APIA News

From December 7-18, 2023, Gallery Gitanjali: Panjim Pousada in Goa will host an exhibit that was the brainchild of R. Benedito Ferrão, assistant professor of English & Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies. Entitled “The Uninvited,” it features works by Goan artist Angela Ferrão (no relation) that are the result of a collaboration that has produced, in addition to the exhibit, a printed and digital comic book. It’s the culmination of more than a year’s worth of work, mostly long distance, driven by scholarship and creativity as well as passion.

How can art be used as a tool for social justice? One professor at the William & Mary seeks to answer this question from across the Atlantic Ocean, over 4,000 miles away from Williamsburg.

We are excited to announce the winner of this year's John Lewis Social Justice Award, Diana Kim!

The Reves Center for International Studies, in cooperation with the Asian Centennial Committee, has announced that Viet Thanh Nguyen will deliver the 2022 McSwain-Walker Lecture. His talk, “Refugees, Language, and the Meaning of ‘America,’" will be held Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at 5pm in Commonwealth Auditorium and on Zoom.

APIA majors Sumie Yotsukura and Gabby DeBelen were inducted to PBK on December 16.

Jason Chen, associate professor of education at William & Mary, is working with Professor of Theatre and Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies Francis Tanglao Aguas are using a grant from the National Science Foundation to create a professional development curriculum.

Renowned scholar and musician Johnny Farraj was the distinguished guest performer of the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, directed by Professor Anne Rasmussen on November 12, 2021 in their concert for the Asian Centennial.

Andrea Wright, the first Jinlan Liu APIA Faculty Research Award recipient, will study community response to green energy projects

Clarissa Delgado ’09 (left) and Banan Malkawi ’05 are heading up the leadership circle for Asian-Pacific Islander-Middle Eastern/Southwest Asian Alumni of William & Mary.

Narrated and performed by Javaad Alipoor and co-star Peyvand Sadeghian, RICH KIDS loosely follows the ill-fated story of lovers Parivash and Hossein (the first, a middle-class girl, the second, one of the show’s eponymous #richkids) backwards in time, from its end in a car crash back to its beginning as seen on Instagram, the audience’s window into the couple’s narrative.

Sumié Yotsukura ‘22 and Brian Zhao ’23 recently celebrated the installation of the exhibit, “Pu Kao Chen: Thoughts of 1923 U.S. & W&M,” at Swem Library. The exhibit was the culmination of their research project to unearth the stories of the first Asian students to attend W&M.

While recognizing the accomplishments of Asian and Asian American students at the university over the past 100 years, the commemoration also seeks to probe the social and historical context of their experiences.

The story of Indian migrant workers does not end with the individual lives of these men. It is also a product of greater systemic inequalities and power structures. “I began to see how race and nationality began to inform how workers were treated and the policies that emerged.” In a book she is currently working on, “Producing Labor Hierarchies,” Wright writes about her works analyzing labor laws and understanding the various intersections of race, class, caste, and other systems of oppression and their effects on the lives of workers in the Middle East.

Rinabeth Apostol, award-winning West Coast-based actor, educator, director and activist, opens the workshop premiere of her solo show “little brown gIRL” this Tuesday October 12 in a special two-night engagement at the Kimball Theatre.

Prof. Andrea Wright has won the Jinlan Liu APIA Faculty Research Award.

A full slate of performances, writing talks and exhibitions open to the university and local communities is planned for the fall at William & Mary.

Roberto Jamora will be researching and then seeking to capture in imagery the history and experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans at William & Mary.

Rani D. Mullen is an associate professor of government at William & Mary. Her research and teaching focus is on democratization and development in South Asia, and democracy and state building in India and Afghanistan in particular.

A new historical marker will honor Arthur “Art” Matsu '27, William & Mary’s first known Asian American student and the first W&M alumnus to play for the National Football League – one of the first Asian Americans to do so.

When Ming Chang ’55 arrived on campus in 1952, he likely had no idea of the legacy that would follow.

Quan Chau '21 writes, performs and films his own play dealing with his experiences as a child of immigrants from Vietnam.

Associate professor Emily Wilcox and W&M alumni Emily Matson ’12 and Austin Strange ’12 receive prestigious fellowships supporting the next generation of American scholarship on China.

A 2021 Rhodes Scholarship finalist, Matt Crittenden ’21 seeks to build systems in data and policy that contribute to a better world and to serve as a role model for future Asian American students in the global governance and development community.

Following a consultative and thorough process established earlier this year, William & Mary’s Board of Visitors voted Friday to rename two campus buildings and name one campus structure to honor trailblazing alumni who helped open the door for marginalized people at both the university and beyond.

Please join us for a AMES & APIA 2021 CAPSTONE CONFERENCE

Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott spoke about efforts to redress longstanding racial and economic inequality and systemic racism in the United States during a virtual conversation on April 8 with students, faculty, staff and other members of the local community.

W&M News recently spoke with R. Benedito Ferrão, assistant professor of English and Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies, to discuss the history and roots of anti-Asian sentiment and violence in the U.S. and abroad.

A Statement from the Faculty of Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies on the safety of AAPI communities, in light of the rising onslaught of anti-Asian acts of hatred and racism, peaking at the March 16, 2021 murders of six Asian women in the state of Georgia.

The Asian Centennial will celebrate all those at W&M, past and present, who identify as Asian or of Asian ancestry, including those from Southwest Asia – often referred to as the Middle East.

Jamelah Jacob '21 has been awarded the 2021 James Monroe Prize in Civic Leadership, which goes to “a student who has demonstrated sustained leadership of an unusual quality, leadership combined with initiative, character and an unfailing commitment to leveraging the assets of the William & Mary community to address the needs of our society.”

Using a new online platform, performers from the William & Mary community will unite with various artists from across the country to honor giants of social justice.

Francis Tanglao Aguas had wanted to stage “Rolling the R’s” for years and never could have imagined the circumstances under which he would do so.

William & Mary assistant English professor Jon Pineda recently won a Library of Virginia Literary Award for his novel "Let's No One Get Hurt."

At two public events, W&M faculty presented their research and engaged audiences in lively discussions of "otherness."

Twenty William & Mary students departed for internships in Asia this summer through the Freeman Intern Fellowship Program. They returned with souvenirs in their suitcase, professional work experience on their resume and a better understanding of the career path in their future. The Freeman Intern Fellowship program places undergraduates in structured summer internship opportunities throughout East Asia. Locations include Tokyo, Beijing, Singapore, Seoul, the Philippines, and many more. Each student receives around $5,000 to defray living and travel expenses.

R. Benedito Ferrão, an assistant professor of English and Asian & Pacific Islander American studies, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to India in the field of literature.

The Han Zhang and Jinlan Liu Family Foundation recently established a $100,000 faculty research endowment for the Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies (APIA) program at William & Mary.

William & Mary students majoring in any subject will once again have the opportunity to live and work in East Asia this summer, thanks to a grant from the Freeman Foundation.

William & Mary Assistant Professor R. Benedito Ferrão will spend a year in Goa, employing the power of art and remembrance to actualize a modified understanding of the region’s cultural identity.

Photos and illustrations illuminating the lives of Buffalo Soldiers during the Philippine-American War are currently on display in Swem Library’s Botetourt Gallery as part of an exhibit organized by the William & Mary Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies program.

Jolene Mafnas '17 takes on the lead role in Jesse Eisenberg's thought-provoking "Asuncion," opening Feb. 28.

William & Mary alumna Stephanie Murphy ’00 has become the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress, according to an NBC News article.

William & Mary has established a new interdisciplinary program for Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) studies, and students may pursue a minor in the discipline beginning this fall.

Although an official Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies Program was just established at William & Mary at the beginning of May, students have been pursuing degrees in the discipline for nearly 10 years with self-designed interdisciplinary majors.

Benming “Benny” Zhang ’16 was elected to the Williamsburg City Council yesterday, becoming the second William & Mary student and the first Asian-American to ever do so.

The social media campaign sought to share the many stories and experiences of Asian American students at William & Mary.