Professor Emeritus of ethnic studies at the UC Berkeley, Ronald Takaki has passed away. His work helped dispel stereotypes of Asian Americans such as the model minority myth. You can watch a recent appearance on CSPAN here.

Maverick Speakers Series: Dr. Ronald Takaki

Ronald Takaki Lecture

Happy Memorial Day! We just saw a video remembering Laura Ling and Euna Lee. These two Current TV reporters were detained by North Korea since March 17th. It’s been more than 10 weeks. In recent weeks, there have been vigils all across the USA. Here’s a recent message from the Ling and Lee Families:

Dear Friends,

The families of Laura and Euna are moved beyond words by your show of support for our girls. The past 10 weeks have been the most stressful of our lives. We believe that the girls are in no physical danger and for that we a grateful. But as their days in detention progress, we have become increasingly concerned about their well-being and state of mind. Though the girls are strong, we know that they are very very scared.

We know that our government is working very hard to secure their release, but given the sensitivity of the situation and the fact that our two countries have no diplomatic relationship, our families are not making any public comments other than to thank you so very much for coming out to support our girls.

Many of you have never met Laura or Euna, but know that you are standing up for truth and justice. We, the families of the girls, deeply thank you for taking the time to be here to support two girls who just wanted to tell the world a story.

Most appreciatively,

The Families of Laura Ling and Euna Lee

Keep Laura Ling and Euna Lee in your prayers and hope they come back soon.

Remember Laura Ling and Euna Lee (It doesn’t have audio.)