Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley – Documentary screening “One-Mile Walk” and panel discussion
On November 2, 2023, Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley welcomed over 100 participants who viewed a pre-screen of the new documentary “One-Mile Walk” by filmmaker Min (Susan) Zhou.
Chinese fishing families arrived in Monterey Bay in the 1850s, and squid fishery in Monterey to this day is rooted in the practices of those settlers. The movie documents major events touching those Chinese settlers through generations to today’s Pebble Beach and a woman named Gerry Low-Sabado, a dedicated educator and community preservationist. Gerry passed away in September 2021 during the COVID pandemic and, in 2023, the Monterey Bay Aquarium named its newest born penguin “Gerry” in her honor. Gerry’s surviving Filipino American husband, Randy Sabado was present to share his memories and perspectives.
This special Forum featured journalist, scholar, and filmmaker Min (Susan) Zhou who presented the completed portion of her new documentary “One-Mile Walk”, with the other half still in post-production. (Donations welcome.) Chinese fishing families arrived in Monterey Bay in the 1850s, and squid fishery in Monterey to this day is rooted in the practices of those settlers. The movie documents major events touching those Chinese settlers through generations to today’s Pebble Beach and a woman named Gerry Low-Sabado, a dedicated educator and community preservationist. Gerry passed away in September 2021 during the COVID pandemic and, in 2023, the Monterey Bay Aquarium named its newest born penguin “Gerry” in her honor. Gerry’s surviving Filipino American husband, Randy Sabado was present to share his memories and perspectives.
Next, Susan presented the trailer of another of her new documentaries, “My 58 Uncles”. That movie recounts the story of young Chinese volunteers who joined the U.S. Air Force in WWII. Many died in service and their remains were buried in U.S. VA’s National Cemeteries. Author Ann Lee had written about those pilots, and she drove from Canada to join the Forum. Her books were written in Chinese. (Donations welcome toward an English version.) Former California Assemblymember Kansen Chu joined to share his own story. He reminded the audience that the CBI (China-Burma-India) theater, while completely ignored now, was as critical as the European and Pacific theaters of WWII.
Youth Ambassadors Sophia Cheng and Ethan Guan, high school senior and junior respectively, interviewed participants and videotaped their perspectives.
This Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley was organized by Ding Ding TV, Silicon Valley Community Media, and the History Channel for Chinese Americans.
Panel Discussion about Chinese Americans’ “One-Mile” with Min (Susan) Zhou, Randy Sabado, and Joel Wong
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