Historian Jeff Wasserstrom plans to discuss 'Milk Tea Alliance' across Asia at Press Club Headliners Book Event on June 12
Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's Professor of History at the University of California at Irvine, plans to discuss his new book, The Milk Tea Alliance: Inside Asia's Struggle Against Autocracy and Beijing at a National Press Club Headliners Book Event on Thursday, June 12 at 6 p.m.
The event includes a discussion with the author and a book signing. Ticket prices are $5 for Club members and $10 for general admission. Books are available for pre-purchase. A limited number of books will be available at the event.
Many activists and exiles from across Asia feel that their struggles are connected. Young activists from Thailand, Hong Kong, and Myanmar are willing to court danger to help one another. Why? The political situations in Myanmar, Thailand, and Hong Kong are radically different. Only Myanmar is in a state of civil war. Only Hong Kong has changed in just a few years from a place with virtually no political prisoners to one with many. Only Thailand is a monarchy with lèse-majesté laws.
Wasserstrom met dozens of dissidents fearing reprisal from the junta for his human rights work. These activists have expressed solidarity with one another online and on the streets. They sometimes refer to themselves as belonging to the “Milk Tea Alliance,” a nod to their shared opposition to nationalistic Beijing loyalists and the fact that their cultures' iconic drinks contain dairy, unlike mainland China’s traditional tea.
To submit a question in advance, please put MILKTEA in the subject line and email to [email protected]. The deadline for submitting questions is 4 p.m. on the day of the event.