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Redefining Asian
America, is a
one-day forum which
seeks to respond to our
critical historical
moment by challenging
the boundaries of a
traditional conference.
Our goal is to provide a
useful forum for Asian
American community
members to engage in
outcomes-oriented
dialogue and action
around issues of
sustainable community
development: your voice
is central to that
effort, and we hope that
you will be able to
participate in these
pivotal discussions. We
are in a transformative
period of American
history, and
Redefining Asian America
is a crucial opportunity
for all of us to educate
ourselves, build new
alliances, and
strategize for the
future of Asian America.
As the U.S. attempts to
negotiate its gravest
financial crisis in
almost 75 years, Asian
American communities
must ensure that our
concerns are represented
in public debates around
lightning rod issues
such as education,
immigration, health
care, and
finance. Against this
backdrop, how can Asian
Americans unify our
voices? What are the
barriers to effective
coalition-building and
advancement, and how do
we develop sustainable
alliances and strategies
which challenge those
barriers?
By bringing together
leaders from across the
spectrum of Asian
America – policy makers,
community activists,
professionals, artists,
entrepreneurs,
researchers, students,
and educators –
Redefining Asian America
will present a forum for
examining how Asian
American communities are
confronting contemporary
barriers to visibility
and representation.
However, Redefining
Asian America
challenges participants
to move beyond dialogue
to action: the
conference organizers
invite you to be
imaginative and bold in
confronting day-to-day
realities and
constructing new
strategies to think and
act beyond
misconceptions, myths,
and marginalized
conditions.
Our morning plenary will
feature
cross-disciplinary
viewpoints of leaders
and change-makers in
the Asian American
community who are doing
groundbreaking and
innovative work as
activists, advocates,
professionals, scholars,
and educators; this
multi-faceted
examination of the state
of contemporary Asian
America will help us
frame the day's
activities. Afternoon
workshops will emphasize
dialogue and the
development of
sustainable strategies
for Asian American
community development.
At day's end, we will
reconvene and share our
insights and alliances,
and apply them to some
of the issues discussed
during the morning
plenary, as we begin to
design a call to action
that will drive social
impact for our
communities.
Session Tracks
(Afternoon Workshops)
Capturing the Asian
American Experience in
Education and the
Curriculum
Do our educational
institutions respond to
the needs of Asian
American communities and
students? Do the
curricula of public
schools and higher
education in the city
reflect the demographics
of the students they
serve? How do we develop
momentum for a crucial
expansion of the field
within New York City's
public schools
and institutions of
higher education? Where
is Asian American
Studies in New York
City? Why do we still
need to explain and
fight for the relevance
of Asian American
Studies as a legitimate
academic field?
Media and Technology: Promise and Limits for
Mobilization, Mass
Collaboration and
Coalition Building
Is the media
portraying Asian
Americans accurately and
appropriately? Are news
outlets reporting Asian
Americans issues
responsibly? How do
they reflect Asian
American concerns? Can
new media and technology
interfaces - e.g.
Facebook, blogs,
Twitter, RSS,
e-activism- be a real
platform for realizing
collaboration and action
for social change in
Asian American
communities? How are
these tools being put to
use by individuals and
groups in efforts to
outreach regarding:
alerts/events, political
issues, fundraisers,
communication, etc.? How
are struggling
non-profit organizations
working to extend into
the realm of the
virtual, in lieu of
being brick-and-mortar
organizations? How do we
leverage these tools in
empowering our
community's voice?
Community and
Economic Empowerment In
The New Financial
Reality
Are Asian American
concerns reflected in
the national, state and
local dialogue on
community and economic
development? How is the
fallout from the
nation's economic crisis
impacting Asian American
communities in terms of
public funding, private
philanthropy, education,
poverty rates, housing,
entrepreneurship,
health, and labor
conditions? What can we
do in order to mobilize
Asian American
communities so that we
remain visible and
active as crucial
economic decisions are
made regarding our
futures and how the
economic pie is
distributed? How do we
make sure that Asians
have a seat at the table
in making these
decisions?
The Arts, Literature
and Cultural
Institutions in the 21st
Century
What is the role of
art and culture in
shaping the dialogue on
what it is to be Asian
in America? How well are
Asian American artists
and writers represented
and supported in the
arts? How are Asian
American artists and
writers redefining their
positions within U.S.
mainstream and
independent cultural
production? How does
Asian visual art and
performance from
overseas impact Asian
American artists and
cultural institutions,
and vice versa? Are
institutions that
promote Asian and Asian
American artists
adequately supported?
How can Asian American
cultural workers
contribute to and
benefit from the
dialogue around issues
concerning the economy,
new media, and
education?
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