============FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE============
September 10, 2003
Contact: Jen Chau, Jessica Chen Drammeh, and Carmen Van Kerckhove
Fusion Series Co-Founders
team@fusionseries.com, 212.561.1773
DISCUSSION SERIES “FUSION: ETHNICITY AND IDENTITY IN A CHANGING
SOCIETY” KICKS OFF ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2003
(New York, NY) The new discussion series, “Fusion: Ethnicity and Identity in a Changing Society,” launches September 30, 2003 with a panel discussion entitled “Generations of the Mixed Race Experience.” Five panelists from different generations, ranging from teenage to middle-age, will explore how the experience of being a racially-mixed person has changed over the last 50 years. The panel will deal with issues surrounding identity, racism, self-perception, and perception by others, and will include a moderated discussion with the audience.
“Generations of the Mixed Race Experience” is the first program in the discussion series “Fusion: Ethnicity and Identity in a Changing Society,” focusing on issues that are relevant to mixed adults, mixed families, transracial adoptees, and interracial/cultural/faith couples. It provides an open and honest forum in which different communities can come together for meaningful dialogue and coalition building.
The series is spearheaded by the documentary film Anomaly, the online magazine EurasianNation.com, and the community organization Swirl, Inc., which all focus on giving voice to, and bringing together multiethnic and multicultural communities.
“Generations of the Mixed Race Experience” will be held on Tuesday, September 30th from 7pm-9pm at the SwirlSpace, 16 West 32nd Street, Suite 10A (between 5th Avenue and Broadway), New York, NY 10001. Admission is $5.
To RSVP for “Generations,” email rsvp@fusionseries.com. For more information about “Generations” or the Fusion Series, email team@fusionseries.com.
“Fusion: Ethnicity and Identity in a Changing Society” is being presented by:
Anomaly is a groundbreaking documentary that offers a personal insight into the experiences of people of mixed race. Filtered through the lens of multiethnic filmmaker Jessica Chen Drammeh, Anomaly goes beyond surface-level questions such as “What are you?” or “Where are you from?” to reveal the complexity of the mixed race experience. Anomaly weaves together a tapestry of multiracial Americans as they discuss their process of self-identification, expressed through performance and community organizing. The film is currently in production and is scheduled for completion in 2004. For more information, visit http://www.anomalythefilm.com or email anomalythefilm@hotmail.com.
EurasianNation is an online magazine and community for people of mixed Caucasian and Asian descent co-founded by sisters Carmen and Iris Van Kerckhove. In late 2000, then 14-year-old Iris Van Kerckhove started a community site for Eurasians because she felt that her needs as a biracial person were not being met by traditional Asian and Asian-American community sites. In less than a year, Iris found herself with over 200 members. Recognizing how large the potential audience was, Iris decided to expand and improve the site, working with her sister Carmen to relaunch it as EurasianNation in April 2002. Today the site boasts over 1,500 members and is one of the most popular online destinations for mixed race people. To learn more, visit http://www.eurasiannation.com or email info@eurasiannation.com.
Founded by Jen Chau, Swirl, Inc. has been uniting the mixed community by providing support to mixed families, mixed individuals, transracial adoptees, and inter-racial/cultural/faith couples since its inception in New York City in 2000. Through various educational and social events, Swirl is a meeting place for members of the mixed community to celebrate and explore their heritages. Today, Swirl is a national non-profit organization with twelve chapters spanning the country. For more information on Swirl and its programs, visit http://www.swirlinc.org, email jenchau@swirlinc.org, or call 212.561.1773.
Carmen Van Kerckhove
EurasianNation
http://www.eurasiannation.com
An online magazine for and about people of mixed Asian and Caucasian descent