Artists in many ways have always been on the front line of social activism constantly pushing our imaginations to envision what the world can and should be. Artists and writers have also put forth stories, poetry and visual representation of the desired social relationships that are needed to carry us into a more just, equitable tomorrow.
Looking back in our recent memory, we can recall the 2021 Atlanta Georgia Spa Shootings that targeted Asian American and Pacific Islander community members. With a longer national memory we can recall Vincent Chin an Chinese American draftsman who was killed in a racist assault in Detroit in the 1980’s, or the 2006 Minneapolis police shooting of 19 year old Hmong-American Fong Lee. Join us as we hear from leading artist-activists and organizers across different artistic mediums within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community reflect on how to keep our imaginations strong, and build authentic solidarity as we work to transform our local, national and global community.
Accessibility Note: ASL-English interpretation and live English captioning will be provided. Please email engagement@ywcampls.org for additional information or access requests.
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 13
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 pm CT
Location: Virtual
Cost: $25
Registration is now closed. See you for the next forum!
Anh Thu T. Pham is the managing director at Theater Mu where she is the first Asian American managing director. A 1.5 generation refugee from Viet Nam who grew up in Minnesota, her midwestern Asian American identity informs her cultural practice. Anh Thu has served on the boards of Pangea World Theater, Ananya Dance Theater, and the New Arab American Theater Works. She has also worked with the Minnesota Humanities Center on the Veterans Voices Advisory Committee and the Star Tribune’s Community Advisory Committee. She most recently worked as a cultural consultant for the Guthrie Theater in their production of Vietgone and the Stages Theatre’s adaptation of A Different Pond. Anh Thu currently serves as a guest curator for Chawrchā, a choreographer’s lab for Ananya Dance Theater. She sits on the advisory committee of the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota and is a board of Northern Lights MN. Anh Thu is a community activist and organizer at heart, she was a member of Rad Azns (Asians for Black Lives Matter) prior to starting her position at Theater Mu.
Tri Vo (he/ask) is the cultural organizer for The SEAD Project, a nonprofit organization that prioritizes the social, political and creative well-being of Southeast Asian diaspora in North America. Tri has designed podcasts, programs and, whenever possible, performance arts pieces on why it’s important for Asians to care about how labor, property and class relations are necessary categories of informed framing towards intersectional power building. Tri dances a lot when singing karaoke and encourages everyone reading this to bring their most lively energy to any karaoke night.
Hedy Tripp, she/her/hers, is an elder with the Minnesota Coalition of Asian American Leaders and the Asian American Alliance for Justice. As a published poet, writer and memoirist, Hedy draws on her rich life experiences as a Singaporean Eurasian; immigrant; and wife, mother and grandmother to a fiercely social justice activist Black and multicultural family. She is a retired lecturer in Asian American/Ethnic Studies and continues her work as co-facilitator of the Introductory Anti-Racism workshops hosted by St. Cloud State University, Minnesota. She is a recipient of arts grants from the Central Minnesota and State Arts Boards with funding from the McKnight Foundation and the National Endowment of the Arts.
Tripp has received numerous awards including St. Cloud Mayor’s High-Five award for Cultural Diversity in 1997; the Asian-Pacific Leadership award from the Governor’s State Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans in 2007; and the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) Minnesota “50 Over 50” award in 2017 for “incredible individuals over the age of 50 from across Minnesota who are making an impact.” This year, 2022 Tripp was honored by the City of St. Cloud with a Legacy award.
