UMBC Humanities Forum — 11th Annual Korenman Lecture
Deepa Iyer, South Asian American activist, writer, and lawyer
“Becoming Bridge-Builders and Disrupters: Navigating Racial and Gender Realities in America Today”
Thursday, March 8, 4 p.m.
Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

America is becoming a nation in which communities of color will comprise the majority population by 2040. In her talk, Deepa Iyer, a racial justice advocate and writer, will explore the racial realities affecting people of color, women, and immigrants and refugees in America today. She will share stories of struggle and resistance from communities affected by backlash, xenophobia and Islamophobia. Iyer will provide ideas for maintaining equitable and inclusive policies and institutions that reflect the racial realities and intersectional identities of communities in America.

Deepa Iyer is a South Asian-American writer, lawyer, and racial justice advocate. Iyer’s areas of expertise include the post-9/11 America experiences of South Asian, Muslim, Arab and Sikh immigrants; national security and immigration policies; and racial equity and solidarity practices. Iyer served for a decade as the Executive Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) where she helped to shape SAALT’s work on civil and immigrant rights issues. Her experiences there formed the basis for her first book, We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future, which received a 2016 American Book Award and was selected as a top 10 multicultural non-fiction books of 2015 by Booklist. Since We Too Sing Americawas published, Iyer has been part of over 50 community conversations around the country on the themes in the book, at college campuses, non-profit organizations, faith-based institutions among others. Iyer’s current work includes a collaborative project around rapid response coordination in the wake of criminalization policies and efforts and a solidarity project which includes a monthly podcast called Solidarity Is This.

Admission is free, and a book signing will follow the program.

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Plan your visit
Parking will be available in the Walker Avenue Garage — please click here for directions and parking information.

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At UMBC, sponsored by the Gender + Women’s Studies Department; the Dresher Center for the Humanities; the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the Office of the Provost; Student Life’s Mosaic Center; the Women’s Center; the Global Studies Program; the Media and Communication Studies Department; the Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication Department; the Africana Studies Department; the Asian Studies Program; and the American Studies Program.