Gunnings Lecture Series: Dr. OiYan Poon

“Cultivating Possibilities and Learning Radically Just Futures: The Roles of Asian Americans in Education Equity.”

Asian Americans and their experiences in education systems and political discourses raise challenging questions that education equity researchers and advocates must confront, as demonstrated in ongoing debates over race-conscious admissions and punctuated by the SFFA v. Harvard Supreme Court case. Although the majority of Asian Americans support affirmative action, the white Plaintiffs in the Harvard case have generally convinced the public otherwise. Relatedly, there is a concerning minority of Chinese Americans aligning themselves with white supremacist projects. All of this raises a question Michigan State grad student Naseeb Bhangal and Dr. Poon raised in a 2020 essay “Are Asian Americans People of Color?” in which they raised questions about the future of racial and ethnic solidarity.

How do Asian Americans show up and engage in struggles for equity in education? On the aggregate, Asian Americans have higher than average educational attainment levels, which often results in a marginalization of this diverse population in discourses on educational inequities that are frequently driven by a disparity framework. Yet, anti-Asian racism remains a real problem. Solutions require a re-invigorated analysis about systemic racism in education that includes its effects on Asian Americans. They also require investments in community-based and other political education efforts to reclaim Asian American racial justice politics in relationship with other communities of color.

Located in Erickson Hall 133F, or join virtually by Zoom.

Register for Zoom here.

Speaker:

Dr. OiYan Poon, Program Officer, Spencer Foundation Faculty Affiliate, University of Maryland, College Park