2003 Asian American Awareness Month
Events
Film and Presentation: "Chutney Popcorn" with Nisha Ganatra
Wednesday, February 26: 5:30pm, Krannert Art Museum Auditorium (Room 62)
Chutney Popcorn (1999) is the feature-film debut by Ganatra, who stars as an Indian-American lesbian whose impulsive decision
to be a surrogate mother for her married older sister has broad repercussions within her relationship and her extended family.
Followed by discussion with Ganatra. Contact: Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities, Christine Catanzarite,
catanzar@uiuc.edu
Performance: Margaret Cho
Thursday, February 26: 7pm, Foellinger Auditorium
Her name ain't Gwen, and she ain't here to WAAAARRRSH your vagina, but America's favorite Korean-American hag who doesn't
play the violin is back and funnier than ever! Tickets available at Illini Union's Ticket Central and the Assembly Hall Box
Office; $14.50 for UIUC students and $24.00 for everyone else. Contact: Ticket Central, 333-5000.
Film Series: Rabbit in the Moon
Friday, February 28: Noon-1:30pm, Asian American Studies 1208 W. Nevada St.
Visually stunning and emotionally compelling, this film challenges the common notion that Japanese Americans willingly uprooted
their families to live in racially segregated concentration camps during World War II. After decades of silence, former internees
speak openly about their acts of protest and reflect on the psychological toll the camps took on themselves and their community.
Part of the 2002-2003 Asian American Studies Program film series "Fusions." Contact: Asian American Studies Program, 244-9530 or
Sharon Lee, lee1@uiuc.edu.
Performance: We Be Jammin'
Friday, February 28: 7-9pm, Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum
Cultural showcase of nine Asian Pacific Islander American student groups. Contact: Asian Pacific American Coalition, Frances
Gestoso, gestoso@uiuc.edu.
Display: Asian American Experiences Library Display
Month of March, Mueller Case, Main Library
The annual display will show in the Marshall Gallery at the east entrance of the Main Library. Contact: Asian American Studies
Program, 244-9530 or Sharon Lee, lee1@uiuc.edu.
Conference: Unseen Unheard Conference
Saturday, March 1: 10am-5pm, Illini Union
Unseen Unheard is free and open to all. It is undeniable that we students do not have the power to change the injustices in our
communities and society. By making our issues and concerns SEEN and HEARD, we empower our own community. For schedules and
registration, visit http://www.unseenunheard.com. Contact: Asian Pacific American
Coalition or Annie Yoo, annieyoo@uiuc.edu
Museum: Boxes and Walls
March 2-5, 9-12: 5pm-9pm, tours leave every 30 minutes. Basement of McKinley Church, 809 S. Fifth St.
An experiential "museum" built by students for students, "Boxes and Walls" takes an interactive, emotional approach to
diversity education, including an APA room. Sign up for a tour at
http://www.uiuc.edu/ro/boxesandwalls. Contact: Boxes and Walls, Robb Quirk, rquirk@uiuc.edu.
Discussion: The Making of a Gay Asian Community with Eric Wat
Research Analyst, Los Angeles County Children & Families First, Proposition 10 Commission
Tuesday, March 4: 10am-noon, Asian American Studies 1208 W. Nevada St.
In this presentation, Wat will discuss the various political ideologies that informed and hindered the formation of the gay
Asian identity and community in Los Angeles, as documented in his book, The Making of a Gay Asian Community: An Oral History of
Pre-AIDS Los Angeles. He will talk about the connection between this early generation of gay Asian men and the state of gay
Asian community in Los Angeles today. Part of the Asian American Studies Program 2002-2003 workshop series, "Gendered spaces,
Sexualized places: New Routes to Asian America." Contact: Asian American Studies Program, 244-9530 or Sharon Lee,
lee1@uiuc.edu.
Film: Monsoon Wedding
Friday, March 7: 8pm, Noyes Lab
Contact: Indian Student Association or
Asian American Association.
Performance: Philippine Student Association "Impact" Fashion Show
Saturday, March 8: 3pm, Foellinger Auditorium
The Fashion Show showcases fashion, various campus talents, and traditional Filipino dances. Tickets on sale now at the Illini
Union ticket center for $6. Tickets are $8 at the door. Contact:
Philippine Student Association, Kristin Relucio,
relucio@uiuc.edu, or Crystal Sangern,
csangern@uiuc.edu.
Performance: Ghungroo Show
Saturday, March 8: 7pm, Lincoln Hall Theater
Showcase of various dances and music of India performed by UI's first Indian dance team. Contact:
Ghungroo Dance Company.
Informational Booth: APA Osteoporosis Awareness
Wednesday, March 12-13: llini Union Quad Booth
An informational booth to inform and educate the APA community of the impacts of osteoporosis, espcially how it affects Asian
Pacific Americans. Calcium chocolates will be passed out. Contact:
Alpha Kappa Delta Phi.
Communiversity Class: Filipino Sampler: A Taste of Everything Filipino
Thursday, March 13 - April 17: 7pm Thursdays, University YMCA K1/K2 Rooms
Five one hour classes over 5 weeks will provide you with a peek into Filipino food, dance, issues, language, and history.
Presented by U of I students and professors. Check out the
University YMCA for more details. Cost: $10.
Contact: Paola Druja, druja@uiuc.edu.
Display: Taste of Asia
Thursday, March 13: 5-7 pm, University YMCA K1/K2 Rooms
Come taste various traditional dishes and learn more about Asian culture from nine different cultures. Open to the public.
Contact: Asian American Association, Calvin Chen, cdchen@uiuc.edu, or Grace Sue,
gracesue@uiuc.edu.
Film Series: Crossing Chasms
Friday, March 14: Noon-1:00pm, Asian American Studies 1208 W. Nevada St.
Jennifer Arndt, a Korean adoptee, returns to her birth country seeking answers to the complex questions surrounding her adoption.
On this journey, she meets other Korean adoptees who share their experiences as she tries to locate her own biological family.
Through her own story and the testimonies of seven other adoptees, we learn about the complex issues facing Korean adoptees
through their own voices. Part of the 2002-2003 Asian American Studies Program film series "Fusions." Contact: Asian American
Studies Program, 244-9530 or Sharon Lee, lee1@uiuc.edu.
Performance: Asian American Idol
Friday, March 15: 8-10pm, Illini Union Ballroom
A talent contest based on "American Idol." Monetary donations to charity for admission. Contact: Illini Union Board, Korean
American Students Association or Kevin Ho, kungho@uiuc.edu, or Jenny Choi,
jachoi1@uiuc.edu.
Performance: Asian American Association Fashion Show
Friday, April 4: 7pm, Foellinger Auditorium
Cost: $7-$10. For ticket information, visit http://www.uiuc.edu/ro/aaa. Contact:
Asian American Association,
Lisa Nonzee, snonzee@uiuc.edu, or Jennie Ly,
jenniely@uiuc.edu.
ISA India Night
Friday, April 4-5: Time TBA, Virginia Theater
Experience the magic that is ISA India Night, one of the largest stage performance shows with much promising talent.
Lecture: Sexualities and Asian/America - Redirecting the Conversation
with Thomas Nakayama, Professor, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University
Tuesday, April 8: 10am-noon, Asian American Studies 1208 W. Nevada St.
A focus on the question of sexualities in exploring the movement of Asians in the Americas offers new insights into the
regulation of bodies, as well as the ideological construction of "American." By centering sexuality at the center of this
international and intercultural contact, we can begin to reconsider the ways that sexuality has been used to regulate this
contact, as well as the impossibility of doing so. As Asian/America relentlessly redefines itself in the new century,
discussions of sexualities need to be at the center of this process. Part of the Asian American Studies Program 2002-2003
workshop series, "Gendered spaces, Sexualized places: New Routes to Asian America." Contact: Asian American Studies Program,
244-9530 or Sharon Lee, lee1@uiuc.edu.
"What's the Word?"
April 10-13: Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
April 10-April 11, 8:00pm: I Was Born with Two Tongues and Marc Joseph
April 12, 8:00pm: Stacyann Chin and Aya de Leon
April 13, 3:00pm: Mariposa and Inner Voices
Contact: Krannert Center, Ticket Information,
Department of Theatre. Cost: $5-$12.
Performance: Taiwanese Cultural Puppet Show and Workshop with visiting speaker Alan Chen
Saturday, April 12: 6-9pm, Location TBA
Through myths and folk tales performed in the puppet acts, Alan Chen will speak on aspects of Taiwanese culture and how the
stories and folk tales exemplify an aspect of Taiwanese culture. Contact: Taiwainese American Students Club, Lisa Nonzee,
snonzee@uiuc.edu, or Jennie Ly, jenniely@uiuc.edu.
All events are free to UIUC students and faculty/staff unless otherwise noted. All prices and dates subject to change.
Sponsors of these events include:
Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, Asian American Association, Asian American Studies Program, Asian Pacific American Coaltion,
Asian Pacific American Resource Committee, Illini Union Board, Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities,
Ghungroo Dance Company, Indian Student Association, Korean American Students Association, Office for LGBT Concerns,
Philippine Student Association, Student Affairs Program Coordinating Council, Taiwanese American Students Club,
University YMCA, and Women's Studies Program.
For more information, contact the Asian American Cultural Center at 333-0050.
- Return to Top -
