American Crossroads Conference
April 13, 2009 | Yvonne Lim Wilson
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The African American community of Austin is protesting the early closure of Highland Mall. Latinos and Asian Americans are fighting a more stringent voter-ID bill.
These issues affect us all. An upcoming conference at UT, “American Crossroads: Migration, Communities, and Race” compares the experiences of Asian, African and Latino Americans to find commonalities.
“We encourage the sharing of questions and research problems across ethnic divides to advance our understanding of the coalitions, conflicts, and intersections that distinguish and yet entwine these groups,” according to conference organizers.
Often, Asian Americans are set apart from other ethnic groups because they are seen as either foreign and unassailable, or as the “model minority,” said Madeline Hsu, director for the Center of Asian American Studies at UT Austin.
However, Asian Americans have much in common with other groups. For example, the Vietnamese in New Orleans were overlooked during the chaos of Hurricane Katrina and it is important to note their place alongside the African American community of New Orleans, Hsu said.
“There is a sense that there is a shared past, and a set of shared causes that bring people together,” Hsu said.
Three panels will focus on urban communities, activism, and racial discourses with expert panelists from throughout the country. The day-long conference takes place April 16 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Texas Union Eastwoods Room on the UT campus. For details, visit http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/aas/events/conferences/.
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