On tonight’s show, we travel to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea — better known here in the U.S. as North Korea. Ellen Choy, Caitlin Kee, and Steph Lee visited the DPRK last summer as part of the Korea Exposure and Education Program (KEEP), an annual delegation of Korean American activists to both sides of Korea, one year to the north and the other to the south, to build person-to-person understanding.
We’ll feature an interview with Ellen, Caitlin, and Steph — as well as clips from a short documentary that was produced by JT Takagi, Hye-Jung Park and Chris Kang and Third World Newsreel.
A photo of the community s/heroes featured in last season's lookbook. You can view more on Retrofitrepublic.com. (Photo by Shaun Tiangsing)
This week on APEX Express, we talk about our body, our health, our beauty:
APEX Contributors Ellen Choy and Marie Choi interview Jenny Ton and Julia Rhee, co-founders of Retrofit Republic, a sustainable, vintage retailer with the intent to challenge and expand concepts in the fashion industry and style culture.
APEX Contributor R.J. Lozada interviews personal trainer, Long Vo, and poet, Lorenz Mazon Damuk to address the often overlooked struggles men experience when they look in the mirror.
Founders Lisa Lee and Lynn Chen (Photo from Chen's site, theactorsdiet.wordpress.com)
In-studio will be Thick Dumpling Skin founders, Lisa Lee and Lynn Chen. They’re celebrating their one year anniversary of the launching of Thick Dumpling Skin as a growing community of support for those battling eating disorders.
You know the drill!
KPFA is in the second week of fund drive, so don’t forget to support! We’ll have tickets to offer, and other goodies, as gifts for your support for the show and the station, or call in during our show: 1-800-439-5732 or 510-848-5732, or securely online at KPFA.org.
Ellen Choy brings us her exclusive interview with Elmer Labog, prominent labor leader from the Philippines. Then, we have highlights from the discussion about a proposal to change the name of Occupy Oakland to Decolonize Oakland produced by Karl Jagbandhansingh. And finally, we are joined live in the studio by Nomi, who is part of the hip hop group Power Struggle and an organizer with the Filipino Community Center. He’ll be talking with Marie Choi about his music and his organizing, and the upcoming Beatrock Anniversary Party.
Songs and video featured in tonight’s show include:
Highlights from the Decolonize Oakland discussion at the General Assembly
We also have some concert tickets which we’ll be giving away later in tonight’s show, thanks to the San Francisco Arts Commission. We’ll be giving away two pairs of tickets to next week’s Colors of Christmas Concert featuring Filipina Broadway musical legend Lea Salonga.
Tonight on Apex Express, we bring you the sweet sounds of Annie Brazil, Lena Sunday, Ann Marie Santos, and the S.F. Pinoy Jazz Quartet. They are performing at the Fourth Annual San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival this Sunday at Yoshi’s. We also have four pairs of tickets to see these amazing performers, so tune in!
Apex contributor Marie Choi interviews Oscar Peñaranda, Associate Director of the San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival on the rich history of jazz in Filipino communities, hidden histories, and the connections between jazz and politics.
Also, Apex contributor DJ Bruddah K brings us a preview of API films screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
And finally, as the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement heads to congress this week, we bring you an encore of Preeti Mangala Shekar’s interview with Christine Ahn, executive director with the Korea Policy Institute.
This week we bring you another packed show featuring powerful community voices: Police Brutality in Oakland: While we continue to heal from the murder of Oscar Grant, Oakland youth of color continue to be targeted by racial profiling and police brutality. This week we bring you a dynamic interview with Sarn Saechao, a Mien youth and high school student and member of AYPAL, to speak on his experience with racial profiling, his thoughts on the Oakland gang injunctions and what him and other Oakland API youth are doing to combat injustices in their hood. Also, we bring you sounds from February’s “People’s Hearing on Racism and Police Violence,” featuring community leaders Eddy Zheng and Rachel Jackson.
Hopie Spitshard: We sat down for a special interview with Hopie Spitshard, a young hip hop artist originally from the Philippines and San Francisco-raised. As the inaugural segment of a series we’ll be collecting of interviews with API womyn in hip hop, this week we bring you an intimate look at who Hopie Spitshard is, and what has inspired her to blaze through hip hop’s boundaries and stay grounded by family, culture and what’s real.
Community Calendar:
From Thursday, April 7 to Saturday, April 9, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presents Samoan choreographer Lemi Ponfasio’s Tempest Without a Body. www.ybca.org
On Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, Karl Evangelista and the Grex Quintet perform their special blend of jazz at the Bayanihan Community Center in San Francisco. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=172259806154392
On Saturday, April 9, author Cecilia Gaerlan reads from her debut novel, In Her Mother’s Image. Her book chronicles the story of a family’s ordeal during World War II in the Philippines and the fall of Bataan. www.asiabookcenter.com
Sunday, April 10, join the Bay Area Committee to Stop FBI Repression’s contingent at the anti-war rally in Dolores Park, and call-in on April 12 to support activists like Anh Pham in resisting the FBI’s harassment of activists. www.stopfbi.net
Next Thursday, April 14, four Asian American rock bands perform at the Submission Gallery in San Francisco for Ring the Alarm, a benefit for communities in the Philippines. Entry is $5-8. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137342599672988
On Saturday, April 16, API musicians, dancers, and performers come together for Japan Restart, a benefit concert for the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. japanrestart.eventbrite.com
APEX Express is a proud member of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality, or AACRE. AACRE is a network of Asian American social justice groups with shared values that are working to create positive change.
Tonight on Apex Express, we bring you the sweet sounds of Annie Brazil, Lena Sunday, Ann Marie Santos, and the S.F. Pinoy Jazz Quartet. They are performing at the 
APEX Express is a proud member of 
Apex Express 