In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, violent attacks and harassment toward Asian Americans have spiked in the United States. To combat the deep-rooted racism and discrimination, States Parties undertake to prohibit and to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race. On May 29, 2021 (9:00-11:00 U.S. Eastern Time/21:00 to 23:00 Beijing Time), The Center for American Studies at Fudan University and The Carter Center co-hosted the webinar themed with “The Trans-Pacific Perspective of Anti-Asian Discrimination in the U.S. and Its Implications”.
（Opening Remarks by Moderator, Professor Wu Xinbo）
Professor Wu Xinbo, Dean of the Institute of International Studies cum Director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University and Dr. Liu Yawei, Senior Advisor for China of The Carter Center moderated the event. Gao Qin, Professor of Social Policy at Columbia University, and Keisha Brown, Assistant Professor of History at Tennessee State University delivered the thematic presentations.
(Venue for the Hybrid Webinar)
Ensuing the plenary opening remarks by Professor Wu Xinbo and Dr. Liu Yawei, Keisha Brown (Assistant Professor of History, Tennessee State University, USA), Chung, Hoang Chuong (Senior Researcher, University of Social Sciences and humanities, Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam), Gao Qin(Professor of Social Policy, Columbia University, USA), Ha, Shang E., Professor (Sogang University, Korea), Huang Weifeng (Professor, Hangzhou Dianzi University, China), Wang Congyue (Assistant Research Professor, Institute of American Studies, CASS, China), Xin Qiang (Professor, Deputy Director of the Center for American Studies, Fudan University, China) and Zhan Shaohua (Associate Professor of Sociology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) engaged in the profound dialogues to dissect and address the questions as follows. What is driving anti-Asian prejudice in the U.S.? How can this discrimination be understood alongside racism and discrimination towards Black and African Americans and what distinguishes these types of racism? What is the role of the Model Minority myth in anti-Asian and anti-Black racism respectively? How have Asian Americans and African Americans expressed solidarity against racial discrimination in the past and what does solidarity look like in the future? Can the U.S. and China jointly address anti-Black racism alongside prejudice against Chinese and ethnic minorities?
The academic exchange event convened virtually to dwell on the correlated issues as a two-hour webinar, assembled over a hundred registered participants from across the globe, promoted the in-depth dialogues amidst the distinguished panelists upon mitigating racial and ethnic disparities against Asian Americans, called for an immediate end to the xenophobic rhetoric, hate crimes, violence in the endeavors to combat these contagions and implement the consensus for the welfare of all.
(Source: Institute of International Studies, Fudan University. Preceding News in English by Mao Xiaojun)
