Category Archives: Uncategorized

02.13.24
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Happy Lunar New Year from your EWCA Executive Board!

Dear Alumni,

Welcome to 2024—a year poised to be full of adventure and challenges. Thank you to all who have worked to support the timeless mission of the East-West Center in 2023 and a hearty welcome to all new members who have recently joined the EWC Alumni ʻOhana. As our numbers increase, so will the impact of the East-West Center.

In 2024, the EWCA Executive Board is focusing its attention on strategies that strengthen the connection with and between our diverse alumni. Our priorities for the year are listed below. Please join us in making a difference in 2024. Have a question or a comment? We’d like to hear from you.

With fond aloha,

Karen Knudsen
EWCA President

“There is an exciting energy on the EWCA board this year with everyone pulling together to see how we can be of service to our alumni community and the current generation of EWC students.”

-Glenn van Zutphen, Vice President for Programs

“In an increasingly turbulent and ever more interconnected world, the mission and role of the East-West Center, and our commitment and engagement as alumni leaders, moves center stage.”

-Amanda Ellis, Immediate Past President

“We may be separated by oceans, but in the New Year I hope that our island of hope, belonging, and community at the EWC inspires us to lead in dialogue and partnership for transformative change.”

-Taine Duncan, Vice President for Participant Engagement

“Dear EWC Alumni, A Happy New Year to you all! 2023 was a year of wars, turmoil, and natural disasters, and the new year does not look any better. But despite all that, I hope it will be a good year for all our alumni and that the EWCA will be able to make it better for the world in a small way.”

-Shigeo Tonoike, Board Member

“We, the alumni of the East-West Center, have assimilated the spirit of the islands, where we all originally came together, and continue to hand-in-hand forge an indomitable spirit and legacy that is ours to share with the world for generations to come.”

-Carl Hefner, EWCA Hawaii Chapter Representative

What’s in store for 2024?

EWCA Strategic Plan Refresh

The Executive Board is currently working on a new EWCA Strategic Plan reflective of a dynamic and rapidly changing world while keeping our focus on the East-West Center mission. (Alumni input will be important) Interested in being a part of the process? Let us know by emailing alumni@eastwestcenter.org.

EWCA General Membership Meeting

The Second General Membership Meeting will be held in October or November. Last year we launched the first virtual EWCA General Membership Meeting allowing alumni from around the world to tune in from the comfort of their own homes— many staying up late to attend and others rising before the sun was up. Members virtually “met” the Executive Board and new EWC staff members. They received updates including an overview of EWCA’s refreshed Charter and By-laws. These will be brought to the membership for formal adoption at the next International Alumni Meeting. Deep appreciation to all who provided feedback.

Preparation for the 2025 International Alumni Conference

The venue and dates will soon be announced for the 2025 International Alumni Conference. Always popular with alumni, the conference provides opportunities to network with fellow alumni who share the same passion for cross-cultural understanding and meaningful dialogue. Previous conferences have been held in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bali, Tokyo, Hanoi, Okinawa, Seoul, Manila, Beijing, and Honolulu. We’ll keep you posted.

Warm wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2024!

04.15.21
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Burma: Should We Care?—

The following appeared in The Free Press on April 6, 2021

The above was the title of a piece that I wrote, published in The Free Press 14 years ago, in October 2007, following the massacre of monks in the streets of Rangoon by the military regime. Nothing has changed. Today, in early April, over 500 protestors have been killed by the new dictator, who took over February 1. It is heartbreaking to be retired in Maine and observing, yet again, decade after decade, the cruelty in that land.

I have had a special relationship with Burma for close to 60 years and it grieves me.

Continue reading →
04.15.21
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Legacy and Recommitment to Advocacy, Equality, Justice

I came to this land, the land of indigenous Native Hawaiians, from the Philippines. Today I want to speak to my fellow immigrants and fellow AAPIs: to the essential workers on the front line, to the service members who wear our flag, to the parents with big dreams for their children. No matter where we came from, AAPIs and immigrants belong in our country’s long fight for justice. We belong in the America we are building together.

Amefil “Amy” Agbayani

“Legacy and Recommitment to Advocacy, Equality, Justice for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and All Racial Groups” by Doris Ching (EWC/EWCA International Conference, 2014) and Amefil “Amy” Agbayani (Institute for Student Exchange, PhD in Political Science 1964-1969), is based on a survey of national community and higher education Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders. The article focuses on five current challenges: 2020 Census, COVID-19, immigration, elections, racism and discrimination. The diverse AAPI community is the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States (6%). An internally strong and united AAPI, coupled with external partnerships with all racial/ethnic groups, can create a more powerful force for equity and justice for all racial/ethnic groups than standing alone.

Continue reading →
03.31.21
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Stop Asian Hate

#StopAsianHate  

#Awareness  

#HATEISAVIRUS

The analysis released by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, this month examined hate crimes in 16 of America’s largest cities. It revealed that while such crimes in 2020 decreased overall by 7 percent, those targeting Asian people rose by nearly 150 percent. 

“Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Increased by Nearly 150% in 2020, Mostly
in N.Y. and L.A., New Report Says”, NBC News, March 9, 2021

Continue reading →
03.24.21
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Voices from Myanmar

Alumni in and from Myanmar have reached out and we share their voices

Myanmar civilians are in a war zone with security forces. People are killed without hesitation. Soldiers shoot into apartments, capture civilians and rob at shops. Their actions are not limited to the protestors, but indiscriminately to civilians, including kids, mothers, and elderly people. Ambulances are shot. Journalists and lawyers are beaten, kidnapped at night, or seized at the scene. Children are shot with catapults and guns even while staying in. Young students, men, and women are shot in the head, neck, and abdomen daily. Sound bombs, gunshots noises, and tear gases are everywhere. Nothing makes sense. It is as if we are trapped in the nightmare of a barbari
This is all happening in villages, towns, and the big cities of Myanmar. Imagine a life where you are aware that you or your beloved ones can die any day. Imagine being afraid to walk outside or drive on the road, because you might be shot on the spot, stopped at any moment, captured or beaten up with no apparent reason. (A woman was shot randomly on purpose while she was walking by the road.) Imagine a life where you need to secretly guard your ward in groups at night. You can’t even guard publicly because they will shoot if they see you. Seeking justice is out of the question even when you get killed in plain sight.

Continue reading →
01.23.21
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Support EWC’s Coral Triangle Endangered Shark Initiative

EWC Alumni Feature of the Week! @Rafid Shidqi and @Nesha Ichida. Thresher Shark Indonesia has been working alongside thresher shark fishermen, and all Alor stakeholders to put an end to targeted endangered thresher sharks in two small and remote fishing villages. Their engagement since 2018 has made them gain trust from community members, village elders, indigenous leaders as well as the government. Thresher shark fishermen have been asking for ways to increase their skills and for facilities to transition into sustainable yellowfin tuna fisheries, which are thriving in the region. Rafid and Nesha are asking EWC Alumni to consider donating to help these fishermen get out of poverty and prevent the thresher sharks from going extinct. Together with other EWC alumni we can achieve this conservation outcome by 2022!