Hey revolutionaries, did you know that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1969 UC Berkeley Third World Strike for ethnic studies?

To commemorate the occasion, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, in collaboration with Asian Improv aRts, is presenting the premiere of Diaspora Tale #2: 1969, an interdisciplinary jazz composition by saxophonist and composer Francis Wong.

"1969" will be performed by the Francis Wong Unit with contributions by spoken word artist A.K. Black and dancer/choreographer Lenora Lee at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center this Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 8:00pm. Proceeds will benefit OACC's cultural arts programs and services. Ticket info:

Diaspora Tale #2: 1969
The Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) in collaboration with Asian Improv aRts presents the premiere of Francis Wong's "Diaspora Tale #2: 1969"!

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009
Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Doors open: 7:30 pm

Tickets:
This is a fundraiser to support OACC's cultural arts programs that are free or at low-cost to the 25,000 - 30,000 community members we serve each year.

Please note that though there will not be assigned seating, seats will be assigned a section based on the purchased ticket price.

Physical tickets will not be issued. Instead, all ticket holders will be added to the will call list. Please check in at the lobby.

General Admission:
Sliding scale rate of $10 - $50. At the $100 donation level, VIP seating at the event will be provided as well as an invitation to the donor reception.

Student / Senior: $10

To buy tickets, visit our brownpapertickets page or contact Jennifer Chu, Development Coordinator at (510) 637 - 0455 or jchu@oacc.cc.
Tickets will also be available at the door if not sold out.

This sounds like it's going to be an amazing event. In addition to the performance, there will be a short panel discussion about the history of the Strike and an exhibition of photos documenting the strike and its legacy.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Belvin Louie, who participated in the strikes as a field marshal and will feature Oakland City Councilmember (District 4) Jean Quan; UC Berkeley, Asian American Studies Program lecturer Harvey Dong; Eastside Arts Alliance founder Greg Morizumi; and Teresita Bautista co-founder of Filipinos for Affirmative Action. They will discuss their experience during the Strike as well as the impact and legacy of the Strike on the East Bay community.

For further information about the program and featured performers, go to the Oakland Asian Cultural Center website here. Also be sure to take a look at the video of Francis Wong's work-in-progress of the piece, as well as some great photos of the Third World Strike.