Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
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.
Prof. Christine Balance, the 2024 CUNY Thomas Tam Visiting Professor at the CUNY Graduate Center, will present ongoing research and writing from her book project, Making Sense of Martial Law.
Christine Bacareza Balance is associate professor of performing & media arts and Asian American studies at Cornell University, where she is core faculty with the Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) and former director of Asian American studies. Prof. Balance is the 2024 CUNY Thomas Tam Visiting Professor at the CUNY Graduate Center. She received her Ph.D. in performance studies at New York University (NYU).
Prof. Balance’s first book, Tropical Renditions: Making Musical Scenes in Filipino America (2016) received the Best First Book award from the Filipino Studies caucus of the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS). Along with Prof. Lucy San Pablo Burns, she is co-editor of the artist-scholar anthology, California Dreaming: Movement and Migration in the Asian American Imaginary (2020). Prof. Balance’s articles on the production history of Apocalypse Now, former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos, Asian American YouTube artists, OPM and Filipino phonography culture, Jessica Hagedorn’s West Coast Gangster Choir, and spree killer Andrew Cunanan have been published in various academic journals.
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.
AAARI celebrated its 20th anniversary as part of CUNY, and honored leaders and CUNY alumni, Joyce Moy (former Executive Director of AAARI), Hon. John C. Liu (NYS Senate, Queens 11th District) and Ms. Naheed Samadi Bahram (US Country Director for Women for Afghan Women; Queens College alumnae), as well as student award recipients for the CUNY Thomas Tam Scholarship (Vikii Wong, CUNY School of Professional Studies) and Chynn-CUNY Essay and Morality Essay Contest.
Kaitlyn Chan, a sophomore at Brooklyn College double-majoring in biology and psychology, interviewed AAPI activists and supporters about the actions that they were taking to combat the recent rise in anti-Asian hate; their experiences with discrimination, racism, and prejudice in school and the workplace; and their thoughts on the lack of Asian American representation in politics and media.