Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
The CUNY Thomas Tam Scholarship awards $1,000 to an individual qualified undergraduate student that is currently enrolled at any of the twenty-one colleges within CUNY, Asian or non-Asian, who has demonstrated creativity in the communication of the concerns of the Asian American community in areas such as health, education, culture, media, or advocacy/activism.
Economic and structural inequality, racial scapegoating, and anti-Asian xenophobia all played a role in violence against Asian Americans, then, and continue unabated to today in 2021. Against the backdrop of the continuing global Covid-19 crisis and anti-Asian violence and hate in the United States, we present to you the reader some signals of hope and reclamation on the local and national level: Asian Americans recognizing and reclaiming their place in the larger civil society despite immense institutional and ideological barriers.
Co-editors Nicholas D. Hartlep, Terrell L. Strayhorn, and Fred A. Bonner II will present on Belonging in Higher Education: Perspectives and Lessons from Diverse Faculty (Routledge, 2024), a new book that illuminates autoethnographic stories of belonging in higher education in the United States.
Cynthia Leung, a recent graduate in American Studies from Brooklyn College, explored the complex relationship between Asian American communities and public safety, particularly focusing on the experiences and perspectives of Chinese Americans regarding the police and criminal justice system.
For this symposium, AAARI has invited students, scholars, community organizers, and/or practitioners to share their innovative research and creative works, pedagogical projects, programmatic efforts, and other activities that address the broad scope of “AAPI Identities.”
Vicki Zheng (Baruch College) aims to support Asian American commuter students’ transitions to college by addressing mental health and cultural challenges. She partnered with Apex for Youth to launch a Discord channel for academic and social support, with plans to expand to more campuses in 2023-2024.