ConversationHistoryI Am An AmericanIAAAAIdentity

I Am An American – Panel Discussion

Sankar Raman
Sankar Raman / The Immigrant Story

Panelists explored their experiences as Asian American women, offering personal reflections  as well as highlighting current xenophobia and intolerance against  Asian Americans in Oregon and across the United States. Each of the speakers is leading community efforts to empower diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities statewide. This episode was arranged in conjunction with the exhibition, I Am An American, that was on view at the Oregon Historical Society.

Esteemed panelists include:

Dr. Jane Vogel Mantiri is a retired psychologist who specialized in trauma, actor, and activist. She is the founder of Advance Gender Equity in the Arts (AGE), a Portland-based nonprofit that empowers marginalized genders in the arts leading with race.

Attorney Liani Reeves is President at Bullard Law. She is a former General Counsel for the Governor of Oregon and the former president of the Oregon State Bar, the first Asian American and first woman of color to hold that position. She is a Korean adoptee.

Dr. Jennifer Fang is a historian, researcher, Director of Interpretation & Community Engagement at Pittock Mansion, and an adjunct professor at the University of Portland, where she teaches Modern U.S. History and Asian American History. 

Moderator: Dr. Patti Duncan is an associate professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Oregon State University, specializing in women of color feminisms and transnational feminisms. She is the editor of the scholarly journal, Feminist Formations, and the author of Tell This Silence: Asian American Women Writers and the Politics of Speech.

Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story. Many thanks to all of these panelists for their time and storytelling. Special thanks to the Oregon Historical Society for organizing and hosting the live event – they continue to be an amazing partner with us here at The Immigrant Story. 

This episode is part of the I Am an American series, generously funded by Anne Naito-Campbell. It was produced as part of the Oregon Rises Above Hate Coalition.

This episode was produced by Caitlin Dwyer. Audio editing was done by Caitlin Dwyer, assisted by Gregg Palmer. Music was composed by Corey Larkin. Our executive producer is Sankar Raman.

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