Media Contact: Lori N. Jones, ljones@fairfield.edu, 203-254-4000 x2975

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts will host the OVF (Open VISIONS Forum) 2024 Annual Student Forum featuring prominent journalists Juju Chang and Masih Alinejad on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. 

“Going Viral With Juju Chang and Masih Alinejad” is presented in collaboration with the College of Arts & Sciences Common Ground Lecture Series, and is also presented in affiliation with Fairfield’s newly established Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. 

In their conversation with the Fairfield community, Chang and Alinejad will discuss ongoing challenges facing women of color, and offer positive strategies — with global impact — to advance current feminist agendas. Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of  ABC News Nightline, Juju Chang is one of the most prominent Asian Americans in broadcast news, and a regular contributor to Good Morning America and 20/20.

With the rise of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Chang leveraged her platform to become a much-admired champion of social change. She made U.S. broadcast history co-anchoring the 2021 ABC News Live special, “Stop The Hate: The Rise In Violence Against Asian Americans,” alongside fellow Korean-American co-anchor Eva Pilgrim and a cast of AAPI journalists, thought leaders, lawmakers, and celebrities. Chang’s highly visible reporting on hate crimes against Asians is the culmination of decades of covering everything from natural disasters to terrorism, mass shootings, immigration, violence against the LGBTQIA+ community and the inequities of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Masih Alinejad is an Iranian American journalist and women’s rights activist who gained worldwide attention when she removed her veil, or hijab, and posted a photo on her Facebook page standing proudly with her hair blowing in the wind. From that, My Stealthy Freedom was born—her viral social media campaign against compulsory hijab became the biggest civil disobedience movement in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Alinejad is now one of the most prominent and vocal opposition figures challenging the Islamic Republic of Iran. She offers valuable insights into the unfolding protests in Iran and what it means for U.S. foreign policy. Described by The New York Times as "the woman whose hair frightens Iran," Alinejad wrote the widely acclaimed, bestselling memoir, The Wind in My Hair, sharing her extraordinary story about living in exile, leaving her country, challenging tradition and sparking change. 

Led by Fairfield University Professor Philip Eliasoph, PhD, the Open VISIONS series offers access to experts and panelists on a range of artistic, political, and cultural topics.

The Quick Center thanks Moffly Media, Delamar Southport, Delamar Spa, Artisan Restaurant and College of Arts & Sciences Common Ground Lecture Series for serving as sponsors of this Open VISIONS Forum event. Tickets are now on sale on quickcenter.com for $35 and $25 for Quick Members; the event is free for Fairfield University students. For more information, contact the Quick Center Box Office at 203-254-4010, Monday through Friday, from 12 to 5 p.m. 

Posted On: February 7, 2024

Volume: 55 Number: 68

Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic university rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe are pursuing degrees in the University’s five schools. Fairfield embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering ethical and religious values. The University is located on a stunning 200-acre campus on the scenic Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.