What is Listen to the Silence?

Listen to the Silence (LTS) is Stanford's annual Asian American issues conference. It was first held in 1995 out of a need to increase the visibility of Asian American issues as well as the conditions of the Asian American community. The theme of this year's conference is "Immigration Narratives: Advancing Our Movement."

Each year’s conference features workshops hosted by students, nonprofits, and community leaders, all centered around the intersection between history, identity, and social change. By providing a platform to discuss this intersection, LTS opens an avenue for taking action and creating cross-cultural coalitions. To this end, it is open to everyone, including those who do not identify as Asian or Asian American, in order to provide a space for diverse perspectives and dialogue.

Ultimately, LTS aims to provide tangible tools and resources to empower participants to work towards creating a more equitable society as part of the broader movement for social justice.
Listen to the Silence is organized by Stanford AASA (Asian American Student Association).
The majority of Asian Americans are immigrants or children of immigrants. The lived experiences of migration intimately shape and are intertwined in our shared identity as Asian Americans. Whether a third-generation Chinese American whose great-grandparent took part in building the First Transcontinental Railroad; a South Asian whose grandfather was stripped of his citizenship due to the United States vs. Bhagat Singh Thind case in 1923; or a Southeast Asian refugee who escaped war-torn countries and has no homeland to return to, the existence of Asian Americans has been and continues to be challenged.

Today, the Trump administration’s xenophobic dialogue and anti-immigrant actions further incite violence, incubate hate, and harm communities of color. From the Muslim Ban to calls to “build the wall” to the repeal of DACA, xenophobic policies are tearing apart entire immigrant communities, especially our most vulnerable, undocumented community members. Despite recent and historical events, Asian Americans represent the strength and resilience of a community who has challenged unjust policies and continues to fight for the rights of Asian Americans and our fellow immigrant communities.

This year’s conference focuses on the diverse immigrant narratives and lived experiences of the Asian American community and expands on how anti-immigration policies affect not only individuals but entire families and communities of color. The conference aims to create a forum for participants to internalize, externalize, and share the beauty of a community founded upon the commonality of undying sacrifices and continued hope for the future. By the end of this conference, we hope to motivate, empower, and equip participants with the knowledge and tools to take action and work towards building a society with equitable rights for all.

Keynote Speaker: Aarti Kohli

Aarti Kohli landed in Queens, NY as a seven-year-old with her family and saw first-hand what it means to be a struggling immigrant in the U.S. She is currently the Executive Director at Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus, the first organization in the country to represent and promote the legal and civil rights of Asian and Pacific Islander communities. At Advancing Justice-ALC she oversees key program areas including National Security and Civil Rights, Immigration, and Criminal Justice Reform. She also helps guide the state and national policy work of the Advancing Justice affiliation with partners in LA, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington DC. Formerly, she was the Director of Immigration Policy at the Warren Institute at UC Berkeley School of Law where one of her key projects involved creating an intensive immigration seminar for professional journalists. Prior to her work in California, she worked in Washington, DC, as Judiciary Committee counsel to Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA) and as Assistant Legislative Director at UNITE union where she lobbied on behalf of low-income garment workers who were primarily immigrant women.

Keynote Panelists

Nkauj Iab Yang

Nkauj Iab Yang is the Director of California Policy and Programs at the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC). She oversees SEARAC's California health, education, immigration, and racial equity work. Nkauj Iab works closely with various coalitions to identify and advocate for policies to support Southeast Asian American (SEAA) communities and provides training and technical assistance to community-based partners throughout California to advocate for their community's needs and demands at the local and state level. 

Prior, Nkauj Iab spent the last 11 years committed to youth organizing and youth development work both in Sacramento and Oakland. Before coming to SEARAC, Nkauj Iab served as the Program Manager with Banteay Srei, overseeing programs and direct services for Southeast Asian American young women impacted by sexual exploitation. Through Banteay
Srei, Nkauj Iab led a small collaborative to pass the resolution to expand and report disaggregated Asian American and Pacific Islander data at Oakland Unified School District.

Roland Hsu

Roland Hsu is author and editor of multiple works on migration, social and political integration, and ethnic identity. His edited books include: Ethnic Europe: Mobility, Identity, and Conflict in a Globalized World (Stanford University Press), and Migration and Integration: New Models for Mobility and Coexistence (University of Vienna Press). He has delivered keynote lectures and working papers on these subjects at universities and policy institutes in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. His pieces on migration and international relations have appeared in publications for general audiences including Le Monde Diplomatique. At Stanford University, Hsu is Director of Research of the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford. He is also a Research Affiliate, and former Associate Director of the Europe Center at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. In addition, Hsu is a clinical therapist intern with a special interest
for working with refugees. Hsu earned his Ph.D at the University of Chicago, and was assistant professor of history at the University of Idaho.

Priya Murthy

As the Policy and Advocacy Director at Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN) since 2013, Priya develops, manages, and implements the policy advocacy program and provides support to the community organizing programs of the organization. She coordinates policy campaigns affecting low-income immigrants in Silicon Valley and represents the organization in national, state, and local coalitions and before policymakers. Prior to joining SIREN, Priya served as the first Policy Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national immigrant and civil rights organization based near Washington, DC, and as the co-chair of the Civil Rights Committee within the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA). Previously, she practiced immigration law representing clients facing deportation, worked for various Immigration Courts, and worked at Amnesty International’s National Refugee Office. She currently serves as Chair for the National Governing Board of National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF). Priya received her law degree from Tulane University Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She is admitted to Maryland State Bar. Priya was born in India and raised in Mountain View and Cupertino.

Schedule

Check-In
9:30-10:00 am
Opening Remarks
10:00-10:15 am
Keynote Speaker
10:15-11:00 am
First Round of Workshops
11:15-12:30 pm
Lunch / Resource Fair
12:30-1:30 pm
Keynote Panel
1:30-2:30 pm
Second Round of Workshops
2:45-4:00 pm
Third Round of Workshops
4:15-5:30 pm
Closing Remarks
5:45-6:15 pm
Dinner
6:15-7:15 pm
Concert (featuring G Yamazawa)
7:15-9:30 pm - doors open at 7pm

ZINE

​As a new initiative of Stanford’s annual Asian American issues conference, Listen to the Silence (LTS), the
LTS zine aims to showcase API voices from the Stanford community and other API communities through
a creative medium. This year’s LTS conference theme is Immigration Narratives: Advancing Our Movement,
which centers around immigrant and diasporic narratives and the adverse consequences of anti-immigration
policies on Asian Americans and communities of color at large. With visual art and writing, we wanted to create
an alternate platform for connecting and educating outside of the traditional workshop format of LTS. We hope
that by sharing creative work through a medium that can be circulated beyond the LTS conference, the zine
provides a platform for solidarity and cross-community dialogue on the intersections and differences in our
movements as they pertain to the issues of immigration, diaspora and indigeneity.

TRAVEL DETAILS

LOCATION
Cubberley Building/School of Education 
485 Lasuen Mall, Building 260, Language Corner 
Stanford, CA 94309
STANFORD PARKING POLICIES
  • Parking lots (EA, C, ES, SO) are FREE after 4 P.M. on weekdays.
  • Visitors can park in spaces marked by a green "P" or "E" sign. Parking in these spaces costs $1.50 per hour between 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday. Weekend parking is normally free.
  • Resident student lots are enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, unless otherwise posted. Resident student lots are marked with any of the following: EA, ES, SH, SJ, SO, and WE.
  • On weekends, parking lots are FREE at 459 Lagunita, Santa Teresa, which is our suggested parking area.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO TRESSIDER UNION PARKING LOT

FROM EL CAMINO REAL
Traveling North
1. Turn left at the light onto Serra Street. 
2. Turn left in front of the gas station onto Campus Drive. 
3. Follow Campus Drive up a slight hill toward the backside of campus. 
4. Turn right onto Mayfield Avenue. Continue on Mayfield by turning left at the first stop sign. 
5. Make an immediate right into the Tresidder Union parking lot.

Traveling South
​1. Turn right at the light onto Serra Street. 
2. Turn left in front of the gas station onto Campus Drive. 
3. Follow Campus Drive up a slight hill toward the back side of campus. 
4. Turn right onto Mayfield Avenue. Continue on Mayfield by turning left at the first stop sign. 
5. Make an immediate right into the Tresidder Union parking lot.
FROM HIGHWAY 101
Traveling North and South
​1. Take the Embarcadero Road West exit toward Stanford. 
2. At El Camino Real, Embarcadero becomes Galvez Street. Continue on Galvez Street to Campus Drive. 
3. Follow Campus Drive for approximately one mile to the back side of campus. 
4. Turn right onto Mayfield Avenue. Continue on Mayfield by turning left at the first stop sign. 
5. Make an immediate right into the Tresidder Union parking lot.
FROM HIGHWAY 280
Traveling North
1. Take the Page Mill Road East exit toward Stanford. 
2. Continue over the hill and turn left on Junipero Serra Boulevard. 
3. Turn right at the second stoplight onto Campus Drive East. 
4. Turn left onto Mayfield Avenue. Continue on Mayfield by turning left at the first stop sign. 
5. Make an immediate right into the Tresidder Union parking lot.

Traveling South
​1. Take exit 24 towards Sand Hill Road East, keep left at the fork, and then merge into the right lane. 
2. Continue downhill Sand Hill and turn right on Santa Cruz Avenue. 
3. Make an immediate left onto Junipero Serra Boulevard. 
4. Turn left at the second stoplight onto Campus Drive East. 
5. Turn left onto Mayfield Avenue. Continue on Mayfield by turning left at the first stop sign. 
6. Make an immediate right into the Tresidder Union parking lot.