Kathryn Gin Lum

Screenshot of the title and banner image for Chanhee Heo’s Religion Dispatches article on “Charlie Kirk Memorial in Seoul”

Check out this important and insightful piece by @argcstanford.bsky.social alumna @chanheeheo.bsky.social on @religiondispatches.org:

Aspirational pile of books for the new academic year

Love this!

I’m teaching a grad seminar on American religion this semester, and am really excited to introduce my students to these phenomenal books.

What it feels like to watch the #SFGiants these days 😅😭

@schulzmuseum.bsky.social

In 1914 Ford Motor Company established the Ford English School, where the automaker's diverse immigrant employees could learn the English language and take civics lessons in preparation for becoming U.S. citizens. At the graduation ceremony, students wearing clothing from their native countries descended into a large "American Melting Pot" and emerged wearing homogenous suits and waving American flags.

On July 4, 1917, Henry Ford’s English School held its graduation. Immigrant workers in native dress descended from a mock steamship into a giant cauldron marked “Melting Pot” and emerged in suits, waving US flags. Assimilation staged as public ritual.

Credit: The Henry Ford Collection, THF106481

❤️

It has been such a privilege to work with @chanheeheo.bsky.social over the years and to see her work culminate in this important, evocative, and gorgeously written dissertation. Congratulations, Chanhee!

Phoning It In: (Re)making Race and Religion in Zora Neale Hurston’s New Orleans Underworld Welcome to “Phoning It In,” a gameshow I made up because I am tired and busy but also like to learn about new books! I’m claiming to have made up this game, but if you’ve ever showed up for class wit...

had an amazing time learning more about @ahmadgreene.com's gorgeous new book!

religiondispatches.org/phoning-it-i...

now would be a great time for everybody to pick up a copy of @kginlum.bsky.social's *Heathen*

but in the meantime:

religiondispatches.org/phoning-it-i...

A moving concert and conversation tonight between Dr. Julian Saporiti (No-No Boy) and @chanheeheo.bsky.social. Full recording will be posted to argc.stanford.edu

It’s been a minute since ARGC put on this panel on “Race, Religion, Asian American Studies” with Melissa Borja, Jonathan Tran, and @kginlum.bsky.social, moderated by @chanheeheo.bsky.social, but we finally got the recording up!

Check it out at argc.stanford.edu/research-pro...

Writing is never wasted

❤️

John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics Awards Three Postdoctoral Fellowships for 2025-2026 - John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics

So delighted for my brilliant advisee @chanheeheo.bsky.social and the fantastic group of postdocs starting at the @ctrrelpol-washu.bsky.social this fall!

rap.wustl.edu/news/jpostdo...

“…the justice which we mete out to others may in turn be administered to ourselves.”

From a book that’s 120 years old, but could well be about now.

The more things change…

A passage from a book advocating against Chinese exclusion

First time in the archives in a while. Came across this gem in a book advocating against Chinese exclusion.

“It is impossible to preserve the integrity of a government like ours if we deny to any class in our community the equal protection of the laws.”

ARGC is delighted to present “Singing Asian American History,” a live music concert by No-No Boy in conversation with @chanheeheo.bsky.social. Join us! May 9, 6pm PST, free and open to the public. RSVP here: forms.gle/tk76grabH5So...

Burning Questions: On Collecting the Stuff of Latinx/e Religion by Jeffrey Sanchez I often visit my family in Texas during the sticky, hot, and humid summer months. Though it may be close to suffocatingly hot, the only place hotter (both literally and figurativ…

Check out this lovely reflection by @argcstanford.bsky.social graduate student Jeffrey Sánchez in *Collecting Religion*: “Candles are ephemeral and made to be disposed of after use, but they also leave ‘stuff’ behind.”

collectingreligion.wordpress.com/2025/03/03/b...

Asian-American scholars for affirmative action A petition signed by Asian-American scholars argues for the effectiveness and importance of affirmative action.

“As we have argued before, we reject the use of Asian Americans as a racial wedge against other communities of color. We refuse to be used in this way and condemn any and all attempts to use data on Asian American admissions to bolster the case against diversity.”

stanforddaily.com/2025/02/23/a...

This is the story we need to keep front and center, and this is what we need to be fighting against.

Class of 2028 enrollment data shows decrease in Black, Latino student enrollment Stanford’s official enrollment data for this year’s freshman class indicated a 49.4% decrease in Black student enrollment following the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action policies in 2023.

Here’s what’s happening at Stanford: “Compared to demographics for the class of 2027, this year’s data showed a 49.4% decrease in Black student enrollment and a 14.4% decrease in Latino student enrollment among first-time, first-year matriculants.”

stanforddaily.com/2025/02/13/c...

Been seeing lots on social media about the Asian American student rejected from 16 schools. But the real story that needs to be shared isn’t about a single student. It’s about the appalling decline in Black and Latinx student enrollment since the 2023 Supreme Court decision.

❤️

@econroykrutz.bsky.social’s response: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Rachel Wheeler’s response: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

My response: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Grateful for such brilliant and generous colleagues ✨

The ASCH forum on Heathen, from the Jan 2024 conference, is live on Church History. Open access!

@kecarte.bsky.social’s intro: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Alexis Wells-Oghoghomeh’s response: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

@mbaysa.bsky.social’s response: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Happening now!

Thanks for reading!

Religion and Indigeneity in the Pacific and Asian Americas is hosting its third talk on Feb. 5.
Dr. Kathryn Gin Lum (@kginlum.bsky.social) will join to share insights from her 2022 book, Heathen: Religion and Race in American History, and explore its broader implications.

RSVP: tinyurl.com/4pjvk6ff