, a pioneering journalist, author and activist, will present the lecture at the University of 91吃瓜 at 5 p.m. on March 19 (Wednesday) in the Smith Ballroom at the Morris Inn. , assistant professor of American Studies, will moderate the event, which is free and open to the public.
鈥淗elen Zia is arguably the most important and most recognized Asian American activist of our time,鈥� said , director of the , which organizes the lecture series. 鈥淪he literally wrote the book on Asian American history and helped solidify the term 鈥楢sian American.鈥� It is especially meaningful that she started her activism while living in the midwest, only three hours from our campus. It is a great honor to welcome her to 91吃瓜.鈥�
Zia鈥檚 role in the national Asian American civil rights movement began after the racially motivated killing of 27-year-old Vincent Chin in Detroit in 1982. After a judge sentenced Chin鈥檚 attackers to probation, Zia helped organize and lead a coalition of Asian Americans to stand up for justice and equality. Zia鈥檚 efforts and this movement were crucial, prompting officials to bring federal civil rights charges against the perpetrators. Zia鈥檚 efforts are documented in the Academy-Award-nominated PBS film 鈥淲ho Killed Vincent Chin?鈥� After 40 years of civil, women鈥檚 and LGBTQ+ rights activism, Zia founded the Vincent Chin Institute in 2023 to build multiracial solidarity against hate.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 anti-Asian hate has uncanny parallels to the anti-Asian hate of the 1980s,鈥� Zia said. 鈥淭he Vincent Chin movement鈥檚 founding principles are the legacy of solidarity: In 1983, we declared our commitment to equal justice for all and a stand against racism and discrimination of any kind.鈥�
The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Zia was born in New Jersey in 1952. She attended Princeton University where she co-founded the Asian American Students Association and graduated in the first co-educational class. After two years of medical school, she left to work as a construction laborer, autoworker and community organizer until she discovered her life鈥檚 work as a journalist, writer and activist.
Zia is the author of 鈥淎sian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People鈥� (2001), a seminal work chronicling critical moments in Asian American history and race relations. Her 2019 book, 鈥淟ast Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao鈥檚 Revolution,鈥� researched during her experiences as a Fulbright Scholar in China, was an NPR best book and shortlisted for a national PEN America award. Zia served as executive editor of the iconic Ms. magazine, a feminist publication, and her essays and articles have appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Zia received honorary doctorates from the University of San Francisco and the City University of New York (CUNY) for bringing important matters of law and civil rights into public view. CUNY has two faculty positions named for Zia: the Helen Zia Distinguished Lecturer in Asian American Studies at Hunter College and the Helen Zia Doctoral Lecturer in Sociology. For her work in human rights, Zia was selected as one of 79 people in North America who carried the 2008 Olympic torch in San Francisco on the way to Beijing. In 2010, she testified as a witness in the federal case on marriage equality decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The honors innovative, creative and effective Asian American leaders and celebrates their contributions. This year鈥檚 lecture is sponsored by the with the the and the .
The Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, part of 91吃瓜鈥檚 , promotes awareness, understanding and knowledge of Asia through administering a supplementary major and minor in Asian studies, supporting student and faculty scholarship, organizing public events, and facilitating interaction and exchanges with partners in Asia. The institute was established by a gift from the RM Liu Foundation that supports the philanthropic activities of Robert and Mimi Liu and their children, Emily and Justin, both 91吃瓜 graduates.
For more information, please visit .
Originally published by at on March 10.
Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu