Simon Tam
The University of Central Arkansas College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) will host activist and musician Simon Tam from The Slants as an artist-in-residence on Oct. 7 and 8. All events will be live-streamed via Zoom and on the UCA CAHSS Facebook page.
During his residency, Tam will speak and perform songs about communication as activism, discrimination against Asian Americans during the pandemic and his landmark Supreme Court case defending the right of his band to appropriate a term long used to discriminate against Asian Americans.
On Oct. 7, at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Tam will lead breakout sessions with students on intellectual property law and on communication as activism, respectively. On Oct. 7, at 6 p.m., Tam will give a public performance of “Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court.” Individuals may watch the free performance via Zoom here. On Oct. 8, at 12:15 and 1:40 p.m., Tam will lead a breakout session on Asian American discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic and he will meet with UCA registered student organizations.
An author, musician and self-described “troublemaker,” Tam is best known as the founder and bassist for The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band. In 2017, he won a landmark case at the U.S Supreme Court, unanimously, helping to expand civil liberties for marginalized groups. Tam has written several books about activism and the band’s trademark battle. His work has been highlighted in over 3,000 media features in 150 countries, including Rolling Stone, TIME, NPR, BBC and the New York Times.
For more information about Tam’s residency, visit uca.edu/communication/2020/.
