Asian American Studies Now!: A Conversation with Alums and Faculty on the Founding of the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program & Institute at NYU

October 26, 2021
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Online Via Zoom

Image of Asian American Studies Now!: A Conversation with Alums and Faculty on the Founding of the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program & Institute at NYU
Image courtesy of the event organizer.

Image courtesy of the event organizer.

Co-presented by the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU and Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program in the NYU Department of Social and Cultural Analysis.
Curated by Eric Tang.

In the 1990s, decades after the pivotal student strikes that led to the establishment of the first Asian American studies programs in California, college students, many of whom were children of the post-1965 generation, in the midwest and on the east coast began fighting for the establishment of similar programs on their campuses.

Here at NYU, a group of students came together in 1995, and with faculty support, began organizing for Asian American studies courses and a program. Through a series of actions, collaborations with students at Columbia and CUNY, and negotiations with the administration, the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program and Institute (now two separate entities) was founded in the fall of 1996.

To mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of this watershed moment and to recognize the student activism and vision that made both the A/P/A Institute and A/P/A Studies Program possible, we welcome back the alums who were instrumental in these efforts.

Curated and moderated by Professor Eric Tang (NYU BA ‘96 and PhD ‘06), this roundtable will feature alum Ron Rapatalo (NYU BA ‘97), Risa Morimoto (former A/P/A staff member), Professor Robin D.G. Kelley (University of California, Los Angeles), and Professor Thuy Linh Tu (NYU Department of Social & Cultural Analysis)

Accessibility note: This event will be hosted virtually on Zoom. A Zoom account, internet access, and a smartphone or computer is required. Closed captioning will be provided for all audio. If you have any access needs, please email apa.rsvp@nyu.edu as soon as possible.