A Conversation with No-No Boy
2024-05-23 14:30 - 15:15 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online via Zoom
No-No Boy illuminates hidden Asian American histories through folk songs, sound pieces, live projections, and storytelling. NPR Music has hailed it as “one of the most insurgent pieces of music you’ll ever hear which re-examines americana with devastating effect… An act of revisionist subversion.” Taking inspiration from his own family’s history living through the Vietnam War as well as many other stories of Asian American experience, Nashville-born songwriter and scholar Julian Saporiti has transformed his years of doctoral study into an innovative project that bridges a divide between art and scholarship. No-No Boy’s third full-length LP EMPIRE ELECTRIC was recently released by the Smithsonian Folkways label.
Join us on May 23rd from 2:30-3:15 PM via Zoom for a conversation with No-No Boy! This conversation is part of the course “Asian and Asian American Classical Reception” taught by Professor Kelly Nguyen (Department of Classics) who will moderate the discussion with No-No Boy on the themes of fragmentation and creation. Students in the course will have engaged with Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Dictee, and the poetry of Hoa Nguyen and Vi Khi Nao. Their conversation will discuss the legacy of the Vietnam War and the concept and consequences of the myth of Western Civilization and the false binaries between East and West, especially as crafted and wielded by imperialism. No-No Boy will also share his music and experience with diaspora. This event is open to the public.
Scan the QR Code or visit this link to register for the event!

Department Open House (2024)
2024-09-25 12:00 - 14:00 | Rolfe Hall 3333
Come on out to our first event of the school year, the Asian American Studies Department Open House! Free food and drinks will be provided. This is a great opportunity to make new friends, meet the AASD staff, or mingle with your professors. Join us on Wednesday, September 25th between 12-2pm at Rolfe Hall 3333. Hope to see you there!

Westside LA AAPI Labor Leader Panel
2025-05-20 12:30 - 14:30 | UCLA Moore Hall 3340 Reading Room
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with a panel of Asian American & Pacific Islander labor leaders from West LA building the workers’ movement and resisting repression, attacks on migrants, and fighting for justice.
In conjunction with ASIAN AM / LBR STD M119XP – “Asian american and pacific islander labor issues” with Dr. Chun at UCLA.
When: Tuesday May 20, 12:30-2:30PM
Where: UCLA Moore Hall 3340 Reading Room

Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day
2025-05-20 18:00 - 20:00
In Cambodia, May 20th is observed as the National Day of Remembrance—a solemn tribute to the victims and survivors of the Cambodian Genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime. The United Khmer Students at UCLA invite students, alumni, and members of the Khmunity to join us in honoring this day at our annual Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day on Tuesday, May 20th.
Together, we will honor the survivors in our lives, reflect on stories of Khmer resilience, and create a space for collective healing and wellness. The event will include an art gallery, a brief historical lecture, and a panel discussion featuring community leaders and activists.

An Asian American Writer’s Notebook: Past, Present, and Future Tense
2025-05-29 17:00 - 19:00 | UCLA Harry and Yvonne Lenart Auditorium
An Asian American Writer’s Notebook: Past, Present, and Future Tense
Join us for the David Nishida and Tina Yamano Nishida Distinguished Lecture and Panel featuring keynote speaker Helen Zia, activist, journalist and author, who will be in conversation with Julie Ha, Journalist & co-director of “Free Chol Soo Lee” documentary and Amber Phung, Journalist with Pacific Ties newsmagazine. The program is dedicated to trailblazing journalist and activist K.W. Lee.
Helen Zia, longtime activist, award-winning writer and Fulbright Scholar, offers insights and observations on current challenges facing Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Amid growing political division and increasing concerns over censorship and free speech, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are combating disinformation through developing counter-narratives. This lecture and panel brings together activists and writers to explore how Asian American voices are navigating a rapidly shifting political, cultural, and social landscape. Join us for a timely and critical discussion on the role of Asian American and Pacific Islanders activists, writers, and multimedia artists in preserving democratic values, amplifying underrepresented voices, and confronting systemic challenges in today’s charged political environment.
DATE: May 29, 2025
5:00pm Reception at the UCLA Art Council Amphitheater in front of the Lenart Auditorium(located outside the Fowler Museum, adjacent to the Lenart Auditorium).Featuring a new book on saleIntersections: A Journalistic History of Asian Pacific American.
6:00pm Program at the UCLA Harry and Yvonne Lenart Auditorium(located below the Fowler Museum)
Registration: https://tinyurl.com/53y95e8b
Free to the Public

Revisiting Zionism as a Form of Racism and Racial Discrimination
2025-11-13 17:30 - 19:00 | RSVP for location, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Join us on Thursday, November 13, 2025, for a presentation by Professor Noura Erakat, followed by a panel discussion with Professor Robin D.G. Kelley (Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA Department of History) and Professor Nour Joudah (Assistant Professor, UCLA Department of Asian American Studies).
More about Prof. Erakat:
Dr. Erakat is an internationally renowned human rights attorney and professor of Africana Studies and the Program in Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, with research specializations in humanitarian law, refugee law, feminist jurisprudence, and critical race theory. She is a leading voice on Palestine as the author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine and the co-editor of Aborted State: the UN Initiative and New Palestinian Junctures. She frequently appears on news programs including CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, PBS News Hour, NPR, BBC World Service, and Democracy Now, and has been featured in many major publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The LA Times, The Nation, USA Today, Al Shabaka, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, and Jadaliyya, where she serves as a founding co-editor.

Vietnamerica
2025-11-18 14:00 - 16:30 | 2125 Rolfe Hall, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Join us for a screening of Vietnamerica on November 18th!
Learn more about the film below:
Film Description: Following the wars in Vietnam, over two million people fled to country with the collapse of the Republic of Vietnam. That exodus, referred to by many as “the boat people” resulted in nearly half dying while in flight, battling the elements, starvation, and pirates.
Vietnamerica follows Master Nguyen Hoa as he returns to former refugee camps in Southeast Asia after three decades abroad to search for the graves of his wife and two children. Having fled Vietnam in 1981 on a boat with his family and friends, Hoa was the only survivor.
Executive Producer Nancy Bui of the Vietnamese Heritage Foundation joins GETSEA and 25 universities across North America to watch Vietnamerica together simultaneously and connect via Zoom for a discussion with the filmmaker about the Vietnamese diaspora, their struggle, and how Master Hoa’s story is a prism to see the larger group.
For more information on the film, visit http://vietnamericamovie.org.
