President Obama’s sister will address education reform at U-M

March 6, 2012
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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DATE: 7-9 p.m. March 22, 2012.

EVENT: Scholar and author Maya Soetoro-Ng will deliver a lecture on the subject of “Education for Peace and Global Awareness.” The sister of President Barack Obama, Soetoro-Ng is an expert on multicultural and international education. She will offer a vision of public education that befits our increasingly diverse, interconnected society and meets the challenge of achieving peace in the 21st century.

Soetoro-Ng is an assistant professor of education at the University of Hawaii and consultant with the East-West Center. In 2011, she published the multicultural children’s book “Ladder to the Moon,” which made the New York Times best-seller list and was inspired by her daughter Suhalia’s questions about her late grandmother, Ann Dunham.

“Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng is an accomplished scholar, author and a tireless advocate for improving the quality of education in America,” said Scott Kurashige, director of the Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program. “We are honored to bring her to Michigan and are confident that her voice will resonate strongly with members of the university and the wider community.”

PLACE: Pendleton Room, Michigan Union, 530 S. State St., Ann Arbor. Central Campus map: http://www.umich.edu/~info/pdf/central.pdf.

CONTACT: For media interviews, contact Scott Kurashige at (734) 647-3341 or kurashig@umich.edu.

INFORMATION: Contact the Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program at apia.events@umich.edu.

SPONSORS: Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program, King-Chavéz-Parks Visiting Professors Program, Office of the Senior Vice Provost, Global Scholars Program, Program in American Culture, Center for Educational Outreach, Center for Japanese Studies, Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, Institute for the Humanities, International Institute, Nam Center for Korean Studies, Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, School of Education, Department of History, School of Social Work, Michigan Community Scholars Program, United Asian American Organizations, Becoming Educators of Tomorrow, College Democrats, LSA SG Multicultural Affairs Committee, MuJew, South Asian Awareness Network, and Students for Educational Equality.