Defining Our Roots/Routes: Asian Americans in Higher Education

Defining Our Roots/Routes: Asian American in Higher Education aims to amplify the erased voices of Asian American students and faculty in higher education as a form of resistance and consciousness-raising by exploring interrelated themes—histories and legacies of Asian America, pan-Asian American identity, and Asian American transnationalism & diaspora. Join us for insights into the lived experiences of Asian American students and scholars in higher education spaces and learn what may be at stake for the larger Asian American community in the wake of Supreme Court cases and recent anti-Asian hate incidents.

Extended Podcast Info:

In late October 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States deliberated the Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College as well as Students for Fair Admissions v. University of Northern Carolina cases, challenging race-conscious admissions practices and potentially developing larger ramifications for the current Affirmative Action policies in the United States.

Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) claims race-conscious admissions practices are racially discriminatory because Black and Latinx students are valued higher at the expense of Asian Americans. They further argue Asian Americans should be “admitted at a higher rate” as they are “substantially stronger” than their non-Asian counterparts. In doing so, the SFFA and conservative Asian American groups, such as the Asian American Legal Foundation (AALF), not only adopt the model minority myth to further pit Asian American students against Black and Latinx students but also calls into question what Asian American means and what are at stake for Asian America in the context of these Supreme Court cases.

How do Asian Americans define our roots and our routes going forward? By analyzing the histories, stories, and lived experiences of Asian American racial formation and transnational processes in relation to US policies and practices, we can better map the multiple ways Asian Americans navigated the routes they took to articulate and formulate their identities. This framework challenges the limited boundaries that harmful stereotypes and tropes such as the model minority myth produce and reveals how such stereotypes incite violence and erasure toward the Asian diaspora.

Join us as “Defining Our Roots/Routes” explores the lived experiences of Asian American students and scholars in higher education spaces and considers what is at stake for the larger Asian American community in the wake of the Supreme Court cases and anti-Asian hate incidents.

Sponsored by The LCLO Group, a higher education and workforce of the future consulting group that collaborates with public-private partners (higher education experts, corporate leaders, and public & non-profit agencies) to develop and implement solutions to more equitable global workforce development, talent cultivation, and training opportunities & resources. Learn more at LCLOGroup.com