National Security and Japan-U.S. Program
Past Webinar "Anti-Asian American Hate Crimes and U.S. Society" (August 19, 2021)
September 3, 2021
On August 19, 2021, SPF Japan–U.S. Program hosted a webinar on "Anti-Asian Hate Crimes and U.S. Society". We invited Dr. Takayuki Nishiyama (Advisor to the President of University/Professor, Seikei University) and Dr. Russell Jeung (Professor, San Francisco State University), and Dr. Michael Omi (Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley). The original version (Japanese and English) recorded webinar is now available below.
【Panelists】
Dr. Takayuki Nishiyama
Dr. Nishiyama is an Advisor to the President and Professor of Political Science at Seikei University. He received his Ph.D from Graduate School of Law and Politics, University of Tokyo. He specializes in American politics and comparative politics, and has published many books including Politics of Crime in the United States (Kobundo, 2021, in Japanese), Introduction to American Politics (University of Tokyo Press, 2018, in Japanese), Politics of Immigration in the United States (Chikumashobo, 2016, in Japanese), American Welfare State and Urban Politics: Historical Transition of Urban Liberalism in the United States (University of Tokyo Press, 2008, in Japanese).
Dr. Russell Jeung
Dr. Jeung is a Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. He is an author of books and articles on race and religion. He has written Family Sacrifices: The Worldviews and Ethics of Chinese Americans (Oxford University Press, 2019); Mountain Movers: Student Activism and the Emergence of Asian American Studies (UCLA AAS Center, 2019); and At Home in Exile: Finding Jesus Among My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors (Zondervan, 2016). In March 2020, Dr. Jeung co-founded Stop AAPI Hate with Chinese for Affirmative Action and the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. It tracks incidents of COVID-19 discrimination to develop policy interventions and long-term solutions to racism.
Dr. Michael Omi
Dr. Omi is a Professor Emeritus of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the co-author, with Howard Winant, of Racial Formation in the United States (Third Edition, Routledge,2015), a groundbreaking work that transformed how we understand the social and historical forces that give race its changing meaning over time and place. He is also the co-editor of the recent anthology Japanese American Millennials: Rethinking Generation, Community, and Diversity (Temple University Press, 2019). Professor Omi is a recipient of UC Berkeley’s Distinguished Teaching Award -- an honor bestowed on only 272 Berkeley faculty members since the award’s inception in 1959.
| 1. Date & Time | Thursday, August 19, 2021, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon JST |
|---|---|
| 2. Program | <Opening Remarks> Dr. Atsushi Sumani, President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation |
| ＜Moderator＞ Ms. Junko Chano, Executive Director, Sasakawa Peace Foundation ＜Panelists＞ ① Dr. Takayuki Nishiyama, Advisor to the President of University/Professor, Seikei University ② Dr. Russell Jeung, Professor, San Francisco State University ③ Dr. Michael Omi, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley |
【Event Information and Summary】
In this webinar, Dr. Nishiyama, who was the first presenter, described the background of anti-Asian American hate crimes by pointing out the problems of "structural racism," in addition to the remarks of former President Trump, or the recent intensification of the confrontation between the United States and China. Looking back on the history of the United States since the 19th century, Dr. Nishiyama also talked about important historical and societal aspects that contribute to the problem of anti-Asian American hate crimes, such as the position of Asian Americans in the U.S society, who were often perceived as "un-American", their relationship with other minority groups, and the relationship among Asian Americans themselves.
The next speaker, Dr. Jeung presented the results from the surveys of recent anti-American hate crimes in the United States conducted by Stop AAPI Hate, the organization he co-founded. He introduced several cases of discrimination against Asian American residents, provided a statistical analysis based on their survey, and pointed out that segments of the population that are perceived as weak, such as women and the elderly, are more likely to be targeted in these attacks. He also introduced other detailed activities of Stop AAPI Hate including their lobbying to the U.S. government.
Dr. Omi, who was the final presenter, described the evolution of the perception of Asian American residents in the argument on race in U.S. society, through the lens of fundamental question; "what race is." He also explained about the reality where certain groups of white people who feel deprived of their position are making hate crimes more serious issue, and on-going debate at the state level regarding teaching the contribution by a specific race to U.S. society as part of history education.
In the Q&A session, the audience asked various questions including the areas of cooperation and conflict between Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities, white nationalism, conflicts among Asian American populations, and appreciation of different cultures. Dr. Nishiyama, Dr. Jeung, and Dr. Omi answered the questions.
[Related Links]
■A series of video interviews with Asian American state legislators conducted by SPF Japan-U.S. Program in 2020
https://www.spf.org/en/jpus/views-from-inside-america/
■“Diversity in Leadership: The Journey of Asian American State Legislators” ―A Panel Discussion with U.S. State Legislators hosted by The Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the U.S.-Japan Council ―
https://www.spf.org/en/seminar/list/20191212.html
■Stop AAPI Hate Website
https://stopaapihate.org/