NH/PI Youth & Community Activism ((3))

Catalog description

We will begin with offering a Critical Pacific Islands & Oceania Studies framework for exploring Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community activism, highlighting and centering youth activist movements in the US and Oceania. We¿ll connect contemporary NH/PI community activism in the Central Valley and Southern California regions to state and national activist movements as well as to NH/PI community activist movements throughout Oceania. For example we¿ll learn about and hear guest speakers from organizations like the Central Valley Pacific Islander Alliance (based in Fresno, CA), the Southern California Community Response Team (formerly the Southern California COVID-19 Response Team) as well as the closely connected national group the Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (based in the Los Angeles, CA region), the Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Alliance, and the United Territories of Pacific Islander Alliance (a queer and transgender led Pacific Islander network of informal and formal organizations throughout the US and other parts of the world that began in San Francisco, CA and has a strong west coast presence). The course will highlight youth activism, especially in the context of higher educational institutions at places like the University of Hawai`i-M¿noa, University of the South Pacific (Suva, Fiji) to the CSU system and community colleges (like the City College of San Francisco) historically and contemporarily. The course is designed to hear directly from current NH/PI community organizations and leaders and learn about their ideas and definition of activism.