Asian American / Asian Research Institute

Southeast Asian Studies Initiative (SEASI)’s 6th Annual Symposium
2026-04-06 | Watson School of International and Public Affairs – Brown University, 111 Thayer St, Providence, RI, 02912
The symposium will take place on Saturday, April 4th, 2026, at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University. The program will feature a keynote address by a leading scholar in Southeast Asian Studies, student presentations from Brown University and institutions across the Northeast, a cultural performance, and catered lunch and dinner.

MOCA x NYAFF Film Club: American Girl
2026-04-02 18:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
MOCA x NYAFF Film Club is a quarterly program celebrating the brilliance and boldness of Asian and Asian American cinema. This series highlights films of historic and cultural significance under the theme Margin, spotlighting daring films that challenge the norm, rewrite narratives, and push boundaries.
AMERICAN GIRL follows 13-year-old Fen, who is forced to move from Los Angeles back to Taipei with her mother and younger sister after her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. Set during the 2003 SARS outbreak, Fen struggles to adapt to life in Taiwan—feeling like an outsider at school, reconnecting with her estranged father, and clashing with her mother. As tensions at home intensify and Fen acts out in rebellion, a health scare involving her younger sister pushes the family toward a long-overdue emotional confrontation.

Sips & Strokes Chinese Calligraphy Workshop
2026-04-02 18:30 - 20:30 | 115 Bowery New York, NY 10002, 115 Bowery, New York, NY, 10002
Join Sophie Yuan for a beginner Chinese calligraphy workshop. Learn brush strokes, create characters, and enjoy wine and light refreshments.

Sips & Strokes Chinese Calligraphy Workshop
Join Chinese language educator and children’s author Sophie Yuan for an engaging introduction to the art of Chinese calligraphy. This beginner-friendly workshop will guide participants through fundamental brush techniques and simple characters, while exploring the cultural and philosophical traditions behind this centuries-old practice. Through hands-on instruction, attendees will slow down, focus their attention, and experience the meditative rhythm of ink on paper.

Book Talk | A Solitary Traveler in the Long Night
2026-04-02 18:00 - 19:30 | China Institute of America, 40 Rector Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY
China Institute invites you to an evening conversation with Zhang Qin, author of A Solitary Traveler in the Long Night, an intimate portrait of Tong Jun, a pioneering architect and architectural educator whose work helped shape the intellectual foundations of modern Chinese architecture. Blending architectural history, personal reflection, and cultural analysis, the book reveals the inner world of a master architect whose influence far exceeded the limited records of his life. The conversation will be moderated by Susan Yuqing Feng, Director of Programs at China Institute, and followed by an audience Q&A and a book signing.

Pro Se Collaborative Habeas Training
2026-04-02 12:30 - 15:00 | CPC One, 45 Suffolk Street, New York, NY, 10002
This training will help NYC based community advocates and social services workers understand how habeas petitions are used in the immigration detention context and go over the basic elements of a pro se petition for common scenarios that have arose in New York. This training is for non-attorney advocates, including organizers, and others supporting detained community members. Sample filing documents and templates will be provided during the training.

Association for Asian American Studies 2026 Annual Conference
2026-04-02 - 2026-04-04 | Honolulu, Hawaii
Our 2026 AAAS gathering in Hawai‘i coincides with a series of anniversaries that present a timely opportunity to consider the promises and limits of Asian American Studies from the belly of the U.S. imperial beast. Here we’re especially thinking about how 2026 marks the semiquincentennial of the United States’ declaration of independence from the British Empire and the birth of its own world historic imperial vision that extended its reach from the Atlantic into the Pacific; the 50th anniversary of the first “landing” that liberated the island of Kaho‘olawe from decades of U.S. Navy live-fire bombing, a Kanaka Maoli-led effort that helped spark the modern sovereignty movement; and the 80th anniversary of the Great Hawai‘i Sugar Strike, an island-wide, interethnic, working-class shutdown of the plantation industry.

Contesting Indigeneity, Connecting Peoples
2026-04-02 - 2026-04-03 | 53 Washington Square S, 53 Washington Square South, New York, NY, 10012, United States
Enrique Okenve’s Symposium: A two-day program on the doing and undoing of domination across the Spanish Empire

This two-day symposium organized by Enrique Okenve will compare varied, contesting experiences of indigenous peoples and the possible ways in which their responses connected them across territories and throughout time.
Thursday, April 2, 6-8 PM: Contestations at the ground level
Friday, April 3, 12-2 PM: Connections across space and time

Akane-banashi World Premiere
2026-04-01 20:00 - 22:00 | Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY, 10017, United States
Akane-banashi is an acclaimed manga written by Yuki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Moue. The series is praised for its authentic presentation of Rakugo, a traditional Japanese style of storytelling, and for making this 400-year-old artform accessible to new generations.

AAPI Celebration: On Confluences and Connections by Sangamithra Iyer
2026-04-01 12:30 - 13:30 | Charles B. Wang Center – Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
Sangamithra Iyer will read from and discuss her debut book, Governing Bodies: A Memoir, a Confluence, a Watershed. Governing Bodies connects family history, ecological grief, the lives of animals, and the memory of water in a lyrical meditation on lineages of nonviolence. In it, Iyer also wrestles with how we live with the legacy of historical harms and how we address the current moment of multiple worldwide crises. The book sits at the confluence of prose and poetry, science and art, and personal and planetary sorrow, and draws from Iyer’s work at the intersections of engineering, writing and activism.

Eunbi Kim: it feels like a dream
2026-03-31 19:30 - 20:30 | National Sawdust, 80 North 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11249
Pianist Eunbi Kim makes her National Sawdust debut with it feels like a dream, an intimate solo program exploring family and identity, offering listeners a sound space to reflect on the dreams they carry and pass on. The program features works by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Angélica Negrón, Pauchi Sasaki, and Sophia Jani for piano, pre-recorded voices, and electronics, written for and performed by Kim. The evening includes the world premiere of a new work by Pauchi Sasaki, alongside music by Zosha Di Castri.

Gallery After Hours: Kawai Kanjirō: House to House
2026-03-31 18:00 - 20:00 | Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY, 10017, United States
We are delighted to invite you to a private Gallery After Hours tour of Kawai Kanjirō: House to House—the artist’s first solo exhibition in the United States and the only time this collection has left Japan.
Enjoy sake and light refreshments, then join Naomi Kuromiya, Senior Research Associate at the Japan Society Gallery, for an insider’s look at this landmark exhibition.

Vibe Coding + AI Prototyping (Online Workshop)
2026-03-31 10:00 - 12:00 | NY
The Tech Incubator at Queens College (TIQC) and the AAARI Innovators Fellowship team are hosting a 2.5-hour online workshop to help students learn vibe coding and practical AI tools to build quick prototypes and turn ideas into something real.
You should attend if you:

Have an idea you want to turn into a prototype (app, website, workflow, demo)

Want to learn how to build faster with AI, even if you’re not technical

Are interested in community-based innovation and real-world problem solving

This workshop is also a great way to connect with the AAARI Innovators Fellowship, which supports promising student innovators and community-based projects.

The Peking Acrobats
2026-03-29 16:00 - 17:30 | Queens College – Colden Auditorium, 153-49 Reeves Avenue, Flushing, NY, 11367
Prepare to be amazed as The Peking Acrobats® deliver a jaw-dropping performance that defies gravity and belief. This thrilling showcase blends the time-honored tradition of Chinese acrobatics with live music, bold visuals, and cutting-edge special effects—creating a high-flying experience for all ages.

Turang - an Indonesian Film Forum screening
2026-03-29 | Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Avenue, New York, NY, 10003
Indonesian Film Forum is proud to present the US East Coast premiere of Bachtiar Siagian’s Turang (1957) – a seminal piece of Indonesian film history, rediscovered in 2023 after having declared lost for many years.
Turang centers a love story between Batak Karo villager Tipi and Indonesian freedom fighter Rusli during Indonesia’s fight for independence from Dutch colonial rule. It is a document of Indonesian post-colonial cinema that colors a world beyond the military-centric independence narratives we often see. Turang displays Bachtiar Siagian’s neorealist streak and sincerity in telling the story of the Karo people, which also reflects his work as a member of LEKRA and the head of the 1964 Afro-Asian Film Festival – a film initiative stemming from the 1955 Afro-Asian conference in Bandung. A majority of Bachtiar Siagian’s films remains unseen to the contemporary audience, as LEKRA members were exiled or imprisoned after the 1965-66 anti-communist purge and Suharto’s presidency that emerged after.

National Muslim Women’s Summit | MALIKAH
2026-03-28 12:00 - 20:00 | The Islamic Center of New York City, 350 6th Avenue, New York, NY, 10011, United States
Every year, Malikah hosts the National Muslim Women’s Summit, one of the few nationwide gatherings dedicated to social justice rooted Muslim women. In 2026, we gather under the theme Collective Freedom and Collective Care, exploring how spiritual grounding, emotional resilience, storytelling, and community accountability shape the lives of Muslim women.
This year’s summit will take place at the Islamic Center of New York City and features a full day of conversation, creativity, and connection.
Through Qur’an recitation, poetry, comedy, music, fireside chats, and a dynamic panel discussion, we will explore how Muslim women build freedom through shared responsibility and collective care. Featuring workshops in healing justice, self defense, and creative expression, the summit offers both reflection and practical tools for personal and collective growth.

National Muslim Women’s Summit
2026-03-28 12:00 - 20:00 | The Islamic Center of New York City, 350 6th Avenue, New York, NY, 10011, United States

NY Seasonal Tea Ceremony: Matcha & the Hina Doll Festival
2026-03-28 10:30 - 12:00 | Globus Tea Room, 889 Broadway PHC, New York, NY, 10003, United States
Join us for a Hinamatsuri Tea ritual featuring a rare Kinin-date ceremony—celebrating seasonal beauty, grace, and Japanese tradition!

The DeGrasse Family of New York City
2026-03-27 18:00 - 19:30 | Asian American / Asian Research Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, Suite 1000, New York, 10036, United States
Prof. Prithi Kanakamedala will present on their project examining the life of George DeGrasse and his family, who lived on land in New York City donated by Aaron Burr in the early nineteenth century.

2026 Asian Americans and STEM Conference: Science in a De-globalizing World
2026-03-27 10:00 - 17:00 | New York University (370 Jay Street, Brooklyn), 370 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201
Led by a cross-disciplinary team from Asian American Studies, Physics, and Computer Science, this project examines the contradictory position of Asian American scientists as both celebrated “model minorities” and perceived security threats. By integrating humanities-driven inquiry with scientific history, the initiative uncovers how U.S. and European imperialism, racial exclusion, and global geopolitics have shaped the experiences of these researchers. The work seeks to reclaim the narratives of Asian American scientists, moving them from passive objects of study to recognized agents of discovery whose contributions have often been erased or obfuscated in standard histories.
Building on an inaugural 2024 conference at Yale that drew over 100 participants, the project is expanding its reach through a second one-day symposium in collaboration with NYU and CUNY. These events foster critical dialogue on racialization and professionalization within STEM fields across the 20th and 21st centuries. The upcoming symposium continues this mission of addressing the lack of recognition for Asian American technical workers and is open to all individuals interested in the intersection of race, history, and scientific production.

Writing Legal Lives: Biography, Memoir, and the Law
2026-03-27 09:30 - 17:00 | CUNY Graduate Center – Skylight Room, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
Please join us in this one-day conference exploring the ways in which personal narratives inform our understanding of the law, justice, and ethics.

5th Annual CUNY LGBTQI+ Student Conference
2026-03-27 09:00 - 18:00 | Medgar Evers College, 1637 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11225
This year’s theme, Beyond the Rainbow: Centering Marginalized Voices in the LGBTQI+ Community, invites us to look past surface-level representation and visibility to engage in deeper, more meaningful dialogue about equity, inclusion, and intersectionality within our community. While the rainbow flag symbolizes unity and pride, it also challenges us to recognize that not all experiences within the LGBTQI+ spectrum are equally seen or valued.
Beyond the Rainbow encourages participants to explore the diverse identities and lived experiences that shape our collective story, including those of transgender and nonbinary individuals, queer people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, and others whose voices are often pushed to the margins. Through workshops, panels, and storytelling, we aim to amplify these perspectives, spark honest conversations, and strengthen solidarity across differences.

MOCA TALKS with Kip Fulbeck – hapa.me: 25 Years of the Hapa Project
2026-03-26 18:30 - 19:30 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
Presented during the closing week of hapa.me, the Museum of Chinese in America cordially invites you to an engaging conversation with artist and professor Kip Fulbeck, moderated by Herb Tam, MOCA’s Chief Curator and Senior Director of Exhibitions and Programming. Together, they will reflect on 25 years of The Hapa Project, Fulbeck’s landmark body of work that centers the voices and faces of people of mixed Asian and Pacific Islander heritage while posing a deceptively simple yet enduring question, What are you?

The Asian Caribbean in the Caribbean Diaspora: Essays on Migration, Identity, and Literary and Cultural Representations
2026-03-26 18:00 - 19:15 | NY
Celebrate the publication of Aleah N. Ranjitsingh’s edited volume The Asian Caribbean in the Caribbean Diaspora: Essays on Migration, Identity, and Literary and Cultural Representations. The volume expands notions of the Caribbean diaspora to account for the Asian as part of the Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora.

Passing the Torch: Succession Planning for Community Media
2026-03-26 14:00 - 15:30 | NY
Instructor: Amy Kovac-Ashley, Executive Directory, Tiny News Collective
Succession planning is one of the most overlooked yet critical challenges facing community and ethnic media today. In an era of shrinking local news coverage and growing news deserts, the lack of a clear plan for leadership transition can threaten the survival of entire news outlets. When publishers or newsroom leaders retire or pass away without a succession plan, communities risk losing vital sources of information altogether.

The American Promise: Defending Birthright Citizenship
2026-03-26 13:00 - 15:00 | NY
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on birthright citizenship on April 1 in the class action lawsuit Trump v. Barbara. Your support is needed on this high-stakes case for one of our most basic and cherished constitutional rights. Together, the Asian Law Caucus, MoveOn, Popular Democracy, Voto Latino, AALDEF, Vet Voice, and Asian American Advocacy Fund will make the case for why civil rights defenders of all backgrounds must show up for this fundamental right—and for each other—leading up to the pivotal decision. We’ll share advocacy updates and collaborative opportunities to raise community voice on the day of oral argument, in anticipation of the ruling, and beyond. This event will be ASL accessible. We recommend deaf and hard-of-hearing participants log-on with computers (desktop/laptop) as opposed to phones.

Connecting the Dots: Data‑Informed Community Stories
2026-03-26 10:00 - 12:00 | CPC One, 45 Suffolk Street, New York, NY, 10002
Connecting the Dots: Data‑Informed Community Stories is the official launch of CPC’s new Impact Map and Interactive Tour! This milestone represents more than two years of dedicated work and hundreds of staff hours to bring our community’s stories, data, and impact to life in a meaningful, accessible way. At the event, you’ll experience 1) a live demonstration of the Impact Map and Interactive Tour, 2) a sneak peek of our new app, and 3) insights into how CPC is leveraging data to elevate community voices and drive better outcomes. Please RSVP at Connecting the Dots registration link. For more information, please contact Edgar Pereira (epereira@cpc-nyc.org) or Christina Wong (cwong3@cpc-nyc.org).

A Fiction Reading by Min Jin Lee
2026-03-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Queens College – Kupferberg Center for the Arts, 153-49 Reeves Avenue, Flushing, NY, 11367
Join us for a special fiction reading by New York State writer Min Jin Lee, author of Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, and a finalist for the National Book Award. This event, in memory of Marjorie Hecht Watson for Women’s History Month, will also feature a conversation with Julie Goodale, offering insights into Lee’s work and creative process.

CEC Speaker Series: Beyond the Clinic: Practicing Medicine in the Community
2026-03-25 18:30 - 19:30 | NY
Beyond the Clinic: Practicing Medicine in the Community will bring together perspectives from emerging and experienced leaders in health equity to discuss the differences between traditional clinical care and community-based practice. Speakers will share insights on how physicians, researchers, and community organizations work together to address health disparities, build trust, and provide care that reflects the lived realities of the communities they serve.
This conversation will highlight real-world experiences and practical strategies for bridging clinical medicine with community engagement, emphasizing the importance of culturally responsive care and partnerships that extend beyond the healthcare system.
This discussion will explore how to address social determinants of health and touch on subjects such as: • Moving beyond hospital and clinic walls into homes, schools, workplaces, and other community spaces • Practicing culturally responsive care • Listening to community voices and lived experience

Civic Responsibility & Activism: Mobilizing Communities for Lasting Change
2026-03-25 18:00 - 19:00 | NY
Join us for our final session on civic action & advocacy! Learn how collective efforts, activism & policy change drive lasting community imp

Join us for the final program in our series, celebrating the power of civic action and community advocacy. This session will highlight how collective efforts can drive lasting change and inspire a future shaped by engaged communities.

The Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype: New Data on Asian American Experiences
2026-03-25 14:00 - 15:00 | NY
Six years after the global pandemic, xenophobia and discrimination remain a persistent reality for Asian Americans, driven in part by the enduring “perpetual foreigner” stereotype.
