Greetings, Everyone!
Please join us for CHSS’s last webinar of the year, “Gender and Anti-Asian Hate in America: A Conversation Around the Atlanta Shootings.” This webinar is led by Dr. Akiko Takenaka, Tosha Larson, and Charlene Buckles, and is co-sponsored by the UK College of Arts and Sciences Diversity and Inclusion Committee. It brings the worlds of higher education and activism together as our nation tries to digest the disturbing and tragic trend of anti-Asian prejudice and violence.
In a country with a long history of both anti-Asian discrimination and misogyny, anti-Asian sentiment has shown marked increases in the past year, with inflammatory political language targeting Chinese people due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Frequencies of hate crimes targeting East Asians have exploded, with rates in some U.S. cities that have doubled or tripled in the last year.
Our speakers will provide context and discuss strategies for healing in light of one of the most alarming and saddening mass shootings in recent American history— the killing of eight people, six of whom were Asian women, at three spas in Atlanta. The testimony of the shooter highlighted dangerous stereotypes towards Asians and women, including the hyper-sexualization and objectification of Asian women.
Dr. Akiko Takenaka, an Associate Professor of History, Gender and Women, and Japan Studies, believes that “One possible vaccine [to hate] is information.” Her expertise will come into conversation with the experience of Charlene Buckles, Development Director of the Kentucky American Civil Liberties Union, and Tosha Larson, a Lexington feminist activist, in order to elucidate a path forward for America that combats hate and protects civil rights.
More information on our speakers below:
Akiko Takenaka, Department of History, University of Kentucky
Charlene Buckles, Development Director of ACLU Kentucky
Register here: https://uky.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LZJzSyGkSYybA8semEoTaw
Best,
The Cooperative for the Humanities and Social Sciences
