SAPAAC February 2025 Newsletter
IN THIS MONTH'S NEWSLETTER
- Upcoming Events
- Announcements
- Recent Events
- Stories from Asian America
Stay up to date on the latest SAPAAC news! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram or visit the SAPAAC website.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Book Launch: Mayukh Sen presents Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star
March 5, 6-8 pm
McNally Jackson Books Seaport, 4 Fulton St, New York, NY
Cost: $5 to save a seat; $29.99 for a seat and copy of the book
RSVP: https://groups.stanford.edu/topics/9361/events/118309
Join SAPAAC in celebrating author Mayukh Sen, Class of 2014, and his latest book, Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood's First South Asian Star! Padma Lakshmi has called the book, “A deeply drawn portrait of the fascinating screen star Merle Oberon. Told with empathy and rigor, it’s also a grand tour of Hollywood’s opulence and racism through the decades. A compelling story of one woman’s struggle to make a life for herself against the odds. I could not put this book down.”
We will meet as a group at 6 pm at the wine bar on the first floor of McNally Jackson Books Seaport at 6 pm, 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the book launch. In order to attend, you must buy tickets directly through McNally Jackson Books: https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/mayukh-sen-michael-schulman
Contact: katydid@alumni.stanford.edu
Stanford Author Talk & Reception: Not Your China Doll with Katie Gee Salisbury
March 20, 6:30-8:30 pm
Yuan Ru Art Center, 12737 Bel-Red Rd #100, Bellevue, WA
Cost: $10
Register: https://groups.stanford.edu/topics/9361/events/114102
Join the Stanford Club of Washington and SAPAAC as we hear from author and Stanford '07 alum Katie Gee Salisbury about her book Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong. Set against the glittering backdrop of Los Angeles during the gin-soaked Jazz Age and the rise of Hollywood, Katie's debut book celebrates Anna May Wong, the first Asian American movie star, to bring an unsung heroine to light and reclaim her place in cinema history.
After Katie's book talk, we'll enjoy light appetizers and beverages—all in the beautiful Yuan Ru Art Center. You can find more information about this acclaimed book here. Bring your copy for Katie to sign!
Contact: juliehsieh@outlook.com
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Stanford Alumni Association (SAA) has received numerous emails and letters from concerned alumni in response to executive orders, funding reductions at the NIH and NSF, and other communications issued by the Trump administration that target diversity, equity, and inclusion at institutions of higher learning.
In early February, a group of AAPI alumni wrote to Stanford President Jon Levin, Provost Jenny Martinez, SAA, the Board of Trustees, Faculty Senate, and other administration officials stressing the importance of diversity programs such as the Asian American Activities Center, Okada House, the Asian American Research Center at Stanford, among others.
As a result, SAPAAC Board members have been in communication with Stanford administration leaders, including President Levin, Provost Martinez, VP of Alumni Affairs Howard Wolf, and SAA Senior Manager Ana Moreno VanDiver. They have assured us that the programs and initiatives our community cares about are not currently under threat. They will continue to communicate with us on new developments in this rapidly changing landscape. Similarly, SAPAAC is in ongoing dialogue with leaders from other Stanford diverse alumni organizations.
If you have comments, questions, or concerns on this topic, we’d like to hear from you. Submit your feedback here: https://forms.gle/gJde6qtkRxaFCiaBA
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RECENT EVENTS
At the end of January, a group of three dozen Stanford alumni gathered for a trip to San Francisco's Flower Market Fair in Chinatown.
In Seattle, Washington, fifty alumni and guests enjoyed delicious dim sum at Seattle Harbor Restaurant to welcome the Year of the Snake. 🐍 Thank you to everyone who joined us!
Wishing everyone a happy Lunar New Year from Orange County, Southern California! We enjoyed Halal Muslim Chinese food and a musical performance on the yangqin, a traditional Chinese instrument.
In February, SAPAAC celebrated Lunar New Year over cocktails, dumplings, and a fashion show featuring AAPI designers at the Asia Society Museum in New York City. We thank Asia Society for their generous partnership.
We had 160 people attend the 14th Lunar New Year celebration in Dallas that was co-sponsored with the alumni associations of Harvard, Tsinghua, Kellogg/Northwestern, and SAPAAC. Attendees enjoyed a 10-course banquet, listened to a Chinese orchestra, participated in a lion dance, and learned about the Lunar New Year traditions.
The Sacramento Stanford Alumni Association hosted their annual dim sum brunch on January 26. 30 people from all generations attended, including a few Stanford babies and current undergraduate students' parents.
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STORIES FROM ASIAN AMERICA
We highlight issues important to Asian Americans and Stanford alumni, around the country and on campus. Submit your stories for the newsletter here.
Last week a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from terminating DEI-related grants, barring the administration from requiring federal contractors and grant recipients to certify that they do not engage in any “equity-related” programs, a term the court found too vague to be enforced.
300 people, mostly of Asian descent from countries including Iran, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China, were deported to Panama where they are being held in a hotel. Days later, a similar flight deported 135 undocumented migrants, mostly Asian, to Costa Rica. Sixty-five minors and at least two pregnant women are among the deportees.
In October of last year, Japanese Americans revived the game of baseball at the site of Manzanar prison camp in California for the first time since it closed in the 1940s. Players from the Japanese American League, along with friends and relatives of former incarcerees, played in a tribute to the baseball teams formed at prison camps across the country during WWII.
Feeling aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic, restaurants and small businesses across Chinatowns in the U.S. are facing increasing costs of food and rent, leading to more closures. NBC News' Vicky Nguyen reports how important Chinatowns are to the greater Asian community in American cities.
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GET INVOLVED! Do you want to have an impact on AAPI alumni? Work with any of our three working committees, which focus on organizing events, advocating for Asian American issues within the university, and growing our membership. Our next committee meetings will be held in March.
Events
Chair: Andrew Jabara, ‘18, ajabara@alumni.stanford.edu
West Coast Leader: Jin Park, ‘91, jin.park@yahoo.com
East Coast Leader: Josephine Lau, ‘06, josephine.lau@gmail.com
Advocacy & Education Committee
Chair: Takeo Rivera, ‘08, takeo.rivera@gmail.com
Membership Committee
Chair: Kuldip Ambastha, ‘04, kuldip.ambastha@gmail.com
Other questions for SAPAAC? Email us at sapaac@alumni.stanford.edu
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