Tribute to Dr. Min Zhou with Appreciation to Walter and Shirley Wang

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Good evening and welcome to our tribute

for Distinguished

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Professor Min Zhou with appreciation

to Walter and Shirley Wong.

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My name is Keith Camacho,

and I am the chair of the Asian-American

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Studies Department and the associate

director of the Asian-American

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Studies Center.

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I am also your emcee for tonight's

celebration in honor of men's

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stellar record of scholarship

leadership and mentorship

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at UCLA across the country

and internationally.

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Before I begin, I also want to acknowledge

the Tongva community,

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the indigenous peoples of this campus,

and greater to longer or Los Angeles.

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I also want to thank the Asian American

Studies Center, the Asia Pacific Center

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and the Sociology Department

for co-sponsoring this wonderful event.

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Our benefactor, Walter and Shirley

Wong deserve much recognition as well

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for kindly establishing the chair

and advancing research on U.S.

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relations. Thank you, Walter and Shirley.

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I also want to thank

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Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Darnell Hunt and interim

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dean of the College of Social Sciences,

Abella Valenzuela.

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For your continued support of men

and our many colleagues and students.

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Please, everybody, give them a big hand.

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It goes without saying

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that Men is a rock star.

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She she is not only a distinguished

professor of sociology

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and Asian-American studies

at UCLA as well as the Walter and Shirley

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Wong Endowed Chair in US-China Relations

and Communications.

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Men is also an inducted member

of the National Academy of Sciences

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and the American Academy of Arts

and Sciences.

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Then is also the recipient recipient

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of more than 20 book and teaching awards

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spanning her illustrious career,

due in large part to her leadership.

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Min also chaired the Asian-American

studies inter Department to program

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as well as well as served as the founding

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chair of the Department in 2004.

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Reflecting

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reflecting upon men's

landmark contributions.

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Valarie Matsumoto, a professor of history

and Asian-American studies,

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and the George and Sakai are a tiny chair.

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On Japanese-American incarceration,

we dress and community had this to say.

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Quote

Min is not only one of the most brilliant,

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accomplished scholars I know, but also

one of the most generous and collegial.

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We have benefited immensely from her deep

knowledge

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and savvy advice

about how the university operates.

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End quote.

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To Hong Win

Vo, a professor of Asian languages

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and cultures and Asian-American studies

similarly noted, quote,

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Min has brought prestige

and inspiration to us.

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With her astonishingly prolific

and groundbreaking scholarship ship,

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we have come a long way from our days

as an interdepartmental program

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whose small faculty

met in a tiny room in Campbell Hall

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and Min has been with every with us

every step of the way.

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End quote.

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Echoing Valerie to Hong

and our many colleagues and students,

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I likewise want to my express express

my sincere appreciation

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and gratitude to Min for preparing

the Asian-American Studies Department

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for the many research opportunities

and challenges of the 21st century.

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Thank you, Min.

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It is now

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my pleasure to introduce

Vice Provost of the Institute

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of American Cultures, David Yu.

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Thank you, Keith.

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Good evening, everyone.

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I have the honor today of introducing

distinguished UCLA alumna Shirley Wang,

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who is a CEO of Plas Pro,

a leading manufacturer

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of award winning home products

and fiberglass doors.

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And her husband, Walter Wang, is president

and CEO of Jim Eagle,

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the world's largest plastic pipe company.

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In addition to their accomplishments

in the business world,

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which are formidable,

the Wang's are philanthropists

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in many different arenas,

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including major sponsorship for the Emmy

nominated PBS documentary Becoming America

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and the Chinese Experience by Bill Moyers,

which some of you may have seen.

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They have also helped the world

to understand pressing issues of our times

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through two Academy Award

nominated documentaries,

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a 2007 film on AIDS in China

that won the Academy Award

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in the short documentary category

and a 2010 film on environmental issues

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that sparked the landmark effort

to clean up toxic waste in China,

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as well as in education in 2008.

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As we have heard through their generosity,

the Wang's establish that UCLA,

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the first endowed chair,

focused on both US-China

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relations

and Chinese-American studies in U.S.

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higher education.

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The Wang chair supported the research

and teaching efforts

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of our amazing colleague Mingo,

and who we are honoring tonight.

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And their support has enabled Professor

Jo to really work

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with multiple units at UCLA,

but also with universities and colleagues

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throughout the United States

and many other parts of the world.

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And they focused on international,

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transnational and interdisciplinary issues

relevant to Chinese America,

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US-China relations

and the Asia-Pacific region.

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If any of you have known, you know, in

you know, in terms of her energy

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and her span is truly amazing.

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And so the Institute of American Cultures

and and the Asian American Studies Center

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are deeply grateful to the Wang's

for their leadership, vision

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and commitment to create a more inclusive

American and global society,

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especially promoting better understanding

and appreciation of US-China relations.

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Please join me in welcoming Shirley Wang.

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So, you know, today it's about me.

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It's not about Maltin and Shirley Wang.

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I hope everybody is very clear about that

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because Ming is so special

and I'm so sorry that Walter is not here.

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He usually joined by the hit,

but he got to his quan muscle.

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So unfortunately, he's not here.

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He's the better half.

So you'll only get me. Okay.

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But anyways, Walter and I decided that

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to endow this chair.

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And I have to say,

the culprit is Tricia Toyota.

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Please raise your hand to Tricia.

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Where are you?

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So, Tricia, you know,

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she came up to Walter

and I and said, Hey, you know, there's no

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Asian-American studies chair or,

you know, this ever and just you.

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And I was shocked

because, I mean, UCLA has over 40%,

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I think over 45% Asians at UCLA.

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And we don't have an Asian-American chair.

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That's that's terrible.

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So Walter and I said,

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we have to do something about that

because we need to raise Asian voices.

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And so we said, okay, let's do it.

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And Tricia got us to do it.

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And and here we are.

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And and then it's the

first time I've ever had a

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did endowed chair.

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And so I didn't know the process.

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I was like, Oh, we have endowed chair.

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So do we get to pick the professor

or anything like that?

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And then

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as you can see from the laughter,

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it is a resounding no.

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It is.

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It is decided by the Senate and all this

faculty and all these different things.

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And so we have no say.

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And then they said, okay, this is

the person that you get, you get Ming.

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So I was like, Who is this woman?

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Who is she?

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I mean, why does she get this?

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And then and then he told me, Oh,

she published 19 books and 200 articles,

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and I'm like, That shut me up real quick

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because I'm sitting here like,

Wow, she's so prolific.

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Then I started to wonder, you know,

how does she have time to be in chair?

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She wrote 19 books and 20 articles

just writing all day long.

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But, you know, as you can see, you know,

she is truly a rock star,

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prolific, amazing, passionate, energetic.

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I mean, so much

so that, you know, as our endowed chair,

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I mean, people across the world say, hey,

I heard from the Walter and Shirley Wang

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endowed chair, Professor Ming Jo, and I'm

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like, wow, she's really enhancing

my reputation because

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she's all

over the world and talking about stuff.

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So I'm really appreciative of Ming for,

you know,

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not only doing the work that she does,

but she's it has our reputation as well.

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So, I mean, as we already seen and I'm

going to repeat myself, but not only did

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she serve as our chair, she she served

on the UCLA Academic Personnel Council.

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She raised over $7 million,

the UCLA Asia Pacific Center.

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That's like also unheard of.

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Right.

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Was a coeditor in chief

of the Journal of Chinese Overseas,

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serves as a president of the North

American Socialist

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Just Association,

served as a member of the both the U.S.

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National Academy of Sciences and

the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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I mean, she was the recipient

of two American Sociological Associates

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Association Awards, the Distinguished

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Career Award of the Section

on International Migration

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and the Contribution of the Field

Award of the Asian and Asian America.

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I mean, that's a mouthful. As you can see.

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I should just shut up.

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Just like when I found out that

she was in it because it's just so long.

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Her resume is

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so long and so illustrious.

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Right. And so

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but at the same time, I'm so saddened.

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I mean, we are honoring her and she's

retiring from this position because,

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I mean,

I can't imagine anyone as prolific,

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as energetic, as passionate as,

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you know, doing such great contributions

in the world.

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So she I mean, she's really changed

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the landscape with regard

to Asian-Americans and their plight.

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She's given definition

to the Asian-American diaspora

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through her books, in her articles

on contemporary issues surrounding

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historical, social and political factors

in immigration to the U.S..

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I mean, without her,

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there wouldn't be a lot of definitions

or known about us

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because we're so silent

and because of what she's done, people

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actually hear us and know how to define us

and get to know us better.

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So like she's talked about

the Asian-American achievement paradox

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and the rise of the new second generation

of Asian-Americans.

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I mean, I'm I want to read those books

because I'm trying to understand it.

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So it's like, you know, you're amazing.

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I mean, you really have,

you know, raised all of us by your work.

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So I salute you

for all your accomplishments and hope

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that you continue to make a difference

in this arena and in the world.

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And thank you, men, for who you are,

your energy, your passion, your.

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And it's incomparable, right?

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And the volumes of contributions

you have made, which are innumerable.

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So thank you.

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And I may God bless you always.

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Thank you so much, Shirley.

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And for the

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folks, your staff, alumni, faculty,

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leadership,

there's two kinds of faculty at UCLA.

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There's stellar scholars

like Min who write over 19 books

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and 20 articles,

and there's academics like myself

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who can tell you

how many 19 movies are out there.

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100, 200 TV series. Right.

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So if you want to talk to a movie,

please come to me.

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But as we move through the program

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more seriously, I want to introduce

our next tribute speaker,

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vice Provost of International Studies

and Global Engagement,

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Cindy Phan.

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Thank you, Keith.

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I mean,

do you feel like you're getting married

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today

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with Sam?

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Raise your hand, Sam.

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Congratulations to both of you.

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There's probably no better time to talk

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about US-China

relations and communications.

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Tomorrow's a big day

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tomorrow in San Francisco.

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President Biden is scheduled to meet

with President Xi from China.

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And this morning,

in a hotel in San Francisco,

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I picked up a couple of newspapers.

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The first one I picked up is China Daily.

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That shows President

Xi with the background,

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which is the Golden Gate Bridge.

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And so it was really difficult to decide

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whether I would stay in San Francisco

or come back here to celebrate.

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You mean. But of course, you win.

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The two presidents they lost.

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I think I'm not going to try to repeat

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all the accolades

that people have said, but

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I think many people agree

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that the relations between

the bilateral relations between the U.S.

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and China, it is the most important

bilateral relations now.

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But, of course, Shirley and Walter already

knew about that more than 15 years ago.

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And so it's the vision

that led to the creation

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establishment of this endowed chair

on U.S.

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relations and US-China

relations and communications.

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Not only that, they also funded a media

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brief,

also in the Asian American Studies Center

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when Shirley was president

of the UCLA Foundation.

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She also led a delegation to visit China.

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So their vision, its its continues

to be important today.

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And I want to also thank Professor

David Yu, vice provost

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for Institute of American Cultures,

and also Professor Karen Yamamoto,

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director of the Asian American Studies

Center for their leadership

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because the chair is housed in

Asian American Studies Center.

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So another paper

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that newspaper that I picked up

this morning is San Francisco Chronicle.

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They did not have President

Xi of us and Biden

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on the front page,

but they had the story about AIPAC.

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And the title is Apex,

A major opportunity for Chinatown

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and if you talk about Chinatown,

you have to talk about men.

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Right.

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So men and I go way back.

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We were rotating between

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several years in terms of chairing IDPs.

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And you would you learn about her

being elected to the American Academy

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of Arts and Sciences last year

and National Academy of Sciences

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this year, before you know,

she would get an Oscars. So.

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So it goes without

saying that she's an intellectual giant.

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But I wanted to highlight a few things

about her vision for the chair.

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Her vision is a global vision.

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Number one, her research on diasporas,

Asian-Americans, Chinese,

00:15:57:20 - 00:16:01:10

Chinese-Americans, etc., etc.

00:16:01:12 - 00:16:04:08

We Asian-Americans continue

00:16:04:08 - 00:16:09:06

to be haunted by the forever

Foreigner syndrome.

00:16:09:08 - 00:16:12:04

And so US-China relations

00:16:12:04 - 00:16:16:05

affects Asian Americans and affects

Chinese-Americans.

00:16:16:07 - 00:16:20:08

anti-Asian

hate continues to exist in this country,

00:16:20:13 - 00:16:24:08

despite the fact that we're no longer

wearing masks for COVID.

00:16:24:10 - 00:16:27:13

And so her work continues

to really project

00:16:27:13 - 00:16:31:04

a global vision about US-China relations.

00:16:31:06 - 00:16:35:16

Number two,

as director of the Asia-Pacific Center,

00:16:35:17 - 00:16:39:11

one of the 27 centers

within the International Institute,

00:16:39:13 - 00:16:43:09

she created a number of initiatives,

including the Global Chinese

00:16:43:09 - 00:16:47:04

Philanthropy Initiative

that I think you saw some images of.

00:16:47:06 - 00:16:49:15

And so she's introducing to the world

00:16:49:15 - 00:16:52:14

a new generation of Chinese,

00:16:52:15 - 00:16:58:01

not as competitors,

but as contributors and as partners

00:16:58:03 - 00:17:02:19

to help to shape a better future

for the world.

00:17:02:20 - 00:17:07:23

Number three, when two countries

when relations between two countries is

00:17:07:23 - 00:17:13:08

tense, universities

have a special role to play, and that is

00:17:13:14 - 00:17:17:05

they should continue to collaborate

and exchange ideas.

00:17:17:07 - 00:17:20:19

And men has taken UCLA faculty

00:17:20:21 - 00:17:24:05

to Shanghai University,

to a young university.

00:17:24:05 - 00:17:26:12

And I think what you're watching

00:17:26:12 - 00:17:29:12

I saw you some way

I think you were part of that trip

00:17:29:13 - 00:17:33:03

to this young university

where we talk about migration.

00:17:33:05 - 00:17:36:05

So these are all the things

that men has started.

00:17:36:07 - 00:17:41:01

I wanted to close by talking

about something a little bit personal

00:17:41:03 - 00:17:42:22

as a person.

00:17:42:22 - 00:17:44:22

Well, she's fearless, right?

00:17:44:22 - 00:17:46:23

She has no fear.

00:17:47:01 - 00:17:48:04

She's brave.

00:17:48:04 - 00:17:52:05

But at the same time,

she's exceedingly kind.

00:17:52:07 - 00:17:54:18

Some of you may know that

she actually received

00:17:54:18 - 00:17:58:06

a mentorship award at UCLA.

00:17:58:08 - 00:18:01:08

She has mentors, so many people,

00:18:01:11 - 00:18:04:21

younger junior scholars,

but people I myself, too.

00:18:04:21 - 00:18:09:03

I consider her a peer,

a friend, and also a mentor.

00:18:09:09 - 00:18:12:06

So you're wise counsel for people

like myself.

00:18:12:06 - 00:18:14:01

It's invaluable.

00:18:14:01 - 00:18:17:12

So on this wedding day of yours,

00:18:17:14 - 00:18:18:18

congratulations.

00:18:18:18 - 00:18:19:23

A big thank you to you.

00:18:19:23 - 00:18:29:16

We're so lucky to have you.

00:18:29:18 - 00:18:31:05

Thank you, Cindy.

00:18:31:05 - 00:18:35:10

Our next speaker for their tribute

is Sociology Department Chair

00:18:35:15 - 00:18:43:06

Edward Walker.

00:18:43:08 - 00:18:46:00

Well, it's very nice to see

all of you here this evening.

00:18:46:00 - 00:18:48:06

I'm Ed Walker,

the chair of the sociology department.

00:18:48:06 - 00:18:51:06

And we're so very fortunate

to have Bengio as our

00:18:51:11 - 00:18:54:16

a colleague

and faculty member in our department.

00:18:54:18 - 00:18:57:17

It's really an honor to be here

celebrating with you,

00:18:57:18 - 00:19:00:18

not one, but three major achievements

by Professor Jo.

00:19:01:00 - 00:19:04:00

Her 15 years of service

as the Walter and Shirley Wong chair

00:19:04:05 - 00:19:07:05

in China

US-China Relations and communications.

00:19:07:08 - 00:19:09:05

Her election to the American Academy

of Arts and Sciences

00:19:09:05 - 00:19:12:21

last year, and her election to the

American Academy of Sciences this year.

00:19:12:23 - 00:19:15:23

While any one of these things

would be a career defining milestone

00:19:16:00 - 00:19:18:22

for many, for a colleague like Min,

we have all three of these happening

00:19:18:22 - 00:19:20:07

at the same time.

00:19:20:07 - 00:19:22:11

It's really quite incredible.

00:19:22:11 - 00:19:24:16

It's a mark of such achievement

and one that

00:19:24:16 - 00:19:27:16

we in the Department of Sociology

find absolutely remarkable.

00:19:27:19 - 00:19:28:04

It's hard

00:19:28:04 - 00:19:32:16

not to look at Min's career to date

and not be in all of her accomplishments.

00:19:32:18 - 00:19:34:08

A number of the other programs

will be talking

00:19:34:08 - 00:19:37:13

about men's accomplishments

and contributions in other areas.

00:19:37:13 - 00:19:40:08

But I want to talk about men's

contributions in sociology.

00:19:40:08 - 00:19:42:19

By any measure, men

is one of the towering figures

00:19:42:19 - 00:19:45:18

in our discipline at both the domestic

and the international levels.

00:19:45:22 - 00:19:49:18

Men's contributions to sociology

cut across a wide range of areas,

00:19:49:20 - 00:19:52:14

and she's made a major impact in each

and every one of them.

00:19:52:14 - 00:19:54:12

International Migration and Development.

00:19:54:12 - 00:19:57:04

Race and Ethnicity.

The Sociology of Development.

00:19:57:04 - 00:19:58:20

Economics. Sociology.

00:19:58:20 - 00:20:01:13

Sociology of Education. Urban Sociology.

00:20:01:13 - 00:20:04:11

Her research has been cited over

36,000 times.

00:20:04:11 - 00:20:07:10

That's a lot of citations in her work.

00:20:07:15 - 00:20:10:15

It's not only reshaped each of these areas

in which she's contributed,

00:20:10:18 - 00:20:12:15

but she's given us

a new language of concepts.

00:20:12:15 - 00:20:16:00

These are the concepts

that many of us use in our research

00:20:16:02 - 00:20:17:22

refinements to existing concepts as well,

00:20:17:22 - 00:20:21:10

including segmented assimilation,

ethnic capital, hyper selectivity,

00:20:21:15 - 00:20:26:00

ethnic enclaves,

social status compensation and much more.

00:20:26:02 - 00:20:28:14

These concepts shape

not only the understandings of topics

00:20:28:14 - 00:20:30:22

that get used in graduate

and undergraduate courses,

00:20:30:22 - 00:20:34:17

but they also shape how

this is taught in textbooks everywhere.

00:20:34:19 - 00:20:37:16

It also shapes the broader

public understanding of sociology

00:20:37:16 - 00:20:38:23

across the world.

00:20:38:23 - 00:20:40:05

For this and so much more,

00:20:40:05 - 00:20:43:22

we owe Professor Joe

an enormous debt of collective gratitude.

00:20:44:00 - 00:20:47:07

I also want to speak to Min's character

as a departmental colleague.

00:20:47:09 - 00:20:49:20

Aside from being an award winning teacher

00:20:49:20 - 00:20:50:19

of courses on Chinese

00:20:50:19 - 00:20:54:21

immigration, Asian-American communities,

theories of ethnicity

00:20:54:23 - 00:20:58:06

and international migration

more generally means an astounding

00:20:58:06 - 00:21:01:17

and inspiring, inspiring teacher

and mentor to our students.

00:21:01:19 - 00:21:05:12

Her students in sociology regularly

describe her as a world class advisor,

00:21:05:14 - 00:21:08:16

a trusted supporter of their work,

who pushes them to question

00:21:08:16 - 00:21:11:16

their assumptions

and to be systematic in their approach.

00:21:11:17 - 00:21:14:12

I was fortunate enough to see this

for myself firsthand when Ben and

00:21:14:12 - 00:21:16:15

I advised the students together

about two years ago,

00:21:16:15 - 00:21:18:20

a student was doing a really interesting

dissertation

00:21:18:20 - 00:21:21:16

on environmental politics in China.

00:21:21:18 - 00:21:22:15

And, you

00:21:22:15 - 00:21:25:15

know,

we saw this really incredibly engaged

00:21:25:17 - 00:21:29:09

advising style firsthand,

and it was really impressive.

00:21:29:10 - 00:21:31:14

And in the department,

I would also say that

00:21:31:14 - 00:21:32:10

and as a department chair,

00:21:32:10 - 00:21:34:21

I'd say I really appreciate this,

that men are also not shy

00:21:34:21 - 00:21:36:21

about stepping up for things

in our department,

00:21:36:21 - 00:21:40:13

despite everything else

that she has going on.

00:21:40:15 - 00:21:44:22

And so she's repeatedly elected to serve

on our department's executive committee,

00:21:45:00 - 00:21:46:15

often

at the same time that she was holding down

00:21:46:15 - 00:21:49:04

major obligations

in Asian-American studies.

00:21:49:04 - 00:21:51:18

And as director of the UCLA

Pacific Center, she did

00:21:51:18 - 00:21:55:03

all of this while keeping up many other

professional responsibilities.

00:21:55:03 - 00:21:57:16

And the American Sociological Association

00:21:57:16 - 00:22:01:01

and on the editorial boards

of leading journals in sociology.

00:22:01:03 - 00:22:04:15

For most of us, taking on all of this

might mean we only sleep 3 hours a night,

00:22:04:15 - 00:22:05:20

but it's always so energetic.

00:22:05:20 - 00:22:09:07

So it means sleeping pretty well, too.

00:22:09:09 - 00:22:12:13

So it's very, very impressive to see.

00:22:12:15 - 00:22:16:05

And I can say we really only hope

that we can all model after

00:22:16:05 - 00:22:20:02

men's seemingly boundless capacity

to support her students and colleagues.

00:22:20:03 - 00:22:23:05

So men on behalf of the Department

of Sociology and on behalf of all of us.

00:22:23:06 - 00:22:25:11

Congratulations on 15 wonderful years

00:22:25:11 - 00:22:28:23

as the Walter and Shirley Wong Chair

in US-China Relations and Communications.

00:22:29:01 - 00:22:31:19

And congratulations again

in your highly impressive election

00:22:31:19 - 00:22:33:14

into the American Academy

of Arts and Sciences

00:22:33:14 - 00:22:35:06

and the National Academy of Sciences.

00:22:35:06 - 00:22:38:06

You're a role model colleague,

and we are incredibly fortunate

00:22:38:07 - 00:22:39:07

to have you among our ranks.

00:22:39:07 - 00:22:47:23

So thank you so much.

00:22:48:01 - 00:22:48:12

Thank you.

00:22:48:12 - 00:22:53:05

And our next speaker is distinguished

professor of Sociology,

00:22:53:05 - 00:23:03:23

Roger Waldinger.

00:23:04:01 - 00:23:05:15

So I'm delighted

00:23:05:15 - 00:23:08:15

to have this opportunity

to participate in this wonderful

00:23:08:15 - 00:23:13:08

and so greatly deserved celebration

of my dear friend and colleague, Min Jo.

00:23:13:10 - 00:23:16:07

My friendship with Min

is the result of a chance

00:23:16:07 - 00:23:19:15

encounter that took place roughly

four decades ago.

00:23:19:17 - 00:23:25:11

At the time I was an untenured

assistant professor at the City College of

00:23:25:13 - 00:23:27:10

New York, a teaching institution

00:23:27:10 - 00:23:32:13

that serves a largely immigrant origin

and working class student body.

00:23:32:15 - 00:23:35:06

And at the time,

the Department of Sociology

00:23:35:06 - 00:23:38:16

was in a newly opened

or already dilapidated building

00:23:38:16 - 00:23:41:23

that had been constructed in brutalist

architectural style,

00:23:42:01 - 00:23:44:20

where the younger faculty

such as myself were consigned

00:23:44:20 - 00:23:48:16

to what they called

a four pack of small, windowless offices.

00:23:48:18 - 00:23:51:08

One afternoon, I think it was a Friday,

00:23:51:08 - 00:23:55:19

an unannounced guest appears at the door

door of my four pack.

00:23:55:21 - 00:23:58:18

The visitor

turns out to be a young Chinese immigrant

00:23:58:18 - 00:24:01:19

graduate student enrolled in the Sociology

Ph.D.

00:24:01:19 - 00:24:06:17

program at SUNY Albany, about to begin her

fieldwork in New York's Chinatown.

00:24:06:19 - 00:24:09:19

I can't really remember the substance

of our conversation,

00:24:10:00 - 00:24:14:07

only that the person and the interchange

made a deep impression.

00:24:14:09 - 00:24:16:21

I do recall,

and I think that this is women's

00:24:16:21 - 00:24:19:16

memory as well,

that I ran off to the department office

00:24:19:16 - 00:24:24:01

to make photocopies of some of my recent

papers and publications, and I vaguely

00:24:24:01 - 00:24:27:08

recall that men accompanied me,

but I'm not really certain. And.

00:24:27:12 - 00:24:30:19

And then the visitor vanished

with no further trace

00:24:30:19 - 00:24:35:18

until about a year or 18 months later,

when I received an envelope

00:24:35:20 - 00:24:38:20

containing the acknowledgments

page from her dissertation.

00:24:39:00 - 00:24:42:19

A bit later, I began to notice

that the person who arrived in my office

00:24:42:19 - 00:24:46:21

as a graduate student was beginning

to make a professional name for herself,

00:24:46:22 - 00:24:51:16

publishing an article in a leading journal

and then a well-regarded book.

00:24:51:18 - 00:24:53:21

In 1990, men moved to

00:24:53:21 - 00:24:57:19

Baton Rouge to take up a position

at Louisiana State University.

00:24:57:21 - 00:25:02:08

And a year later, what was then a die

hard New Yorker headed west.

00:25:02:10 - 00:25:07:11

Shortly thereafter, our department sought

to make a hire an Asian American Studies.

00:25:07:13 - 00:25:11:02

And I was appointed

to that research committee

00:25:11:04 - 00:25:15:22

with the experience of that chance

encounter emblazoned in my mind.

00:25:15:23 - 00:25:18:13

I knew exactly whom to call.

00:25:18:13 - 00:25:20:03

I dialed the number.

00:25:20:03 - 00:25:23:05

I encouraged

the person who answered the phone to apply

00:25:23:05 - 00:25:26:19

to our position, and the rest is history.

00:25:26:21 - 00:25:31:15

Of course, neither of us had any inkling

of just how that history would unfold,

00:25:31:17 - 00:25:35:07

although right from the start, men

had communicated some of the

00:25:35:07 - 00:25:39:11

special qualities that have made

for her extraordinary success.

00:25:39:13 - 00:25:43:14

It was only over time

that the range of the complete person

00:25:43:14 - 00:25:47:12

came into full view,

equipped with a level of energy

00:25:47:14 - 00:25:51:04

and discipline

that is at once legendary and beyond.

00:25:51:04 - 00:25:52:04

Compare.

00:25:52:04 - 00:25:55:06

The once young graduate student

has found a way to combine

00:25:55:06 - 00:26:00:01

the complete academic package

in a way that eludes almost all of us.

00:26:00:03 - 00:26:04:09

As demonstrated by her election to not one

but two of the most distinguished

00:26:04:09 - 00:26:08:17

scholarly academies, Min has made

fundamental scholarly contributions

00:26:08:18 - 00:26:13:07

to the study of race,

ethnicity and migration, blazing the path

00:26:13:07 - 00:26:17:22

to a globalized study of migration

that is a model for the rest of the field.

00:26:17:23 - 00:26:22:13

But as you all know, Min

is more than researcher extraordinaire.

00:26:22:15 - 00:26:26:13

Thanks to her exceptional

diplomatic qualities and her willingness

00:26:26:13 - 00:26:29:23

to put her incredible energy

at the service of the university.

00:26:30:01 - 00:26:33:07

She is an institution builder,

someone who has the skills

00:26:33:07 - 00:26:36:06

required to get things done

by working with the people,

00:26:36:06 - 00:26:41:02

as well as a commitment to find resources

that enrich our collective lives.

00:26:41:04 - 00:26:44:22

There's much more that could be said,

but I think that I will simply conclude

00:26:45:03 - 00:26:48:03

by telling you then how glad I am

00:26:48:03 - 00:26:53:12

that I was in my office on that afternoon

when you visited City College.

00:26:53:13 - 00:26:54:14

Not only did that

00:26:54:14 - 00:26:58:09

memorable encounter allow

for the friendship and colleague ship

00:26:58:11 - 00:27:01:11

subsequently ensued, it gave me an upfront

00:27:01:11 - 00:27:04:13

view of the exceptional career

that you've pursued.

00:27:04:13 - 00:27:07:18

And best of all, it's

provided me with this opportunity

00:27:07:18 - 00:27:11:00

to celebrate

you amidst colleagues and friends.

00:27:11:02 - 00:27:15:18

So thanks for being my treasured friend

and colleague and congratulations again

00:27:15:18 - 00:27:26:17

on this wonderful occasion.

00:27:26:18 - 00:27:28:12

Thank you, Roger.

00:27:28:12 - 00:27:32:08

Our next speaker

for tonight is Professor of Sociology,

00:27:32:10 - 00:27:42:07

Anthony Christian Ocampo of Cal

Poly Pomona.

00:27:42:09 - 00:27:44:22

All right.

00:27:44:22 - 00:27:47:16

Good evening, friends and family of men.

00:27:47:16 - 00:27:49:23

It's an honor to be here.

00:27:49:23 - 00:27:52:23

I was actually scheduled to be in Dayton,

Ohio, today.

00:27:52:23 - 00:27:56:23

But when Melanie emailed me

about this event, the first thing I did

00:27:56:23 - 00:28:01:16

was book a5am flight from Ohio

so I could be here for this event.

00:28:01:18 - 00:28:02:17

Just to let you know,

00:28:02:17 - 00:28:07:09

that's how much Min has meant to me

as a mentor and a role model.

00:28:07:10 - 00:28:09:21

I've met men

00:28:09:21 - 00:28:11:19

close to 20 years ago when I was just

00:28:11:19 - 00:28:14:23

a grad student

in the Department of Sociology.

00:28:15:01 - 00:28:18:06

She was one of the first and actually

she's been one of the only faculty

00:28:18:08 - 00:28:21:05

who truly, really understood

00:28:21:05 - 00:28:24:17

the importance and validated why studying,

00:28:24:17 - 00:28:28:17

researching and teaching

about Asian-Americans matters.

00:28:28:19 - 00:28:31:21

Through her extensive work,

she's taught generations

00:28:31:21 - 00:28:34:21

of scholars, generations of students.

00:28:35:00 - 00:28:38:06

Now we can learn

so if we centered the experiences

00:28:38:06 - 00:28:42:00

of Asian Americans, we can learn about

the way ethnic economies work.

00:28:42:02 - 00:28:45:07

We can learn about the way

immigrants stay connected to the homeland.

00:28:45:08 - 00:28:46:12

We can learn about the way

00:28:46:12 - 00:28:50:20

that children of immigrants

adapt to life in the United States.

00:28:50:21 - 00:28:54:09

But beyond

Min's many scholarly achievements,

00:28:54:09 - 00:28:59:13

the one thing that has always always stood

out to me is the unwavering support

00:28:59:13 - 00:29:04:14

that Min has given to her students,

both undergrad and graduate students.

00:29:04:16 - 00:29:07:09

Anyone that's been in grad

school knows that

00:29:07:09 - 00:29:10:15

graduate school

can be a very intimidating time.

00:29:10:17 - 00:29:12:06

It's a time of lots of insecurity.

00:29:12:06 - 00:29:14:12

It's a lots, lots of insurance.

00:29:14:12 - 00:29:17:19

And so I credit men as being often

00:29:17:19 - 00:29:22:10

the only one who was always confident

when things seemed impossible.

00:29:22:12 - 00:29:25:22

Confident that you get that first

get your dissertation done.

00:29:25:22 - 00:29:29:08

Confident that you get that

first article done, your first book done.

00:29:29:10 - 00:29:31:23

Confident that you'd land that coveted

00:29:31:23 - 00:29:34:23

tenure track job.

00:29:34:23 - 00:29:35:23

You know, I email me

00:29:35:23 - 00:29:40:10

a lot of times and ask for letters of rec,

and every time I email her,

00:29:40:12 - 00:29:44:21

she always responds with she says,

I think you're going to get a job.

00:29:44:21 - 00:29:46:21

I think you're going to get this job.

00:29:46:21 - 00:29:52:20

And most of the time that doesn't happen.

00:29:52:22 - 00:29:54:04

But it is.

00:29:54:04 - 00:29:57:04

It's meant so much to have an advisor that

00:29:57:10 - 00:30:00:09

in the most matter of fact way

believes in me.

00:30:00:09 - 00:30:03:09

When I wasn't able to believe in myself,

00:30:03:12 - 00:30:08:02

and I know for a fact that many of her

students across the years, both at UCLA

00:30:08:02 - 00:30:12:07

and beyond UCLA,

feel exactly the same way.

00:30:12:08 - 00:30:14:04

I don't know if she knows this,

but in grad school,

00:30:14:04 - 00:30:18:00

a bunch of the grad students would

sometimes go on Google and look her up

00:30:18:02 - 00:30:23:22

and we would so intimidated by her

dissertation length CV

00:30:24:00 - 00:30:27:06

because she's accomplished

so much her CV's like literally

00:30:27:06 - 00:30:31:01

like 50 pages long.

00:30:31:03 - 00:30:35:03

But one of the things that I'll always

cherish about men

00:30:35:05 - 00:30:38:16

were all the conversations where she was

never afraid to share the challenges

00:30:38:16 - 00:30:42:03

that she faced throughout

different chapters of her career.

00:30:42:05 - 00:30:44:13

And those were the moments

when she was willing to be vulnerable.

00:30:44:13 - 00:30:47:11

That really helped me power

through the tough times,

00:30:47:11 - 00:30:50:07

because every time tough times

would happen, I always think to myself,

00:30:50:07 - 00:30:53:18

if men can do it,

if men can handle what she handled, then

00:30:53:18 - 00:30:56:22

certainly

I can handle what's in front of me, too.

00:30:57:00 - 00:30:59:07

So congratulations again, men.

00:30:59:07 - 00:31:03:09

On behalf of all of your students,

I want to express gratitude

00:31:03:09 - 00:31:07:19

for the huge impact you've made

and continue to make in our lives.

00:31:07:19 - 00:31:09:11

From the bottom of my heart.

00:31:09:11 - 00:31:19:23

Thank you.

00:31:20:01 - 00:31:21:17

Thank you, Anthony.

00:31:21:17 - 00:31:24:22

So our next speaker is here with us

00:31:25:02 - 00:31:30:09

virtually through video and we have

can you just set up.

00:31:30:11 - 00:31:34:22

We have on video

Professor print of our Manka Carr

00:31:35:00 - 00:31:37:23

of the Asian-American Studies Center

00:31:38:01 - 00:31:41:11

Thank you for the opportunity

to say a few words

00:31:41:11 - 00:31:45:03

about our wonderful colleague,

Professor Manju.

00:31:45:05 - 00:31:47:17

Everybody in this gathering

will have learned

00:31:47:17 - 00:31:53:06

or will be about to learn about Professor

Zhou's incredible scholarly achievements.

00:31:53:06 - 00:31:55:21

So I won't reiterate them.

00:31:55:21 - 00:31:59:10

I want to pay tribute to Min

Zhou, the colleague

00:31:59:12 - 00:32:02:12

and man, the teacher and mentor.

00:32:02:14 - 00:32:05:04

So I first met Min when I arrived

00:32:05:04 - 00:32:08:04

at UCLA as a new faculty member.

00:32:08:07 - 00:32:13:10

I was soon to learn

that Min is the ultimate anti snob.

00:32:13:12 - 00:32:16:06

She is consist in the respect,

00:32:16:06 - 00:32:19:20

empathy,

the respect, empathy and generosity

00:32:19:21 - 00:32:24:22

that she extends to students

and academic superstars alike.

00:32:25:00 - 00:32:27:15

She also has a remarkable ability

00:32:27:15 - 00:32:31:17

to engage across disciplinary boundaries.

00:32:31:19 - 00:32:35:22

And I've had the pleasure

of being at conferences and public,

00:32:35:22 - 00:32:41:20

facing events with men and have been

in all of the genuine respect,

00:32:41:22 - 00:32:46:05

openness, empathy and generosity of spirit

00:32:46:07 - 00:32:50:14

that suffuses

her interactions with others.

00:32:50:15 - 00:32:51:00

I have

00:32:51:00 - 00:32:54:23

twice taught in classrooms

in which she has come to class

00:32:55:00 - 00:32:59:07

just before mine

without being enrolled in her class.

00:32:59:07 - 00:33:05:00

I can attest to the impact of her

teaching and personality

00:33:05:01 - 00:33:08:15

in a large room full of undergraduates.

00:33:08:16 - 00:33:12:01

In one instance, my class was at 9 a.m.,

00:33:12:02 - 00:33:16:07

which means that she had taught at 8 a.m..

00:33:16:09 - 00:33:20:01

For those of you

who have had the dubious pleasure

00:33:20:03 - 00:33:25:06

of teaching early morning classes

and large lecture classes at that,

00:33:25:08 - 00:33:30:09

you would know what I mean

when I say that the grumpiness of students

00:33:30:09 - 00:33:35:15

who have to attend 18

classes can be pretty daunting.

00:33:35:17 - 00:33:39:11

But when I would walk into a classroom

in which men had taught

00:33:39:13 - 00:33:42:17

just as it was emptying, I would be struck

00:33:42:17 - 00:33:45:17

by how buzzed the students would be

00:33:45:18 - 00:33:48:08

when as they walked out.

00:33:48:08 - 00:33:52:05

Many students, regardless

of how sleep deprived they were,

00:33:52:07 - 00:33:56:18

always seemed intellectually stimulated

and engaged.

00:33:56:20 - 00:33:59:20

Her ability to reach out to her students

00:33:59:21 - 00:34:05:18

instill in them such an excitement for

learning was unmistakable.

00:34:05:20 - 00:34:08:08

I once have been on student committees

with her

00:34:08:08 - 00:34:12:19

and have been awestruck by the respect

with which she treats the students.

00:34:12:19 - 00:34:18:04

She mentors her empathy for them

and her generosity of spirit

00:34:18:06 - 00:34:22:21

men models not only intellectual rigor

and intellectual openness,

00:34:22:23 - 00:34:28:23

but empathy, respect

and generosity of spirit, surely qualities

00:34:28:23 - 00:34:34:02

desperately needed in these devasting

troubled times.

00:34:34:04 - 00:34:38:13

I'm profoundly,

incredibly proud to be your colleague.

00:34:38:15 - 00:34:41:21

Thank you for the opportunity

to talk to you all today.

00:34:41:23 - 00:34:44:16

I'm sorry I couldn't be there in person,

00:34:44:16 - 00:34:52:12

but I'm definitely there in spirit.

00:34:52:14 - 00:34:53:21

Yes, you are.

00:34:53:21 - 00:34:55:12

Thank you, Leroy and Gina.

00:34:55:12 - 00:34:57:12

And thank you, Purnima.

00:34:57:12 - 00:35:01:20

So our next part of our program tonight,

it gives me a great pleasure

00:35:01:22 - 00:35:05:16

to welcome men and Professor Karan Moto,

00:35:05:16 - 00:35:32:01

director of Asian-American Studies Center,

to have a short conversation with us.

00:35:32:03 - 00:35:36:22

We're short, so we need this task.

00:35:37:00 - 00:35:39:16

Thank you.

00:35:39:16 - 00:35:40:08

Thank you.

00:35:40:08 - 00:35:41:15

Thank you all for coming.

00:35:41:15 - 00:35:44:15

And this is such an honor

to be up here with you, man.

00:35:44:17 - 00:35:49:03

I remember that I actually went to a job

talk.

00:35:49:05 - 00:35:50:03

Many years ago.

00:35:50:03 - 00:35:53:09

I was a grad student here,

and that's the first time I learned about

00:35:53:09 - 00:35:56:23

structural equation modeling.

00:35:57:01 - 00:36:01:10

And since then, she's always been

someone I've looked up to.

00:36:01:13 - 00:36:04:13

And when I came back to UCLA

six years ago,

00:36:04:15 - 00:36:07:13

after 22 years

at the University of Hawaii,

00:36:07:13 - 00:36:10:15

one of the first faces to meet me back

here was men

00:36:10:20 - 00:36:15:03

and has been a strong supporter

and so active with our Asian American

00:36:15:03 - 00:36:16:01

Studies Center.

00:36:16:01 - 00:36:19:20

Despite everything else that you've heard

she's been doing.

00:36:19:20 - 00:36:22:23

So nice to have a conversation

with you tonight.

00:36:23:00 - 00:36:24:05

Thank you, Karen.

00:36:24:05 - 00:36:27:12

Thank you. So I have three questions

00:36:27:14 - 00:36:28:03

for you.

00:36:28:03 - 00:36:31:15

And as Cindy said, this is not a wedding,

00:36:31:20 - 00:36:35:03

nor is it a retirement party.

00:36:35:05 - 00:36:39:22

She's still on the upswing

with a lot of things

00:36:40:00 - 00:36:42:09

in the hopper

that she's still working on today.

00:36:42:09 - 00:36:46:00

So but you've heard today

00:36:46:03 - 00:36:49:07

so many of the accomplishments

that you've made over the years.

00:36:49:07 - 00:36:52:12

And one of the things that

00:36:52:14 - 00:36:55:12

an Asian-American said is

we always emphasize is that it's

00:36:55:12 - 00:36:59:12

not good enough

just to be a scholar and build the canon,

00:36:59:13 - 00:37:03:21

but it's really also about

having an impact on the world.

00:37:03:23 - 00:37:05:00

And you have done that.

00:37:05:00 - 00:37:09:09

And so I was wondering, in retrospect,

looking at your work,

00:37:09:11 - 00:37:12:18

what do you think has been

the most impactful

00:37:12:20 - 00:37:17:10

and what words of wisdom might

you have for young scholars in this room

00:37:17:12 - 00:37:22:10

about leading a life in academia

where you can have not only impact

00:37:22:10 - 00:37:27:06

on the scholarly traditions of our

times, but also on the world?

00:37:27:07 - 00:37:28:14

Just a small question.

00:37:28:14 - 00:37:32:17

Wow, that's a good big question

and a good question.

00:37:32:17 - 00:37:35:17

And it make me think about

00:37:35:18 - 00:37:37:05

my journey.

00:37:37:05 - 00:37:41:07

But first of all,

I thank you so much for coming.

00:37:41:07 - 00:37:45:14

It means so much to me and

00:37:45:16 - 00:37:48:23

I'm not going to retire yet.

00:37:49:01 - 00:37:51:05

I love you.

00:37:51:05 - 00:37:57:04

I love my colleagues and students

and then love my friends

00:37:57:06 - 00:38:02:14

and who a lot of them come from far

and near to

00:38:02:16 - 00:38:06:17

to to celebrate together.

00:38:06:19 - 00:38:10:15

And this is the collective celebration,

I should say.

00:38:10:15 - 00:38:12:23

And I thank you so much for coming.

00:38:12:23 - 00:38:16:23

And I really love being at UCLA

and I love to be

00:38:16:23 - 00:38:20:06

part of this very supportive community.

00:38:20:08 - 00:38:24:14

And I'm also very thankful

00:38:24:15 - 00:38:30:03

for what I and Shirley,

for your generous support for UCLA

00:38:30:03 - 00:38:34:02

and also for establishing

this endowed chair.

00:38:34:03 - 00:38:37:23

And your vision is really long lasting.

00:38:38:01 - 00:38:44:21

And, you know,

dating back in 2009 and it's

00:38:44:23 - 00:38:46:19

very timely

00:38:46:19 - 00:38:49:10

today and this endowed chair

00:38:49:10 - 00:38:52:23

actually, you set in and have

00:38:53:01 - 00:38:55:00

like raised your visibility.

00:38:55:00 - 00:38:58:00

Actually, it's

because of the endowed chair

00:38:58:00 - 00:39:00:19

that I am becoming more visible

00:39:00:19 - 00:39:05:00

because without this in that chair,

I could not have achieved

00:39:05:00 - 00:39:08:18

what I have achieved,

especially when I am doing

00:39:09:00 - 00:39:12:12

my work beyond UCLA.

00:39:12:13 - 00:39:16:20

So in that chair

really helps me to enable me

00:39:16:20 - 00:39:21:06

to connect to the general public,

to connect to the millions, mainstream

00:39:21:06 - 00:39:25:13

media, to help me translate

my scholarly work

00:39:25:15 - 00:39:31:07

to public knowledge, to enhance

understanding of Chinese America,

00:39:31:07 - 00:39:34:07

Asian America, US-China relations,

00:39:34:11 - 00:39:38:22

and and, you know, the connections

00:39:38:22 - 00:39:42:15

between the university and

and the community.

00:39:42:17 - 00:39:45:17

So you're asked about,

00:39:45:21 - 00:39:50:15

you know, the impact of my work,

I should say.

00:39:50:17 - 00:39:56:04

One of one of the most profound

impact of my work

00:39:56:06 - 00:40:00:04

is I have students and I

00:40:00:06 - 00:40:04:06

you know, I see my students grow and,

00:40:04:08 - 00:40:07:15

you know, go out and make impact.

00:40:07:17 - 00:40:10:13

So so that's something

that I'm very proud of,

00:40:10:13 - 00:40:13:21

that I'm very happy to see.

00:40:13:23 - 00:40:16:23

And then if you asked me about,

00:40:16:23 - 00:40:22:05

you know, words of wisdom, of

how to do that, I'm not life.

00:40:22:07 - 00:40:25:05

I don't have words of wisdom,

00:40:25:05 - 00:40:30:11

but I'm just working hard

and focused on what I do best. And,

00:40:30:12 - 00:40:31:21

you know, I just

00:40:31:21 - 00:40:36:07

keep on doing what I'm doing

and I'm very privileged

00:40:36:07 - 00:40:41:14

and I'm very honored to be

in this institution

00:40:41:16 - 00:40:44:07

in which I could.

00:40:44:07 - 00:40:49:01

I have so many intellectual giant

00:40:49:03 - 00:40:51:11

whose shoulder I can stand on

00:40:51:11 - 00:40:57:12

and so many young minds

whose curiosity and creative energy

00:40:57:14 - 00:41:01:18

that help me inspire

Maya and keep me going.

00:41:01:19 - 00:41:06:23

So my students are actually

the ones who keep me going.

00:41:07:01 - 00:41:10:11

So I'm very happy to be here

00:41:10:13 - 00:41:13:15

and to work with students.

00:41:13:15 - 00:41:15:20

And the students also help me.

00:41:15:20 - 00:41:20:10

And the other thing I, I, I did is,

00:41:20:11 - 00:41:23:01

uh, I want to, you know,

00:41:23:01 - 00:41:26:09

I always want to weave my research

00:41:26:11 - 00:41:29:11

with my teaching and service.

00:41:29:11 - 00:41:31:19

Like, I

00:41:31:19 - 00:41:34:20

my first work is just now Roger

00:41:34:20 - 00:41:39:08

have already talked about

is the study of New York Chinatown.

00:41:39:11 - 00:41:42:10

So that's my first,

00:41:42:11 - 00:41:44:20

first research project.

00:41:44:20 - 00:41:49:10

And that Chinatown studies really

00:41:49:12 - 00:41:50:21

taught me

00:41:50:21 - 00:41:53:21

into appreciating the real life

00:41:53:23 - 00:41:57:04

of people that I'm studying.

00:41:57:06 - 00:41:59:04

Because you know, if

00:41:59:04 - 00:42:02:22

I had not been access

to Chinatown to feel,

00:42:03:00 - 00:42:05:16

I would probably just crunch

numbers and run

00:42:05:16 - 00:42:09:06

structural equation models, right?

00:42:09:08 - 00:42:11:18

But that the Chinatown workers

00:42:11:18 - 00:42:15:14

and entrepreneurs, they really helped me,

00:42:15:16 - 00:42:20:10

you know, guide me into their

will help me find explanations of what

00:42:20:10 - 00:42:23:20

make Chinatown take and what enables them,

00:42:23:22 - 00:42:29:06

who are seemingly very underprivileged

and also exploited workers

00:42:29:06 - 00:42:33:05

to move ahead in society

on their own term.

00:42:33:07 - 00:42:37:08

And then in term,

I can use that knowledge to

00:42:37:09 - 00:42:41:05

for my teaching and very importantly,

00:42:41:07 - 00:42:45:03

through my research,

I do connections to the community.

00:42:45:03 - 00:42:49:14

I have very strong social capital

that people in the community

00:42:49:14 - 00:42:53:15

gave me that helped me mentor

my students better.

00:42:53:17 - 00:42:58:20

So my students come to me, say, Professor,

so I need to get into Chinatown.

00:42:58:20 - 00:43:04:20

Do you have any contact as a Yes, I do,

and I have some context that I keep using

00:43:04:20 - 00:43:07:20

like Peter in Chinatown Service Center

00:43:08:01 - 00:43:12:05

and a lot of the people in the community

00:43:12:07 - 00:43:16:21

that help us help me,

and also help me help my students.

00:43:16:23 - 00:43:19:22

So, so research, teaching

00:43:19:22 - 00:43:22:22

and then also service is all intertwined

00:43:23:02 - 00:43:26:02

and so it builds the ecosystem.

00:43:26:02 - 00:43:30:00

So if there is any wisdom of words,

I would,

00:43:30:02 - 00:43:33:12

you know, think that how to relate, you

00:43:33:12 - 00:43:39:16

know, your research with your mission

to teach and to service

00:43:39:16 - 00:43:44:04

and to service to the university

as well as to the community.

00:43:44:04 - 00:43:47:11

And, you know, it's not just simple give,

00:43:47:13 - 00:43:51:10

give and take,

but built an echo system that worked.

00:43:51:12 - 00:43:53:23

And at least it works for me.

00:43:53:23 - 00:43:55:17

And it couldn't be better said.

00:43:55:17 - 00:43:59:21

So I see a lot of nods

among our graduate students in the back,

00:43:59:21 - 00:44:04:01

so I think you really epitomize

all of that.

00:44:04:01 - 00:44:06:09

So thank you.

00:44:06:11 - 00:44:07:20

They also say that

00:44:07:20 - 00:44:13:06

those who are wise are humble,

so I think you,

00:44:13:08 - 00:44:17:12

you know, given the world situation,

I would be remiss not to ask you

00:44:17:12 - 00:44:21:03

about your thoughts

about US-China relations today

00:44:21:05 - 00:44:26:22

and not only the the the world situation,

but its impact on Chinese Americans

00:44:26:22 - 00:44:30:12

and Asian-Americans

here in the US, and also, conversely,

00:44:30:12 - 00:44:35:08

the impact of Asian Americans and Chinese

Americans on international relations.

00:44:35:08 - 00:44:38:21

And if you don't mind saying

a few things about that,

00:44:38:23 - 00:44:43:04

I guess we all know that US-China

China today

00:44:43:06 - 00:44:45:12

are the two largest country

00:44:45:12 - 00:44:49:03

and two largest economy in the world.

00:44:49:05 - 00:44:54:09

So they are so interdependent

and so intertwined

00:44:54:10 - 00:44:58:12

that one could not do better

without the other.

00:44:58:14 - 00:45:01:10

So for Chinese Americans,

00:45:01:10 - 00:45:05:00

China is our homeland

00:45:05:02 - 00:45:07:22

or like to me, China is my homeland.

00:45:07:22 - 00:45:11:12

I'm Chinese immigrant

and to our children, our grandchildren,

00:45:11:12 - 00:45:16:18

the second or third generation who grew up

and who were born and raised

00:45:16:18 - 00:45:20:12

here,

China is their ancestral homeland, right?

00:45:20:14 - 00:45:23:17

And the US is my adopted

00:45:23:17 - 00:45:28:10

homeland, is the home of our children

and grandchildren.

00:45:28:12 - 00:45:31:20

So both China and us, the

00:45:31:22 - 00:45:35:20

you know, it's kind of our

we are connected to it.

00:45:35:20 - 00:45:37:17

We are in

00:45:37:19 - 00:45:40:07

intertwined with it.

00:45:40:07 - 00:45:45:07

So if US-China relations are good,

00:45:45:08 - 00:45:48:08

we all we are all feeling good

00:45:48:09 - 00:45:51:14

and we are all feeling

proud to be Chinese.

00:45:51:16 - 00:45:55:15

And, you know,

we benefit from the good relationship.

00:45:55:17 - 00:46:01:04

And if US-China relations are bad,

like in the past few years,

00:46:01:06 - 00:46:06:15

we always suffer, and especially

in the current difficult time,

00:46:06:17 - 00:46:11:23

where, you know,

when anti-Asian racism is on the rise,

00:46:11:23 - 00:46:16:14

it also exacerbated by the worsening

US-China relations.

00:46:16:16 - 00:46:20:20

So we Asian Americans have to kind of

00:46:20:20 - 00:46:24:04

have the obligation and also,

00:46:24:06 - 00:46:28:00

you know, kind of should do

00:46:28:01 - 00:46:30:11

everything we could to improve

00:46:30:11 - 00:46:33:03

the US-China relations.

00:46:33:03 - 00:46:37:03

You know,

in these times of international tensions.

00:46:37:05 - 00:46:41:16

I know that, you know, there have been

periods of U.S., Japan tensions as well.

00:46:41:18 - 00:46:44:18

And I think and we see tensions

00:46:44:21 - 00:46:47:12

across the globe in this time.

00:46:47:12 - 00:46:49:22

And I think one of the things

that we can see

00:46:49:22 - 00:46:54:14

from this kind of vantage

point of academia, as well as in

00:46:54:14 - 00:46:58:14

the community, is the importance of people

to people relations.

00:46:58:14 - 00:47:02:01

No matter what

the state to state relations might be.

00:47:02:03 - 00:47:05:21

But people to people

relations is so important.

00:47:05:21 - 00:47:08:23

And I think we have unique opportunities

00:47:08:23 - 00:47:13:11

as in academia,

you know, to to affect that.

00:47:13:11 - 00:47:16:04

So I was wondering if you might have

00:47:16:06 - 00:47:19:00

any lessons

you might want to share from history,

00:47:19:00 - 00:47:23:06

from your own experiences

about what we can do at the university

00:47:23:08 - 00:47:29:10

in universities, right, to help build

those people to people, people, relations,

00:47:29:12 - 00:47:31:04

Yes. People to people.

00:47:31:04 - 00:47:36:03

Relations are very important because

people influence our government, right?

00:47:36:04 - 00:47:40:14

People also influence government policy

in today's

00:47:40:16 - 00:47:43:16

increasingly

00:47:43:16 - 00:47:48:04

hyper diverse

wall in the like in the United States.

00:47:48:06 - 00:47:52:20

I improving people to people relations

00:47:52:22 - 00:47:55:12

requires mutual understanding

00:47:55:12 - 00:47:59:09

requires that we respect,

00:47:59:11 - 00:48:03:11

we appreciate, and

00:48:03:13 - 00:48:06:09

we work with one another

00:48:06:09 - 00:48:09:04

even if we are different.

00:48:09:04 - 00:48:11:15

So we respect differences,

00:48:11:15 - 00:48:15:05

we appreciate differences

and we work together.

00:48:15:07 - 00:48:21:14

So I should applaud

00:48:21:16 - 00:48:24:20

the efforts of UCLA in promoting itI.

00:48:24:21 - 00:48:30:10

I uh uh, diversity, equity and inclusion.

00:48:30:12 - 00:48:34:04

And that's an important way

that the university

00:48:34:06 - 00:48:37:21

is doing to help create more

00:48:37:21 - 00:48:43:02

welcoming and inclusive environment

for learning and just working together

00:48:43:08 - 00:48:46:08

so that currently

I'm actually serving on the

00:48:46:13 - 00:48:52:10

I special committee of the UCLA

Senate Academic Senate Executive Board.

00:48:52:12 - 00:48:56:14

So that special committee,

the Senate has the committee,

00:48:56:16 - 00:49:00:20

but the special committee

to also make sure that my work

00:49:00:20 - 00:49:06:03

is integrated

into every single Senate committee work.

00:49:06:05 - 00:49:09:06

And then the Senate Idea Committee

also makes

00:49:09:06 - 00:49:12:20

sure that the campus or campus unit

00:49:13:00 - 00:49:16:22

should integrate the that

00:49:17:00 - 00:49:22:04

diversity

equity and inclusion work into their

00:49:22:06 - 00:49:23:02

work schedule.

00:49:23:02 - 00:49:26:17

So that's from the top

and from the bottom up.

00:49:26:17 - 00:49:29:17

We also need to do collective work

00:49:29:20 - 00:49:34:07

and you are the model you lead UCLA

Asian American Studies Center

00:49:34:13 - 00:49:39:03

on this multimedia textbook project,

and that's a great project.

00:49:39:05 - 00:49:43:02

And that multi media textbook

project is on Asian American

00:49:43:02 - 00:49:46:02

and Pacific Islander.

00:49:46:07 - 00:49:51:03

So it's it's to to promote culture history

00:49:51:05 - 00:49:54:06

of Asian Americans

as well as their contribution

00:49:54:06 - 00:49:58:21

to American society,

to high school and college curriculum.

00:49:58:23 - 00:50:00:23

So that's an important work.

00:50:00:23 - 00:50:07:02

So these are the kind of work that

that we can promote from the bottom up.

00:50:07:04 - 00:50:11:10

So collectively,

we we could enhance the mutual

00:50:11:10 - 00:50:16:20

understanding of each other's cultures,

history and origins.

00:50:16:22 - 00:50:22:09

And then we are that way

we could appreciate our being

00:50:22:11 - 00:50:25:11

and also our core values more.

00:50:25:13 - 00:50:28:09

I think we're all doing people

to people relations, right?

00:50:28:09 - 00:50:32:04

So I think that's

one of the beauties of our work.

00:50:32:05 - 00:50:34:03

So thank you for promoting the textbook.

00:50:34:03 - 00:50:40:14

Do Yeah, I don't need to

do the announcement about it at the end

00:50:40:16 - 00:50:43:15

project, but thank you so much.

00:50:43:18 - 00:50:46:10

We have a little surprise for you.

00:50:46:10 - 00:50:50:15

So I was wondering if

maybe you could take a seat and

00:50:50:17 - 00:50:53:21

and enjoy this little surprise.

00:50:53:23 - 00:51:04:02

Everyone give a big hand to Min and Karen.

00:51:04:03 - 00:51:10:03

Yeah,

00:51:10:05 - 00:51:10:13

Phillip.

00:51:10:13 - 00:51:12:13

I'm Professor Jo Jo's son.

00:51:12:13 - 00:51:13:09

I'm also a professor.

00:51:13:09 - 00:51:17:03

I'm a professor at UC San Diego,

and I wanted to

00:51:17:03 - 00:51:20:03

thank you all for coming to the event

and my

00:51:20:04 - 00:51:21:20

my mother's work.

00:51:21:20 - 00:51:28:04

My wife and I couldn't be here because we

actually have a newborn here, Baby Jane.

00:51:28:05 - 00:51:32:05

So in addition to my mother,

many professional accomplishments,

00:51:32:07 - 00:51:34:22

the latest of her latest thing is this.

00:51:34:22 - 00:51:39:03

She has a new grandma here and we love you

and we can't

00:51:39:03 - 00:51:43:02

wait for you

all to to meet the baby and stuff.

00:51:43:02 - 00:51:53:22

So hopefully everyone

enjoys this event. So

00:51:54:00 - 00:51:55:13

These are those, like,

00:51:55:13 - 00:51:59:12

tearful moments, you know,

That was beautiful.

00:51:59:14 - 00:52:07:00

And congratulations

on being a grandmother again.

00:52:07:02 - 00:52:10:17

Although,

00:52:10:19 - 00:52:11:17

you know, one of the things

00:52:11:17 - 00:52:15:04

that's really fun

when you're working with people

00:52:15:06 - 00:52:19:04

and you've been working with them

for a very long time,

00:52:19:06 - 00:52:21:14

is that you discover

00:52:21:14 - 00:52:25:05

talents and gifts that you never knew of.

00:52:25:05 - 00:52:29:22

So that next week

we're closing a performance

00:52:29:22 - 00:52:32:22

by an old friend and colleague

00:52:32:22 - 00:52:36:17

of means and many of hours us

00:52:36:19 - 00:52:40:20

and this is King Cook, King CoQ10.

00:52:40:22 - 00:52:45:19

And little did we did I know

and did I realize that she sings

00:52:45:19 - 00:52:49:11

Chinese opera Cantonese opera.

00:52:49:13 - 00:52:53:12

And she's performing with Winkie Wang,

00:52:53:14 - 00:52:56:04

who's the professor of bio statistics.

00:52:56:04 - 00:52:59:04

And I'm sure many of his colleagues

00:52:59:09 - 00:53:03:06

didn't know that he performed

this Chinese opera as well.

00:53:03:08 - 00:53:06:04

So let me

00:53:06:06 - 00:53:09:06

get that.

00:53:09:07 - 00:53:10:16

Yeah, she's not for hire

00:53:10:16 - 00:53:14:11

if she wants to say so,

let me turn it over to King Kong.

00:53:14:12 - 00:53:22:04

Thank you so much.

00:53:22:06 - 00:53:22:14

What?

00:53:22:14 - 00:53:26:10

My purple hairpin.

00:57:54:22 - 00:57:57:02

Thank you, everybody.

00:57:57:02 - 00:57:58:19

That concludes our program.

00:57:58:19 - 00:58:01:07

We still have snacks in the back.

00:58:01:07 - 00:58:03:18

There is also

00:58:03:19 - 00:58:04:16

toward the back

00:58:04:16 - 00:58:09:08

of the forum men's book

The Accidental Sociologist

00:58:09:08 - 00:58:13:17

that Asian-American Studies

is there for you for free.

00:58:13:19 - 00:58:15:11

We also have squishy bears.

00:58:15:11 - 00:58:17:01

Help yourself.

00:58:17:01 - 00:58:19:00

Thank you so much. Have a great night.