Introducing “Not Fade Away

The Not Fade Away: Preserving Overlooked AAPI Experiences Project curates a collection of coast-to-coast community-sourced narratives of Asian American and immigrant experiences. Specifically, we ensure potentially forgotten Asian American social movements, stories, and experiences are adequately preserved and accessible through oral history documentation.

Photo by Steve Yip

Photo by Steve Yip

Photo by Steve Yip

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

  • Interview: Shannon Yip Part 1: Developing Bilingual Education in Oakland CA

    Interview: Shannon Yip Part 1: Developing Bilingual Education in Oakland CA

    Part One: Making Bilingual Education a Reality in Oakland, California, Public Schools Introduction. Shannon is a multi-generational Chinese American. Born in San Francisco, she attended Oakland Senior High School and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. Brought up in the ‘50s/’60s within a community of Chinese immigrants supporting a democratic society in China, her father…


  • Interview: Shannon Yip Part 2: Promoting Chinese Folk Dance in the Diaspora

    Interview: Shannon Yip Part 2: Promoting Chinese Folk Dance in the Diaspora

    (c) Copyright Steve Yip Nov 14, 2024 | Edits by Steve Yip and Gabrielle Hrung INTRODUCTION Shannon is a multigenerational Chinese American. Born in San Francisco, she attended Oakland Senior High School and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. Brought up in the ‘50s/’60s within a community of Chinese immigrants supporting a democratic society…


  • Statement by Floyd Mori, JACL National President

    Statement by Floyd Mori, JACL National President

    Statement by Floyd Mori, JACL National PresidentMay 11, 2002delivered at the JACL Resisters CeremonyJapanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California Most of you know that I was born and raised on a farm near Salt Lake City, Utah. I was a toddler when the war began and I have only faint glimpses of memory…


  • Interview: S. Floyd Mori: A Tenure of Advocacy, An Apology to the Resisters

    Interview: S. Floyd Mori: A Tenure of Advocacy, An Apology to the Resisters

    December 16, 2022 – Interview with S. Floyd Mori (c) Copyright Steven Yip May 22, 2023 | Edited by Steve Yip and Koyuki Yip Introduction. This interview with S. Floyd Mori, a prominent figure in Japanese American advocacy and former national leader of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), provides critical insights into the evolution…


  • NO! THERE WERE CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN AMERICA, THAT IS THE TRUTH!

    NO! THERE WERE CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN AMERICA, THAT IS THE TRUTH!

    I was in the first or maybe second grade; 6 or 7 years old. A group of us in the schoolyard. My parents and other relatives moved from Poston, Arizona to the inner city of Denver. So, this group in the playground was lower working class made-up with Blacks, Mexicans, whites and me, the Japanese…


  • Reflections on a Journey to Topaz

    Reflections on a Journey to Topaz

    A long-awaited family reunion at Topaz, a World War II Japanese internment camp in remote Utah, reanimates a swell of memories from the past. By Steven Yip Originally from artseverywhere This is dedicated to the memory of my brother-in-law Dean Hedani.  He may have been a founding partner of the San Francisco law firm Hedani, Choy,…


  • Book Review: Richard Aston’s Views From Gold Mountain: History, Memory and Voices

    Book Review: Richard Aston’s Views From Gold Mountain: History, Memory and Voices

    Views From Gold Mountain: History, Memory, Voices Richard Aston | 2019 / Sixth Avenue Books Review by Steve Yip | Originally published April 20, 2022 | MainlyPiano.com Views From Gold Mountain by Richard Aston is self-published and it’s clearly a labor of love. The book is both a brief, though incomplete memoir of someone who is threading…


  • Remembering Pearl Wong: Chinatown Native, Restaurateur, Jazz Impresario

    Remembering Pearl Wong: Chinatown Native, Restaurateur, Jazz Impresario

    by Steve Yip July 14, 2022 Originally from Mainly Piano We lost a living legend when Pearl Wong passed on June 8, 2022 at age 90. Who was she and why does it matter as I am writing this, and I will expand briefly in this memorial? Let’s start with this sentiment that can be…


  • Jamel Mims, December 2022

    Jamel Mims, December 2022

    The Asian Hip-Hop Scene According to Jamel Mims a.k.a. MC TingbudongAn Interview by Steve Yip | December 16, 2022 Jamel Mims is a multimedia artist and rapper, who put the message of fundamental social change — revolution — into his music and performances. As an artist, he is known as MC Tingbudong who raps in…


  • Album Review: Viral

    Album Review: Viral

    ViralMC TingBuDong2021 / MC TingBuDong21 minutesReview by Steve Yip MC TingBuDong’s WebsiteMC TingBuDong’s Artist Page on MainlyPiano Album LinksAmazon (referral)Apple/iTunesSpotify *This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.* This is most likely a much different musical journey. If one is musically and politically curious, check…