Asian American history and heroes for the next generation

Writer and activist scholar Frances Kai-Hwa Wang (王凱華) will explore “Asian American history and heroes for the next generation” and celebrate the many contributions that Asian Americans have made to the US in a series of public lectures. Topics include the first Filipino Americans to arrive in 1587, the Chinese Americans who built the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War 2 and redress, the model minority myth, the fight for justice for Vincent Chin, the importance of Asian American activism in today’s political climate, and more. A writing activity will encourage students and families to write their own stories of immigration for a larger storytelling project.

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang is a journalist, essayist, speaker, and educator focused on issues of diversity, race, culture, and the arts. Her writing has appeared at NBC News Asian America, PRI Global Nation, and she teaches Asian/Pacific Islander American civil rights history and media at the University of Michigan. She is a Knight Arts Challenge Detroit winner. franceskaihwawang.com.

• Friday December 6, 2019, 7:00-9:00 pm, sponsored by Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan (安娜堡中文學校) at King Elementary School media center, 3800 Waldenwood, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (with storytelling about Chinese American history for elementary-aged children 7:10-7:40) https://www.facebook.com/events/738099196668039/;
• Sunday December 8, 2019, 11:00 am-12:00 pm, sponsored by Ann Hua Chinese School (安华中文学校) at Washtenaw Community College, Crane Liberal Arts and Science building, Room LA272, 4800 E Huron River Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48105; and
• Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 6:00-8:00 pm, sponsored by American Citizens for Justice at Philippine American Cultural Center of Michigan (PACCM), 17356 Northland Park Ct., Southfield, MI 48075 https://www.facebook.com/events/1404371969722514

Lectures are free and open to the public and made possible in part by grants from Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Contact Frances Kai-Hwa Wang fkwangmedia@gmail.com for more information.