Asian American / Asian Research Institute

The Future of the United Nations: Navigating Geopolitical Strain and Institutional Uncertainty
2026-02-11 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street, New York, NY, 10007
A high-level discussion on the future of the United Nations at a moment of profound geopolitical strain and institutional uncertainty. The conversation will bring together current Permanent Representatives and former senior UN officials to examine both the prospects and constraints of meaningful Security Council reform.

MOCA TALKS with Heather Guo: Cheongsam as Modern Icon
2026-02-11 18:30 - 19:30 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
Presented during New York Fashion Week, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) invites you to an evening exploring the cheongsam, also known as the qipao, as a powerful symbol of modernity, femininity, and cultural exchange. Fashion curator and designer Heather Guo will trace how this iconic garment evolved during a period of profound social, political, and aesthetic transformation, as Chinese women navigated new ideas of identity, cosmopolitanism, and self expression at home and abroad.

Serica Storytellers: Japanese Tanka Poets
2026-02-11 19:00 - 20:00 | NY
In honor of the Japanese Day of Remembrance on February 19, Serica Storytellers presents an intimate virtual conversation on “By the Shore of Lake Michigan”, the award-winning translation of a 1960 collection of Japanese tanka poetry written by Tomiko and Ryokuyō Matsumoto — a first-generation (Issei) Japanese American couple forcibly incarcerated at the Heart Mountain prison camp during World War II and later resettled in Chicago. Translated and edited by the poets’ granddaughter and a team of scholars, this collection represents a rare first-generation point of view. Through the tanka form — one of the oldest styles of Japanese poetry — the Matsumotos document 17 years of upheaval, displacement, grief, resilience, and rebuilding in the shadow of incarceration. This Serica Storytellers event brings together the book’s editor, translators, and contributing scholar to discuss Japanese-language writing from WWII, the cultural significance of tanka, and the work of recovering erased histories for future generations.

Korea on Stage New York
2026-02-12 - 2026-02-14 | Korean Cultural Center NY, 122 E 32nd St, New York, NY, 10016
Korean traditional patterns contain wisdom that inscribes the principles of harmony and coexistence found in nature, seeking to understand ideal aspirations with humanistic depth. The exhibition’s representative work, the gold-leaf Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido, bestows a sense of the most noble and splendid eternity beyond that of a mere astronomical chart depicting the constellations of the sky.

Lunar New Year: An Entry Point Into AAPI Studies
2026-02-12 10:00 - 11:00 | NY
Register here for an AAPI studies workshop from the Teacher Center. Lunar New Year is a time of celebration for millions across the world! Join us to learn about the diversity of experiences that come along with this joyous holiday and the history of Lunar New Year in the United States. The lesson plans provided will be geared toward grades K-8.

Exploring Diaspora Dreams and Everyday Life
2026-02-12 12:00 - 13:00 | NY
This session will give an overview of the rich and nationally recognised archives held at the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre. We will explore the value of community-generated archives and how they can give often-ignored or unheard communities a powerful archival presence and voice. Professor Sadiah Qureshi will discuss the value of archives like these from her perspective as an academic and historian researching the everyday lives of South Asian diaspora communities in the UK.

National APA Museum Commission - New York Regional Convening and Listening Session
2026-02-12 15:30 - 17:00 | New York University – Kimmel Center, Rosenthal Pavilion, 60 Washington Square South, New York, NY, 10012
Please join us in NYC to share your input on what a future national Asian Pacific American museum could look like.

The National Asian Pacific American Museum Commission is continuing its listening tour across the country and will be in NYC next! We invite anyone interested in learning more about the work of the Commission—including community leaders, academic professionals, and youth—to join us and share your input on what a future National Asian Pacific American Museum could look like. Learn more at www.nationalapamuseum.org.
This event is closed press. Registration is required to attend.

Teaching AAPI Studies K-8: Celebrating the Diversity of Lunar New Year
2026-02-12 16:00 - 18:00 | NY
Lunar New Year is a time of celebration for millions across the world! Join us to learn about the diversity of experiences that come along with this joyous holiday, the history of Lunar New Year in the United States, and how we can bring these experiences into the K-8 classroom! The lesson plans provided will be geared toward grades K-8.

Voting Rights 101 & Bridging Gaps in Community Participation
2026-02-12 18:00 - 19:00 | NY
Join us for this critical discussion exploring the importance of voting rights and inclusive civic engagement, especially in this pivotal election year. Learn from leading experts about the barriers South Asians and other communities face in accessing the ballot box, and discover strategies to bridge gaps in participation. Together, we’ll discuss actionable steps to ensure every voice is heard and every vote counts.

MOCA Lunar New Year Mixer: Year of the Horse Celebration
2026-02-12 18:00 - 21:00 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
Gallop into the Lunar New Year at the Museum of Chinese in America with an energizing evening of culture, community, and good fortune in celebration of the Year of the Horse. This mixer is the perfect opportunity to gather friends, meet new faces, and enjoy a night of joyful connection.

K-Pop Fandom: Performing Deokhu from the 1990s to Today
2026-02-12 18:30 - 20:00 | The Korea Society, 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY, 10017
In this lecture, Areum Jeong will explore the phenomenon of performing deokhu—a Korean term connoting an “avid fan”—and the cultural significance and meaning of K-pop fan practices with a nuanced examination of contemporary audience power.

Genealogy Keynote Talk: Jessica Soho, Filipino Journalist
2026-02-13 10:00 - 10:30 | NY
Jessica Soho is the most celebrated and most-awarded Filipino broadcast journalist in the Philippines.  Born on March 27,1964 and proudly Ilocano, she has forged an indelible legacy in the field of journalism.
Celebrating her 40th year in the Philippine broadcast industry, oho has built a remarkable career marked by unparalleled achievements and widespread recognition both nationally and internationally. She made history as the first Filipino to win the esteemed GeorgeFoster Peabody Award, and is a two-time recipient—first in 1999 for her documentaries Kamao and Kidneys for Sale, and again in 2014 for her in- depth coverage of the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban.
She also became the first Filipino to be nominated for—and to win at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards, and has been inducted into the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands Awards Hall of Fame, having been named “Most Trusted TV Host for News and Current Affairs” for 13 consecutive years.
Soho holds the distinction of being the first alumna of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication to receive the prestigious Gawad Plaridel Award for Journalism.
A highly recognizable figure on Philippine television, Soho began her journalism career  in 1988 as a news reporter. She rose to become the First Vice President for News Programs at GMA News, playing a pivotal role in elevating the network to its position as the Philippines’ most trusted and dominant news organization, until her retirement in GMA News in 2014.
Known for her compelling storytelling and steadfast commitment to journalistic integrity, Soho continues to be a defining voice in Philippine media. She currently hosts Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho – GMA Network’s highest-rated, most-awarded, and the Philippines’ No. 1 television show in 2024.
Her body of work spans investigative reporting, human interest features, and coverage of landmark events. With empathy, insight, and an unwavering dedication to  truth, Jessica Soho remains a pillar of credibility and excellence in journalism.

Trans Caribbean: Queer and Trans Arts, Rights, and Activism
2026-02-13 11:00 - 18:00 | NYU Espacio de Culturas, 53 Washington Square S, New York, NY, 10012, United States
Co-organized by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) and The Latinx Project at NYU. Co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality (CSGS), Hemispheric Institute, Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, and the Center for the Study of Africa and the African Diaspora (CSAAD).

Situating Racial Capitalism: South African Genealogies, Chinese Difference
2026-02-13 12:00 - 13:00 | CUNY Graduate Center – BRES Seminar Room 5318, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Since the turn of the millennium, the return of the People’s Republic of China to the African continent has been framed as a neocolonial scramble or revival of south-south cooperation. Drawing from ethnographic research on Chinese capitalist projects in Johannesburg, Huang recasts these relations of power as racial capitalism in a global moment of Chinese ascendance. Drawing from Reconfiguring Racial Capitalism, in this talk, Huang provides an overview of racial capitalism’s travels across South Africa and North America and illustrates how Chinese racial accumulation takes shape through the exploitation of “Black labor” (heigong) and the circulation of surplus. The ethnography points to racial capitalist formations beyond North American contexts, urging a deprovincialization and recalibration of critical understandings of race, capitalism, and empire in the twenty-first ‘Chinese Century.’
Speaker: Minwei Huang

Hack City Comedy with Mic Nguyen and Jenny Arimoto
2026-02-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Union Hall, 702 Union St, Brooklyn, 11215, United States
If having an Asian guy on a comedy show is unusual, then having two is just overkill. But that’s what the hosts of the Asian Not Asian Podcast, Jenny Arimoto and Mic Nguyen, are trying to do with their Hack City comedy show — overkill on the funnies. Join the two as they host one of NYC’s most diverse comedy shows, featuring comics from HBO, Comedy Central, and your Twitter feed.
Hosted by Mic Nguyen and Jenny Arimoto
With special guests TBA

7:00pm Doors / 7:30pm Show
$15 GA (mixed seated / standing)
Ages 21+

FAQ
All Advance and Door tickets are Mixed Seating and Standing. Seating is limited.
When you arrive, simply check in at the door by providing the name of the ticket purchaser to claim your Will Call tickets.
Only Credit and Tap to Pay are accepted for ticket sales at the door.
Most other questions answered here.

Virtual Two-Day Facilitating Racial Equity: 2/17 & 2/18
2026-02-17 - 2026-02-18 | NY
Please note that this is a training happening over the span of 2 days.
Please note that there is a prerequisite course prior to taking this training. Participants are REQUIRED to take the Building Racial Equity: Foundation course.
Race Forward believes that racial justice is more important now than any other we have faced. We must embed racial equity into all of our daily operations and hold fast to a commitment that enables us to learn, grow, and practice racial equity work together.
As the world adapts to the pandemic, we will continue to offer virtual learning spaces that center on normalizing, organizing, and operationalizing racial equity in our work at every intersection.
One of the biggest challenges of racial equity work in organizations is building a culture where people feel supported to learn, grow, and practice together. Facilitating for Racial Equity is a workshop that gives participants the tools and practice to face this challenge. This workshop builds on the foundation of the Building Racial Equity workshop, equipping participants with the skills, frameworks, and practice that they need to facilitate their own racial equity workshops. Participants will engage with a behind-the-scenes view of how racial equity workshops are structured, built, and delivered. Participants will leave this training:

More familiar with the practices of equity-focused facilitation
With more comfort & fluency with naming social dynamics and guiding group learning.
Able to understand and recreate similar structures, frameworks, and exercises as the Building Racial Equity workshop.

Who we most want to reach and engage:
This training is geared towards people in organizations that are already mostly aligned in their commitment to racial equity and have already dedicated resources and collective labor. The organization should have staff education as a significant priority of their internal-facing organizational change strategy and have sent staff to participate in a Building Racial Equity Workshop.
We also welcome individual facilitators who facilitate conversations around race and racial justice.

Losar Family Celebration: Year of the Fire Horse
2026-02-17 - 2026-02-18 | Intrepid Museum, Pier 86, West 46th Street, New York, NY, United States
Join us for two days of hands-on learning and discovery as we celebrate Losar, the Tibetan New Year, during Kids Week at the Intrepid Museum.

Better Chinatown Annual Firecracker Ceremony
2026-02-17 11:00 - 15:00 | Handball Court, Grand Street, New York, NY, 10002, United States
Come celebrate Lunar New Year with Better Chinatown at their firecracker event! It’s time to promote Asian culture through participating in a cultural and festive event with Better Chinatown.
Volunteers will be participating in the event through being mascots (dragons, panda, rabbit), participating in booths, as well as setting up and cleaning up!
Lunch will also be provided for all volunteers!! Vegan options are also included.

Career Ceilings Masterclass "Personal Marketing and Mentorship"
2026-02-17 18:00 - 19:00 | NY
Throughout the many events we have held over the years, one of the observations that comes out repeatedly is the importance of engaging in effective personal marketing, having a strong network inside and outside of the organizations that you are part of, and developing mentors. This event will feature insights from three accomplished panelists who have expertise on this topic from their current professional responsibilities as well as their own personal careers: Raj Gupta, Co-Chair of the Board of Advisors, Johns Hopkins GUPTA-KLINSKY India Institute; Former CEO, Rohm and Hass; Bob Lee, Chairman of the Board, Blue Shield of California; and Deb Liu, former President & CEO of Ancestry.
Peter Young, Committee of 100 Board Member and New York Regional Chair, and Chair of the Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative, will moderate.
After the conclusion of the fireside chat, there will be a Q&A session during which members of the audience may ask questions.

Weeds: A Germinating Theory Book Launch with author Kwan Queenie Li and Curator Kelly Ma
2026-02-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Head Hi, 146 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11205
Join us for the New York book launch for Weeds: A Germinating Theory by artist Kwan Queenie Li who will be joined by curator Kelly Ma in a lively discussion about this brand new book published by MACK as part of their new Sightlines series featuring essays looking at architecture from distinct points of view, each taking the perspective of a particular entity, history, discipline, or form of writing.

Theater: An Evening with Lloyd Suh, Shannon Tyo, Daniel K. Isaac, & Christine Mok
2026-02-17 19:30 - 20:30 | The Drama Book Shop, 266 West 39th Street, New York, NY, 10018, United States
The Drama Book Shop presents, in association with Jay Michaels Global Communications, An Evening with Lloyd Suh, Shannon Tyo, Daniel K. Isaac, & Christine Mok- A Talkback, signing and live podcast recording.

Teaching AAPI Cross-Cultural Solidarity to Grades 6-12
2026-02-18 10:00 - 11:00 | NY
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have played active roles in U.S. history, yet their narratives and contributions are often overlooked. When included in curricula, AAPI stories are frequently taught in isolation, with little attention paid to moments of cross-cultural solidarity and collective struggle with other communities. This workshop seeks to bridge that gap by equipping educators with historical context, shared narratives and tools to teach AAPI history through a lens of connection and solidarity.

A4 Insider: Commercial Casting for Actors
2026-02-18 12:00 - 13:00 | NY
Join Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) for A4 Insider, a new series that invites established artists and arts leaders for candid discussions with emerging artists on navigating professional industries. Held in a free virtual format, presenters will share practical advice and address often gatekept industry knowledge, with the aim of building confidence and community for the next generation of creatives.

“Archival Interregnum: Caste, Sexuality, Indenture,” A Lecture by Anjali Arondekar
2026-02-18 18:00 - 20:00 | 19 University Place, Great Room, 19 University Place, first floor, New York, NY, United States
Presented by the Comparative Approaches to the Literatures of Africa, the Middle East, and the Global South (CALAMEGS) 2025-26 Lecture Series. Co-sponsored by the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, NYU Department of Social & Cultural Analysis, and Center for the Study of Gender & Sexuality at NYU.

The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire...and China's Most Feared Critic - Mark Clifford in Conversation with Evan Osnos
2026-02-18 18:30 - 20:00 | CUNY Graduate Center (Elebash Recital Hall), 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
Learn about the extraordinary story of businessman, democracy activist, and political prisoner Jimmy Lai.

Who Gets to Belong?: Teaching About AAPI Citizenship History 4-12
2026-02-19 10:00 - 11:00 | NY
Join The Asian American Education Project for a live, virtual workshop. This interactive session will explore the pivotal role Asian Americans have played in shaping U.S. history, particularly in the realm of citizenship and immigration. Participants will delve into the landmark case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which secured birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment. The workshop will also highlight the powerful story of Tereza Lee, often recognized as the first “DREAMer,” whose experience helped ignite a national conversation on undocumented youth and immigration reform. Educators will leave with a deeper understanding of these narratives as well as ready-to-use lesson plans and classroom materials.

Indigenizing in the Spanish Empire: An African Perspective
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:30 | NYU Espacio de Culturas, 53 Washington Square S, New York, NY, 10012, United States
Join us for the inaugural lecture by Andrés Bello Chair Enrique Okenve (University of the West Indies), exploring the contested meanings of “indigenous” in Equatorial Guinea within the history of the Spanish Empire. The talk examines how colonial policies, memories, and local resistance shaped processes of indigenization across Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific. Introduced by Monique Bedasse and moderated by Adrian de León (NYU History).
This program co-sponsored by the Department of History and the Center for Latin American Studies.

Korean Travel: Survival Language & Tips Workshop
2026-02-20 08:00 - 17:00 | NY
Planning to travel to Korea soon? In this fun and engaging workshop, you learn how to navigate around Korea.
You will learn how to introduce yourself, ask for directions, order in a restaurant, and ask the price of things as well as how to say hello, thank you, excuse me in Korean and much, much more!
And, you explore key etiquette practices including: greetings and bowing, dining protocols, passing items and gift giving. Suggestions on what to do and see, where and how to get a taxi, and maneuvering public transportation are also provided. Language instruction is in English and Korean. Etiquette and tip instructions are in English.
This workshop is open to ages 16+.
Materials will be provided in class.

2026 Jerome Krase Awards Ceremony
2026-02-20 13:00 - 14:30 | CUNY Graduate Center – Skylight Room, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
The Jerome Krase & Sandi Cooper Awards are new awards from CUNY Academy, to be presented each year to associate professors at CUNY in recognition of outstanding research in the humanities or sciences, including social and life sciences.
The awardees are selected among a large group of nominees of associate professors from all CUNY campuses and receive university-wide recognition of their work. The awards are named after Jerome Krase, founding member of the CUNY Academy, and longstanding member of the CUNY Academy board.

Contemporary art and ecological Transformation in East and Southeast Asia
2026-02-20 17:30 - 19:00 | NY
Editor Meqin Wang, with contributors Midori Yamamura, Vicki Kwon and Stephanie Benzaquen-Gautier examine how contemporary art in East and Southeast Asia confronts environmental destruction, ecological degradation, and social injustice in the backdrop of global ecological crises.
