CHASS Dean’s Speaker Series featuring Simon Tam

The CHASS Dean’s Speaker Series will feature prominent CHASS alumni, lectures and performances, and highlight some of the groundbreaking research our CHASS faculty and staff are undertaking to increase our understanding of the diverse cultures of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and how our disciplines equip us to confront anti-Asian bias.

Multi-Day Event Schedule

Monday, April 24 / UCR ARTS
AAPI Panel: 5:30 p.m.-7:30p.m.

Advance Registration Required

• Simon Tam
• Dr. Daryle Williams, professor of history and Dean, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Dr. Edward Chang, Professor of Ethnic Studies, Founding Director, The Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies
• Billy Caganap, Director, Asian Pacific Student Programs
• Christine Victorino, Associate Chancellor, co-lead the university’s AANAPISI (Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institutions) committee with Vice Chancellor Mariam Lam

Parking: Downtown Riverside.

Tuesday, April 25 / Bell Tower
Concert, 12 noon-2 p.m.
Headliner: The Slants

Welcome ceremony: UCR Taiko Ensemble
Opening act: Studies of the Star Cross

FREE and open to the public

Advance Registration

Tabling and CHASS giveaways

Parking: FREE in Lot 1 Blue. Reserve your permit via OffStreet. More info on accessible parking at UCR.

Tuesday, April 25 / University Theatre
Lecture and Book Signing, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 
Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court

Free and open to the public

Advance Registration Required

Parking: FREE in Lot 6 Blue. Reserve your permit via OffStreet. More info on accessible parking at UCR. 

Additional visitor parking information is available here, as well as information on accessible parking at UCR. If you have questions, email parking@ucr.edu between the hours of 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. PT, Monday to Friday. Please allow up to one business day for a response. If you’ve never been to campus, here are directions to UCR.

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Simon Tam is an author, musician, activist, and self-proclaimed troublemaker. He is best known as the founder and bassist of The Slants, the Asian American dance rock and anti-racist band that won a landmark case at the U.S Supreme Court in 2017 to help expand civil liberties for marginalized groups. Simon's work has been highlighted in over 3,000 media features across over 150 countries, including Rolling Stone, TIME, NPR, BBC and the New York Times. Today, he leads The Slants Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is pushing the boundaries of what is possible for arts, activism, and civic engagement. 

https://www.simontam.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonthetam

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimonTheTam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonTheTam/

The Slants biography

Portland's The Slants are the first and only all-Asian American dance rock band in the world. They offer up catchy dance beats, strong hooks, and a bombastic live show that is "not to be missed" (The Westword). The Willamette Week says "While the band may well be best experienced live, Slants releases always promise a few blistering, note-perfect singles." The music is the perfect combination of 80's driven synth pop with hard-hitting indie, floor-filling beats which fans affectionately dub as "Chinatown Dance Rock."

They've been featured with Conan O'Brien's Team Coco, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, SPIN, BBC, NPR, and over 2,000 radio stations, tv shows, magazines, and websites across 125 countries.

The band might be best known for their fight for free speech, which brought them before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Almost 30 international tours, including appearances in 46 of 50 U.S states, have led to headlining showcases at major festivals such as SXSW, MusicfestNW, San Diego Comic-Con, and Dragon Con. The band has also provided support for The Decemberists, Mindless Self Indulgence, Girl Talk, Apl.De.Ap (of Black Eyed Peas), Blindpilot and Shonen Knife. In 2011, The Slants worked with the Department of Defense for a series of shows at U.S and NATO bases in Eastern Europe, dubbed "Operation Gratitude." In 2017, The Slants joined President Barack Obama, George Takei, Jeremy Lin, and other celebrities for an anti-bullying campaign known as Act to Change.

Many of the band's music videos have gone viral, gaining tens of thousands of views within days. Two videos feature martial arts choreography by Sammo Hung (The Matrix, Ip Man, & Enter the Dragon) and feature international stars Daniel Wu and Shu Qi.

They've won "Album of the Year" and "Editor's Choice" from dozens of magazines, including Willamette Week, LA Weekly, Shojo Beat, Village Voice, City Beat, and Rockwired.

Whether rocking music halls, anime conventions, maximum-security prisons, colleges, or army bases, it's clear that The Slants' infectious brand of "so damn good" music will leave you wanting more" (MRU Magazine)

https://theslants.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theslants

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theslants

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theslants

More about Simon Tam:

As the recipient of the Mark T. Banner award from the American Bar Association and the Hugh M Hefner First Amendment Award, Simon Tam may be best known for winning a landmark case at the Supreme Court of the United States in 2017. The case (Matal v. Tam) was named Milestone Case of the Year from Managing IP Magazine. His memoir, Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court was named "One of the Best Books on the Constitution of All Time" by BookAuthority and won an award for Best Autobiography/Memoir from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Simon’s work in arts and activism has been highlighted in thousands of media features across 129 countries, including: The New York Times, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, NPR, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He is the founder and bassist of The Slants, one of the first all-Asian American dance rock bands in the world. He is also a co-founder of The Slants Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is pushing the boundaries of what is possible for arts, activism, and civic engagement. Currently, he serves as Senior Director of Marketing & Communication at StriveTogether, a nonprofit that is building a world where a child’s potential isn’t dictated by race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance.

He has appeared at thousands of events across four continents as a keynote speaker, including TEDx, SXSW, Comic-Con, and INTA. Each year Simon speaks to Fortune 500 companies, universities, and many of the world's top leaders in law, entertainment, and education. He holds a world record for TEDx stage appearances and coaches numerous TED presenters.

Simon regularly consults world leaders and major organizations on policies related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, including Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Verizon. In 2016, Simon joined President Barack Obama, George Takei, Jeremy Lin, and other celebrities in the #ActToChange campaign to fight bullying. Simon has also worked with other music icons such as Jay Z, Killer Mike, and Chance the Rapper on legislative efforts to protect artistic expression.

Simon believes that apathy is not compatible with love. His passion for ideas that combine arts and activism is evident in all of his work, from his music to his writing. He works to change the culture by transforming systems with an equity framework, all while holding down harmony and rhythm on the bass guitar.