Spitting Fire: Doktora Robyn Speaks

This is an unedited recording of a Zoom session from my Asian American Activism: Putting Theory into Practice  (Pt. 1) course that was held synchronously in the Summer of 2025. In this session, I lecture on the topics of Immigrant Justice and Internationalism; some of the readings I discuss are drawn from my co-edited anthology, "Contemporary Asian American Activism,"   book. If you&apos...

This is an unedited recording of a Zoom session from my Asian American Activism: Putting Theory into Practice  (Pt. 1) course that was held synchronously in the Summer of 2025. In this session, I lecture on the Introduction of my co-edited, "Contemporary Asian American Activism,"   book. If you're interested in diving deeper into this material, you can sign-up for the self-paced ver...

This is the UNEDITED audio recording of a Zoom session focused on the topic of "Asian American Student Organizing," for the "Asian American Activism: Putting Theory into Practice (Pt. 1)," which was held synchronously in the Summer of 2025. The self-paced version of course is available here . The course includes difficult-to-access scholarly texts and other curated curricular m...

Debra Louie has been an employee at San Joaquin Delta college for 30 years. At first, she was a classified manager in charge of outreach, and transfer of students, but later on, she became a counselor, and professor. She is currently retired, but decided to come back and work part time as a counselor. She, and some of her co-workers created the first API learning community called E.P.I.C at San Jo...

We interviewed someone who agreed to share her story with COVID-19. She would like to remain anonymous, but she has shared the following information: she is a young professional who has recently graduated from UC Davis. She shares her experience dealing with COVID-19 symptoms before the quarantine lockdown in California, and how she struggled to get the help she needed as a young adult in the Amer...

Anna Pak is a student at UC Davis majoring in Asian American Studies and English Literature. She shares her experience as a student dealing with the confusion at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic at UC Davis, and having to adapt to her online classes. Shunned. Spat On. Beaten.  With the rapid spread of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic in 2020, so too have videos of anti-Asian h...

Shunned. Spat On. Beaten.  With the rapid spread of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic in 2020, so too have videos of anti-Asian hate and violence “gone viral.” This hate and violence have become normalized due to politicians' repeatedly referring to coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus.” Shunning, being spit upon, and being beaten are among the many forms of bigotry reported to the...

Next on our "Laban Group Podcast" series, Dr. Rodriguez is joined by Social Worker Nikki Abeleda and Dr. Dale Maglalang to discuss their work in academia and mental health and how it connects to social justice and community organizing. Hear about key issues in social work as they impact Filipinx communities from an academic and practitioner perspective. They also hold discussions on anti...

Starting our "Laban Group Podcast" series, Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez is joined by Assistant Professor of Asian Studies, Mark John Sanchez, to discuss the role of journalism and activism in the Philippines during the era of Martial Law. This episode highlights how the media and activists navigated the repressive environment of the Marcos dictatorship, and also discusses how folks partic...

Doktora Robyn discusses colorism within the Filipinx community with long-time friend and fellow scholar, Dr. Joanne Rondilla. Listen in as they unpack how colorism is a discriminatory system designed to maintain anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, which is deeply rooted in the Philippines' colonial history. Dr. Rodriguez and Dr. Rondilla also answer questions on how to reflect and discuss...

Doktora Robyn launches a mini-course on Asian American Activism (and this podcast!) that draws on her  co-edited book (with Dr. Diane Fujino), "Contemporary Asian American Activism: Building Movements for Liberation,” as well as her previous publications and nearly three decades of community organizing experience. The mini-course will be offered through her online School for Liberating Educat...