Dr. John Jung, author of four books on the culture and history of southern Chinese, returns to campus Tuesday, September 20 at 6 p.m. in Jobe Auditorium for “Beyond Black & White: The Chinese-American Experience.” Facilitated by Dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies Dr. Albert Nylander, the evening’s discussion features Jung examining issues faced by early Chinese Americans, with particular focus on the southern experience.
John Jung is a professor of psychology emeritus at California State University, Long Beach. Retiring in 2005, Jung found time to reflect on how being a member of the only Chinese family in Macon, Georgia, affected the lives of his immigrant parents and their children as they operated a laundry from the 1920s to 1950s before the civil rights era. Thinking about what it means to be “Chinese” when everyone else around you is either “black or white” led to the publication of Southern Fried Rice: Life in A Chinese Laundry in the Deep South. Other titles by the author include Chinese Laundries: Tickets to Survival on Gold Mountain, Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton: The Lives of Mississippi Delta Chinese Grocers and Sweet and Sour: Life in Chinese Family Restaurants. These titles will also be available at the event for purchase.
This event is free and the public is invited to attend. This event is made possible through the collaborative efforts of the University Diversity Committee, Office of Graduate & Continuing Studies, and the University Archives & Museum. For more information contact Dr. Albert Nylander at 662-846-4700, or Georgene Clark, chair of the University Diversity Committee at 662-846-4078.
