Asian American Youth Leadership Conference is a conference to inspire Asian American high school students to take action, develop leadership qualities for their careers and communities, and to learn cultural pride
When: Friday, May 15 (all day)
Where: Concordia University, 2811 NE Holman St, Portland, OR 97211
Contact: http://www.aaylc.org/
 
Simon Tam will present the keynote at Business for Culture and Arts on May 28. This second Skills Day event at NW Natural will provide opportunities for Greater Portland arts and culture leaders to gain knowledge and connections through workshops, discussions and one-on-one consulting with business experts. Skills Day is a part of our ongoing Business Volunteers for the Arts Program.
When: May 28, 2014 8am-2:30pm
Where: NW Natural, 220 Northwest 2nd Avenue, Portland, OR
Cost: $25
Contact: http://www.businessculturearts.org/skillsday2014
 
The National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE®) is a national conference on race and ethnicity issues.
When: May 27-31
Where: 120 W. Market St. Indianapolis, IN 46204
Cost: $750 or $450 for students
Contact: (405) 325-3694
Web Link: www.ncore.ou.edu
 
In honor of Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month in  May, OAPIA (Oregon Asian Pacific Islander American) Theatre is presenting its third staged reading in partnership with Portland Center Stage and MediaRites Productions. This growing volunteer group of AAPI artists is dedicated to presenting the work of AAPI in the Portland community and beyond. Join us for a special afternoon of Nikki Nojima Louis’ reader’s theatre play, Breaking the Silence, based on the oral histories, poetry, stories about Japanese American immigration leading up to the forced incarceration during WWII. Many lost their property and many didn’t survive incarceration. The play follows three generations: Issei, Nisei and Sansei exploring their histories and what it means to be Japanese American. Since 1985 when Breaking the Silence was first performed, Louis has traveled throughout the U.S. and Japan creating readings and personalizing the last part of the production to reflect local history. In the Portland premiere of this important work, she has written the story of Portlander Minoru Yasui who bravely contested the constitutionality of the curfew imposed on Japanese Americans at the start America’s entry into WWII.
FREE staged reading of Breaking the Silence, directed by Dmae Roberts:
When: Saturday, May 31, 2014, 2:30pm
Where: Portland Center Stage’s Ellyn Bye Studio, 128 NW Eleventh Ave., Portland, OR 97209
Contact: 503-445-3700