If you have paid attention to the news during the past year, you are most likely aware of the staggering increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans in the U.S. The fact is that while the pandemic has played a large part in bringing this issue to light, there has been a long history of racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in this country. Dr. Jason Chang will help us to understand more about these events by providing participants with an overview of Asian American history and point to actions people can take to combat racism in their community.

Jason Oliver Chang is Associate Professor of History and Asian and Asian American Studies at the University of Connecticut. He also serves as the Director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, and is the President of the Asian American Faculty and Staff Association. He is the author of Chino: Anti-Chinese Racism in Mexico, 1880-1940 published by University of Illinois Press. He also publishes in American Quarterly, the Journal of Asian American Studies, the Pacific Historical Review, the Asian American Literary Review, and the Journal of Asian Diasporic Visual Cultures.