2017 Washington Leadership Program Session II: Know History, Know Self

WLP Session II: Know History, Know Self will focus on the important role of  Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) history in informing the messaging for advocates today. The session aims to connect attendees with AANHPI history and different ways history is used in modern advocacy effort. It will introduce attendees to leaders who are currently engaged in preserving AANHPI history and identify what work still needs to be done, while providing insight on how AANHPI stories and lessons from key moments in American history relate to the struggles of other minority communities. Lastly, this sessions will explore how stories in minority communities within the AANHPI community are often overlooked and how preserving AANHPI history can better include these minority communities. Registration for the event will begin at 5:30pm with our program following promptly at 6:00pm. All WLP sessions are free to the public, but seating is limited. Please register online to reserve your seat. Dinner will be provided.

Speakers

Frank Chi is a progressive media strategist and filmmaker. He is the creator of the “Past is Prologue” video series – a compilation of four social justice films which have received over 150,000 shares and almost 9 million views.

The films include the Black Lives Matter tribute “Kids Who Die” with Color of Change, “Letters from Camp” with the Smithsonian APA Center, “We Won’t Go Back” with the Ms. Foundation for Women, and “I Live in a Crazy Time” with Reform Immigration for America. They have been recognized by The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, ABC News, NBC News and over 30 press outlets as videos “sure to give you chills.”

Frank has led digital creative campaigns for five U.S. Senators, most notably for Sen. Elizabeth Warren. His work has been recognized by The New York Times, MSNBC, Rolling Stone, among others as flagship content for the economic justice and social justice movements. Recently, Frank was the creative lead behind the Reflective Democracy Campaign – a project by the Women Donors Network to bring attention to the lack of representation for women and communities of color in political and legal institutions by visualizing data. Among his other clients have been the American Constitution Society, the Aspen Institute, and the Center for American Progress.

Frank was also part of the team that launched the “Notorious RBG” meme paying tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He’s written about political campaigns and race relations for publications such as The Washington Post and The Boston Globe.

A native of New Haven, CT, Frank holds a degree in Government and African-American Studies from Bowdoin College. He lives in Washington, DC.

Channapha Khamvongsa is founder and executive director of Legacies of War, an organization that seeks to address the problem of unexploded ordnance in Laos, to provide space for healing the wounds of war, and to create greater hope for a future of peace. The organization uses art, culture, education, and community organizing, especially among the Lao diaspora, to create healing and transformation out of the wreckage of war. Legacies has successfully advocated for an increase in U.S. funding for bomb clearance in Laos, from an annual average of $2M in 2008 to $30M in 2016. In September 2016, President Barack Obama acknowledged Channapha’s advocacy efforts in Laos, where he became the first U.S. President to visit the country. Channapha has written and spoken widely about the secret war in Laos and its aftermath and has appeared in the New York Times, Democracy Now!, CNN, ABC, PBS and CBS News. She was most recently featured in an interview with the team of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. She previously worked at the Ford Foundation and NEO Philanthropy on immigrant rights, civil society, civic engagement, capacity building, and transformational leadership. She has served on the Seattle Women’s Commission, as well as on the boards of the Refugee Women’s Alliance and the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL). She was born in Vientiane, Laos and came to the U.S. as a refugee at the age of seven. Channapha received her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Public Administration from George Mason University. She received her Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University.

Franklin Odo is the John J. McCloy Visiting Professor of American Institutions and International Diplomacy at Amherst College. Odo teaches Asian American courses in the American Studies Department. He was the first Curriculum Coordinator at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the first permanent director of the Ethnic Studies Department at the University of Hawai`i Manoa. He was founding director of the Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Center, 1997-2010, and Chief of the Asian Division at the Library of Congress in 2012. His most recent book is Voices from the Canefields: Folksongs from Japanese Immigrant Workers in Hawai`i, published by Oxford in 2013. He also edited the Theme Study on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for the National Park Service to be launched in Fall 2017.

Support for the Know History, Know Self session is sponsored by AARP

**Registration for this event is now closed. Please contact camille.sanchez@capal.org to be put on a waiting list.**

More About The Washington Leadership Program

The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) provides a space for young AANHPI students interning in Washington, D.C. to come together, build community, and explore their heritage within the context of public service. Through five sessions over the summer, WLP introduces students to AANHPI public service leaders who can inform and inspire students’ own civic engagement.

The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) seeks to empower Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) youth by increasing access to public service opportunities and building a strong AANHPI public service pipeline. We envisions a future with equitable AANHPI representation throughout all levels of government and public service.

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By registering for CAPAL’s Washington Leadership Program, you give permission to be recorded or photographed during the session. Food provided at this event may contain nuts, dairy, gluten, and other allergens. Vegetarian options will be available.

Check out our other WLP sessions!