Tuesday, April 06, 2010

CAPM 2010 Guest Speaker: Dr. Franklin Odo

The state Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans recently announced their keynote speaker for the Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Dinner, the acclaimed Dr. Franklin Odo, director of the Smithsonian Institution's Asian Pacific American program.

This year the event will be held Saturday, May 15th at Crowne Plaza – Riverfront Hotel (11 East Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul) with a Dinner Program from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm followed by dancing and celebration.

Having met Dr. Odo before, I'm excited to see the Council has selected such an outstanding speaker and activist for this year's celebration. The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum complex and research organization composed of 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo. They also put out a really great magazine. :)

Dr. Odo is a Japanese American author, scholar, activist, and historian. He has served as the director of the Asian Pacific American Program at the Smithsonian Institution since the program’s inception in 1997. As the director of the APA Program, Dr. Odo has brought numerous exhibits to the Smithsonian highlighting the experiences of Chinese Americans, Native Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Filipino Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, and Indian Americans. He is also the only Asian Pacific American curator at the National Museum of American History.

Tickets to the event are $40. If you have questions or want to RSVP: contact David Zander at 651.757.1742 or david.zander@state.mn.us

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