On Nov. 4, the Pan-Asian American Community House hosted NBC news anchor Richard Lui for a fireside chat to celebrate their 25th anniversary celebration.
The event was attended by about three dozen community members and included a moderated conversation between Lui and Vice Provost for University Life Karu Kozuma followed by a book signing and meet & greet. Lui spoke to the audience about being the first Asian-American to anchor a daily national cable news broadcast as well as his experience as a filmmaker and journalist.
Throughout the conversation, Lui emphasized the importance of younger voices in the journalism industry.
“I really like being on campus because I remember it as a space to try anything,” Lui said. “It's a safe place to explore different ideas, different theories and to bump up against things that you might not bump into in other places."
He also highlighted his past creative projects as well as his upcoming documentary highlighting the “unsung” work of David Ho in the AIDS crisis.
“I'm a journalist, and we don't talk about this topic [of caregiving] at all,” Lui said. “We're supposed to be talking about stories about our country, our towns, and cities. So that's what drove me to do two feature-length documentaries on this.”
In a Q&A session following the conversation, Lui was asked about the current state of journalism and news reporting.
“The way we define journalism and journalists varies right now,” Lui said. “Anybody can be a storyteller, but storyteller versus a journalist – those are two different things.”
In preparation for the celebration, PAACH associate director Daniel Hoddinott was looking “for a speaker whose experience embodies the themes [of PAACH], and who connects to both personal reflection and social impact.”
“We're looking to get to … storytelling as a catalyst for leadership, identity and change, and hopefully, that will resonate with students and members of the Penn community across disciplines and experiences,” Hoddinott added.
The event was part of a series of events – including alumni panels and PAACH’s annual mural program – being held by PAACH to celebrate their 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebration will conclude with a celebration and reception on Nov. 8.
In an interview with the DP, PAACH Director Mei Long highlighted the significance of the organization’s mission.
“It’s a critical moment for us to reflect on our past, the past 25 years, [and] at the same time to really envision the next generation of the AAPI community and leadership at Penn and beyond,” Long said.
Staff reporter Kathryn Ye covers central administration and can be reached at ye@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies biochemistry and philosophy.
