Weekend Events to Celebrate Asian-American Experience

More than 800 are expected to attend this weekend's ninth annual Harvard Asian American Intercollegiate Conference, featuring a myriad of speakers, entertainers and writers celebrating the Asian American experience.

Sponsored by the Asian American Association (AAA), the conference has already drawn a record number of registrants, with more reservations expected today.

"This is one of Harvard's largest conference," said Daniel P. Chung '00, conference director for AAA. "The conference is one of the biggest minority student coalitions in the United States."

The title of the conference this year is "Living Out Loud: The New Voice of Asian America."

Some 350 people outside of Harvard have registered to attend, organizers said.

"That's more than we've ever had," said Michael M. Espiritu '01, cultural chair for AAA.

The conference will feature several speakers, cultural shows and workshops, panels and discussions, and even a film premier, according to the conference's Web page.

Invited speakers include Irene Natividad, chair of the National Council for Working Women; Garrett Wang, an actor well known for his role in Star Trek, Voyager, actress Irene S. Ng '97; and U.S. representative Robert Matsui (D-Calif.).

After Natividad's opening address Friday evening, conference goers will receive a special discount for admission to the annual Valentine's Day Dance and Fashion Show--held at the Park Plaza Castle in Boston.

Saturday's activities include a panel discussion entitled "Sons and Daughters: Asian Americans and Immigrant Empowerment" and an address by Norman Mineta, a former U.S. representative and the vice president of the Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Ng will offer an acting workshop, and Wang will give the afternoon address.

Discussions and cultural workshops will be offered throughout the day, including one centered on the issue of Asian Americans and transgenderism given by Selena Whang, a transgender performing artist from New York University.

Among those featured at the Cultural Show Saturday night will be the Mountain Brothers, an Asian-American hiphop group that has recently signed with Columbia Records for an album this spring, Chung said.

The movie Disorient, a comedy about a Filipino-American pre-med student who feels pressured by his parents, will be shown Saturday night. The movie has had a successful career on the film festival circuit for the past few months, said Espiritu, who is managing the conference's film festival.

Disorient was directed by Francisco Aliwalas, a Fillipino American, and it is his first feature-length film, Espiritu said.

Sunday's activities include "coffeehouse readings" in Loker Commons, which, according to Chung, will feature Asian-American writers such as Jeffrey C. Yang '89, founder of A magazine; a panel discussionon ethnic studies; and Matsui's closing address,entitled "Leadership and Political Empowerment inthe Asian-American Community."

Matsui, a 20-year veteran of Washington, D.C.,and co-author of the Japanese-American RedressBill of 1987, is one of only three Asian Americansin the House of Representatives and only one offive in Congress, according to his presssecretary.

The conference has grown significantly thisyear. While 300 Harvard students registered lastyear, 450 have already done so this year, Chungsaid.

The conference has attracted so many this yearthat AAA will not be able to secure on-campushousing for about 200 of the attendees for theduration of the conference, according to AAA VicePresident Kelly M. Yamanouchi '00, who is also aCrimson editor.

AAA appealed to its members and to first-yearsin the Yard to accommodate the expected influx ofattendees, and they received a "sufficientresponse," Chung said. But AAA was forced towithdraw its offer of on-campus housing to peoplewho registered within the last two weeks, Chungsaid. Most of the housing will be in the Yard,according to Espiritu.

Most of the weekend's activities will takeplace in Lowell Lecture Hall, Emerson Hall, SeverHall and the Science Center.

Though Harvard students do not have to registerto attend any of the events, registration packetsmay prove useful for navigating through thisweekend's activities. The cost for registration is$15 for intercollegiate students and $20 fornon-students, with a $5 penalty imposed on lateregistrants.

Interested students may register in front ofthe Science Center for most of today

Matsui, a 20-year veteran of Washington, D.C.,and co-author of the Japanese-American RedressBill of 1987, is one of only three Asian Americansin the House of Representatives and only one offive in Congress, according to his presssecretary.

The conference has grown significantly thisyear. While 300 Harvard students registered lastyear, 450 have already done so this year, Chungsaid.

The conference has attracted so many this yearthat AAA will not be able to secure on-campushousing for about 200 of the attendees for theduration of the conference, according to AAA VicePresident Kelly M. Yamanouchi '00, who is also aCrimson editor.

AAA appealed to its members and to first-yearsin the Yard to accommodate the expected influx ofattendees, and they received a "sufficientresponse," Chung said. But AAA was forced towithdraw its offer of on-campus housing to peoplewho registered within the last two weeks, Chungsaid. Most of the housing will be in the Yard,according to Espiritu.

Most of the weekend's activities will takeplace in Lowell Lecture Hall, Emerson Hall, SeverHall and the Science Center.

Though Harvard students do not have to registerto attend any of the events, registration packetsmay prove useful for navigating through thisweekend's activities. The cost for registration is$15 for intercollegiate students and $20 fornon-students, with a $5 penalty imposed on lateregistrants.

Interested students may register in front ofthe Science Center for most of today