WORKSHOPS

Race, equity, and affirmative action are among the most contentious and debated issues in U.S. higher education. Teranishi will discuss his contributions to these debates empirically through the interrogation of the complex relationship between the social construction of race, education policy, and the stratification of college opportunity. His discussion will specifically focus on the ways in which different sub-populations among AAPIs vary in their access to and preparation for higher education despite the popular notion that they are all high-achieving model minorities.

Presented by Professor Teranishi

Asian American Voting Rights and Political Participation

Asian Americans have had to overcome a series of obstacles to exercise their right to vote. Although more and more Asian Americans are voting, candidates as well as the news media have overlooked the Asian American vote. This workshop will examine Asian American political success and political opinions, discuss legal protections and voters' rights to bilingual ballots and interpreters, and explore ways that students can defend against anti-Asian voter disenfranchisement.

Presented by Glenn D. Magpantay

Beyond Borders: Fighting for Immigrants' Rights

It is often said that the United States is a "land of immigrants," a melting pot of equality and opportunity. Yet, we are constantly faced with the harsh reality of immigrant lives--many who do the jobs most valuable to society yet are barely paid enough to survive, whose labor is valued but whose basic rights and citizenship are wholly denied. Moreover, with the recent so-called "crisis" of immigrants in the purported interest of "national security," we have seen the rise of discrimination and physical violence against immigrants of color, perceived as perpetual foreigners and enemies. Yet, people of all backgrounds have banded together to fight for the safety and wellbeing of immigrants, documented or undocumented, and their rights to affordable housing, living wages, health care, education, and dignity and respect. How do we continue to advance these demands, both within Asian American communities and in multiracial coalitions?

Campus Identity Roundtable

Large universities often display a plethora of Asian American organizations and communities. In an Asian American movement that thrives upon alliances and collaboration, how can we unite all of these communities under one voice? What does unity on a college campus represent? What kind of messages are these clubs sending to potential members, and the larger campus community? Organizational leaders from various Asian American groups on New York City's college campuses will come together to discuss the issues, politics, and initiatives taken by their respective groups.

Student panelists include: Chanpreet Sawhney (NYU), Phil Wang (Fordham), Jacqueline Ng Fernandez (Hunter), Calvin Sun (Columbia), as well as Sungho Yoo (Duke)

Chinatown is Not for Sale! Fighting Gentrification and Displacement from the Living Room to the Waterfront

Walk through Chinatown, and you'll see luxury condos, transnational banks, and hotels popping up throughout the neighborhood. Occurring hand-in-hand with this development and gentrification is the displacement of Chinatown's thousands of low-income immigrant tenants. What can be done to protect tenants' rights and to build the power of immigrant communities to fight slumlords, the City, and developers? Join members of the Chinatown Tenants Union (a project of CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities) as they talk about gentrification in Chinatown and their campaigns to stop the displacement of low-income immigrant residents.

Workshop led by Esther Wang, Mansee Kong, and Helena Wong from the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV)

Conference Networking Mixer

In today’s modern and hectic world, it’s nice to have connections. Getting ahead usually comes with knowing people who can inform you about certain opportunities that often go unpublicized, making networking an important tool. Within the sometimes underrepresented Asian American community, it is especially vital to foster relationships that will last and potentially lead to future opportunities. What is most important, though, is the sense of unity and support that is cultivated. Through casual yet stimulating conversation with representatives from Asian American conferences from all over the nation, developing these kinds of relationships will be easy. Join us in socializing with these interesting new people and fellow college peers while discussing whatever is on your mind!

Panel/Mixer with NYCAASC (New York City Asian American Student Conference), ECAASU (East Coast Asian American Student Union), NAASCON (National Asian American Student Conference), BASIC (Boston Asian Student Intercollegiate Conference), and ITASA (Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association)

Broken Promises: The Filipino World War II Veteran Nightmare

In 1941, President Roosevelt declared Filipinos in the Philippines who fought for America in WWII would be granted veterans benefits for their service in the war. However, when the war ended in 1946, these Filipino WWII Veterans were denied these full benefits. More than half a century later, this struggle continues, as they slowly die at a rate of 8 a day. This workshop will discuss one of the most pressing political issues in the Filipino American and Asian American community. It will also discuss the hurdles of passing a full equity Veterans Bill, a veteran's experience, and focus on ways our generation can be more involved in the struggle for full equity and justice. We will also focus on the colonial aspect of Filipino-United States relations.

Workshop led by Steven Raga

Decolonize Your Mind

Roots. Rocks. Resistance.

In the struggle to reclaim ones identity, decolonization becomes a necessary tool to facilitate that process. Colonialism destroyed local cultures, ways of life, and ways of knowing, but peoples of the Global South today are questioning what replaced their indigenous systems, and finding ways to regain their own knowledge systems. In other words, I am not promoting a new movement; I am describing what is already happening in the world today.

The exercises, analysis and testimonials incorporated into this workshop was created by an indigenous Queer Pin@y who works in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle for independence. So expect it to have that flava.

Workshop led by Kalaya'an Mendoza

Ethnic Press: Where is it Headed?

With the increasing awareness of issues concerning ethnic minorities, it is becoming more and more imperative to expand upon the field of Ethnic Press. For the Asian American community, Ethnic Press provides the outlet from which underrepresented voices can be heard and amplified—voices addressing key issues or expressing unique perspectives that otherwise might not even be acknowledged. Besides catering to the purpose of informing the general public, Ethnic Press also becomes a way to unite and mobilize Asian Americans. However, does this happen? How has Ethnic Press evolved? Has it lived up to its potential? To answer these questions, join us in an open dialogue where we explore the state of Ethnic Press today and see where it is headed for the future.

Workshop led by Ka Chan

From Visions to Actions: Let's Get our Movements Going

What does it mean to be an activist, and what are the many ways in which people participate in activism? What qualifies as working towards social and economic justice? What do we need or want in broader movements for social change? How do we bring together different voices and perspectives into a unified whole, to advance the same goals? In this workshop, members of the National Asian American Student Conference will facilitate conversations about all these questions and more. From our visions to our actions, we'll be looking at ways to build strong, cohesive movements for our communities.

Faciliated by William Ching, Ryan Fukumori, Toy Wu, Derek Yung

Geishas and Geeks: Asian American Gender Roles

Why are Asian American men stereotyped as effeminate and weak? Why are Asian American women often portrayed as submissive and exotic? How can reclamations of Asian American "masculinity" become sexist and homophobic?

Through this intimate discussion, we seek to understand Asian American gender roles and stereotypes not, as stereotypes are sometimes argued for, "rooted in truth," but as socially constructed and markers of subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) racism against Asian American communities. Also, in challenging these gender roles, how can we create a culture and understanding of Asian American sexuality that respects all people's genders and sexual orientations?

Workshop led by Ryan Fukumori

Human Trafficking: Slavery in the Asian American Community

Human trafficking is an issue involving the intersection of immigration, race, class, age, and sex. An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked across international borders each year; 50 percent of the victims are children and roughly 80 percent are female. Overwhelmingly, the largest number of people trafficked into the United States, approximately 5,000 to 7,000 people, come from Asia and the Pacific Islands. This workshop will dispel some of the myths and misconceptions about involuntary servitude, forced labor, and bondage as well as highlight some of the policies that are in place at the federal and state levels to address this severe exploitation of labor.

Militarism of The United States Abroad and How It Affects You At Home

While the boundaries of area studies might separate the study of Korea and the Philippines and, in turn, the history of Korean and Filipino immigrant communities, tracing each nation's role in the history of imperial ambition, colonial and military occupation, and in current Asia-Pacific regional security strategies reveals many commonalities, especially in each nation's experience and resistance to US militarism. What do we mean by US militarism, and why does it matter to Asian-Pacific Americans? By presenting the trajectory of US militarism and its role in foregrounding military and national security concerns in Korea and the Philippines, we will discuss some crucial dimensions and impacts of military occupation and culture on people's lives, both for those who are directly affected as well as for Asian-Pacific Americans living in the United States. This workshop will then pose alternatives to the antagonistic and repressive politics of militarism and war, and present a critical context for understanding the current War on Terror and how it is taking shape at home and abroad in Korea and the Philippines.

Never Perfect: A Discord on Asian American Beauty

What does it mean to be beautiful? Who dictates what is considered attractive? Are these beauty definitions and ideals influenced by race, history, geopolitics, and other power structures? Engage in dialog about issues surrounding body image and beauty ideals for Asian Americans through two documentaries Never Perfect, a film by Regina Park, and Asian American Beauty, a student film by Aretha Choi, Marilla Li, and Calvin Sun. Never Perfect explores the complex journey of a young Vietnamese-American woman's struggle with popular perceptions of beauty and body image as she fights the stigma of racial self-hatred in her decision to undergo cosmetic surgery. On the other hand Asian American Beauty addresses the struggles, pressures, and stereotypes of Asian American women surrounding body image, eating disorders, and beauty expectations. Both films attempt to expose the deeper implications of Beauty standards for Asian Americans specifically.

Organizing In Times of War (The Filipino Youth's Perspective and Experience)

How do we organize to build strong, progressive movements in times of war?

President George Bush's "endless war on terror" has unleashed unparalleled terror on our communities through anti-people immigration bills, detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants, militarization of working class neighborhoods, wars of aggression against Third World countries, etc. As the marginalization of our communities continues to intensify, organizing becomes essential in building and maintaining strong, progressive movements that will uphold and promote our people's rights and welfare. Through this workshop, members of Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Linking the Children of the Motherland) will engage participants in a discussion of principles, strategies and tactics on how to organize ourselves and our communities to become catalysts for social change.

Workshop led by Ugnayan

Searching for an Asian American Pop Culture

We will examine if such a paradigm of APIA pop culture exists, the various ways it has been (erroneously) defined over the past decade and its relevance to today's Asian American social and political movement. New and current trends within the Asian American arts and entertainment communities will be discussed and dissected. This workshop will also explore the "Asian American arts ghetto", a mentality that has prevented Asian American artists from crossing over to a mainstream audience. The founders of FALLOUT CENTRAL (www.falloutcentral.com) will discuss how crossover success for an Asian American artist can be achieved and the strides they have made in the development of an Asian-American music scene.

PANELS

Here are some of the confirmed panels...more complete list to come!

Asian American Studies: Respected Academic Discipline or Soon to be Forgotten Fad?

After the Third World Movement in the 1960s came the inception Ethnic Studies, along with Asian American Studies. Since then, minors and majors in Asian American Studies have popped up throughout colleges and universities located mainly along the West Coast. Despite the apparent emergence of recognition for a long ignored minority group, little progress has occurred within the institutionalization of Asian American Studies in higher education across the nation. Why is it so difficult to integrate Asian American Studies into mainstream education? What are the different implications of securing Asian American Studies as an academic discipline for administrators, students, and society as a whole? Through in-depth discussion, we hope to shed some light upon these questions and perhaps raise some more.

Panelists Gary Okihiro (Columbia) Jennifer Hayashida (Hunter) Jacqueline Ng Fernandez (CRAASH) and Jessica Lee (CRAASH). Moderated by by Olivia Lin (CRAASH)

Challenging the Mainstream: Asian Americans in the Ethnic Blogosphere

Since its advent, the internet has been a crucial medium through which APA activists channel their thoughts and opinions about progressive issues. From it, the growing phenomenon of writing web logs, or "blogging", has allowed activists and ethnic commentators to challenge mainstream media's opinions of society. The Boston Globe has called such blogs "places where people of color gather to refine ideas or form thoughts about race relations, racial inequities, and the role pop culture has in exacerbating stereotypes." In this workshop, you will learn how you can begin your own such process of blogging as a form of activism in order to challenge mainstream media and its dialogues upon race and Asian Americana.

This panel will include Kai Chang (Zuky), Carmen Van Kerckhove (Racialicious), Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man), William Lee (Fallout Central), Jenn Fang (Reappropriate), Jen Wang and Diana Nguyen (Disgrasian).

From Strictly Taboo to Proudly Exposed: Asian American Sexual Identity

The subject of sexual preference, and sexuality in general, has always been a sensitive one within the Asian American community. As a group, Asian Americans have commonly been perceived as asexual and some might say have even acted accordingly to fit these societal expectations. What is behind the stigma associated with being an openly sexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender Asian American? Is the source of this stigma internal or external? How has it carried over to personal welfare? And what is being done about it today? Through thought-provoking conversation in an open and safe environment, we hope to explore all these issues and leave with something new¡Xwhether it is a greater understanding, a new perspective, or a newfound comfort concerning sexual identity.

The LGBT issues panel at NYCAASC seeks to redefine the struggles of Queer activists and explore the additional obstacles that Asian Americans members of the Queer community face as a double minority in race and sexuality. Issues that will be discussed include the difficulties relating to maintaining queer identity within APA communities, multiple aspects of the coming out experience, and combating racism and other forms of oppression. The panel will also face questions on important related issues such as Asian-American image in media, the model minority myth, Asian-American sexuality, pornography, and gay marriage. As Queer activism is defined by individual experiences and personal identity a range of Queer rights activists will share their struggles and triumphs in this intimate workshop.

Panelists Larry Tantay, Rich Kiamco, and Kalaya'an Mendoza

Pop culture / Performing Arts Panel

Learn about the trials and obstacles endured by Asian Americans as they navigated the world of performing arts. These inspirational artists have incorporated their Asian American identity into their personal style, making something that is new and unique. By breaking through stereotypes, they have redefined perspectives of society to see Asian Americans in a new light.

With panelists Regie Cabico, Timothy Huang, Heather Park, Taiyo Na, Vishesh Sharma, and Jie-Song Zhang. Moderated by William Lee