Emerson’s two-day series of panels, the 9th annual 2025 Teach-In on Race, ended Thursday night in Paramount Center with a screening of “Ten Times Better,” a documentary about the life of an 88-year-old Vegas Blackjack dealer who was a pioneer for Asian ballet dancers and on Broadway 70 years ago. 

The film followed George Lee, a Chinese immigrant trained in Russian ballet who was cast by famous choreographer George Balanchine as the only Asian dancer in the first staging of “The Nutcracker” 70 years ago. 

Filmmaker Jennifer R. Lin, who hosted a session about making the film earlier that day, was spending time researching Asian Americans in the arts at the archives in the New York Public Library when she stumbled upon photos of Lee, who seemingly disappeared from the dance scene shortly after “The Nutcracker.” 

“I became obsessed with finding him,” she said before the screening Thursday. 

After digging, she found out he was working in a Vegas casino and flew to meet for the first time in early 2023. 

The documentary details Lee’s life during and after the Nutcracker and explores themes of representation and belonging in the arts among Asian Americans in the U.S. The title references Lee’s mother’s insistence from his early dance years that he must be “ten times better” than his white counterparts. 

At one point, Lin said, Lee was a guest dancer for the Boston Ballet.

“He was brilliant and I had to chase to keep up with him all the time,” one of Lee’s old Broadway castmates remembered in the film.

Lin said that when she first called Lee, he was confused why she was interested in a “nobody.”

“George Lee is somebody, and for me the reason for doing this film, [is that] it is lost history,” said Lin. “If you read the history of ballet in America, you rarely come across stories about who were those pioneers for Asian Americans dancers.”

After the film, a group of panelists discussed their experience in the arts and how the people who came before them helped pave the way. Panelists, including Lin, and others with ArtsEmerson agreed that hearing Lee’s story was the representation they often searched for in their youth.

“I get to wake up everyday and pursue my dream because of my Asian Americans ancestors,” said Alison Qu, a panelist, Emerson graduate and co-founder of CHUANG Stage. 

John Lam, a former principal dancer with the Boston Ballet and professor at Berklee School of Music, was struck by seeing the film and came to speak at the panel, saying he wouldn’t be where he was without the access Lee paved the way for.

“As you watch this film and [end] this Teach-in, reflect on the fact that despite what is happening outside Emerson’s walls, we are here teaching each other and ourselves,” said Alexandra Socarides, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs.

The Teach-in ended with a reception outside the Bright Family Screening room.

In late 2022, an 88-year-old Blackjack dealer in Las Vegas received a voicemail from a stranger in Philadelphia, inquiring about his forgotten backstory as a talented ballet dancer from Hong Kong turned refugee.

The man returned the call, and filmmaker Jennifer R. Lin picked up. “Why would you want to hear about me? I’m a nobody,” he asked. From that moment on, Lin put that man’s name—George Lee—back into the spotlight.

In preparation for the final event of the Teach-In, Lin, director and producer of the film “Ten Times Better,” spoke to students in her panel “Building a Producer’s Toolkit” to share her experience as a filmmaker, where she explores the intersection between Chinese culture and media.

“It’s a part of my creative history and my journalistic history to explore more of my Asian heritage,” said Lin in an interview with The Beacon.

Lin’s career is rooted in journalism. Prior to filmmaking, she was a foreign correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer for 31 years, reporting from many locations, including Beijing. Lin, who is half Chinese, first visited China during her sophomore year of college, and said that the experience of meeting family members for the first time inspired her work.

“It sparked in me an intense curiosity not only about my family and their history, but about China in general,” Lin said.

In 2015, Lin left her reporting position at the Philadelphia Inquirer with a desire to explore other forms of storytelling. She turned to documentary filmmaking and pitched her first idea to the Philadelphia Orchestra. 

The orchestra was the first American orchestra to play with musicians in China in 1973. The visit was part of President Richard Nixon’s plan to thaw U.S.-China relations. The Philadelphia Orchestra visiting China was an example of cultural diplomacy and a shift towards the revival of Beethoven and classical music in the country. At the time, China was nearing the end of its Cultural Revolution, where Western classical music was banned in favor of politically themed music. 

Lin learned about this story, and with a team, worked to create a documentary about this time. The result: Beethoven in Beijing, Lin’s first film, released in 2020. Lin said she wanted to continue making films that highlighted overlooked parts of Chinese history and culture and “filling in the blanks.”

Her next film, “Ten Times Better,” was inspired when Lin conducted deep dives into the history of the ballet “The Nutcracker.” Within her research, she discovered an Asian soloist, Lee, who performed in the New York City Ballet in 1954, a predominantly white industry at the time. He stood out to her, and Lin was able to track him down and learn his story of struggle, success, and silence.

“I felt it was just this little chapter of history that was lost,” said Lin. “George deserves a footnote in ballet history.”

Lin said one of the biggest challenges of filmmaking is creating a product with a broad appeal. However, with “Ten Times Better,” Lin said that a piece of advice from Lee’s mother may resonate with multiple audiences; ‘All they’re going to see is your face, and they are going to see you as Chinese, and you are going to have to be ten times better than anyone else in dance because you are going to white America.’

“There are lots of people out there who feel they have to be ten times better [in order] to prove themself.” Lin said.

With Lin’s most recent project, “About Face,” she wanted to utilize Lee’s story to continue the conversation about Asian representation in ballet. She said being able to showcase her work at the Teach-In was “an honor” and hopes that speaking to film students will inspire them to utilize their art for social change.

“I do think there will always be a role for documentaries in the social issues space,” Lin said.

Healey Walker, a first-year visual media arts major, said she appreciated that Lin’s sessions took place during her class as it forced students to recognize the power filmmaking can have.

“Without the Teach-In on Race, I don’t think a lot of students would have … just gone to that,” Walker said. “I think making it more available to Emerson students is really important … to be aware of these stories that not everyone talks about.”

“I think it’s very important to continue the conversation around race, diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Lin. “I think [‘Ten Times Better’] helps to keep a conversation going.”

Representing the first graduating class of the Emerson Prison Initiative, Charles Rosario and Kevin Keo recounted the tight-knit community they forged with their classmates when the program was housed in MCI-Concord at Emerson’s Teach-in on Race.

“Being in EPI allowed me to go back and search and understand what it means to be something,” said Keo at the panel titled “Beyond Black and Brown: How race informed my experience of college in prison.”

EPI launched in 2017 at MCI-Concord and offered an exclusive cohort of 20 students a selection of classes ranging from academic writing courses to theater, and are primarily taught by Emerson professors. 

Moderated by EPI site coordinator and WLP professor Stephen Shane, the session explored the two EP alumi’s’ experiences in a college class that operated inside a prison and its effect on their identities today. The three shared stories and laughs with each other and the dozens of Emerson community members at the Judee Wales Watson Theater. 

The program has had a total of three cohorts and has relocated to MCI-Norfolk after the medium security men’s prison in Concord closed. EPI also offers the Reentry and College Outside Program (RECOUP) that provides support for formerly incarcerated college students in their transition to life outside of prison. 

“[EPI] gave me an opportunity to redeem myself,” Rosario said. He said he saw EPI as an opportunity to challenge himself by pursuing a rigorous education and increasing his chances of leaving prison. 

Keo told The Beacon after the panel that there were some moments when he thought about quitting EPI, but eventually decided to stay thanks to the support of his classmates. 

“It’s like, where do you find your hope? You just gotta find it, in a sense,” Keo said. “It might be in the classroom or outside of it … but it’s about the future and what we can do with ourselves and hold ourselves accountable to make sure there’s a better future for us.” 

The panel also discussed the role of race within the classroom. Shane said that the classroom inside the prison is racially “inverted” to the classrooms on the Boston campus and is predominantly BIPOC, rather than the predominately white Boston campus of Emerson. 

Keo, who is Asian American, said the experience at EPI helped him explore the topic of race and identity further. 

“I came in [to the classrooms] with whatever biases I had,” Keo said. “You start tearing [the biases] down and questioning who you are when this is stripped away … being in EPI allowed me to go back and search and understand what it means to be something.” 

Shane, who began teaching EPI classes in 2018 told The Beacon after the panel that the learning process inside the prison classroom was different than that outside the prison. 

“Students would throw ideas and see what happens … it wasn’t like ‘I’m trying to have a moral high ground here,’ but more so working together to try and better understand this,” he said. “They are not afraid of falling down a little bit.” 

Rosario now works with EPI as a program coordinator and supports EPI alums in their transition outside of prison. He expressed his hopes for the development of this program and other similar programs in the future. 

“We are beacons of light and hope for individuals who may be on the same path and trajectory as us,” Rosario said. “[EPI] can stand as an example for other institutions, and for me, the goal is to educate every person in prison.”

A part of being data literate, presenters at Emerson’s 9th annual Teach-in on Race told dozens of community members seated before them in a Little Building classroom, is creating mirrors, not windows. In doing so, they said, can researchers and journalists work in a more equitable way.

Assistant journalism professor Lina Maria Giraldo, associate professor of urban science and planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Catherine D’Ignazio, and assistant professor of journalism at Northeastern University Rahul Bhargava emphasized that using a community participatory research approach—a collaborative process that equitably involves all parties—when collecting data will create a better-informed, more helpful tool.

“People who are the subjects of the data are able to see themselves in the mirror, add in the context that’s missing, that you can’t see,” said Bhargava. “If there’s something we see, we don’t like—that’s on us, let’s do something about it. It helps bridge to action.”

In “Building Communities of Storytellers Through Data Literacy,” the trio of presenters addressed questions from the audience that asked what it looks like to model these inclusive approaches, how to best live with potentially harmful technologies, and the best ways to protect sources.  

“We are not asked. We are not consulted,” D’Ignazio said “Often, the groups that we are a part of are not helped by these technologies. In many cases, they might often be harmed by the technologies that are unleashed upon us.” 

“But we’re modeling an alternative approach to what it looks like to build a more democratic, inclusive, feminist suite of technologies,” she continued.

This starts, she continued, by recognizing that data is not neutral. She encouraged the audience to develop a “healthy skepticism” of working with data: “You don’t immediately trust the data, but you work to verify, work to look at data quality, and you work to understand what the limitations are.”

Emerson is among many higher education institutions wondering what recent federal crackdowns on diversity, equity, and inclusion could mean for the college. The first Thursday morning Teach-In On Race panel focused on examining how DEI can benefit universities and move forward. 

In her opening statements, Shaya Gregory Poku, vice president for equity and social justice, stated that it’s key for students and educators alike to recognize DEI as a fundamental protection and pillar of higher education’s integrity. “It’s really important to name that DEI is a response and not the cause of unequal access in higher education,” she said.

For Poku, DEI programs help address historical higher education barriers for minorities, and eliminating these programs would be a step backwards. 

“Efforts to dismantle DEI are an attempt to rewrite U.S. history,” Poku said. “They’re efforts to maintain control of existing power structures and ignore histories of exclusion and violence.”

Poku moderated the question-and-answer session with Monroe France, vice provost for institutional inclusive excellence at Tufts University, Monique Van Willingh, interim dean of students and campus life and director of cultural equity and belonging at New England Conservatory of Music, and James Mason, associate provost at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, who all shared their frustrations with the new challenges facing DEI initiatives. 

“How much more do we need to endure?” France asked, referencing a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump eliminating “radical DEI preferencing” in the federal sector.

Each speaker noted that this executive order did not come as a surprise. This trend of anti-diversity legislation and attitudes has happened in the past. Willingh, originally from South Africa, grew up in apartheid, said that this did not feel like a new conversation for her.  

“It feels like an unprecedented season in the U.S., but in some ways, feels somewhat familiar in terms of my own history,” Willingh said. “So that’s really interesting for me to navigate as a leader in this space.” 

As for the future of DEI programs in higher education, not much is known. It is still unclear how the Trump administration will attempt to eliminate these programs, especially those that resist. All three panelists shared their commitment to protecting their institutions’ current systems. 

Mason shared his hope for the future, but acknowledged that there are staunch opposers to DEI, whose actions still remain a threat. 

“We’ve been getting back to our core mission, getting back to our students and to the security of their students and their success on campus,” Mason said. “We are not in a bubble, and that is a piece that makes us a bit unsure, but we are really sure that within that bubble, that we will move forward in the most positive and uplifting way.” 

Despite the uncertainty on the future of DEI, all panelists gave uplifting final thoughts and guidance. “Determine where you can have some impact right now, every single day, in this moment, and then go about doing it,” France said. 

“Losing hope is not a choice,” Willingh said. “It’s not an option right now, and I’m going to choose to still move forward with compassion and empathy.” 

Over 100 Emerson students, staff, and faculty gathered in the Judee Theater Wednesday afternoon for “¡Lucha sí, entrega no!”—“Fight yes, surrender no!” in English—The History of Student Movements for the Liberation of Puerto Rico. 

The event was the second in Emerson’s 2025 Teach In on Race led by Miguel Nieves Mercado, a sophomore from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Juanma Suárez Teissonniere, Emerson alum and coordinator with Intercultural Student Affairs, and Jorde Díaz Ortiz, Emerson alum and co-founder of AgitArte. 

The 2 p.m. session began with a comprehensive history of student protests at the University of Puerto Rico.

Before Puerto Rico was a U.S. colony, it was a Spanish colony. “We were treated as second-class citizens on the island,” Teissonniere said, referring to the subsequent onslaught of restrictive and oppressive laws after the U.S. gained control of Puerto Rico.

He explained the long lasting impact of a 1948 gag law that criminalized pro-independence speech, where the FBI was deployed against Puerto Ricans—their own citizens. 

In 2016 the U.S. imposed the La PROMESA, a fiscal control board that makes all decisions about Puerto Rico’s financial status. The U.S., thus, controls all finances on the island.

“Today, we’re still a colony, we still have all these economic struggles, and the activism has continued on the island,” Teissonniere said. 

In the university’s infancy, it was commonly seen as a financial marker to attend college. Education was primarily made available to those who were upper class—“it was not accessible to everyone,” Mercado said. 

In the late 1930s, something changed. It became what’s known as “La Casa De Estudios”—“the house of studies” in English. 

“This means it’s for the popular masses. This makes it practically a breeding ground for resistance movements,” Mercado said. “It became a way of learning history that wasn’t taught—education in Puerto Rico, for a long time, was controlled by the U.S. A lot of schools were only taught in English in populations that didn’t know English. Culture was imposed onto us.” 

During this time, the state was vehemently opposed to any socialist and democratic socialist movements, which typically center Puerto Rican independence. Hundreds of thousands of students were targeted, surveilled, and had tactics to stop them from getting employment, in addition to an already crippling economic crisis. This affected not just university students, but also high school students. Many minors were targeted by these practices if they were part of the high school branch. 

The moment the student liberation movement that had been brewing came to a boiling point, “they decided to remove the U.S. flag from the university and hoist up the Puerto Rican flag,” Mercado said.

This flag was not yet adopted by the commonwealth. Under the existing Gag Law, the Puerto Rican flag was illegal to fly until 1952. As such, five students were expelled for raising it at the university, leading to the first major strike on the island.

This movement serves as a frame of reference for student liberation movements born out of this first one. In 1956 La FUPI—Federación Universitaria Pro Independencia, or “the federation of university students,” was formed. According to Mercado, this became the most militant section of university movements in favor of liberation and independence. 

Years later, the movement reached a fever pitch once again at the dawn of the Vietnam War. Puerto Rican boys, as young as 18, were drafted to Vietnam, despite not getting the same representation in Congress, financial benefits, and other privileges as U.S. citizens.

“Puerto Ricans were being drafted into a war that forced them to essentially kill people who were just like them, who were suffering the same injustices as them under American rule,” Mercado said. 

Many university leaders, such as Antonia Martínez Lagares were killed for their involvement in the pro-liberation movement by U.S. militants.  

Following the presentation of this Puerto Rican history, Teissonniere introduced a ritual involving interactive art, of which participation has been a tradition of student liberation movements since its birth.

The scroll, entitled “End the debt! Decolonize! Liberate Puerto Rico! Scroll,” stretches 170 feet at just three inches wide. It was a collective effort between nine artists that took two years to complete, which details Puerto Rico’s struggle against U.S. colonialism, ending with Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Attendees lined the edges of the Judee Theater shoulder to shoulder to observe the scroll’s moving images, which moved fluidly around the circle, with the assistance of each participant’s three fingers gingerly holding it. As the Emerson community passed the story down the line, Ortiz led the group in original music, featuring a hymn and ad-libs detailing the fight for liberation. 

After the passing of the scroll finished, participants sat in silence, reflecting on the hundreds of years of history.

Emerson’s 9th annual Teach-In on Race kicked off with presenter Dr. Mary Whitehead, director of strategic initiatives for Emerson’s Social Justice Collaborative. The workshop, “Fostering Belonging Through the Equity and Empowerment Lense,” was held in the Bill Bordy Theater at 10 a.m. 

“I hope this session teaches you how to ask questions. I hope you leave with imagination and creativity,” Whitehead said. “I hope you get an understanding of discomfort as a catalyst for learning.”

The workshop consisted of a presentation by Whitehead interspersed with discussion among table groups. The discussion prompts focused belonging, barriers students have faced in their time at Emerson, and ideas for solutions. Whitehead’s main goal: “We’re trying to make a place where we all matter.” 

After Whitehead’s opening remarks, she detailed the importance of a sense of belonging for students and faculty alike, stating that it can lead to higher academic achievement. Outside of academics, it can lead to more job satisfaction, engagement and collaboration. Common barriers include systematic and institutional exclusion, lack of representation of minorities in decision-making roles and implicit bias. 

“A person is not the problem, the system is,” Whitehead said.

In terms of improvement, Whitehead outlined six steps. The first is “co-design for empowerment,” which would ensure impacted communities are an active part of shaping the solutions. The following steps are: assess the current situation, engage stakeholders, analyze potential impacts, develop and implement action plans, and monitor success. Her hope is that these steps would increase empowering and equitable decision making. 

She also outlined the importance of creating support networks and mentorship programs as well as spaces, like the Teach-In, for continuous dialogue and cultural affirmation. 

The event ended with a group discussion on how to increase access to internship opportunities for first-generation and low-income students, and Whitehead’s closing remarks. 

Chelsea Plunkett, a sophomore journalism student, said the Emerson community can feel “alienating,” because of “how niche it is and the very specific demographic” of students within. She said she hopes that this event will motivate students to engage in informative conversations.

“It was nice to see that some people do care and will show up because they believe that this is something that needs to be talked about,” said Plunkett.

Plunkett said she hopes to apply what she learned to her class settings, student organizations, and especially in the workplace.

“I feel like that’s so important to make sure nobody feels uncomfortable in the place they show up to every single day to get a paycheck, for their passion, for their portfolio, or for their dream job.”

“You all have power,” Whitehead said. “I hope today I’ve empowered you to ask questions in your classes, your organizations, and within your locus of control.”