Being AAPI in 2021: Discussion on Identity, Community & Model Minority Myth

Join the City of Santa Monica for “Being AAPI in 2021: A Discussion on Identity, Community and the Model Minority Myth,” a virtual panel discussion  featuring  Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders who will discuss the current and historical challenges faced by the AAPI community and their experiences  amid the heightened acts of hate against the community during the pandemic.

Panelists will touch upon topics that include identity and belonging, the AAPI community’s history and contributions locally and nationally, the diversity of the AAPI community, the harm caused by the model minority myth, and the importance of coalition building to advance anti-racism work.

Speakers include:

• Congressman Ted Lieu will provide special remarks.
• Jeff Nguyen, CBS2 / KCAL 9 reporter, will moderate.
• Dr. Arlene Daus-Magbual, the Director of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Student Services at San Francisco State University, will speak about AAPI history in the U.S. and AAPI hate.
• Hakhamanesh Mortezaie, an attorney with the City of Santa Monica’s Rent Control Department and member of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, will focus on AAPI history in Santa Monica.
• Christopher S. Tang, Distinguished Professor and the holder of the Edward W. Carter Chair in Business Administration at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, will focus on how the corporate glass ceiling has barred Asian Americans from leadership ranks for decades.

Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions for the panelists during the event.

RSVP: Tickets are free but reservations are required.

Event link: RSVPs will receive the event link upon registration.

Other events: Check the City’s website at santamonica.gov for upcoming events.

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SPEAKER BIOS

Congressman Ted Lieu

Ted W. Lieu represents California’s 33rd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Ted is serving in his third term in Congress and currently sits on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He was also elected by his Democratic Colleagues to serve as a Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

Ted is a former active duty officer in the U.S. Air Force and currently serves as a Colonel in the Reserves, stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base. In Congress, Ted has established himself as a leader on the environment; cybersecurity; civil liberties; government ethics and veterans.

Ted has been a leader in Congress against ethnic and racial profiling, and discrimination against the LGBT community. He serves as Whip of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Vice Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, and Co-Chair of the Cloud Computing Caucus.

Read Congressman Lieu’s full biography at https://lieu.house.gov/about/full-biography.

Jeff Nguyen

Jeff Nguyen is proud to work in his hometown as a reporter for CBS2/KCAL9. He joined the newsroom after reporting jobs in San Diego, Seattle and California’s Central Coast.

Before that, Nguyen was a field producer for Fox News Channel where he covered Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Ivan and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

He also served as a producer for the entertainment news program “Access Hollywood,” and at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles.

He also served as a producer for the entertainment news program “Access Hollywood,” and at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles.

Nguyen graduated from UCLA with a degree in Political Science with an emphasis on American Government. He began his journalism career during his senior year as a news writer for CBS2.

He is the recipient of a Golden Mike Award and an Associated Press/Mark Twain Award for Investigative Reporting. He shares two Emmy Awards with his CBS Los Angeles colleagues and he’s earned three Individual Emmy nominations for his work in the Los Angeles market.

Dr. Arlene Daus-Magbual

Dr. Arlene Daus-Magbual is the Director for Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Services and Faculty Lecturer in Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. She is a community engaged mother scholar, and her experiences include community-based organizing with youth and students, non-profit leadership development and higher education administration. Her research focuses on Ethnic Studies, Race, Anti- Asian Violence, Critical Leadership Praxis, Critical Pedagogy, Critical Race Parenting and Barangay Pedagogy. She has taught courses in educational research, Asian Americans in Education, Immigration and Forced Displacement and is currently teaching oral communications in Asian American Studies. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Riverside, masters in Asian American Studies and doctorate in Educational Leadership from San Francisco State University. She is also a commissioner for the Daly City Arts and Culture Commission.

Hakhamanesh Mortezaie

Hakhamanesh Mortezaie is Staff Attorney with Santa Monica’s Rent Control Board. He is a member of the City’s GARE Steering Committee, and the Equity and Inclusion Officer for the Rent Control Board. Born in Tehran, Iran, Hakhamanesh grew up in Northern California. He received his bachelors in history from UC Berkeley, and his law degree from UC Hastings. He has worked in the public interest throughout his entire 30 year legal career, as Outreach Director for the San Francisco AIDS Legal Referral Panel, then staff attorney with the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice in Boyle Heights, Chief Hearing Officer for the Los Angeles Housing Department, and for the last 11 years with Santa Monica’s Rent Control Board. Hakha’s passion for history and social justice led him to research the history of communities of color in Santa Monica for GARE, which is the subject of his discussion today.

Christopher S. Tang

Chris Tang is a Distinguished Professor and the holder of the Edward W. Carter Chair in Business Administration at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Known as a world-renowned thought leader in global supply chain management, Chris has published 6 books, over 160 research articles, and written articles for Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, etc. Chris consulted with Amazon, HP, IBM, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, etc.; and taught at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and London Business School. Since 2020, he has spoken and written in public media and open forums about hate crimes, racism, and discrimination against Asian Americans.

Chris has served as Editor in Chief and editorial board member for over 15 journals; and he has served as board members for various non-profit organizations including Asian Pacific Health Care Venture in Los Angeles. He is a lifetime fellow of the Institute of Operations and Management Sciences (INFORMS), the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS), and the Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society (MSOM). He received his B.Sc. (First class honours in Mathematics) from King’s College, London, M.A. (in Statistics), M.Phil. (in Administrative Science), and PhD (in Management Science) from Yale University.