Manhattanville College to Host Discussion on Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Movement

Purchase, NY—Manhattanville College will host a discussion about the pro-democracy movement and protests in Hong Kong on Friday, Oct. 24.

The talk titled, “What Is The Umbrella Movement,” will be led by Dr. Jane Friederichs, dean of Undergraduate Education, and Associate Professor Anna Yeung-Cheung.

“I’m very interested in events going on in other countries and societies, having lived in them and seeing that we all share the same values and the same desires around ourselves, our rights, our families and the freedoms that we expect,” Friederichs said. “I’m very happy to support this event because it’s an attempt from the people in Hong Kong to bring some of the values that I’ve seen everybody in the world struggle for, to themselves.”

Friederichs lived in Hong Kong for six years, where she started her career in higher education teaching at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She will also provide a brief history of Hong Kong from 1842 until the time that it became part of China in 1997.

Yeung-Cheung, who works in the College’s biology department, has been a primary leader of the pro-democracy movements and has brought attention to the issues in Hong Kong through the organization of protests in the New York area. She was recently quoted in a Voice of America article and interviewed for Al Jazeera America. During the event, she will speak about what this political “umbrella” movement means for Hong Kong.

“I think it is important to have this kind of events because it brings attention to a student-led movement - a demonstration of the power of young people,” noted Dr. Friederichs.

The discussion will begin at 12:10 p.m. in the Pius X Theater in the Music Building on the Manhattanville College campus, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY, 10577.

About Manhattanville College:

Manhattanville College (www.manhattanville.edu) is an independent, co-educational liberal arts institution dedicated to academic excellence and social and civic action. Manhattanville prepares students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community. Located just 30 minutes from New York City, Manhattanville serves 1,700 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students from more than 50 countries and 30 states. Founded in 1841, the College offers more than 50 undergraduate areas of study in the arts and sciences, and offers graduate programs in Education, Business, Creative Writing, as well as Continuing and Executive Education programs.