Virtual preview and panel discussion of PBS series ‘Asian Americans’ set for Thursday
KBTC and the University of Washington Tacoma’s Center for Equity and Inclusion are hosting a free virtual preview screening followed by a panel discussion of the new PBS documentary series, “Asian Americans,” on Thursday at 7 p.m.
“We’re hoping people will tune in just for the experience. It’s the first time we will have been doing this,” said DeAnne Hamilton, executive director and general manager of KBTC. “We wanted to explore the technology and how well it works.”
Those interested can register at the KBTC website.
Jimmy McCarty, director of the UWT Center for Equity and Inclusion, will moderate the discussion with a panel.
“Conversation for this started months and months ago,” McCarty said. “If we’re going to be doing good work around equity and inclusion, we’re not going to be only doing that on campus. We’re going to be with partners across the south sound in the community.”
McCarty said the event and discussion couldn’t be more timely as it hits close to home.
“Especially in light of a lot of anti-Asian discrimination that has been popping up around the country and in our area,” McCarty said. “Since COVID-19 pandemic has hit our shores, it is especially important that we continue to do programming for Asian-Pacific American Heritage month that contextualizes our community.”
It highlights many historical events that McCarty views as being tied to the local community.
“Anti-Chinese sentiment during the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act or Japanese Internment which are touched upon in the screener that we’ll see, and in the documentary more writ large, are our own local stories,” McCarty said.
Paul Kane, director of Programming and Creative Services at KBTC, said the event required testing of a technology they’ve never used before.
“It’s done through OVEE which is a platform provided by PBS,” Kane said. “It’s like going to a Zoom meeting where you log in.”
OVEE stands for Online Viewing and Engagement Experience and will allow viewers to ask questions of the panelists.
“It’s like going to a lecture without having to go,” Kane said.
The panelists are Rachel Endo, dean of the School of Education at University of Washington Tacoma; Nicole Filler, faculty member in Ethnic Studies at Highline College; Che Sehyun, Corean American artist and founder of Experience Education; and Sinoun Hem, youth program manager at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
