AAAS 2021: From Berlin to California

At this year’s Association for Asian American Studies Conference, ESJF organized the panel discussion From Berlin to California: Unsettling Histories of Military Sexual Violence Through Interconnected Memorials, Intersectional Resistance, and Transnational Organizing.

Chairwoman of Korea Verband, e.V., Nataly Jung Hwa Han discussed the grassroots efforts of activists and citizens in Germany to address sexual violence and installation of the Peace (Girl) Statue in September 2020. Eric Mar, a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors discussed unsettling histories of military sexual violence through interconnected memorials, intersectional resistance, and transnational organizing. In addition to providing a brief overview of “comfort women” history, I discussed the significance and relevance of applying the lessons learned from this dark history as a way to promote women’s human rights and empowerment.