Speaker: Dr. OiYan Poon
Tracing the historical evolution of Asian-American political engagement in policy debates over racial inequalities and how their efforts have resisted or reinforced systems of white dominance, Dr. OiYan Poon will identify and describe the ideological division between notions of racial justice and racial “just us.” She will explain how the current attacks on affirmative action offer an opportunity for Asian-Americans and others to develop a renewed and transformative consciousness for racial justice. Additionally, she will argue that a movement for a new consciousness will require the development of racial literacies.
Dr. Poon is an assistant professor of higher education leadership and the director of the Race & Intersectional Studies for Educational Equity Center at Colorado State University. Her research focuses on the racial politics and discourses of college access, higher education organization and policy, affirmative action, and Asian-Americans.
In 2018 she co-authored an amicus brief on behalf of 531 social scientists in support of race-conscious, holistic review in the SFFA v. Harvard federal lawsuit. She is also working on a national study on how race-conscious, holistic review works at selective colleges, a grant that is supported by the Spencer Foundation.
Cost: Free
Contact: Amy Summers217-333-0960
arsummer@illinois.edu
Sponsor: College of Education and the Office of Community College Research and Leadership