1 00:00:02,878 --> 00:00:11,372 [clip from Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents II", see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeadPresidents%28song%29] 2 00:00:20,062 --> 00:00:22,189 I was illegal in this country 3 00:00:22,189 --> 00:00:25,797 when I arrived in this country, I arrived as an illegal immigrant. 4 00:00:25,797 --> 00:00:30,395 As I got older, I recognized that, uh, 5 00:00:30,395 --> 00:00:36,061 my brother, my adopted brother and I could be deported at any time. 6 00:00:36,061 --> 00:00:40,658 This after our family had been in North America 7 00:00:40,658 --> 00:00:45,070 since the advent of the California gold rush in 1849. 8 00:00:45,070 --> 00:00:47,923 And yet it is only my children, 9 00:00:47,923 --> 00:00:50,828 who were born in '73 and '75, 10 00:00:50,828 --> 00:00:55,147 are the first in our family to be born in North America, 11 00:00:55,147 --> 00:00:58,677 that's after a hundred years, a hundred some odd years. 12 00:00:58,677 --> 00:01:04,853 That tells you what exclusion and head tax and racist immigrant policies can do. 13 00:01:04,853 --> 00:01:08,011 And my grandparents suffered that. 14 00:01:08,011 --> 00:01:09,915 My grandmother and grandfather 15 00:01:09,915 --> 00:01:13,490 were seperated for 25 years by racist law. 16 00:01:13,490 --> 00:01:16,910 My grandfather paid a head tax, 17 00:01:16,910 --> 00:01:21,757 which was the equivalent of two houses when he came here. 18 00:01:21,757 --> 00:01:25,937 You could buy two houses for $500. 19 00:01:25,937 --> 00:01:27,841 As I got involved in these issues, 20 00:01:27,841 --> 00:01:29,652 these issues changed my life. 21 00:01:29,652 --> 00:01:33,739 I rearranged my life so I could, so I could 22 00:01:33,739 --> 00:01:35,429 continue to participate 23 00:01:35,429 --> 00:01:38,894 and, and, and, if you want to call sort of 24 00:01:38,894 --> 00:01:43,166 being one of the leaders in the movement. 25 00:01:43,166 --> 00:01:45,647 I became self-employed, 26 00:01:45,647 --> 00:01:48,414 I learned skills to be a media producer, 27 00:01:48,414 --> 00:01:51,247 I learned skills to be a community organizer. 28 00:01:51,247 --> 00:01:53,655 All these things I had to do when I got involved. 29 00:01:53,655 --> 00:01:56,408 So y'know, for young people I would say that 30 00:01:56,408 --> 00:01:58,491 y'know, this is your world, 31 00:01:58,491 --> 00:02:00,953 y'know, you're the future, 32 00:02:00,953 --> 00:02:02,392 get involved, 33 00:02:02,392 --> 00:02:05,584 but get involved with the idea of contributing, 34 00:02:05,584 --> 00:02:10,473 and get involved when you have your bases covered. 35 00:02:10,473 --> 00:02:11,913 And when I say that, 36 00:02:11,913 --> 00:02:19,348 don't count on the movement or what you're getting into to provide your basics. 37 00:02:19,348 --> 00:02:21,016 Uh, the two campaigns 38 00:02:21,016 --> 00:02:25,519 that, that i've put about 25, 30 years into is 39 00:02:25,519 --> 00:02:30,163 the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Redress campaign, 40 00:02:30,163 --> 00:02:32,861 and also community television. 41 00:02:32,861 --> 00:02:37,828 I joined the redress campaign in '83, and community television in '86.