7.7.23 Celebrating Trailblazers for Social Justice. Join Us 7/27!
In 2023 nearly 75 percent of Chinese Americans reported fearing for their safety and nearly 80 percent of Asian Americans acknowledged feelings of not being fully accepted in the United States. Anti-Asian racism has a long and virulent history in America. The pandemic surge in anti-Asian hate shined a light on the racism and discrimination that Asian Americans face in this country. What is different today is that the AAPI community has raised their voices to claim equality as Americans.
USCET has taken this opportunity to educate ourselves and the public about the "why" behind so much hate – and to highlight the contributions of Asians to the fabric of American society. The idea that Asians are a hardworking model minority that easily succeeds has colored our society's view of Asian Americans and masked the diversity of the AAPI community, which represents some 30 different countries and ethnic groups speaking over 100 different languages. It has also caused many Americans to overlook the social problems and poverty that still exist among the group.
USCET is proud to honor the contributions of two Asian American women who have dedicated their careers to uplifting members of the AAPI community. They are pioneers of social activism and champions supporting the socioeconomic struggles of Asian Americans.
Please join us July 27 (July 28 in China), for the sixth webinar in USCET's popular Asian Women Trailblazers series, Celebrating Asian Women Trailblazers for Social Justice. We will hear from Daphne Kwok, AARP Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Bo Thao-Urabe, Founder and President of Seed Grow Bloom, who will share their stories of how Asian American women are fighting for equality, inclusion, and justice through community activism.
Speaker
Daphne Kwok
The Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of AARP
Daphne Kwok is Vice President of Diversity Equity and Inclusion-Asian American and Pacific Islander Audience Strategy at AARP, where her work empowers Asian American and Pacific Islanders to choose how they live as they age. Ms. Kwok's long service in empowering the AAPI community served her as the chair of the Obama administration's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She was previously executive director of Asians & Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California, and of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, where she directed the restoration and preservation of the "Ellis Island of the West." Kwok has also served as executive director of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies focusing on political participation and empowerment, and of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA). Ms. Kwok has served on multiple boards in the media and communications industry, bringing AAPI voices to the table. She is a trustee emeritus at her alma mater, Wesleyan University. Most recently, she has been invited to join the Committee of 100.
Speaker
Bo Thao-Urabe
The Founder and President of Seed Grow Bloom
Bo Thao-Urabe is founder and president of Seed Grow Bloom, a consulting company that helps executive leaders and organizations change systems and cultures, where she guides organizational development and social justice movement capacity building. Her prior work includes her role as the founding executive of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), a leadership and policy organization, chief operating officer of RedGreen Rivers, a social enterprise she co-founded to connect women artisans in Southeast Asia to markets in the US, and executive director of Hmong National Development. She has also served as senior director at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders Philanthropy. Ms. Thao-Urabe, born in Laos during the Vietnam War, fled as a child with her family and other Hmong refugees. She served on the Obama administration's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and is a regent at the University of Minnesota, where she received her bachelor's degree. She has earned numerous local and national awards for her leadership, impact, and activism.
Moderator
Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch
Founder and Executive Chair of USCET
Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch is the Executive Chair and founder of the US-China Education Trust. The first ambassador of Asian descent in US history, she has had an illustrious career in international affairs and government service, beginning as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia, a committee chief counsel in the US Senate, deputy director at the US Information Agency, presidential appointee to the US Agency for International Development, and US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Nepal. After 25 years in government service, Ambassador Bloch went on to be an executive vice president at the Bank of America and president of the US-Japan Foundation. In 1998, she became a visiting professor at the Institute for International Relations and at Peking University, where she founded the US-China Education Trust. She also served as the Starr Senior Fellow for US-China Relations at Fudan University and Ambassador-in-Residence at the University of Maryland. She co-founded the Women's Foreign Policy Group and the Organization of Chinese American Women. A native of China who came to the US at age nine, Ambassador Bloch has won many awards, including receiving an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Northeastern University.
