& Performance Information
Workshop I: Why is an Asian Pacific American Voice Necessary?
Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) differ from each other in many ways: experiences, cultures, incomes, sexual preferences, ethnicities, demographics, etc. Often, APAs question whether it is necessary to bring together such a diverse population and create a coordinated community from which a united voice can emerge. This conference proposes that since there are issues that confront the entire APA population, an APA voice, then, is both necessary and possible. An APA voice is important based on the history of discrimination in this country. This set of workshops will provide space for conference participants to further explore specific problems that face the entire APA community today through informative and engaging workshops.
- Affirmative Action - Glenn Magpantay (Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund) and Reshma M. Saujani (Editor-in-chief, Asian American Policy Review, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University)
- Domestic Violence - M. Sharma and Amita Y. Swadhin (Center for the Prevention of Abuse, Inc.)
- Hate Crimes - Jacinta Ma (Massachusetts Asst. Attorney General's Office, formerly of the President's Initiative on Race)
- Immigration Rights - Keith McAllister (Organization of Chinese Americans)
- Media - Angela Tolosa (PBS) and Suyin So (NBC)
- Student Activism - Jason Sperber (Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, Brown University)
- Voting Rights - Christine Chen (Organization of Chinese Americans)
Workshop II: Inclusion and Exclusion Among Asian Pacific Americans
In the previous set of workshops, we have seen why we must create a voice for ourselves. However, in creating this community, it will be, by its very nature, bounded and limited, including some and excluding others. Moreover, questions of authenticity, of who is and who is not "Asian Pacific American," will arise. This next set of workshops will directly address and inform us of the different struggles within our community to broaden our concept of the term "APA."
- Classism - Dominic Chan (AFL-CIO Organizing Institute) and Matt Finucane (deputy director of AFL-CIO, Dept. of Civil and Human Rights, formerly Exec. Dir. of Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance)
- Multiraciality - Laurie Mengel (graduate student at Brown University)
- Prisoner Rights - Wayne Lum and ManChui Leung (Asians for Mumia)
- Sexism - Sunaina Maira (professor of Asian American studies at Columbia and NYU, coeditor of several South Asian anthologies)
- Sexuality - Chris Punongbayan and Elaine Kim (Brown University alumni)
- Spiritualism - Brian J. Lee (Brown University student) and Keith McAllister (Organization of Chinese Americans)
Workshop III: What We Can Do For APAs After College
APAs are entering many career fields. Those of us who have been priviliged enough to have the opportunity to complete higher education will face both opportunities and challenges. If we choose to become professionals, there are obvious challenges such as glass ceilings and workplace discrimination. However, another greater challenge is in making our work meangingful and responsive to the needs of APA communities nationally and internationally. What is our role as people of color with privilige in this context? There are many opportunities open to us to build alliances and to be of service to APA communities. This set of workshops will allow attendees to speak with APAs in various fields to discuss these complex issues. These workshops will also give APAs action-oriented means to take what has been learned from this conference and apply it to creating an APA community beyond college.
- Academia - Robert Lee (professor of American Civilization at Brown University)
- Arts - Sabrina Margarita Alcantara-Tan (editor of Bamboo girl magazine, writer, has performed with Peeling the Banana and also solo works)
- Business - Benjamin Sun (founder, AsianAvenue.com, world's first online APA community building site)
- Education - Jin Li (professor of Education at Brown University)
- Law - Mytrang Nguyen (Massachusetts Asst. Attorney General's Office) and Glenn Magpantay (Asian American Legal and Defense Education Fund)
- Medicine - Shane Shih (Merck Pharmaceuticals) and Yueh "Ray" Lee (MD/PhD student at University of North Carolina Medical School)
- Professional Activism - Vijay Prashad (professor at Trinity College, formerly of DARE in Providence)