In the last year, hate crimes and discrimination against Asians and Asian Americans have increased dramatically around the U.S. and the world. Tuesday, April 6, the University of Kentucky will host two events focused on supporting these communities and understanding racialization through history.

“Asian Hate and COVID-19: A Year of Two Pandemics,” will take place from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, on Zoom. This event will feature a panel of UK faculty, staff and students who will discuss how to support the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the midst of the current crisis. The panel will be led by Keiko Tanaka, director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Community and Leadership Development at UK.

Registration for this event is available at https://uky.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_20Yhwp95QUS1OZU3XkTyiA.

The webinar is sponsored by the College of Medicine Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the UK Martin Luther King Center; the UK Center for Graduate and Professional Diversity Initiatives; and the UK Office for Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. 

That evening, the Office of China Initiatives and the MLK Center will host Stacy Lee, the Frederick Erickson Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also a faculty affiliate in Asian American studies. Lee’s presentation will address Asian American racialization and stereotypes in education.

Lee’s presentation will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, on Zoom. Register at https://uky.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qsEcVhHUQjyeyauyRLllrg.

Lee’s research focuses on the role of education in the incorporation of immigrants into the United States. She is the author of “Unraveling the Model Minority Stereotype: Listening to Asian American Youth” and “Up Against Whiteness: Race, School, and Immigrant Youth.” She is currently completing a book on educational advocacy in the Hmong American community.

“Right now, many of (our) colleagues and community members are living through experiences we cannot fully understand,” said George Wright, UK vice president for institutional diversity, in a recent blog post. “But we can do our part — as an institution and also as individuals — to speak up and speak out on behalf of each other. We can learn and move forward, but only if we are willing to put in the work.”

For more information, contact the MLK Center 859-257-4130.