A conversation on the Tibetan Freedom Concert with Erin Potts
Ever heard about the Tibetan Freedom Concerts of the 1990s? The landmark series of rock concerts that propelled the Tibetan cause into the global consciousness? Meet Erin Potts, the co-founder of the Tibetan Freedom Concerts alongside Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. The story of how this activist-artist team mobilized the biggest musicians of the nineties to organize a string of epic concerts, from San Francisco to New York to Washington, DC, turning Tibet into the defining cause for a generation of students and activists, is now an award-winning 6-episode podcast you can find here (link). On Oct 16, join us in person at High Asia Research Center, Jackson Heights, to hear this extraordinary story from Erin Potts herself, who will sit down for a live conversation with Tibetan writer and activist Tendor.
Film Screening
On Friday, June 19, 2026, at 6:30 PM, the High Asia Research Center will host a screening of the powerful short documentary Behind the Mask. The film follows the extraordinary journey of leading Uyghur scholar and human rights activist Abduweli Ayup as he confronts a former camp guard and navigates the profound personal toll of his lifelong struggle against cultural assimilation.
Immediately following the 30-minute film, we will hold a critical panel discussion exploring the urgent realities of the Uyghur crisis, intergenerational trauma, and the pursuit of justice.