Book talk: Jeff Chang presents "Who We Be: The Colorization of America"

UCLA Asian American Studies Center's David and Tina Yamano Nishida Distinguished Lectureship in Asian American Studies presents award-winning author and UCLA alumnus Jeff Chang discussing his new book Who We Be: The Colorization of America (St. Martins, 2014).

Race. The greatest social divide in American life. During the last half-century, the U.S. has seen the most dramatic demographic and cultural shifts in its history, what can be called the colorization of America. But the same nation that elected its first Black president on a wave of hope is still plunged into endless culture wars. How do Americans see race now? Who We Be remixes comic strips and contemporary art, campus protests and corporate marketing campaigns, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Trayvon Martin into a powerful, unusual, and timely cultural history of the idea of racial progress.

Jeff Chang received his Masters in Asian American Studies at UCLA and he has written extensively on culture, politics, the arts, and music. His book, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, garnered the American Book Award and several other honors. Co-founder of ColorLines and CultureStr/ke, he was also named by The Utne Reader as one of “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.” He serves as the Executive Director of
the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University.

RSVP: WHOWEBE-AASC.EVENTBRITE.COM

Co-Sponsored by: Institute of American Cultures, American Indian Studies Center, American Indian Studies Interdepartmental Program, Asian American Studies Department, Bunche Center for African American Studies, Cesar E. Chavez Department of Chicana/o Studies, Chicano Studies Research Center,
Department of African American Studies, Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies Undergraduate Association, Asian American Studies Graduate Student
Association, and Asian Pacific Council.