Disgruntled by the lack of a distinct Asian voice on campus, senior Isaac Chan decided to start a student-run magazine that would give Asians at Duke a forum for political and creative expression.
Beginning with no financial resources, Chan approached various deans and organizations to raise $2,200 for Yellow Pages, which at first publication had a circulation of 1,200. The free publication, which will be distributed at the Asian Students Association’s Lunar New Year Celebration Saturday, showcases Asian expressive talent through poetry, feature articles, creative writing and book reviews. The first issue addressed a wide variety of topics including “An Asian American Woman’s Perception of New York City” and “The Challenges of Interracial Dating.”
“[Yellow Pages] was created to serve as a collaborative medium to allow our voices to be heard,” said Chan, editor-in-chief of the magazine. “Our goal is to foster mutual dialogue and promote a greater understanding and reconciliation between the Asian community and the rest of the Duke community.”
Sophomore Peter Moon, who contributed a letter to the editor to the magazine, said he saw the need for Asian Americans to have a venue for personal expression and community dialogue.
“I am part of a community that I cannot deny, and I feel that it is my obligation to see, and even correct, how we Asian Americans are portrayed at Duke,” Moon said. “My identity gives me a duty to be vigilant about what is being shown of my kin.”
At first, Chan found it difficult to find donors who saw the need for the magazine’s existence. Despite receiving many rejections, Chan continued to solicit funds for more than three weeks and said he never thought about giving up. “I was initially very nervous. I went up personally to all the groups I could think of and showed them our colored printouts. We did not even have a cover page,” Chan said. “I called up a dean and his secretary asked me, ‘Are you asking for money?’ I said ‘Yes.’ She was forthright and said, ‘This is not the right person you should be talking to.’”
During that time, however, Chan met with some administrators and campus groups—deans, the Multicultural Center, the Kenan Institute for Ethics and Grace’s Café—who shared his vision for the publication and wanted to support the initiative.
Julian Sanchez, director of the Office of Intercultural Affairs, contributed $200 on behalf of the Multicultural Center to fund the magazine. “Isaac’s funding proposal, as presented, seemed very worthy of this kind of support. It’s always a pleasure to support these types of student ventures when we can, especially those that help fill a particular niche,” Sanchez said. “[Yellow Pages] holds great potential. I truly hope it sustains itself.”
Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president for student affairs, said she contributed “a small but meaningful amount” because she found Chan’s idea to be “so fresh and compelling.” “It’s very unusual for me to provide funds to students or student groups for projects. Funds in Student Affairs have basically been pooled into the University fund and we direct students there to request support,” Wasiolek said. “It’s important for the Duke community that I wanted to make certain that [Chan’s idea] did not fail because it lacked funding.”
Chan eventually hopes to take Yellow Pages to the national level. His vision is to have the magazine represent Asian Americans’ expression in the Southeast region by partnering with other campus and regional racial groups to better understand how to bring about more discussion. Some students who have read the publication see the unique and creative outlet for Asian Americans and others on campus it provides.
“[Yellow Pages is] a type of literary work that students do not often see on campus,” senior Samira Abughazaleh said. “I mostly enjoyed the ‘Heard around Campus’ and poems section. I really appreciated the eclectic mix of literary pieces submitted. There seems to be something for everyone.”
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