Fall 2022
Asian Cultural Experience (ACE) sends out its newsletter seasonally (spring, summer, fall, winter). You can read this in your email or click on the heading to go to the main site and view older issues. You may also receive occasional shorter bulletins regarding special events.
Dear Friends,
While the end of summer has been quiet for ACE, a lot has been going on behind the scenes and September is starting off busy. Fall semester has started in schools, and we are beginning to meet up with service-learning students. This year, they will be helping us to prepare for several events and working on our book project (see below). We’re always grateful for their volunteer efforts.
PROJECTS
ACE is excited to have received a Cultural Impact Grant from the Arts Council for Monterey County to publish a book containing short memoirs and images about Salinas Chinatown. Here are the details:
Our Chinatown* Book Project: Call for Submissions
EVENTS
Coming soon on September 15, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm, the moving documentary film, 80 Years Later, by UCSC’s Dean of Arts Celine Parreñas Shimizu will be screened at Cinemark Monterey 13, 1700 Del Monte Center, Monterey, CA 93940. This film, which won “Best Historical Film” at the 2022 Toronto Documentary Film Festival, looks beyond the historical event of Japanese American family incarceration (WWII) to its effects upon family members through the years. The event will be moderated by UCSC Dean of Humanities Jasmine Alinder, including a Q&A with director Celine Parreñas Shimizu and the film's cast and crew. Proceeds will benefit Asian Cultural Experience.
Salinas Buddhist Temple’s Tri-tip BBQ Take-Out will be serving up delicious tri-tip meals on Saturday, September 24, 2022, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Buddhist Temple, 14 California St. in Salinas. This is a fundraiser for the Salinas Buddhist Temple. Get your Whole Tri-Tip, Salad & Rolls for 4-6 People, for $50. Advanced Ticket Sales Only. For tickets, please leave a message at (831) 424-4105 or email: btsalinas@gmail.com
Dr. Carol Lynn McKibben will discuss her book, Salinas: A History of Race and Resilience in an Agricultural City, on Oct. 29, 1-4 pm [update: venue location has changed to Confucius Church, 1 California St., same time and date]. A significant portion of the book focuses on the Asian American community of Salinas and Chinatown. You can purchase a copy of the book at Downtown Book and Sound, 213 Main St., in Salinas, and a few copies will be available at the event. Dr. McKibben is a lecturer at Stanford University and director of the Salinas History Project. There will be a Q&A with the author. A portion of her book sales will go to ACE as a fundraiser.
VIDEO
Every year, Asian Cultural Experience works with CSUMB service-learning students. They create projects that help us spread the word about ACE and Salinas Chinatown. Here is a multi-media presentation from 2020 by Chia-Chi Fan, Samantha Streett, and Karen Koji. Images are from the ACE archives and the narration toward the end of the presentation is ACE Treasurer Larry Hirahara. Big thanks to Samantha, Chia-Chi, and Karen!
JOIN ACE
Like many organizations since the pandemic started, ACE has been experiencing a lot of changes. We now have a dedicated office/gallery space and are expanding office hours; we continue to receive grants for historical, cultural, and neighborhood projects; we work with service-learning students and partner with many local organizations, presenting opportunities for historical pop-up events and exhibits; we continue to work towards revitalization of Chinatown, and a community based cultural center and museum in the Republic Cafe building. If you are interested in the multicultural history of Salinas, please join us! Help us to develop and expand our programs! Become a member and volunteer of ACE and/or donate to ACE today.