The Asian American Students in Alliance invite you an
Asian American Cultural Presentation
 

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 in the Comstock Memorial Union
 
The event is free and open to the public.
 

The Sessions

Finding Our Histories, Finding Our Way  2:00 PM, CMU Ballroom section C
The speaker weaves his own search for personal identity with the larger, often unspoken history of Asian Pacific America to illuminate the hidden contributions of  the Asian Pacific American community to this country. This historical/personal journey culminates in an overview of two critical issues facing the Asian Pacific American community: the Model Minority Myth in education and participation in politics.  

 

Internment Simulation Activity  7:00 PM, CMU Ballroom section C
Participants in this activity will assume a Japanese American identity and step through the internment experience. The activity underscores the fragility of the Constitution, the importance of maintaining civil rights and liberties, and the social and personal consequences of racism. The goal is to understand this historic event by having to make the same choices the prisoners once made. Connections to contemporary events are also highlighted. A group discussion follows this activity.

 
The Presenter

Mark Mitsui is a Sansei, a third generation Japanese American. His parents, along with 120,000 other persons of Japanese ancestry, were unjustly imprisoned in internment camps during World War II. Mitsui shares the experience and historical context of this mass incarceration, the difficult choices prisoners were forced to make and connections to today's political environment.


Mr. Mark Mitsui is Vice President of Student Services at South Seattle Community College. He earned a M.Ed in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Washington. Recently, Mr. Mitsui co-authored a chapter on recruiting and retaining Asian Pacific Islander students for the AACRAO Admissions Officer Guide. He was a presenter at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education, the Engaging the Other Conference, and the Washington State Faculty and Staff of Color Conference.