Anti-Asian hate spiked 145% in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. At the same time, nearly one-third of the COVID deaths among nurses were Filipina nurses. As we look back at the first three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly complex stories continue to emerge.
How can religious literacy and a lens of racial justice inform the stories that we and our students hear, tell, and seek out?
On May 8, 2023, teachers and member of the general public were invited to join a conversation with Professor Aprilfaye Manalang of Norfolk State University to learn about her ongoing research on religious identity, grief, and COVID with Filipina-American nurses, as well as Jeanne Shin-Cooper of Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois whose students are taking part in this critical interview project. Prof. Manalang will also discuss her pedagogical practice of promoting Asian-American understanding at a Historically Black University, and the process of communicating this research to a public audience via podcast.
Watch the event recording and read the transcript.
Speakers
Aprilfaye Manalang is an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Norfolk State University, a Historically Black College/University in Virginia. She trained in the Social Sciences (University of Chicago, MA) and the Humanities (Bowling Green State University, PhD). She ranked as a top 10 finalist for the National Hiett Prize in the Humanities, an “annual award aimed at identifying candidates who are in the early stages of careers devoted to the humanities and whose work shows extraordinary promise and has a significant public component related to contemporary culture.” Most recently, Manalang secured the competitive Sabbatical Grant for Researchers from the Louisville Institute for her project, “Filipino American Nurses: Faith and Professional Communities in the Age of COVID and Anti-Asian Hate.” Moreover, the Asian American Center, University North Carolina-Chapel Hill; and Religion, Race, and Democracy Project, University of Virginia, appointed her as a fellow.
Jeanne Shin-Cooper is a social science teacher at Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois and teaches Human Geography and College World Religions. She believes in the importance of exploring issues of social justice with youth and is grateful for the opportunity to be a Fellow in Education. As an undergraduate, she majored in history at the University of Michigan. Currently, she is a National Board Certified Teacher and holds a Masters in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University as well as a Masters in Geography at the University of Oregon. One of her most professionally fulfilling experiences was completing her Religious Studies and Education Certificate through the Harvard Extension School.
Audrey Ro is a high school senior attending Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois. She is the co-founder of the school’s Asian Student Association and participates in both the chamber orchestra on the viola and in Soribeat, a Korean performing arts team in Chicago. As a student at BG, she has taken multiple exploratory classes, such as College World Religions, where she has realized a strong passion for social justice and fostering inclusive communities. She hopes to study sociology and politics as she continues her educational career at a four-year university. Audrey looks forward to learning more about Filipino American nurses as her class assists Professor Manalang in her studies.