This is an unedited recording of a Zoom session from my Asian American Activism: Putting Theory into Practice  (Pt. 1) course that was held synchronously in the Summer of 2025. In this session, I lecture on the topics of Immigrant Justice and Internationalism; some of the readings I discuss are drawn from my co-edited anthology, "Contemporary Asian American Activism," book. If you're interested in diving deeper into this material, you can sign-up for the self-paced version of this course here.

This is the UNEDITED audio recording of a Zoom session focused on the topic of "Asian American Student Organizing," for the "Asian American Activism: Putting Theory into Practice (Pt. 1)," which was held synchronously in the Summer of 2025. The self-paced version of course is available here. The course includes difficult-to-access scholarly texts and other curated curricular material. 

This is an unedited recording of a Zoom session from my Asian American Activism: Putting Theory into Practice  (Pt. 1) course that was held synchronously in the Summer of 2025. In this session, I lecture on the Introduction of my co-edited, "Contemporary Asian American Activism," book. If you're interested in diving deeper into this material, you can sign-up for the self-paced version of this course here.

The introduction examines the following topics:

• the origins of the Asian American Movement in the 1960s-1970s;
• the significance of cross-racial (or interracial) solidarity from its beginnings; 
• the impact of the Vietnam War...and more.

Debra Louie has been an employee at San Joaquin Delta college for 30 years. At first, she was a classified manager in charge of outreach, and transfer of students, but later on, she became a counselor, and professor. She is currently retired, but decided to come back and work part time as a counselor. She, and some of her co-workers created the first API learning community called E.P.I.C at San Joaquin Delta college since they discovered  that API students, especially Southeast Asian, and Filipinx students didn’t receive the help they needed. At a community college level, they are struggling to get the support, and resources they need to transfer to reach their educational goals. She shared her work through E.P.I.C and helped API students reach their educational goals by overcoming challenges before and through the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Shunned. Spat On. Beaten.  With the rapid spread of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic in 2020, so too have videos of anti-Asian hate and violence “gone viral.” This hate and violence have become normalized due to politicians' repeatedly referring to coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus.” Shunning, being spit upon, and being beaten are among the many forms of bigotry reported to the Stop AAPI Hate website by Asian Americans across the country. In its first week of operation, the Stop AAPI Hate website documented over 600 cases.  Today, over 6,600 cases have been reported. This podcast humanizes the Asian American experience of COVID-19. This community-engaged project, led by Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez and produced by Asian American Studies student, Jennifer Bernal Nguyen, supports efforts already underway in the Greater Sacramento region, led by the API Regional Network, to amplify the experiences of APIs who are not only suffering from the virus itself but are suffering from anti-Asian hate and violence as well. This project was supported by a grant from the UC Davis Humanities Institute.

This series is brought to you by The Laban Group, a Filipino Ethnic Media Collaborative that aims to promote anti-Asian hate awareness in our beloved Filipino American community by advancing narrative change work that uplifts stories of Filipino American resilience, resistance, justice and transformation.

The Laban Group is funded by the "Stop The Hate" campaign from the California State Library in partnership with the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. It is a collaborative comprised of the Amado Khaya Foundation, the Asian American Liberation Network, Everyday Impact Consulting, and Philippine Fiesta News. For more information, visit linktr.ee/labangroup.

We interviewed someone who agreed to share her story with COVID-19. She would like to remain anonymous, but she has shared the following information: she is a young professional who has recently graduated from UC Davis. She shares her experience dealing with COVID-19 symptoms before the quarantine lockdown in California, and how she struggled to get the help she needed as a young adult in the American healthcare system.

Shunned. Spat On. Beaten.  With the rapid spread of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic in 2020, so too have videos of anti-Asian hate and violence “gone viral.” This hate and violence have become normalized due to politicians' repeatedly referring to coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus.” Shunning, being spit upon, and being beaten are among the many forms of bigotry reported to the Stop AAPI Hate website by Asian Americans across the country. In its first week of operation, the Stop AAPI Hate website documented over 600 cases.  Today, over 6,600 cases have been reported. This podcast humanizes the Asian American experience of COVID-19. This community-engaged project, led by Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez and produced by Asian American Studies student, Jennifer Bernal Nguyen, supports efforts already underway in the Greater Sacramento region, led by the API Regional Network, to amplify the experiences of APIs who are not only suffering from the virus itself but are suffering from anti-Asian hate and violence as well. This project was supported by a grant from the UC Davis Humanities Institute.

This series is brought to you by The Laban Group, a Filipino Ethnic Media Collaborative that aims to promote anti-Asian hate awareness in our beloved Filipino American community by advancing narrative change work that uplifts stories of Filipino American resilience, resistance, justice and transformation.

The Laban Group is funded by the "Stop The Hate" campaign from the California State Library in partnership with the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. It is a collaborative comprised of the Amado Khaya Foundation, the Asian American Liberation Network, Everyday Impact Consulting, and Philippine Fiesta News. For more information, visit linktr.ee/labangroup.

Anna Pak is a student at UC Davis majoring in Asian American Studies and English Literature. She shares her experience as a student dealing with the confusion at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic at UC Davis, and having to adapt to her online classes.

Shunned. Spat On. Beaten.  With the rapid spread of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic in 2020, so too have videos of anti-Asian hate and violence “gone viral.” This hate and violence have become normalized due to politicians' repeatedly referring to coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus.” Shunning, being spit upon, and being beaten are among the many forms of bigotry reported to the Stop AAPI Hate website by Asian Americans across the country. In its first week of operation, the Stop AAPI Hate website documented over 600 cases.  Today, over 6,600 cases have been reported. This podcast humanizes the Asian American experience of COVID-19. This community-engaged project, led by Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez and produced by Asian American Studies student, Jennifer Bernal Nguyen, supports efforts already underway in the Greater Sacramento region, led by the API Regional Network, to amplify the experiences of APIs who are not only suffering from the virus itself but are suffering from anti-Asian hate and violence as well. This project was supported by a grant from the UC Davis Humanities Institute.

This series is brought to you by The Laban Group, a Filipino Ethnic Media Collaborative that aims to promote anti-Asian hate awareness in our beloved Filipino American community by advancing narrative change work that uplifts stories of Filipino American resilience, resistance, justice and transformation.

The Laban Group is funded by the "Stop The Hate" campaign from the California State Library in partnership with the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. It is a collaborative comprised of the Amado Khaya Foundation, the Asian American Liberation Network, Everyday Impact Consulting, and Philippine Fiesta News. For more information, visit linktr.ee/labangroup.

Shunned. Spat On. Beaten.  With the rapid spread of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic in 2020, so too have videos of anti-Asian hate and violence “gone viral.” This hate and violence have become normalized due to politicians' repeatedly referring to coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus.” Shunning, being spit upon, and being beaten are among the many forms of bigotry reported to the Stop AAPI Hate website by Asian Americans across the country. In its first week of operation, the Stop AAPI Hate website documented over 600 cases.  Today, over 6,600 cases have been reported. This podcast humanizes the Asian American experience of COVID-19. This community-engaged project, led by Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez and produced by Asian American Studies student, Jennifer Bernal Nguyen, supports efforts already underway in the Greater Sacramento region, led by the API Regional Network, to amplify the experiences of APIs who are not only suffering from the virus itself but are suffering from anti-Asian hate and violence as well. This project was supported by a grant from the UC Davis Humanities Institute.

Our first episode begins with Cirian Villavicencio, who shares his experience dealing with issues connected to COVID-19 as a community college professor and the department chair of political science at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. He is the Asian and Pacific Islander American staff association president that serves all the API faculty, classified staff, and administrators. He is also a commissioner and former chair of the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. He shares his experience dealing with the COVID 19 pandemic and explaining the support that the API community and his students are receiving in Stockton.

This series is brought to you by The Laban Group, a Filipino Ethnic Media Collaborative that aims to promote anti-Asian hate awareness in our beloved Filipino American community by advancing narrative change work that uplifts stories of Filipino American resilience, resistance, justice and transformation.

The Laban Group is funded by the "Stop The Hate" campaign from the California State Library in partnership with the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. It is a collaborative comprised of the Amado Khaya Foundation, the Asian American Liberation Network, Everyday Impact Consulting, and Philippine Fiesta News. For more information, visit linktr.ee/labangroup.

Next on our "Laban Group Podcast" series, Dr. Rodriguez is joined by Social Worker Nikki Abeleda and Dr. Dale Maglalang to discuss their work in academia and mental health and how it connects to social justice and community organizing. Hear about key issues in social work as they impact Filipinx communities from an academic and practitioner perspective. They also hold discussions on anti-Asian hate and the resources available for folks.

This series is brought to you by The Laban Group, a Filipino Ethnic Media Collaborative that aims to promote anti-Asian hate awareness in our beloved Filipino American community by advancing narrative change work that uplifts stories of Filipino American resilience, resistance, justice and transformation.

The Laban Group is funded by the "Stop The Hate" campaign from the California State Library in partnership with the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. It is a collaborative comprised of the Amado Khaya Foundation, the Asian American Liberation Network, Everyday Impact Consulting, and Philippine Fiesta News. For more information, visit linktr.ee/labangroup.

Starting our "Laban Group Podcast" series, Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez is joined by Assistant Professor of Asian Studies, Mark John Sanchez, to discuss the role of journalism and activism in the Philippines during the era of Martial Law. This episode highlights how the media and activists navigated the repressive environment of the Marcos dictatorship, and also discusses how folks participated in transnational spaces.

This series is brought to you by The Laban Group, a Filipino Ethnic Media Collaborative that aims to promote anti-Asian hate awareness in our beloved Filipino American community by advancing narrative change work that uplifts stories of Filipino American resilience, resistance, justice and transformation.

The Laban Group is funded by the "Stop The Hate" campaign from the California State Library in partnership with the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. It is a collaborative comprised of the Amado Khaya Foundation, the Asian American Liberation Network, Everyday Impact Consulting, and Philippine Fiesta News. For more information, visit linktr.ee/labangroup.

To hear more from Mark John Sanchez, visit his website at markjohnsanchez.com

Doktora Robyn discusses colorism within the Filipinx community with long-time friend and fellow scholar, Dr. Joanne Rondilla. Listen in as they unpack how colorism is a discriminatory system designed to maintain anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, which is deeply rooted in the Philippines' colonial history. Dr. Rodriguez and Dr. Rondilla also answer questions on how to reflect and discuss these beauty standards with family in order to uphold anti-racist practices in our everyday lives.

This conversation was also part of Dr. Rodriguez's "Filipinos in America" course in her School for Liberating Education. This 6-month course is an introductory course that provides a broad overview of the Filipinx experience in the United States from the earliest history of Filipino/a migrant settlement to more contemporary issues and struggles. To learn more visit liberatingeducation.thinkific.com/courses/filipinxamerica.

Dr. Joanne Rondilla is Assistant Professor of Asian American Studies in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at San Jose State University. As an interdisciplinary ethnic studies and cultural studies scholar focusing on Filipinx, Asian American and indigenous Pacific Islander communities, her research highlights the intricate ways in which U.S. colonial legacies are present in our everyday lives. Specifically, Dr. Rondilla examines how these legacies are inscribed on the body by focusing on colorism. She was drawn to this research because she was raised in a family and community that perpetuated messages which valued light skin over dark skin. This, coupled with working in the cosmetics industry for over twelve years, gave her a strong lens to examine such complicated issues.

“Spitting Fire: Dokora Robyn Speaks,” is hosted by Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez, a Pinay, immigrant daughter, (former) university professor, community organizer, momma, & wife.  The "people's professora,” Dr. Rodriguez hosts raw, real, and raucous conversations with friends, colleagues and other co-conspirators to reflect on academia and activism, grief and hope, growing up and growing old...and more.

P.S. We will try to make transcripts available for the podcast in a timely manner for those who may be deaf or hard of hearing.