WEBVTT 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] 00:00:20.062 --> 00:00:22.189 I was illegal in this country 00:00:22.189 --> 00:00:25.797 when I arrived in this country, I arrived as an illegal immigrant. 00:00:25.797 --> 00:00:30.395 As I got older, I recognized that, uh, 00:00:30.395 --> 00:00:36.061 my brother, my adopted brother and I could be deported at any time. 00:00:36.061 --> 00:00:40.658 This after our family had been in North America 00:00:40.658 --> 00:00:45.070 since the advent of the California gold rush in 1849. 00:00:45.070 --> 00:00:47.923 And yet it is only my children, 00:00:47.923 --> 00:00:50.828 who were born in '73 and '75, 00:00:50.828 --> 00:00:55.147 are the first in our family to be born in North America, 00:00:55.147 --> 00:00:58.677 that's after a hundred years, a hundred some odd years. 00:00:58.677 --> 00:01:04.853 That tells you what exclusion and head tax and racist immigrant policies can do. 00:01:04.853 --> 00:01:08.011 And my grandparents suffered that. 00:01:08.011 --> 00:01:09.915 My grandmother and grandfather 00:01:09.915 --> 00:01:13.490 were seperated for 25 years by racist law. 00:01:13.490 --> 00:01:16.910 My grandfather paid a head tax, 00:01:16.910 --> 00:01:21.757 which was the equivalent of two houses when he came here. 00:01:21.757 --> 00:01:25.937 You could buy two houses for $500. 00:01:25.937 --> 00:01:27.841 As I got involved in these issues, 00:01:27.841 --> 00:01:29.652 these issues changed my life. 00:01:29.652 --> 00:01:33.739 I rearranged my life so I could, so I could 00:01:33.739 --> 00:01:35.429 continue to participate 00:01:35.429 --> 00:01:38.894 and, and, and, if you want to call sort of 00:01:38.894 --> 00:01:43.166 being one of the leaders in the movement. 00:01:43.166 --> 00:01:45.647 I became self-employed, 00:01:45.647 --> 00:01:48.414 I learned skills to be a media producer, 00:01:48.414 --> 00:01:51.247 I learned skills to be a community organizer. 00:01:51.247 --> 00:01:53.655 All these things I had to do when I got involved. 00:01:53.655 --> 00:01:56.408 So y'know, for young people I would say that 00:01:56.408 --> 00:01:58.491 y'know, this is your world, 00:01:58.491 --> 00:02:00.953 y'know, you're the future, 00:02:00.953 --> 00:02:02.392 get involved, 00:02:02.392 --> 00:02:05.584 but get involved with the idea of contributing, 00:02:05.584 --> 00:02:10.473 and get involved when you have your bases covered. 00:02:10.473 --> 00:02:11.913 And when I say that, 00:02:11.913 --> 00:02:19.348 don't count on the movement or what you're getting into to provide your basics. 00:02:19.348 --> 00:02:21.016 Uh, the two campaigns 00:02:21.016 --> 00:02:25.519 that, that i've put about 25, 30 years into is 00:02:25.519 --> 00:02:30.163 the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Redress campaign, 00:02:30.163 --> 00:02:32.861 and also community television. 00:02:32.861 --> 00:02:37.828 I joined the redress campaign in '83, and community television in '86.