NAASCon 2008 features seven tracks that are designed to develop students’ understanding of issues that face the Asian American community, its impacts, and the positioning of Asian Americans within these debates. These tracks are also designed to equip students with the resources and strategies necessary to create change on their campuses and their communities. We hope that these workshops will raise questions, foster thoughtful dialogue, and inspire action.

APA Issues 101
This track acts as a “Course 101” on a particular topic. It is intended for those new to the APA issues arena, providing both historical and current background knowledge on topics and issues of pertinence and concern to the APA community (i.e. identity, hate crimes, domestic violence) and for those already active on college campuses and looking for a crash course on particular issues.

Arts, Technology, and Media for Social Change
Arts, Technology, and Media for Social Change will focus on the various ways that activism may manifest itself in the arts. Workshops in this track are intended to encourage students to find creative ways of expression; to present concrete ways student activists can educate, develop social and political consciousness, and mobilize their communities through the arts; and to deconstruct media images and stories.

Campus & Community Organizing
This track will provide students with the skills and strategies to effectively create change on campus and in the surrounding community. Specific skills include: mobilizing people, maximizing campus resources, navigating institutional bureaucracies, building coalitions, and framing messages. This track is intended to challenge students to think innovatively and cross-culturally, and to view community organizing and movements through a multi-issue lens.

Economic Justice: Housing, Healthcare, and Labor
This track will examine the intersections of race and class. Workshops will address the access to basic human needs such as affordable housing, primary healthcare, minimum/living wage, etc. This track will provide an overview of the issues, the challenges we face in addressing these issues, and organizing strategies.

Educational Equity
This track will highlight issues regarding higher education as it relates to the APA community. It will also focus on creating resources for APA students in universities such as establishing Asian American Studies Programs and/or resource centers. Workshops in this track will also discuss the impacts of current legislation regarding higher education.

Gender & Sexuality
Workshops in this track will present issues highlighting the intersections between and within gender, sexuality, and APA experiences. How are APAs shaped by gender constructs and sexual identities? What new dimensions do gender and sexuality issues bring to the APA movement? And how do APAs connect to and challenge modern feminist and queer movements? This track will explore these questions and provide an overview of the issues and ways the APA community can address gender and sexual equality.

Immigration, Race, and Rights
The mass movement in regards to the immigration debate is the biggest national mobilization we’ve witnessed since the Civil Rights era. This issue has been framed primarily as a Latino/a issue but components of legislation affect APIs—not only undocumented workers, but long time permanent residents. This track will focus on the impacts of legislation on the APA community and past and current struggles for citizenship. Workshops will provide students with not only more knowledge about these issues but also critical ways of thinking about questions of race and rights. Where are people’s rights derived from? In what ways has this debate been racialized? Where should the APA community stand on this issue? What are the next steps?

Workshops

Achieving Education Equity Presented by Christina Baggao and Tommy Le

A Child’s Eyes Presented by Kevin Riutzel

A New Generation of Organizers: What can we learn from Youth? Presented by Stephanie Chang, Marcia Lee, and Steve Moon

APA Women and Reproductive Justice Presented by Helen Hua

Asian American Voting Rights and Political Participation Presented by Bryan Lee and Nhu-Y Ngo

Baby Let Me Upgrade You: Transitioning from Identity Politics to a Building an Intersectional Social Justice Movement Presented by Julia H. Rhee and Dennis Chin

Discussions of Intimacy, Gender and Sexuality Presented by Connie Chung

Embodied, Empowered: Asian American Women Presented by Marilla Li, Linda Nguyen, and Monna Wong

Empowering Asian Pacific American Communities and the Political Process Presented by Clarence Tong

Family and Sexual Violence: It does not happen in nice Asian Families...Myth or Fact Presented by Aparna Bhattacharyya and Preeti Shah

Fighting for Asian American Studies, Media Fairness, History, and Dignity Presented by Irwin Tang

Gentrification: A Dirty Word? Presented by May Lin

Land, Body, and Soul: Green Justice for Yellow, Brown, and Black Folks Presented by Julia H. Rhee

The Long March to EQUITY: Local and National Perspectives on the Filipino WWII Veterans Equity Campaign Presented by Ben de Guzman

Moving Trauma: Asian America, Capitalism, and the Politics of Masturbatory Narcissism Presented by Elijah Kuan Wong

Multiracial APAs in the Movement Presented by Vijou Bryant

Navigating the Non-Profit Industrial Complex: What is the Hype Really All About? Presented by Stephanie Chang

On Civil Rights and Discrimination: What Every Asian American Youth Should Know? Presented by Emelita De Guzman Breyer

Planting the Seeds: Reproductive Rights, Health and Justice Presented by Mia Mingus

Police Brutality: What are our rights and how we do demand them? Presented by Marcia Lee

Project RICE Presented by Yotin Srivanjarean

Renaissance: The Power of Culture and its Possibilities for Asian America Presented by Ryan Takemiya

Turning Your Passion Into Your Profession: Do you have a Future Career in Community Development? Presented by Trinh Le

The Unheard Story: Voices from the Front Line Presented by Marianne Chung

We’re Here, We’re Queer!  Intersectionality and LGBT Asian Pacific Islanders Presented by Ben de Guzman

When Hate Hits You: Confronting Hate Crimes and Anti-Asian Sentiment Presented by Bill Yoshino

“Where are all the Vietnamese At?” Doc Screening and Discussion Presented by Trinh Le and Christina Wadhwani