Art of Community Speaker Series

Feb. 11, 2025 • Book Talk: Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family — with Dr. OiYan Poon

 

Attendees joined a book talk and conversation on affirmative action, race, and family with Dr. OiYan Poon, a community-engaged research scholar, educator, storyteller, and leader for intersectional racial equity.

Her research focused on the racial politics of Asian Americans, education access, affirmative action, and admissions systems and practices.

In her book, Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family, she explored how Asian Americans were shaping the future of race relations through debates over education policies like affirmative action, using personal narrative and interviews with Asian Americans across the country.

The event was co-sponsored by Art of Community and AANAPHI.

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Oct. 23, 2024 • Documentary Screening with César Chávez

Attendees watched a special film screening of Hailing César, followed by a live Q&A with the film’s director, Eduardo Chávez, who was also the grandson of César Chávez. Lunch was included.

The film captured Eduardo’s personal journey as he connected with his grandfather’s legacy and explored critical issues such as human rights, immigration, personal identity, and social justice. During the discussion, Eduardo shared insights about his family’s activism and the continued relevance of César Chávez’s work.

About Eduardo Chávez
Eduardo Chávez is the descendant of two revolutionary families: the grandson of legendary civil rights activist César Chávez on his father’s side and Cuban revolutionary Max Lesnik on his mother’s side. He attended Loyola Marymount University on a golf scholarship and graduated with a B.A. in communications.

After college, he played professional golf and studied acting in Miami and Los Angeles. Eduardo made his directorial debut with the feature documentary Hailing César, released in early 2018. He later co-founded Latindia Studios and became a member of the speakers board for the Chavez Institute for Law and Social Justice.

January 24, 2024 • Art, Sustainability and Radical Imaginary — with Favianna Rodriguez Giannonie

Art and culture surrounded us all the time. Culture shaped our identity, our values, and forged our collective imagination. Participants explored why art was so critical in an age of climate crisis, gender inequality, and economic disparity. They examined how art could challenge the status quo and promote ideas centered on openness, joy, forgiveness, and sustainability. Artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez discussed how art could inspire, mobilize, and help spur the imagination. She shared images from her expansive body of work and from her most recent project on the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project.

About Favianna

Favianna is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and entrepreneur based in Oakland, California.

Her art and praxis addressed migration, gender justice, climate change, racial equity, and sexual freedom. Her work centered joy and healing while challenging entrenched myths and dominant cultural practices.

Through her powerful speeches, she inspired audiences around the world, including at the United Nations Climate Summit, the Sundance Film Festival, the Smithsonian, Google, and Lush Cosmetics.

To learn more about her work, attendees could visit favianna.com.

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April 24, 2024 • Brandon Leake, winner of America’s Got Talent 2020 and acclaimed spoken word artist

With his unique blend of poetry and storytelling, Brandon Leake captivated audiences and inspired individuals to find their voice and share their stories. His message of hope, resilience, and the power of human connection resonated deeply throughout the event.

Read more about his work at brandonleake.com.

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May 22, 2024 • Joyful Design: Presentation and Conversation — with Angela McKee-Brown, Founder and CEO of Project Reflect

For more than a decade, Angela McKee-Brown developed, designed, and built meaningful, just, and joyful food experiences with communities. At the heart of her design approach was the belief that the joy of our communities is powerful, and when we centered ideas and concepts that made space for that joy, we created thoughtful and intentional experiences that provided a sense of freedom, safety, and ease. During this presentation, guests learned more about Joyful Design and had an opportunity to reflect on the role that joy played in their lives through writing activities.

More About Angela

Angela McKee-Brown is the Founder and CEO of Project Reflect, a food systems design lab that develops and builds meaningful, just, and joyful food experiences with communities. Prior to launching the lab, she served as Executive Director of The Edible Schoolyard Project, a nonprofit dedicated to designing hands-on educational experiences in the garden, kitchen, and cafeteria that connect children to food, nature, and each other.

Angela also served as the Director of Innovation and Strategy with San Francisco Unified School District’s Future Dining Experience, where she and her team leveraged private funding and a $20 million bond to redesign the school food system of San Francisco. She is a 2024 Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor with the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University and previously served as a 2016–2017 Stanford University d.school Civic Innovation Fellow.

Angela holds a Master’s in Food Studies from NYU and lives in Oakland, California with her wife, Annemarie.