Open VISIONS Forum
The Annual Student Forum
“Going Viral With Juju Chang and Masih Alinejad”
POSTPONED:
This event will be rescheduled at a later date.
The Annual Student Forum
“Going Viral With Juju Chang and Masih Alinejad”
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the O.V.F. with Masih Alinejad and Ju Ju Chang has been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date
The Annual Student Forum, presented in collaboration with the College of Arts & Sciences Common Ground Lecture Series.
Join us for a powerfully engaging evening presented in affiliation with Fairfield’s newly established Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. With “no holds barred,” Juju Chang and Masih Alinejad welcome a wide-ranging conversation about the ongoing challenges of women of color, offering positive strategies in advancing feminist agendas with global impact today.
Juju Chang is one of the most prominent Asian Americans in broadcast news, Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News Nightline, and a regular contributor to Good Morning America and 20/20.
With the rise of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Chang leveraged her platform to become a much-admired champion of social change. She made U.S. broadcast history co-anchoring the 2021 ABC News Live special, Stop The Hate: The Rise In Violence Against Asian Americans alongside fellow Korean-American co-anchor Eva Pilgrim and a cast of AAPI journalists, thought leaders, lawmakers, and celebrities. Chang’s highly visible reporting on hate crimes against Asians is the culmination of decades of covering everything from natural disasters to terrorism, mass shootings, immigration, violence against the LGBTQIA+ community and, most recently, the inequities of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Masih Alinejad is an Iranian American journalist and women’s rights activist who gained worldwide attention when she removed her veil, or hijab, and posted a photo on her Facebook page standing proudly with her hair blowing in the wind. From that, My Stealthy Freedom was born—her viral social media campaign against compulsory hijab that became the biggest civil disobedience movement in the history of the Islamic Republic.
Today, it has almost 11 million followers. Iranian authorities responded violently, arresting protesters and violating their rights while in custody. Alinejad continues to oppose the compulsory hijab and to speak out in defense of her fellow activists. She is one of the most prominent and vocal opposition figures challenging the Islamic Republic of Iran. She offers valuable insights into the unfolding protests in Iran and what it means for U.S. foreign policy. Described by The New York Times as "the woman whose hair frightens Iran," Alinejad wrote the widely acclaimed, bestselling memoir, The Wind in My Hair, sharing her extraordinary story about living in exile, leaving her country, challenging tradition and sparking change. An inspiring account about political activism, family, heritage, overcoming adversity, and more, Alinejad offers a compelling and shocking look at the realities of the world we live in.
