqpride #pride2022 #southasianpride #representation #nonprofit #southerncalifornia #california #artesia #cerritos #SouthAsianLGBTQ
Looking into the roots of these problems. It's tim Looking into the roots of these problems. It's time to start having these important conversations.

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#pridemonth #pride2022 #southasian #lgbtq #immigrants #southasiannonprofit #socal #california
Pride Spotlight continues! This weeks spotlight is Pride Spotlight continues! This weeks spotlight is on Urvashi Vaid who recently passed this year, leaving behind a great legacy of activism and pride. 

#pride🌈  #southasian #pride2022 #gayrepresentation #nonprofit
Let's talk about representation in the LGBTQ+ comm Let's talk about representation in the LGBTQ+ community.

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#southasian #lgbtq #pridemonth #pride2022 #southasianrepresentation #representaionmatters #southasiannonprofit #southerncalifornia
Our Civil Rights Unit (CRU) Program Assistant Shak Our Civil Rights Unit (CRU) Program Assistant Shakuntala Chugani conducting Round 2 of ESL Classes to help our community prepare for their naturalization interviews! 🇺🇸 If you or anyone you know, needs assistance with regards to citizenship applications or prepping for your interview, reach out to SAN for help at every step on the way! #communityfirst #esl #uscitizenship #southasiannetwork #southerncalifornia #nonprofit
Week 2 of Pride Spotlight! Who's seen @nbcthegoodp Week 2 of Pride Spotlight! Who's seen @nbcthegoodplace :)?

#pride🌈 #pride2022 #bisexualpride #southasian #southasianrepresentation #representationmatters
This past weekend, SAN staff visited three Gurdwar This past weekend, SAN staff visited three Gurdwaras in LA Count including @khalsacarefoundation and @nanak_sadan_sikh_temple to help our community members with Covered California & Citizenship queries, along with talking to them about all of SAN’s services. We hope to reach as many South Asians as we can! #nonprofitorganization #southerncalifornia #southasiannetwork #socal #communityservice

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