At our annual Awards Lecture and Reception, we announced this year’s recipients of the Asian Studies Research Award and Asian Studies Outstanding Student Awards. Miranda Hartley (an Asian Studies minor and Anthropology major) received the research award for her paper “Shamans and Stressors,” and Nicholas Crenshaw received the Outstanding Student Award in acknowledgement of his excellent academic work as an Asian Studies minor, particularly his language work in Japanese. Along with each award, the recipients received a scholarship. Congratulations to both of them!

Dr. Bilwakesh presented his research “W.D. Fard and the Afro-Centric Asian in America” in which he challenged the construction of what counts as Asian and the reluctance to acknowledge the significant connections between immigrants from Asia and African-Americans, particularly in the 1920’s and 1930’s, during the period of the establishment of the Nation of Islam by W.D. Fard and Elijah Muhammad.

Nicholas Crenshaw receiving the Outstanding Student Award from the Director of Asian Studies, Steven Ramey

Dr. Bilwakesh discussing the potential Asian connections of W. D. Fard

And we had a reception honoring the award winners following the lecture