Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise in harassment, bullying, verbal assaults, and violence directed at Asian Americans and those within the Asian diaspora. This panel presents various perspectives from a diverse groups of UMass Amherst faculty, professional staff, graduate and undergraduate students, and community members. Through brief presentations and Q & A with participants, we hope to foster deeper understanding of current events and examples of how Asian American scholars, artists, and movements have responded, drawing connections to recent activism for racial justice by Black communities.
The panels and Q&A will be moderated by Miliann Kang, Associate Professor and Director of Diversity Advancement, College of Humanities and Fine Arts. Faculty panelists include C.N. Le, Senior Lecturer II in Sociology and Director of the Asian & Asian American Program and Cedric de Leon, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Labor Center.
Part I: Faculty Panel and Q&A (12:00-1:00pm)
Part II: Students, Staff, and Community Members and Q&A (1:00-2:00pm)
Organized by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Co-sponsored by the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program, the Department of History, the Labor Center, the Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, and the Asian & Asian American Arts and Culture Program, the Fine Arts Center, the College of Education, and the Massachusetts Society of Professors, the UMass Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success, and the Department of Sociology.