Born in Bihar, grew up in Detroit, and took a journey across the country to be in Seattle. I am the international all in one person so watch out! Every morning I catch the 120 to get to UW. I see many of my fellow Asian brothers and sisters and wonder all that we can do. I know the imperialists have divided our continent where we know longer think of ourselves as a people who can work together to achieve great things. But I think that can be changed and that is what this blog is the beginning of.... ambitious... maybe... I know what I gotta do and it is constantly move, shake, and roll. Power to the people and power to Asian Americans. So duck, dive, and run we are gonna knock you out. I am proud of our histories and even more so of what we have accomplished in the last 100 years kicking the imperialists out. But our own ruling classes got their boots on on our necks but some of us are fighting back. This is a shout out to the South Korean workers, the Bhuddists in Burma, and the kids in Palestine who are rocking the world. I love to organize and see our people on the move. We can build a new society. We do not know our own strength and no one dares to tell us!

Blak Orchid

Blak Orchid is a collaboration by Jomo and Suraj, of Southeast Asian Chinese and Muslim South Asian origins. We come together as Asian American activists who are working our asses off to build a pan-Asian movement right here, right now, in the USA and beyond. We believe that Asian peoples can come together on the basis of justice, democracy and anti-racism, living out in practice the principles of love and solidarity that are steeped deep into our traditions. The future of our peoples rests in the hands of everyday Asians, those of us that are always at the forefront of our struggles for freedom. Behind us, trail behind the reluctant elites, like dead weights waiting to be cast off in the name of our self-government. We look to the revolutionary liberation movements, from Black Power in the 1960s, to the Intifada of Palestine, the liberation theologies from the insurgent Christians of the Phillipines to Ali Shariati's Islamic revival, and the anti-colonial and working-class struggles all rolled into one in South Korea. We draw from their strengths and learn from their mistakes. These movements are our predecessors and we value them for their creative expressions of day-to-day impulses for liberation that keep minds seeking and hearts churning. We have hopes that our generation will rise to Fanon's challenge, to first find our mission, and then fulfill it. Here in Seattle, where we now venture into, via Detroit, Providence, Malaysia, Bihar and all the places our hearts and minds have treaded upon, we present you with our sweaty reflections of everyday life.