“Join us for the first ever APA Studies Conference at the University of Arizona. For many years, faculty, staff, students, and community leaders have been discussing the need for an APA Studies Program at the UA. This year, APASA & partners are proud to bring this conference to the Tucson community. Students, staff, faculty, and community members are invited to participate in interactive workshops, listen to guest speakers from & beyond the UA, and engage in a discussion that will help form what an APA Studies program would look like in Tucson. Breakfast & lunch are provided. Space is limited. Don’t miss it! Special thanks to our sponsors: Pima Community College, Asian American Faculty Staff & Alumni Association, UA East Asian Studies Department, & UA Ana & Adalberto Guerrero Student Center.”
CESAR E. CHAVEZ BUILDING, RM 205
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016
8:00AM – 2:00PM
Hosted by the Asian Pacific American Student Affairs (APASA) at UA.
Register today: www.apasa.arizona.edu.
PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert (half Korean) will be the luncheon speaker.
“Lee D. Lambert has been Chancellor of Pima Community College since July 1, 2013. He formerly served as President of Shoreline Community College and was on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). In 2015, Chancellor Lambert received a national leadership award from Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education and was named “Man of the Year” by the Pan Asian Community Alliance in Tucson. He has a Juris Doctor degree from Seattle University School of Law and has taught classes on Law, Civil Rights and Social Justice, and Employment Law at The Evergreen State College.”
As Editor of the Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition website (and an online blogger) I will be attending to find out more about Asian Americans in the media, education, politics, etc.
Last year former Louisiana Governor Indian American Bobby Jindal, a Republican entered the race for U.S. President, probably the first Asian American to attempt this feat. We do have an Asian American politician in Tucson – Dr. Sylvia Lee on the PCC Governing Board. She is Chinese/Japanese/Caucasian. Former TUSD Governing Board member Alexandre Borges Sugiyama (no relation to me despite my maiden name) served a year on that board in 2012, after being appointed. He is a half Japanese/half Portuguese Economics Lecturer at the UA.
Update: forgot to mention Herb Kai, Chinese American Councilman for the Town of Marana, serving till Nov. 2018, as well as Indian American Mayor of Oro Valley, Satish Hiremath.
Longer post on yesterday’s conference with graph & photo: https://blogforarizona.net/advancing-the-movement-for-asian-pacific-american-studies-at-ua/
Inspiring conference today at Chavez building about “why don’t we have an Asian Pacific American Studies program at UA?” was the question asked in the beginning welcome. Keynote speaker Prof. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales of San Francisco State U spoke of the past/purpose/power of having an APA curriculum at SFS since 1969, one of 64 Universities in the country. Then Prof. Celeste Gonzalez de Bustamante of UA Journalism School talked about the mis(representation) of Asians in the media/films/news. She had the audience do an exercise of googling Asian words and seeing what stereotypes came up. Then two Asian Studies Professors from ASU (Dr. Kathyn Nakagawa & Dr. Karen Leong) talked about their program est. 1998 with 7 faculty members now, with community/adm./other ethnic studies departmental support. After lunch PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert outlined the history racism against Asians in U.S., the myths of Asians being “model minorities” and the global rise of Asian countries, esp. China. 100 attendees were there today, including several professors, community leaders, lots of students. Workshops in the afternoon were about next steps to continue the process of trying to establish an APA studies program at UA (over 10 year struggle so far).
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