Photo of OiYan Poon sitting on a stool.

Poon

OiYan

OiYan Poon is an educator, author, speaker, and race and education scholar. She is co-director of the College Admissions Futures Co-Laborative and a former Senior Research Fellow for Education Equity at the NAACP LDF Thurgood Marshall Institute.

Tracing the historical evolution of Asian American political engagement in policy debates over racial inequalities, Dr. Poon identifies and describes the ideological division between notions of racial justice and “just us.”

Spring 2025 Events

April 23 - AERA in Denver - to accept the 2025 Outstanding Book Award!

April 30 - Paperback launch @ Call & Response in Chicago (Hyde Park) with former Chicago Public School Board VP, Dr. Elizabeth Todd-Breland (RSVP)

May 6 - Paperback launch @ Restoried Bookshop in Chicago (Albany Park) with former Chicago Public School Board President, Jianan Shi

May 13 - Yale Child Study Center Grand Rounds

Asian American Is Not A Color by OiYan Poon Book Cover

A mother and race scholar seeks to answer her daughter’s many questions about race and racism with an earnest exploration into race relations and affirmative action from the perspectives of Asian Americans

Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family

Learn about her services.