Advocacy, Allyship and Action Townhall to Combat Anti-Asian Hate, happening Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 2 PM CT/3 PM ET.
The National YMCA Asian Pacific Islander Leadership Network’s (APILN) Roar With Us Learning Series, during the month of May, is hosting a national town hall to address the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and racism across the nation.
Participants are invited to join alongside keynote speakers to dive deep into a crucial discussion unpacking the history of anti-Asian racism, white supremacy, and how everyone can advocate and take action for change. The town hall will take place May 12, 2021 at 2 PM CT/3 PM ET.
Keynote Speakers Include:
BD Wong, an acclaimed actor in films including Bird Box, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World, The Normal Heart, Focus, Mulan (1 & 2), The Salton Sea, Executive Decision, Seven Years In Tibet, Jurassic Park, Father of the Bride (1 & 2), The Freshman and has also had a number of television appearances.
Wong has been honored by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian AIDS Project, GLAAD, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, The Anti-Violence Project, Lambda Legal, Museum of Chinese in America and Marriage Equality New York. He is a board member of The Actors’ Fund and Rosie’s Theater Kids.
Tammy Duckworth, a United States Senator, an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was among the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 after representing Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms.
Ted W. Lieu represents California’s 33rd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, 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.
Lieu 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, Lieu has established himself as a leader on the environment; cybersecurity; civil liberties; government ethics and veterans.
Connie Lim, (Milck’s) life took a 180-degree turn after a cell phone video of her performing her song “Quiet” with a choir of 25 strangers at the 2017 Women’s March went viral. Soon it was being echoed and interpreted by groups around the world, from the US to Sweden to Ghana. “Quiet” was named Billboard’s No.1 protest song of the year and earned distinction as part of NPR’s “American Anthem” series. Having “cemented her status as one of musics’ voices for the women’s movement,” MILCK continues to use music as a means to work towards social justice.
Connie Chung Joe, JD, is the chief executive officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (Advancing Justice – LA), the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Prior to joining Advancing Justice – LA in August 2020, Chung Joe served as the executive director of the Korean American Family Services (KFAM) for 11 years.
Kevin Washington became president and CEO of YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) in 2015. A 43-year Y professional, he is the 14th person and first African American to lead the Y Movement in the United States. The Y has been a fixture in Washington’s life since he was 10 years old when he first took part in an after-school program at the Christian Street YMCA in his south Philadelphia neighborhood.
Learn more and register for Roar With Us: Advocacy, Allyship, and Action to Combat Anti-Asian Hate.