Harry Wu Speaks at Conference

About 250 students from across North America attended South East Asian Dancing, Kendo demonstrations and speeches by civil rights activists at Harvard's seventh annual Asian-American Intercollegiate Conference this weekend.

In the keynote address early Saturday afternoon, Harry Wu, a prominent international human rights activist, spoke of the horrors he had witnessed while incarcerated in Chinese "Laogai," or labor camps.

Wu discussed his role as an activist, saying that he saw himself as "a piece of the brick on the Chinese Great Wall."

"Taken out [of the wall], maybe [other nations] can look inside all of the ugly truths," Wu said.

Following the speech, Wu showed two brief documentaries. One documentary, which he produced with "60 Minutes," was about the labor camps. The other, produced with the BBC, showed prisoners being executed so their organs could be sold to foreigners for transplant.

More than 500 audience members gathered to hear Wu speak, including many Harvard students who came only for Wu's address.

Many remained somber throughout Wu's presentation; a few cried as the images of executed corpses played on the screen before them.

"[I found the experience] shocking, especially because it was from our own cultural background," said Carrie Sim, a student from the University of Toronto.

"It was all new to me, but it still hit home because they're our people," she said. "It's our people."

The afternoon also featured a presentation by Yuri Kochiyama, a Japanese-American civil rights activist.

Kochiyama emphasized the historical similarities of the plight of African- and Asian-Americans in the U.S., and stressed their need for unity in the future.

Kochiyama's speech was followed by a panel on race relations co-sponsored by the Black Students Association. About 100 people attended the speech and the panel.

In addition to the afternoon speakers, the conference included a dance on Friday night and panels on Saturday morning on topics such as "Exploring the Asian-American Internet," and "Asian-Americans in the Professional Sphere."

Cultural workshops in the arts were held all day Sunday, until the closing address Sunday afternoon on "Revitalizing Asian American Activism."

While some conference attendees criticized the lack of organized transportation after the Friday night dance, the majority said they enjoyed the conference's many activities, which organizers were able to provide despite difficult weather conditions.

"The theme of the conference is leadership,...the vision and skills," said Jennifer 8. Lee, '98, a conference co-organizer who is a Crimson editor.

"The idea is you can go see as many inspirational speakers as you want, but at a certain point you need to practice your skills to achieve your vision," Lee said.

Dini Hui, a University of Toronto student, said she thought the conference strengthened her feelings as an Asian American.

"It's sad that we've been so ignorant of our own culture," she said. "[The conference] is enlightening. This is only the beginning."