Our Virtual Reading Series provides a space where members of the Myanmar diaspora can collectively discuss issues both personal and political. Each meeting in the series is built around a certain topic and related reading materials, which will be made accessible through our website at least two weeks prior to a meeting. Reading all of the materials for a meeting is not required, nor do we require those interested in one specific meeting to have attended all preceding meetings in the series. We do not pressure anyone to comment on a specific reading; it is fine to attend and share your general feelings/perspective on a meeting topic, or simply attend to listen to others speak.  

These dialogues are meant to:

1) Explore how current and past events in Myanmar’s history continue to affect our communities in the U.S.

2) Unpack cultural norms we have experienced across our various upbringings, attempting to unlearn certain toxic mindsets and prejudices.

3) Attend to cultural, social, economic, and overall structural issues facing Asians in the U.S. / Asian Americans.

4) Celebrate the endless and vibrant differences among our diaspora.

As such, we try to maintain an atmosphere of collaborative learning, wherein we approach topics and each other with mutual respect, compassion, and openness.

These events will be held in English.

The theme for our Spring 2021 series is "Ethnic Identity in Myanmar and its Diaspora." Please visit our website for the full schedule:

https://baydarcollective.org/virtual-reading-series 

NOTE: All members of the Myanmar diaspora are welcome to attend these meetings. You can be a first, second, or third-generation Myanmar and/or Burmese American. You can be an international student from Myanmar. You can be someone who came to a country as an immigrant or a refugee - whether from Myanmar, the Myanmar-Thai border, or another nation you lived in previously after leaving Myanmar. Everyone will be welcomed in this space equally.