FEN Sym 2008
The 2nd FEN Sym was a huge success. Thank you to all who were in attendance. For those of you who missed it, we were blessed by presentations from Dr. John Palmer, a professor at Colgate University and Dr. Kristal Brent Zook, a former journalist and professor at Columbia University.
Day one centered on the Asian American experience. In his afternoon presentation, "Challenging the Myth of the Model Minority", Dr. Palmer took an interesting stance on the tension between Asian Americans and other ethnic groups. He argued that during the 1980's the media portrayed Asian Americans as the ideal minority while condemning other groups.
In his evening lecture Dr. Palmer used personal anecdotes and imagery of Asian American stereotypes in the media to expand on his own struggle with racial identity. "Karate Chope, Geishas, Nerds, & the Asian Invasion: Reflections of a 'Corean' Adopted American" revealed Dr. Palmer's experience as an Asian adoptee and exposed how he was prompted toward self exploration in order to define who he is.
Day two continued the theme of racial identity. In her evening lecture
"Sunflower Kids: Multiracial Identities and the Coming Age of the Non-White Majority", Dr. Kristal Brent Zook discussed the struggle with being bi-racial in a society that often forces you to choose. She expounded on the internal conflict multiracial individuals face and her experiences as a child with typically "white" physical features being raised in an African American home.