WORKSHOP SESSION 2: 1:45PM - 2:45PM
KELLY TSAI: Revelation/Revolution: Spoken Word Poetry, AAPI Movement Making, & You
Kelly Tsai is an award-winning spoken word poet, playwright, and filmmaker who has been featured at over 500 venues worldwide including the White House, Apollo Theater in Harlem, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Tyra Banks' Flawsome Ball & three seasons of "Russell Simmons Presents HBO Def Poetry." She has also been profiled in AngryAsianMan.com's "30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30," Idealist.org in NYC's "Top 40 NYC'ers That Make Positive Social Change," and HBO's "East of Main Street: Asians Aloud."
"Visibility. Voice. Vision. Whether you are fighting on behalf of the DREAM Act, Pvt. Danny Chen, underrepresented populations within AAPI communities, or seeing more AAPI's in arts and entertainment, your life experiences, point of view, and passions are critical to the progress of AAPI's everywhere. Join spoken word poet Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai in this interactive writing and performance workshop where we'll explore spoken word poetry as a vehicle for exploring what you care about most and learning to live it OUT LOUD!"
*photo credit to Katie Pipier
HECTOR JAVIER, JAMES WONG, CYNDY YU-ROBINSON: Asian American by Choice: Overcoming Bamboo Ceilings
Cyndy Yu-Robinson is a working mom who struggles daily to balance a public affairs career, fitness, family, and community service. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Laos, Thailand, and Singapore, Cyndy is a second generation Asian American. She had a Tiger Dad and an entrepreneurial Mom, attended Stanford University and UCSD. She currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for NAAAP National and has been through half a dozen leadership programs including Leadership Triangle. Cyndy lives in Raleigh with her five kids (two she gave birth to, one she married, and two furry ones - dogs - she adopted). Her five time national karate championship record has already been surpassed by her daughter, who is going for #9 this year.
James Wong is a nationally recognized speaker, instructor, digital marketing and communications strategist and passionate social entrepreneur. Emerging technologies, and the effects of adoption within physical and digital communities, have been a strong focus throughout his career. At age 12, James managed three online communities, supporting over 1,000 NC technology enthusiasts – eventually leading to the management of online communities supporting over 600,000 users worldwide. From 2007-2012, James served as the Marketing Communications Manager for the iContact Corporation (a division of the Vocus Corporation), an industry leading email marketing services provider, and pioneered digital strategies which spearheaded iContact into the social media marketing industry. Today, James is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Empowered Ideas, a nationally recognized marketing communications firm for small businesses and nonprofits. His passion for diversity in leadership and community outreach has led to special recognition by the Society of New Communications Research (SNCR), North Carolina Army National Guard, the National Black MBA Association (NBMBA), and by Asian Focus of North Carolina. In addition, James currently serves as the President of the RTP Chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) and as the Marketing Chair for the Triangle Association of Black Journalists (TABJ). He has also served as the President of the Triangle Interactive Marketing Association (TIMA) in 2012.
"The National Association of Asian American Professionals is North America's premiere nonprofit membership-based organization for developing and cultivating Asian American leadership, through career skills development, community service, professional networking, and strategic partnerships with organizations such as APIA Vote, Toastmasters International, the Project Management Institute, and many others.
We are mostly "Asian by birth, American by circumstance, but Asian American by choice." We don't sit back and accept what birth or circumstance would limit us to, but we take action to use the best of what we have to give value to our workplaces, families and communities.
We shall form a panel of experienced professionals and nonprofit community leaders who will share firsthand experiences, best practices and lessons learned, and practical insights on how our backgrounds as Asian Americans illumine the way we handle our career management challenges and strategies, and how our involvement in the community and in after-work service activities enhances our careers and personal lives, and vice versa.
We provide concrete examples from the field, from high-touch local projects to national and international initiatives."
FAITH VILLANUEVA: Eating "Asian": Food Politics and Racial Awareness
A graduate of Duke University's class of 2012, Faith Villanueva is passionate about representations of Asian Americans in pop culture, from television shows to food politics. As a Tsinoy-American, Faith is also interested in the narratives of marginalized identities within Asian America, and has written about being Tsinoy-American at Duke in the 2013 publication of Yellow Pages. Faith has been involved with the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) conference for the past 2 years as well as a volunteer at the first TAASCON at Duke in 2011.
"What kind of imagery does "Asian" cuisine evoke to the average American? Fortune cookies? California or Philadelphia rolls? Spam? Eating cats and dogs? Food is a form of identity, an extension of ourselves as we cook it and consume it, and for Asian Americans, this part of our identity has long been stifled and twisted into stereotypes. Like our food, Asian Americans are continually confronted with questions of our right to be here, and the authenticity of our Asian-ness and our American-ness. In many ways, perceptions of Asians in America have mirrored that of Asian food: distorted, demonized, and exoticized. This workshop will discuss a history of food culture as an integral part of the Asian American narrative, as well as how that history continues to shape Asian American lives today."
KRISTEN LEE: Olympic Dreams to Linsanity: The Story of Asian American Athletes
Kristen Lee is a senior majoring in sociology at Duke University and a member of the Asian American Alliance. Her passion for social justice, gender equity, and civil rights has been strengthened by the heart of her peers, and she hopes to be a lifelong advocate for the Asian American community and women of color.
"In February 2012 Jeremy Lin walked onto the courts of a injury ridden New York Knicks and set off a month of unlikely wins and unbelievable plays that set the world on fire. We think we know the tale of Linsanity but do we really? Is it the story of an American underdog? Is it a case study in racist media? Or a testament to a growing Asian American and Asian consumer base? While athletes play by different rules, Jeremy Lin has had to contend with another set off the court. This workshop will examine Linsanity: media, public reaction, and aftermath. What can he learn from those that came before him and what does the road look like for Asian American athletes in his wake?"
JULIET SHEN, ANGELA JU, & VIGOR LAM: #tweettherevolution: maximizing social media impact for campus organizing
Angela Ju is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill studying PR & English. She has served as president of UNC’s Asian Students Association and, prior to that, coordinated the spring 2011 Journey Into Asia cultural show. She is also a sister of alpha Kappa Delta Phi and helped plan the inaugural youREACH Conference in fall 2011. Angela is also a founding member of ALIST Magazine, a quarterly publication sponsored by NAAAP dedicated to highlighting Asian American success and leadership, and currently serves as managing editor for ALIST Digital.
Vigor Lam graduated from The Ohio State University last June. During his undergraduate years, he was passionately engaged with Student Life on campus and within the AAPI community. His involvement with the AAPI community has allowed him to work for Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), and currently for Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF). Vigor is attending the University of Southern California this fall.
"One billion Facebook profiles, 500 million Twitter accounts, 90 million Instagram photographers, and counting. As these mediums evolve from platforms of expression to opportunities for meaningful engagement, social media represents an ever-popular catalyst for social change. How can you use these channels of influence for progressive organizing? This workshop delves into the nitty-gritty of how to maximize the impact of social media tools for your organization—whether that’s your campus ASA, your Greek organization, or your multicultural student office.
Come hear from former Duke and UNC ASA presidents to learn more about how they used social media to solicit thousands of dollars of corporate sponsorship revenue for their organizations, enact real social change, and understand how social media on your own campus fits within the larger framework of a global “twitter revolution.” Plus, the campus organization in attendance with the highest KLOUT score will win an American Express gift card contribution to their organization equivalent to the value of their KLOUT score!"
