All Events
Diversity Lecture
The Model Minority & Forever Foreigner Myths: Context, Consequences, Creating Change
Jessika Chi, PhD
MCC Theater
Empowering solidarity between communities of color is difficult because of the racial tropes produced by whiteness that continually pit communities of color against each other. Whiteness as an ideology has led to a unique construction of two hegemonic tropes for Asian Americans – the “forever foreigner” and the “model minority.” The “forever foreigner” positions Asian Americans as eternally not-American and critically different. Taken literally, it erases Asian American history by persistently portraying the community as newcomers to the United States. Simultaneously, the narrative of Asian Americans as “model minorities” is used to discredit the Civil Rights Movement, negate critiques of racism, and prevent community solidarity. Therefore, a critical examination of these two racial tropes are needed in order to understand how whiteness is institutionally imposed on, and internalized by, communities of color. Utilizing a critical race theory lens, this talk will provide context for the myths of the model minority and forever foreigner, illuminate the consequences of these racial stereotypes on communities of color, and offer strategies to create change.
BIO:
Jessika Chi, PhD, is the Assistant Dean for Institutional Diversity at Reed College and serves as an adjunct professor for Lewis & Clark College and the University of San Francisco's higher education programs. In her roles, she leads campus-wide diversity, equity, inclusion, and campus climate initiatives and prepares graduate students to be equity and student-centered change agents. Chi received their MA in educational administration and leadership with an emphasis on student affairs from University of the Pacific and their PhD in education and leadership from Pacific University. Her scholarship centers on critical examinations of racial ideologies and higher education's role in maintaining systems of inequity.
Co-Sponsors: Office of Equal Opportunity & Discrimination Prevention, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Conscious Conversations Series
The Movement for Black Lives, Fighting for Black Futures
Panelists Simone Ruskamp, Jasmine LInnea Kelkay, and Chelsea Alexandra Lancaster, facilitated by Dr. Terrance Wooten
Online
Through the work and envisioning of Black leaders, especially Black queer women, the past several years have ushered in an era of mass protest and worldwide demands for a reality where Black Lives Matter. This panel engages with Black organizers, community leaders, and scholars to discuss the radical possibilities of a future where all Black lives matter and explores the role of community in the fight for Black lives. Join the MCC for a dynamic conversation facilitated by MCC Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Terrance Wooten with panelists, including Simone Ruskamp, Jasmine LInnea Kelkay, and Chelsea Alexandra Lancaster.
DIVERSITY LECTURE
The Muslim American Life: Crushing Islamophobia with Countercultures of Resistance
MCC Theater
How should we understand the nature of contemporary Islamophobia? What motivates it? What sustains it? Who gains by it? Moustafa Bayoumi—author of the award-winning books How Does It Feel To Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America and This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror—discusses “War on Terror culture” as way to comprehend today’s Islamophobia. He will examine the ways the media, law, and politics mutually reinforce each other in viewing Muslims as potentially dangerous outsiders. Bayoumi will also address a growing “War on Terror counterculture,” that, by resisting the stereotypes and challenging the prevailing narratives of the “War on Terror,” fights not only for the rights of Muslim Americans but for the civil liberties of all. Professor Bayoumi teaches English at Brooklyn College.
Music Performance
The UCSB Middle East Ensemble
Solo vocalist: Steven Thomson
In-Person Performance: MCC Theater
Peforming the Umm Kulthum song Aghadan Alqak
FREE ADMISSION
Masks Required
(For the reception following the event in the MCC Lounge, registration at UCSB Shoreline is REQUIRED by November 3rd: https://cglink.me/2dD/r1251080 )
Umm Kulthum (c.1904-1975) is recognized as the most famous Arab singer of the 20th century. In 1971 she premiered the song Aghadan Alqak (Will I See You Tomorrow), composed for her by Muhammad ‘Abd al-Wahhab, the 20th century’s most famous Arab composer.
In celebration of the song’s 50th anniversary, the UCSB Middle East Ensemble presents a free concert of the entire song, with a performance featuring Steven Thomson, solo vocalist. The UCSB Middle East Ensemble, founded in 1989, presents a wide variety of music and dance reflecting the great diversity of cultures found in the Middle East.
Cosponsors: UCSB Department of Music and the Center for Middle East Studies.
