On September 17, the Campus Reading Program and Human Rights Institute will co-host “Community Discussion and Action for Refugees in the Bay Area” from 1:30-2:45 p.m. in Student Union Room 4A. 

HRI Director Dr. Michael Dao will moderate a discussion with:

Betty Duong, Chief of Staff for the Santa Clara County Supervisor*

Huy Tran, Executive Director of SIREN

and Ana Navarrete, Program Director of SJSU UndocuSpartan. 

*Panelist Betty Duong is currently Chief of Staff for the Santa Clara County Supervisor and a candidate for Supervisor. The CSU does not support or oppose the speaker’s position or candidacy.

This panel discussion will explore the current discourse, issues, and services related to supporting refugee communities in the Bay Area. In addition, the panel will discuss ways to provide better support to refugee communities in the area. This discussion is meant to start conversations about themes in the SJSU Campus Reading Program’s selected book for the 2024-25 year: The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives, an anthology of essays edited by Viet Thanh Nguyen,  a Vietnamese refugee and author who grew up in San Jose. 

Dr. Michael Dao is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at San José State University. Dr. Dao also currently serves as the Director of the SJSU Human Rights Institute. He is the second son of two Vietnamese refugees who resettled in San José, California. This background has compelled him to advocate for immigrant and refugee rights.

Check out our other fall events related to the book:

On September 10, the Spartan Speaker Series will host the editor of the book, Viet Thanh Nguyen. Please join us for a moderated discussion with the author and Dr. Yvonne Kwan, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Asian American Studies from 3:30-4:45 in the Student Union Ballroom A & B, and a faculty hour with the author from 5:00-5:45 p.m. in SU Ballroom C. 

-On October 10, the Campus Reading Program will host “Walking to A Good Country, Literature in the Age of Displacement” from 12:00-1:15 p.m. in Student Union 1B. Dr. Keenan Norris will interview author Laleh Khadivi, followed by a Q & A session. Khadivi is an award winning author of three novels, a filmmaker, and an Associate Professor of English at the University of San Francisco.