NEW YORK: The Asian-American community commemorated Sept. 11 through the universal language of music in a rousing but moving concert called ‘My America’ in New York on Sept. 8.

Organized by the AURA (Asians United to Raise Awareness) Fund, the benefit concert featured many of Asian America’s eminent musical artists from all over the country, who performed songs that expressed what America meant to them, songs that expressed their vision of America’s promise, hope and legacy.

During the evening, video tributes were paid to those who had lost their lives at the World Trade Center, as well as to those whose heroism and leadership helped save lives.

Proceeds from the benefit will be used as seed money for the creation of the AURA Fund’s ‘My America: Voices in Harmony Project,’ an educational program that will raise awareness of the tragedy’s impact on the Asian-American community, while celebrating the greater issue of what it means to be American.

As Jeff Yang, chairman of the Aura Fund’s board of directors, put it: “Through ‘My America,’ we want to remember the events of Sept. 11, but also to explore the issues that emerged in their wake. With this event, and the project it benefits, we want to get people actively thinking and talking about the larger meaning of what it means to be an American.”

The proceedings got off to an exuberant start with New York’s San and Atlanta’s Magno performing songs inspired by the tragedy.

The evening’s MCs were Alvin Ing and Jodi Long, celebrated veterans of stage, television and the cinema. They introduced some of the performers — among them Wendy Ip, Angela Ai, Christine Toy Johnson and Kevin So. Among the stars were two young South Asians — Vijay Iyer on the piano, and Rudresh Mahanthappa on the saxophone — who played their original composition, ‘Remembrance.’ Vijay and Rudresh call themselves the Raw Materials.

Another highlight of the evening was young Joe Llana, one of the stars of Broadway’s Flower Drum Song, with his stirring rendition of ‘America, The Beautiful.’ As many times as I have been hearing this song, particularly in recent days, it still has the power to move.

The Performers

* San * Magno * Christine Toy Johnson with Leon Ko * Raw Materials * LES * Angela Ai * Jenny Choi and the Third Shift * The Aloha Boys * Wendy Ip * Jose Llana * Convertible Jennifers * Kevin So * LOURDS

Interspersed with the music was video footage of people who had rushed to the World Trade Center (WTC) to help save lives.

A particularly fascinating interview was with a young Chinese-American man, Shin Cho, who rushed up the burning stairs to help firefighters carry their heavy equipment. On the way up, one of the firemen asked him for his business card and said he would buy him a beer after it was all over. Shin Cho never heard from him again.

One of the evening’s more memorable speeches was by City Council member John Liu, who, in impeccable English, said he hoped there would soon come a day in America when people would stop wondering at his English, and also stop asking him where he was “really” born, when he said he was born in Flushing, Queens.

Liu said he was saddened by many other instances of what has been called the perpetual foreigner syndrome. “For instance, when skater Michelle Kwan did not win the gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics, the media screamed ‘Kwan beaten by an American.’ I want to look forward to a day when I am not treated in such a manner,” he said, and concluded with the words: “I look forward to the day when I am not complimented on my English. I look forward to the day when it will be My America, Your America and Our America.”

Both Liu and Ti-Hua Chang of NBC, spoke emotionally of the discrimination in funding the economic recovery of Chinatown, parts of which did not have electricity or telephone service for months. They called on community groups to lobby for improvements in the living conditions in Chinatown.

The South Asian community was represented by Sukanya Krishnan of WPIX Channel 11, Prof. Sreenath Sreenivasan of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and Veena Merchant, director and editor-in-chief of News India-Times and Desi Talk. Sreenivasan and Merchant introduced a video presentation on the impact of 9/11 on Americans of South Asian descent.

The evening concluded with Lisa Ling, one of the hosts of ABC’s popular morning show ‘The View,’ introducing a ‘My America Tribute Song,’ with lyrics by Jeff Yang and music by Kevin So, a song of celebration written specially for this event in which the audience joined.