The first public forum for the Yelin Laura Song Scholarship Foundation was held today on Cal U campus.
Among those present were members of the committee and the Cal U and greater LA community. The committee was comprised of Alex Song, Laura's uncle and the committee head; Reyna Song, Laura's aunt and wife to Alex Song; Sam Walton, the National Director of Public Relations for Wallmart; the mayor of Los Angeles; Marcy Cho, a close friend of Laura's; the director of the Miss Chinatown pageant; and the Chancellor of Cal U. Members of community included Cal U faculty, members of the Cal U Chinese Students Association (CSA), Craig Allen from the US-China Business Council, local business owners and members of the LA City Council, local activists, and celebrity activist Jackson. Edgar Villa, a person of interest in the case and Laura's partner, was also present.
The meeting began with an introduction by the committee members, who outlined their individual goals for the scholarship and their guidelines for a winning proposal. There were also introductions from the community members in the room. Edgar Villa delivered a personal statement, translated into English in full below:
Sí se puede. 30 years before Obama said yes we can…Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez roared these words as they fasted for 25 days under the blistering Phoenix, Arizona sun in support of grossly exploited agricultural workers. This exploitation still occurs. 76% of agricultural trafficking victims are Mexican because of America’s biased borders and lawless legislation. Made to slave on American farms just as America has enslaved and trafficked the over ten thousand Asian women forced to humiliate and degrade themselves for the filthy perversions of beasts disguised in dollar bills, suits and ties. There is no difference between the genocidal injustice of Angel Island and the Adelanto, Mesa Verde, Yuba, Otay Mesa detaining tens of thousands of la familia every single day. And to my brothers and sisters in El Paso Del Norte, in the Ursula, in Donna and Clint, Texas, how can one not grieve for them when they are treated like cattle, processed as meat, stripped of their humanity just as our yellow and brown cousins were here, our aunts and uncles, tias y tios, grandmas and grandpas, abuelas y abuelos were chewed and spit on, subject to slur, abuse, and violence, yet still they persevered, resisted, overcame these barriers, walls, chains. And as they did, they said from main to yale street: Sí se puede, from Cesar Chavez to Bernard street: Sí se puede, from Chinatown’s central plaza “我们可以” and in my home in El Pueblo, Olvera street, etched into my heart, are the words: Sí se puede. I am Edgar Vila, 21 years old, turning 22 on Friday along with Laura Song, and I say these sacred words blessed for every year I’ve been on this earth, praying for her safe return, telling God each day how much I love her. Just like my ancestors and yours, I refuse to give up. Laura still lives and yes—we can find her. Sí se harás. Yes we will. - Edgar Vila
The committee then took questions from the press. Reyna Song stated that she hoped the scholarship would support organizations in the local community that Laura was passionate about, and in turn would allow other Cal U students to follow in her footsteps and invest in the LA Chinatown community. The mayor of LA emphasized the role of students and young people in the future development of the city, and the potential for the scholarship to create a lasting impact.
Following the session, the CSA spoke to a Daily Clue reporter about their concerns about the committee. The president of CSA stated that the board was not as diverse as she had hoped it to be, and that international students feel that they do not have a voice due to the lack of representation.
"People forget that Laura Song's hometown was Shanghai, and she was an active member of Chinese community overseas," said the president. "She was passionate about local issues in downtown LA, but her heart belongs in the Chinatown community and the Chinese community back home. In the wake of her tragedy, we want to emphasize that we stand for her. Our proposal will be in her best interest and will strive to rebuild transnational ties that have been broken in the wake of her disappearance."
The Cal U Chancellor expressed similar interests. "Our first priority is to figure out what's best for the school," she said. Since Laura's disappearance, there has been tension between the LatinX community that Edgar belongs to and the Asian community, both on campus and in the greater LA community. "We want to prevent anything that would inflame these tensions."
The Chancellor emphasized promoting a safe, diverse, and tolerant community, and protecting the reputation of Cal U as a safe place for racially marginalized communities. The university has other reasons to promote a welcoming and diverse campus, too-- Laura's incident has soured the view of international students on Cal U, and international student recruitment brings a significant proportion of money to the university. Alex Song also remains the largest donor to Cal U.
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