2nd Annual 2008 APA Conference Report

The theme for the 2nd Annual APA Studies Conference, “Asian Pacific American Intersections: Transcending Boundaries, Embracing Coalitions,” aimed towards the inclusion of other programs on campus.

The kick-off performance by an Afro-Asian hip-hop/spoken word performance group, from California, named iLL Literacy provided another important opportunity for building community among MSU student organizations in particular. The group embodied the theme of “intersectionality” across lines of race (2 members are Asian American, 1 member is African American and 1 is biracial as an Afro-Asian American) and gender (3 members are males and 1 member is a female), while bridging the appeal of popular culture with the intellect of scholars. However, most significantly, bringing iLL-Literacy to MSU, provided an opportunity for collaboration among two student organizations (APASO and BSA). Both groups observed that they had never worked together before.

The notion of “intersection” provided an extraordinary opportunity to not only collaborate with other groups during the conference but also to consider possibilities for future collaboration in the areas of research and student groups. For example, four papers centered on the intersection between APAs and Latinos, including Dr. Jerry Garcia’s “Sober, Industrious, and Altogether Inoffensive”: Japanese and Mexican Labor in the Pacific Northwest, 1900-1945” and Dr. Anna Pegler-Gordon’s “Identity crisis? Documentation and Registration in Chinese, Mexican, and European Immigrant Communities, 1905-1930.”

Another popular “intersection” centered on the relationship between Asian Pacific Americans and African Americans-work that disrupts the singular narratives of racial tension between the groups, focusing rather on their historiesof mutuality. Consequently, Dr. Vijay Prashad, whose multiethnic work centers on Afro-Asian (and Asian-Latino) solidarities, was the ideal person to serve as our keynote speaker. Dr. Prashad’s dynamic and inspirational talk was well received by the audience.