Asian American Scholar Forum

Asian American Scholar Forum hosted 1,300+ guests at Stanford University for the Asian American Pioneer Medal Ceremony! We honored 6 trailblazing researchers & celebrated their contributions to America.?tinyurl.com/aasfpioneer ?? Recipients: Nasir Ahmed, Frank Chang, Dawon Kahng, Teresa Meng, Raj Reddy & Simon Sze Photo Credits:?Jim Gensheimer Acknowledgements for esteemed guests: @NobelPrize laureates Steven Chu, Randy Schekman #TuringAward laureates Raj Reddy, John Hennessy, Eric S. Yuan, Zoom CEO/President Diane Greene, AASF Leadership Council Member Stanford University's Jon Levin, Arun Majumdar Tsu-Jae King Liu, University of California, Berkeley Andrea Goldsmith, Princeton University Dr. Arati Prabhakar, White House Office of Science & Technology Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan,?National Science Foundation (NSF) Representative Judy Chu Thank you to our distinguished speakers & guests for joining us! Professor Kai Li, AASF Founding VP: AASF’s?Pioneer Medal Ceremony “honors individuals whose fundamental contributions have profoundly transformed our lives” and ensures that “these stories are preserved, celebrated, and shared with everyone in our country.”??tinyurl.com/aasfpioneer Professor Yi Cui, AASF Board member: "Co-hosting this event at Stanford University was deeply rewarding. With over 1,300 attendees, our partnership in celebrating, supporting, and recognizing the achievements of our honorees was an outstanding success.”?tinyurl.com/aasfpioneer Professor Huang Yasheng, AASF Founding President: AASF made this event possible, and “we are honored to have played a role in illuminating often invisible parts of American history and the groundbreaking work of these six pioneers.”?tinyurl.com/aasfpioneer Gisela Perez Kusakawa, AASF Executive Director: The 6 honorees “showcase the human desire to create something wonderful that benefits those around us. Recognizing these often hidden figures is crucial so the next generation may feel a greater sense of belonging.”?tinyurl.com/aasfpioneer

This weekend, we witnessed the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law last used to justify the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. This act grants the president sweeping authority to imprison or deport individuals from nations with which the U.S. is “at war” and that have “invaded” the country. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the act to issue Executive Order 9066, which led to the mass incarceration of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, including U.S. citizens and even children, marking one of the most egregious civil rights violations in U.S. history. In a statement, AASF Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa said: “We have seen the devastating consequences of policies driven by fear rather than justice—most notably, the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. As a nation, we must learn from history, not repeat it. Upholding civil rights and due process is essential to ensuring that America remains a place of opportunity, fairness, and the rule of law.” Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/eRV4yvfj?

This week marks four years since a gunman entered three Asian-owned spas in Georgia, taking the lives of eight individuals, including six Asian women. The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) stands in solemn remembrance of the victims and reiterates its commitment to advancing fairness, safety, and dignity for Asian American communities: https://lnkd.in/esuFNgra We honor the memory of Xiaojie ‘Emily’ Tan, Daoyou Feng, Hyun Jung (Kim) Grant, Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, Yong Ae Yue, Paul Andre Michels, and Delaina Ashley Yaun González. Their lives mattered. "As we mark this painful anniversary, we must continue to confront anti-Asian hate and advocate for policies that ensure safety and justice for all,” said Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director of the Asian American Scholar Forum. “At the Asian American Scholar Forum, we remain steadfast in uplifting Asian American communities working tirelessly toward a future free from hate and fear." Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise since the pandemic. The most recent data from the FBI showed a 168 percent increase in anti-Asian hate crime incidents reported from 2020 to 2021. According to research almost half (49%) of AAPI adults experienced an act of hate due to their race, ethnicity, or nationality since 2020. These stark facts serve as a reminder that hate remains pervasive across AAPI communities. The Asian American Scholar Forum echoes the calls from public leaders to honor the victims' legacies with continued action against hate, discrimination, and violence.

BREAKING: Bill banning Chinese student visas introduced today by Rep. Moore. The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) cautions against harm by the Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act (Stop CCP Visas Act), introduced by U.S. Representative Riley Moore (R-WV) today. Representative Moore claimed to Fox News that “It’s time we turn off the spigot and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals.” AASF cautions that legislation like this would effectively harm the talent pipeline of Asian American scientists, scholars, and researchers, thereby undermining U.S. leadership in science and innovation. In a statement, Gisela Perez Kusakawa, AASF’s Executive Director, said: “The Asian American community is a predominantly immigrant population, and for many of our most esteemed scientists, researchers, and scholars, the journey began with a single step onto a college campus…The American dream has long been a beacon, drawing the best and brightest minds from around the world—scholars who have not only built careers here but have also shaped industries, mentored future generations, and strengthened the very fabric of our society while building lives, having families, and becoming valued community members of our country. We cannot afford to cut off this pipeline of talent and exclude such an integral part of our American community…. Ensuring that these opportunities remain open isn’t just about fairness; it’s about securing a future where knowledge and progress continue to thrive.” AASF remains committed to advocating for policies that enable us to maintain an open, thriving, and welcoming research and academic environment. Visit our website to view our full statement and sources: https://lnkd.in/eDpzD-pA

AASF’s Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa calls on universities to support their faculty who have been cleared of wrongdoing: https://lnkd.in/eECxkdVk? ? “Someone who is cleared of wrongdoing should be permitted to continue teaching back at their university,” says Gisela Perez Kusakawa, executive director of the Asian American Scholar Forum. “It has been an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion against scholars of Chinese background, and the university should really be there to support them.” AASF continues to work to prevent the return of the China Initiative, standing with Stanford Faculty against its reinstatement (https://lnkd.in/ep6dNvJb), educating members of Congress (https://lnkd.in/gAuY_qJK), and supporting scholars and scientists

The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) applauds the publication of? “Getting China Right at Home: Addressing the Domestic Challenges of Intensifying Competition” from the SAIS Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs (ACF) at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) --> https://lnkd.in/eq-SAPv6 Authored by a distinguished group of scholars, policymakers, and advocates—including contributions from AASF leadership Professor Huang Yasheng (in his personal capacity) and Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa — the report addresses critical issues such as technological competition, national security, trade policies, and the impact of U.S.-China relations on American workers, businesses, and communities. In her introduction, Jessica Chen Weiss, the David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS and inaugural faculty director of ACF, underscores the importance of domestic policy considerations in shaping U.S. strategy towards China. AASF leaders’ contributions to the report highlight the importance of experts answering complex questions with an intersectional approach across different sectors, such as national security, law, and international and domestic policies to ensure Asian American scholars, scientists, and researchers are not unduly harmed. Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director of the Asian American Scholar Forum, emphasized the significance of the report’s findings for the Asian American scholar, scientific, and research community. “Many Asian American scholars have faced undue scrutiny as a result of? U.S.-China tensions. This report offers a nuanced discussion of how to balance security concerns with our American principles of freedom and due process. I am honored to contribute to this important dialogue.” Kusakawa contributed the legal perspective to the report in her memo entitled, “Case Studies of Asian Americans Accused of Espionage.” AASF encourages policymakers, scholars, and the broader public to review the full report, available: https://lnkd.in/eYKcNaXZ The report includes AASF’s groundbreaking report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), available: https://lnkd.in/eDqvTzmH

In a recent The New York Times article, AASF’s Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa cautioned the need for a nuanced approach to national security to prevent lives being ruined, like that of Professor Feng Tao, who was unjustly targeted by the China Initiative: https://lnkd.in/eCvZjy3N? “There are real, genuine threats that need to be addressed, but we should not be using a sledgehammer on the issue — we should be using a scalpel,” said Kusakawa. Visit our website to see how AASF is opposing the reinstatement of the China Initiative: https://lnkd.in/eMjFN75G

Are you looking at this post on your smartphone while on the go? Dr. Teresa Meng is one of the people you should thank! Inventor of highly integrated radio-on-a-chip technology, she revolutionized WiFi communication. For her innovative work, Dr. Meng was one of the honorees at the 2024 Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium. Learn more about her work: https://lnkd.in/eXkzpmyi #WomensHistoryMonth

Ramadan Mubarak to all who are celebrating this occasion! AASF wishes you a joyous experience with family and loved ones.

AASF’s Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa calls on universities to support their faculty who have been cleared of wrongdoing: https://lnkd.in/eECxkdVk? ? “Someone who is cleared of wrongdoing should be permitted to continue teaching back at their university,” says Gisela Perez Kusakawa, executive director of the Asian American Scholar Forum. “It has been an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion against scholars of Chinese background, and the university should really be there to support them.” AASF continues to work to prevent the return of the China Initiative, standing with Stanford Faculty against its reinstatement (https://lnkd.in/ep6dNvJb), educating members of Congress (https://lnkd.in/gAuY_qJK), and supporting scholars and scientists