hardboiled

hardboiled was founded in 1997 in response to the lack of Asian Pacific American (APA) perspectives in the mainstream press. It seeks to empower the APA community by raising awareness and facilitating discussion on issues in an inclusive space. It currently functions as a student publication, an ASUC-sponsored student organization, a DeCal course, and an Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies Field Course at UC Berkeley.

Every semester, hardboiled recruits students from all academic fields and experience-levels to partake in the creation of a bi-semester newsmagazine. hardboiled has only two requirements for students to enroll: a curiosity for APA issues and an open mind. During its weekly meetings, the organization hosts production workshops and issues-based discussions. It is through this active learning and participation that hardboiled equips its staff members with the tools necessary to express their bold voices in the pages of its newsmagazine. In recent years, this has led hardboiled members to write their perspectives on issues ranging from personal accounts, the FBI probing of Richard Aoki, SCA5, justice in Palestine, and protests in Ferguson. This year, the organization plans to address issues relating to gender and sexuality, intersectionality, and community health.

In addition to its weekly DeCal meeting, hardboiled staff and core members collaborate with other progressive APA student organizations on and off campus to host events. In past semesters, the organization has led workshops at APIICON at Berkeley and Listen to the Silence at Stanford for the greater APA community. It has also participated at the Oakland Asian Community Center’s #APIVoices contest.

Currently, a four-person managing team and eight-person core lead hardboiled. This semester, hardboiled’s Managing Editors are Katherine Wang (Business ’16) and Sophia Ng (Political Science and Interdisciplinary American Studies ’14). Together, hardboiled’s leadership team hopes to inspire each and every staff writer to learn about their identities and be critical of the environments and contexts they live in. Sophia says, “I hope we can inspire and encourage each and every staffer to actively contribute in this space. Whether it be through writing in our newsmagazine or creating expressive layouts, I hope our students can gain the skills and confidence to boldly tell their perspectives on life as an APA individual.”

Check out hardboiled’s latest publication HERE