Author and historian Scott Kurashige will discuss his new book, “American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism,” during an event co-hosted by the Modern China Lecture Series and Conversations on Race and Policing set for 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.
The program is free and open to the public and will take place on Zoom.
Published by University of California Press in 2026, “American Peril” examines anti-Asian racism and violence across 175 years of U.S. history, connecting attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic to broader historical patterns, according to the publisher.
The book explores connections between domestic racism and violence abroad, as well as Asian American community organizing in response to the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin and other tragedies. Kurashige argues that grassroots activism and multiracial solidarity offer a path toward confronting anti-Asian violence.
Kurashige, president of the James and Grace Lee Boggs Foundation, is a scholar, writer and community activist whose work focuses on race, politics and social movements in U.S. history. He has devoted 36 years to studying anti-Asian racism and violence and has spoken at more than 150 universities, museums and community organizations nationwide.
His previous books include “The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles” and “The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century,” co-written with Grace Lee Boggs.
About the Modern China Lecture Series
The Modern China Lecture Series was initiated in January 2014 to promote awareness of important issues related to China for those on the CSUSB campus and in the community.
Since then, it has presented more than 100 lectures, workshops, film screenings and roundtable forums featuring China scholars from UC San Diego, UC Riverside, the Claremont Colleges, UCLA, USC, UC Irvine, Columbia, Oxford and other institutions, who have visited the CSUSB campus or joined via video conference to share their expertise and opinions.
Recordings of previous lectures are archived on the CSUSB Modern China Lecture Series channel on YouTube.
The next programs in the series, which will take place on the Modern China Lecture Zoom page, include:
- Oct. 22, 6 p.m. – Susanne Yuk-ping Choi, author of “Queer Resistance: Contesting State, Family, and Inequality in Post-Socialist China”
- Oct. 26, 2:30 p.m. – Xu Guoqi, author of "The Idea of China: A Contested History"
- Nov. 16, 2:30 p.m. – James Wicks, 3 Short Taiwan Documentaries Featuring Surfing, Street Art, & Skateboarding
For more information, contact Jeremy Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu, and visit the Modern China Lecture Series webpage.
About the Conversations on Race and Policing series
The Conversations on Race and Policing program began following the May 25, 2020, murder of George Floyd and its aftermath. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, triggering widespread protests, demands for systemic policing reforms and profound discussions about race and racism. The events also led to the creation of Cal State San Bernardino’s Conversations on Race and Policing, abbreviated as CoRP.
In subsequent court cases, three other former Minneapolis police officers implicated in Floyd’s death received prison sentences.
The series has featured scholars, journalists, law enforcement officers, lawyers, activists, artists, educators, administrators and others from throughout the nation who have shared their experience and expertise on issues related to race and policing.
Since June 2020, more than 140 forums have taken place, and video recordings of the sessions have been posted in the Conversations on Race and Policing Lecture Series Archive.
Programs take place every Wednesday beginning at noon unless otherwise noted. Upcoming speakers include:
- Oct. 14 — Gunner Johnson and Brett May, who will discuss “What Does True Justice Look Like?”
- Oct. 21 — Mia Arredondo and Edwin Cruz, “Healing After Gang Violence”
- Thursday, Oct. 22, 11 a.m. — Cat Brooks, performer, organizer, activist and radio host of “Law and Disorder” on KPFA.
- Nov. 4 — Pete Simi, “American Swastika: Inside the White Power Movement’s Hidden Spaces of Hate.
The organizing team for Conversations on Race and Policing includes Michael German, Stan Futch, Amber Broaden, Robie Madrigal, Jeremy Murray, Matt Patino and Mary Texeira, representing CSUSB and collaborating community and educational organizations.
For more information, contact Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu.
Also visit the Conversations on Race and Policing webpage.
