Asian Americans and Divergent Movements for Racial Justice After “Affirmative Action”

The College of Education and the Center for Asian American Studies welcomes all students, faculty, staff and friends of the college to an engaging discussion with author and researcher Dr. OiYan Poon. In anticipation of her forthcoming book, “Asian American is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family,” OiYan will share personal insights, research and perspectives from her work and how she encourages the Asian American community to reflect and respond to questions brought forth from her daughter, specifically: What does it mean to be Asian American?

Through storytelling and research, she will explain why Asian Americans are engaging in divergent ways across an “affirmative action divide,” and how their participation in policy debates over race and education are reshaping the future of race and racism in the United States.

Dr. OiYan Poon is a co-director of the College Admissions Futures Co-Laborative. Her research focuses on the racial politics of Asian Americans, education access, affirmative action and admissions systems and practices. An award-winning scholar, Dr. Poon’s commentary and research have been featured in media outlets such as the New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Guardian and NPR.