SAADA

Last weekend I had the privilege of delivering a keynote address at the 12th annual SAAN undergraduate student conference at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. SAAN (South Asian Awareness Network) aims to increase awareness of issues salient to South Asian communities, encourage its participants to engage thoughtfully with their surroundings and promote innovative solutions to issues of social justice. It is one of the largest undergraduate South Asian American student conference in the country.

In my presentation I spoke on 4 points:
1. The connection between the past and issues of social justice today
2. Stories from SAADA that explore the rich and diverse history of South Asians in the United States
3. How SAADA is working creatively make these histories relevant to us today
4. Ways that undergraduate students around the country can help ensure that South Asian American stories are protected and preserved for future generations

Attendees also engaged with how personal stories come together to tell community stories by responding with two questions:
1. What stories from your parents' or grandparents' lives do you wish you knew more about?
2. What stories from your generation would you like your grandchildren to know about?

A selection of the responses are below: