Address cover letter to Shikha Bhatnagar, Executive Director
Submit application by Wednesday, June 3, via the South Asian Network Google Form
South Asian Network was founded in 1990 to provide an open forum for people of South Asian origin to gather and discuss social, economic, and political issues affecting the community, with the goal of raising awareness, engagement and advocacy among community members leading to an empowered and active community. As the South Asian American community continues to grow, SAN is committed to challenging systems of oppression and inequality, building solidarities with other communities, and achieving economic, political, and human rights of all communities.
The South Asian Network (SAN) seeks a Humanities Fellow to help coordinate and implement “The Story of Asians in Southern California,” an archival project to gather life stories and images of the South Asian American community in the Los Angeles metro area (Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties). The project will culminate in a public exhibit/reception at a public space (such as the Central Library) in Los Angeles or in the South Asian Network (SAN)’s office in Artesia (“Little India”) on the evening of Friday, September 11, 2020. The project will be the first of its kind in California and will be done in partnership with the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), the preeminent organization for documenting the South Asian community’s history in the United States. The goal of the project will be to highlight the South Asian American story in Southern California, in the context of the South Asian Network’s 30th anniversary, but also in the broader framework of Californian and American history. SAN will interview and collect images and testimonies from organization founders, community leaders, and individuals from the South Asian community in Southern California and develop a visual narrative of the community’s collective story from their first arrival in the early 19th century to present day. This visual narrative will be used for a special exhibit, consisting of video testimonials, photographs, news clippings, and personal effects (such as the one-way plane ticket to the U.S.) about the experiences of South Asians in Southern California. Physical materials will be provided in English and various South Asian languages, and video clips will either be dubbed or subtitled.
The Humanities Fellow will help collect and archive stories and objects related to the South Asian experience in Southern California, both from the archives of the South Asian Network and other sources throughout California. The Fellow would help conduct interviews, design the online exhibit, and create marketing materials for the project. The Fellow will be supported by the Executive Director, SAN’s Communications Coordinator, Special Projects Coordinator, and Administrative Assistant. The Fellow will be based in SAN’s office in Artesia or will work remotely as necessary.